Okay, so apparently I spend WAY more than everyone else. The only good thing I can note is that we rarely ever eat out anymore. So although we spend a lot at the grocery store, we still spend way less than we did before. In addition to our huge grocery bill, we used to eat out about 3 times per week too. So, we're making some improvement.
My main problem with saving money is coupon clipping. Most of the stuff we buy is organic. I rarely ever see coupons for these items. Another problem is my husband's Ben & Jerry's addiction. He wants ice cream every night. And if he is eating ice cream, I am eating ice cream too. And finally, I buy too many convenience foods - like pre-made veggie pot pies or soy ravioli or Amy's burritos. I have been making an effort cook more, but these expensive items are usually always included in the weekly line-up.
So, I have decided to implement a few new plans to help us save some dough. First, I am going to make muffins or scones from scratch for John's breakfast. He usually buys a few bagels or donuts in the morning. Second, I am going to start serving more left-overs for lunch. I have this really bad habit of forgetting about left-overs. I frequently find two month old lasagna in the back of my fridge. And finally, I am going to start scouring the internet for coupons. They have to be out there somewhere.
Honestly, I was hoping that all of you would have similar sized grocery bills. I feel a little embarrassed by my excessive spending.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Money matters
I have a general question for you. How much do you spend at the grocery store weekly? I have been paying more attention to how much we spend, and I am SHOCKED at how much money we shell out.
We actually have three stores that we shop at weekly - Whole Foods, Safeway, and Target. This weekend we visited all three stores back-to-back. We spent a ton of money. A TON. It wouldn't bother me too much if this was just a one time thing, but we spend this much every week. EVERY WEEK! We do most of our shopping at Whole Foods. And no, I am not a snooty pompous asshole. We shop there because we are vegetarians, and they have a wide selection of foods that cater to our diet. On average, we spend about $120 per week at Whole Foods. Not too bad, if that was the only store we shopped at. However, we have to go to the regular grocery store (Safeway) for odds and ends that are simply too expensive at Whole Foods. We get things like shaving cream, toilet paper, paper towel, etc from Safeway. On average, we spend about $50 per week at this grocery store. But we're still not done! I also go to Target weekly for other necessities - like diapers, wipes, soy milk, etc. We spend anywhere from $50 to $100 per week at Target (depending on how many times I visit, how many good deals they have, and how cranky my children are).
So, when I combine everything together, we spend at least $220 per week. CRAZY! I didn't know if this was normal, or if we are spending abnormally large sums of money at the store every week. Tell me, how much do you spend weekly on necessities? And more importantly, how do you trim the bill?
We actually have three stores that we shop at weekly - Whole Foods, Safeway, and Target. This weekend we visited all three stores back-to-back. We spent a ton of money. A TON. It wouldn't bother me too much if this was just a one time thing, but we spend this much every week. EVERY WEEK! We do most of our shopping at Whole Foods. And no, I am not a snooty pompous asshole. We shop there because we are vegetarians, and they have a wide selection of foods that cater to our diet. On average, we spend about $120 per week at Whole Foods. Not too bad, if that was the only store we shopped at. However, we have to go to the regular grocery store (Safeway) for odds and ends that are simply too expensive at Whole Foods. We get things like shaving cream, toilet paper, paper towel, etc from Safeway. On average, we spend about $50 per week at this grocery store. But we're still not done! I also go to Target weekly for other necessities - like diapers, wipes, soy milk, etc. We spend anywhere from $50 to $100 per week at Target (depending on how many times I visit, how many good deals they have, and how cranky my children are).
So, when I combine everything together, we spend at least $220 per week. CRAZY! I didn't know if this was normal, or if we are spending abnormally large sums of money at the store every week. Tell me, how much do you spend weekly on necessities? And more importantly, how do you trim the bill?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
A first time for everything
I took the kids to the farm on Friday. We roamed around looking at the animals, playing in the barn, and exploring the old farm house. We were there for over 2 hours, and the kids were exhausted when we finally left. As soon as we walked in the door, I put both kids to bed.
After everyone was snug in bed, I went to the bathroom. While sitting on the toilet, I noticed a little bug on my leg. My first instinct was that it was a smashed spider. I thought Ugh. A spider crawled into my pant leg and is smashed on my thigh. Gross. I tried to flick it off, but it wouldn't budge. I looked more closely and saw it's legs moving. OH MY FUCKING GOD!
It was a tick. A big, fat, nasty, disgusting tick. And it was attached to my leg. I grabbed a piece of toilet paper and ripped it off of my thigh. I opened the wad of paper to look at it and the nasty bug scurried across the surface. I quickly threw it in the toilet, and then took off all of my clothes. I was convinced that they were EVERYWHERE. After checking every square inch of my body, I debated burning my clothes. MORE BUGS MIGHT BE HIDING IN THEM!
It literally took me an hour to calm down. I am a wussy. I have never had a tick on me before. Gross. Completely and totally gross. And now I convinced that I have Lyme disease. Damn stupid farm.
After everyone was snug in bed, I went to the bathroom. While sitting on the toilet, I noticed a little bug on my leg. My first instinct was that it was a smashed spider. I thought Ugh. A spider crawled into my pant leg and is smashed on my thigh. Gross. I tried to flick it off, but it wouldn't budge. I looked more closely and saw it's legs moving. OH MY FUCKING GOD!
It was a tick. A big, fat, nasty, disgusting tick. And it was attached to my leg. I grabbed a piece of toilet paper and ripped it off of my thigh. I opened the wad of paper to look at it and the nasty bug scurried across the surface. I quickly threw it in the toilet, and then took off all of my clothes. I was convinced that they were EVERYWHERE. After checking every square inch of my body, I debated burning my clothes. MORE BUGS MIGHT BE HIDING IN THEM!
It literally took me an hour to calm down. I am a wussy. I have never had a tick on me before. Gross. Completely and totally gross. And now I convinced that I have Lyme disease. Damn stupid farm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
