Tuesday Tidbits and Tips: The #1 Rule In Budgeting!

I’m going to let you in on one of my biggest secrets in saving money.

Okay, it’s not that great of a secret, but it definitely makes or breaks my budget!

Here it is...use a calculator when you go grocery shopping! Yep, that simple...

We set a weekly budget of $35 each week. When we go to the store, I always have a calculator in hand. I have my list made, and I shop for the items on the list in order of priority. In other words, I FIRST grab the items that I want/need the most. I keep looking at my calculator, and I add items accordingly throughout the trip, depending on the amount my calculator shows.

Most of the time, when I go to the store without a calculator, I go over budget. If you look back at my November grocery shopping totals from week to week, you will see one week in which I spent $42. I went $7 over the $35 budget. That was a week where I forgot my calculator. There is a reason this happens. When I make my list to go to the store, I always know the price of the items that are on sale and I have coupons for. The produce that I have to buy, however, throws it off some. So, I usually have an estimated total of the sale/coupon items, and then I try to guess the produce totals. It can be difficult, though.

When I shop, I head for the produce first. I weigh all of it on the scale, and calculate it almost to the penny. Then I proceed to the bargain items. I grab all the bargain items that I need, first. Then, there are usually a few bargain items that I want, but really don’t need if I happen to be over budget. Towards the end of the shopping trip, I’ll decide whether or not to add them in the cart.

I am lucky. My husband loves going grocery shopping with me. He thinks it’s fun to see how much I save. He doesn’t understand it all, but he still loves helping me out as best he can. So our normal plan of action is that he pushes the cart and holds the calculator, and I hold the list, pen, and coupons. As I add something to the cart, I tell him the price, and he keeps track of it on the calculator for me. Very convenient! =]

On a side note, when I tell my husband the price...that price is with the coupon, obviously. You might think it’s hard to keep track of what coupons you have for what items, but it’s really not. After making my list and gathering coupons, I always remember exactly what coupons I have for what items.

Oh...and I also recommend paying CASH. It forces you to stay within budget in order to avoid embarrassment at the register. When you pay with a card, you’re much more likely to go over.

Even if you’re not into couponing yet, I recommend setting a budget of what you want to spend each week, and stick to it by using a calculator when you shop! It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself. It helps you only buy items within your budget, and forces you to put back those few items that you don’t necessarily need each week.

Good luck budgeting and saving! =]

Want to see other Tidbits and Tips for helping you save more? Go HERE to see all of them from the past weeks!