cincychick35:Thank you!
DH gets paid weekly and I get paid on the 15th and 30/31st of the month. DH works very close to home. I, however drive about 80 miles a day. I may be overestimating gas I figured $20 a week for him and $80 for me.
I also estimated $100 a week for groceries, perhaps I can cut that down a little bit now that DH and I are working different shifts - no reason to cook a big dinner - we just grab something to eat. We don't eat out at all, except for birthdays and anniversaries.
What kind of car do you drive? $80 would fill up my car twice. Hopefully you can cut down just to save money.
DH and I budget $150 A MONTH for groceries. Granted, that differs by location, and I can get some free food at work, but in the decision to save money, consider cutting back. Sometimes shopping trips may take longer because of price comparison and whatnot, but it's worth it in the long run. Look for specials, save coupons, have a frequent shoppers card if possible, etc. I am no extreme couponer or anything, but when we receive store circulars in the mail we casually browse for items that we would plan on buying any, and clip those specific coupons.
- Make. A. List. I cannot stress this enough. Extra spending comes from the splurges that happen when you're inside the store (don't shop hungry!)
- Stock up, but keep things simple. -- This means have things available in your home so you don't need to run out to the store for a quick ingredient, but also keep things simple because you don't need 10 boxes of cereal, 3 types of oatmeal, frozen waffles, pancake mix, 2 dozen eggs, etc. if you two barely eat breakfast. Yes, it is nice to have options, but when saving money, it may not be helpful. Change it up, yes, but you don't need a billion options at once.
- Frozen vs. Canned vs. Fresh -- There are various opinions when it comes to buying produce. DH and I buy fresh fruit, but only in small amounts that we know we'll eat before it goes bad. We buy a lot of frozen veggies when they're on sale. And we rarely buy canned food, but that's a personal preference. They're generally cheaper and when I see a great deal on them, I'll snap a couple.
- Constantly check expiration dates. -- We do this for food AND coupons. If food expires, then it seems like a waste of money, IMO. We rarely have things go bad in our home.
Lastly, you mentioned that since you work different shifts there's no reason to cook a big dinner. Well, sometimes a big dinner can be cheaper and serve as leftovers. Take leftovers to work for lunch.