That $8 mocha at the coffee shop derailed my entire grocery budget last month

I had a strict $50 weekly grocery budget and was doing fine until I grabbed a mocha every morning from the shop on Elm Street for a week straight. The total came to $40 just on coffee, leaving me with $10 for actual food by Friday. I ended up eating canned beans and rice for the weekend. How do you guys balance little treats without blowing up your meal plan?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_hayes1mo agoMost Upvoted

Actually think you might be doing the math wrong here. $8 per mocha times 7 days is $56, not $40. So you ended up spending way more than you thought, which honestly makes this even worse. Ngl I've done similar stuff where I underestimated how fast those daily coffees add up. What helped me was setting aside a specific "fun money" amount each week, like $15, and once it's gone it's gone. That way I can still grab a treat a couple times without wrecking everything else.

abbychen1mo ago

Is it really THAT serious though? Like, $56 on coffee in a week is a lot, but people drop that on takeout for one meal or a night out. @robert_hayes I get your math is right but the whole "fun money" thing feels kinda rigid. You could just skip one mocha a week and still be fine.