We’re kicking off the 12 months with an 8-week Lower Your Grocery Invoice Problem. I’ll be sharing a weekly put up right here each week with a process or problem so that you can full/give attention to 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 recent inspiration to be extra considerate and intentional in our grocery budgets + hopefully avoid wasting cash and instill some practices and rules and habits that can proceed to avoid wasting us cash all through the remainder of the 12 months.
It’s February and we’re beginning week 7 of the Lower Your Grocery Invoice Problem. How is it going for you? Right here’s what we’ve lined on this problem to date…
In week #1, we talked about organising a grocery finances. That’s an important first step in reducing your grocery invoice.
In week #2, we mentioned why you’ll want to acknowledge potential roadblocks. You’ll want to learn by the feedback right here to listen to about others’ roadblocks. I feel it’s going to encourage you to know you’re not alone.
In week #3, I challenged you to commit to vary one factor for 3 weeks. You’ll be able to see the feedback on the put up for concepts of what others picked.
In week #4, I inspired you to verify in in your progress to see how you’re doing, what you’re studying, what’s working, and what’s not working.
In week #5, we talked about evaluating your choices on the subject of 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
In case you’ve made it this far, I’m so happy with you! And I feel you’re prepared for an enormous problem — attempting the going money just for just a few weeks.
What do I imply by this? Properly, I imply truly solely bringing actual money with you to the shop for just a few weeks. Go away your debit and bank cards (and checkbook, if you happen to nonetheless have a kind of!) at residence. And simply store with money!
You see, while 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 most effective to keep it up while you try, but it surely’s a lot simpler to go just a bit bit over right here and there while you’re swiping. You’ll be able to justify that $2 you went over your finances to purchase one thing which was a “nice deal” when paying together with your card.
$2 may not seem to be a lot, however if you happen to spend $2 to $3 extra on groceries each week, that’s provides as much as round $130 in additional spending over a 12 months’s time!
Paying with money forces you to stay to your finances.
When you realize all you need to pay on the retailer is your grocery finances envelope, you higher imagine you rigorously consider each impulse buy or nice deal you come throughout: “Do I actually need this?” “Is that this within the finances?”
If you end up struggling financially and wishing you possibly can 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 following 3 weeks.
2) Go to the financial institution and withdraw money within the quantity of your pre-determined Grocery Price range. Put this money in an envelope and hold it in a protected place. For extra on cash-only purchasing, learn The Envelope System Experiment.
3) Go away your credit score/debit playing cards/checkbook at residence and solely convey 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. You can even hold a working whole in your cellphone’s calculator. This can inspire you to rigorously consider all purchases, will make you conscious of how a lot gadgets truly value, encourage you to search for the most effective deal, and drive you to get artistic in case your listing is longer than you will have room for within the finances.
5) Pay with money while you checkout. This three-week experiment will probably train you some issues and problem you in good methods… and it’s possible you’ll find yourself determined to go cash-only for just a few months, and even longer!
Are becoming a member of us for the Lower Your Grocery Invoice Problem? In that case, I’d love so that you can depart a remark and inform us if you happen to’ve ever tried utilizing money solely. In that case, how did it be just right for you? If not, would you be keen to attempt it for 3-6 weeks and see what you be taught 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 guide 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 gadgets at Kroger.
Want some sensible concepts for methods to chop your grocery invoice? You’ll want to join my free cheatsheet with 10 Methods to Lower Your Grocery Invoice by $50 This Week!
