May Budget Results......Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MAY 2011.

I have posted May's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2011 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in May.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 15.
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CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP  $102.08

Qs/Ads  $89.40
Value  $191.48
Savings  46.69%

CVS
OOP  $.99
Qs/Ads $3.49
Value  $4.48
Savings  78%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $2.00
Value  $3.98
Savings  49.75%

GERRITY'S
OOP  $32.30
Qs/Ads $44.22
Value  $76.52
Savings  57.80%

KEYCO(restaurant supply store)
OOP  $37.80

Value  $70.36
Savings  46.28%

REDNER'S
OOP  $34.39
Qs/Ads $18.53
Value  $52.92
Savings  35%

RITE AID
OOP  $10.77 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads/+Ups  $729.89
Value  $740.66
Savings  98.55% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $230.70
Qs/Ads  $274.24
Value  $504.94
Savings   54.31% & ended the month with $12 in Catalina Qs

I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nor CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECEIVED IN MAY

Phillips Toothbrush....$10.00
Pinecone Research....$6.00
Rite-Aid SCR...$59.96
Subtotal........$75.96

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

Walmart Gift Card(from Giveaway)....$15.00

Subtotal....$15.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$90.96

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Cottonelle....Free Item Q
Hard Rock Hotel...Water Bottle(from giveaway)
Suave....Free Item Q
Vocal Point....Cereal sample and Qs

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%,  CVS at 78% and Gerrity's at 57.80%.  I shopped at 8 stores in May.


TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$440.26
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1,205.08
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,645.34 with Rite-Aid figured in
TOTAL Savings of...................................73.25%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$75.96

TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$364.30
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$1,281.04
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,645.34
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................77.86%

Since my Rite-Aid shopping(which contains No OOP)always skews my savings percentages, I like to figure my Totals without the Rite-Aid numbers also.
TOTAL OOP after Rebates.....$364.30
TOTAL Value of Items Purchases(w/out Rite-Aid items)....$904.68
TOTAL Savings After Rebates(w/out Rite-Aid items).....59.74%
My food savings percentage seems to run about 50%-60% for the strictly food items only.
Those Rite-Aid purchases always boost up my savings total about 20% points.

This closes out the May spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
Obviously I went way over my $250 budgeted amount for food spending in May, even with the rebate checks added to my budget. I did the Weis Catalina deals as planned and stocked up at the restaurant supply store.  Plus some buying ahead for the graduation party in June(hamburger patties, chips, soda).

What's ahead for June.....
The relatives begin showing up on Sunday for the graduation.  I'll have more party buying to do and I'll be using lots from the freezer otherwise to feed them all.  The back end of the month will only have Hubs and I here to prepare meals for, so low spending those weeks will help balance the food budget out this month and I should be able to stay within or close to my self-imposed $250 limit.


How did you do in May with your Food Budget?
What are your challenges for June?  Any family coming to stay....or are you trying to figure out a food budget for a vacation?
Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.


Sluggy