Tough Choices: Grocery Shopping
Tough choices are made every day. Sometimes the toughest choice you have to make is whether or not you want regular or decaf coffee (and let's be honest...is there really a choice?), but other times, our daily choices are much more difficult. If you are serious about getting out of debt and getting your life back, tough choices not only have to be made, but they have to be kept. The first part of our "Tough Choices" series was on eating out. You can read that here.
One of the first things Brooke and I did when starting our financial freedom journey was list all of our expenses on a sheet of paper. We had to see where all of our money was going. We very quickly realized that most of our money was going towards food. We love to eat. My wife is the best baker and cook I have ever met. I have literally never had a bad meal from her. At the beginning of every week, we would sit down and make a list of all the meals Brooke would prepare for our family that week. After we knew our meals, we would make a list of all the ingredients we needed. Then we would add all of our other weekly needs like coffee, paper plates (because it makes clean up easier, duh!), snacks, etc.
Our grocery store of choice: Publix. Why? Because it's where shopping is a pleasure (some of you will get that). Seriously though, Publix has the best produce, the best customer service, and the stores are always clean. Plus, they give you cookies for the kids, samples of your deli meat, and when you hit them at the right time...they give you samples of some meals that they cook. And on the really good days...they have what our family calls "sneaky snacks" (It's the people that roll out their little tables and give you samples). Our family loves Publix.
However, there was one thing we didn't like about Publix...the prices. Yes, they do "Buy One Get One," but those are only good if you need whatever product is BOGO that week. Yes, they have digital coupons, but again...you have to need the products that are available for digital coupons. We quickly found out that we were spending most of our money on groceries. We would easily spend $200+ on groceries per week. Then during the rest of the week, I would typically get a call from Brooke while I was at work and she had forgotten to add something to our list. So, being the good husband I am, I would go get the few items we forgot...thirty more dollars. Maybe we got a craving for a chocolate cake, so I would go back to the store for chocolate cake ingredients...ten more dollars. Well, what if we were having a potluck at church that we forget to plan for? We would just go back to the store and get whatever ingredients we would need to make a dish for our potluck...ten more dollars. Before we knew it, we would be over $250-$300 per week for groceries.
For some families, that may be okay. You may make enough money to spend big bucks at the grocery store. In fact, I stood behind a lady a few weeks ago who spent over $530 at the grocery store. My jaw about hit the floor. My family just couldn't keep spending over $1000 per month on groceries. Not when I was swimming in debt. No wonder I would have no money left at the end of the month...Publix had it all. I love Publix, but not enough to pay their manager's salary. Something had to change. Here's a list of tough choices that Brooke and I made that made a huge impact on our financial journey:
We found a cheaper store - As much as it pained us, we had to break up with Publix. I found something very interesting...I could get the same brand and same food as Publix from other stores, for less money. Now, I am about to say two names of groceries stores that some people may turn their nose up at. You may here these two names and think, "why would I ever want to shop at a place like that?" I never said this was easy...in fact, the title is Tough Choices. We first went to Walmart. If your Walmart has a grocery section, you can easily save money there. After several weeks of shopping at Walmart our town got an Aldi. Aldi is even cheaper than Walmart. Both of these places instantly saved us money on our grocery bill. I will get more into the products and other factors in a moment, but for the sake of this point...sometimes it pays to find a cheaper store.
We bought generic - I have found that the bigger chains of grocery stores will all hike up their prices, but I have also found that they all have their own generic discounted version of most products. If you decide that shopping at a cheaper store is "beneath you," then you can always buy generic. Most of the time (not always), the generic products are just as good as the expensive name brand. Even Walmart has their own generic version of products. Our family uses a lot of generic products in our cooking, baking, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc...and you know what? Once it's out of the package, you can't tell a difference. I will say this about Aldi. I didn't like it at first because I couldn't find "my" products or the companies I liked. But all of their items are just as good as all the others, maybe even better.
We made a list - Getting out of debt requires you to make a plan and follow it. Grocery shopping is the same way. You are guaranteed to spend more money if you go shopping without a plan. It will take some time and effort, but the best thing you can do before grocery shopping is make a list. Sit down and plan your week. Plan your meals. Think about what is coming up during that week. List all your ingredients, snacks, and whatever else the family needs. Then, follow your list. Don't deviate from it. If it's not in the list, it's not in the cart. Of course, you've already made a budget and know how much you're allowed to spend at the store each week.
We learned to say, "No" - Kids will always ask for snacks, desserts, and fun things at the store. Can I tell you a little secret? You will not ruin your kids if you tell them, "No" every once in awhile. I love my kids, but they don't always get what they want. We also learned to say, "No" to ourselves. The cinnamon rolls had to learn to stay on the shelf, not in my cart. We didn't need the most expensive steaks. We don't need four kinds of chips. I'm not saying you can't get anything for your kids or it's bad to get some nicer things...all I'm saying is wait until your budget allows it.
We swallowed our pride - Like I said earlier, many people will turn their nose up at places like Walmart and Aldi (or whatever your local grocery store is). For the longest time we wouldn't shop at those places. Let's be honest...it's just a store. So many people will label others based on where they grocery shop. Is that what our society has come to? You're white trash and ghetto because you shop at a place that is "not up to your standards?" Who cares what the clientele is like? Who cares if you think more expensive groceries make you a better person? How egotistical can we get when we judge people based on where they shop for food? Last I checked, we all have to eat...so go get food wherever makes you happy. So, we swallowed our pride and shopped where we could save the most money. And you know what? We spend half of what we did at Publix for the same product. Does it make me white trash and ghetto? Maybe to you...but at least I'm not spending more than I have to.
I know, I know...these are tough choices. That's the point. The reason you're probably in debt is because you've always done the same things over and over again and never given it much thought. Now it's time to break away from your norm, make the tough choices and get your financial life under control. Yes, it's tough, but it will be worth it when you actually have money leftover at the end of the month.
Again, making these tough choices may not be for everybody. We still occasionally shop at Publix and dream of what used to be. Your family may decide that you don't want to break up with your current grocery store...that's fine. However, when you are desperate enough to fix your financial mess, everything becomes an option. Do what works for you and your family...but don't knock someone who is only trying to do what's best for them. Remember, maybe they're making a tough choice. ~ Kevin