The beatles Case Study

[The beatles]

The Frugalwoods are always good to read (I recommend you and especially your wife read their whole blog) and today's is relevant.
http://www.frugalwoods.com/2017/01/09/my-foolproof-method-to-stop-impulse-spending/

Do you have any other recommended blogs?

I tried reading that one and it feels very disorganized.

[Bracken_Joy]

The Frugalwoods are always good to read (I recommend you and especially your wife read their whole blog) and today's is relevant.
http://www.frugalwoods.com/2017/01/09/my-foolproof-method-to-stop-impulse-spending/

Do you have any other recommended blogs?

I tried reading that one and it feels very disorganized.

Zen habits might be more to your liking perhaps:
https://zenhabits.net/the-10-key-actions-that-finally-got-me-out-of-debt-or-why-living-frugally-is-only-part-of-the-solution/
https://zenhabits.net/no-debt/

Or a similar 'minimalism' blogger:
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/33-proven-ways-to-reduce-personal-debt/

A different blog yet again:
http://www.frugaldebtfreelife.com/main/2015/1/13/how-to-stop-living-paycheck-to-paycheck.html

Perhaps audio interviews are more your style:
http://financially-blonde.com/financial-grown-moments/
http://financially-blonde.com/overcoming-spending-addiction/
http://slowyourhome.com/22/

Or a youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4yoAI6teROXXGb3OKTBfQ8FnIGRzoPw

[pbkmaine]

http://theprudenthomemaker.com

There's a blog and some excellent low-cost recipes. Each blog entry gets many comments from black belt-level frugal folks.

[RetiredAt63]

The Frugalwoods are always good to read (I recommend you and especially your wife read their whole blog) and today's is relevant.
http://www.frugalwoods.com/2017/01/09/my-foolproof-method-to-stop-impulse-spending/

Do you have any other recommended blogs?

I tried reading that one and it feels very disorganized.

The reason I suggested today's Frugalwoods  blog is because she talks about how not to make impulse purchases.  Your wife does a lot of little ones and you do a few huge ones, according to an early post of yours.  Most of the recent comments  have been on your food spending but if the money you save there gets spent on instant gratification you have gained  nothing.

Yes the Frugalwoods  are extreme but look at what they have accomplished.  Most of us here are not that extreme but either our dreams don't need that much commitment or we are not in terrible hair on fire circumstance

[Laura33]

What I'm wondering is why you keep digging the debt hole.  You're clearly worried enough about it to post here, and you've gotten a lot of great advice, but it doesn't seem like you've gone after even the low-hanging fruit, like stopping the work lunches and eating out.  And now you've added couches to boot.  Why is that?  Is it that you can't say no because you don't want to disappoint people?  Is it that you really value your role as provider and don't want your coworkers or your wife to see you as less successful than you want to be?  Is it that you feel like you "deserve" it?  Is it just no impulse control or ability to delay gratification? 

You need to figure that out before you can fix anything.  Somehow, Past You thought it was ok to pre-spend more than your next year's salary on food + stuff, and now Future You is going to have to work through at least April 2018 just to pay for things you have already consumed -- not even counting interest, or that 401(k) loan that isn't even listed, or, you know, current living expenses.  You are beyond broke, hon.

My advice:  don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.  Just do *something*.  Now.  You don't have to start by baking your own bread -- just buy the generic $0.99 version and cut the Skinny Cow stuff.  Don't know how to cook or menu plan?  Try www.cooksmarts.com -- it's something like $4/month, but they plan your menu for you, give you the shopping list, and give you step-by-step instructions and tutorials.  You shop at Wegmans -- me too.  Luckily, they have a fantastic app that you can use to make your grocery list, so use it, and then stick to the list (and don't even walk into the aisles with all the fancy stuff!).  If that isn't working (maybe your wife does the shopping, maybe the kids make it difficult), then she can input the list into the app and you can pull it up on your phone and do the shopping yourself on the way home from work, with no kids to clamor for bright pretty things.  If days are too hectic to cook, then cook in batches on weekends (this is what I do, btw -- two full-time jobs and two kids = "watch NFL + cook" Sundays).  Etc.  Just keep trying until you find something that does work.  You can't afford not to.

I would also check with your wife, because a lot of these changes come down to her, and that grocery receipt suggests she isn't really in it.  Your income + debt require her to be a frugal domestic goddess.  If she isn't willing to take on that role, fine -- but then, honestly, she needs to get a job, because you guys currently cannot afford Skinny Cow and Amy's.  Both of you dug this hole, and both of you need to pull your weight getting out of it.

You asked for goals:

Within the first 3 months:  Cut all food costs down to $600 (generous -- some here do with much, much less.  Yes, with kids.).  No more late charges on mortgage, ever (there is no excuse for this.  If you can't pay the mortgage when it is due, you can't afford the house.  Period.).

6 months:  Sell rental.  Pay off IRS

1 year:  All credit cards/furniture loan gone -- paid off + cut up/frozen in a block of ice/whatever you need to do to stop using them.  Present You will never borrow from Future You, ever again.

Then you can use the extra cashflow to build up your emergency fund, pay back your parents, and then up your 401(k).

Once you've got all that done, you can save up for a fancy vacation.

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

And just in case it isn't clear: if you do not change course you will lose both houses, the car, the couches, everything.

[The beatles]

The Frugalwoods are always good to read (I recommend you and especially your wife read their whole blog) and today's is relevant.
http://www.frugalwoods.com/2017/01/09/my-foolproof-method-to-stop-impulse-spending/

Do you have any other recommended blogs?

I tried reading that one and it feels very disorganized.

Zen habits might be more to your liking perhaps:
https://zenhabits.net/the-10-key-actions-that-finally-got-me-out-of-debt-or-why-living-frugally-is-only-part-of-the-solution/
https://zenhabits.net/no-debt/

Or a similar 'minimalism' blogger:
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/33-proven-ways-to-reduce-personal-debt/

A different blog yet again:
http://www.frugaldebtfreelife.com/main/2015/1/13/how-to-stop-living-paycheck-to-paycheck.html

Perhaps audio interviews are more your style:
http://financially-blonde.com/financial-grown-moments/
http://financially-blonde.com/overcoming-spending-addiction/
http://slowyourhome.com/22/

Or a youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLN4yoAI6teROXXGb3OKTBfQ8FnIGRzoPw

Thanks!

[The beatles]

What I'm wondering is why you keep digging the debt hole.  You're clearly worried enough about it to post here, and you've gotten a lot of great advice, but it doesn't seem like you've gone after even the low-hanging fruit, like stopping the work lunches and eating out.  And now you've added couches to boot.  Why is that?  Is it that you can't say no because you don't want to disappoint people?  Is it that you really value your role as provider and don't want your coworkers or your wife to see you as less successful than you want to be?  Is it that you feel like you "deserve" it?  Is it just no impulse control or ability to delay gratification? 

I'm not sure what you mean?

I posted this on Saturday and haven't purchased a single thing since then.

[The beatles]

The Frugalwoods are always good to read (I recommend you and especially your wife read their whole blog) and today's is relevant.
http://www.frugalwoods.com/2017/01/09/my-foolproof-method-to-stop-impulse-spending/

Do you have any other recommended blogs?

I tried reading that one and it feels very disorganized.

The reason I suggested today's Frugalwoods  blog is because she talks about how not to make impulse purchases.  Your wife does a lot of little ones and you do a few huge ones, according to an early post of yours.  Most of the recent comments  have been on your food spending but if the money you save there gets spent on instant gratification you have gained  nothing.

Yes the Frugalwoods  are extreme but look at what they have accomplished.  Most of us here are not that extreme but either our dreams don't need that much commitment or we are not in terrible hair on fire circumstance

Oh ok thanks!

[Bracken_Joy]

What I'm wondering is why you keep digging the debt hole.  You're clearly worried enough about it to post here, and you've gotten a lot of great advice, but it doesn't seem like you've gone after even the low-hanging fruit, like stopping the work lunches and eating out.  And now you've added couches to boot.  Why is that?  Is it that you can't say no because you don't want to disappoint people?  Is it that you really value your role as provider and don't want your coworkers or your wife to see you as less successful than you want to be?  Is it that you feel like you "deserve" it?  Is it just no impulse control or ability to delay gratification? 

