Friday, September 17, 2010

Using cash for groceries

. . . is seriously helping me. I've always dismissed the idea that using cash to pay for groceries would have any meaningful impact on what I purchased. After all, I generally stuck to my list, made good choices, & etc. Apparently not, because I've been using cash to pay for groceries since 9/1, & it's definitely, definitely helped me be more aware of my spending.

Today, for example, I had $112 & some change. My normal weekly budget is $100, but I rolled over $12 from last week. I paid attention to every item, tracked how much I was spending, put back a few unnecessary items, & ended the trip with a total of exactly $109. Nice!

I think this will be super helpful as I work to reduce our overall grocery spending.

Other ways I saved this week:
  • I had on my "needs" list that I needed more eyeliner to leave at our vacation house. I was on Sephora & about to order it, when I I thought to check my extra makeup bin in our pantry. Can you believe that there were 5 eyeliners in the bin?! Embarrassing. Anyway, saved myself the money & waste of yet another eyeliner.
  • I always try to save those extra last pieces of fruit my kids don't eat (when I cut up an apple, pear, strawberries, melon, etc for them) & toss it in the freezer in a ziplock. I later use that fruit for smoothies. Frugal & cuts down on waste!
  • I considered doing a few *deals* at Rite Aid & Safeway, because the items were so cheap. After thinking about it, & considering how much it would take for me to earn that money (as a snowball, from a survey, etc), I decided that I don't even need those items - I was only considering them because of their heavily discounted prices.
  • I always, always, always buy new clothes for vacations & special events. In the next few weeks, I'm attending a milestone birthday for my father, & going on vacation. Today I decided to shop my closet & found just the right things for both the vacation & the event. I'm going to rock my Trina Turk bikini (I have it with straps)! http://www.trinaturk.com/b/7030/c/469/s/532/Whimsy-Bandeau-and-Buckle-Surf-Hipster.aspx

Now, post how you saved money this week! Either a great purchase, a frugal tip, or a way you *avoided* spending money. :-)

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