Retail Therapy

Hello Lovely Savers,

I must make a confession… I am prone to Retail Therapy.

What’s Retail Therapy? It’s when you shop to make yourself feel better! What do you need to feel better about? I don’t know but have you seen TJMaxx? It would make anyone happy.

Retail Therapy can, and probably does, affect everyone. It can be such a problem I even included it in my book “If I’m an Adult… Where is my Money?”.

My Retail Therapy habit started when I was very young, and as much as I love her dearly I FULLY BLAME MY MOTHER. One day, when I was but a wee tot, a friend from school was going to be moving away. I distinctly remember not caring very much, because I was young and honestly did not comprehend what that fully meant, but my mother was very sure that I was sad. I sort of remember my mom picking me up from somewhere and going to run an errand somewhere, and I distinctly remember her buying me candy. She bought me candy to feel better. I didn’t even feel bad, but I didn’t care, I got candy!

Whenever I had a crush on a boy, which truthfully was often, I would be so in love I would lose my appetite. This would worry my parents very much, as they did not know my bizarre lack of hunger was due to my being heartbroken over my imagined love. They would assume I was upset and to get me to eat, they would order my favorite take out food.

When I was in college, the first love of my life broke my heart. I was devastated, and after the breakup, my mom took me to the Mall of America for THREE DAYS. Even though we didn’t buy anything (as my broken heart could not muster up any interest in anything), the act of shopping was once again being used to soothe my soul.

My poor parents were doing the best they could, I was not an easy child to understand as my mental health would not be explained for two decades and I had a LOT of feelings. They love me so much and I know they were just trying to make me happy! But even years later I would be in Target, buying trinkets in the dollar section, or using my day off to walk around TJMaxx to “relax”. And while my natural saver inclination didn’t allow me to drop buttloads of money on random crap, it is clearly not a great coping mechanism.

I am willing to bet you have seen yourself in the same or similar situations! Stopped off to peek at nail polish while at the grocery store? Added items to your Amazon cart while inebriated? Drawn to food when having a bad day? Lots of people use food or money or alcohol to adjust their “mood”. And just as we recognize that alcoholism is not a healthy addiction, neither is Retail Therapy. You might not have it so bad that you spend all the money to your name and ruin your family’s life, but it can very easily creep into your life and throw you off of your financial goals. It can trip you up and give you excuses to put off your budget and savings plans.

If you recognize this trend in your own life, seek out some new or additional self-care ideas to use when you feel down. And for the love of God, step away from Target!

If you would like some of my self-care/depression tips, you can read my blog article about that here, and if you’d like to read my book “If I’m an Adult… Where is my Money? : A quick guide to money for the aspiring adult” you can get it on Amazon on December 20th, 2018!

Thank you so much for all of your support, lovely savers, I love sharing my tips and tricks for money and how to deal with everything in between. Please feel free to join my Facebook Group: Sugar and Savings- Budgets and Saving Money to be a part of our community of other lovely savers! We share our thoughts and plans on money and we celebrate each other’s wins!

Until next time, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

xoxo

How I Saved $5,000 In Just 6 Months!

Hello Lovely Savers!

I am so happy to be back to writing this blog and really excited to share this savings plan with you! As most of you know, Handsome Man and I just bought our first house and have been working into the wee hours of every day trying to get the projects done before we moved in. *Spoiler Alert: we did NOT, we moved in this weekend before we had a functioning bathroom! But more to come on our home adventures later.

Today’s post is about how I personally saved up for down payment. I originally saw this as a pin on Pinterest, how to save $5,000 for a down payment in one year. But I said “That’s not crazy enough, I’ll have it done in HALF THE TIME!” and *Second Spoiler Alert you guys: I DID.

The original pin from Larissa Swany, a realtor I believe, was how to save $5,000 by saving a certain amount off of each of your paychecks. Here’s why I don’t suggest that.

