This morning as I was driving to the grocery store with both kids I started to think about our finances. They are all kinds of out of whack right now. With us traveling to Texas for 2.5 weeks and now Brandon going on his 2nd business trip in a month we have had no consistency with our bank account. Its hard to really determine what is coming in and going out and why.
So instead of feeling overwhelmed about it, I decided to just pull out cash to pay for groceries this morning. I pulled out $100 for the week, hoping that it will last until next Sunday.
Of course when I made this decision the first ATM I went to was out of order. Then while driving to the second ATM I encountered 2 accidents in less than 5 miles. It was like the financial gods were saying "NO. YOU CANNOT TRY TO BECOME FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE". I didn't listen. I just drove until I found an ATM (of course an ATM from our bank so I wouldn't have to pay a fee).
Some people probably do not understand the concept of paying with cash. Others are probably very familiar with it. I look at it as being able to SEE where my money is going. When I just use the debit card I'm not visually getting an idea of how much money I'm spending. So buying that pack of ho-ho's is not that important anymore when I can see where the money is going (I don't buy ho-ho's but you get the drift). And then I can SEE how much I have left. If I just swipe a card, in my mind I know how much I have left, but I can't SEE it so I end up overspending for the week.
My leftover money after shopping will need to be saved for any other subsequent grocery store trips. Also, any eating out that we end up doing will also come out of this. And if you eat out you know that $100 wouldn't go a long way with 2 adults and 2 kids.
I went to Kroger and purchased my groceries for the menu I posted yesterday along with lunch items and some fruits and vegetables. Total bill: $58.51. So for the rest of the week if I need anything I have $41.49 left. Let the games begin.
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