I normally do my grocery shopping early in the morning on Saturdays. I peruse the sale flyer on Thursday when it comes out, match it up with what I need, make my list, and off I go.
This weekend was different. Why? I didn't go grocery shopping. At all.
Well, I did go to the Farmer's Market for some fresh fruit and veggies, but I opted to not hit up the grocery store. Why? Because I was already $10 over my grocery budget for the month. I can't exactly say what put me over the limit, as there were no big splurges anywhere this month, but all those little bits and pieces add up.
That said, I'm not going to starve this week. I've got enough food in my house to cover me for the week with no problems. Sure, I'm going to run out of yogurt for my cereal and have to use soy milk or just make eggs instead. Not a big deal. I've got lots of frozen leftovers in the freezer that should be used up (I really need to learn to date things when I put them in the freezer so I know exactly when I cooked them - I know I made this stuff over the summer, but I don't know when). I've got beans I can cook and pasta and some frozen chicken breasts.
I'm set.
And next weekend, I can start into the September grocery budget. I think I'm going to try to be a bit more careful this month, see if I can keep it under budget for once. Groceries are definitely my budget downfall, but since I'm aware of that, I should be able to fix the problem.
For ways to cut down on your food bill to avoid my mistakes check out these articles.
Analyzing My Spending - Food Costs
Easy Ways to Save on Groceries Without Coupons
Disappearing Grocery Budget