A few weeks ago I was telling my husband there was a really good sale on honey coming up. I was trying to ask him to use it more in moderation than we had used the previous honey purchase, without upsetting him. Despite my efforts, he got irritated and in frustration said “If you don’t want us to eat stuff, then don’t buy it”. I said “Exactly!”
I try to spend less than $1 per pound on food. I’ll occasionally go up to $2 per pound for some meats or to splurge on chips. So buying 2 pounds of honey for $4.25 (nearly half the regular price) counts as a luxury in our family. I typically don’t buy expensive food items because our budget doesn’t allow for many luxuries. But when I do buy these “luxury foods”, I don’t want to consume them so quickly that we don’t really take the time to enjoy them.
We’re human. If there’s something around to eat, we will eat it. It’s sort of a variation of the “See not, want not” principle. Think about the last time you were out of ______ in the kitchen and it took you 2 weeks to remember to pick it up at the store. Was it really a big deal? Were you able to live make do without it?
Your husband may want to eat filet mignon 5 nights a week, but if you don’t have it at home to cook- is he really going to send you to the store (or demand to eat out) instead of eat what you’ve cooked? Most likely not. If there are expensive foods your family eats like nobody’s business, try not keeping them stocked (or well hidden at the back of your top shelves or behind the rarely used pots and pans) You may be surprised that they barely give it a mention or don’t even notice the absence of those items from your pantry! Not only will it stretch your budget, but it will allow your family to especially enjoy those foods without them becoming everyday occurrences.
This is sooo true around here, especially with snack items. My husband asks that I conserve our resources by not buying snacks, because he doesn’t think they are necessary. However, with two children in the house, I think snacks are as necessary as breakfast, so I buy them, but they don’t last as long as they should because HE ends up eating them….I’m trying to find a way to say…if you dont think we need snacks…then stop eating all the snacks! they’r for the children! LOL. But he prefers to eat veggies as a snack, so i try to keep stocked up on avocados, carrots, cucumbers…so he eats those instead (and then just wastes ranch dressing). 😉
I’m constantly telling my son when I buy milk how many days it needs to last. Once, he moaned & said he just wished he could have a gallon of milk & drink as much as he wanted. So, for Christmas that year I bought him a gallon of whole milk(I usually just buy 2% or skim). I put it in the fridge with his name on it. He was pretty excited about it & really enjoyed it with his Christmas treats.
Rationing portions is just a part of staying in budget & staying healthy. I often label things in the fridge & pantry telling my family not to eat it because it’s for a certain recipe or special meal. I’m the one though, that usually gets tired of the rationing! :o)