First, it takes too long for you to see results! I have tried many a Pinterest inspired savings plan, only to find I have a hard time remembering to make the deposit or I grow bored with it. This time, I was so freaking pumped, I was giddy when the 26th week came around.

Second, bills follow your paycheck cycle too. This savings plan is aggressive, and I don’t want you to skip weeks or pay periods because all of a sudden you remember another bill coming out and panic. It’s important to remember that a savings is just that, a savings. If you need the money in an emergency you have every right to transfer or use it. What really matters is that you see the savings account growing, and growing fast! It will keep you going every time.

Here is the best part, we didn’t use this money for our down payment. We were fortunate enough, and had other savings, that all $5,000 is still sitting pretty in my new “wedding fund” account. Now, Handsome Man and I are not getting married yet, but we already have $5,000 for when we do! (Have you ever looked into catering?! It’s crazy!)

My tips for making this work.

Start the cycle so that the bigger savings amount are for the week you get the paycheck. I didn’t at first and I ended up having to transfer money around a few times until I switched to this way.
Budget for the savings! While this seems like a “get rich in 6 months” kind of a deal, it’s not. It IS still you putting away money, money you do not get to spend on clothes or movies, or whatever. Make sure the amount saved in the month is allocated away from the other categories of your budget or you won’t have enough to save!
Make a visual check list or tracker so you can have a reminder of your progress every time you see it or fill it in! Coloring is fun, saving money is fun, they are basically a match made in heaven.

I am so so soooo proud to have made this work over the last 6 months, and I am even going to do it AGAIN. $10,000 for the wedding by 2019!

I 100% recommend this savings plan to anyone looking to save for a down payment on their home, or a wedding, or a new car, or whatever! And I am super looking forward to sharing all of our home improvement projects with you guys, and how we kept it on a budget.

Until next time, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

xoxo

Don’t forget to sign up to my email list to get reminders when I post new ways to save you money! Also, I am now booking clients over on my Facebook page or else you can email me here at sugarandsavings@gmail.com. Work with me personally to get yourself on a budget that WORKS!

Throwing a Surprise Party on a Budget!

LIFE IS A PARTY! So let’s remember to celebrate!

June has been a HUGE month for Handsome Man and I. In one week we bought a house (more to come on that!), Handsome Man turned the big Three-Oh, and I may or may not have told a billion fibs to keep his SURPRISE PARTY a surprise. And man did it work! Friends and family came from all over to celebrate his birthday with us, and even though he is a rather stoic man at times, he was incredibly moved.

But I hear you over there, “wait, didn’t she say they just bought a HOUSE?! How did she afford to feed and party with all of those people?” Well first, I had this plan in the works for months, so preparation started early, and I had some help from my fabulous hosts (my lovely parents). Together we were able to save big, and learned how we could have save even more.

Venue. First, consider where this party will be. This determines a ton about the party itself; how many people are going to be invited/how many can the venue hold? Does this venue charge for food and drinks? Can you find any where that would let you host a party for free? Any friends with barns or large plots of land? We are fortunate enough that my fabulous parents were gracious enough to offer us the use of their home, yard, and pool. I think they were secretly just jazzed about having a bunch of “kids” around.
Decor. Does your party have a theme? Mine did not, which was helpful, however I was able to find some gold, black, and silver balloons, plates, and such on clearance at Target. Were matching place settings an absolute must for me? Nah, but when I found them on clearance I sort of said “why not?” Which brings me to balloons.
Balloons. Balloons are fun. The ones I got on clearance were the kind you blow up on your own, with the idea that everyone would throw them at Handsome Man when we walked in. It was not as grand as I planned but balloons are still fun so it was worth the headache I got from blowing them all up. I also got the helium balloons from the local party store, I wanted to hit up the dollar store for these but on the day I was running short on time. However I spent like $50 on like 6 balloons, which were super basic and I definitely could have gotten the exact same thing for $6 at the Dollar Tree. I also got Handsome Man an Air Swimmer, a big shark shaped balloon that you are SUPPOSED to be able to fly around drone-style. I say SUPPOSED to because it DIDN’T WORK and I was very sad. Handsome Man still liked his shark shaped balloon, and I was able to have it blown up for me at the same party store for like $10.
Food and DRANKS. So let’s talk about feeding a ton of people. It’s spendy. Let’s talk about providing beer, liquor, and non-alcholic drinks for everyone, dang Felicia. Our solution? We were very specific with our menu. We made one main thing that we could make in bulk, pulled pork, and then provided sides like salads, chips and salsa, and fruit/veggie trays, which we could buy in bulk also. For drinks we hit up Total Wine, which is like buying booze in bulk. Their prices are much lower than buying a bunch of 6-packs from the local liquor store. We also tried to keep our selections narrowed down, I got his favorites and few I’d heard were popular as I am not a big drinker myself.
Entertainment. If you are hosting a full-out rage-er, maybe you need a DJ or a whole band. We certainly did not. Yard games were the perfect, totally free, entertainment for our party. The games we didn’t have, I reached out to friends and my brothers to bring.

