Last week I was in Whole Foods. On the rare occasion I'm feeling flush, it's the first place I want to go.

Thanks to my bankcard budget, I knew I had a firm cap of $70 to spend on groceries.

When I got to the register—with my cart full of organic produce and those overpriced squeezable apple sauce treats for my three-year-old (single pouches cost $1.99—as much as one jar at ShopRite)—I asked the cashier to tell me when my total hit $70.

I was so embarrassed, because when my total reached $68 (pretty quickly), I had to give back about 1/3 of my cart. I watched sheepishly as a shelf-stocker carried my goods away.

I thought the cashier would roll his eyes at me, along with the six people on line behind me. Regardless, I valiantly declared, “I’m on a budget!”

To my surprise, my line-mates cheered. Even the cashier smiled at me.

I walked out with my budget (and pride) intact—and with a receipt for $68.17.

Beyond self-help. Do you feel supported or thwarted by your community in your budgeting efforts?