It's Payday, Did You Really Need To Run To The Store

**Palooka** · 10-07-2011, 03:26 AM

I think I have a problem. Every other Friday I feel I have to run to the store. Why? Because I did budget for it. Do I really need it, no!!

I made a list, even checked it if Aldi carried it or Save-A-lot. Then my option was Walmart Super Center for the few rest.

I am doing myself a favor and taking that extra 150.00 to apply to debt this month. I surely won't starve and neither will my family. What about you?

**thefrug** · 10-07-2011, 05:52 AM

yep. need milk and some carrots for supper. otherwise i don't run to the store to spend just because I have it. When I have extra left over from the grocery money, I save it and then I buy something big with it. Like I saved and saved and then I bought a Royal Berkey ( water filter)

**greekislandgirl** · 10-07-2011, 06:06 AM

When I have extra left over from grocery money, I roll it over to the following week (I do a weekly budget, not monthly, because I need the discipline), and it tends to work out. I tend to do big shopping trips every 3 weeks or so, so saving up the money works well.

I very often get only milk from the supermarket. I can walk there so it doesn't cost me anything extra.

I recently reduced my grocery budget by more than half to deal with DH's salary cuts and the fact that I'd been rolling over "extra" money over the last two months has completely saved us. If I didn't have that extra saved, it would be very bleak right now. He just got paid and 90% of it was gone on the first day to pay bills!

**tervsforme** · 10-07-2011, 07:36 AM

Yeah, I do the same thing and I am trying to stop myself from doing that. My freezer and pantry are full, so the last couple of weeks, I've just been buying milk and produce.

**Ceashels** · 10-07-2011, 08:16 AM

We fill the grocery envelope at the beginning of the month so I tend to take 25% and put it in my wallet. I only refill it with another 35% when it runs out and when I have a list of needs. I find it a bonus when the end of the month comes and we have left over items and a stocked pantry and fridge.

I'm trying to not buy meats and just use down what we have frozen so last month we had left over cash. We host a large party this month so it will probably get used up for October.

**shoiji** · 10-07-2011, 09:20 AM

Once a week I go shopping. I get in the habit of getting out once a week. I really do not need to go a couple of times. What I do now is divide up the amount of money for groceries by week. With the rise in food prices I really cannot cut back.

**McD** · 10-07-2011, 09:24 AM

I do. Shredded cheese is on sale dirt cheap, so I'm going to buy and stock up. The items we are taking for Dub's snack day is on sale this week, plus if we buy 10 boxes (which we will), we'll get three dollars off, stacked on top of coupons I have.

We started the last roll of TP today (first time we have ran that low in months). And I'm out of laundry soap.

And we need milk, we're down to half a gallon. Kids go through about a gallon every two days.

**HappyMama** · 10-07-2011, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by thefrug

yep. need milk and some carrots for supper. otherwise i don't run to the store to spend just because I have it. When I have extra left over from the grocery money, I save it and then I buy something big with it. Like I saved and saved and then I bought a Royal Berkey ( water filter)

I do the same.

Though I buy in bulk every month so I am always replenishing but overall save thousands per year shopping the way I do.

**Contrary Housewife** · 10-07-2011, 10:29 AM

I sometimes skip weeks, or have 'light' weeks when all we need is milk and bread. I look at the menu plan and see if there are ingredients I am out of, and sometimes will shop one or two 'can't miss' deals.

Mostly I go to the grocery to get out of the house, it is a safer place than Hobby Lobby.

**ShadowMom** · 10-07-2011, 10:44 AM

I get paid every two weeks so that is when I do my main grocery shopping, I will be spending lots of money tomorrow! ($150)

**New-mom-to-be** · 10-07-2011, 11:10 AM

I tend to buy stuff every other day.

The bulk of our diet is fresh fruits and veggies and fish.

**madhen** · 10-07-2011, 11:16 AM

I usually go about once a week. Lately, I've been trying to just replace what I used the previous week, if replacement is necessary, rather than buy a week's worth of stuff and still have a bunch of stuff that I didn't use up already hanging around the house.

**auntie2many** · 10-07-2011, 11:42 AM

Today, I had planned on shopping at Save-A-Lot to get some sale hamburger $1.99 lb. and produce, then 1 set of their 10 items for $10. Then I realized that I had already shopped at WalMart and need to go to another store close by, so why should I drive to a whole other town to shop at Save-A-Lot when:

A. I have no room in my freezer for the meat.
B. I got the main things that I had needed from their 10 for 10 sale at Sam's Club yesterday and that was lots of eggs. We eat them every day almost. Sure I also wanted the imitation crab meat for $1 each, but again no freezer space and I can live without it.
C. Going to Save-A-Lot would put me over budget for groceries for the week. Which I have done a lot lately.
D. Wasted gas since I have no other errands in this other town that need to be done.

So no Save-A-Lot shopping this week.

A2M

**Sophiasmama** · 10-07-2011, 01:22 PM

I agree with you...the last 2 weeks I've been just buying the things we are low on...so milk and fresh fruit...bread if I'm too lazy to bake it.

**MamaTreadler** · 10-07-2011, 04:29 PM

For my family, it is payday and yes I really and truly needed to go to the store. :-) I keep us as stocked up as I can, but with two teenagers and a constantly grazing husband, I have to keep replenishing our stock or they would whittle it all away way too fast.