All in all, we had the BEST TIME! How much we spent on everything certainly didn’t matter to anyone else, but it was reassuring to me to know that we had done pretty well at keeping costs low.

I hope this Summer your time is filled with good times and friendship. Ours certainly has been so far! Now we launch into our numerous home projects as new home-owners, and I can’t wait to share our journey with all of you!

Until next time, wishing you all sugar and savings,

Taylor

Father’s Day on a Budget

Hello Lovely Savers! Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, are you ready?

Personally, I feel dad’s get the short end of the stick a far as when this holiday falls. It’s early summer; families are busy with camps, sports, vacations, etc. It’s hard to just get the kids together in one room! And throw in when those kids are grown and living on their own? In our house it’s a logistical nightmare.

But that doesn’t mean there is no hope for your pops this Father’s Day! Here is my guide to spending your Father’s Day with the main man in your life, and doing so on a budget:

Handmade Cards. This idea was also featured on my Mother’s Day guide which you can read here. My dad is a graphic designer, and while I do not pretend to have his artistic ability, he appreciates the effort and love that goes into a handmade card just for him. Plus it makes a great packaging for my second item on this list!
Daddy-Daughter/Son Date! My dad has enough tools. And even if he didn’t I wouldn’t begin to know what kind he would want, or use, or didn’t already have, or what it does, or anything. BUT I know he likes food! One of my favorite gifts for dad, for any holiday, is a daddy-daughter date. I buy a gift card to a restaurant I know he likes, and my gift is a date just for the two of us.
Hit Up the Zoo. How many times have you heard, “I don’t need gifts, I just want to spend time together”?That’s on loop during every holiday from my parents. And zoos are great. You get to walk around outside, see cute animals, and you can all meet there at a designated time (unless you are my family, then about 20 minutes AFTER designated time). AND zoos are generally free or very inexpensive. A donation for entrance is a small price to pay to enjoy a whole day of spending time together and telling each other “no that monkey looks like YOU”.
Take a Picture. My mama is so cute, I’ve got a million pictures of us together. But my dad is cute too! One year, I had my brother sneak a nice picture of my dad and I together so that I could frame it and gift it to him. Dad’s are often the one behind the camera, so this Father’s Day, make sure he’s smack dab in the middle of this family pic! (Bonus pics of my adorable dad below)
No Ties Please. If you can’t get out and actually spend the day with your dad, or if you aren’t feeling crafty, here are some of my gift ideas you can purchase off of Amazon*:

Grill Mats! Keep the grill cleaner while BBQing this Summer, less clean up for the grill master!

Look classy showing up with this wooden bottle caddy, complete with bottle opener! Bonus points, I got one for Handsome Man and he uses it all the time, too.

This is Bean Bag Buckets! A fun yard game you can all play together! There are tons of other yard games, perfect for family get-togethers this Summer.