I'm not sure what you mean?

I posted this on Saturday and haven't purchased a single thing since then.

I'm guessing she means when you got BACK into debt, after your parents bailed you out last time. Clearly there is some REASON you ended up getting back into debt. Until you can answer WHY you let yourself get back into debt, you won't have a clear picture of your own behaviors. Ex- if every time you lost 50 lbs, you immediately gained it back, you need to figure out what you are doing that caused you to gain it back. Make sense? Spend some time analyzing your own behaviors. WHY have you been spending more than you earn, and WHY did you go back into debt?

[Jakejake]

I have one more suggestion - which I suspect you'll reject (and that's fine, I'm not the boss of you) but I'm going to throw it out there anyway.

You mentioned that your parents were willing to sit down and go through your budget with you and help you get control of your finances. You mentioned it as a condition of them giving you another basically year's salary. Don't take more money from them - because honestly, you are already f'ing them over spending their retirement savings on soda and tvs, when they could have easily invested it and earned 8% on it last year alone.

But ... take their advice without taking more of their money. That's someone familiar with your costs and needs who is willing to spend significant amount of time coaching you and helping you out of this mess. Don't let your ego get in the way of saving your family. If your concern is that it makes you feel like a child instead of an adult, well, you're already there - you are spending your parents' money like it's your allowance, instead of paying back what you borrowed. Ideally, they would have taught you budgeting and how to run a household when you were still living at home, but somehow that didn't happen. Let them teach you now.

And when you have some free time, you - and your wife - should read through this thread: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/relatives-who-just-don't-get-it/

What you'll see there - in part - is the frustration and fear of people watching their parents or siblings live exactly as you are living, and the forum members here freaking out because now we are being set up to have to choose between letting our parents or brothers and sisters become homeless, or give up our own retirement plans to bail them out over and over again. Your parents are doing that for you now, but also I see that in 20 years, your children are going to be the people posting in that thread. You aren't just robbing your parents of their retirement; you're also actively robbing your children of their future.

That's the mindset you need to hold on to, every time you look at a new tv, or new speakers, or a trip to hawaii. It's not a choice between getting a new tv, or not getting one. It's a choice between getting a new tv, or allowing your children to have a secure future. Do you love fancy vacations and electronics and new couches more than you love your children? Print that question out and put in on your fridge, so it's in your face every day.

[Poundwise]

I sense you are beginning to feel a bit punchdrunk here.  Don't take it personally-- a lot of people here have been where you are now and they are impatient to help. Or they have dear relatives who, unlike you, won't even admit they have a spending problem.

Good work on not spending since Saturday!  Throw us a little sugar and just choose one thing to do today to cut down on a repeating cost... baby steps.

[The beatles]

What I'm wondering is why you keep digging the debt hole.  You're clearly worried enough about it to post here, and you've gotten a lot of great advice, but it doesn't seem like you've gone after even the low-hanging fruit, like stopping the work lunches and eating out.  And now you've added couches to boot.  Why is that?  Is it that you can't say no because you don't want to disappoint people?  Is it that you really value your role as provider and don't want your coworkers or your wife to see you as less successful than you want to be?  Is it that you feel like you "deserve" it?  Is it just no impulse control or ability to delay gratification? 

I'm not sure what you mean?

I posted this on Saturday and haven't purchased a single thing since then.

I'm guessing she means when you got BACK into debt, after your parents bailed you out last time. Clearly there is some REASON you ended up getting back into debt. Until you can answer WHY you let yourself get back into debt, you won't have a clear picture of your own behaviors. Ex- if every time you lost 50 lbs, you immediately gained it back, you need to figure out what you are doing that caused you to gain it back. Make sense? Spend some time analyzing your own behaviors. WHY have you been spending more than you earn, and WHY did you go back into debt?

Oh!

Yes.

We racked it back up because we bought a new house.

[The beatles]

I have one more suggestion - which I suspect you'll reject (and that's fine, I'm not the boss of you) but I'm going to throw it out there anyway.

You mentioned that your parents were willing to sit down and go through your budget with you and help you get control of your finances. You mentioned it as a condition of them giving you another basically year's salary. Don't take more money from them - because honestly, you are already f'ing them over spending their retirement savings on soda and tvs, when they could have easily invested it and earned 8% on it last year alone.

But ... take their advice without taking more of their money. That's someone familiar with your costs and needs who is willing to spend significant amount of time coaching you and helping you out of this mess. Don't let your ego get in the way of saving your family. If your concern is that it makes you feel like a child instead of an adult, well, you're already there - you are spending your parents' money like it's your allowance, instead of paying back what you borrowed. Ideally, they would have taught you budgeting and how to run a household when you were still living at home, but somehow that didn't happen. Let them teach you now.

And when you have some free time, you - and your wife - should read through this thread: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/relatives-who-just-don't-get-it/

What you'll see there - in part - is the frustration and fear of people watching their parents or siblings live exactly as you are living, and the forum members here freaking out because now we are being set up to have to choose between letting our parents or brothers and sisters become homeless, or give up our own retirement plans to bail them out over and over again. Your parents are doing that for you now, but also I see that in 20 years, your children are going to be the people posting in that thread. You aren't just robbing your parents of their retirement; you're also actively robbing your children of their future.

I hear what you're saying.

The thing is, $40k wouldn't put my parents in a bad spot.

It's not even robbing them of their retirement.

More like getting an inheritance early.

That's the mindset you need to hold on to, every time you look at a new tv, or new speakers, or a trip to hawaii. It's not a choice between getting a new tv, or not getting one. It's a choice between getting a new tv, or allowing your children to have a secure future. Do you love fancy vacations and electronics and new couches more than you love your children? Print that question out and put in on your fridge, so it's in your face every day.

Agreed.

Just last night our freezer was full so we started looking online for an extra freezer to put in the garage.

Then I remembered and stopped.

[former player]

We racked it back up because we bought a new house.

No, not really.  You racked it up because you had to have everything in that house shiny and new and perfect, and so you bought moldings and new sofas when you could have made done with some paint and craigslist for furniture.

That's the mindset you have to change: you don't get to have these things until you have earned them - by which time you may appreciate that so much time/work/effort goes into the earning of them that they are not worth it.

You are in marketing, but on this one you have been played by the marketing messages that you are getting about what you need/deserve.  Well, you've got what you deserve, which is six figures in non-mortgage debt to pay off.

[notactiveanymore]

You can totally do this. You can get debt-free and you can get back in control of your life. This is the way I would tackle things with your 3, 6, 12 month goal markers.

3-Month Goals:

• Put rental house on the market. You can give a roof credit at closing instead of worrying about that now.
• Sell car and buy something for under $5000
• Sit down with your wife and make a budget. In this situation, I think you two going to Financial Peace University from Dave Ramsey would be absolutely a good idea. It will put all your cards on the table and help you two create a reasonable spending plan. This plan doesn't work without you two being a united front and deciding that you don't want to live on the edge anymore.
• Cut up all you credit cards except for maybe (MAYBE) one card. Do not put any more purchases on credit card. Pay for everything on debit or cash. I'd even consider getting your grocery money in cash and once it's gone, it's gone.
• Cut out all eating out. I left you $30/month for the very rare unplanned need to go through the drive through with the kids. But no restaurants.
• Cut the massage and the cameras. Get your Groceries below $600
• Go through your house and sell enough things to get your emergency fund of cash up to $2000

6-Month Goals:

• Sell the rental house and pay off the property taxes and the IRS
• Use your $605 cashflow to pay off the credit cards. I'd probably do a mixture of snowball/avalanche: CC1, CC3, CC6, CC5, CC4, Furniture Loan, CC7, CC2. Each time you pay off a new card, take the payment from that paid off card and roll it forward to pay off the next one more quickly. Within 6 months you should have it whittled down to just the Furniture Loan, CC7 and CC2 and you would have about $900/month at that point to keep throwing at the cards.

