The normal grocery shopping for our family of four (plus cat) tends to average out at $175 per week. This is only if we eat all our meals at home; no take-away lunches or dinners. As "at home vegetarians" we don't buy much meat, although we do eat fish each week. I don't think we're particularly extravagant, but I've watched this part of our budget steadily increase over the last couple of years. Together with increasing petrol prices, this has meant our budget has required constant revision. In fact, out of the 50 categories in our family budget, only our "savings" have gone down :(I keep track of the budget in Excel, where I've set up a spreadsheet that automatically calculates the budget for me - all I do is spend 5 minutes per day entering our expenses. I do it daily because after a week it becomes too hard to remember what we spent our money on. This is particularly true of cash purchases. Keeping up with it daily is so much less stressful, especially since the advent of online banking.
I know budgets aren't everyone's cup of tea. However, in our family it has meant one less thing to worry about. If a bill comes in, we can pay it. If we want to spend money on something outside the usual budget, we save for it. Simple and effective. We haven't had a credit card for years now and I don't miss that little convenience at all.
4 comments:
Your budgeting/account-keeping skills have been brilliant over the years, and we could not have done the things we have were it not for them...
I would add, also that a good budget is like a good diet and people sometimes fail to lose weight when offered a good diet simply because they don't control what they eat and get into financial trouble because they fail to control what they spend. In my opinion, if a person doesn't have a good enough reason to live within their budget, whatever it is (or stick to their diet) then having one won't be much help. On the other hand, if one has a goal that one feels is worth aiming for - financially or kilogramically - a budget is a necessary tool for achieving it.
As I recall, our aims have had more to do with NOT being tied to wealth generation, being upwardly mobile, playing the game of 'getting ahead' and we have both actually mean it, so we have been happy to live on the smell of an oily rag for years now and enjoy not working longer hours in order to keep up with the Joneses. I reckon we are 'rich' in ways that matter and 'poor' in areas that don't.
"I reckon we are 'rich' in ways that matter and 'poor' in areas that don't."
Absolutely. Being conscious of that difference has made it easy to stick to the budget, because it doesn't feel like a restriction or diet at all. Love you, T
Great conversation, you two..!!
And so true; thanks for reminding me once again what it is all about.
You guys are great; hope to catch up soon.
Love Anny (mum)
Ha, ha. I know it seems strange for G and I to talk with each other via the internet, when we live in the same house - but it does cut down on the interruptions :)
And mum - you're pretty great yourself, you know!
Much love and see you soon (maybe next week?), T
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