Nice job! Was there any one thing that stood out as the biggest change, or just a bunch of little things?
The fridge-at-work lifehack was the source of the junk food spending cut (still need to get better there with the family).
We absolutely quit buying pre-made grocery store items. If we see something that looks good, we google the recipe and make it ourselves. So far I have made three different meals that are better than anything I have ever gotten at a restaurant (with a one-time restaurant exception). I'm pretty sure that is what accounts for the reduction in grocery store spending since we eat the same number of meals and are the same size household.
Edit:
Here is the first paragraph of our agreed-upon plan. We later revised it to include (1) meal out every two weeks.
Priest Family Plan
For increasing savings to 50% (or more):
Immediate:
• No more eating out. We can make tastier food from home with minimal effort and half the cost.
• Begin adjusting the AC up and the heating down in order to get acclimated to a more realistic set of temperatures.
• No more buying processed food of any sort. If we wanted to buy it, we can learn to cook it ourselves (and have the plus of knowing how to cook even more!)
• No more buying new items (of any sort) without-
o Waiting a full 7 days to see if we really want/need it
o First determining if it can be bought used in good condition (for half the price)
o Finally determining where to purchase the item new (if new is required). No more non-comparative shopping.
• No more washing clothes (or towels) that are still clean. It only gets washed if they look or smell dirty. Bonus, less laundry!
