gloryjoy
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Post by gloryjoy on Aug 25, 2014 13:10:42 GMT
This might be a stupid question, but how do you make a grocery budget?
Reading the other thread where she said she went over by $5, heck I never know what I am going to spend. It is always different.
I feel like we spend way too much at the grocery store, but on the other hand I like to buy when things are a good price, whether I need it or not, I like to have a supply of stuff.
So if I wanted to start having a set grocery budget, is there a way to go about it? Or do I need to actually sit down and do an entire budget for everything we spend money on? Maybe I should. |
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grinningcat
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Jun 26, 2014 13:06:35 GMT
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Post by grinningcat on Aug 25, 2014 13:18:06 GMT
Honestly, I think grocery budgets are unrealistic because the need for food ebbs and flows throughout the month and even changes week to week as events take place or things need to be made. I can't imagine having such a finite amount to work with. It just doesn't seem plausible or even worth it because something like food is not finite and changes all the time.
But to start, I would probably track what you spend in a month and determine the "budget" from that. Then see how it actually plays out when you're locked in to a finite amount to spend. I can't imagine it would work well, but I assume it might for some.
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Post by hollymolly on Aug 25, 2014 13:30:29 GMT
When I'm being good about my budget, I figure monthly rather than weekly. I expect that my monthly grocery budget is not going to be exact. If I spend less, the balance carries over and is added to next month's grocery budget. If I spend more, it's ok because I have extra from prior months when I spent less. If I'm consistently spending more, it's time to re-evaluate my budget.
That said, I'm terrible about keeping track of my money long term. I'm great at setting up a budget, but don't maintain for more than 6 months or so. So the above is really more theory than practice.
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Post by juliet on Aug 25, 2014 13:31:54 GMT
That kind of depends...do you have a set amount your absolutely cannot go over? Are you willing to shop sales? Are you willing to coupon? What would you have to pay from this money? How much do you want to stockpile? (does it include going out for dinner, buy lunches at work or school, does it include cleaning supplies, paper goods, maybe even diapers and formula?).
I found out I spent about 1.5 times as much as I thought I did, so I set an amount for myself to stay under every week and see if it worked. Took a few weeks to tweak.
Every week I make a list (based on what's on sale and based on the seven meals I'm going to make that week) and I try to stick to it. I don't want to buy more than four items if an item is on sale (so I don't have a ginourmous stockpile).
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Aug 25, 2014 13:34:19 GMT
I don't have a specific budget (although I need to be more strict about it) but I do seem to spend pretty close to the same amount each week. There are weeks where I feel like we need a lot of the basics, then there are weeks that I go and think I don't need much and expect to spend less. Those are the weeks that I end up getting more "extras". What would help me is to be better prepared when I go to the store, so I am not stopping for odds and ends throughout the week. I think that in itself would help to reduce the amount of extras I buy. If I have a full cart I am more aware of what I am going to be spending so say no to extras like granola bars, juice, etc. If I think I don't need a lot, in my mind I have more leeway with my budget and can afford those extras that day.
My mom used to have a VERY strict budget when we were growing up. Down to the penny. She often reminds me that she had $.40 for a diet coke from the machine at work. They were $.10, so she would buy one and drink half, saving the rest for the next day. We would go to the store with a calculator in hand and contemplate every item in the cart. Having a calculator is the only way I can see making sure you stick to a budget if you are being strict with it. Have cash and only pay with that.
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Post by melanell on Aug 25, 2014 13:50:02 GMT
When we had a budget, we started by reducing what we spent. It was super easy to do at first. No buying a fresh drink to keep in my cart as I walk through the store. No little bag of rugalach to enjoy after the shopping trip is done. Things like that. The drink could be 3 bucks or more, and since even one rugala is heavy and they charge by the pound, 3 or 4 to share with DS was another 3 bucks. No buying treats just because DS asked for them. "Not today" became my standard answer, along with "We can make XYZ instead." Second on the list was to pay better attention to what food kept being wasted and stop buying it. Meal planning went hand and hand with this. I might buy a head of broccoli planning to make soup, but then if I had quicker dinner options, I would keep procrastinating on the soup, and then my broccoli wouldn't be good anymore. If I only had food for 5 dinners, then by night 5 at least, that broccoli was going to be used.  Once we reduced what we were spending it became easier to set some sort of budget. What it meant was that in any given week, we might have one more expensive dinner, instead of just having them whenever we wanted. It meant saying "I'm buying this half gallon of ice cream, and if you finish it before the end of the week, then you'll have to have something else for dessert." instead of running out and buying more. |
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Post by tuva42 on Aug 25, 2014 13:53:47 GMT
I think the first place to start with a grocery budget is with a weekly menu and a list. Figure out what you are going to make for each meal, what you need for lunches and breakfasts, snacks, etc., then shop only from the list. Ignore the impulse buys. Only stock up on essentials when they are on sale and/or you have a coupon.
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Post by JustKim on Aug 25, 2014 14:08:00 GMT
I think the first place to start with a grocery budget is with a weekly menu and a list. Figure out what you are going to make for each meal, what you need for lunches and breakfasts, snacks, etc., then shop only from the list. Ignore the impulse buys. Only stock up on essentials when they are on sale and/or you have a coupon. This is what I do when I need to make sure I stay within a certain amount. The last month I have not shopped much (milk, fruit, veggies) because we need to use up some of the "sale/coupon" items and other things I have stocked up on. I also buy 1/2 beef in the fall which really has cut down on my monthly expense. I save for this beef purchase all year so I don't feel the expense in one month. It calculates to about $3/per pound. Our dinner usually consists of meat and veggies. We do not have a side, like potatoes or bread, which keeps the carbs down. Snacks are usually whole nuts and popcorn. I do not have a specific monthly budget for food but get what we need. |
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gloryjoy
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Post by gloryjoy on Aug 25, 2014 14:12:00 GMT
Couponing on Canada is not the same as couponing in the US. I will use coupons but only for things that I buy. And I usually only go to the grocery store once a week, there aren't multiple trips out to buy more.
