I’m sure you remember, as a kid, playing the memory game where you turn over two cards and have to match the pair together. Well, shopping without a list is a little bit like that! Desperately trying to remember what you saw the last time you looked in your pantry or fridge. Shopping this way can be a danger to your budget… Chances are you’ll either gain something in your shopping trolley you didn’t need or forget to get what you actually did need. Sound familiar?
Writing a shopping list can be time consuming. I get it! But, if it can save you approximately $800 a year of things you didn’t need that week, is it worth it? I think so!
So, my next question is. Is your pantry and fridge bulging at the seams or is Old Mother Hubbard? I have so many friends that have fridges and pantries that are jam packed with endless tins, jars and packets, looks impressive but do you really know what’s in there and do you really need it all? After all, there is only so much you can eat in a week.
Having multiples of the same thing overtime only leads to risk of expiry, food thrown away and money in the bin!
In this day and age with so much food so readily available to us, do we even give a second thought about actually buying then using what you need? Not really! We tend to just accumulate for the ‘just in case’ scenario. This type of scenario works fine if you have a very large family, constant entertainer or ready for a natural disaster but invariably were not and have generally fallen into the clever suction of the marketing world. Yep, that’s right! We all do it — buy stuff we don’t need!
So if you look at it this way, unless it’s getting used that week, it’s basically money sitting on your shelves. So sticking to a shopping list that can bring you back on track. Have a really good look in your cupboards, write a list (stock take). Use up what you have and ultimately say to yourself do I really need it?……Oh and don’t forget the shopping list!
Budget Angel x
