Because I spent exactly TWICE as much as I usually do, that’s why. Of course, my husband was with me, so I can try and pin some of this on him. Fact is, though, he’s usually with me, because of his previously mentioned love of grocery stores. The real reason for the overspending was poor planning. At the last minute.

Let me explain. I had my lists done. Bakery outlet, high end grocery store, and regular grocery store - and assorted other errands that make Saturdays exciting. Right before leaving, my son called. He and his girlfriend were on their way into town, and would we be around in two hours? Of course we would (but not if we went to all the places on the list) And it was my mom’s birthday, and my brother was having a party for her that afternoon. Now, on top of all this, I had a dream the night before that my son came into town, AND that we were late for my mom’s party because of all the running around. I took this as a warning, and I decided to consolidate errands. We would ONLY go to the regular grocery store. Which we did.

Of course, my list had items that I had planned to pick up at three different stores. Obviously, the bread was not going to be as cheap as at the bakery outlet. And while the high end store had some good deals on fruit, the regular grocery store did not. That continued to drive up the grocery bill.

Then there was the husband factor. This particular grocery store, we rarely go to. Well, make that, HE rarely goes to. I walk there at lunch quite frequently, and had ordered the birthday cake there (which explains why we ended up at that store.) Well, a new and different grocery store PLUS my husband equals the potential for higher grocery bills. This was no exception.

Finally, because at least half the items I need were on lists for other grocery stores, and I organize each list by the way the stores are laid out, I ended up running back and forth and criss-crossing the store several times. Which, of course, exposed both of us to unnecessary temptations.

The result, as I said, was a grocery bill that was twice as high as it should have been. Unfortunately, there was nothing to warn me about THAT little fact in the dream…

Planning is great. Sticking to the plan is priceless.