Since becoming a mom, I have grown a genuine love for cooking. In fact, my family eats at home for every meal. (This is a serious contrast to my pre-baby lifestyle. Back then, Ty and I ate out several times a week.) Well, with more meals eaten at home, our grocery bill has grown considerably. In a month, Tyler and I can easily spend over $1,000 on groceries. (Some of you may be flabbergasted by that figure, so let me explain. When I say “grocery” I mean everything I purchase at the grocery store: shampoo, toothpaste, Tylenol, dishwasher detergent, etc.) Anyway, that number seemed high for two and a half people. When I asked others what they were spending on groceries, however, they shared similar figures. So, I reasoned there was no way around it, aside from extreme couponing.
Well, about one month ago, I sensed the Holy Spirit telling me that my grocery bills were out of balance. He then impressed a certain dollar amount that I needed to stay under each week. If I’m honest, I thought the figure was way too low, so I reasoned it wasn’t God speaking to me. Later that week, I went to the grocery store “trying” to be more conscious of my spending but ended up amply exceeding that number. “See,” I thought, “there’s no way I could buy everything I need under that amount.”
The following week, as I was preparing my grocery list, I felt a familiar tug in my spirit. The same dollar amount was impressed on my heart. This time, I knew in my gut that God was directing me to stay under budget, and I had to obey. Convinced and fueled by faith, I determined to view God’s command as a challenge, rather than a harsh boundary.
I went to the grocery store the next morning with a fresh attitude. My plan was to be conscious of prices, look for markdowns and coupons, and stick to my list, buying only what I needed. (Although, I’ll admit. I had ice cream on the list marked by an asterisk. I didn’t need it, but I was hoping to fit it in the budget.) Anyway, I always shop the produce section first, so that’s where this trip started. My first find was spinach and salad mixes marked on sale. As I rounded the corner, I saw a bright yellow “SALE” sign next to the Rainier cherries. (I happen to love cherries, particularly Rainier cherries, but the suckers are expensive.) The sign stated $4.98/lb, which is still high, so I put them back. As I started to walk away, I felt the Holy Spirit urge me to get them. Then, I heard Him say, “No one goes broke in the produce or canned goods section.” I knew it was the Lord giving me full freedom to buy really good food from those two areas of the grocery store. And, oddly enough, I know those are the two sections I would have been most frugal, focusing entirely on price and shunning name-brand items.
As I made my way through each aisle of the grocery store, I was amazed by the markdowns available. In fact, the only “sacrifice” I seemed to be making was trying new brands of familiar items. As a creature of habit, I have always stuck to the items I knew I liked, regardless of what was on sale around them. However, on this particular trip, I kept an open mind. For example, I swapped the usual brand of potato chips for another, and added Fiber One bars to the cart instead of Nutrigrain. While the savings wouldn’t be tremendous, I figured every penny would count. When I reached the last section of the grocery store, I peered into the ice cream case. The brand I really like was not on sale. I looked in my cart, trying to estimate the damage, and thought, “I better not this week. I’m sure it’s close.” Then, I headed to check out.
After placing my items on the conveyor belt, I anxiously awaited the total. When the cashier called out the number, I was shocked and amazed. Not only had I stayed under budget, I only used half of my total weekly allowance. I smiled, full of gratitude, and thought, “I should have grabbed the Blue Bell.”
On that first trip, God opened my eyes. By His grace, I could do this.
That following week proved to be another miracle. I stayed well under budget, my family ate good meals all week, plus we had ice cream for dessert. However, as I plotted my list for the third week, I realized we were running low on meat in our freezer. As you know, meat is the largest grocery expense, so I was apprehensive. To the list, I wrote “Meat–on sale???” and said a prayer.
Well, Ty had to work that weekend and needed to get out of the house early. That meant I had to be in the grocery store and back home before 7:30 in the morning. While I’m used to arriving early, I’m never among the first to walk through the doors. Starting, as usual, in the produce section, I made my way to the meat aisle. As I approached the ground beef, I saw large, red stickers that read “25% off”. Lovingly, God had ordered my steps to be in the store early that day. (Sale meat is a rare find on a Saturday; it would have likely been gone by my usual time of arrival.) I grabbed five packages and headed to check out. Even with a stockpile of beef, I was under budget with plenty to spare.
It’s been four weeks since I committed to obeying God’s instruction, and there hasn’t been a week where the budget has felt like bondage. In fact, I view it as a game, thoroughly enjoying the challenge of finding good deals, sharpening my resourcefulness, and learning the best places to buy certain items. When the total rings up far below my own expectation, I feel like a winner. And, honestly, I am.
You see, two months ago, I could freely shop at the grocery store without real concern for price or quantity. Consequently, however, I habitually bought more than necessary, creating undue stress in attempting to creatively consume a gluttonous bounty of zucchini, grapes, or Greek yogurt before the expiry. With narrow focus, I never considered trying new things or buying items outside my norm. Furthermore, I placed financial pressure on other areas of my life, because I was self-willed and intemperate at the grocery store.
So, out of love, God set a boundary–a boundary that made my flesh incredibly uncomfortable and my mind reluctant to believe. However, when I submitted to His command, the result was a mind-tilting miracle. To date, my family has saved over $500 on groceries. The Lord has trained me to be an open-minded consumer, a smarter shopper, and a better steward of resources overall. His ordinance has produced an increase of joy, peace, and freedom in my life. Even more, my family continues to be well-fed, my freezer is full, and my pantry lacks no good thing.
So, let’s get honest with one another. Has God instructed you to do something, perhaps something that makes your flesh cringe and your mind label unreasonable, but you’ve failed to obey? Maybe, like me initially, you’ve reasoned that the boundary He’s set is extreme, therefore impossible. If so, I pray this story encourages you to reconsider. God’s boundaries are not burdensome. Rather, by His strength, they will always lead us to overwhelming bounty. Choose to view God’s command as a challenge, a game He’s created you to win, then humbly submit to His rules. The prize is well worth it.
Buying Blue Bell on a budget,
Kaime
“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” 2 Timothy 2:5 (ESV)
“…His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 (ESV)
“No discipline is enjoyable while it’s happening–it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”
