Cheap Challenge 2013- Week 3 Update

August 15-21
Spending total: $89.24

Groceries	Eating Out	Gas	Household	Entertainment	Clothing	Dog Needs
$43.59	$15.47	$20.08	$0.00	$2.76	$7.34	$0.00

This week was probably the toughest week so far. Our grocery stockpile had pretty much dwindled away and we were left with a few really random odds and ends in the freezer and pantry. This week's shopping trip was the largest one we have had so far, but it still had a lower total in comparison to our usual spending on groceries. We should have enough meat from this trip to last us through the end of the month so next week's trip should just be for Declan's milk and some fresh produce.

We had a meal out on Saturday night because all of my family came to town and I got way to caught up with getting the house in order and missed the window of opportunity to get dinner fixed for everyone. Luckily, this left us with leftovers so it at least served us for more than one meal.

I had to finally make a gas purchase for my car, but I tried to keep the amount as low as possible and just get what I thought would be needed to make it until the end of the month. I guess we will see how well I estimated next week.

I had a project I really wanted to complete while I had a free weekend so some of our budget was spent on a wreath form ($2.76) since I had all of the fabric, glue, and ribbon on hand. This went under entertainment since I didn't leave a place on the budget for crafts/projects, plus I found it entertaining. :)

We had to get ready for our trip out-of-town and Dec needed a couple of plain tees so we checked out the sales rack at Wal-Mart and were able to get three short sleeve t-shirts that they had on clearance.

The dogs are now completely out of biscuits, but we are really going to be cutting it close this last week with what we have remaining in the budget so I am giving them table scraps more often than they normally get them. They may actually forgive us for not getting their favorite dog food last week.

Budget remaining: $15.90

I am not sure how we are going to make it this next week with just $15.90 remaining in the budget. Even though I have not eaten lunch out at all this month the few dinners we have not cooked on our own have really impacted the budget, even though they were cheap dining out experiences for a family of 3. Jake's one big gas purchase also put a big dent in what we had left to work with. I am really hoping we can pull this off, but I really don't know if it is possible at this point since we have 10 days remaining.