Okay, for those of you who thought the budget-by-gift-card was enough to send you back under the covers…you’re not alone. I read recently that only 1 out of 9 people can stick to their grocery budget.
So on to the tough questions: if the ball in the pit of your stomach is growing and turning, why? Is your budget unrealistic, or are you not just quite as committed to it as you thought you were?
Me…well, no, I hate sticking to a budget LIMIT. After three or four weeks of what feels like denying, disciplining, or just plain punishing myself with a chore that goes on forever, I usually splurge. I hate being told what I can’t do, even if it’s my own idea! What I AM is GOAL-ORIENTED. So for me, what usually works is the CHALLENGE: how low can I go? If I did $130 last week, can I do $120 this week? If I saved 30% off the bill with sales and coupons, can I get to 50% this week? I’m at the point where anything less than 50% feels like failure!
And, I don’t resist all the temptations. Yesterday, I had a very short grocery list, but passed by the Ghiradelli caramel chocolate squares. Unadvertised special. NOT a good sale, but YUM!
Now, I have two pounds of See’s chocolates my sister brought on her visit. A large box of Godiva from Valentine’s day we’ve never even opened. I threw out several boxes after the holidays, and still have a few tins of favorites we whittle away on. But I saw the Ghiradelli’s, and I had to have them! So, I balanced the budget by putting back a box of Slim-fast bars J. Still came in at 72% off the total price, and well under $100.
There are quite a few other tricks to get the grocery bill down…and I will follow up later.
Right now (warning, gross to some readers!) I’ve got to unwad my receipts for taxes. DH walked by (his) pile on the kitchen table, they soared – floated – drifted down to puppy territory. He thought they were VERY tasty and made for a great new game of CHEW UP THE RECEIPTS. I don’t think I can explain to the IRS that the dog ate them…so we are drying out the slobbery spit enough to smooth them out and tape them back together. Good thing I love the dog and hate taxes!
That stubborn grocery budget followup
March 28th, 2006 at 09:37 pm
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