Day 239 - The Irony of Groceries

I was at the grocery store the other day and I realized I was staring at the options for bread for a really long time. Longer than I have ever sized up bread. I realized I was actually shopping. Comparing the prices. Trying to determine which had more slices. Figuring out which had the longest shelf life. I have never paid this close attention to my groceries. I normally do not shop. I normally just pick things up. But now that I'm on my VISTA budget I really have to think about stretching my dollar further.

So this got me to thinking about how ironic it is that I now spend so much time considering the price of groceries. The entire time I worked at Kraft (you know. the manufacturer of most groceries) I never truly thought about the price our consumers were paying. I mean, on some level I was aware that it was going to be painful to pay $4 for a package of American processed cheese for someone somewhere, but it was in more of an abstract way. But now I realize that people do not just shrug their shoulders and say "Shoot. I hate that groceries are so expensive. But o well...what are you going to do?" No. They say "Ok. I can buy bread, milk and eggs. And we'll have to do without cheese on this trip."

It just feels so ironic that only now do I feel more closely connected with groceries than I did when I was in my ivory tower of Grocery Marketing. Only now am I aware that milk is cheaper this week than it was last, so I should probably stock up and buy a full gallon. Only now do I really understand the consumer I spent two years selling to, convincing myself that a higher price point was justified all in the name of a brand.

And it just feels so unfortunate. Imagine if everyone at Kraft really understood what their consumers are facing? Imagine if they had to spend a month living on the wage the majority of their consumers live on? I bet they'd want to re-think their go to market strategy. Think about where costs could be cut to deliver a product that is more reasonably priced. But that will never happen. The people who make the decisions on how products are priced at a large company will likely never have had to really think about how to get food on the table. Not really think about it.

And I guess what is even more ironic is that those who work at a big food company like Kraft and leave to say "try a year in poverty" are probably not going to ever go back to the big food company. So the lessons they've gathered from being "out in the field" will never be brought back.

And thus processed cheese ends up remaining at $4 a package.

Day 216 - A Few Quick Thoughts

Ugh.  I'm so sick of talking/thinking about money.  It makes me feel like a wrinkly old miser.

I am not a wrinkly old miser.  I am a thrifty, peace-loving, free spirit.

So I need to set up a few goals for myself in regards to money.  The date to complete these goals is by the end of October:

• Stop mentioning to people how broke I am.  It just makes me feel irritated and I doubt people want to hear it either.
• Stop declining social activities with "I just don't have the money."  Again this just re-enforces a negative feeling instead of a positive one.  Instead, I shall replace my social activity declines with a simple "Sorry, I'm busy that night."  It will make me seem mysterious and interesting that my calendar is always so busy. :)
• Do not let friends guilt me into spending money I don't have.  I understand that going out to the bar is part of our social fabric as young 20-somethings...however, this is just not a doable expense.  Instead work on becoming a fun, lively, secretively sober presence at the bar and people won't notice that I'm not heavily drinking with the rest of them.  

Ok.  October 31st I hope to have drilled these ideals into my head.

Day 211 - A Month into the Burn

Well I have now been in my new VISTA position for about 4 weeks and I feel like a LOT has happened! I am also a month into my official new budget, so I have lots to report back on as well as suggestions for improvement.

VISTA:
It is so awesome meeting small business owners in the city of Chicago. It is especially interesting meeting entrepreneurs in the neighborhoods CCV seeks to serve (low to moderate income). These business owners have a totally different set of challenges on top of running their business. I have primarily been working with clients on the Southside - Bronzeville specifically - assessing how I can help them build a marketing plan. Some of the clients are going through a more formalized process by enrolling in a 4-month marketing class that CCV has created and others I am just working on ad-hoc development. I also get to meet entrepreneurs with high-growth potential through our Challenge Grant application which utilizes a totally different set of skills in assessing. Needless to say I find the work interesting and I have things to keep me busy.

In terms of integrating into the culture of CCV I think I'm doing an alright job. The whole staff is very nice and welcoming. I'm getting over the culture shock of working with 14 people. I am also trying to get used to such a loose structure, like not reporting to anyone specifically and having no direct accountability for anything. I'm just trying to remain open minded and eager to learn as much as possible.

Budget:
Ugh - this budget is not fun. The way I currently have it structured is I am subsidizing a portion of my monthly income with my savings since my volunteer stipend isn't enough to cover my living expenses given my rent (which I knew would be the case). Since I don't want to totally wipe out my savings I'm trying to keep that subsidized amount low and subsequently am on a very tight budget. So...lessons learned good & bad:

Good:

• Using the Dave Ramsey envelope system has proven rather effective. It has primarily kept my frivolous spending to a minimum since I have very little allocated for shopping and entertainment - so once its out, its out!
• I used to think food was something I didn't have to track too closely, but I was wrong! Food adds up quickly. So I've been very conscious of actually creating meal plans so I buy just what I need and less food goes to waste.
  
• I actually feel like I see the city in a different way now. I'm on "the other side" somewhat, constantly thinking about where every dollar goes. I find it sort of humbling and a good life lesson. I'll definitely know the value of a dollar when this is over.
  

Bad:

• So the problem with having savings is just that. I have extra money in my account that I'm constantly aware of. I find myself sometimes thinking "well...I COULD get that...I HAVE the money..." but then I have to remind myself that good budgeting now will have a future Lauren thanking me (come next summer for example).
  
• Ivy. Ugh - I love that cat but she totally messed up my budget this month. Her vet bill was outrageous. And I spent a lot of time trying to figure out "how to make her comfortable" by trying different litters and litter boxes and foods and beds. My guess is she's pretty comfortable now. But I will have to watch spending on my little roommate.
  
• Socializing sort of stinks. I just can't go out to the bar or dinner or wherever as frequently. I mean I guess I COULD go and not buy anything, but that's a little weird.
  

In general the budget is working out. But I don't love it. And I'm not totally sure what I'm going to do come time to do big MBA application stuff. That's not a cheap process. I've started babysitting a little on the side and am trying to use that for "MBA savings" but I'll need A LOT more baby-sitting jobs before I have enough to cover the cost of visiting and applying to schools.
Well - every little bit counts.

Bring it on October!