Tuesday, August 7

Groceries...


I'm curious... How much do you spend? Do you know?

What are your money saving tips and secrets?

What do you include in your "grocery" category? I tend to lump all grocery related expenses into the grocery category (e.g diapers- when I bought them, cleaning supplies, toiletries, asprin, wine, batteries, etc.)

Our average monthly grocery expense prior to the financial diet was $881. Last month we spent $701.89 on groceries (28 entries). A 20% reduction. Groceries are usually pretty essential. I have been trying to only buy exactly what we need - not what we might need. Paying with cash really helps!

We have a basic Excel spreadsheet and every night we document how much we spent and group it into general categories (grocery, dining out, entertainment, gas, travel, auto maintenance, etc.). It is a lot of work, but pretty critical for the project.

I'm really curious... tell me about you.

4 comments:

kim said...

Ha ha! 1 cantalope in Japan costs $30. Yes, you read that right. You can even buy more expensive, like up to $80 without looking too hard! They don't even sell whole watermelons--a 1/4 watermelon is around $10. And these are not spectacular melons. They look pretty ordinary to me. Maybe they taste good. I haven't tried them!

Anonymous said...

Diapers, no way! Our kiddo has his own category and that is where all his expenses go. Diapers, wipes, classes, clothes, etc.

I do lump the basics into Groceries; t.p, paper towels, food, wine, etc.

We will have to compare notes. I am always looking for ways to save in both Dining and Groceries. We do grill a lot and that is helpful. I do well when I pre-plan for a few days, otherwise we go out or get something to eat at home. And then the cycle begins...

Last time we were at Justa Pasta for the 3 of us it was over $60! (I think I needed wine that night!)

Anonymous said...

Our budget includes space for toiletries (like hair products, first aid) and one for household products (tp, cleaning stuff, kleenex, etc).

Our family of 4 (2 boys) spends about $600 per month on groceries in the Seattle Area. We do a lot of shopping at Costco (my friends have dubbed me the Costco Queen). If you find Costco portions too big, you can always find a friend to split items with. It helps a lot. They carry a lot of organic items, which are important to me, and have really good prices. Also, I make menu plans for the week every Sunday, shop for those menus, and stick to them.

pdxkatie said...

I just started this four weeks ago (inspired by you!) - but I plan our meals for the whole week and then shop two times a week - once isn't enough since who wants hamburger buns that are six days old? But the written plan that inclues the side dishes - veggies, fruit, pasta salads is working really well. I am so nervous about going back to work after maternity leave and still having the time and energy to stick to our budget - $600 a month for groceries plus $80 for Tall House, Double Cup's monthly costco run. We'll have to inspire each other and share meal plans!