Quest to stay on budget

Aloha everybody, 

Since moving to Alaska, we have struggled staying on our food budget, which then messes with the whole budget in general. While still in Florida, we have noticed the decline in Coupons in our weekly circular and also good ones for things we actually use online. On top of that we do not have an Aldi here in Alaska, which is where we used to do 80% of our shopping in Florida. If you are not familiar with Aldi, Aldi is a German grocery store which has branched out to the US and has loads of affordable groceries. One of our go to grocery stores when I still lived in Germany. If you want to know more or want to see if there is a store near you simply click on the highlighted Aldi above.

I have decided I need to try to stay on budget as much as possible because lately we have been living paycheck to paycheck and that barely. Another reason for this is also the fact that we are building a cabin on our Uncle's land, which you will see more about in another post.
Also prices are a bit higher here. Not for everything but most things are more expensive. For example, if you are familiar with Publix prices those are the Walmart prices here and the cheapest prices in the area.

Following I will have a list of how I am planning on tackling the Quest off staying on budget!

• Meal Planning - This is something I have tried in the past but just didn't succeed or gave up. But this time I really want to sit down and plan out our month or at least 2 weeks. This will give us a better idea of what we spend. Simply because we wind up buying crap, well not literal but junk food or just nothing you make great meals out of and I am tired of it. Fun part will be getting to the store in time before people have bought all the fruits and veggies. Another down side if you go to the store around midday, the shelves will be empty. Especially, the fruit and veggie aisles!! It's a wee bit frustrating, because I don't get out of the house early, as we live on the outskirts of town and have to drive to the other end to the store. I also try to avoid rush hour. I will do my planning and will also make a post about it to see what we have planned and how I came up with my plan, such as which websites I used to get recipe and meal ideas from. Watch this space for the Meal Planning post. 

• Coupons - While I am not a "hoarding" coupon-er, I am definitely want to see if there are some useful ones around. I have not yet come across an insert of coupons like I am used to from Florida, also I do not have a printer yet, so this will be interesting. Any suggestions as to where to get coupons from, feel free to comment down below. 

• Bulk shopping - Another way I believe will help us is bulk shopping, not in the crazy coupon way and a whole closet filled with Bulk items but at least our essentials. I mean we don't have that much room as our cabin is actually going to be a tiny house :) Definitely, Dog and Guinea Pig food, Paper towels and Toilet paper, as well as other things that might pop up in my head. 

If you have any other suggestions, feel free to comment down below. We don't eat out so saving money on that doesn't really affect us. But please let me know what you do to stay on your food budget, what are your ideas, suggestion, tips, and tricks? 

XOXO, Nicole