Today was grocery shopping day for our household. To go along with our new budget we have already started, we decided that it was also important to start grocery shopping on a more regular basis. We specifically budgeted $400/month for groceries because we are used to shopping once a month and spending close to that amount.
But we were both getting frustrated with getting to the end of the month with bare cupboards and an empty fridge, and I for one was getting frustrated with the lack of fresh fruit and veggies.
So we decided that we would go after payday. We would make a list which would include three sections: need, want, coupon. The need column usually contains the same things- milk, eggs, cheese, bread, and occasionally household items like detergent, toilet paper, etc. The want and the coupon list are a little different.
For me, I want to get the most out of my money. If something is on either of those lists and they are not on sale, then we don't get them that trip. They have to at least be on sale, that way I am saving money with the saving, and possibly even more with the coupon.
I also find that I am able to save more money when Patrick is not with me. If he's there shopping with me, forget about our budget. We end up with a full cart of groceries and a hole burnt in our pockets.
But that wasn't the case today. I went with Isabel this morning with our list and our coupons. I had our $200 budget in mind..
Grand total? $169.63
Total savings? $99.43 = 37%
Total items- 70
Total items not on sale- 9
I would call this a success! Our refrigerator, freezer and cupboards are full and I was $30.37 under budget. Off to \a great start already.
No comments:
Post a Comment