Grocery Budget Review Challenge

[kimandkathess]

I would like to try something similier to this.
I am trying to live minimally because I just have way too much stuff. We are also trying to pay off our house in 3 years, instead of 8 which will save us loads on interest. And we are also trying to add to our savings so we may have money to buy the house we want out in the country.
I think I would be motivated to somehow write down our spendings as well as what we save. I would also like to track other sources of income like amylynn just to boost my savings to have more to spend on our new home.
I would love to be able to have more to put towards our house. Extra income over the next three years would be a big difference in the house we are able to get.

I am aiming to get what we want without having to get a loan.

[kendra228]

For me, I join the Living off your Stockpile challenge each month. It keeps me accountable for what I spend.

Kudos for all your do, and all you save - wish I had time for it.

[coupondink]

I think y'all misunderstood the point of the challenge. The challenge is not to spend $0. The goal is to keep track of what you are spending on, to get others to analyze it, to recommend ways to change your habits to bring that oop down. (for example -- hmmm, I noticed something. Why are you $1.99 a pound on chicken? Shoprite has it on sale 1.79- buy 10 pounds and freeze in one pound portions)

I think most people don't even know how much they spend on groceries. It is crucial to track your spending.

The only reason I mention the $0 oop is to inspire. And to demonstrate that through analyzing monthly, I was able to bring down my oop dramatically.

One person mentioned that my oop is unrealistic. It is not impossible. You can do it! It does require effort, planning, and a lot of work. When I say $0 oop, I mean just that....there are months (and years) when my total oop is $0. Yes, I include rebates. I am getting back that money, why wouldn't I??? Like I said....total oop! If I buy everything with sales and coupons and walk out of the store with $0 balance....and then go to Riteaid and buy $20 of items, that I then get a $20 check in the mail the next month...to me that is still free, and not included in oop. Yes, I have to front the money, but I get it back in full! Not the total amount I spend, and then get back. That way of keeping track makes no sense to me. But whatever works for you!

Like I said...the challenge is like Weight Watchers for grocery spending!

But I think most people don't want to admit they ate the cheesecake last night. LOL. I understand that!

And it is a lot of work to track everything, and most people aren't willing to put in the work.

I've done this for friends and family and saved them literally thousands of dollars a year. I analyzed their spending and pointed out ways to change.

Oh well! I tried to help!!!

[coupondink]

For me, I join the Living off your Stockpile challenge each month. It keeps me accountable for what I spend.

Kudos for all your do, and all you save - wish I had time for it.

No offense to you, because I don't know your schedule or how you manage your time....however,
I make the time. And it is soooooo worth it!

I have a colleague who says that same exact thing to me all the time "I wish I had the time to coupon". I keep track of her other conversations, and find lots of time that she could be couponing.
She talks with another colleague about several tv shows she watches. From putting two and two together, I figured out she spends at least 5 hours a week watching tv. Boy I can do a whole lot of couponing in 5 hours. She also goes for biweekly manicures/pedicures. She talks about how she sat by the pool all afternoon one day. She talks about going to the beach another day. She went to a show the other day. Went to a movie here, a party there. Here and there I pick up clues. When she talks about how she has no time, I shake my head and laugh to myself.

So she doesn't have the time, or doesn't make the time?

It is all about priorities. Saving money is not a priority to her. I am not judging! Obviously everyone should do what is best for them!

What bugs me is she complains constantly about how "money is a struggle". And that doesn't have to be.

Trust me, I am a busy person. I work up to 84 hours a week (really), volunteer on the Board of an organization, commute up to 15 hours a week, and do everything around the house all by myself (shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, everything), volunteer my time to charities and friends, go to church, and make time for my beloved family and friends. I still have ample time to coupon.
But then again, I am extremely good at managing my time.

But I make the time.

[coupondink]

you don't walk out of the store paying $0.00.

Not true. Most times I do. I do a whole lot of freebie chasing. Most times I walk out of a store with a $0 receipt hanging out of my pocket.

Not every one counts their rebates and stockpile selling back into their budget.

Yes, I know some don't. But I do.
If I spend $20 at Riteaid this week, and am getting the full $20 back next month in SCR, I consider that order free. If I had to pay tax, that is considered oop. I then sell all those items for $7 at a yard sale, I consider that $7 profit. If I then buy $7 in meat and produce, I consider that month's oop $0. My way of considering oop is just that. Total out of pocket. Not what I spent literally (and then got back) but the total amount I had to pay out of pocket when all is said and done.

But you should do what is best for you. If your method works for you, and you are happy with your oop, great!

I save that money for other stuff like vacations.

You have to do whatever works best for you. I do not mingle my budgets. My grocery budget has nothing to do with my vacation budget. I spend $20 on items at RA and get the full $20 back, I consider my oop $0. I don't consider that $20 oop, and $20 toward my cruise. That way of accounting does not work for me. But of course you have to do whatever works best for you and your family.

I think no one wants to take your challenge because there's almost no way to measure up to you (the host). People need realistic goals and incentive to do better. When they see someone who spends nothing, they get discouraged and turned off. Your OP also doesn't tell people HOW to get down to spending nothing, so people assume that you are an extreme couponer, another turn off.

WOW!! Just trying to help others! I have successfully done this for several friends and family and saved them each thousands of dollars a year.
Just trying to help!

[amylynne01]

I'm not saying that your challenge was not a good one. It is hard to track every penny you spend on groceries. But if a newbie comes into this post looking for a grocery budget challenge, and sees the host spending nothing on groceries, it's not inspiring. It's a "OMG why am I spending $$$ so much? I can never do that. It takes too much ___." It's hard for someone to not feel discouraged by your numbers which are impressive.

I feel discouraged by your numbers, but I have to remember that my budget is a direct reflection of my time and effort into this. I do not wish to sell my stockpile because that means I have too much stuff. I'm really trying to minimize what I bring into my house and reduce unnecessary buying. If I buy too much, I give to family or donate it. I choose to save my rebates for other things, although I suppose it doesn't matter if I save the rebates for vacation or save my extra grocery budget for vacation.

I really wasn't trying to be snarky. But you asked why no one had joined you, and I proposed a theory. I do keep track of my grocery spending, and it definitely has shown me where I can save or cut more. Last year, I spent $4044.38 (ignoring rebates), and this year, I'm on track to spend $3316.30 (again ignoring rebates). I personally am at a point where I am comfortable with the balance between how much I spend and how much effort I put into it.

This question is not meant to be offensive. I'm sincerely curious since none of the extreme couponing shows mention this. Do you count the cost of coupons in your OOP? Like if you use a clipping service or ebay or trade or buy papers, is that cost included in your figure? For example, I am getting Barilla pasta with overage this week using the $0.55/1 insert. I paid $0.06 per coupon and getting $0.10 overage, so really in the scheme of things, I'm getting $0.04 overage when I add in coupon costs.

[kendra228]

I didn't mean to be snarky either, I was just pointing out that there is a challenge out there for tracking spending each month. And as for time, I spend more time than I'd like already, and for that, I'll save between 50-70% per trip on average, and I am THRILLED with that.

Again, what you do is FAB, but I am not interested in yard sales, etc. So I'll never "make" money off of my stockpile. We just use it or donate it.