Saturday, September 29, 2018

Food & Toiletries Spending 2018......the September Edition

* I won't be doing anymore food spending this month so I'm posting this a bit early.*

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



Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for SEPTEMBER 2018.

I have posted September's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in September.  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 4-5(4 at home this month). No "kids" under 22.

*****************

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $10.00
Value  $41.31
Savings  75.80%

DOLLAR GENERAL
OOP  $38.94
Ads/Qs  $45.00
Value  $83.94
Savings  58.55%

GIANT
OOP  $19.11
Value  $79.74
Savings  76.03%

MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $54.65
Value  $108.58
Savings  49.67%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC  $965.93
Value  $965.93
Savings  100%

SURPLUS OUTLET
OOP  $34.40
Value  $67.67
Savings  49.17%

WALMART
OOP  $17.67
Value  $31.27
Savings   43.49%

WEIS MARKETS
OOP  $311.58
Qs/Ads  $366.35
Value  $677.93
Savings  54.04%

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, Giant at 76.03% and the Bread Outlet at 75.80%.  My worst savings rate was at Walmart at 43.49%.  If your worst savings rate is well over 40% that's great, right? ;-)

I shopped at 8 different stores this past month.  

TOTAL Out of Pocket for September..........$486.35
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales............$604.09
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.........$1090.44
TOTAL Savings of ................................58%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for August.....$486.35
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales....$1570.02
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid.....$2056.37
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items........76.35%

This closes out the September food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
September's spending was off the rails.  I spent $86.35 more than my $400 food budget.
We have the money for it so it's not like it's a problem for our finances though.  I just take money from another area in September where we were under budget.  If I had to dip into savings to cover this overage or if I spent the money foolishly and didn't get great value for my dollars this would be serious.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went Up by .06% in September 2018 to 76.35% compared to August's 76.29% savings average.
The free stuff from Rite-Aid skewers my averages but without R-A I am at 55.40% savings.  So even without R-A we are doing well on the "savings" front.

With 9 months accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $3955.63 on food/toiletries in 2018 which is a 73.66savings rate for the year so far and averages out to $439.51 spent per month in 2018.  We crept back up away from my $400 per month average for the year in September.

LOOKING AHEAD To October.......
October is looking like an austere grocery spending month.  Except for those items we run out of every week(milk, fresh produce, fresh fruit, etc.)we are well stocked so I am going to try to put the brakes on food spending this month, or do what others call a Pantry Challenge.  I am not a fan of these things(since they just trigger in me a response that makes me want to spend more lol)but I am going to try to not grocery shop beyond the immediate essentials.  No stocking up in October.  This might work since October is typically when there are few food deals around in my area......the lull before the November/December holiday deals.
Except for the Shursave Market which runs a Thanksgiving Promo starting in early Oct.(You spend on anything in the store and accumulate points toward a Turkey Day gift certificate-not a free turkey.  Depending on your spending level you get either a $10 or a $20 certificate between early Oct. and early Nov.)
Since I typically don't spend the bulk of my food dollars at this chain I hardly ever earn even the $10 certificate but I feel compelled to spend $ there at the last minute to "catch-up" and earn that cert....even though it's really NOT a great deal to do so.

We'll see how October plays out.  ;-)

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in September?
*  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?

Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

4 comments:

  1. We were over, as I was stocking up for school lunches & snacks. But, I think we'll make up for that in October. Also, the kids are eating more! They are 11 & 12, and in multiple sports, so I do try to have healthy options available. Lots of fruit & vegetables, as well as heartier options. It's a balancing act. I wish I could eat as much as them!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I decided it was time to start tracking again. I just finished my canning for the year. I feel like a chipmunk, plenty stored for winter. Meat, eggs, milk will be our spends for October- nothing more. We shall see how long we last!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I actually am doing great on all categories. Being intentional is the key to staying on track!

    ReplyDelete

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