I work hard on my grocery list by matching ads to coupons and planning meals with what we have and what is on sale, etc. I am proud of myself for only spending $40-60 a week on groceries.

My husband and I need better communication and we need to actually sit down and make the list together. Every day after work he goes to the store to buy his gatorade for the next day and I tell him if we need bread or milk or something else I may have missed. He often comes home with chips, candy or other snack food, as well. Or he decides he wants something else for supper this week! He will spend as much as I do for the week on one meal and snacks. I'm not perfect, I do this once in a while, too. He does it about 3 times a week. If we have that extra money, why doesn't he give it to me when I get groceries and let me buy more REAL food with it? (I guess I have to ask him that, not you, huh?) Then when Sunday comes along and we need something else, he moans about not having any money left! NO CRAP?!

I really don't need any advice, I just needed to vent. I am going to sit down with him and we can talk about this, I just don't look forward to it because he also doesn't listen half the time.

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Wendy~Self-proclaimed hippie momma to Bob and Jamie

I know this feeling ... I finally sat him down with pen, a paper, and the checkbook.

I can see why you're frustrated. It's as though your efforts are, well, effortless. Probably all of us here know how much work you're doing.
Does dh ever go shopping with you? That was an eye-opener for my dh.

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~Jeweled

Actually, I was thinking, if he doesn't "get it" after our talk, I'm going to have him do it his way one week on his own. He can make out a list and get the groceries. I'm pretty sure he can't keep it as low as I do and maybe that will open his eyes.

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Wendy~Self-proclaimed hippie momma to Bob and Jamie

YOur DH sounds like mine...they just don't get it. I took him shopping with me last night just so he could see how very little you get with your money nowadays. Just to keep him in the loop. It was an eye-opener for him as it always is. I hate taking him & our 2 DD with me. We just spend more moeny that way. Usually I try & do some shopping on my lunch or on Friday when Dh is at work & oldest DD is in school. I usually can keep the little one occupied with other things so she doesn't want so much

I hear you...just this last weekend I went shopping and worked so hard to keep our costs down. I walk into the kitchen to see that he has cut up half a brick of cheese for cheese and crackers! Now we are not so bad that we can't afford to get the "good" cheese and all that but I made a point of saying "Yeah I got some more cheese this week, I can't believe how much prices have gone up. <sigh,sigh>" And it was definately a shock to him when I replied to his question that yes it is up to $5 a brick for this cheese he has to have. So he says "ooh, I'll have to make a point of trying to go a little easier on the cheese"

All good but I give it two weeks.

The next night he was upset we didn't have more money in our account.

Yep. That's my man.

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Seems to me that if you buy lots of gatorade, he won't feel like he has to stop and buy it every day. Buy a case of gatorade next time & he can take a bottle into work every day. If he's not in the store, he can't buy the junk.

That's very logical. Sometimes I fail to see the easy things like this.

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Wendy~Self-proclaimed hippie momma to Bob and Jamie

That's what this forum is for! Hope that helps!

how frustrating! i think DH would be like this if i didn't buy bulk drinks for him to have on hand. and not have any excuse as to why he needed to stop at the store

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My choices yesterday create my today. My choices today create my tomorrow.