Ok, y’all said keep tracking so here I am, sticking with it! Thanks for the encouragement. Seriously though, I see why people avoid tracking and budgeting. While perhaps it’s empowering, it can be painful to see all the dollars add up.
January was an expensive month. I can see a few contributing factors. One, I did a big Butcher Box stock up. They were running a sale of chicken breast and I have a deep freezer so I took advantage. So at least that purchase should stretch fairly easily through next month.
Secondly, I’ve been feeding David more. That’s probably a funny way to put it, but historically David has eaten a light breakfast, no lunch beyond some bars at work, and then dinner. In an effort to help him hit some fitness goals, we’ve upped his protein and general consumption. I’ve been keeping my protein high, too, because it treat my body so well. And I’ve been mindful of the kids getting an adequate amount in, too, because growing bodies and all, but also their schedule sometimes looks like: soccer practice, jog with Dad, basketball practice. They need it!
Protein is expensive. See my go-to sources for protein here. We have always prioritized our health on the front end (paying for it now in hopes of decreasing the risk of paying for it later), but seeing it add up at the end of the month still feels like a cold splash of water.
Also, I made meals for three other families during January. Additionally, we hosted a friend with three young kids in town for a weekend; so I purchased some more kid friendly options. I’ll prioritize these things any day of the week, but it’s an added factor when looking at the cost equation.
I know I could spend less. I know (because David tells me every other night) that dinner doesn’t have to be a production. I know that logically, but I also enjoy the planning and the eating of good food. I like being excited for our evening meal. Also, at this stage of life it’s what I do. It’s my hobby, an outlet for me, and it fills me up to serve my family this way. But I do suppose I could reel it in.
Another thought- how much money does Costco really save me? Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Costco, and buying items there certainly makes them stretch further- coffee, fruit, cheese- more bang for your buck. However, part of me is curious about how much I’d spend if I stuck to one grocery store (plus Butcher Box).
I actually feel, against general sentiment, that I get a lot of bang for my buck at Whole Foods. They have the items and quality I want and if I plan according to their sales, I do pretty well there. Maybe a fun experiment would be shopping only one store for a month and seeing what kind of difference that would make?
I’d do it for February, but we’ll be traveling for almost a week of it, so I don’t think the data would be extremely comparable. Thoughts? Maybe March?
Ok, enough chatter- the breakdown for the month-
| Whole Foods | $397.11 |
| Costco | $679.28 |
| Publix | $274.20 |
| Butcher Box | $303.96 |
| Harris Teeter | $29.31 |
| TOTAL | $1,683.86 |
See all grocery spending reports here.
Share with me- are you tracking your grocery spending this month?
What factors are contributing most to your saving money or your spending of money?