12-Month Goals:

• By February 1, 2018, you could be down to only the 30k debt owed to your parents and about $1500/month in cashflow.
• Talk to your parents about a payment plan for the 30k. If they really are not looking to give you interest, then I'd tell them your plan now about when you will be able to start paying them back and at what pace. If it were me, I'd see about doing $1000/month to parents and put $500/month in savings until you get a decent 3 month emergency fund, maybe $10k. Then I'd put all $1500 toward the loan with the parents until its gone.
• Start planning for how you will save after you're debt-free. Maybe allow yourself some small rewards once you pay off all except the parent's loan and then once you are totally debt free. My husband and I did a steak dinner at the fancy restaurant in town after we got debt-free and it was the best steak I've ever had.
• Don't let up! Keep optimizing your budget, looking for things to sell or extra jobs you can pick up (dog sitting or your wife watching a kid every once in awhile). Keep talking about where you want to be in 10 years and what you want retirement to look like. Don't let your spending creep up.

NEW PLAN (these numbers reflect after the rental is sold)
TAKE-HOME Income without Rental: $3875
Monthyly cashflow to put towards debt with spending below: $605

Expenses:
 
GARBAGE           36   
CALE/INTERNET   114   
WATER                   50   
GEICO AUTO           135   
MASSAGE       70   If this is massage envy, you can cancel if you try hard enough. Talk to manager, explain situation.
AUTO LOAN           393   3591   6.54% Sell car ASAP, paying it off in 9 months means nothing because you have no money.
MORTGAGE           1761   164,717   5.125%
FUEL                   200   
GAS/ELECTRIC        150   
GROCERIES       1100 600   
EATING OUT       600 30
CAMERAS       25   
PARENTS                    0       30K   
CC1                            194       856   25.24%
CC2                            134       4495   24.49
CC3                            25       505   23.24%
CC4                            25       452   10.23%
CC5                            20       692   18.49%
CC6                            75       797   24.15
CC7                            100       2020   25.24
Furniture Loan            276       1950   25.00

TOTAL                     5472   46,405   
NEW TOTAL             3270        41,767

Assets:

Primary home – Owe $164,717, worth $175k
Rental – Owe $25k HELOC + $9k taxes, worth $70k to $80k Sell it ASAP
Car – Owe $4,500, worth $15k to $17k Car - $5000, paid in Cash after selling financed car
Cash - $850 $2000 funded by selling crap from around the house - you need an emergency fund
401k - $5,000

Liabilities:

Income tax - $40k 35k Paid off with sale of Rental, 5k paid off with sale of car
Property tax on rental - $9k Paid off with sale of rental

[birdie55]

Good that you did not buy a new freezer.

Now do some meal planning on the contents of your freezer so you don't need to buy groceries, other than fresh fruits and vegetables for awhile. 

[begood]

I have one more suggestion - which I suspect you'll reject (and that's fine, I'm not the boss of you) but I'm going to throw it out there anyway.

You mentioned that your parents were willing to sit down and go through your budget with you and help you get control of your finances. You mentioned it as a condition of them giving you another basically year's salary. Don't take more money from them - because honestly, you are already f'ing them over spending their retirement savings on soda and tvs, when they could have easily invested it and earned 8% on it last year alone.

But ... take their advice without taking more of their money. That's someone familiar with your costs and needs who is willing to spend significant amount of time coaching you and helping you out of this mess. Don't let your ego get in the way of saving your family. If your concern is that it makes you feel like a child instead of an adult, well, you're already there - you are spending your parents' money like it's your allowance, instead of paying back what you borrowed. Ideally, they would have taught you budgeting and how to run a household when you were still living at home, but somehow that didn't happen. Let them teach you now.

And when you have some free time, you - and your wife - should read through this thread: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/relatives-who-just-don't-get-it/

What you'll see there - in part - is the frustration and fear of people watching their parents or siblings live exactly as you are living, and the forum members here freaking out because now we are being set up to have to choose between letting our parents or brothers and sisters become homeless, or give up our own retirement plans to bail them out over and over again. Your parents are doing that for you now, but also I see that in 20 years, your children are going to be the people posting in that thread. You aren't just robbing your parents of their retirement; you're also actively robbing your children of their future.

I hear what you're saying.

The thing is, $40k wouldn't put my parents in a bad spot.

It's not even robbing them of their retirement.

More like getting an inheritance early.

That's the mindset you need to hold on to, every time you look at a new tv, or new speakers, or a trip to hawaii. It's not a choice between getting a new tv, or not getting one. It's a choice between getting a new tv, or allowing your children to have a secure future. Do you love fancy vacations and electronics and new couches more than you love your children? Print that question out and put in on your fridge, so it's in your face every day.

Agreed.

Just last night our freezer was full so we started looking online for an extra freezer to put in the garage.

Then I remembered and stopped.

beatles, I'm going to come at these last two things.

1) Let's say your parents give you $40K now. You call it an "early inheritance". It's not. It would be a sacrifice on their part. That's $40K less that your parents would have to grow over the years until they are in old age and health care costs skyrocket. You would spend that money immediately, either on credit cards or to the IRS, and then you wouldn't have it to grow over the years either. So they would have reduced their ability to support themselves, and you would not be able to help them. Your parents may indeed need that $40K, and the growth it will earn over the years. My dad blew through $1,000,000 paying for private home care in the last decade of his life - that's $100K PER YEAR. Your parents are worried about you, and like most parents, they want what is best for you. Please take all their love and concern and advice, and please DO NOT take their money.

2) Great job not buying a freezer! Do you know what most people do when their freezer is full? They eat out of it. We call it "freezer diving" where I live - we make meals out of little tubs of leftover chili, that pack of spanokopita, and a bag of berries from last summer. Sunday supper, for the win!

[The beatles]

We racked it back up because we bought a new house.

No, not really.  You racked it up because you had to have everything in that house shiny and new and perfect, and so you bought moldings and new sofas when you could have made done with some paint and craigslist for furniture.

That's the mindset you have to change: you don't get to have these things until you have earned them - by which time you may appreciate that so much time/work/effort goes into the earning of them that they are not worth it.

You are in marketing, but on this one you have been played by the marketing messages that you are getting about what you need/deserve.  Well, you've got what you deserve, which is six figures in non-mortgage debt to pay off.

All true.

[Laura33]

Beatles, apologies, I misunderstood -- read the original posts, then saw the addition of the couch debt and thought you had just gone out and bought them.  Which seemed to be a pattern given the earlier parental payoff.

But I still think it makes sense to figure out what is driving your choices -- why does your brain tell you it is ok to spend more than what you make?  You need to change that mindset if you want any of this to stick long-term.

[charis]

We actually bought a reasonably-priced chest freezer for our basement and that has helped with lower our food costs BECAUSE we buy giant quantities of cheap staples with very low unit prices.  Which means we buy family-pack sizes of generic staples and DIVIDE them up into freezer packs and put them in the chest freezer. 

We buy shredded cheese, actually, the biggest bag they sell, and divide it up into ziploc bags at home.  Same with huge pack of sliced cheese, largest size of frozen veggies, chicken nuggets, burrito shells, pizza dough, etc and we buy 4-5 loafs of 100 whole wheat bread.   Family packs of pasta, pasta sauce, apples, greek yogurt and eggs are also a very good deal.

We are a family of 4 (3 and 6 year old) and we don't buy any single servings pouches of anything or any candy.  Apples, baby carrots, veggie straws in ziploc bags with reusable bottles of water or milk do the trick for on the go snacking.  The closest thing I get a a bulk box of fig bars for the rare, desperate moments in the car where we are close to eating out.   

My children have been conditioned to know that they can have practically unlimited servings of apples or carrots, but no gimmicky "snack" stuff unless we are on vacation.  Breakfast is non-sugar cereals, eggs, toast, or waffles (make big batch on Sunday and leftovers to kids Mon morning).

We shop at Aldi and Wegmans, because many bulk items that are cheaper at Wegs.  Maybe TJs once a month to grab the 3-4 (cheap) items that I prefer from there. 

