Tips for Grocery Shopping on a Cash Budget

Well, December was quite an adventure for me, at least the portions of it spent in the grocery store. After I resolved to use only cash for our food budget, I sent my hubby to the money store (smart people call it the bank) to withdraw the amount of cash we needed to feed the family for the month. And how did that go? Well…

It’s a funny thing about cash. If you’re not used to using it, it takes a little practice. I made a few embarrassing mistakes, and without the soft landing my debit card had once provided, I quickly learned that mistakes have consequences. In this case, the consequence was a week-long, eat-from-the-pantry challenge (à la Money Saving Mom), which I was forced to do because I ran out of money.

It’s very hard to admit this, but I’m  much worse at sticking with my food budget than I thought.

The problem with using a debit card is that it’s a lot like carrying all of your money with you.

The good news? I’ve been stocking up on deals at rock-bottom prices for a long time, so there was some actual food to fall back on. Even better news? I know what I did wrong, and I can fix it! I’m shopping with cash again this month, and I’m sure I’ll be better at it this time. Here are a few things smart shoppers surely know, but that I failed to take into account:

Bring a calculator.

Or use your phone. Whatever. Just don’t rely on mental math and guessing to decide whether you have enough money for that head of cauliflower. I never actually got to the checkout with more stuff than I could afford, but that’s only because I was carrying the entire month’s budget with me, instead of just the week. If I’d had only what I planned to spend in my purse, I’d have been somewhat embarrassed. Which leads me to the second do of shopping with cash:

Take only the amount of money you plan to spend.

The problem with using a debit card is that it’s a lot like carrying all of your money with you. You just feel richer knowing there’s more cash in the money store. Well, if you take the whole month’s allotted grocery money the first week, you do the same thing. At least, I did. That’s how I ended up running out money before I ran out of month. This time, I’ll know to only take the amount I intend to spend.

Don’t be ashamed to put things back.

Shopping with cash means learning to put the fancy cashew butter back when you realize you won’t be able to afford it after all. Swallow your pride and march yourself back to the shelf and drop it. Also, wear nice shoes. You’ll never feel ashamed to be seen bargain-shopping if you feel good about your shoes.

Don’t forget about taxes.

This is really obvious, but if you live in a state that charges sales tax on food, you need to come far enough under your budget to pay taxes.

Don’t shop while hungry or depressed.

Nobody makes good decisions or does careful math with a growling stomach or a miserable outlook. If you can avoid it, try to shop when you’re well-fed and happy.

Did I miss anything? What kinds of tips and tricks do you have for shopping with cash?

Photo courtesy of Refracted Moments on Flickr.

Cindy

Cindy is a homemaker and mother of 4 (and counting). She's not an expert on anything--just a web writer sharing what works in her own life. Cindy blogs about life, the universe, and homeschooling at her personal blog Get Along Home.

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