One of the most challenging parts of living post-college is sorting out what I need, when I need it, and how much it’s going to cost. The static costs of housing, council tax, bills and travel card are easy. Weekly or monthly, I know when I need them, where to get them and how much I need to have in the bank. The trouble really comes with little things – like dishwashing soap, or toilet roll, or a warm sweater. Things you don’t realise you really really need until you’ve run out and you don’t have any extra in the cupboard.
One way I’ve tried to solve this problem is to make a list on Sunday of everything I’ll need for the week in terms of groceries and just go shopping once during the week. This has meant that not only do I plan out my menu ahead of time (nice when I don’t get home until 8pm on an early night and just want to eat immediately) but I also don’t spend as much on things I might or might not use. Today, in addition to my grocery shopping, I knew I absolutely had to get some autumnal clothing as the summer things I brought with me are just not going to cut it much longer.
With a goal of getting at least two sweaters and a pair of nice, but comfortable, closed toed shoes for less than £100, and also doing my full week’s worth of shopping, I set off for High Street Kensington, about a 10 minute walk from my flat, to see what I could find.
I came back with two sweaters, a long-sleeved t-shirt, a white undershirt for the sweaters, a belt, nylons, and a pair of shoes without going over my £100 preset limit.:
Then, with my premade shopping list, I set off for Waitrose (where I got meat and fish – it’s sort of the Whole Foods of London. Except that there is a Whole Foods but it’s not as popular) and Tescos (the Safeway of London – or possibly a step down. Good for fruits, veggies, cheese, bread, milk, the basics). Want to see what £35 split between posh supermarkets and Tescos looks like?
I’ll have to run out at some point this week to get some more lunchable stuff, so I didn’t quite succeed in cutting my shopping down to one trip a week, but overall, I’ve got dinners, breakfasts, most lunches and, best of all, cold weather covered.
Meaghan Fitzgerald is a marketer and entrepreneur building and growing consumer and gaming products and experiences. A Silicon Valley native, she started her first company, DormWise, in 2006 which she later sold in 2009. Meaghan spent 7 years in London in early stage consumer startups, two years at Xbox as a product marketer for Minecraft, and is currently the head of product marketing for VR experiences at Facebook and Oculus. Meaghan writes here about business, technology, gaming, and marketing. She has been named a top
Inflation is everywhere. Although, I was aware things were slightly more expensive in europe. But your doing a great job sticking to a budget, and it seems you have been able to find quality products. Great job. Now let’s all survive the economic crisis, UGH!