One Hundred Dollars a Month

I had been holding on to the gift cards my parents and in-laws gave us {the HH and me} last Christmas and for our birthdays. In years past, I’ve used these types of gift cards in January or February, but for some reason, this year I kept them tucked away in an old tea tin not wanting to spend them.

That was, until last Monday.

I cleaned out the fridge and freezer and wiped down all the shelves and then realized we didn’t have a lot of fresh or frozen food {I had only bought milk and bread the week before}. Which normally wouldn’t have bothered me because I knew the HH would be working a lot and The Girl was leaving the next day for a camping trip. Also, after going way over my grocery budget in July, I didn’t want to shell out a bunch of money to fill the fridge and freezer anytime soon. I figured I would just get creative and use what was in the pantry instead.

But then I was like, if my husband is going to be coming home late every night exhausted and The Girl will be gone, do I really want to be making dinner super late at night for just 2 people {The HH and Monkey Boy}? I know they probably wouldn’t care if I made something during the day and just popped it in the microwave for them and then immediately went to bed, but still.

So I figured with the long work week ahead {75+ hours for my husband}, this would be a good time to pull out all those gift cards and buy a bunch of fun and delicious meals I know the boys would love {and not have to pay out of pocket for them}.

It would be a treat for them {food I normally wouldn’t buy} and a treat for me as well {not having to spend money on food}.

So The Girl and I grabbed the gift cards, the cooler, some reusable bags and set off.

Our first stop…

Trader Joe’s $99.53 Free with a gift card

If I was a single, working professional who didn’t like to cook, Trader Joe’s would HANDS DOWN be where I’d do all my grocery shopping, and I could probably get away with shopping there just once a month. Trader Joe’s frozen kung pao chicken, have you tried it? It has a kick to it, runs $4.99 a bag and when paired with some rice, could easily stretch to 4-5 servings. At $4.99 a bag it’s my favorite TJ’s product.

Other winners include the orange chicken $4.99, steak and stout pies $6.49, white cheddar corn puffs $1.99, frozen cheesecake $6.99 and lemon curd for $2.99.

Then, because we were close to the HH’s work, we decided to pick him up a treat. Or rather, treats for all of us, because you know, we had a gift card.

Starbucks $45.49 Free with a gift card

My first thought after laying our items on the table to photograph: How do people do this everyday? This is the difference between saving for an emergency or retirement vs “splurges” adding up right here. This and other so called indulgences is just one of the many reasons why over 69% of Americans have less than $1,000 in their bank account. I’m convinced of it.

A wave a guilt came over me as I stood there and snapped the photo. Sure, I’ve used gift cards I’ve earned or been given to buy my favorite London Fog lattes before, but for some reason this time seemed different. Which, felt odd because the Starbucks card was a GIFT. It was meant to be spent on overpriced beverages and snacks. I would never have spent $11.99 for a pound of coffee with my own money. And here I was, doing just that, because I had a gift card.

I think our grandparents would be appalled, {mine at least} at the hard earned money people allow to slip through their hands on a regular basis without ever really thinking about. There is nothing wrong with a splurge, when you can afford it, and if it’s TRULY in moderation. To me, once a week, or once a month, is not a splurge. Twice a year? Yes. But so often you can’t pay your credit card off at the end of the month or have a 3-6 month emergency fund? No.

And that’s not me being a miserly curmudgeon either. It’s the truth. The little things do add up. 

Whole Foods $174.87 Free with a gift card. Seriously.

My first instinct was to scan the store for the cheapest products. But instead, I looked for food items I thought my family would enjoy and treat the $175 worth of Whole Foods gift cards in my hand as a gift. Knowing the giver would have wanted me to spend the gift cards on items I normally wouldn’t buy, in a place I normally wouldn’t purchase food from.

I shopped at the University Place Whole Foods store which is about half the size {and has half the products} of a traditional Whole Foods Store. It was my second time at this particular store and I am not a fan of this location. But, it’s the closet one to my house and I was doing an all gift card shopping trip so I stopped there. To say it pales in comparison to their Seattle or even Portland, Maine location would be a huge understatement.

I selected a full sized lemon tart for $20, sushi for The Girl $12, shrimp for Monkey Boy $11, teriyaki chicken and cabbage for the HH, and $70 worth of cheese, salami, spreads, olives and crackers. A disappointing decaf earl grey tea {I should have grabbed the ginger peach, which I know I love}, BBQ ribs and frozen cod fish for the boys and an individual dessert for everyone. The whole time keeping a running tally on the calculator feature on my phone.

I left the store unimpressed, questioning why anyone would shop there on a regular basis and vow only to go back to Whole Paycheck if it was for a lemon tart {or to get dinner from their salad bar if I was on vacation and had a gift card}.

I don’t know. I don’t see the point of paying $2.99 a pound for pears {on sale!}, or apples or tomatoes when I can get them for $.99 a pound {or less} from Winco or Fred Meyer. I don’t feel like paying $2.00+ more a pound for organic is worth it when if that’s the route I wanted to go, I could easily get the same thing {although in a larger quantity} from Costco for much less per pound. {Note: I am not against buying organic, I’m against ridiculous prices}.

I’d like to think I am a relatively healthy person who for the most part, eats a pretty simple diet. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t drink soda, I don’t take any medications, I don’t eat fatty foods {unless we are talking the occasional pastry} or eat excessively. I drink plenty of fluids, and although I work online and from home, I feel I get enough exercise from walking my dog and gardening {most days around 10,000 – 15,000 steps}. So really, are the 3-4 apples I eat each month {that are not organic} really going to make a difference in my health?

Also, as far as Whole Foods {and stores like them} are concerned, I don’t need to walk down aisles with nice shelving or artful displays of food, handmade bars of soap for $8.99 each, or food stacked up in baskets with loud happy signs to feel good about my shopping “experience”.  And lastly, I have no desire to pay nearly DOUBLE for canned or boxed food items that sell for half the price at Fred Meyer.

Maybe I’m weird. Maybe I’m missing something here, but I just don’t see the compulsion to pay more for something {like food} when I don’t have to.

Now, on the flip side… When I was staying on the east coast, I would shop exclusively at the local farmers market and pop up vegetable stands for all my fruits and vegetables. I’d happily pay a little more for my produce. Why?

• It was a small, but awesome farmers market and the prices weren’t crazy like some of the farmers markets I’ve been to lately.
• I adore card tables at the end of driveways that sell extra garden produce.
• I was literally handing my money over to the person who grew the food. Not the middle man who was paying for fancy displays, lighting, packaging that inevitably ends up in the garbage, the team of people it took to invent shopper cards, apps or schemes, or for the 2,500 miles worth of gas it took to get the produce to the store.

Food, and what we are willing to spend on it, is tricky.

Until it’s not.

Spending the gift cards at Starbucks and Whole Foods made me feel cranky. I guess, it’s because I didn’t feel like I got value out of the things I brought home. Maybe if I would have spent the gift cards on toilet paper or a 25 pound bag of bulk oatmeal I would have gone home happy. But then again, probably not. I know that Winco sells bulk oats for $0.59 a pound and paying 5 times more for them at Whole Foods probably wouldn’t have made me feel any better either.

Maybe what I should have done was used those gift cards to buy 1 thing at a time. Then maybe, seeing the register tally wouldn’t have been so shocking. I don’t know. But logically, in the end, it would all add up to the same thing.

Overpriced food.

~Mavis

Total Spent This Week $0

• Total Spent in January on Groceries $202.99
• Total Spent in February on Groceries $143.94
• Total Spent in March on Groceries $183.35
• Total Spent in April on Groceries $205.67
• Total Spent on Groceries in May $248.60
• Total Spent on Groceries in June $147.47
• Total Spent on Groceries in July $293.63
• Total Spent on Groceries in August $5.78

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• Total Spent in January on Take Out, Date Nights, and Bakery Treats $42.19
• Total Spent in February on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $118.45
• Total Spent in March on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $25.29
• Total Spent in April on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $62.50
• Total Spent in May on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $54.52
• Total Spent in June on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $119.15
• Total Spent in July on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $12.45
• Total Spent in July on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $0
• Total Spent in August on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $0