Confused with accounting for grocery money

**Seraph** · 05-26-2006, 08:13 AM

Man I hope that title makes some sort of sense. I hope this post makes some sort of sense!

I've been doing this budgety stuff for more than ten years now, in varying degrees, and the single thing I have never figured out/mastered in all that time is when to account for the groceries. Well, except for one three year period...

When the husband got paid on the 1st and the 15th, it was easy. Grocery funds went into my envelope/wallet, and that was that for the month. Anything not spent by the 1st was put into "liquid savings" for use later if needed. However, when he got paid every two weeks, it wasn't so easy. I took out the money with each check, but sometimes I was spending money from one month in another month. And now that he's getting paid weekly... I just want to cry.

So... He's been at this new job barely a month and got paid today. Today's check covers the rent (due the 1st) and the water (also due the 1st), plus whatever groceries I need to/can get to tide us over until next week when he gets paid again next Friday... and that check will cover the rest of the first half of the month's expenses, including groceries. At his previous job he would have been paid yesterday, and that check would have covered all the expenses from June 1 to June 15. I'm still trying to adjust my budget to accommodate the wonkiness that's being created by going to a weekly paycheck from an every other week paycheck.

I DO need to go get a few things today that we can't do without for another week, plus some chicken (killer 3-day sale going on). I'm borrowing from my "liquid savings account" to get the groceries today and putting that back out of my grocery funds next week when he gets paid since this one check barely covers the rent and water... and there's that killer sale on chicken going this weekend and my freezer is seriously low in the chicken department.

What it boils down to is that I'm already working in June's budget even though I'm still technically in May for almost another week. (Twice a year I adjust it so that we're closer to pay/due dates, and use the "extra" paycheck to get ahead on the bills or put it towards any emergencies that have come up.)

So... um... do I count today's grocery spending towards the June grocery challenge since I'm working in June's budget already? Or do I count it towards May's since I'm technically still IN May? Or does it not matter as long as I know how the numbers fall on my spreadsheet?

(By the way, this is why I stopped using all the commercial budgeting programs and wrote something basic in Excel - the accounting for money earned and spent at the end of one month for another month's budgeted funds. I hated seeing my budget several hundred dollars in the red every few months, just because the funds *actually* came out of my checking account on the last day of the month, even though I was already working in the next month's budget.)

**sarathom** · 05-26-2006, 08:20 AM

My husband gets paid every two weeks, so I set up my budget on a two-week basis and that's how I determine how much money I will have for groceries. I have allowed $260/month for groceries...(I have bonus money that comes every month that also is used for stockpiling and treats and I don't count that in this money). So what this $260 works out to is $120 every two weeks. Because of the extra two paychecks we get a year (26 paychecks a year), this balances it out to $260 per month. Then I don't worry about which month I am in, I just concentrate on the two weeks. I also have divvied up the fuel money, household money and loan payment this way. It works for me and has helped eliminate the confusion! Hope this helps!

**canadian gardener** · 05-26-2006, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by Seraph

What it boils down to is that I'm already working in June's budget even though I'm still technically in May for almost another week. (Twice a year I adjust it so that we're closer to pay/due dates, and use the "extra" paycheck to get ahead on the bills or put it towards any emergencies that have come up.)

So... um... do I count today's grocery spending towards the June grocery challenge since I'm working in June's budget already? Or do I count it towards May's since I'm technically still IN May? Or does it not matter as long as I know how the numbers fall on my spreadsheet?

(By the way, this is why I stopped using all the commercial budgeting programs and wrote something basic in Excel - the accounting for money earned and spent at the end of one month for another month's budgeted funds. I hated seeing my budget several hundred dollars in the red every few months, just because the funds *actually* came out of my checking account on the last day of the month, even though I was already working in the next month's budget.)

You are doing VERY well.

Don't worry if it doesn't "fit" the nice neat looking categorized and ultra smooth "perfection" of someone elses system.

You are being paid weekly, but you have monthly expenses. That automatically creates a disconnect, and you are handling it FINE.

This is where "messier" systems that work are better by far than the super over organized perfection for the photo moment kind of systems.

We all aspire to that super "organized" closet (that really isn't) where everything fits in JUST SO with no room to spare. Trouble with those magazine photo shoot closets in those magazine organize yourself articles is this:

They don't leave margin room to pull the clothes in and out without junking up the entire system. They don't leave extra space (gotta use it ALL in a spiffy boxed up way) FORGETTING that we need that extra space for the sale on skirts that we score a bunch of skirts, our size, our colour all a buck each or some darn thing.

SAME WITH YOUR BUDGET!

It looks like successful organizing to me. You aren't going into debt, you have room to add that super chicken deal, and the problem you are facing is that it doesn't fit your mental picture of what an organized food budget looks like.

It's ok. Just give your head enough of a shake to lose that ideal of "perfect" and give yourself a BIG BIG BIG pat on the back for having designed your own system that

SOMEHOW DOVETAILS MONTHLY EXPENSES into a WEEKLY PAY!

YOU ROCK SISTER!!!!

**Lorelei** · 05-26-2006, 10:29 AM

You're doing fine. Choose whatever month you want to count it for your own budgeting purposes. As long as it works for you, it works.

**celina** · 05-26-2006, 01:19 PM

amy dietizen (ok i KNOW i spelt that WRONG) from the tightwad gazette says....its not the month but the total yearly that you look at....some months you can say wow i only spent 92$ cause you were fully stocked , no good sales, but the month after's bill would be 402$ cause of the great meat order you did and your bulk grains order...wow that was waaaay over budget...but it evens out....so you'r may budget will be higher...but then you'll be stocked on chicken so june could be a little lower...sounds like you got control over you $$, just dont let the titles on the budget sheet drive you nuts...