This week while I was grocery shopping, I caught myself having a little conversation in my head. Always on the look-out for a hot deal, I was able to score Pepperidge Farms Goldfish for $.17, Corn Flakes for FREE after mail in rebate, and pizza for only $1.29. This made me quite pleased.
Then I began to scour the produce section. The grapes and corn were on sale, but most everything else was higher than I ever like to pay.
That’s when the little voice in my head began:
“If you buy those apples, you might go over budget.”
(I’m not sure, but I think the reason I could actually hear the voice this time was because my kids weren’t with me so it didn’t have to shout to be heard!)
Suddenly, I realized that I was actually considering skipping out on fruits and vegetables in order to keep our budget on track.
It was a wake up call for me. In this case, my fear of spending a few extra dollars was not a healthy fear.
Here’s the issue. It’s so easy to compare grocery budgets to other savvy shoppers and feel the need to do better. But the whole comparison thing is such a waste of time. There are so many reasons why you may need to spend more money than someone else, including the variety of grocery stores in your area, the number of mouths you are feeding, dietary restrictions, and much more.
In my situation, I have had incredibly busy week, so spending time shopping around to find the best deals simply wasn’t in the cards.
And that’s ok.
Will I buy pizza and ice cream when they are on sale? Sure!
Will I buy fruits and vegetables when they aren’t on sale? Even if it means breaking the budget that week? You better believe it.
Take that, little voice.
Now excuse me while I go get a bowl of ice cream (with a big ol’ expensive banana on top!)
I always find room in my budget for fresh fruits and veggies. It may not be as much as I’d like sometimes. If I have to I will buy frozen, but I never buy canned due to sodium and mold, (long story short, my daughter has allergy’s and I found out that the FDA allows certain amounts of “things” in canned products), I like to go to farmer’s markets sometimes and freeze things that I buy there, but getting there is half the battle. I have walked down this road with other things though and am still trying to find a balance. Also, @Stephanie, Sometimes if you speak to the meat farmers you can get some really great deals on bulk purchases. My Sister-in-Law buys a whole pig and a half cow every year, usually for less than 200 dollars each, and she is on a very limited budget.
Just like everything in life, it’s important to strike a balance and do what’s right and good.
we have a saying in our house that “we will never deny our boys books or fruits or veggies.” they love all those things and they are super good for you and so while i can limit the amount of books i buy and score great deals on them, i can also take them to the library and get them for free….i cannot not buy fuits and veggies b/c they are too expensive. Yes there are some times that I won’t buy strawberries when they are begging for them in the dead of winter but we always get the fresh yummy inseason things we can.
and if they are on sale it is just a big bonus for me!
Very well said! We moms always have that little guilt voice waiting to pounce, don’t we!
Go Kaley! This is a fantastic post. I think we’ve all walked down that path, letting the budget go to our heads. Do you know what I did this week? I just didn’t WANT to bother with coupons. So I headed to Safeway and only shopped the sale items (that I actually wanted) and used the in-ad coupons. I still saved 42% and stayed under my $50 budget! & that includes pineapple juice that was full price at $3.89, the most expensive item in my cart. Oh excuse me… I did buy some “expensive” apples, that were $3.99 for the bag 🙂
Well said! This has been an issue in my home since I started couponing. It is easy to get junk for free or really cheap, but not so much with fruits and veggies…and that’s the mainstay of our diet! I don’t want to fill the cupboards with junk, so I’m always on the hunt for affordable fruits and veggies.
Thank you SO MUCH for finally posting something about healthy food! I get so sick of people doing the whole coupon thing–buying 100 boxes of processed food– and not one fruit. Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attentions!
Totally agreed! FYI for some produce savings for PA locals, try Jim and Ralph’s in Collegeville or they bring produce to the Perkiomenville Auction Mondays only. I save a bunch on my produce and go just about weekly. (Think large crate 60lbs of produce at about 0.50/lb) I actually weighed it once to prove it was a good deal. I strive to be both healthy and thrifty- sometimes it is challenging.
I blogged about a similar issue a few days ago. I tend to beat myself up if I don’t have my coupons or miss out on a great deal. I am working on not attaching my emotions to my coupons. Saving money for my family is great but not if I pull out my hair doing it!
I’ve been having arguments in my head lately as well. Ever since watching Food Inc. I really want to buy more organic and local products, but I just can’t pass up the good deals on the stuff at the regular old grocery store. My husband is really pushing for us to go organic (including meat products), but it’s hard for me to justify spending $10 a pound for sirloin at the farmer’s market when I can get it on sale for $3 a pound at Sam’s or the grocery store…ugh!