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Lentils are a healthy choice combined with rice or used numerous other ways.  Relatively inexpensive and quick cooking compared to dried beans.  Lentils can be made into loaves, patties, salads, pasta dishes, casseroles and stews.  A handful can be added to soups just as nutrition and filler.

I live in Iowa and we, thankfully, do not have to pay sales tax on food.  Soda and some junk foods are taxed but regular food items are not.  I think prescriptions also are not taxed but OTC meds are.

I do my budget by categories so when one area goes up, I know I have to look to other areas to decrease.  For instance, my utilities went up $42.50 this month.  This is a permanent increase so the budget must be adjusted.  Since I left a $25.00 cushion in the utilities category for potential increases when I did the budget, I only need to cover $17.50 of the increase by reducing other categories.  I budget $140 for groceries so that will be reduced to $130 and the other $7.50 reduction remains to be seen.  My health insurance also went up $31.21 this month but the cushion in that category should cover that increase.

I've used my budgeting format for more years than I can recall.  Last year I was within $14 of accounting for every penny and one year managed to be within $4.  I add each category each month and at the end of the year average each category to use as the basis for the next year's budget.  Assuming I get a Social Security raise, I use that amount to make a cushion for utilities and medical.  Some months I'll be way over budget in a category but averaged over the year, I usually am very close to the amount I budgeted.

I have the monthly/annual total spreadsheets going back to 2011.  That makes it easy to see what areas have increased and how much through the years.  As long as I spend less than my income I'm happy.

I am super disciplined about tracking every penny in or out but I confess that I use a Google spreadsheet.  Not 1930s! but it is very easy to use because I can open it on my phone to add anything even right in the store or in the car after and also open it on the computer for more thorough analysis or projecting a budget ahead by months.   I have data going back years now so I am sticking with it - I guess I have a 1930s habit with 21st century techniques, lol. 

Just had to also comment on lentils.  I make sloppy joes with lentils (no meat at all) frequently.  Very tasty and sloppy joe was invented in the 30s I think.  Lots of recipes on-line if anyone wants to try.  Lentils are high in protein and also cook quickly. 

Have you considered shopping at Aldi?  Their prices are much lower than those shown and their food is a clean option compared to most stores. 

I keep track of all spending but by the categories they fall under.  I use a four column ledger.  Every month I reconcile the checkbook and the budget ledger.  We live on 70 percent of our income and save or give to charity out of the rest.  This gives us much peace and we know we can cover whatever comes up.  

They do still make the frozen burgers.  I just bought some that are completely unseasoned and pure Angus beef.   They were on sale two pounds for 6.99 which is a good price for beef these days.   We grill a box or two of them all at once and store them in the freezer so that they can just be warmed back up and eaten anytime.  They taste very much like we just grilled them.  

I inherited a box of ledgers from my great grandparents but have yet to get them out and look at  them.  It will be interesting reading.  They were very well off farmers in Iowa and even had a big house in town where they lived in the winter.   

Grandma Donna Wrote, 

I would like to add that after I posted my post and read back over that I should mention that I still use my master ledger that I keep my budget.  I use my budget entries to use to try out the vintage journal budgets and I learn tips from the old budgets. I agree with Ann and Sara, I like to break mine down too so I can see what I am spending in every category.  That is why I added to the bottom of my practice horizontal the breakdown.  I have a workbook that I made resembling a 1940s budget where I added my own categories that are a bit obsessive but I want to know how much I spent in food, clothing, insurance, dog food, cat food, clothing, medical etc.  This is so I can see it all. Charles also records all payments in a journal. I am fascinated with the old diaries and journals because they tell a story.  It is just part of studying the past and history.  We all do our own way but may see something they might learn from. :)

Lana D, we do not have an Aldi here but they are suppose to be coming to our town soon.  :)

I will add to the Aldi's suggestion. In my small town they are a blessing.

I budget categories but don't break everything out. Food is a category, and pet food goes under pet expenses. Etc.

This year I got tripped up on a large increase in property taxes, we didn't get the info until about a month and a half before due. I had to do some scrambling but managed and at least I know before the fall taxes are due. I will super pad for next year.

I do enjoy learning how others do theirs. 

I do my budget a little differently.  Each year, toward the end of the year, I sit down with my checkbook and total each area of expenses then divide the total by 12 and that is the average I set down on my planning sheet for the next year's budget.  Like Ann, I often have a cushion in categories, to help offset any increases.  I find it most difficult to do that with car and house insurances as they tend to just randomly increase and you can never be sure exactly how much that will be.  

This past year, after several suggestions from some of my readers, I took the extra time to figure out how much we spent on personal care items, pet foods, paper products and cleaning products.  I then looked averaged that and set that amount aside each month as well.  My last area of budgeting is always the grocery budget, once bills, prescriptions, annual fees etc are accounted for I figure out how much we can afford to spend on groceries.   Now that we are on Social Security, we stick hard to whatever I say the budget is!  It has been easier to determine once I figured out what we spent on the personal care/pets/cleaning/paper products.  

