Yahoo Finance The six budgeting ‘crimes’ in this photo
Have you ever shopped while hungry and walked out with a bag of chips, three bananas and a turkey - when you don’t even eat turkey?
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This didn’t exactly happen to Mums Who Budget & Save member and admin, Rachael Hallett, but the pro-shopper did share her latest shopping mistakes on the popular Facebook group, describing them as “crimes”.
Shopping while hungry is one of the six grocery shopping “crimes” you could commit when you’re trying to stick to a budget, along with shopping with children, shopping with a partner and shopping without a list, Hallett joked.
The mum shared photos of her mega-haul, explaining that she ended up “blowing $220.”
“I committed some crimes today/this week,” Hallett said.
“1: I couldn’t be stuffed shopping yesterday, so I didn’t (this puts me off for the whole week)
2: I didn’t meal plan
3: I didn’t write a list
4: I shopped with my husband
5: I shopped with my child
6: I shopped hungry.”
The mum said this was just about every single “mistake” she could have made, but added that her family will enjoy the splurge.
“We won’t starve at least.”
Speaking to Yahoo Finance, she said she doesn’t actually consider them “real crimes”, but added that in the online budgeting world these are the “top six suggestions for sticking to your budget”.
“I’m not overly strict but to reach our financial goals we need to have a plan. The grocery budget is one of the easiest ways to lower household spending and you often don’t have to let if affect your nutrition or lifestyle,” Hallett said.
If she didn’t have the plans and rules, Hallett believes she would spend $220 every weeks on the grocery shop, as the plans simply limit unnecessary spending.
While she doesn’t have exact figures, Hallett said that if her rules generally saved her $70 a week, that’s a massive saving of $3,640 a year.
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“I think setting a realistic budget is really important. If you want chocolate and chips a couple of times a week then buy them with your weekly shop,” she said, explaining that this way you won’t be buying them from an expensive service station.
“I could probably cut $10-$20 a week from my budget without treats, but I know I’ll want them later anyway! So by setting my budget realistically I have limited my Wednesday craving spends.
“Tracking spending is tedious and generally unnecessary. Instead I have a separate groceries bank account. I spend from that account for all grocers, I always remain on track and don’t have to put much effort in.”
Shoppers sympathise: ‘I make the weirdest choices when shopping while hangry’
But other mums sympathised, sharing their shopping “crimes”.
“This was me this week! Aaaand last week! Shoot me now! Things are finally starting to get low and here I am with stuff I didn’t really need,” one mum said.
“I make the weirdest choices when shopping while hangry,” added another.
“I usually come home when I’ve done this and declare at the top of my lungs ‘TONIGHT WE EAT LIKE KIIIIIINGS’,” another joked.
But most sympathised with Hallett, suggesting she cut herself some slack.
“It's good for us mere mortals to know that even the heroes of budgeting are human!” said one.
“Sometimes you have to get it out of your system,” quipped another.
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