[lrjohnson]

cschin:
I've used Quicken to track all my spending since 98. It really helps me to know what I am paying for things to help me reduce costs. There's Jesse's (JMJJ215) advanced spreadsheet at YouneedaBudget.com. A lot of people just keep track simply in a spreadhseet or on paper.

You need to decide how to start breaking it down. For me, groceries is only groceries; I put toilet paper, shampoo, etc. in another category. I do put dirt and seeds and starters for edible plants in my grocery budget.

A really low key way to do it would be to just have your husband stick all the receipts in one spot for 2 or three months. Then spend a little time adding up those receipts.

You can see from the widely varying expenses that there is a lot of flexibility in the food budget. I think it's the area where people can get the most savings per month if it's an area that haven't been watching before.