My New Favorite Breakfast

Yesterday and today I indulged in a super yummy breakfast. I had Kashi Go Lean Crunch with fresh blueberries and milk. It was so superb! The high fiber fills you up and of course keeps you regular if that is an issue. Oh the antioxidents in the blueberries are going to help me live longer. I think they promise to keep your hair from turing grey too, but don't quote me. (Okay that was to be funny as I think I will be getting grey hairs by the time I potty train Seth.) Yet this is a breakfast I fear I cannot afford to keep up.

Since buying our first home (a year and a half ago now) I took over the budgeting. I save all the receipts from each purchase each month and then log them into my little budget book manually, and then each category it totaled and kept on a spreadsheet on the computer. Categories include groceries, gas, that kind of stuff. Then there are the monthly givens such as the mortgage, insurance, water bill, etc. I know what I can spend each month in any given category and stay in the black for the month. Of course there is a bit of flex as one month gas prices soar and then next they shrink back down to reality for awhile.

Back to breakfast...My current budget allows for $250 a month to spend on groceries. That means when I make my menu and coinciding grocery list each week I keep the amount of $50 close in mind. I try to spend not a penny more! In fact it gets kind of fun to make it tight. I walked into Rainbow (local grocery store) with a $20 bill and proudly left with 13 cents in change and a full bag of groceries. (You used to be able to get a hand full of gumballs for that - those days are long gone!) It has become almost a game show of my own making to be honest.

For those of you who are really into keeping track and want to full details that $250 covers ALL of our meals for the month, often including paper products (toilet paper, etc). We eat out once or twice a month for a whopping $20 total in the budget. (We are talking McDonald's with coupons here!) So our groceries must go ALL the way - breakfast, lunch and dinner for three hungry bodies. We do not buy organic and I can't see how I could on such a tight budget but I am picky about meat. We do buy more fresh fruit and veggies though. I couldn't live without them and the health benefits are so much better for our family all year long. I know I could spend a whole post on free-range chickens and produce that is local and not shipped - gas fumes, etc. but the whole point here was breakfast from which I have totally gotten off track...

Back to breakfast...Kashi cereals retail in the $3 to $4 range. I can get a box on sale for $2.50 at best. Blueberries are out of season so you must be choosy but on sale this week I got a pint for $3. They actually tasted almost as good as summer! Needless to say, my budget does not allow for this on a weekly basis, but I think that I will try to do it one week a month if possible. However, if I ever see Kashi for $2 a box (which I will pay NO more than that for any box of cereal) I will be snatching up a few extra to keep me in stock of My New Favorite Breakfast. Yum!

What's your grocery budget buying you these days? It doesn't seem to be getting any easier so any tips are welcome...