Welcome back budgeteers! Today we are going to discuss how to maintain your budget when thinking about fluctuating factors in your budget such as grocery shopping! So buckle up because we are off!
Before you start making a grocery list you will first want to create your budget base for your groceries. Once you decide a minimum and maximum you want to spend on groceries then you need to decide where you want to buy your groceries. There are certain grocery stores that tend to be more affordable either for certain items or just more affordable in general. Next, you will want to create your grocery list. When creating this list try and get items that will last longer or create a good amount of leftovers so you can get a bang for your buck. This also will depend heavily on your lifestyle, so you may need to get quick and easy meals to make if you have a heavily packed day. Once you are done creating your list make sure to do a double take and go back through and take out things you may not really need.
A very useful resource I have found very helpful is grocery pick up. All you have to do is grocery shop online and go pick up your groceries for free! I found this very helpful because I feel like when I am in the physical store I see all of these different options and feel very tempted to buy things I originally did not come for. So, when I use the grocery pick up resource I only purchase what is on my list and nothing more. Of course items like produce I would choose to go to the store and pick them out myself to make sure I find the best options.
So, to wrap things up, you want to figure out your grocery budget, create a list, finalize your list, then go shopping! After a while you will start to find items that may be putting a big dent in your budget so you may choose to swap certain items in and out to start perfecting your budget. Like I have said before, every budget will be personalized to you and your lifestyle, which means it is okay for your budget to change because your life is constantly changing! Next week we will be discussing needs vs. wants! We will dive into prioritizing what we need to survive vs. what we think we might need.
See you soon!