[The beatles]

2) Great job not buying a freezer! Do you know what most people do when their freezer is full? They eat out of it. We call it "freezer diving" where I live - we make meals out of little tubs of leftover chili, that pack of spanokopita, and a bag of berries from last summer. Sunday supper, for the win!

Thank you! And good advice.

[The beatles]

We actually bought a reasonably-priced chest freezer for our basement and that has helped with lower our food costs BECAUSE we buy giant quantities of cheap staples with very low unit prices.  Which means we buy family-pack sizes of generic staples and DIVIDE them up into freezer packs and put them in the chest freezer. 

We buy shredded cheese, actually, the biggest bag they sell, and divide it up into ziploc bags at home.  Same with huge pack of sliced cheese, largest size of frozen veggies, chicken nuggets, burrito shells, pizza dough, etc and we buy 4-5 loafs of 100 whole wheat bread.   Family packs of pasta, pasta sauce, apples, greek yogurt and eggs are also a very good deal.

We are a family of 4 (3 and 6 year old) and we don't buy any single servings pouches of anything or any candy.  Apples, baby carrots, veggie straws in ziploc bags with reusable bottles of water or milk do the trick for on the go snacking.  The closest thing I get a a bulk box of fig bars for the rare, desperate moments in the car where we are close to eating out.   

My children have been conditioned to know that they can have practically unlimited servings of apples or carrots, but no gimmicky "snack" stuff unless we are on vacation.  Breakfast is non-sugar cereals, eggs, toast, or waffles (make big batch on Sunday and leftovers to kids Mon morning).

We shop at Aldi and Wegmans, because many bulk items that are cheaper at Wegs.  Maybe TJs once a month to grab the 3-4 (cheap) items that I prefer from there.

I can't believe the amount of Wegmans shoppers here.

You in NY as well?

[ShoulderThingThatGoesUp]

I shop at Wegman's with my three-year-old and you won't find any individually packaged crap in my cart.

[swick]

Blogs recommendation: Northwest Edible Life's money category:
http://www.nwedible.com/topics/productive-home/frugality-finance/

IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING:http://www.nwedible.com/mini-money-challenge-occupy-your-brainwhat-you-want-isnt-really-what-you-want/

Print out the blank worksheet: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/35224895/NWEdible_What_I_Really_Want_From_My_Purchases_Chart.pdf

DO THIS FOR EVERY SINGLE PURCHASE. HAVE YOUR WIFE DO THIS FOR EVERY PURCHASE.

Those "diet" full of sugar, fake snack foods? Why do you want them? What is the purpose those are meeting? What are the FEELINGS you think it will address...what do you REALLY want?

Same with the TV, same with the extra freezer...everything. You have to start thinking critically and thinking deeper. Print out multiple copies of this worksheet. Share your thought process if it helps. This is something you can do RIGHT NOW that will make a BIG difference.

[begood]

I'm a Wegmans shopper/acolyte too! To the point where I've about decided I don't want to retire somewhere that doesn't have a Wegmans!

But I do spend more at Wegmans than I would at our local ShopRite and Giant. Wegmans is brilliant at combining super cheap staples like pasta, sauce, family size chicken and hamburger with expensive cheeses, prepared foods, and tempting baked goods. Their cookie display? That shit is $12 a pound!

And because they put the produce in the middle of the store, the "keep to the outside aisles" advice doesn't really work at Wegmans. They also put the expensive stuff right next to the produce - the cheeses, deli offerings, and baked goods. To get to eggs, OJ, and milk, you have to walk past basically the entire store.

What would you think about only shopping at Aldi for the rest of January? That's not even three more weeks now. Just try it. Give Wegmans a rest and see what new worlds Aldi opens up for you.

[The beatles]

You can totally do this. You can get debt-free and you can get back in control of your life. This is the way I would tackle things with your 3, 6, 12 month goal markers.

3-Month Goals:

• Put rental house on the market. You can give a roof credit at closing instead of worrying about that now.
• Sell car and buy something for under $5000
• Sit down with your wife and make a budget. In this situation, I think you two going to Financial Peace University from Dave Ramsey would be absolutely a good idea. It will put all your cards on the table and help you two create a reasonable spending plan. This plan doesn't work without you two being a united front and deciding that you don't want to live on the edge anymore.
• Cut up all you credit cards except for maybe (MAYBE) one card. Do not put any more purchases on credit card. Pay for everything on debit or cash. I'd even consider getting your grocery money in cash and once it's gone, it's gone.
• Cut out all eating out. I left you $30/month for the very rare unplanned need to go through the drive through with the kids. But no restaurants.
• Cut the massage and the cameras. Get your Groceries below $600
• Go through your house and sell enough things to get your emergency fund of cash up to $2000

6-Month Goals:

• Sell the rental house and pay off the property taxes and the IRS
• Use your $605 cashflow to pay off the credit cards. I'd probably do a mixture of snowball/avalanche: CC1, CC3, CC6, CC5, CC4, Furniture Loan, CC7, CC2. Each time you pay off a new card, take the payment from that paid off card and roll it forward to pay off the next one more quickly. Within 6 months you should have it whittled down to just the Furniture Loan, CC7 and CC2 and you would have about $900/month at that point to keep throwing at the cards.

12-Month Goals:

• By February 1, 2018, you could be down to only the 30k debt owed to your parents and about $1500/month in cashflow.
• Talk to your parents about a payment plan for the 30k. If they really are not looking to give you interest, then I'd tell them your plan now about when you will be able to start paying them back and at what pace. If it were me, I'd see about doing $1000/month to parents and put $500/month in savings until you get a decent 3 month emergency fund, maybe $10k. Then I'd put all $1500 toward the loan with the parents until its gone.
• Start planning for how you will save after you're debt-free. Maybe allow yourself some small rewards once you pay off all except the parent's loan and then once you are totally debt free. My husband and I did a steak dinner at the fancy restaurant in town after we got debt-free and it was the best steak I've ever had.
• Don't let up! Keep optimizing your budget, looking for things to sell or extra jobs you can pick up (dog sitting or your wife watching a kid every once in awhile). Keep talking about where you want to be in 10 years and what you want retirement to look like. Don't let your spending creep up.

NEW PLAN (these numbers reflect after the rental is sold)
TAKE-HOME Income without Rental: $3875
Monthyly cashflow to put towards debt with spending below: $605

Expenses:
 
GARBAGE           36   
CALE/INTERNET   114   
WATER                   50   
GEICO AUTO           135   
MASSAGE       70   If this is massage envy, you can cancel if you try hard enough. Talk to manager, explain situation.
AUTO LOAN           393   3591   6.54% Sell car ASAP, paying it off in 9 months means nothing because you have no money.
MORTGAGE           1761   164,717   5.125%
FUEL                   200   
GAS/ELECTRIC        150   
GROCERIES       1100 600   
EATING OUT       600 30
CAMERAS       25   
PARENTS                    0       30K   
CC1                            194       856   25.24%
CC2                            134       4495   24.49
CC3                            25       505   23.24%
CC4                            25       452   10.23%
CC5                            20       692   18.49%
CC6                            75       797   24.15
CC7                            100       2020   25.24
Furniture Loan            276       1950   25.00

TOTAL                     5472   46,405   
NEW TOTAL             3270        41,767

Assets:

Primary home – Owe $164,717, worth $175k
Rental – Owe $25k HELOC + $9k taxes, worth $70k to $80k Sell it ASAP
Car – Owe $4,500, worth $15k to $17k Car - $5000, paid in Cash after selling financed car
Cash - $850 $2000 funded by selling crap from around the house - you need an emergency fund
401k - $5,000

Liabilities:

Income tax - $40k 35k Paid off with sale of Rental, 5k paid off with sale of car
Property tax on rental - $9k Paid off with sale of rental

This is awesome.

Thank you for this.

I agree with all of it ... Except for selling the car.

[mrssavesalot]

ok....I'm actually new here (but not new to 'stacheing). I've followed this post long enough.

I hate to say this...but here is what you need to do.

1. Sell EVERYTHING luxury in your house. That huge tv. Those couches. Any video game systems. Everything goes except for your beds, cooking supplies, work-related equipment, some toys for the kids, and a few basics for working out.