All of these gifts can be done in cost effective ways, which is great for everyone and every budget. Are you a dad? What was your favorite Father’s Day gift you’ve received? Comment below!

As promised: Bonus pictures of my daddy-dearest. Isn’t he a cutie?

Until next time, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

* This post contains affiliate links. This just means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you purchase something through the links above. You will never see me post a link to a product or service that I haven’t used myself and love! Thank you for supporting Sugar and Savings!

Gift Guide for Graduates!

Hello Lovely Savers! I hope everyone is enjoying these first few days of Summer and the heat wave some of us have been experiencing in the Northland. June starts TOMORROW and for many that means the end of the school year is days away. Some families will be celebrating their brand new High School or College Graduate, and that means parties. And that means everyone they’ve ever maybe possibly met being invited, and that means a ton of invites for you to try to wrestle through, and decide what on earth you will give these kids you maybe possibly sort of know.

Never fear. I have a list for you.

Gift Guide for Graduates

1. Cash. This one is super easy, requires absolutely no knowledge of the student or what their future ambitions may be, and is always greatly appreciated. You buy a card, put a $20 inside (etiquette, their parents are going to give your kid the same thing eventually) and they get to pay for .05% of one single text book or a pizza for a late night study session!

2. Books. This gift is probably my favorite. When I graduated High School, one of my favorite teachers gave me a copy of A Little Princess and wrote me a note inside that I will cherish forever. Thanks Mrs. J! You can do a fiction novel, like that, for fun and sentiment, OR here are a few of my recommendations for a bit more practicality:

Of course I need to plug my own book, If I’m an Adult… Where is my Money?
This is my quick guide to money for aspiring adults. I cover all the basics of handling money as you enter into adulthood and walk you through starting a budget! You can purchase my kindle book here.

Adulting is one of MY FAVORITE BOOKS I’ve ever read, it is charming and funny and literally FULL of great tips, you can read my review and my top lessons learned from this book here. Dave Ramsey is one of my personal finance heroes, his daughter, Rachel Cruze is another and their team put together a guide to getting through college. One of the best things that ever happened to me at college was when I volunteered to man an information booth at some event and in return was gifted the Strengths Finder quiz where I learned what my top 5 strengths are (Thank you Stacy!)! This book is the guide to those strengths and how you can best utilize them through life and leadership. Realizing my strengths was life changing. Click on the pics above to order a copy for your grad on Amazon!*

3. A Care/Dorm Package. My sister is the actual best. She’s not even my real sister, but I will fight anyone who says she’s not my sister. For my graduation gift she put together a funny care package for me, complete with pedialyte and aspirin for the hangovers I never actually had. She gave me snacks and posters for my dorm, and put everything into a small pink garbage can for my new room. My mom then did a similar package for my little brother and it served him quite well! What does your grad need? Gift cards to Dominos? An extra large coffee mug for late night cram sessions? Or a super loud and annoying alarm clock, guaranteed to get them to those 8am classes! (Seriously though, why were all the most boring lectures at 8am?)

All of these gifts can be done in cost effective ways, which is great for everyone and every budget, but is especially good for those who have a half a million grad parties coming up in the next two months. What was your favorite gift you received for graduating? Comment below!

Until next time, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

5 Ways to Save on Mother’s Day

Hello Lovely Savers!

So glad to see you all joining back, I have been on a small hiatus as Handsome Man and I are house hunting! I am sure to post on that adventure soon!

