Price check
I’ve been very nervous when checking out at the grocery store lately. Not because someone might see me in my best errand-running sweatpants. No, it’s more like the choking-as-the-bill-adds-up kind of nervous. And I’ve been nervous because I might be wrong.
I really hate being wrong. I pout when I’m wrong.
You see, I came up with this grand plan at the end of 2009 so that we could save some cash in 2010. Here are the details of the plan:
- Plan meals in advance and buy only the food and supplies that make the list (compared to our previous on-the-fly style)
- Make one shopping trip per week for all food and supplies (compared to the 3+ stops were were making before!)
- If we run out of something during the week, make do with what we have (compared to our frequent stops for necessities, like ice cream)
- Bring our lunch (or eat at home) every day (compared to buying coffee and lunch in the cafe at work)
Considering Chris and I are usually a bad influence on each other, we’ve followed our own rules exceptionally and unusually well. But our seemingly outrageous once-a-week shopping bills had me second guessing the approach. I knew we’d be spending more money in one trip, but it seemed like a lot!
So, now that we have a month of disciplined shopping under our belts, I could finally do a comparison. The suspense was killing me. (Did I mention that I hate being wrong?)
Thanks to the wonders of online banking, I swiftly downloaded a spreadsheet from our bank account of our spending in the last month. I also randomly picked an average month from 2009 (July) and downloaded those transactions for comparison purposes.
I deleted all of the rows that were not food and supply related and tallied the results. Here is the breakdown of what I found.
July 2009
- 3 = Average weekly food/shopping stops (excluding buying lunch at work)
- $876.24 = Monthly food/supply spending
(Yikes! Apparently all of those little side trips were adding up.)
January 2010
- 1 = Average weekly food/shopping stops
- $675.86 = Monthly food/supply spending
(Relief!)
So, even though our one shopping trip per week seemed pricey, we are actually saving about $200 per month by planning ahead, limiting our shopping trips and bringing our lunches from home. That’s $2,400 per year, people. And you know I could do a lot of other things with $2,400.
Although it’s been mildly annoying to plan a grocery list and give myself 10 extra minutes in the morning to make my lunch, it’s a small price to pay for BEING RIGHT!
Don’t you just love saving money and time and making the most of what you have? Have you implemented any savings plans for the new year? Tell all!
Great tips! And impressive contrast before/after. We have a few that have helped us as well.
Cooking and Baking on a Budget: http://www.neverhomemaker.com/2009/12/cooking-and-baking-on-budget-how-to.html
Cut Back on Work Week Spending: http://www.neverhomemaker.com/2009/12/cut-back-on-workweek-spending-its-as.html
And you’re right. When you calculate YEARLY food costs. It’s like . . . WOAH!
<3
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Erin Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 6:54 am
Hey Ashley!
Yes, you guys have some fantastic tips–everyone should check them out!
xo,
- e
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Thanks for sharing…
I’ve been making a large shopping trip about once every 2-4 weeks. I’ll plan a bunch of meals (most of which are large enough to produce freeze-able leftovers), and also grab supplies for tacos, chili, and stir-fry – the three meals my husband makes when it’s his turn to cook. Last week’s shopping trip was $242, which caused me to freak out a little (I mean, we’re just two people here!), but when I remember that we’ll only have to make a small shopping trip or two later in the month to replenish, I feel a bit better about it. I think having a plan definitely helps at the store – and I also don’t have to think very hard about what to have for dinner because I can just check my list of meals that I’ll make stuck on the side of the fridge). Another thing I’ve found useful is that I also always go to the grocery store full because otherwise I stock up on snacks.
You should also compare your eating out budgets for the two months in question – I bet you’ve saved much more than $200!!
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Great job slashing those bills! Bringing lunch is one of the greatest money saving tricks. I love taking leftovers as lunch because it’s like free food (or a bonus meal)
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Kudos to you! This is somehow so hard to do with our busy lifestyles, but the pay out is worth it!
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Erin Reply:
February 4th, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Thanks for your comments, everyone!
Jen, I love that you have the same “we’re only 2 people” feeling that I do! Where does all of the food go!? And yes, we definitely have saved a bunch by not eating out.
Kasey, I agree! How good are leftovers!?
Terry, It is hard with a busy schedule, for sure. I mean, who really has time to plan meals in advance? It takes a lot of discipline and self-training for us!
xo,
- e
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I love that you have hard data comparing the two! We have been trying to plan meals and do weekly shopping trips and I wish we had “before” numbers because even when I am feeling that I did not buy that much at the store, it has been adding up to a huge bill. I hear you about being a bad influence on each other…we do that with eating out.
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