I set a goal each month on how much I want to spend on groceries. I barely ever succeed in this but I do find it helps me keep to a reasonable budget.
I do set myself a weekly challenge to to do a menu plan. So far so good in that department. Don't always follow it to the letter, but it does give me some sense of organization and as I am a lazy cook it keeps me motivated.
I guess I do set daily goals of making sure I get up, dressed, showered every day. Make sure the house in order and meals on the table.
Are you a goal orientated person?
Did my first grocery shopping for the month of April. Had a question. I spent $100 this week. I went and lost a receipt, so guessed what that would have been, so not overly concerned with the total........BUT.......in amongst the money I spent this week, I paid $24 for an ice cream cake for ds birthday tomorrow and picked up four plants as Easter gifts for a cost of $16.80. Should I include them in my monthly total? I think I should take out the plants, but not 100% sure about the ice cream cake? What are your thoughts?
17 comments:
If you were getting cakes on a regular basis you would include them in the grocery budget... but otherwise it's a special occasion!
Enjoy!
Plant Gifts definitely don't count as part of the food budget. Not so sure about cake!
Am I goal oriented? Well, I try to be but am not always successful. My main goal lately has been to be up on the housekeeping more. I am tired of having to practically renovate every time somebody walks into the house -- especially when all it would take is some preventative picking up and we are both bad about that but in the last month I have changed my evil ways and am proud to say that anybody could walk in and I would be happy with the way things are. I am blissfully using dusting as therapy --
As far as the budget -- the flowers and cake shouldn't be included in your total -- maybe they should go onto a miscellaneous list that you keep showing all the added expenses in a month that aren't groceries. I have known people who keep separate lists and budgets for everything -- strictly food on one, paper and household goods on another, miscellaneous such as your plants, cakes, cards, etc. on another. I have never done that because I am not disciplines enough but I don't think those items should be counted as groceries.
I try to be goal-oriented, but I don't always stick with it :)
We have a grocery budget that I take care of. Once in awhile I spend a little more, particularly when a special occasion comes along, but for the most part I'm very good at managing it.
That depends. Is your grocery budget strictly for groceries or do you included toiletries, paper products or beauty products? Do you have another budget for Household purchases?
Food, even non-ordinary food should go under groceries. If you have a household or miscellaneous or gardening budget the plants should go under one.
I consider even getting close to a grocery budget as a success....ask me why....lolz
When I buy or make something (food or otherwise) for someone's birthday, I include it in my gifts budget.
I don't include cakes bought or made for birthdays in the grocery budget. I include it in gifts. I also would not include the plants, as those are home improvement budget.
They sound more like extras to me. Hope we get to see the ice cream cake xx
If you have a gift category, that's where I would put them. I suck at goals too :(
I have 3 variable budgets - gas, food and misc. If I bought those items I would take the cake out of my food budget and the plants out of misc.
But...that's just me!
I am not very good at goal making though I try and I always seem to get there in the end, says the tortoise ;) I always make a list for grocery shopping and that helps. Happy Easter to you and your family Gill.
I would take out the plants, but keep the cake. I suck at meal planning - something I should do but hubby likes to figure out what we eat every day based on what is in the freezer - and I cook it.
Goals are found one on each end of a soccer pitch ~ lol ~ so no I am not particularly goal driven.
As to the cake, a one off expense, so don't include it, especially if it skews the budget plan hugely!
~~~Deb in Wales
I would take out the cake and the plants. And yes I am goal oriented.
As I told my first accountant husband husband, "It's only money!"
I think the cake can be left separate.
I include everything in grocery budget, cakes for special occasions, toiletries, paper products etc. gifts, clothes, footwear and plants I don't. I am not goal oriented at all, my "grocery" budget comes to 1200 a month (family of 4, two teen boys) but I don't worry as it includes the forementioned items
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