Mom’s are the best. And as you may or may not remember, Mother’s day is next Sunday. Which means you have exactly one week to forget again, remember, scramble to do something nice, and execute said plan. I can save you some time, and some money, right now! Here are my top 5 ways to save money on Mother’s Day: (Bonus adorable pics of my mom at the end)

Handmade Cards. Handsome Man and I recently stopped to pick up an anniversary card for my parents (39 years, y’all!) and I dropped like $4.99 on a card and envelope I could have made myself. Not to knock the card, I obviously liked it, I picked it out, but there is no way a piece of paper and some glitter should cost you $5. Make her a fun card, on your own, she’ll love it no matter what! (Handsome Man says to skip the glitter because glitter is evil, but I disagree.)
Recreate a Funny Sibling Photo. This one is fun to do with your siblings, but it can require some planning on your part. Take an old photo of all of you, and recreate the image as you are today! I’ve seen tons of them on the internet where people have even gone so far as to find similar clothes to the ones they were wearing 20 something years before, it really makes the scene! Mom’s love it when their kids actually get together and pretend to like each other for a few minutes, this will be a nice reminder that you are capable of doing that!
Listen to the Radio. I know, I know, but commercials! That’s why you have Spotify now! Or Pandora Premium Plus whatever it is called. But today we’re LOOKING for the commercials. Radio DJs sometimes have special offers for their listeners! Like a fancy edible bouquet, 15% off when you type “DJDave” in the search area, or a super fancy flower arrangement for $20 when you mention the ad. There are a lot of great deals this time of year on the radio. But yes, you DO have to stay on the channel when the ads come on.
Groupon. OBVIOUSLY my golden child Groupon was going to make it on this list. Treat mom to a massage near by, or sign up for a wine and painting party! Experiences you can share make a mama very, very, happy. Then post a picture on Facebook because mom’s also like feeling super cool when they hang out with their super cool kids, doing super cool activities. It’s true.
Plan a Meal. Round up those siblings again, even the baby who pretends they still can’t make macaroni and cheese. Put together a meal for the family. You can split the meal up amongst yourselves to prepare, or if you just want to win Mother’s Day, do it all yourself 😉 Just kidding, mom says she doesn’t have favorites. Just kidding, it’s totally me.

And there you have it! Some quick, and super easy, ways to spoil mom on her special day! Best of all, it’s all cost effective! And really, your mom doesn’t need another coffee cup from Starbucks. They ARE cute, but let it go.

Don’t forget to sign up to my email list to get reminders when I post new ways to save you money! Also, I am now booking clients over on my Facebook page or else you can email me here at sugarandsavings@gmail.com. Come work with me personally to get yourself on a budget that WORKS!

Bonus adorableness as promised:

Until next time, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

How I Afford My Specialty Gym Membership

Hello Lovely Savers!

A week or two ago, I put out a poll to see what you all wanted to learn more about. Far and wide, the winner was “How I afford my boutique gym membership while on a budget”. This post is so very dear to my heart because my gym membership is more than just fitness, and more than just fun, it really is an outlet for me- especially when my depression is at it’s worst. Here are my tips for how you can add your membership to your budget.

You’ve all seen the Facebook posts- videos of your friend from high school going on a fancy yoga retreat, photos of your old coworkers bouldering somewhere in the mountains, ads for the newest fitness craze with fit models making everything look effortless. I am here to tell you these experiences are not out of your reach! A year and a half ago I was going to an open gym for $10 every couple of months and trying to teach myself circus moves on the silks, last March I performed my own routine with a bunch of friends I’ve made at my “boutique” gym!

