Personal Budget and a change in spending

Sheesh! I got word the other day that my healthcare insurance is increasing by about 300%. That's gonna put a MAJOR crimp in my budget and force some hard decisions. Until the house sells and I can move to a more temperate climate (and save on Michigan heating costs), one of the few budget items I can control is food. Soooooooo, I've established a new goal..... low-budget meals. At least some of you know that I have a long-standing habit of eating only once/day. I've been that way for years now and it works for me. Now - the budget. I'm establishing a goal of $3.50/day. I know that sounds really low but it's a starting point. And I'm NOT intending to eat $1.00 double cheeseburgers at Burger King, or eating a whole bunch of Hamburger Helper (or dog food!) either!

Consider, I can buy a decent size pot roast for maybe $6 - $7 and have at least three meals out of it. Add potatoes or another starch and some veggies and I think it's doable. I'm gonna chart my expenditures and will adjust after a couple of months.

Yes, I'll be cutting back (mainly on more expensive cuts of meat) but, then again, I've been buying all my meats on sale lately anyway. And since it's only ME, I'm going to start being really creative.

So, you'll see some changes in my food blog here.... I'l keep you up-to-date on how the budget is looking (yeah, I anticipate some nights when I entertain or perhaps splurge but it's a 'goal').

BTW, this new budget thing does NOT include alcohol or tobacco - waddya think, I'm CRAZY! (I WOULD be if I had to include those!)

Stay tuned! And, as always, feel free to comment.