Get your food budget under control
The Ultimate food budget hack for divorced women will help you reduce your sticker shock at the end of the month and greatly reduce your chances of overspending.
Do you find yourself in shock every month when you look at your grocery bill?
If you said yes, then you are not alone.
In 2020 the average annual household grocery budget was $4,942 or about $412 per month. This number goes up to $610 per month when you include dining out which is an average of $2,375 or $198 per month (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Now, remember these are averages. Depending on the size of your household and the cost of groceries in your area these numbers could be much higher.
Where is your money going?
When you look at your food spending do you spend more on groceries or dining out? Now, this is not going to be a lecture about the perils of dining out, remember we don’t do shame here. Instead, I want you to look at where you are spending your money each month.
Do you cook more at home but order out a couple of times per month? Do you hate cooking and instead prefer to order or dine out? Or are you somewhere in between?
Wherever you fall on this spectrum it’s ok. Look at how much your total spending was last month and that is going to be your food budget.
If you aren’t sure how to start budgeting I have a post that will help you get started.
Say goodbye to overspending
Once you have an idea about how much you are currently spending open a checking account with a debit card. This will be where you deposit the amount that you calculated above.
You can open this account at your current bank or open a new account that charges no fees like Capital One 360. Wherever you decide to open the account make sure that it is fee-free.
I recommend setting this up as a direct deposit from your paycheck or as an automatic transfer between accounts on payday.
Then you will use this debit card for all your food purchases. This includes groceries, snacks at the movies, vending machines, latte’s, drinks for girls’ night out, restaurants, etc.
The beauty of this method is that you know at a glance how much money you have available to spend on food and drinks.
You will also avoid overspending because you will only be able to spend what is available in that account. Once you are down to zero you have to wait until your next deposit or transfer additional funds from your general checking account.
It’s too hard to manage multiple accounts
The main objection that I hear from people when I first share this method with them is that they don’t want to have to manage multiple accounts.
My answer to that is “You are already doing it.”
Think about it. Most people have at least one checking account, savings account, and one or more credit cards.
Think of this as your Food Account and put a sticker on it to differentiate it from your other accounts.
This will make it easier to grab quickly during checkout.
Improve your overall budgeting process
Have you ever paid all your bills but then when it’s time to buy groceries you don’t have enough to cover them?
I’ve been there which is where the idea for this method came from.
I didn’t feel comfortable keeping hundreds of dollars laying around in cash for groceries, but I wanted to be more intentional with my spending.
By keeping my food spending separate from my general bills I know that no matter what is happening in that account we will always be able to buy the food we need.
This also helps me stay within my regular spending limits as well.
No more seeing that “extra” money in my account and getting excited only to realize that I was supposed to use that money for this week’s groceries.
Peace of mind
As a divorced mom, you have a lot of hats to juggle. The last thing you need to worry about is if paying your mortgage or getting your nails done will keep you from buying groceries. Even the most diligent budgeter will still sometimes overspend in certain categories.
By creating this food budget process, you will give yourself peace of mind in the following ways:
- You can track your spending in real time via your online banking app
- Remove the ability to overspend by keeping your food money in one place
- Freedom to know that no matter what else is happing with your finances you will have the funds to eat.
- You can track your spending in real time via your online banking app
- Remove the ability to overspend by keeping your food money in one place
- Freedom to know that no matter what else is happing with your finances you will have the funds to eat.
I started using this method in 2015 while going through my divorce and it was a total game-changer for me. I shared it with family and friends, and they
loved it too.
When I started my coaching business, I started sharing it with all of my clients and anyone else who would listen. If you, are You can grab a free copy of the food budget hack for divorced women guide here.
This one simple (and free) change can really make a dramatic difference in your food spending and improve your relationship with your finances. Why not give it a shot? You’ve got nothing to lose.