MONEY OBEDIENCE

Setting Up A Budget

Both my wife and I are keenly aware of our finances. We set up a budget a while ago, we review it once in a while, and we make sure that our family expenses stay within the limits we have set for ourselves. We are careful to take a shopping list with us whenever we go out for groceries, and my wife has signed up for every store savings card in a 20 mile radius. A few days ago it was my turn to go to the store and somehow, unbeknownst to me, the people in my house have started eating hot dogs. (I was shocked to find this out by finding hot dogs and hot dog rolls on the shopping list.)

Hey, it’s not like I don’t ever go shopping – I even know where to quickly find any item in the supermarket. But I can assure you that hot dogs are really a new thing on the list. Anyway, when I reached for the hot dog rolls I was floored. These eight, spongy bland rolls cost $3.19! Last time I bought these – it had to be a while ago, but it could not have been that long ago – I am sure the same package cost barely more than $2.00. Well, I bought the rolls anyway since they were on the list of items to buy.

When I make an observation like that, I also realize that such price increases must have an impact on our family budget. So, I’m thinking that my wife and I will have to review our family budget again. Maybe we have to make some adjustments, for example, we probably should take some money away from some other expense item and add it to groceries. Or perhaps I could convince the wife (and children) not to buy hot dogs anymore…. More likely, we will just have to accept the fact that we will face a higher grocery bill, since I’m pretty sure that hot dog buns and hot dogs are not the only items affected by price increases. But the higher grocery bill is inevitable also because our children’s appetites are growing along with their bodies.

While we are on the subject of hot dogs, does anybody know why hot dog rolls come in packages of eight while hot dogs themselves come in packages of 10?

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Posted in Budget and Expenses