Looking at the bank statements, I was shocked to see the outlay for groceries. When my work schedule got busy, I stopped doing the once weekly shop, and my husband took over. He shopped daily for whatever he felt was needed for dinner. The beautiful pantry he made me was not particularly well stocked, as a pantry should be with all the essential items to cook. This is my fault, and I knew I needed to go back to an active role in the grocery area. $200.00 or more at the grocery store for 2 people was over the top. And we weren’t eating Porterhouse steaks every night either!
Then my husband got sick, so I did a shop late at night alone. It was an eye-opener! I had this whole big cart of groceries, and it was less than the grocery bills for an entire week when he shopped. In my amazement, I blurted out to the cashier, who happened to be male, “I can’t believe how much less this bill is when I do the shopping!” The cashier laughed out loud, and said I wouldn’t believe how many times he hears that from female customers. Ok, we are not unique, and that is fine with me.
This had the wheels turning in my head – I had to look at this closer. $200.00 down to $120.00. WITHOUT a single coupon! What was different? Quantity of groceries? No, I had a whole cart filled with groceries that I had to take in the house and put away, and it was going to be no small feat. I was now on part one of our budget mission.
I decided to make grocery shopping with my husband part of our weekly routine again, budgeting my time just like I wanted to budget the money. We used to shop together all the time, and I actually missed it. We are good shopping together, and we have fun. FUN? Yeah…we laugh, sing to the piped in music, kiss in the aisles. I get to watch other women flirt with my husband when I am picking out produce and he is in the bakery section squeezing bread for freshness, then watch his face turn red as he looks at me with an expression that says he is not guilty of anything! He won’t squeeze bread to this day if any women are around! Aside from our quality grocery shopping time, I had to focus on WHAT was causing the bill to be so out of whack.
There it was. The waters parted, the skies opened, and my vision was 20/20 again. I stood and watched my husband put things in the cart without looking at a single price. One of these, 2 of these…we need another box of this. But wait! I think we already have 2 cans in the pantry. Then comes the question from my husband I dread the most: Are you sure? I think I am, but am I? I hope I am. The feeling of doubt surges through me over how many cans of tomato paste are at home. Or not at home. If I am wrong, he will have to go out again and get paste if he is going to make his delicious sauce. I thought…hmmmmm. Error number 2 in our grocery bill lowering crusade – not truly knowing what was in stock in the pantry and freezer. Mental note jotted to actually look before each trip.
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