Free Week Trials– Not sure what your favorite way to exercise is? I wasn’t either! Many specialty gyms, especially when they are just starting out, offer free weeks to new clients! You can try out their classes for free and see if it is a good fit for your new fitness journey.
Groupon- Can you guys tell I like Groupon yet? My first introduction to the aerial arts was actually through a Groupon for a trial pack. It was like 3 classes for $25, and from my first class I was wishing I could take classes all the time!
Find a Package that Suits you- Many gyms offer unlimited memberships for a intimidating sum, but sometimes they offer smaller size class packages. Usually, the larger the package you get, the cheaper each individual class becomes. However, if you are not actually going to be able to go more than 3 times a week, do you really NEED that unlimited number or would the 12 class/month work better for you? I personally know that if I had an unlimited package, it would be a lot easier for me to talk myself out of going when I am feeling down, so a finite number of classes really helps me stick to my goals.
Trade Services- Have a friend who is a personal trainer? Or maybe the gym you like needs someone to come in a wipe down the equipment every couple of days? Some gyms/trainers are willing to trade their services/use of their facilities if you have something to offer! Get creative and make an offer, the worst they could say is no!
Prioritize- This sounds like a no-brainer, but honestly, how many of you have used the excuse “I would love to do (blank) but I can’t afford a membership!”? Hey, I get it, I used to say the same thing. But if I didn’t spend the money on my membership each month, would I REALLY save it every month? Would I put it toward my debt? Probably not! I would probably find something else to spend it on! Do I need more money in my shopping category in my budget? Or my category for eating take out? Nope! I prioritize my gym because it’s fun, but also it helps with my mental health, way better than my retail therapy sessions ever did!

I hope these tips can help you try something new or give you a reason to go for some fitness goals! Are there any fun fitness trends you’ve been looking forward to trying out? Let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

5 Ways to Save on Easter

Hello Lovely Savers!
Easter is right around the corner, this year on my birthday! Whether you celebrate the holiday or just need some inexpensive ideas for Spring, this post is for you! Here are my top 5 suggestions for saving money this Easter:

Thrift those Easter Outfits! Shopping at places like Goodwill or other local thrift stores is a great way to save on the nice outfits you’ll want your family in this Easter. Let’s be honest, kids outgrow clothes faster than you can tie their shoelaces, so saving some money on some recycled clothing is totally acceptable. Especially clothing they will wear literally one time. That onesie that says “1st Easter” only works once and definitely would not fit them again even if you tried. I found a beautiful spring dress at my local Goodwill for $4.99 and I am so excited to wear it on my birthday! Check out my Youtube channel this Monday, for the first episode of “Dress to Impress- For Less!” for more tips on saving while shopping!
Coloring Eggs to Serve Multiple Purposes. Growing up my mom would boil tons of eggs and my brothers and I would sit around the kitchen table and fight over who could color which eggs blue (for the record, my little brother was a total blue hog). Then the “Easter Bunny” would hide our works of art around the house and in the morning we would run around the house trying to collect the most (for another record, I always won). THEN we helped peel said beautiful colored eggs and my mom would make a giant plate of deviled eggs for the party later. Three activities, one purchase of eggs and a dye kit for $1.99 at Target. To save even more money, skip the sticker kits and use a white crayon to draw fun designs on the eggs before you dye them.
Community Eggs Hunts. Many local churches and community centers will host free egg hunt events. Kids are divided into age groups and then race around an open yard to find a ton of plastic eggs with little candies or trinkets inside. You won’t have to buy your own, and it will be fun for the whole family!
Buy Candy after Valentine’s Day. Buying candy after holidays is great because it’s all really inexpensive the day after. No one will notice if your jelly beans are red and pink instead of orange and green, and no one will care. If you really care, you could buy the Easter candy after Easter the year before and save it. I mean candy lasts awhile… who hasn’t eaten a piece of Halloween candy from some unknown previous year? #guilty
Easter Coloring Pages. Coloring pages are really easy to print out at home, some libraries and grocery stores even send out themed coloring pages in the weekly newspaper. Check it out to see if there are some coloring page contests going on near you!

There you are, my top 5 ways to save on Easter fun! Subscribe to my Youtube channel to get notified when I post the first episode of “Dress to Impress- For Less!”.

Until next week, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

Tracking my Goals in my Bullet Journal

Hello Lovely Savers!

Today I thought I would share with you all how I keep track of my goals in my bullet journal. Previously I explained how I set goals and actually complete them, you can read about that here, but this is where I keep track of my progress!

Here are a few goals I set for myself for the beginning of 2018:

In 2018 I plan to -Buy a Home, -Get my Passport (check!), -Perform (check!), -Host a Money Seminar, -Pay off my Smallest Student Loan, – Save $5,000 for a wedding we are not actually planning yet, and – Relaunch Sugar and Savings (check!).

