Budget.
I hate that word. I think we all do. But somehow, I HAD to come up with a way to reign in our grocery bill.
Well, I finally managed to do it. How, you ask? With this:
A Calculator? Yes, a calculator. See I actually BRING IT WITH to the grocery store! Shocking, yes, I know. And yes, that's me, dutifully adding up every single item I put in my cart.But you know what? It has worked for me. I went from grocery bills creeping towards $200 every week, down to near $110 now. That's including diapers, wipes, and baby food.
Oh, another secret, I use this too:
I actually use CASH! Seriously though, when you have to hand over 5 or 6 twenty dollar bills of your hard earned money, it makes you think twice about buying that bag of Doritos that you just have to have.
So, that's what works for me. Feel free to check other great "Works for Me Wednesday" tips at: http://www.wearethatfamily.com/
8 comments:
You are so funny! Love the humorous tips. Thanks.
I am going to have to give that a try. Thank you.
Paying cash has made a HUGE difference for us. There is something to be said about actually seeing the money leave your wallet!
I do both when I'm grocery shopping. The calculator really helps, doesn't it? And my husband gives me $150 in cash every pay period (every other week) for groceries. He carries the check book, so I have to stay within that. I'm proud to say I've never gone over! :-)
I used to bring a calculator with me, but now with the 2 little ones (almost exactly the same as your little ones' ages) it will get confiscated. I have to rely on my strategic planning the night before. If I don't do my planning (coordinating paper coupons, card loaded coupons and shopping list listed by the store layout) I will not go shopping. It costs me too much time and money to not plan ahead. I don't know how you do it with 2 guys with you. More power to you sister! You are my hero!
You are so right about the calculator! I almost always manage to get everything on my list, under budget, but when I don't use the calculator, somehow my grocery bill balloons. I think just plugging the numbers into the calculator helps prevent unnecessary purchases!
I must admit that I haven't been using a calculator like I should. Thank you for the reminder! The best I ever stayed on budget was when I used a calculator and cash! Hubby doesn't really like me carrying a bunch of cash around though....so have to be disciplined with my debit card.
I love that you are a police officer. At 17 I thought I was going to be one too, as I come from a long line of 'em. However, I never did!
My friend's hubby is one, and my cousin is still one, although the rest of my family has retired.
We also just started to use cash and coupons at the grocery store. I get the allotted amount when it is payday and when its gone.. its gone. Thankfully that has only happened once and we did not need any diapers after the money was gone.
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