This pay period, I went a step further and took out two weeks of grocery funds in cash, to further ensure that I am sticking hard to our budget.  Yes, if we run out of a necessity (pantry or fridge staples are necessities) I might go a little over, but I try really hard to find substitutes first and purchase only as a last resort. 

I'm new to responding but have been reading you for a long time. Thank you for this article! I love budgets and numbers and keeping track. Reading others tips and tricks keeps me motivated! I write down everything we spend and sometimes am so shocked when I tally it up at how much things have increased. We're both retired,live in a log cabin, have chickens and grow a massive garden and greenhouse in eastern Kansas. I think I will try writing my spending horizontally-never heads of that before! Again, thank you for the article

Grandpa Charles is retiring! That is so exciting. :) I can only imagine what further adventures you both will be up to with him at the city homestead all day. :) I am so happy for you both!

I am working hard on my new habits since it takes me awhile to get them set. I worked so hard on my new habits today that I ache all over! I had a very productive day but couldn't get my laundry hung until this afternoon because it rained this morning even though the forecast said it wouldn't. Usually I am done with big tasks by the afternoon and do quieter things, but today I was hanging laundry and ironing until right before time to make dinner. Whew! 

I have been very good about writing down my spending. It was surprising how much we spend on household things like vacuum bags and repeat things like that. Eggs finally jumped in price here. I had to pay $8.50 for them this time. Aldi's is a life saver. I buy my eggs from Walmart though, because I like a particular brand they carry. The trouble I run into with money is that we still need to buy things so we can save money. :) We want to do our own oil changes on the car, but we need those ramp things you drive the front of the car up onto. 

We harvested all of the garlic last Saturday. I used to harvest it in July. We got the sweet potato slips planted. We harvested the last two cabbages. The only thing left to plant is some melon seedlings, but they are waiting for the potatoes to be done. 

First I have to tell you I’ve been seeing lots of bees here- paid closer attention since you mentioned it.  I do usually notice them but forget to share that with you. 
I like seeing the budgets/ledgers.  It’s inspiring and makes me want to save more. That probably sounds funny but it sure does.  
Our meals have been pretty thrifty lately which is good.  I haven’t had time to go to the store so we just eat from what we have.  Doesn’t bother us but we are looking forward to fresh produce. 
Blessings. 

Grandma Donna wrote,

We welcome you Rebecca G to the forum. I am happy that you decided to start posting, we have a wonderful group here. :) 

The horizontal style is interesting.  I wonder, other than saving space, if it has any other advantages.

We have several grocery stores where I live so I can take advantage of loss leaders which a lot of times is fresh produce though occasionally meat or frozen items. Aldi's is usually higher for their fresh items. I find their canned goods, shelf stable items & most frozen to be a better price than the other stores. 

What I find crazy is Aldi's will have strawberries for $1 more than the loss leader strawberries across the street yet I see people putting them in their cart. Years ago I used to shop at one store & never looked at ads. Not any more. I can't always get to every store every week so I try to get to each one every couple of weeks to look for bargains.

My mother-in-law lives in the mountains about 45 minutes from a chain grocery store & Walmart. She shops at the chain. I couldn't believe the prices but they have no competition. Five years ago I visited her and went shopping with her. I saw one green pepper was over $2. I almost fainted. I didn't buy it. It took a bit of patience but I did find some mark downs.

Does anyone else shop at salvage/discount grocery stores? That is where I shop. The prices are probably half to three-fourths of the regular store price. I get sliced ham and similar boneless meat for .99 a pound. I usually pay .25 for a bottle of salad dressing, but if I want something special, it is .75. Our eggs were high, but came down to $2.99 now. If you buy 50 pounds of potatoes, you can get them for .50 a pound. I got a huge cantaloupe for $2.99 the other day. Sometimes I get milk for .50 a half gallon, or sometimes it is $1.49 for a half gallon. Every Saturday they have a cart with medicines, vitamins, supplements etc. Everything in the cart is .50! I encourage people to Google salvage grocery or discount grocery to see if there is a store near you.

I saw something on the old budget sheets that I didn't know about, so I looked it up. It was the Poll Tax. Here is what I found out about it. A poll tax is a fixed amount of money that a person had to pay in order to vote. It was not based on income, property, or employment—it was a flat fee applied to everyone, usually adults.

In the context of 1932, especially in the southern United States, poll taxes were often used as a way to restrict voting rights, particularly targeting African Americans, poor whites, and other marginalized groups. Even though the tax amount might seem small, it was enough to prevent many low-income individuals from voting.

So in a 1932 article, a "poll tax" would likely be discussed in connection with voter suppression, state laws, or civil rights issues of that era.

You learn something new every day.

Have A Great Day Y'all

Becky Sue