This is likely a strange question, but if you could answer I would appreciate it.
How often do you go to the grocery store? Every day? Every 2-3 days? Every 4-5 days? Once a week? Every other week? Once a month?
Our budget is tight. My husband is AWFUL about making sure there is money in the bank to cover the automatic withdrawals. He figures if the card works at the store, there is money. He does work hard, 2 jobs that he enjoys but it is work, and he does many of the errands. The big problem is that he goes to the store CONSTANTLY. If a day passes and he does NOT go to the grocery I am shocked. We cannot afford it, and there is always food at home, but he still goes.
Usually he makes the trip to buy junk food and some item or items that he or Jess just HAVE to have to make dinner. Even when we have a meal fully planned and I know that all ingredients are here, there will be something that we just can't live without.
It is incredibly expensive because my husband WON'T use lists reasonably. For me a list tells me what we need, what we want if the price is right (item is on sale or priced reasonably at that store), and I look at the clearance and sale items to see if anything we need is priced low enough to justify buying it. Often it may appear that I am buying things we don't need because they are not on the list, but in a few days/weeks, those items are highly appreciated. My husband will buy what is on the list, sometimes. He will also buy half a cart of other stuff (generally at regular price at the most expensive grocery store in town) because he thought it sounded neat. Not like something we might eat, just interesting. Like some strange flavor of frozen asparagus - no one in our home likes asparagus and whatever this flavor is (I can't recall it right now), it sounds awful on it own, much less when mixed with asparagus. The only times he uses the list are if I send one of the kids to remind him that I asked him to stick to the list please. Mostly I think my husband gets carried away and wants to impress me with his 'bargains' because he shows them to me with such pride, almost a childlike pride.
I want to move us to shopping for groceries/household stuff a maximum of once a week rather than daily. I don't understand the daily shopping. Helping him understand that going to the store every day or two leads us to spending MUCH more than using what we have until the next shopping trip. I try to go one the shopping trips, and I think that having us all on the trips (all meaning hubby, Jess and I - Tyler is not needed at this time, for shopping. He mostly deals with other chores) means that we all understand what we have and he sees me using lists. I can ride herd on his 'deals' and work to keep things more in line.
Does this sound reasonable? Right now I am going nuts with the constant shopping. It is just killing every attempt to save for anything and any attempt to keep a budget. No matter what saving plan or budget, hubby goes to the store for 'one or two things' and ends up blowing it all. It is driving me crazy. At least what he buys is pork rinds and vegetables that I think smell bad and taste worse. He could be spending the money on much worse things.
Tjanks for your help with this. Oh, his shopping is also blowing all attempts to eat healthier food. Junk food is much easier to grab and eat when you spent 90 minutes after work going to stores rather than relaxing at home or cooking.
How often do you go to the grocery store? Every day? Every 2-3 days? Every 4-5 days? Once a week? Every other week? Once a month?
Our budget is tight. My husband is AWFUL about making sure there is money in the bank to cover the automatic withdrawals. He figures if the card works at the store, there is money. He does work hard, 2 jobs that he enjoys but it is work, and he does many of the errands. The big problem is that he goes to the store CONSTANTLY. If a day passes and he does NOT go to the grocery I am shocked. We cannot afford it, and there is always food at home, but he still goes.
Usually he makes the trip to buy junk food and some item or items that he or Jess just HAVE to have to make dinner. Even when we have a meal fully planned and I know that all ingredients are here, there will be something that we just can't live without.
It is incredibly expensive because my husband WON'T use lists reasonably. For me a list tells me what we need, what we want if the price is right (item is on sale or priced reasonably at that store), and I look at the clearance and sale items to see if anything we need is priced low enough to justify buying it. Often it may appear that I am buying things we don't need because they are not on the list, but in a few days/weeks, those items are highly appreciated. My husband will buy what is on the list, sometimes. He will also buy half a cart of other stuff (generally at regular price at the most expensive grocery store in town) because he thought it sounded neat. Not like something we might eat, just interesting. Like some strange flavor of frozen asparagus - no one in our home likes asparagus and whatever this flavor is (I can't recall it right now), it sounds awful on it own, much less when mixed with asparagus. The only times he uses the list are if I send one of the kids to remind him that I asked him to stick to the list please. Mostly I think my husband gets carried away and wants to impress me with his 'bargains' because he shows them to me with such pride, almost a childlike pride.
I want to move us to shopping for groceries/household stuff a maximum of once a week rather than daily. I don't understand the daily shopping. Helping him understand that going to the store every day or two leads us to spending MUCH more than using what we have until the next shopping trip. I try to go one the shopping trips, and I think that having us all on the trips (all meaning hubby, Jess and I - Tyler is not needed at this time, for shopping. He mostly deals with other chores) means that we all understand what we have and he sees me using lists. I can ride herd on his 'deals' and work to keep things more in line.
Does this sound reasonable? Right now I am going nuts with the constant shopping. It is just killing every attempt to save for anything and any attempt to keep a budget. No matter what saving plan or budget, hubby goes to the store for 'one or two things' and ends up blowing it all. It is driving me crazy. At least what he buys is pork rinds and vegetables that I think smell bad and taste worse. He could be spending the money on much worse things.
Tjanks for your help with this. Oh, his shopping is also blowing all attempts to eat healthier food. Junk food is much easier to grab and eat when you spent 90 minutes after work going to stores rather than relaxing at home or cooking.