I forced my husband to set New Year goals with me. I thought it would hold us a bit accountable and also keep us on the same page.
One of our goals is to be more frugal with money. We don't eat out at fancy restaurants, but we also don't normally think twice about eating out with friends at a chain restaurant. And we typically wreak havoc on grocery bills. Two weeks ago that changed and we thought it would be smart to meal plan. Ya know, have a goal at the grocery store where the ingredients didn't just sound good, but had an intended meal. Otherwise, we wander through the store and grab fresh veggies that go bad because there wasn't a dish to put them in or we end up with nachos for dinner because we only have shredded cheese and tortilla chips left.
We sat down and made a list of meals for the week. Nothing fancy, just normal foods we like such as spaghetti. Then we went through the fridge to see what we needed to make everything. Also, adding on other essentials for breakfast or snacks. And then we set a goal for the price. Really didn't seem to difficult so we were on our way through the store, proudly standing at the check out line with a cart that seemed half as full as normal. And then the price showed up on the screen. $50 over our 'budget'! We figured this is week one. We can make up for this, right?
So, all week we made our meals and had leftovers for lunch each day which was perfect. And then we planned for the next week. This time trying to be even more frugal so we picked a couple crock pot recipes, noodles, Mexican food, and a day of leftovers. We walked proudly to the check out line again with our discounted items and off-brand food. And bam - $25 over budget. What the hell?
I am thinking we may switch grocery stores. Or maybe wait til the end of the month and see how much cheaper everything ends up being. I'm thinking since we aren't eating out that our grocery bill may be slightly higher than normal, but overall it will cost is less each month for food costs. I hope. I mean we aren't buying organic, fresh fruits and veggies, steaks, and gourmet cheese. We are buying the cheapest price per unit for everything and still end up overboard. Ridiculous.
Even more ridiculous is that we decided to not eat out about two weeks ago. We were more so grabbing fast good for lunch because we wouldn't make a lunch, so we have solved that problem. But within these last two weeks we have been asked out for lunch or dinner 5 times. I felt rude at first because someone would ask us to eat and I'm turning them down and feel like I'm saying I don't want to hang out with you. But I an also uncomfortable talking about money - saving money, spending money, making money. I don't like any of the topics. But luckily, after about the third time Kyle spoke up and was honest and just said we are trying to save money and not eat out as much. Seemed easy enough, but several friends then offered to just pay for us which just makes me uncomfortable. Anyhow, just so surprising how frequently road blocks appear when you set a goal for yourself. And makes it that much more difficult to stay on track.
