5 Ways to Stretch Your Grocery Budget

I have been married 42 years. From the start, the money was joined. I took care of the checkbook. We each had an allowance (at the time of $25.00 per week). This was for whatever we wanted. Gas was charged on one credit card (we only had 2). If other expenses came up -- office collections etc - that was extra -- not out of the $25.00. There was a clothing budget that was separate. We never had a problem with the checkbook or our individual spending, with the exception of car purchases. These amounts changed but not by that much. We are retired now and have an allowance of $200-250 each per month for doing what we like to do. My husband over spends on car purchases. That no longer comes out of the joint money -- he has a part-time job and uses all that money for himself, including he new car purchases. This almost destroyed our marriage but this was my solution. He just purchased his 12th car in retirement which was 9 years ago. It was serious -- we have owned 89 cars during our marriage, only 5 have been used. He justified it by saying that since he worked for an auto manufacturer and got a major discount, it was normal. I am not a shopaholic and we have no children and he doesn't like to travel but once a year, so we worked around it. In all fairness to my husband, his car purchasing went out of control once we found out that we couldn't have children. I have a masters degree and my husband is a high school graduate. (Our marriage should never have worked it you look at the statistics). My niece unfortunately failed to listen to my advice when she married a mechanic who bought and sold used cars in a similar manner and she is a shopaholic. Needless to say they are divorced after a 4 year marriage. Finances bring love to a halt very quickly. In today's world, I would recommend, three major money accounts, joint and 2 individual. All money goes into the joint with a equal percentage (based on individual earnings) transferred into the individual accounts. The money in the individual accounts get spent however they feel like it and whenever. Vacation, car, house and Christmas money gets put aside into separate savings. Whenever you get a raise, increase 401K and savings account immediately. You can't spend what you never saw to begin with. Take a little out of the first check and splurge on yourself and your spouse. I did this and now we live comfortably in retirement in a beautiful home -- but we still can't do everything and have everything, medical expenses have become a big part of the budget along with food and gas for the cars.

No system is perfect, but you do need to be honest about your spending habits and discuss things up front. If one partner loses their job or stays home for an extended period of time, adjustments have to be made but that person should never feel that they don't have the right to share in the monies. When two people get married monetary trust is just as important as honesty and fidelity.

Barbara of NC 9:06AM February 16, 2012