My grocery store receipt from yesterday made me stop and think

I was in the checkout line at the big store on Maple Street and my total was almost $40 over what I had in my budget envelope. The cashier just said "happens all the time" as she handed it to me. What's a good way to keep a running total in your head while you shop?

2 comments

2 Comments

charlie_ellis1d ago

Phone calculator is my lifeline. Just add each price as you drop stuff in the cart. It's way more exact than rounding and you see the number climb in real time. That cashier line is a mood though, makes you feel kinda helpless.

grace5081d ago

Oh man, that "happens all the time" line from the cashier is so real. I've been there, standing at the register feeling my stomach drop. My trick is to round every single item up to the nearest dollar as I put it in the cart. So if something is $2.49, I think $3. That way I'm always overestimating, and the real total is almost always a nice surprise under my mental number. It's not perfect, but it keeps me from that checkout shock.