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Ethnic Shopping and Extreme Budgeting
Jan. 27th, 2007 08:48 pmToday we visited the MT Supermarket. The name has nothing to do with being empty, but stands for My Thanh. This is not your corner ethnic grocer; it's a large supermarket in the middle of the "Chinatown Center," a three-sided strip shopping center on Lamar just south of Braker.
I am a very picky eater, so I didn't expect to find anything interesting. I did get a packet of assorted "biscuits" (cookies), which were fine but not thrilling. Most items did not impress me when I read the ingredients. There was a lot of corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. However, R. found some ramen noodles that were not fried and lots of inexpensive seafood and dried mushrooms. Next time I go, I'll spend more time in the housewares section. They have lots of pretty bowls and serving plates.
Link of the day - MattHutter's Grocery Shopping Only Once A Year, with a link to a much longer article. This tells a story of extreme budgeting. Most people who budget break up their expected income into rather broad categories and then try to keep spending for each category within the limit. Afterwards, they might compare how they actually did with what they had planned.
Well, this story is about a couple who decides exactly what to spend on exactly what items and then actually buys them all at once and then that's it for the year. There are some minor exceptions like budgeting $10/week on perishables which they can decide anew how to spend each week.
First I will admit I never want to do this. I like to think I am not so predictable that I can know my own wants and needs for the next year. Also I don't have that kind of space. Also, buck booock! (That was a chicken noise.) No, but really, sometimes opportunities come up and you don't have months or a year to prepare.
Still, it's awe inspiring. Instead of sitting around guessing about how much they will need in different categories, these guys calculate exactly how many toiletries they will need (and which ones). They decide exactly how many cans of tomato sauce they will be using over the next year.
Common advice on making decisions about purchases includes asking yourself questions like the following:
* Do I really need this?
* Do I really love this?
* Am I just wanting this to make myself feel better?
* Should I do some research first to see if this is the best option?
* Do I already have something at home that will work?
Other questions I like are:
* Why do I want this, and is there a better way to achieve that purpose?
* Is this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
* Am I remembering that my house is not a museum, and I do not need to own every cool thing that I encounter?
Now you can add:
* If I had seen this at the beginning of the year, and I was buying my supplies for the year, would I have bought it?
* If I hadn't yet known about this, how would I have held out without it for the rest of the year?
I am a very picky eater, so I didn't expect to find anything interesting. I did get a packet of assorted "biscuits" (cookies), which were fine but not thrilling. Most items did not impress me when I read the ingredients. There was a lot of corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. However, R. found some ramen noodles that were not fried and lots of inexpensive seafood and dried mushrooms. Next time I go, I'll spend more time in the housewares section. They have lots of pretty bowls and serving plates.
Link of the day - MattHutter's Grocery Shopping Only Once A Year, with a link to a much longer article. This tells a story of extreme budgeting. Most people who budget break up their expected income into rather broad categories and then try to keep spending for each category within the limit. Afterwards, they might compare how they actually did with what they had planned.
Well, this story is about a couple who decides exactly what to spend on exactly what items and then actually buys them all at once and then that's it for the year. There are some minor exceptions like budgeting $10/week on perishables which they can decide anew how to spend each week.
First I will admit I never want to do this. I like to think I am not so predictable that I can know my own wants and needs for the next year. Also I don't have that kind of space. Also, buck booock! (That was a chicken noise.) No, but really, sometimes opportunities come up and you don't have months or a year to prepare.
Still, it's awe inspiring. Instead of sitting around guessing about how much they will need in different categories, these guys calculate exactly how many toiletries they will need (and which ones). They decide exactly how many cans of tomato sauce they will be using over the next year.
Common advice on making decisions about purchases includes asking yourself questions like the following:
* Do I really need this?
* Do I really love this?
* Am I just wanting this to make myself feel better?
* Should I do some research first to see if this is the best option?
* Do I already have something at home that will work?
Other questions I like are:
* Why do I want this, and is there a better way to achieve that purpose?
* Is this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
* Am I remembering that my house is not a museum, and I do not need to own every cool thing that I encounter?
Now you can add:
* If I had seen this at the beginning of the year, and I was buying my supplies for the year, would I have bought it?
* If I hadn't yet known about this, how would I have held out without it for the rest of the year?