Grocery budget

**sarcophagus** · 06-21-2005, 12:55 PM

So I decided to give DH and I a grocery budget of $50 a week to start since we are very new to budgetting. This week, and I'm very proud of myself, I bought a week's worth of groceries for $32!!! I decided that I was gonna buy a new pair of shoes (desperatley needed) to celebrate. I went into the store expecting to pay $30 for a decent pair but instead paid a whopping $7.50 for a very good pair!!! I'm so proud of myself. I really think I'm getting the hang of this budgetting stuff!! Oh and DH is already starting to look for ways to save money...woo hoo!!!

**Darlene** · 06-21-2005, 01:23 PM

Woohoo! You should be pleased!

Did you make a menu & then shop?

**Mom23boys** · 06-21-2005, 02:19 PM

WTG!! Keep sticking to your budget!!

**dndylfe** · 06-21-2005, 02:30 PM

Query: How did you decide on $50? Is there a formula or rule of thumb for how much should be spent if you have so many people in the household?

And by the way, doesn't it feel so awesome to go underbudget?? Congratulations!

**Dixie** · 06-21-2005, 02:52 PM

Congrats! You did great!!

**homesteadmamma** · 06-21-2005, 03:23 PM

WTG you did great.

**Early Bird** · 06-26-2005, 05:58 AM

Heh-heh-heh! We'll get her addicted -- and then she'll start thrift store shopping too!

**Michelle** · 06-26-2005, 08:42 AM

**sarcophagus** · 06-29-2005, 11:52 AM

Well, this week I spent 43...not bad.

Someone asked if there was a formula. Not really, I kept lowering the budget every week, eventually, $50 became the magic number. I usually make a menu for the week, then right down every ingredient for each meal, then I look in the pantry, see what I have, cross that off. I shop at 2 places, the grocery store across the street that has really good deals on veggies/fruit/meat and then at my work, which is also a grocery store (but no fresh food), for canned goods etc. I get a 15% discount there.

And that's how the groceries work, but the unfortunate thing is that DH and I usually get the munchies late night so we always end up spending extra on chips and juice etc. But we are trying to get better.