Expense Tracking Check-In

The author hath spent too much money.

So how’s your March expense tracking going?

Mine’s going great, I’m spending money all over the place!

One thing I’m working on this month is keeping the grocery bill under $1,000 for my family of four. I was able to maintain this for most of 2025, but in December things started going downhill — or costs started going uphill? Whatever.

Part of it is that I’ve been working with a nutrition coach who has me eating more protein. Those Chomps turkey sticks ain’t cheap! Part of it might be the universe. IDK. But either way, we’ve spent over $500 so far in March. I’m not super concerned because I do a lot of bulk shopping at the beginning of the month for things I know we’ll use.

Here’s how I’m attempting to maintain the remainder of the budget:

• Bringing back the beans. Oh yeah baby, following my own advice. Made lentil soup the other day loosely based on the Moosewood Cookbook recipe. It was really good.

• Shopping the freezer and pantry. I don’t need to buy meat for at least another week or so with bags of chicken and shrimp in the freezer. And there’s plenty of chili ingredients in cabinets!

Annnnnnd, that’s it. We’ll see how it goes.

What have you noticed in your expense tracking so far?

Remember, you don’t need a goal yet. We’re just gathering information. In April, we make a plan.

Talk to you soon,

Jessie

Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash