During June, I am trying the "cash-only" budget for grocery/household/health & beauty items (these are all one budget category in our house). I've been resisting cash-only for awhile, but after overspending in May, I decided I need to at least try cash-only.
Shopping on Tuesday was my first experience with only cash! Here's what I got:
Walgreens
Ball Park beef franks, $2.99
Spent $2.99.
Festival
Flavorite shredded cheese (8 oz.), $2
Crystal Farms block cheese (8 oz.), $2
Minute Maid lemonade concentrate, $1.33
Flavorite frozen corn, $1.50
2 Philadelphia cream cheese, $0.99
Applesauce cup, $0.25 (markdown bin)
Flavorite unsalted butter, $2.26
Spent $12.21.
And last Friday, we snagged a few items at Target:
Hot dog buns, $1.99
Coppertone Waterbabies sunscreen (travel size), FREE (used $1 off printable)
Up & Up ibuprofen (24 ct.), FREE (used $1 off printable, no longer available)
Up & Up diphenhydramine (100 ct.), $4.04
Up & Up toilet paper, $6.29
Up & Up bismuth liquid, $2.94
Spent $15.18.
I also picked up milk and eggs at Kwik Trip = $2.48.
How do you feel the cash system is going? Do you feel like it makes you put stuff back or do you think that is hard keeping track of all the change? My sister in law was going to do it but I thought it would be more difficult. Good luck and I hope that it helps you stay under budget!!
ReplyDeleteAlison - It's only been a week so it's probably a little early. However, I did some more shopping today, cash-only of course. I DO think that it makes me think twice about what I am purchasing.
DeleteRegarding the change...I use one of the little bags that the Tampax Radiant samples came in (like this: http://ourfrugalhappylife.blogspot.com/2012/06/have-you-received-your-tampax-radiant.html). I keep the cash in there and add the change. After I check out, I've been putting the receipt there til I get home. The thing I like about this method too is that the little bag doesn't look like it holds money, so it's less obvious to people.
Hope that helps! Those are my initial thoughts. I'll be sure to post my final thoughts at the end of June. :)