I’m not saying this in a way to tell people to “pull themselves up”, or anything like that. I got 2 kids and work at a grocery store. I just want to pass the advice on to anyone who cares about their personal finances in such dire times. If I didn’t budget, we wouldn’t make it.

The basket of goods I buy from Costco is still far cheaper than any competitor. Anyone needing to budget should be price checking and paying accordingly. When you equate money to time, it is DEFINITELY worth it to do this. Nowadays, it’s a lot easier too. All of these corps post their prices online anymore, so you can directly compare prices before even putting your shoes on. Milk seems cheapest at Kroger right now. Eggs are cheapest at Albertsons. Bread seems to be a sale item, where if you don’t find a sale for it, you pay a premium. I saved hundreds of dollars, potentially more, just by comparing before I left and bought shit. “Convenience” pricing is gutting the middle class, and has been increasingly for decades