I am a visual person, so not only do I find that writing down my goals helps me keep track of them, but I like to be able to see my progress as I go. In the -Pay off my Smallest Student Loan area I made a little square maze that I can color in as I make additional payments toward that principle. I simply divided the total due by the payments I planned to make and then drew a box around that many squares. When I make a payment, I color another box in! (My colors of choice happen to be Tombow Dual Brush Markers, you can find a pack of them here! Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers, Bright, 10-Pack)

As for the wedding I am not actually planning, I broke it down into smaller budgets. I decided that with a savings of $5,000 I would allocate $600 to a dress budget, $2,200 to catering budget, and $2,200 to a venue budget. Then I got a little creative, each box is worth $50 or $100 that I put away, and then I drew a design for each of those areas. The dress covered 12 squares and the others 22. As you can see, the dress is all colored in! With the savings plan that I have in place for this, I should have it all saved up by June. I’m sure I will share that savings plan with you all in another post soon.

When relaunching Sugar and Savings, I decided I needed to keep track of social media better. While Handsome Man would tell you that I spend way too much time on Facebook, I am not one for actually posting anything. I used this monthly tracker below to plan out what I would be doing to promote the blog and my coaching services.

So there you are! Just a couple of ways I use my bullet journal to keep track of my goal progress. I firmly believe that you need to be able to see results to stick to your goals. How do you keep track of your goals? Comment below!

Until next time, wishing you all Sugar and Savings,

Taylor

Whole30 on a Budget

Spring is almost here, you may be planning for a spring break trip and want to be beach ready, or maybe you are just interested in cleaning up your eating habits. Whatever the reason, you probably have stumbled onto the Whole30 food craze and now you are motivated to try it.

In principle, the change should be easy, there are only a few rules: No dairy, grains, legumes, soy, alcohol, and definitely NO SUGAR. Ok, maybe not so easy…

There are tons of recipes online, and a thousand and one articles about how to succeed in this 30 day challenge. However, no one mentions the cost! Unless you are a wiz in the kitchen and can spiral-ize your own noodles out of a carrot, you will probably have to resort to store bought varieties and they do NOT come cheap.

Here are my tips for keeping the costs reasonable:

Buy in Bulk- You may be afraid of produce going bad before you get to it, but if it’s all you’ll be eating for a month, you will likely eat more of it faster than you realize. Eggs are allowed during Whole30, as are potatoes, which last quite awhile (and can be bought in bulk) and those will be STAPLES of your Whole30.
Spices are your Friend- While making each of those million recipes SOUNDS like a great idea (most of them sound delicious!) you are NOT going to want to make a different entree for each and every meal each and every day. Not only would that drive your costs way up, but you will not feel like it! Keep some easy recipes on hand and add different spices to keep yourself from getting bored.
Do Not Buy Prepackaged Fruits and Veggies- you can buy a pint of cut cantaloupe for $4.99 or you can buy a whole cantaloupe for $2.99 and get way more fruit out of it. Same with lettuce or broccoli. A bag of salad lettuce is usually around $2.59, and it goes bad in like two days. A head of lettuce is $0.99 and because you just rip off what you want, it lasts much longer!
Potatoes- Potatoes are so cheap. And you can make so many things with them. So many delicious, easy, and yummy things. I love me some tatoes.
Rewards Programs- most grocery stores have their own rewards cards, some of those stores allow you to get coupon deals (without cutting coupons!) just for having this magical card. Not only can those save you some money, but those same cards filled with sorcery can also have other perks like saving money at certain gas stations.

There you have it! Good luck with your Whole30 Challenge, you may need luck to keep away from the sweets, but now you will not need it to stick to your budget while you do!

Have you tried the Whole30 diet? Let us know in the comments below!

Until next time, wishing you all sugar and savings,

Taylor