2. Sell one of your properties

3. The first debt you need to pay is the IRS. If you don't work on that, they WILL make you sell everything. They will even garnish your paycheck. Trust me, you don't want that happening.

4. WTF are you eating organics? What are you thinking? SERIOUSLY.

5. Why are you eating skinny cow, and other "diet" luxuries. Hell, you shouldn't be eating any sweets at all. NONE. Zip, zilch, zero.

6. I sure hope you aren't spending any money on entertainment. From now on, the library, free parks, free cultural events are your entertainment. Kids are bored you say? Get off your butt, and go play catch or make a snowman with them.

7. Where in New York, are you living? You might be able to sell all vehicles, and take public transit instead.

8. Massage????? Really???? Get your wife to give you one. For reals.

9. You BOTH need to learn new ways of doing things- STAT.

10. One way to keep food costs down is to start a garden. Got a big backyard? Use it. PS....get your gardening tools on craigslist

11. Please for the love of god, don't add any more kids or pets to the mix. You can't afford that.

From now on....you ONLY buy things with cash. Credit cards are obviously a crutch for you.

You've got a lot of work to do. Get started on it.

8.

[Trifle]

I shop at Wegman's with my three-year-old and you won't find any individually packaged crap in my cart.

I hear you, Shoulder . . . Can you shop well/frugally at Wegmans?  Yes, for sure.  I've done it, with kids.  However I have years of practice at frugal grocery shopping and knowledge about what is a good price on the items we buy.  For a beginner frugal grocery shopper I would recommend staying away from Wegmans until your frugal shopping muscles are big and strong.  It is just too loaded with temptations.  Plus -- humans are creatures of habit.  I think it may be easier for the Beatles family to create a new healthy grocery shopping pattern if they start "fresh" by shopping at Aldi for a while.  Aldi will help create a new frame of reference for how much a grocery bill should be.  Just my two cents.

[charis]

I'm a Wegmans shopper/acolyte too! To the point where I've about decided I don't want to retire somewhere that doesn't have a Wegmans!

But I do spend more at Wegmans than I would at our local ShopRite and Giant. Wegmans is brilliant at combining super cheap staples like pasta, sauce, family size chicken and hamburger with expensive cheeses, prepared foods, and tempting baked goods. Their cookie display? That shit is $12 a pound!

And because they put the produce in the middle of the store, the "keep to the outside aisles" advice doesn't really work at Wegmans. They also put the expensive stuff right next to the produce - the cheeses, deli offerings, and baked goods. To get to eggs, OJ, and milk, you have to walk past basically the entire store.

What would you think about only shopping at Aldi for the rest of January? That's not even three more weeks now. Just try it. Give Wegmans a rest and see what new worlds Aldi opens up for you.

Walk in door, go straight into produce and pick of large packs of apples, baby carrots, green peppers, onions, bunch of bananas and whatever basic fresh veg you need.  Keep going to back wall of store for meat (whole chicken and pork shoulder for crockpot) and grab family packs of bread on the way by.  Follow along wall for bulk dairy and frozen veg.  Go along front and hit only necessary aisles (pasta, cereal, beans).  Bring a list, do NOT browse, avoid all specialty sections. Done. 

I agree that you need a strong frugal muscle before you can be this disciplined.

[The beatles]

ok....I'm actually new here (but not new to 'stacheing). I've followed this post long enough.

I hate to say this...but here is what you need to do.

1. Sell EVERYTHING luxury in your house. That huge tv. Those couches. Any video game systems. Everything goes except for your beds, cooking supplies, work-related equipment, some toys for the kids, and a few basics for working out.

Won't work, unfortunately.

We wouldn't be able to sell them for much. Definitely not even close to what we bought them for. And they're still financed.

2. Sell one of your properties

Agreed.

Just need to get a roof on it.

4. WTF are you eating organics? What are you thinking? SERIOUSLY.

I dont think we eat any organics?

6. I sure hope you aren't spending any money on entertainment. From now on, the library, free parks, free cultural events are your entertainment. Kids are bored you say? Get off your butt, and go play catch or make a snowman with them.

This is actually part of the reason why my wife says  it's hard to keep our grocery budget down.

She doesn't let them sit in front of the TV, they're always out doing things which creates 2 problems.

1) She packs snacks, but they run out and then are hungry.

2) She's gone all day doing activities with them, which gives no time (and energy) for making food.

7. Where in New York, are you living? You might be able to sell all vehicles, and take public transit instead.

We live in a suburb. Closest bus station is 3 miles away. We don't have Uber here. Work is 20 miles away.

8. Massage????? Really???? Get your wife to give you one. For reals.

Agreed.

[The beatles]

My Wife and I really enjoyed reading everyone who broke down our receipt and showed us where to save..

But she was a little annoyed that I posted a receipt that was a few months old (oops!), as she feels she has gotten better recently.

So would anyone be willing to critique our latest receipt (I double checked I had the right now this time)?

QTY
Product
Size
Department
Extended Price
ADD ALL TO LIST

Generic Food You Feel Good About Shells, Jumbo
2 OZ
Grocery Food
.99


Bananas
LB
Produce
.78


Dannon Danimals Smoothie, Value Pack
37 FO
Dairy
4.79


Generic Wet Sweeper Cloths, Citrus Fresh Scent
24 CT
Household Essentials
6.99

SHOPPERS CLUB SAVINGS-0.50

Generic Italian Classics Cheese Tortellini
20 OZ
Dairy
6.49


Generic Shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese
8 OZ
Dairy
2.49




Sprite Soda, Lemon-Lime
0 FO
Beverages
3.49


Generic Large Apple Crumb Pie
43 OZ
Bakery
3.00


REESE'S Shell Topping, Chocolate & Peanut Butter
7 OZ
Frozen Foods
2.49


Generic In-Store Baked Bagels
EA
Bakery
3.56


Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Baked Graham Snacks, Vanilla Cupcake
7 OZ
Grocery Food
.99


Breyers Indulgences Gelato, Raspberry Cheesecake
28 FO
Frozen Foods
4.69


Weg Sandwich Bag Z
00 CT
Household Essentials
2.99

Smuckers Marmalade, Sweet Orange
8 OZ
Grocery Food
2.99


Generic Assorted In Store Baked Muffins, 4 Pack
8 OZ
Bakery
9.00


Coca-Cola Cola
0 FO
Beverages
3.49


Stewart's Fountain Classics Soda, Cream
48 FO
Beverages
3.99


Generic Food You Feel Good About Mixed Peppers, FAMILY PACK
2 LB
Produce
5.49


Jif Peanut Butter, Creamy
40 OZ
Grocery Food
5.99


Quaker Popped Rice Crisps, Apple Cinnamon
7 OZ
Grocery Food
2.99


Generic Food You Feel Good About Unsweetened Apple Sauce Pouches, FAMILY PACK
77 OZ
Grocery Food
8.99


Juicy Juice Apple 00% Juice
54 FO
Beverages
2.99


Generic Italian Classics Alfredo Sauce
5 OZ
Grocery Food
3.98


Generic Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
8 OZ
Dairy
2.49


Generic Facial Tissues, 3 Ply, Our Softest
75 CT
Household Essentials
0.00


Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Original Flavor, 5 Pack
36 OZ
Grocery Food
4.79


Generic Food You Feel Good About Parmesan Romano Sauce, FAMILY PACK
72 OZ
Grocery Food
2.69


Generic Food You Feel Good About Distilled Water
28 FO
Beverages
0.99


Gummi Peach
LB
Bulk Foods
.58


Saranac Hand-Crafted Soft Drinks, Premium Orange Cream
72 FO
Beverages
5.49


Generic Fancy Shredded Parmesan & Romano Cheese
6 OZ
Dairy
2.49


Popsicle Ice Pops, Slow Melt, Mighty Minis, Assorted, 20 Pack
0 FO
Frozen Foods
3.99


Generic Food You Feel Good About Cheese Whole Milk Ricotta
32 OZ
Dairy
3.99


Generic Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
LB
Bakery
5.88


Generic Food You Feel Good About Steamables Jasmine White Rice
0 OZ
Frozen Foods
.9


