Extreme Grocery Store Budget Challenge 2024! $50 A Month!

Can I get by with a miniscule monthly grocery budget of only $50 cash per month to replenish what I need?  I honestly have no idea, but I’m always up for a good challenge and I’m going to give it a try.  Why, you may ask?  Why not?!

 

A couple months ago I was watching a Youtuber (her channel is called Prepper Princess) where she was talking about what she would do in the event that we go into a full blown recession, great depression or economic collapse.  As she talked I was agreeing with her that I could do most of those things myself.  No problem!  But then I got to wondering.  We would all like to think we actually would do the things we say, but how do we know for sure that we really could or would do them?  And, would it even work?  The only way to know for sure, in my opinion, is to actually put it to the test.  So that is what I am going to do.

 

After a year of hard work canning and stocking up I am blessed to have a fully stocked deep freezer and kitchen pantry, not to mention my LTFS area so I have plenty of food on hand, or at least I would like to think so.  To be honest, I really don’t know for sure.  The other issue I need to keep in mind is that I don’t want to completely deplete my resources.  I will still need to purchase and restock as I go along.

 

My plan is to set aside $50 a month in cold hard cash as my budgeted amount to buy groceries.  That is only $600 for the entire year!  As usual, I will not be including sales tax in my budget (we pay tax on our groceries here in Idaho), that will be paid separately.  If I don’t spend all of my budget amount then I will roll it over to use the following month.  If I can get gift cards, either by using my accumulation of credit card rewards points, doing surveys or getting them as gifts then that is okay.  I might do some foraging or trading.  I will kindly accept gifts in the form of vegetable bombings if my neighbors feel so inclined.  I plan to plant a garden, but keep in mind I’m not very good at growing my own food.  Maybe this challenge will help me do better.  I also need to be sure I’m preparing well rounded and healthy meals which I don’t currently see will be an issue at all.  I will not visit any food pantries or the food bank.  If I get to that point I’ll admit failure and abandon the project altogether.

 

As far as the nonfood items I may need I’m only budgeting $50 for the entire year (instead of my usual $25 per month) in 2024 because I know I don’t really need or use that much stuff.  I’m also expanding that category to include not just cleaning supplies, paper products, laundry supplies and toiletries, but also dish cloths, towels, pretty much linens and kitchen related items (canning supplies, utensils, dishes, etc.) of any kind.  I’ve only made a small dent in my supply of lotions, creams and shower gels so my Bath & Body Works moratorium will continue next year.  Sorry B&BW - I do miss you.

 

My pets are not part of this challenge so their food and supply budget will remain the same.  I will continue to purchase items I find on sale or the dollar store to donate to the high school’s food pantry.  That will be a separate budget as well.  Donating, if one can afford to do so, especially this food pantry, is very important to me so I definitely want to continue with that.

 

In general, I’m just going to have to see what happens.  I’m really excited to find out if I can do this and how it turns out.  I may fail or I may just be able to pull it off.  We shall see.  Do you want to follow my progress and see how I do?  If so, let me know in the comments and I’ll be sure to share the details.  Let me know too if any of you want to set your own budget and join me!  It definitely does not need to be as extreme as mine, but you may find this to be a super fun challenge as well.