From Cindy's Porch...

Have you ever asked yourself the question, "Where did all the money
go?" Well, the tax people took some of it, and I hate to be blunt,
but the rest probably got spent. A good part of that was probably
eaten. Don't feel bad. Been there, done that. It's the little
purchases that are under $20 or $30 that quickly add up. These are
the sneaky purchases, the ones that get you when you least expect it
(or when you are the most hungry!). It is time for a change: SMART
shopping!

Let's start by looking at the money we eat.

I received an email from a mom last week. She lives on a farm, with 5
children, and they do not have a regular income coming in. They are
paid a few times a year and must live on this money for the rest of
the year. She asked how much money she should be budgeting for weekly
groceries.

How much money do you spend per week for your groceries? $50? $200?
$300? I spent all weekend thinking about this email. This mom is not
alone. And it doesn't matter whether we receive weekly, monthly, or
irregular paychecks. We all wonder how much we should be spending per
week on groceries (and other stuff).

The answer: as little as possible. And then a little less the week
after until you find out exactly how much you need to buy that will
be eaten before you need to shop again. We are not talking
starvation here, nor are we cutting back on nutritional quality.
Think of grocery shopping like a limbo dance. In a limbo dance the
bar is set at one level. At first it is very easy to get under the
bar. You can nearly walk under it. And every time you dance your way
under the limbo bar, it is lowered a few more inches. As you watch
and learn from other dancers, you find the beat that works best for
you and under you go. Then you reach the point where the bar is too
low for you to wiggle your way under. The same goes for grocery
shopping.

When you enter a grocery store without a plan or a shopping list, the
limbo dance begins with the bar set at its highest level. It is easy
to buy. You are given a huge shopping cart and your senses are filled
with the sights and smells of fresh vegetables, baking, meats, and a
huge assortment of easy to cook convenience foods. To make it even
easier to do this first limbo dance, the ends of the aisles are
filled with deals that are too good to miss. You can dance your way
through the store and fill your cart left and right with piles of
food, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, film, music, camping supplies,
snacks, clothes, wrapping paper, small appliances, Halloween
decorations, knick-knacks, and even more food for your family. The
result: $250 at the till and a bunch of food that is going to find
it's way to the bottom of the freezer or the back of the pantry. Many
people will always dance their grocery limbo dance at the highest bar
setting. They will also pay the most to feed their families.

Let's lower the limbo dance bar a bit and find a new beat. It starts
with SHOP at home FIRST. You know what is in your refrigerator,
freezer, and pantry. You know which foods need to be eaten first, and
you have marked your calendar with your meal plans. No more wasted
food.

OK, let's lower the limbo dance bar a bit more. You have SHOPPED at
home FIRST, and now you need to restock. Plan what you want to feed
your family and then USE a shopping LIST. There is nothing new here.
Taking the time to write a list and use a list will save you a bunch
of money in the grocery store. It is going to take a few weeks of
getting used to actually using up the food in your home, planning
your meals, and shopping with a list. But as you get into this limbo
beat, you will be able to shop with the bar at a much lower setting.
The result: you are going to save money, maybe even up to half on
your "weekly grocery budget".

Later on, we are going to lower the limbo dance bar a bit more and
really look at the foods we are buying. Remember my trip to the
Farmer's Market? I bought six bags of high quality fresh vegetables
for my family. For only $27.00! SMART shopping is the goal.

Remember the Three Rules of Not Buying:
1) DO instead of BUY
2) SHOP at home FIRST
3) Procrastinate

Then, if you still have to buy, USE a shopping LIST.

Do the "Grocery Store Limbo!" How low can you go??

Take care of you,
Cindy

PS: Try this the next time you are in a grocery store: See if you can
spot the limbo dancers working their way through the store at the
highest bar level (they are filling their carts with whatever looks
interesting or good at the moment) and the ones who have found a
different beat and are shopping with a list and more confidence.