Generic Food You Feel Good About Long Grain Brown Rice
0 OZ
Frozen Foods
.9


Chex Mix Snack Mix, Bold Party Blend
9 OZ
Grocery Food
.99


Mayfair Jellies Orange Slices
LB
Bulk Foods
2.0


Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Medley Pouch, Ready, Brown & Wild
8 OZ
Grocery Food
.99


Dried Cherries
LB
Bulk Foods
4.29


Dole 00% Juice, Pineapple Orange Banana
59 FO
Dairy
3.9


Generic Cheese Tortellini Pasta
6 OZ
Frozen Foods
2.99


Fairlife Milk, Ultra-Filtered, Reduced Fat, Chocolate, 2%
52 FO
Dairy
3.99


Generic Tissues, 3-Ply, FAMILY PACK
750 CT
Household Essentials
8.99


Energizer Batteries, Lithium, 2032
4 EA
Household Essentials
5.99


Generic Food You Feel Good About Macaroni & Cheese
0 OZ
Frozen Foods
20.93

SHOPPERS CLUB SAVINGS-3.50
•   SHOPPERS CLUB SAVINGS 4.00
•   TOTAL SAVINGS 4.00
•   BOTTLE DEPOSIT .0
•   TAX 3.98
•   TOTAL 200.84
•   BOTTLE RETURN 0.00
•   COINSTAR 0.00
•   *****457 Credit Card 200.84

[Bracken_Joy]

Beatles- how about you give this one a try? We explained the "why" on the last one quite thoroughly. So how about you have a turn, and we'll give feedback on that? You know, "see one, do one, teach one" as the best way to learn.

What can you eliminate? What can you substitute? You can use this to help you: http://flyer.wegmans.com/Default.aspx

[The beatles]

Beatles- how about you give this one a try? We explained the "why" on the last one quite thoroughly. So how about you have a turn, and we'll give feedback on that? You know, "see one, do one, teach one" as the best way to learn.

What can you eliminate? What can you substitute? You can use this to help you: http://flyer.wegmans.com/Default.aspx

I dont do shopping - ever - so I dont really know whats a good deal and whats not.

But i'll see if my wife is willing to hop on at some point.

[RetiredAt63]

6. I sure hope you aren't spending any money on entertainment. From now on, the library, free parks, free cultural events are your entertainment. Kids are bored you say? Get off your butt, and go play catch or make a snowman with them.

This is actually part of the reason why my wife says  it's hard to keep our grocery budget down.

She doesn't let them sit in front of the TV, they're always out doing things which creates 2 problems.
1) She packs snacks, but they run out and then are hungry.
2) She's gone all day doing activities with them, which gives no time (and energy) for making food.

OK, you are in a suburb.  That implies a yard?  So they play in the back yard.  Most suburban houses have a window to the back yard in the kitchen so whoever is doing kitchen stuff (i.e. meal prep) can keep an eye on the kids.  Nothing new, that is what my Mom did in the 50's.

Right now you are in "eat the freezer down" mode - from the list you posted, there are probably lots of fast prep meals in it.  Rice or potatoes or quinoa cook while she does meat prep, 4 year old sets table, 2 year old does 2 year old things.

Snacks run out? She learns to pack larger snacks.  Or they have good appetites for lunch/dinner.  She doesn't stop someplace and buy them more snacks. She can tell them "No, we will eat something when we get home".  And that something will be nourishing and inexpensive.  Preferably a meal, not a snack.

They take naps?  She does meal prep during their naps.  Or younger naps, older "helps". Or she puts a meal in a crock pot and they they go out for the day, dinner is ready when she gets home.

Is your wife with you on this?  Because those all sound like excuses from her, and you (plural you, "vous" not "tu") will not dig out from under if she doesn't change her ways.  Just like you need to change your ways, but at least you are here reading all this well-meant advice.

I don't think you should sell your expensive toys simply because you would get 5-10% of what you paid.  Personally I would never buy new furniture with little kids (or a puppy/kitten), since it will have heavy use.  My DD thought our living room couch was her indoor trampoline.  But you have it, I hope you like it and bought solid stuff because it will have to last a good long time.  And get the loans paid off ASAP.  And nothing else comes in the house.  Seriously, anything you might want to buy now is really a want not a need.

I just saw you posted a more up-to-date shopping list, I'll let someone else analyze it since I am not familiar with the brands on your lists.  But unit price is immensely useful, which is why stores hate doing it.  Phones have calculators now so no excuses for not calculating unit price.

[scantee]

There is still a TON  from this most recent shopping trip that should be very easy and painless to cut. You spent almost $21 on frozen mac and cheese, the quintessential cheap food. 21 DOLLARS ON FROZEN MAC AND CHEESE. Also, $9 on premade muffins and 9$ on applesauce packets. That is $40, right there, that you can easily cut out and replace with maybe $5 worth of ingredients. With just a little planning, you could get your $200 grocery bill down to $100-120. You are doing great, you should be able to save at least $350 on your monthly grocery bill without feeling too much of a pinch if you just cut out the very expensive packaged food you and your wife are buying.

[Jakejake]

Beatles- how about you give this one a try? We explained the "why" on the last one quite thoroughly. So how about you have a turn, and we'll give feedback on that? You know, "see one, do one, teach one" as the best way to learn.

What can you eliminate? What can you substitute? You can use this to help you: http://flyer.wegmans.com/Default.aspx

I dont do shopping - ever - so I dont really know whats a good deal and whats not.

But i'll see if my wife is willing to hop on at some point.

I love the idea of you and your wife sitting down and critiquing this together. Drag items from the list into 3 categories - keepers, things that should be swapped for cheaper options, and junk you shouldn't buy.

For pricing, a good general rule for me is $1 a pound, except $3 for fancy cheeses and $2/lb for coffee.

But in your area, at Wegmans, maybe go up to $2 for meat and produce, $4 for cheese, $1/lb for starches/grains.  So everything on your list - if it's above those price points, find a cheaper alternative. I think it would also be eye opening to color code it with green as actual basic foods, and red as food where you paid for someone else to prepare it (premade frozen pasta dishes instead of a box of dry pasta, premade cookies, etc).

[LadyMuMu]

I second the suggestion that you and your wife analyze your own second grocery receipt. You may not know what a good price is but you certainly know what is junk food and what isn't. Add up the junk food, add up the non-scratch prepared food, etc. Then we can help you from there. You've gotten a lot of information. Now it's time for you to DO THE WORK of turning your financial life around.

[YoungGranny]

I noticed on your most recent shopping bill that $16.46 was spent on soda alone.... that's over 8% of your grocery bill on 100% empty calories. Coupled with quite a bit of other junk food on that list I think there's still quite a bit of room for improvement.

Instead of buying all the junk food why not try baking cookies, peanut butter bars, no-bake cookies etc at home. It is much cheaper and provides a fun activity for kids to help with. It also makes you healthier since you treat them as treats instead of shopping trip staples. Preparing more food in general will save a bunch of money, learn new skills and becomes second nature eventually. Homemade apple sauce for example is surprisingly easy and tastes oh so much better!

Good luck on your journey!

[Jakejake]

One good reason for you both to do this together is that it takes away her ability to use your food habits as an excuse. "I bought the soda because my husband always drinks it" disappears when you say out loud "let's both drink water instead of soda, it's healthier and I'd rather save the money."

[honeybbq]

Here's some tough love:

You guys eat a TON of non-nutritious food. AKA garbage. You need to stop. It ruins your body and it ruins your finances. And you will teach your children to be OBESE and likely diabetic.

You asked for a 3 month goal.

In the next 3 months, wean yourself from the inside aisles at the grocery store. No more crackers, cookies, ice cream, and SODA. NONE. Chocolate milk is GARBAGE. Stop buying it. Your cart should be 3/4ths full with fruit, veggies, and a little meat and dairy. Only go on the inside aisles to buy beans, canned veggies, and pasta and frozen vegetables.

