Finally figured out why my grocery budget was blowing up every week

I used to just grab whatever looked good at the store near my apartment in Detroit, no list or plan. Then I started meal prepping on Sundays with a $50 cash limit and actually sticking to it. Has anyone else found that planning around one big shop stops those impulse midweek trips?

2 comments

2 Comments

blairstone13d ago

Cash only is the only thing that worked for me. Tried all the apps and budgeting spreadsheets before that, just never stuck. Pulling out $60 every Saturday morning, leaving the cards at home, that did it. Forces you to actually think about what you're putting in the cart. When the cash runs out, you're done, no swiping just because you forgot onions again.

chen.jenny12d ago

Wait, does pulling out cash actually involve willpower, or am I just hopeless? I tried the cash method once and ended up spending my grocery money on a taco from a gas station because I was hungry and that's all I had that wasn't in the bank. My envelope system turned into a "where did all these receipts for bad decisions come from" situation real quick. Guess I'm just not disciplined enough to not treat cash like Monopoly money the second it's in my hand.