5 Costly Couples Grocery Shopping Mistakes To Avoid

WINE AND DIME YOUR WAY THROUGH THE GROCERY STORE TOGETHER

Couples’ grocery shopping can boost romance but also lead to overspending. Find out how to balance your budget effectively.

Today, more than ever, we are seeing more and more couples heading to the grocery store because shoppers are taking an interest in what they are putting on their plate and how much it is costing them.

Food purchased from stores	5,564	5,718	5,880	6,126	6,176

The above Stats Canada food purchased from stores numbers are per year, per household, from 2012 to 2016, where $514 a month is the average in 2016 and likely even more in 2018, given increases in food prices across the board in Canada.

Take the number and divide it by the number of people in your household, and that’s how much is spent per person, per year.

Let’s do the math…

(2016) 6176/number of people in the household (say 2) = $3088 per person, per year, or $257 per month per person.

This will vary based on your family size, but this is the rundown on average grocery prices in Canada.

Food fuels our soul for our family, and it is a vacation away from life, even for an hour or two, once a week.

Date Night At The Grocery Store

Grocery shopping as a couple is one of the chores Mrs. CBB and I love to do because it is a time to bond and talk about food we are both passionate about.

For some couples, it’s essential to grocery shop together. It’s the only option for others, especially if the driver is not a passionate grocery shopper or has other health-related reasons.

This is us, and since what we can do together is limited these days, grocery shopping is something that we feel has strengthened our marriage and our budget.

Party In The Kitchen

However, spending time in the kitchen when you are a couple can be inspiring and bring on a bond like no other.

We’ve had our fair share of flour fights and laughs and the odd cuts and bruises, but cooking is a passion we share from start to finish, which includes keeping our meals budget-friendly.

Not all couples are foodies, but cooking and eating together is very important for those who participate in the pw.

In some ways, we find grocery shopping relaxing, depending on our son’s mood, the atmosphere, the time of day, and, of course, how we are feeling, but generally it’s an adventure.

Changes Happen To Your Budget

Our grocery budget before our son was born was pretty low, around the $250 a month mark.

The food budget increased this year to $300 only because we have a Costco membership and our little guy eats here and there.

He is not a big eater, so his impact on our grocery budget has been relatively small.

Now that he is starting school, we may see another increase in 2019, but the increase may also be because we are shopping and eating differently.

Staying Under Budget Is Not Easy

Sticking to the grocery list is one of the most complex parts of couples’ grocery shopping.

We are hands down in the naughty corner for this one because of deals and only deals.

If you go to a grocery store without a list, you’re doomed when you set foot inside.

Thankfully, we do bring a grocery list.

The only time I’ve ever walked out of the grocery store without a list and with the items I needed was when I was in a rush because I was late for some event, meeting, or work.

Any other time, I walk in with no list, I walk out with the grocery store and a massive grocery bill.

Sadly, the same thing happens with couples who shop the same way, and we’ve been experiencing grocery budget ups and downs since the beginning of this blog in 2012.

Although we’ve managed to keep a tight budget, it has been tough to stick to our plan, and we have learned costly lessons along the way.

The name of the grocery game is not to battle your budget but to take control of it because you can’t make excuses.

You either have the money or you don’t, but you can’t expect every shop to be perfect.

Even if you have the money, it’s easy to blow through your savings if you’re not careful.

Help Get My Spouse On Board With Groceries

Dear Mr.CBB,

I’ve been reading your Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide this past month because I’m working on lowering our grocery budget.

The money we put into our monthly savings should be around $1500, but after grocery shopping, that number dwindles based on how much we spend.

I don’t see any articles that pertain to grocery shopping with a spouse who wants nothing to do with grocery budgets, lists, or meal planning.

We have no kids, and it seems that every time we grocery shop, we end up with more than we bargained for.

I also think that we prepare too extravagant meals for the income we net each month.

The main issue I’m running into is that my husband loves to eat and eat good food, which can get costly, especially since he loves his meat and fish dishes.

We don’t go out to eat often, so that helps keep that part of our budget in check, but there must be something we do wrong when grocery shopping.

Chaos In Aisle One

By the way, we always go grocery shopping together, which often becomes a food fiasco for us because the meals are based on what we find at the grocery store.

