All that has changed drastically in the past two years.
Here are the reasons I've been spending more on food:
1) We have more mouths to feed and those mouths are growing and eating more.
2) I've been buying more fresh fruits and veggies which are more expensive than canned/frozen.
3) I stock up on items with low unit prices which drives the monthly bill up.
4) I don't always take the time to plan our weekly menu thoroughly which results in last-minute trips for missing ingredients.
5) I used a debit card to pay for groceries and didn't really *feel* the expense. I even stopped keeping track of our monthly food consumption all together!
SO, we're going to a cash-only system for our grocery buying. Should be interesting. The first week of January we stayed on track but this second week is definitely going to be higher than the allotted $75. That's due to my birthday coming up and a special more-expensive-than-usual meal I'm planning to make.
I'm wondering if our $75 per week budget goal is too low. What do y'all think? Also, do you have any budget lowering tips/tricks to share?
