I busted our budget

Where I work, they provide a deli for employees to use during lunch hours. Prior to June, the deli was run through a partnership with a local high school that would give students some work experience. Because of that setup, the deli wasn’t always the most pleasant place, but it was convenient. There were days that weren’t so convenient however. Like, short days, snow days, and school holidays. On those days the deli was closed.

With the summer break upon us, we expected a closed deli until school resumed it’s normal schedule. But, in June, there were some rumors about a new deli. One not run by students, but by a local grocer known for having a good selection of food. Two weeks ago, the new deli opened with polite grocery employees and a good variety of dishes that actually made lunch enjoyable and not so much of a have-to.

With the new deal, however, the cost rose a bit. On average, about $1 more than we were paying before. The nice thing is that we can use our employee ID badges to buy food from the deli and the cost is deducted from payroll. I averaged about $12-15 every two weeks at the deli. Well, I received my pay stub yesterday and it was definitely more than my average. In fact, I spent $27 these last two weeks–more than $10 above my average. I expected an increase, so I got $20 less of my blow money to compensate. Apparently, I missed it just a bit.

My husband asked me last night if I bought a book at work. (I work for a wholesale book provider) I told him what happened and he looked just a tad annoyed. I looked at him and told him that I’m now reducing my deli use to once a week. It just cost way too much. Anyway, because of the increase our budget was a little strained. Sure, we have enough to cover the overage, but that comes out our savings. Something I’m not comfortable with at all.