According to Merriam-Webster, incidentals are defined as "minor items (as of expense) that are not particularized." Every astute budget-maker and budget-keeper allots for such expenses, ironically regular and random as they are. Mine covered new tires and wisdom teeth extraction last month. This month it equated to a $750 down payment for my son's orthodontia.
What I failed to consider was that within a grocery budget, incidentals should also be anticipated. It is pure cause and effect. Because my son had new braces, I had to purchase items I normally would not purchase. For example, part of his soft diet consisted of mashed potatoes for two days, along with ice cream. Since I was worried that my mashed potatoes would not be tasty or soft enough, we ordered the ones at Price Chopper. Four containers at $2.69 each. I cringe thinking about how many sacks of potatoes I could have bought instead. The ice cream was not on sale, either. He had a few extra hot lunches this week since my homemade pizza was a little too crunchy and peanut butter sandwiches were out of the question. Total incidentals so far this month... $22.55, acceptable due to comfort issues, but all unanticipated. From this point, I will need to reset my monthly cap to include incidentals!
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