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Last week expenses summary - groceries are way too high!

October 27th, 2008 at 03:10 pm

Since I came back from our vacation I cooked dinner every day. I was so proud of myself... until I added up grocery expenses.

If I think of it in terms of "per month" it is very high.
I buy quality food (organic whenever possible) and mainly shop at the farmers market(extremely expensive) so it adds up.
There are no coupons for these things. I don't know how to cut it.

Oct.20-Oct.27
Groceries $220
cat food $8
pharmacy $9
gift for moms birthday $200
1 tequila, 1 contreau, 1 wine $88
1 brunch out $41
new cell phone $194
keychain $6
basic pearl earrings(wardrobe staple) $75
wireless headphones ( to hear TV in every room when cleaning/cooking) - we only have 1 tv in the house $120
total: $971 per week
That does not even include utilities/bills.
And I thought I was doing so well and was so restrained until I added it up and saw the number!!!

7 Responses to “Last week expenses summary - groceries are way too high!”

  1. mom-from-missouri Says:
    1225129375

    I see several ways to "cut".

    $200 for a gift??? I'm considered 'upper class' but we limit gifts to around $25.

    1 tequila, 1 contreau, 1 wine $88-these are not necessary. Water is, milk can be

    1 brunch out $41-could this have been avoided? seems high for one, or was it for several?

    new cell phone $19I paid $20 for my last one, and my mom just replaced hers last week for $18--basic no frills. All that a person "needs" is to be able to call & receive--anything else is a "want"

    keychain $6-again, can get a free one from many sources! Mine is from my auto agent

    basic pearl earrings(wardrobe staple) $75
    --not a staple, but a WANT

    wireless headphones ( to hear TV in every room when cleaning/cooking) - we only have 1 tv in the house $120
    Return these--again, this is not a need but a want. Our family lived for years with no TV and we lived just fine, and our kids are better readers for it. If you need the news/weather, get a walkman at the dollar store for $7.

    Not to be cruel, but your NEEDS are:
    housing, food, utilities, transportation, insurance.

    WANTS are jewerly, TV, fancy phones..

    Groceries are high for a week, but thats not the main problem.


    total: $971 per week

  2. whitestripe Says:
    1225135481

    why is the farmers market expensive? usually they are meant to be cheap - seeing as they are direct from the growers.

  3. ME2 Says:
    1225138822


    I am going to agree with Mom-From-Missouri . . . . . waaaaaay too many wants, not needs.

    And granted, yes, it is YOUR money. However, if you're going to complain about spending too much you have to be prepared to hear things you more than likely : 1) are already aware of and/or B) you don't want to hear.

    Onward and upward.

  4. Nika Says:
    1225139102

    Whitestripe, farmers markets in Manhattan and nice parts of Brooklyn (they don't have them in bad parts) are extremely expensive. I don't know the reason. Maybe because it is hard to get to or the space is expensive... or because farmers know this area has is the highest concentration of people with very high incomes in the country.

    Mom from Missoury, I never said all of these things were "needs". Alcohol is not a need. We buy it because we entertain friends and it is still a lot cheaper than going out for cocktails. Do we "need" to buy it? No. But we also don't need to be buying only needs. We never carry a balance, have stable jobs, low fixed expenses and an emergency fund. However, I have trouble saving beyond that (other than tax-advantageous retirement accounts).

    I try to buy more carefully now. Research the best price, put more thought into it - delay buying to make sure that I really want this. Get quality items that will last. I am still slowly furnishing my apartment and I would like to make it nicer.

    As for a gift, in my family a bigger amount than what I spent is customary for a birthday. After much research I was able to find a weekends special, with a "stay a second night free" offer for platinum members in a nice hotel for a weekend getaway for her. So I worked quite hard to find a nice hotel room at that price.

    Is there a virtue in buying only what you need and not "wants"? I am trying to find a balance of having adventures, social life, few beautiful things here and there and financial security with freedom and opportunity it provides.
    I don't want only one of those things, I want them all, even if less of each. So it is more about balancing and reducing waste... getting the same things for less and not consuming thoughtlessly.

  5. Nika Says:
    1225141419

    Me2, I am more aware and working on things. My eating out went from $800 a month in June (when I started tracking) to $592 in July to hopefully no more than $300 this month.

    Than again my grocery expense was only around $450 per month before and now it is $220 in one week(I still have some food in my fridge so hopefully this week will be less).

  6. scfr Says:
    1225164018

    Have you ever looked in to a Farm Share or a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription?

    That can be a great way to get fresh, organic, local produce at more reasonable prices.

  7. whitestripe Says:
    1225173550

    hmm... thanks for the info on farmers market. my latest entry is actually what i got from our markets for $30 - i am guessing it's a lot more than what you can where you are! and i tend to agree - if you don't have any debt then i guess you can focus on your basic needs as well as wants. like your blog header says, it's about prioritizing. if you want to spend the money on items you did this week, then do it. if you want to cut back on those areas and focus on something bigger, then do it.

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