There are many ways to make budgets, but key is tracking expenses accurately. I revise my budet on an annual basis at minimum, or more frequently when I know theres been a significant change (eg a different car.)
What this does is make me keelnly aware of how much things cost. My most recent updates turned up something unexpected: my "grocery" category actually went down in 2022. On some reflection, I tried to decide why, and I suspect that the rise in prices at the store made me shop sales even more agressively. Curious if any one else has seen this in their own frugal lifestyle.
I live in an expensive town, and restaurants are just not in the budget. As in we only go to them when travelling, and then they become a travel/vacation expense. Outside of that, we get restaurant food (either delivery or eat in) maybe as much as 2-3 a year. And fairly, my menu here at home is better.
April 02, 2023 at 12:09AM
