Frugal Friday...

It's never too late to practice some frugal ideas. I love Frugal Fridays w/ Life as Mom. She always has fabulous tips and you will find tips from other bloggers there, too. With so many people either getting hours/commissions cut or out of a job all together sharing frugal ideas can be really helpful. Just one great idea can change your outlook on your financial life. It really can. So pop over to her website and check out her great ideas as well as others'.

I may have mentioned this before, maybe not. But I think the one thing that has made a difference for us is paying cash at the grocery store. Not a check or debit card but cold, hard cash.

Each payday I take 2 weeks worth of my budgeted grocery money out of the bank and put it in an envelope labeled 'groceries'. I just use an envelope I get from the bank (free) but you can get all kinds of fancy envelopes if you so desire. I used to take out a week at a time but decided taking two weeks out worked better - if I find a deal on meat that would push me over one week I wanted the cash to take advantage of the sale knowing I wouldn't need to buy that meat the next week, evening things out.

Although in theory using your debit card SHOULD be the same as using cash, it's not. I would have the tendency to use my card and not really notice if I went over my budget until I got home and looked at my recent grocery receipts. But when you're out of cash you know it.

We have been doing this for about 3 years and I wouldn't go back for anything. I think it's worth a try for anyone having trouble adhering to their grocery budget.

Comments

Jennifer said…
I have also been using the "cash only" system for about 6 months now and will never go back! I spend less because I am more aware of what I am putting in my cart. I also walk around with a small calculator adding up my purchases. I know I look like a dork but it saves me the embarrassment of getting to the checkout and having to put stuff back.

I recently started buying bulk meat and it does take a chunk out of a week's budget. I think I am going to give your 2 week method a try. Thanks for sharing!
August 22, 2009 at 5:37 PM
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