My Debt is Due to My Stomach
How did our debt get so big? This is a common question when someone finally realizes they in debt up to their eyeballs. Usually they didn’t buy any big ticket item like a trip or furniture. It’s just steady over the limit living for years and when it adds up, it really adds up!
One of the most common reasons the credit card debt ran up so high without you knowing, is that you spent it on food. Eating out constantly adds up quickly especially if you grab breakfast on the run, eat out for lunch and pick up something to bring home to eat for dinner. Let’s say $4 for breakfast, $7 for lunch and $10 for dinner. That’s not expensive for eating out, but that’s still $21 for one person. Over just 5 work days that’s $105. Most monthly budgets for groceries are $200 for one person. Make a plan to eat at home for breakfast, bring your lunch or allow yourself to eat out one day, then eat at home every night or just one night of not cooking. You will be stunned at the amount of money you’re saving.
Another problem with food buying, is letting food go to waste. You may count your pennies, stick to a budget, but let the vegetables rot before you get around to using them. I don’t know how many bags of moldy lettuce I’ve thrown out of my own fridge. I used to go grocery shopping and just pick up things on sale or get things I thought I’d use to make something. Notice I said something, not a particular food item. In other words I had no plan. That’s how I wasted my food money, I shopped without a clue. Now I determine recipes I’ll make for the week, then go out and buy the food I don’t have to make those recipes. I know what nights I’ll cook, what leftovers will be available for lunches and what days I can eat out. No food gets wasted anymore.
Don’t let yourself get sucked into joining those large savings chains such as Sam’s Club if you can’t use that amount of food before it goes rotten. I used to belong to Sam’s Club and bought apples in five pound bags. I got sick to death of apples before I was halfway through the bag. Those huge bags of salad were a terrific deal, but not when it went icky before I ate half the bag. I just can shop at those places because the amount of food you have to buy is just too much.
Learn to check out weekly grocery store specials or coupons for your grocery budget. I used to think coupon clipping were for the stay at home moms or middle aged women, but then I realized how much money I could save by using coupons or buying things on sale. But I only bought what I needed on sale, not just because it was on sale. There’s a difference!