You need to wean yourself, your wife, and your kids off the sugar roller coaster. Snacks for my daughter include: fruit, cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, cheese sticks. We do have the applesauce pouches for the car. PLAN AHEAD. Bring food and plan accordingly. It's not that hard, kids are ALWAYS hungry. Always bring sensible snacks.

Your new grocery list is below. Almost EVERY ITEM has sugar in it. Where is the salad and greens? Where are the veg? It looks like you bought bananas and peppers and that's it. That's not going to be healthy for anyone.

You will feel so much better and healthier after you cut out the sugar crap you've been eating. And your children will be healthier and behave better.

_____________________________________

Generic Food You Feel Good About Shells, Jumbo
2 OZ
Grocery Food
.99
Is this pasta? If so, ok.

Bananas
LB
Produce
.78
buy more, this wasn't enough

Dannon Danimals Smoothie, Value Pack
37 FO
Dairy
4.79
garbage and sugar mixed together

Generic Wet Sweeper Cloths, Citrus Fresh Scent
24 CT
Household Essentials
6.99
no use vinegar and a washcloth or rag
SHOPPERS CLUB SAVINGS-0.50

Generic Italian Classics Cheese Tortellini
20 OZ
Dairy
6.49
ehhhhhh

Generic Shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese
8 OZ
Dairy
2.49
you should buy big lumps of cheese and shred it yourself


Sprite Soda, Lemon-Lime
0 FO
Beverages
3.49
NO

Generic Large Apple Crumb Pie
43 OZ
Bakery
3.00
NO


REESE'S Shell Topping, Chocolate & Peanut Butter
7 OZ
Frozen Foods
2.49
NO


Generic In-Store Baked Bagels
EA
Bakery
3.56
NO


Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Baked Graham Snacks, Vanilla Cupcake
7 OZ
Grocery Food
.99
NO


Breyers Indulgences Gelato, Raspberry Cheesecake
28 FO
Frozen Foods
4.69
NO


Weg Sandwich Bag Z
00 CT
Household Essentials
2.99
ok

Smuckers Marmalade, Sweet Orange
8 OZ
Grocery Food
2.99
NO


Generic Assorted In Store Baked Muffins, 4 Pack
8 OZ
Bakery
9.00
NO


Coca-Cola Cola
0 FO
Beverages
3.49
NO


Stewart's Fountain Classics Soda, Cream
48 FO
Beverages
3.99
NO


Generic Food You Feel Good About Mixed Peppers, FAMILY PACK
2 LB
Produce
5.49
Buy 2 next time these make great snacks

Jif Peanut Butter, Creamy
40 OZ
Grocery Food
5.99
No, get a low sugar brand

Quaker Popped Rice Crisps, Apple Cinnamon
7 OZ
Grocery Food
2.99
NO


Generic Food You Feel Good About Unsweetened Apple Sauce Pouches, FAMILY PACK
77 OZ
Grocery Food
8.99
ok

Juicy Juice Apple 00% Juice
54 FO
Beverages
2.99
NO


Generic Italian Classics Alfredo Sauce
5 OZ
Grocery Food
3.98
NO


Generic Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
8 OZ
Dairy
2.49
again, get your own cheese and shred

Generic Facial Tissues, 3 Ply, Our Softest
75 CT
Household Essentials
0.00
ok

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Original Flavor, 5 Pack
36 OZ
Grocery Food
4.79
NO


Generic Food You Feel Good About Parmesan Romano Sauce, FAMILY PACK
72 OZ
Grocery Food
2.69
NO


Generic Food You Feel Good About Distilled Water
28 FO
Beverages
0.99
NO


Gummi Peach
LB
Bulk Foods
.58
NO


Saranac Hand-Crafted Soft Drinks, Premium Orange Cream
72 FO
Beverages
5.49
NO


Generic Fancy Shredded Parmesan & Romano Cheese
6 OZ
Dairy
2.49
same comment

Popsicle Ice Pops, Slow Melt, Mighty Minis, Assorted, 20 Pack
0 FO
Frozen Foods
3.99
NO


Generic Food You Feel Good About Cheese Whole Milk Ricotta
32 OZ
Dairy
3.99
good

Generic Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
LB
Bakery
5.88
NO


Generic Food You Feel Good About Steamables Jasmine White Rice
0 OZ
Frozen Foods
.9
NO buy rice in bulk and make it yourself


Generic Food You Feel Good About Long Grain Brown Rice
0 OZ
Frozen Foods
.9
NO buy rice in bulk and make it yourself

Chex Mix Snack Mix, Bold Party Blend
9 OZ
Grocery Food
.99
NO


Mayfair Jellies Orange Slices
LB
Bulk Foods
2.0
NO


Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Medley Pouch, Ready, Brown & Wild
8 OZ
Grocery Food
.99
NO buy rice in bulk and make it yourself

Dried Cherries
LB
Bulk Foods
4.29
This is too expensive and luxurious for your budget. Try raisins if you need something sweet

Dole 00% Juice, Pineapple Orange Banana
59 FO
Dairy
3.9
NO

Generic Cheese Tortellini Pasta
6 OZ
Frozen Foods
2.99
ehhhh

Fairlife Milk, Ultra-Filtered, Reduced Fat, Chocolate, 2%
52 FO
Dairy
3.99
NO

Generic Tissues, 3-Ply, FAMILY PACK
750 CT
Household Essentials
8.99


Energizer Batteries, Lithium, 2032
4 EA
Household Essentials
5.99


Generic Food You Feel Good About Macaroni & Cheese
0 OZ
Frozen Foods
20.93
GOOD GRIEF NO

[LadyStache in Baja]

We racked it back up because we bought a new house.

No, not really.  You racked it up because you had to have everything in that house shiny and new and perfect, and so you bought moldings and new sofas when you could have made done with some paint and craigslist for furniture.

Beatles, here's some perspective for you.  The only debt we have is a 30k mortgage (0% interest loan from grandma which we are paying back monthly).  Even still, we don't own a couch because we don't have the money!  Or we do have the money, but we are choosing to spend that money on our investments, not our current comfort. 

I'm posting a picture of our "family room".  It's in quotes, because we (a family of SIX) don't even have a living room.  We have a kitchen and a bedroom.  In our kitchen is a hard-bench picnic table.  It serves as our table and also as our "couch" in the evenings when we watch tv. 

If you look carefully up on the shelf to the left is our TV, the SMALLEST (and cheapest) one they had at the store.  We use it with a chromecast ($30 bucks) to watch Netflix ($10/month).  We have no other cable other than that. 

We sit on our picnic table bench, lean back against the wall, and put our feet up on the bench.  What luxury!  But hey, learning to be a frugal god feels better than drowning in debt.  Learning to MAKE DO feels good, like the way you feel after a hard workout.

And, when our butts get tired from being on the hard bench at night, then guess what, that means it's time to stop watching TV (waste of time anyway) and GO TO BED, not look into buying a couch.

[notactiveanymore]

RED= things you're drinking. you spent $33.12 on drinks on this trip. Your kids probably need some milk, MAYBE a second drink for them. you and your wife need to drink water. you do not have any money.

PURPLE = desserts. you spent $32.04 on desserts on this trip. I would cut this down almost entirely. Maybe if you must you could just get popsicles every once in awhile.

GREEN = this is a convenience item that you need to cut down. tortellini in the fridge section is crazy expensive, do spaghetti instead. don't use cleaning wipes, use generic cleaning spray and rags or cheap paper towels. Buy a bag of rice for $2 and it will last you weeks.

Listen, the tough talk here is that your wife's job is being a stay at home mom and homemaker. If she wants to keep that job, she needs to stop spending 25% of the takehome income on muffins and juice. It's a hard hard job, but it's a vital job in your family and she can turn things around so fast by taking on this job with passion. You probably need to help more with that. When you're not at work, you should be able to do about half of the work on food/child-rearing. Let her go to the store without the kids on Saturday morning while you spend some good dad time with them. Help out by prepping your lunches on Sunday evening for the work week. Do the dishes after dinner, help with cooking, or keep the kiddos entertained while she is cooking. Find crockpot recipes to try out so that she doesn't have to focus a ton on prep time. Let go of your soda addiction.