Sometimes we give in when the other wants something based on our mood that day or how busy we are.

We create a we’re out of ” list, but it’s vague only because we never know what we will find until we get there, and my husband is not a list guy.

I don’t think telling him to stay home will solve the problem, as we both love grocery shopping and are passionate about food and hosting our friends.

We want to keep our grocery budget at around $500 monthly, but we currently average $1000.

Thanks,

Carol

Grocery Shopping And Your Spouse

Hi Carol,

All I can do is offer advice about grocery shopping mistakes that Mrs. CBB and I have been working on over the years, because this is how we learn, from our mistakes.

I often say that I don’t give advice, especially about money, but it is what it is when it comes to grocery shopping.

There’s no right or wrong way to grocery shop; however, if money is a concern, there are plenty of ways to make changes to help monitor and balance what you must spend each month.

As I mentioned, we struggle with grocery shopping, not so much with the amount we have budgeted, but with how we shop, especially as a couple.

Since having our son, we don’t often get many opportunities to do family things with work, so grocery shopping has always been that fun hour or two out of the house, even for our little guy.

I find the winter to be the worst time of year for grocery shopping as a couple because it’s cold outside, and lots of people make their way to the grocery store to get out of the house.

Seasons change, and so does the way we grocery shop, which means you may spend more in the winter than in the summer based on price increases and drops.

I’m not one to push anything specific with grocery shopping, as it’s an area we need to improve, but I can tell you that a grocery list and meal plan help.

Importance Of A Grocery List

Now, saying that our main struggle is not sticking to that meal plan/grocery list, most certainly has to be finding the deals we weren’t expecting.

You mention that your husband doesn’t like lists or meal planning, so perhaps you could educate him on the benefits and see if he will try it out for a month to see how it goes.

I know many people who buy too much and throw it away because they can’t eat it before it expires or becomes freezer-burnt.

My in-laws were the worst for that, and it ended up being hundreds of dollars of food that went into the garbage after my father-in-law passed away.

They NEVER used a grocery list and just shopped once a week, buying whatever they wanted or needed based on memory.

This is the worst kind of grocery shopping couples can do.

Set Time Aside For A Grocery Budget Heart to Heart Talk

So, talk to your husband and perhaps explain how much grocery shopping is eating into your savings and how you’d like to see both of you stay within a budgeted amount.

Explain to him the meal planning process for two and preparing a grocery list. Perhaps after a month, he might enjoy keeping that extra money for other financial needs.

Let us know how it goes or if it goes at all.

Mr.CBB

5 Costly Couples Grocery Shopping Mistakes To Avoid

There are no rules for grocery shopping; you only have the rules you set for yourself.

You either want to budget or you don’t, and if the plan is to save money and you want to do it together, couples’ grocery shopping must be on the same page.

Couples’ grocery shopping can either increase or improve your food costs, provided you’re not making these common grocery shopping mistakes.

You Don’t Talk About Your Grocery Budget

This is vital, especially if a grocery budget is essential to you, or you’re spending far too much. Most often, couples who don’t budget have no idea how much they are spending, paying they do track their receipts, they are in shock at the monthly tally.

It can add up quickly, so take some time once a month to discuss your grocery budget and spending habits and set some goals. Perhaps that money you are spending can go towards something else.

You Don’t Plan Meals As A Couple

Even if you don’t care about meal planning together, it’s nice to talk about the meals you love to eat and perhaps plan even one special meal each week.

Take that special meal and turn it into a romantic date at home, where you both cook together and appreciate the time you get because many couples don’t often spend enough time with each other.

You Don’t Shop Together In The Grocery Store

Couples’ grocery shopping should be fun together, so having some laughs should not be out of the question.

One problem we noticed when we do our couples’ grocery shopping trips is that we would go in different directions.

One of us would take the shopping cart with our son, and the other would walk off to grab other products.

I can’t count how many times Mrs. CBB or I would walk back to the cart with handfuls of “look what I found,” we both justify why we need it because neither of us wants to put it back—lazy shopping at its finest, but costly at the same time.

We aren’t perfect and still venture off at times, depending on the situation, and it’s a battle we will continue to take control over.

