We’re kicking off the yr with an 8-week Reduce Your Grocery Invoice Problem. I’ll be sharing a weekly submit right here each week with a activity or problem so that you can full/concentrate on that will help you tweak, enhance, or overhaul your grocery finances.
My hope is that we are able to all work collectively to crowd-source new concepts and contemporary inspiration to be extra considerate and intentional in our grocery budgets + hopefully avoid wasting cash and instill some practices and ideas and habits that may proceed to avoid wasting us cash all through the remainder of the yr.
It’s February and we’re beginning week 7 of the Reduce Your Grocery Invoice Problem. How is it going for you? Right here’s what we’ve lined on this problem thus far…
In week #1, we talked about establishing a grocery finances. That’s an important first step in reducing your grocery invoice.
In week #2, we mentioned why it’s worthwhile to acknowledge potential roadblocks. Be sure you learn by the feedback right here to listen to about others’ roadblocks. I believe it is going to encourage you to know you’re not alone.
In week #3, I challenged you to commit to alter one factor for 3 weeks. You may see the feedback on the submit for concepts of what others picked.
In week #4, I inspired you to verify in in your progress to see how you might be doing, what you might be studying, what’s working, and what’s not working.
In week #5, we talked about evaluating your choices with regards to shops in your space.
Final week, we checked in on the dedication we made three weeks in the past.
Week #7: Problem Your self to Go Money-Solely
When you’ve made it this far, I’m so happy with you! And I believe you’re prepared for a giant problem — making an attempt the going money just for a number of weeks.
What do I imply by this? Nicely, I imply truly solely bringing actual money with you to the shop for a number of weeks. Depart your debit and bank cards (and checkbook, when you nonetheless have a kind of!) at dwelling. And simply store with money!
You see, once you store with a credit score or debit card, you possibly can have your finances in your head and you are able to do the very best to keep it up once you take a look at, however it’s a lot simpler to go just a bit bit over right here and there once you’re swiping. You may justify that $2 you went over your finances to purchase one thing which was a “nice deal” when paying along with your card.
$2 may not appear to be a lot, however when you spend $2 to $3 extra on groceries each week, that’s provides as much as round $130 in additional spending over a yr’s time!
Paying with money forces you to stay to your finances.
When you recognize all it’s a must to pay on the retailer is your grocery finances envelope, you higher consider you fastidiously consider each impulse buy or nice deal you come throughout: “Do I really want this?” “Is that this within the finances?”
If you end up struggling financially and wishing you may determine why your grocery finances is so excessive, can I problem you to take a Money-Solely Problem for 3 weeks and see if it impacts your grocery spending over the course of a three-week interval?
Take the Money-Solely Problem!
Right here’s how the Money-Solely Problem works:
1) Decide to solely spend what’s in your grocery envelope for the subsequent 3 weeks.
2) Go to the financial institution and withdraw money within the quantity of your pre-determined Grocery Funds. Put this money in an envelope and maintain it in a secure place. For extra on cash-only purchasing, learn The Envelope System Experiment.
3) Depart your credit score/debit playing cards/checkbook at dwelling and solely carry your money envelope and a calculator with you to the grocery retailer.
4) Calculate your purchases as you add them to your cart. I mentally add up how a lot I’ve spent as I add issues to my cart, rounding up for tax. It’s also possible to maintain a working complete in your telephone’s calculator. This may inspire you to fastidiously consider all purchases, will make you conscious of how a lot objects truly value, encourage you to search for the very best deal, and power you to get artistic in case your listing is longer than you have got room for within the finances.
5) Pay with money once you checkout. This three-week experiment will possible train you some issues and problem you in good methods… and it’s possible you’ll find yourself determined to go cash-only for a number of months, and even longer!
Are becoming a member of us for the Reduce Your Grocery Invoice Problem? If that’s the case, I’d love so that you can depart a remark and inform us when you’ve ever tried utilizing money solely. If that’s the case, how did it be just right for you? If not, would you be prepared to attempt it for 3-6 weeks and see what you study from the expertise?
I had deliberate to go to Kroger and Aldi on Thursday, however then there was a extreme storm warning, so I stayed hope after which deliberate to go on Friday and a bunch of sudden issues got here up. I lastly simply did a small Kroger pickup order this weekend to tide us over (I’m touring Sunday and Monday for e-book launch media stuff.)
I hope to lastly make it in-person to Kroger on Tuesday, however we’ll see what this coming week brings! At any fee, we spent $29 on the above objects at Kroger.
Want some sensible concepts for tactics to chop your grocery invoice? Be sure you join my free cheatsheet with 10 Methods to Reduce Your Grocery Invoice by $50 This Week!