For six months in 2004 I tracked all of my expenses, and the most interesting revelation is that I spent more on eating out than I did on groceries. Melina says this is just one of the perks of the "thirty and thrilling" single life, but obviously I need to rein it in, which means I'll spend more money on groceries, which leads to the following question: I truly love shopping at Schnuck's, but 1) is there a less expensive option that will be just as satisfying and 2) am I willing to re-learn grocery patterns in order to save money? I have been once to County Market (near Church and Mattis) and once to Jerry' IGA (the one by Round Barn). From my undergrad days, I remember County Market as being somewhat ghetto - a point perhaps supported by the recent closure of the downtown Urbana one - and the one I visited - well, let's just say that if Schnuck's is upscale, this one is dooooown. Jerry's was a really pleasant surprise, with the health/international section and many more choices overall than I anticipated. Plus I have just discovered they support the Champaign Public Library, a definite plus.
Another reason I've been thinking about all of this is from reading Choose the Blue and similar sites, because if I spend about $1500 a year on something, I sure as heck want my money to go as blue as possible.
