We spent a crapload of money this past weekend. I didn’t like having to put everything into Microsoft Money to track our expenses, but then again, it’s not like we were out buying shoes and purses.Â
On Friday night, we went to a play with my brother and his girlfriend and her mother. My brother’s gf had scored the tickets for all of us through her work, so we got in for free. Before the play, we went to a local burrito place (sort of like Qdoba, but it’s a local-flavor classic instead of a chain). Since our play tickets were free, we paid for dinner before anyone could protest. It cost $38, which pushed our dining out spending up to $57 for the month, but I’m glad we paid for their dinners, and I’m glad we’re all on the same page when it comes to finding great food on a budget ($38 – including tip - for five adults is a pretty good deal).
On Saturday, I worked at the library, and then we went for a bike ride in the evening. Afterwards, we went to the grocery store and spent $90 on groceries. We were just buying the stuff we don’t get at Costco, since that was our plan for Sunday.
On Sunday, we slept in and then went mountain biking. It was our first real mountain bike ride together since my husband hurt his kneein May. We had been riding for about 15 minutes when a fast-moving summer storm rolled over the mountain. The lightening was blinding and the thunder was so loud it made the ground shake. We made it back to the car in record time, soaked and muddy but not fried, which was good. We sat in the car for about 10 minutes until the storm passed and the sun came out, and then we gave it another try. Second time was a charm, and we had a great ride. Other than the gas to get to the mtn, it was free entertainment for half a day. Â
We cleaned up with wet wipes in the car and headed to Costco, where we bought $309 worth of groceries and $33 worth of household stuff. We had to rearrange our pantry to fit everything in, but we shouldn’t have to go grocery shopping until October. We get our produce delivered every week, and we have everything else we need to last a good long time. Of course our grocery spending for August isn’t pretty : $673. But if we got snowed in for a month we’d be just fine (unlikely in August, but you never know).Â
I’ve always known that our grocery spending is higher than average, but I’m ok with that. Most of our categories – auto, gas, entertainment, dining out, clothing, etc. – are lower than average, and I really believe that groceries should be a significant chunk of any budget. I’d much rather drive my 1991 Honda and eat organic, unprocessed food than drive a sweet car with a a $350/month payment and eat hotdogs and ramen.  The last time I had a cold was June of 2005. For my husband it’s been even longer. I firmly believe that the food we eat plays a major role in our health, and I have no plans to lower our grocery bill. I had to add that disclaimer, since I just finished adding nearly $500 from this weekend to our monthly spending report…
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