When we were paying off debt, we limited ourselves to $340/month for groceries and cleaning and paper products for two adults. It was super hard the first 3-4 months. On the last shopping trip of the month, we had to keep a running total to make sure we didn't go over and sometimes we had to put things back and cut out meat from one of the meals. Now, even though we're debt free, we still only spend $340 and it's easy to stay in budget. Over the last year we've been able to focus on making our meals far more healthy while staying in that budget. Now, we're experts on when things on sale and we should stock up and we're really good at planning for in-season vegetables. Step one is setting a limit that you won't let yourselves move.

Generic Food You Feel Good About Shells, Jumbo 2 OZ
.99

Bananas LB
.78

Dannon Danimals Smoothie, Value Pack 37 FO
4.79

Generic Wet Sweeper Cloths, Citrus Fresh Scent 24 CT
6.99 SAVINGS-0.50

Generic Italian Classics Cheese Tortellini 20 OZ
6.49

Generic Shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese 8 OZ
2.49

Sprite Soda, Lemon-Lime
3.49

Generic Large Apple Crumb Pie 43 OZ
3.00

REESE'S Shell Topping, Chocolate & Peanut Butter 7 OZ
2.49

Generic In-Store Baked Bagels EA
3.56

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Baked Graham Snacks, Vanilla Cupcake 7 OZ
.99

Breyers Indulgences Gelato, Raspberry Cheesecake 28 FO
4.69

Weg Sandwich Bag Z 00 CT
2.99

Smuckers Marmalade, Sweet Orange 8 OZ
2.99

Generic Assorted In Store Baked Muffins, 4 Pack 8 OZ
9.00

Coca-Cola Cola
3.49

Stewart's Fountain Classics Soda, Cream 48 FO
3.99

Generic Food You Feel Good About Mixed Peppers, FAMILY PACK 2 LB
5.49

Jif Peanut Butter, Creamy 40 OZ
5.99

Quaker Popped Rice Crisps, Apple Cinnamon 7 OZ
2.99

Generic Food You Feel Good About Unsweetened Apple Sauce Pouches, FAMILY PACK 77 OZ
8.99

Juicy Juice Apple 00% Juice 54 FO
2.99

Generic Italian Classics Alfredo Sauce 5 OZ
3.98

Generic Shredded Colby Jack Cheese 8 OZ
2.49

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, Original Flavor, 5 Pack 36 OZ
4.79

Generic Food You Feel Good About Parmesan Romano Sauce, FAMILY PACK 72 OZ
2.69

Generic Food You Feel Good About Distilled Water 28 FO
0.99

Gummi Peach LB
.58

Saranac Hand-Crafted Soft Drinks, Premium Orange Cream 72 FO
5.49

Generic Fancy Shredded Parmesan & Romano Cheese 6 OZ
2.49

Popsicle Ice Pops, Slow Melt, Mighty Minis, Assorted, 20 Pack
3.99

Generic Food You Feel Good About Cheese Whole Milk Ricotta 32 OZ
3.99

Generic Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies LB
5.88

Generic Food You Feel Good About Steamables Jasmine White Rice 0 OZ
.9

Generic Food You Feel Good About Long Grain Brown Rice 0 OZ
.9

Chex Mix Snack Mix, Bold Party Blend 9 OZ
.99

Mayfair Jellies Orange Slices LB
2.0

Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Medley Pouch, Ready, Brown & Wild 8 OZ
.99

Dried Cherries LB
4.29

Dole 00% Juice, Pineapple Orange Banana 59 FO
3.9

Generic Cheese Tortellini Pasta 6 OZ
2.99

Fairlife Milk, Ultra-Filtered, Reduced Fat, Chocolate, 2% 52 FO
3.99

Generic Tissues, 3-Ply, FAMILY PACK 750 CT
8.99

Energizer Batteries, Lithium, 2032 4 EA
5.99

Generic Food You Feel Good About Macaroni & Cheese 0 OZ
20.93

SHOPPERS CLUB SAVINGS-3.50
•   SHOPPERS CLUB SAVINGS 4.00
•   TOTAL SAVINGS 4.00
•   BOTTLE DEPOSIT .0
•   TAX 3.98
•   TOTAL 200.84
•   BOTTLE RETURN 0.00
•   COINSTAR 0.00
•   *****457 Credit Card 200.84

[Pizzabrewer]

Cheese tortellini.  Look at this page and you'll see you bought the most expensive ($5.19 per lb) tortellini in the store.  Scroll down and there's many other cheaper options in the same store:

https://www.wegmans.com/search.html?searchKey=tortellini

A quick google showed ALDI (when it's available) has the same size package for $1.99 instead of the $6.49 you paid.

Just one example.

Where's the boneless/skinless chicken breast at $2/lb?  Eggs at $0.99/dozen (the cheapest protein there is)?  Fresh broccoli, onions, potatoes, oranges, apples, tomatoes, lettuce, in other words, real food?  Everything on your list is processed. 

We JUST bought this at TOPS (I'm sure you know that supermmrket chain):

4+ lbs of boneless/skinless chicken breasts for 10 bucks.  That'll make 8-10 huge portions.  And it couldn't be easier to cook. 

[pbkmaine]

Snacks:

1st key is reusable containers. One of my friends has a Rubbermaid container for each of her grandkids, the kind with individual compartments. Into the compartments go pieces of cheese, grapes, baby carrots, celery.

Ideas:

1) bulk purchased plain yogurt (advanced - make your own) in reusable small containers with a bit of jam on top or a spoonful of frozen berries on the bottom.
2) huge block of cheese bought on sale, cut into bite-sized pieces
3) hummus in reusable small containers, either purchased in a big tub or made at home from dried chickpeas. Carrots or generic pretzel sticks as a dipper
4) big tub of raisins portioned into individual servings
5) bags of apples and oranges
6) peanut butter sandwiches

[Cowardly Toaster]

When going without new cars and fancy clothes and crown molding, I like to remind myself that while we can see our neighbor's fancy cars, we can't see their bank statements.

Profound Mustachian wisdom right there. I'm stealing that.

[wenchsenior]

This grocery receipt absolutely blows my mind with how unbelievably unhealthy it is. Is this typical?

Forget expense, OP. You are killing yourselves with this so-called 'food'.

Seriously.

[notactiveanymore]

Posting again to add a game plan for getting better with food spending:

1. Take an inventory of your pantry and freezer. Like seriously, write it down divided by category.
2. Meal plan. Plan out all lunches and dinners and what you'll need for snacks even.
3. Make a list based on that meal plan after you look at your inventory and see what you already have. Set it up based on your progress through the store. Do not deviate from the list unless a product is unavailable or you remember a true need.
4. Shop based on price per ounce. It takes two minutes to shred cheese, so it's usually cheaper and always fresher to buy blocks of cheese instead of pre-shredded.
5. For the next four weeks, don't focus on a number, but radically attempt to spend as little as possible on food. That amount can be your new monthly budget for food.

[LadyStache in Baja]

Listen, the tough talk here is that your wife's job is being a stay at home mom and homemaker. If she wants to keep that job, she needs to stop spending 25% of the takehome income on muffins and juice. It's a hard hard job, but it's a vital job in your family and she can turn things around so fast by taking on this job with passion. You probably need to help more with that. When you're not at work, you should be able to do about half of the work on food/child-rearing. Let her go to the store without the kids on Saturday morning while you spend some good dad time with them. Help out by prepping your lunches on Sunday evening for the work week. Do the dishes after dinner, help with cooking, or keep the kiddos entertained while she is cooking. Find crockpot recipes to try out so that she doesn't have to focus a ton on prep time. Let go of your soda addiction.

Agreed.  Also, you mentioned she's very busy being out and about doing activities with kids.  She should stop that now because it's interfering with her job of being a HOMEMAKER.

Read Janet Lansbury http://www.janetlansbury.com/ for great info on why kids don't need activities, and it can in fact be detrimental to their attention-span and ability to entertain themselves, especially since you have a little little one.

They have their whole life to be out and about.  Let them enjoy this time of being little, playing in their own home.

[pbkmaine]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/hummus-for-real-recipe.html

You can use peanut butter instead of tahini.