Switched to a cash only grocery system 3 months back and my weekly total dropped by $40

I used to just swipe my card and grab whatever looked good at the store. After I noticed my credit card bill hitting $600 just on food one month I decided to try something different. Now I pull out $100 cash every Sunday and that's all I allow myself for the week. No card, no app, just cash. First week was rough but by week three I was actually planning meals around what was on sale. I stick to Aldi mostly and buy store brand where I can. Anyone else find that using cash just makes you think twice before tossing extras in the cart?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_campbell27d ago

Gotta admit @jessicamiller, I was one of those people who thought the cash thing was a gimmick and that having a card was just fine if you had self control. But after reading how your habits changed with drinks and weighing things out, I can see how that physical limitation really rewires your brain around spending. Might have to give this a try myself since my grocery bill has been creeping up way too high lately.

jessicamiller28d ago

Yeah the "grab whatever looked good" part really hit home for me because that was exactly my problem. When I was using card I'd throw in a bag of chips or a fancy salad dressing without even thinking about it. With cash I actually stop and weigh things in my hand like "okay is this $5 bag of frozen chicken worth more than what I had planned for dinner tomorrow?" It changes the whole game. Another thing I noticed is that I stopped buying drinks entirely. No more $2 bottles of iced tea or random sodas because I'd rather save that cash for actual food.