The art of budgeting in a down economy

By Jennifer Day-Thompson

I believe most people can identify some climactic moment in their lives when they suddenly realized they were grown up. For some people, that moment may be when they received their first student loan bill. For others, maybe it was the moment a shiny diamond was slipped onto their finger. For me, the moment came the first time I went grocery shopping after moving out of my parents’ house.

I had to learn a lot of things when I got out on my own.

I had to learn how to kill a bug by myself instead of yelling for my dad. Although some may not consider my unique method that involves a can of strong hairspray and a heavy book to be “success”, it’s still a far cry from going next door to get my neighbor. I also had to learn to do laundry, and I only ruined about 50 pairs of pants in the process. But the skill that was the hardest to master, aside from ironing, was the art of grocery shopping without draining my bank account.

I tried all sorts of strategies to save money at the grocery store. I tried the familiar method of carrying a basket instead of pushing a cart. This has always ended with an employee, having witnessed me all but balancing a frozen pizza on my head, retrieving a cart for me. The limited space of the basket clearly did not deter me from finding a way to get what I wanted.

I also tried sticking to my list, not allowing myself to get anything that wasn’t on my paper. I didn’t realize that I needed to learn how to make a list first. So the list strategy was also unsuccessful. The same went for buying store brand on products like paper towels and ketchup. No matter what, my bill always exceeded what I expected.

Once I got married, it was time to make a change. I was no longer buying for one person. I was now catering to two of us, along with two dogs. It’s amazing how much a bag of rawhide bones and doggy ice cream can add to a grocery bill. I started clipping coupons from the Sunday paper. At first, this was pointless because if I saw a coupon for something I wanted I’d clip it and buy the product, despite the fact that I didn’t need it. Purchasing a $20 candle because I have a coupon for 20 cents off is not exactly being frugal.

Now eight months into married life, I have finally created a method that seems to work. Every weekend, as I drink my morning coffee, I clip coupons of the products I use or might need. Then I put together a menu for the week, whether on paper or in my head, and I base this menu on the coupons I have. If I have coupons for pasta, sauce and mozzarella cheese, I’ll make lasagna. If the store is advertising a sale on meat, I’ll make a pot roast one night.

Formulating my list around the coupons I have has made a huge difference in the amount I spend on groceries from week to week. Making my menu ahead of time means that there’s not a fridge full of spoiled food that went to waste. Although groceries still constitute one of our largest expenses, the bill is far more manageable now than a year ago.

Although I now have my husband around to kill bugs and help iron, the ability to budget is invaluable. As with art, you have to work at it.

 And with a few extra dollars left over, the dogs still get to enjoy their peanut butter ice cream.