The Budget

Well, as a reminder, I decided to try and hit a grocery budget this year, at $80 per week.

I am already over.  But I knew that, because I was several days in before I decided to watch things.

So here's where we are:

And here's what it tells me:

• Holy crap, we've shopped 18 times in 24 days?  That's insane (though some of them are 2 stores in one day).
• Costco is great, but it can lure you into buying things you don't need (ahem, a big bag of Snapeas, the snack not the vegetable).  Also, the size of the items means you eat up your budget quickly (half of this week's budget went to Costco, and $5 of that was the aforementioned Snapeas).
• Husband is much more likely to buy snacks (like at Rite Aid and that was pringles chips), and for some reason figured that they didn't "count" to the grocery budget.  Yes.  Yes they do.
• Whole Foods hot bar is my kryptonite (see 1/10 and 1/11).  I suppose I could count this as dining out, but I don't.
• One of the ways I thought I'd save money is to switch to the big tub of yogurt instead of the small cups.  But then I made the mistake? of making a batch of granola.  So...my boys (all 3 of them) like that as a snack.  The granola is gone (less than a week later) and my 8 year old had 5 bowls of yogurt/granola in one day.

So, I'm at $133 per week, approximately.  I have a ways to go to hit that $80 target.