We’re tightening our belts in my household—in the watching our spending, keeping to a budget sense of the saying. Between our upcoming wedding and my Light Lab studio buildout, we’re shouldering considerably more significant costs than usual so a few financial tradeoffs are in order. While it’s hard to trim the fat when you’re not extravagant to begin with—we don’t go out much, we avoid retail therapy, and our fixed monthly costs are minimal—we weren’t in the habit of being careful with our grocery bill. Now, though, I’m planning our weekly menus and we’re buying only what we need at the beginning of each week. No more impulse fancy condiment splurges or on-a-whim supermarket trips that invariably lead to over-purchasing. I’ve made it a game with myself to see how little we can spend and still eat well!
The most interesting development since adopting a tighter food budget is that we’re eating much more adventurously than before. Because I’m planning our meals in advance, I devote time each Sunday to researching new recipes, rather than relying on my tired last-minute go-to’s. Plus the parameter of a spending limit means I have to get creative in order to keep dinner interesting, lest I start to resent being in penny pinching mode. So this new crop of spring cookbooks, which would catch my eye even under ordinary circumstances, now looks especially appealing for its ability to mix up our menus! And while my spare funds aren’t exactly earmarked for additions to my library, I do have a birthday coming up…and these tasty tomes are at the top of my wishlist!
Shopping Guide: 1. Plated 2. Tasting Rome 3. Food with Friends 4. The Cookies and Cups Cookbook 5. The Love and Lemons Cookbooks 6. Sweeter Off the Vine Images: 1. 2.