After my first month of living in Grenada, I sat down like I do every month and added up the damage.
You know, the damage, like how much I spent on electricity, food, rent, etc. I wasn’t sure what the totals were going to be, so I had a good bit of money saved up for the month, but wow, I was in for quite the shock!
When I added up all of the food we bought including groceries, quick snacks on campus, coffee, gum, etc. it totaled over $1,000.00! And, let me just say that this was before I secured a full time job and before I made an income from my writing. So, needless to say I was not exactly aiming to spend that much.
I typically have a pretty good sense of where my bank account stands. I can usually “feel” when I am getting low in a certain area or spending too much on one thing. So, the scary thing about this was that it didn’t seem like we spent that much! After all, we weren’t dining at the fanciest restaurant in town. We were just buying frozen chicken and other normal foods at the store along with some quick meals on campus. It didn’t seem like an excess at all, but that number on my budget sheet definitely said otherwise!
Step #1: Adjust
I realized that I really had to adjust to the price inflation here. It’s extremely expensive to buy food, and everything is marked up for the students that live in Grenada. I was buying in a new currency, and even though I knew the exchange rate roughly, I can definitely figure it out much more accurately now. Once I got used to buying things in Eastern Caribbean dollars, I was able to see what was a total rip off and what was a good deal. I was able to make better decisions on the brands I bought, and we ended up purchasing a few new-to-us British brands that we now love. We also started going to the local market and eating the fruit that’s right here in our yard.
Step #2: Track Spending
I realized that tallying up my spending at the end of the month worked well in the U.S. when I was able to keep track of it easily by using debit cards for everything. However, we use so much cash in Grenada that it’s much harder to keep track of. Plus, there are two of us spending that cash, so it gets even more complicated. Now we just write down what we spend each day, so we know how we’re doing.
Ultimately, I’m really glad we adjusted quickly and got used to the culture right away. I couldn’t have sustained spending that much on food for much longer. We definitely eat in a lot more here than we ever did back in the States, and now eating on campus is a rarity. We’re still in the $500/month range for food, but I’m proud of us that we cut this in half and are still doing just fine!
What’s your food budget like? Does anyone else live in a really expensive area?
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I can imagine that food costs are expensive in Grenada. I spent a summer in Alaska, while in college, and the prices were crazy high as well because so much of it has to be brought in. Thankfully our prices are pretty low in Omaha.
FrugalRules Yeah I can’t wait to get back to the States. We’re so excited about how cheap the food will be!
Our food costs used to be insane but we learned to be more conscious of our spending and keep our food budget under $500. We occasionally go over but we are doing much,much better.
Holly at ClubThrifty Yeah your budget that you shared the other day looked great!
The food budget is that hardest to manage…and I can’t imagine changing currency! Using cash makes a huge difference for me too….it’s gone when it’s gone and the budget is then closed!
stayingonbudget I know!! My food spending is always what breaks my budget!!
The imported stuff is expensive here, so usually I try to go with what the locals eat. Gum, cereals, milk… are luxuries and we eat less of them, that keeps the budget low.
RFIndependence Yes, you’re so right. I never thought I’d consider cereal and milk a luxury but it certainly is!
That’s terrible that it’s so expensive there, and especially that they mark up things for the students. Yes, we were spending about that before we started spend tracking too. Now we’re generally down to under $450 a month for the six of us. Great job on trimming your food budget, Cat!
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer Thanks Laurie! I’m trying!
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer Wow Laurie! Congratulations. We are around $600 a month for six of us. I’m impressed with $450.
FinanceWithFunk Yeah, we’re working on it. In my dream world we’d be under $400 a month. :-)
Laurie TheFrugalFarmer FinanceWithFunk Whoop! Laurie rocks. ;)
Food’s definitely more expensive in Boston than in other places, but we make it work pretty well for us. I would hate having to do everything in cash though. It feels like it would just be such a hassle to track. But I guess like anything else you get used to it.
Matt @ Mom and Dad Money It is and it isn’t. I know how much goes in each envelope so I at least know how much I spent. I just seems like it leaves my fingers faster!
Thats one heck of a food bill Cat!! And here I was complaining about going over budgeting in that department for the summer. We are adjusting as well to having 5 mouths to feed. We realized that do to the fact that kids are out for the summer and we have to buy baby food for Twinkie our bill will be a bit more right now. We budget for $400 a month now but remember I shop at Sam’s and stack up on meats and pastas.
YourDailyFin I know right? It’s a little cray cray but we’re slowly cutting it down!
