I spent $650 on food this week!

justforfun87

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 5:07 pm

amother Alyssum wrote:

Walmart+ instead of target..much cheaper.

Also some credit cards give free instacart. You can get Aldi delivered.

So I looked into Instacart but do you find adding tip and the items being more expensive ends up saving money?

amother

Begonia

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 5:12 pm

justforfun87 wrote:

So I looked into Instacart but do you find adding tip and the items being more expensive ends up saving money?

No. I had it free with my card and it still added at least 30% to the bill.

amother

Raspberry

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 5:38 pm

I mean... I spent $1,300 today for 2 VIP cincert tickets for my husband and I. Spending and budgets are relative. Or that woman who spent 1k on tights. Everyone spends differently. I'm not looking for anyone's approval or opinion on what I spent because it isn't anyone's business. Depending on your income, budget, total expenses, etc. 650 at Costco is pretty subjective. To me, it's reasonable.

amother

Begonia

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 5:43 pm

Yup, and I tried to spend $65 on food today at Walmart (first grocery shopping of the week) and didn't have money for it.

There were times when I'd spend $800 in one shot to stock up on meat and fish.

Spending is relative, and depends very heavily on your abilities, lifestyle, and priorities.

amother

Vermilion

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 5:52 pm

Oh gosh… there were times in my life when I pulled up to the grocery store with negative $20 in my account and maxed out credit cards. We needed food anyway. I would sit in my car trying to figure out what to do. Usually I would write a post dated check or find a credit card that still had a small amount of credit I could use. I would sit there calling the credit card phone numbers to hear if I had any available balance. Then go into the store and look for sales. Hard times… bad memories.
Things have changed now bh. I just keep swiping my card without much thought. I know it’s adding up. I know everything is more expensive than ever. But that’s life. We spend when we have and we even spend when we don’t.
Op, having guests definitely adds a significant amount to your weekly budget. Also stocking up at Costco does but hopefully in a long run it saves you too.

amother

Alyssum

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 6:09 pm

justforfun87 wrote:

So I looked into Instacart but do you find adding tip and the items being more expensive ends up saving money?

For me, online grocery shopping tends to save me lots of money because I always buy more than I came in for originally. Some of the prices are same as in store and some are slightly but the prices are still better than other stores for what I buy. I compare the prices to the local kosher store and to walmart if possible, at least the first time In order something. I've been watching my grocery expenses drop a lot by shopping this way.

Also, I tend to buy from aldi only once in a while to stock up on stuff.

amother

Alyssum

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 6:10 pm

amother Foxglove wrote:

Which credit card gives free instacart?

Chase cards give free.. lower tier cards give for a few months. Higher tier cards give free for longer.

amother

Begonia

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 6:18 pm

amother Alyssum wrote:

I make orders online all the time. Walmart+ and Target pickup and choosing kosher stores that allow online orders. That definitely helps.

But Instacart is to save time, not money IMHO.

justforfun87

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 6:33 pm

[quote="amother Raspberry"]I mean... I spent $1,300 today for 2 VIP cincert tickets for my husband and I. Spending and budgets are relative. Or that woman who spent 1k on tights. Everyone spends differently. I'm not looking for anyone's approval or opinion on what I spent because it isn't anyone's business. Depending on your income, budget, total expenses, etc. 650 at Costco is pretty subjective. To me, it's reasonable.[/quote
That sounds fun!! To see who??

amother

Raspberry

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 6:38 pm

[quote="justforfun87"]

amother Raspberry wrote:

It's a Korean band. I'm into Kdramas so seeing and meeting a kpop band is my idea of an awesome night. My poor husband is just there to enjoy watching me have fun 🤣

justforfun87

Thu, Oct 19 2023, 6:39 pm

amother Raspberry wrote:

It's a Korean band. I'm into Kdramas so seeing and meeting a kpop band is my idea of an awesome night. My poor husband is just there to enjoy watching me have fun 🤣

Lol, Kpop is awesome! Enjoy!

justforfun87

Mon, Oct 23 2023, 8:29 am

mizle10 wrote:

Also makes a difference what you bought in costco. Fruits and veggies that will be gone in a week is very different than a big pack of paper towels, tissues, Ziploc bags, detergent etc that will last a while.

Costco was chicken, produce, and snacks primarily.