A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Long time, no talk! Iāve had my head buried in work as we ramp up for the holidays. Iāve been reflecting on where Iād like this blog to go in the future and what value I can provide to my readers.
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Grocery Stores and Food Costs
Lately, Iāve been living inside my budget spreadsheet. Iāve found myself logging costs, quantity, and calculating whatās the best value of my purchases. These past few months have been dedicated to improving my grocery bill.
I have logged every single purchase Iāve made for groceries since last July. Within the first few weeks, I realized Iām paying a lot more for convenience rather than the food itself. Comparing Vonās, Trader Joeās, and ALDIās, Iāve realized that Iāll be saving more on food if I travel a few miles farther.
Iāve used the formula below to calculate the value of my food bill:
Food Value = (Cost / Quantity)
This will calculate a ācost per ounces/grams/etc.ā and help you compare the difference between the same foods at different stores.
As a reminder, some stores are great for produce while others are great at their meat selection. Iād recommend remembering which one will provide you the better value to maximize your grocery bill budget!
Fun fact: you can find me in the grocery store with my phone calculator, crunching the numbers as I look at the shelves!
Donāt Sweat the Small Stuff
Please donāt sweat the small stuff like the above. Lately, I feel like my budget has been hyper-optimized and itās sucking time out of my life. This math crunching takes time and the joy out of an impulse purchase or a Starbucks coffee.
Be sure to stay on top of your finances but donāt let it run your life.
Have a great week!
Jordan