Initially, we thought it would save us time, but it took away from the experience we were passionate about, and our son loves grocery shopping too.

We love to teach him about products and play games with him. Going our separate ways put a dent in this fun.

Even if you don’t have a child, sticking together and reviewing the list is key to keeping your budget aligned with your goals.

You Both Get Distracted Easily

Grocery shopping can be the pits when one spouse loves to chat and the other has to wait around or takes off doing their own thing.

This can take away from the couple’s grocery shopping experience and add extra time to their grocery shopping.

Stop wasting time looking for things you don’t need, and avoid sample booths if you aren’t into buying what they are selling.

Most likely, the product isn’t on your list anyway.

You Don’t Set Time Aside To Grocery Shop

If you make grocery shopping one of those rush jobs, you’ll never enjoy creating a meal from start to finish.

You have to enjoy what you eat and not just eat crappy food because it’s there.

Make food that appeals to you and is healthy to your degree, and savour the experience.

If it all sounds too much to you, you probably don’t like cooking, couldn’t care less about food, or your spouse is not interested in grocery shopping.

If that’s the name of your shopping game, then you have a bit more work cut out for you, but it’s not impossible to still tend to your grocery budget with importance.

Don’t Be Afraid To Treat Yourself

Lastly, we like to choose something we want to eat even if the other doesn’t.

Treating yourself when you are married is essential because being a couple is important, but not forgetting to be yourself and love yourself is also vital.

Do what makes you happy within reason, even if it means buying that Snickers bar when she loves Kit Kat.

Mr.CBB

Discussion: What other couples’ grocery shopping tips can we add to this post? Share your experiences, good and bad, below in the comment section.

August 2018 Grocery Game Challenge

Join the 2018 Grocery Game Challenge (GG, C,) but before you d,o you must read The Grocery Game Challenge Rulesand printt the 2018Scheduleu, which includes new prizes!

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2018 Grocery Shop Results

Yearly grocery budget for two + 1 Toddler 2018: $3600 or $300/month (The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $300/year or $25/month.

Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings or that you would like to track on your own)

• Total Grocery Budget for this Month: $300
• Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $300-$13.63=$286.37
• Total Gift Cards used to date: $0
• Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
• Total Rewards Points used to date: $0
• PC Optimum Points to Spend: 3400,000
• Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $0

Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)

• Zweet -$0
• Checkout51- $1.50

Our Grocery Shop This Week

Zehrs

• Romaine Lettuce $1.99
• Eggs $2.47
• 3 x seedless cucumbers $2.99
• Bananas $1.55
• Pillers Salami $5.99
• Cheddar Cheese $5.99
• Mozzarella $5.99

Total Out-of-Pocket $26.97- $25 GC $1.97

Shoppers Drug Mart

• 4 x 4L Sealtest Milk $4.27 each

Total Out-of-Pocket $17.08

Note: All totals below have already been tax factored into them.

• Total to spend this month: $300.00
• Stockpile budget 2018: $25.00/month
• Stockpile budget used this month: $25.00
• Christmas Reserve Fund: $35/month $245 Saved
• Total coupons used this week: $0
• Total coupons used to date: $1
• Total in-store discounts this week: $59.75
• Total in-store discounts to date: $174.94
• Total spent this week: $19.05
• Total spent so far this month: $342.74
• Total over/Under spend this shop: -$42.74
• Total left to spend for the month: -$42.74
• Total Spent To Date 2018: (does not include stockpile budget) Jan $323.04+Feb $169.42+March $228.70 + April $337.84+ May $275.79 + June $271.88 +July $257.76 +August $342.74 + September $+ October $+ November $ + December $

Weekly Overview

With 5 weeks of grocery shopping this month, we went a bit over, which was expected, even though we technically budget for the extra weeks throughout the year.

We used our Loblaws Gift Card for $25 last week to help with this, but we will certainly have to look at our numbers for 2019 or scale back on what we buy.

Again, we struggle with those extra deals we find because we know they are amazing and will help us save in the long run, even though we don’t see immediate savings.

The other thing to consider is that even though we may be saving in the long run, we aren’t keeping the overage in the long run if we spend it, so we always have to cut back, which can be tough.

Like always, we do our best to be mindful of our purchases.

MR.CBB