I don't have a set amount. If I spend $300 one week I might be shocked, but then I will just say to myself "well it is what it is".
My groceries do include toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, laundry soap, etc. I work full time and just want to get it all done in one stop. I will go to Costco once a month or so but that is more about buying things I can't get at the store, not about stocking up.
I think maybe tracking what we are buying and how much we are spending a month is a good idea. Then I can look at it at the end of September and see where I could cut things out.
Thanks for the ideas.
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Post by rumplesnat on Aug 25, 2014 14:53:05 GMT
There are too many variables every week to make a budget work for us...might need toilet paper one week, stock up on ground beef or chicken breasts another week, need laundry soap this week, etc.
What works best for us when we need to buckle down a bit is sticking to the LIST and not straying from it. When I do, that is when our bill doubles. At least.
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Deleted
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Oct 10, 2024 14:26:25 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2014 15:27:03 GMT
I don't have time to shop sales or cut coupons but I do have a grocery budget. It's pretty loose but I know if I go over my weekly allotment then the following week I cut back on the un-needed items such as soda, chips and cookies. They are always the first things to go when we have spent too much.
I also do a weekly dinner menu - that helps a lot with our grocery spending because I shop my list and don't wander up and down the isles trying to figure out what to cook.
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Post by Linda on Aug 25, 2014 16:01:08 GMT
I don't handle the money in my house so yes, I get a set amount each week ($200) that needs to cover groceries and incidentals.
Groceries typically get bought first - I tend to buy meat/fish on sale and then shop from my freezer. I'll stock up on pantry basics when they go on sale also (flour, sugar, oil) and I do can fruits and veggies to use year-round.
Typically the majority of my weekly shopping list comes from the perimeter of the store - dairy, meat, produce - plus cereal and frozen vegetables. I keep track of my spending as I shop and aim for under $150 (which leaves me money for more milk later in the week or some scrapbook/sewing stuff or something for the house or the kids or a new pair of jeans or what have you).
I do make a dinner menu before I shop and then add on stuff that we've run out of/are about to run out of. If it's a short-list week, that's when I'll usually pick up extra TP or laundry soap or a bit of extra meat. If it's a short-budget wee (because my incidentals are higher than normal - like next week, I need to pay $40 for CCD) then I plan meals that don't require too much I don't already have on hand.
edited to add: my grocery list includes food/litter for 5 indoor/2 outdoor cats (no litter for the outdoor), toiletries (for me and the girls - DH buys his own razors/deodorant as he's picky and DH buys his own stuff too) and cleaning supplies as well as school supplies for the house or classroom
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Olan
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Post by Olan on Aug 25, 2014 16:18:18 GMT
I don't have a grocery budget. My reasoning is I work hard so I deserve to eat well. Since I started eating grass fed/organic meat the cost sorta curbed my meat intake and I took that as a good thing |
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mlana
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Post by mlana on Aug 25, 2014 16:43:14 GMT
I'm a numbers cruncher by trade, so my approach to setting a budget might seem weird.
I started by evaluating what we already used and how long it lasts. I went thru and made a list of what we had on hand, how much we had of it, and who used it. All the shampoos and body washes got dates on them in sharpie. When they were gone I made a note that a 12 oz bottle of x lasted this long when used by DH and me. This let me make a realistic estimate of how often I needed to shop for toiletries.
I did the same thing in the kitchen, but that was easier. Because of DH's food allergies and sensitivities to mold, I was already in the habit of dating things. I started keeping up with what we ate when and what triggered us to eat out. Keeping up with our menus turned out to be a real blessing because it gave me a list of meals to draw from when I went to create my budget menus.
What I discovered with my research really opened my eyes. I realized our two budget killers really were waste and eating out. DD especially was bad to leave very expensive shampoos open or would decide she didn't like them after using only half a bottle. I was really bad to get busy with something and forget to start supper on time, which meant we ate take out while food in the fridge went bad. It didn't take huge changes in our lifestyle to see some substantial savings, but it did take consistent effort.
Now, I know how many chicken breasts to put in the freezer and expect to use before they develop freezer frost. I only buy meats on sale and only what I know we can eat before it goes bad. I keep my freezer organized and inventoried, which really cuts down on waste. I used to buy large bags of frozen items at Costco, but my research showed me that this didn't work for us. By the time we got to the end of the bag, it had been opened and closed so much the stuff inside was freezer burned. Now I buy small packs from Kroger when they are on sale and they are just enough for one meal for DH and I. DH likes this better because we can have more choices and fewer 'must eat this ASAP or it'll go bad' meals.
It really helped me to know where I was starting from when I sat down to make out our budget. Finding out where our money was going was the first step in setting up our budget. Cutting down on waste and unplanned take out was the second step in getting our budget established. Once I knew how much we actually used, I was able to determine the best ways to buy those things, like buying a certain amount of meat when it's on sale or not buying large amounts of frozen veggies. Knowing what I had on hand, in the cabinets, freezer and fridge, allowed me to meal plan based on what food and time I had available to prepare it.
Now when I get ready to grocery shop, I only do major buys about once a month and I go with a specific list. I use the e-coupons our grocery store offers, but I'm not a slave to them. I buy generic for a lot of things, but I buy brand for the things I know we won't eat the generic version. Why buy something you know won't get eaten just to save a few cents?
Marcy
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