The end of the first half of the year is rapidly approaching.  I’ve made some mistakes, I’ve been a little reckless, and I haven’t been very mindful of things.  There are a lot of areas in which I’d like to improve before the year is out, but for the moment I am concerned with reducing our food budget. 

I’ve read several blogs in the last few months wherein the writer has a set amount of money per person per day/week/month for food, and they lay out exactly what is purchased and prepared within that budget.  (Most notably: here, and here.)  Based on what I have seen others do and what I believe we can do with a little effort, I have decided on $2 per day per person.  That works out to $14 per day, $98 per week, or roughly $420 per month. 

This is food only.  My usual accounting covers food but much more besides: toiletries, household supplies, dog food, and anything else I get for a good deal that I want to record for future reference.  I occasionally even include clothing purchases.  I’ll still do that, but I’ll also have a separate total for just communal food.  Maybe after a while I’ll settle on a similar budget for the non-food and guidelines for what should or should not be included (any suggestions?), but for right now I’m just working on food. 

So stay tuned for updates in the second half of the year on my spending and menus.  If you have a similar series please post the link in comments; I’d love to read it.