In search of efficiencies
My best friend once said that she felt financially secure if she had $20 in her pocket to spend every day, in any way she liked. I feel financially secure when I can throw whatever I like into my grocery cart and not even think about price.
Because The Project is such a big lift, the Husband and I started looking for efficiencies wherever possible. Weekly cleaning services? Gone. Travel? Strictly for seeing extended family or visiting potential colleges for Daughter #1. Our hobbies (guitar for him, sewing for me, destination half marathons for both of us)? Deeply curtailed.
Inevitably, we turned our attention to the groceries budget. After housing, food is the largest line item we have. I think this is probably true for most families, but we have a few factors that make feeding ourselves especially costly.
We are the family you are hesitant to have over for dinner, because you might accidentally poison one or more of us. For starters, I have celiac disease, which means that our home is largely gluten-free. It also means that my favorite sandwich bread is $13 a loaf at Whole Foods. If that wasn’t trouble enough, Daughter #1 is allergic to fish. Like, you-can’t-even-cook-fish-with-her-in-the-room allergic. (The protein in fish aerates when cooked; the last time we tried cooking fish at home she needed an Epi-pen.) BOTH daughters are allergic to peanuts and some tree nuts, and the Husband is allergic to shrimp and lobster (but not crab). We read a lot of labels in this house.
On the flip side, we tend not to eat out a ton. However, we have a couple of traditions in this household that are fairly sacred. For the past decade, the Husband and I have had a standing breakfast date at Stacks every Friday morning. It’s a great way for us to spend some dedicated time together and to connect on any household agenda items. He’s also fairly devoted to weekend tacos at La Corneta. On Saturday nights, we order pizza for the three gluten-eaters to enjoy. And adult birthdays and special occasions always mean sushi (just the two of us, obviously; see above).
Our average monthly spending on groceries in 2022 was $3,884. We spent an additional $979 per month on dining out. That is - by any measure - a freak ton of spending on food for two adults and two teenagers, even in the Bay Area. It also feels…kinda gross? I realize we’re breathing rarified air around these parts, but I’d like to look at my food spending and not feel embarrassment.
Last month, I set out to spend no more than $3,400 on both groceries and dining out. I missed the mark by $258. For September, I’m setting the goal at $3,300, and I’m keeping track of every single item in each purchase. If you - like me - are a fan of personal finance voyeurism, feel free to follow along.
