Wednesday, December 30, 2015

2015 Food & Toiletries Spending......December Update & Year End TOTALS



Onward to December's food spending report.......



Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2015.

I have posted December's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2015 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.  I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in November.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Sum.  My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2-3 at home this month). No kids under 19.

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BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $4.75
Value  $20.45
Savings  76.77%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $8.00
Value  $19.82
Savings  59.63%%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP  $35.88
Qs/Ads/gift card $59.59
Value  $95.47
Savings 62.41%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/gift card  $549.00
Value  $549.00
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $57.24
Qs/Ads $33.98
Value  $91.22
Savings  37.25%

SURPLUS OUTLET
OOP  $19.04
Value  $32.90
Savings  42.13%

TARGET
OOP  $0.00
Value  $14.38
Savings  100%

WEIS MARKETS
OOP  $278.76
Qs/Ads  $336.79
Value  $615.55
Savings  54.71%

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Target and Rite-Aid at 100%,  Bakery Outlet at 76.77% and  Price Chopper at 62.41%.  My WORST savings rate was Shursave Markets at 37.25%.  Besides Shursave all my savings precentages were at Least in the 40's.  8-)

I shopped at 8 different stores this past month.

** My TOTAL out of pocket for December food/toiletries was $403.67.
However I cahsed out my Saving Star account(where some of my electronic coupons savings are deposited-I don't count these coupon savings in my monthly totals until it's cashed out)and was able to deposit $84.17 for 2015 into our bank account, thus offsetting $84.17 of food spending.  This brought my OOP spending from $403.67 down to $319.50.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........ $319.50**
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1119.29
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1438.79
TOTAL Savings of...................................77.79%
TOTAL Savings without Rite-Aid...........64.09%

This closes out the December food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into December wanting to do a $350 food budget for the month and I went over by $53.67 due to last minute Holiday temptations.  8-(  The only thing that saved the month was the cashing out and banking of my SavingStar rebates and I had almost forgotten to do that before year's end.  This deposit brought my food spending in December down to $319.50 so I finished the month under budget.

The monthly savings percentage went down by 1.2% in December to 77.79% compared to November's 78.99% savings average.  This is mainly due to all that free stuff I got at Rite-Aid in November Black Friday weekend and then I got less free stuff in December.  Still way over the 40% savings rate I like to see each month.

GRAND TOTALS for 2015

2015 YEARLY OOP SPENDING on Food/Toiletries........$4,338.87
2015 YEARLY VALUE OF ITEMS BOUGHT.........$11,975.45
2015 YEARLY SAVINGS of................$7,636.58
2015 SAVINGS PERCENTAGE on SPENDING..........63.77%

I have spent a total of $4,338.87 on food/toiletries in 2015. That averages out to $361.57 per month. We came in at a monthly average of under $400 for the year which pleases me.  By strategic shopping we were able to eat well AND save money. 8-)

LOOKING AHEAD To January 2016.........
As we are packed to the gills with food/toiletries I think we'll be eating down our stores at the house and not grocery shopping much in January.  I am thinking $200 in food spending for January and perhaps another $100 to stock up College Boy with provisions for the upcoming semester.


If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.
Here's hoping y'all had a great year for spending less on food in 2015.

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in December?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?
*  What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons vs. buying at regular retail price last month, if you track that sort of thing?
*  What are your methods for keeping your food spending in check?

Now let's start 2016 off right by tracking where your money goes on food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods/pet needs.
Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

9 comments:

  1. Awesome savings from Rite-aid and Target!! WTG!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Working the deals and free gift cards help Belinda. 8-)

      Delete
  2. How do you keep track? Do you use a spreadsheet? You did awesome in savings!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Gayle.
      I am old skool, I use a notebook, pen and calculator to keep track of my spending. Keeps my brain sharper too. ;-)

      Delete
    2. Oh, me too!! Didn't know anyone else still did it that way! You've inspired me to keep better track this year and spend less at the grocery store!

      Delete
  3. I have been buying a paper for $2, only to find there is maybe one coupon I will even use. Although there are coupons I could use, I don't need or want that product. So, I quit buying the newspaper until I check online to see exactly which coupons are in the paper!

    Since I don't have a phone to load coupons, my printer is not working, and I haven't yet started buying coupons online, I consequently almost never use coupons. Still, by watching for sales and price-matching, I do save a hefty amount each week. Now, I pay $2 gal for milk by price-matching at WM for the low Kroger price of $2.00 instead of $2.89 at Aldi or $3.48 at WM.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I should tally up actual coupons that I use some day. I really don't use them much except at Rite-Aid for toiletries. I got some good Qs in a booklet at Walmart last night when I went w/Eldest grocery shopping. A clerk was demoing/food samples of some dips for NYE and was giving them out. Give a look for them if you are in the store.

      Delete
  4. My sissie is here and she refers to going to Rite-aid as doing a Sluggy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Doing a Sluggy" huh? At least it's not something worse.....lolz Tell Sissie I'll take that one. 8-)

      Delete

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