I've been thinking about my own personal recession lately. I have made only $1 more per hour this year, but everything has gone up in price. This doesn't come as news to anyone, I know. But since my personal economy has changed with the loss of Mark's income, I going to make some budgetary changes and the easiest place to start that is with groceries.
My grocery budget includes everything I would buy at HEB - food, cleaning and personal care products, etc. I was in the habit of just buying what we needed or wanted and not giving a lot of thought to a budget. But all that has changed. I sat down and came up with 25 types of meals I can make that are economical. I will cycle through them to give myself variety, and add to them as I score deals in the grocery store. (So no more curbside, as you do pay for the convenience by not being able to grab things that are marked down). I'm giving myself a set amount to spend each week and whatever I don't spend can go right into my savings at the end of the month. I haven't done a budget like this in a long time - maybe since the kids were little!
Do you stick to a grocery budget? How do you manage it?
Happy Weekend!
Gina
I spend way too much on groceries and getting take-out. I'm working on it but I have a long way to go. I like the idea of 25 economical meals. I'll work on that!
ReplyDeleteWe've been working really hard on managing our grocery budget. I feel like with curbside you miss those mark downs and good deals, but on the other hand, I am not tempted to buy things I don't need. I'm really trying to get my family to stop throwing away food.
ReplyDelete-Wendy
Like you, I have really become aware of the shocking increase in grocery prices, and the relative steadiness of my income. No more Instacart for me, and no more buying with reckless abandon. I need to plan as well, AND eat what I have in the freezer. I often tend to just ignore that. I'm not sure, at the moment, h ow I am going to approach budgeting, but I need to do it.
ReplyDelete