Yes, I’ll admit it. I have my grocery store indulgences – those sinful over-priced temptations that quickly inflate shopping bills.
My particular Achilles heel is silky smooth, delicious Dove ice cream. At $4.79 a pint its nearly twice as expensive as quality ice creams like Breyer’s and Edy’s. Yet, I just can’t resist the taste of Dove ice cream.
I’m sure I’m not alone with my budget busting supermarket indulgences. For some its the Godiva chocolate bars in the candy aisle. For others its the Milano cookies, butcher counter filet mignon steak, or those premium coffee beans. We all have things that we enjoy but which dramatically inflate our grocery bills.
So how does one enjoy these expensive indulgences without feeling financial guilty in these tough economic times? Here are a few tips we use.
Offset Your Indulgent Spending.
So you’re addicted to Haagen Daaz ice cream bars or to Dofino Gouda cheese. That’s understandable. Just make changes in your normal shopping behavior to compensate for the indulgent purchases. Force yourself to buy store brand sugar, butter, canned vegetables, and bread to compensate for that expensive box of macadamia nuts you just placed in your grocery cart.
Tempted by that expensive cut of wild Alaskan salmon, offset the cost by visiting a bakery outlet for your bread and other baked goods. Purchase the cheaper apples instead of the more expensive plums and pick up the heads of lettuce instead of the shredded and packaged lettuce in order to offset the cost of the premium brand of frozen cheesecake you just purchased.
Limit Your Costly Treats.
Allow yourself to indulge once in a while. Just limit the number of indulgences. Give each person two treats per shopping trip, for example. Just before hitting the checkout counter, double check to make sure that you’ve stuck to your limit, or have spouse or child keep track of these purchases for you.
Stock Up on Expensive Indulgences at “Super Sales”.
As I said I love Dove ice cream, especially the chocolate cherry variety. Yet I also realized how extremely expensive this indulgence can be. Now when I see this temptation I walk right past knowing I can get it on sale. Not just any old sale will do though. I have to wait for the “super sales”.
Every store item has a regular rotation of sale prices. At one point a product may be on sale at a 10% discount, a couple of weeks later at a 30% discount, followed by a sale a few weeks later at a 20% discount. Periodically an item will hit the rock bottom sales price in what I call its super sales price – typically discounted at 50% or more!
For my local Chicago stores the super sales price for my Dove ice cream is usually $2.50. Compared to the regular $4.79 price this is a bargain. Its at this point that I stock up, allowing me to enjoy my sinful indulgence at half price.
Every family has expensive budget busting indulgences. But there are ways we can still enjoy our little pleasures while watching our budgets.
So what are some of your family’s sinful indulgences? What suggestions do you have for enjoying them without breaking the bank? We’d like to hear from you. Leave a comment below.
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I happen to like Californian dried apricots from Trader Joe’s (NOT the Moroccan ones, which taste like orange rubber). They’re now about $6.98 a bag; pricey, but i won’t give them up completely. I also like fresh apricots, and while those too are expensive, the season is short so i indulge.
Excellent points.
I just wanted to add that you may be able to find your “indulgences” at dollar stores. It’s surprising how many brand name items they carry. I get Hershey’s chocolate, Swedish Fish, and Orville Popcorn at my dollar store for .99 cents
Dawn,
At least you have a very healthy indulgence, unlike my ice cream =)
Apricots are high in carotenoids which are natural antioxidants and are also high in fiber which helps lower cholesterol.
DebtorNYC,
I totally agree with you about the dollar store. That’s my go to source for all of my candy bars and other sweets.
Ice cream is a luxury staple in our house. I don’t eat it regularly but hubby and daughter have it daily. If there’s a premium brand on sale, I buy it. If not, we purchase the storebrand, which honestly, isn’t much different. My vice is diet coke. I buy it regularly but limit myself to 1 per day. Others in my family drink it too and they also have the 1/day rule. I stock up when it’s on sale. I’ve also been known to call companies and request coupons for specific items. Typically, they are willing to provide them.
Nancy,
Contacting the companies about their products is a great idea =)
They’ll often send you several for the product you contact them about. I know other people who join coupon trading groups and so that people can get coupons their family may use while at the same time providing other families with coupons they may need.
once a upon a time i was addicted to candy especially carmel i could sit and eat a pound at a time headaches came with it today i want no part of candy in fact getting a can dy piece like chocolate chip makes me sick everything tastes so much better now like plain cookies i save from $2 to $6 dollars a shopping trip.