We used to spend a ton of money on food, basically because we would eat anything and everything. Meal planning has really helped us.
SenseofCents Yes! Cooking isn’t my most favorite thing in the world but I should def plan more!
Tracking your spending is really important. You can see what you are spending money on and where you can eliminate cost.
OneSmartDollar Oh yes, I’m definitely a fan!
Food can be so expensive where I live too, but no where in comparison to what you pay in the Caribbean. In Brooklyn, sometimes the ethnic grocery stores can have some of the best deals on a lot of food products. I currently live in a Caribbean neighborhood (largely Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Guyanese) so I try to take advantage of these prices, especially for things like seafood. I’ve become a huge whiting fish and salt fish fan because of this. :)
Tara Zee That’s good to know since we’re moving to Brooklyn next! And, we have a lot of Trini friends here that will be going up there too so I know they’ll appreciate that!
I live in new york and food prices can get ridiculous here too. I use to spend a lot on food (and still do somewhat) but meal planning and budget setting has helped.
SavvyWithSaving Yeah I hear it’s quite pricey up there!
I think you’d have to be careful about tracking when using cash. I am terrible about keeping receipts so that’s why credit cards work better for me. I would certainly have to adjust and learn to eat local.
Eyesonthedollar So true. Cards do make things easier to track!
Eyesonthedollar I find that my food spending was impossible to keep tabs on when I was using my debit or credit card. Only finding out at the end of the month how much I spend. By using cash I actually only use what I have taken in cash and that made all the difference in the world for me.
FinanceWithFunk Eyesonthedollar That is true. I am using mostly cash now as I mentioned in the post and it works out pretty well, until it runs out haha!
I am currently working on knowing my average groceries budget but anytime I go to visit my parents in Kenya, I notice how grocery shopping is expensive compared to what it cost me here in the US. Luckily, they live in a farm and have crops and livestock so they do not have to buy everything.
BorrowedCents I didn’t know your parents were in Kenya. That’s pretty cool. And living on a farm is fabulous!
Tracking your spending is a life saver! I used to eat out every single day. Then I signed up for Mint and learned how much that was actually costing me. It wasn’t pretty. Luckily I was able to identify the problem and correct it.
ayoungpro So true. I’m a big fan of tracking!
Oh wow, it must be really expensive there. I’d say on average me and the HB spend about $200 – $300 on groceries? But we do eat out more than we should which need to work on.
momoneymohouses Yeah it really is. We’re working on the eating out thing too!
Definitely a big adjustment, but good to hear that you are happy with your grocery budget now.
Our grocery spending is the one thing we struggle to reduce every month. Last night we did some grocery shopping and 3 bags of groceries came to $157.00. After the frequent shopper discounts came off it still cost us $117 for 3 bags. I think it is ridiculous. And while we do have some Farmer’s Markets in our city with fresh produce, their prices are even higher, then the produce from California that is in our grocery stores.
TacklingOurDebt I know. Farmers markets can definitely be expensive. It’s tough for sure!
Food bills are the worst. You have to eat, right? This is something I am still struggling to save on. I just love organic stuff too much! Ugh!
DebtandtheGirl We do too. Someone told me to look up organic co ops when I get back to the states to save money on good quality food. I’ll def be doing that!
Man, the approach of adapting really covers a whole lot. If you can change your behavior to match the environment, you can do well just about anywhere…
DonebyForty Exactly! The ability to adapt is one of the best qualities someone can have!
My grocery budget is one that I am able to keep the most control over. I usually only spend $40/week to feed me and my two daughters. We eat simple, I shop with a list and stick to it. It works for us!
SingleMomIncome That’s impressive! :)
Groceries is the main spending of our monthly budget. Keeping track on your spending can definitely help you in monthly budgeting. I generally note down on my grocery spending and keep a track on high spends. We can simply cut down on many unnecessary expenses once we start noting down on our daily expenses.
Samgill Oh yeah, I love tracking my spending! It’s so helpful!
I guess you have to just take stock of what the locals are eating and how they’re doing it. It sounds like you figured out to reign in the $1000 budget. But I’m sure that was scary for a bit.
CashRebel Yeah it definitely helps to eat the local stuff!
Tracking your spending is a big part of this because its easy to think that you’re spending much less than you really are.
Monicaonmoney Yeah it’s even easier to lose track when you’re in a different currency!
I’m sure you’ll be a lot happier when you’re in NY and food is a lot cheaper! :)
Beachbudget I can’t wait. Such a fun change!