I've always considered myself to be a fairly thrifty individual. I rent videos from the library instead of going to the movie theater. I use public transportation whenever possible (or I walk). I'll even wear clothes long past their expiration date. My goal is always simple: save as much as possible.

The only thing that really cuts into my budget is grocery shopping. I guess you could say it's my Achilles' heel. Here in my neighborhood there is only one supermarket -- Whole Foods (or Whole Paycheck as some of its patrons call it).
It's totally normal for my grocery bill to add up to $50 (for 1 person!) and it'll only last me 5 or 6 days.

Here's what I tend to buy:
1) A carton of Orange Juice ($2.59)
2) A carton of Milk ($1.99)
3) Brown Cow Yogurt ($.69/each) 6 containers
4) Sweet Vermont Bread ($2.99)
5) ZBars (1 box 8.99 - 18 bars)
6) Puffins (2.59)
7) Chicken Breast (about 5.99 for a 1lb+)
8) Soy Boy Tofu (1.99)
9) Ice Cream - Cherry Garcia (2.50)
10) Pre-packaged sliced chicken ($5)
11) Pre-packaged sliced cheddar ($5)
12) Frozen Pizza ($4)
13) Amy's Vegetarian Pot Pie ($2.50)

I know I'm doing something very wrong, as I can see that many people on this blog can sustain an entire family of three on the same amount.

Does anyone have any tips or advice? The only thing that really prevents me from buying in bulk is that I don't have a car and the subway only goes to one other grocery store (it's about a 20 minute ride out, and everything has to go in a huge backpack).

I'd really like to continue spending the same amount - I just want more to show for it. Any advice (recipes, coupons, links, etc. would be truly appreciated).

Thanks in advance!

Lately I've started dividing my expenses into two categories: Necessary and Optional. Next to each item in my check register, I write one or the other. At the end of the month, I just add up the "optionals" to get an idea of how much money I'm spending.

This is a pretty basic approach to budgeting, and it's far from an original idea - but I do find that it makes a fun challenge. Can I spend less this month than I did last month?

Now of course, the tricky part is deciding what really is necessary or optional. A wedding present for my coworker went under necessary, yet a trip to the pharmacy went under optional. There's no real science to this - and I think everything really falls somewhere inbetween the two. Shades of gray.

At any rate, my optional spending for August at this point is exactly $59.66 and it includes junk food, movie tickets, a trip to the local bar and a haircut. Not bad - last month's optional expenses total was well over $200.

So how do you feel about this? What do you consider a necessary expense?

Today is August 15th, 2006. I will begin grad school in three weeks (part-time MBA program). After a summer of Starbucks coffees, iTunes downloads and trips to Whole Foods, I'm ready to buckle-down and make the most of my paycheck. My goal is to save as much money as humanly possible, thus greatly reducing my dependence on student loans to cover grad school tuition costs.

I'm going to write about everything - secrets on how to save money, entries about when i stray from my budget, benefits of contributing to 401ks... anything!

My goal is to pay for at least 1/3rd of grad school in cash. Are you with me?