Onward to April's food spending report.......
Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for APRIL 2014.
I have posted April's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2014 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in April. 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 4(3 at home this month)& 1 dog. No kids under 18.
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BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $13.98
Value $44.56
Savings 68.63%
BROOKSHIRE'S
OOP $23.94
Qs/Ads $11.35
Value $35.29
Savings 32.16%
MAINE SOURCE
OOP $62.34
Qs/Ads $44.02
Value $106.36
Savings 41.58%
PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $91.77
QsAds $60.89
Value $152.66
Savings 39.88%
RITE-AID
OOP $3.46
Qs/Ads/+Ups $98.73
Value $102.42
Savings 96.40%
SAM'S CLUB
OOP $42.77
Value $68.37
Savings 37.44%
OOP $3.46
Qs/Ads/+Ups $98.73
Value $102.42
Savings 96.40%
SAM'S CLUB
OOP $42.77
Value $68.37
Savings 37.44%
SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP $75.47
Qs/Ads $65.41OOP $75.47
Value $140.88
Savings 29.44%
WEIS MARKETS
OOP $156.84
Qs/Ads $56.80
Value $213.64
Savings 26.59%
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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 96.40%, the Bread Outlet at 68.63% and the local Grocer at 46.43%. My WORST savings rate was Weis(PMITA)Markets at 26.59%.
I shopped at 8 different stores this past month. (2 of them new ones while on vacation.)
TOTAL Out of Pocket........$470.57
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$393.61
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$864.18
TOTAL Savings of...................................45.52%
Without counting the Rite-Aid shopping, my savings rate was 38.39%.
This closes out the April food/toiletries spending.
THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into April with no expectations, which was a good thing since we spent well over $400 this month. We did a bit of stocking up on loss leaders and took some food/toiletries to my daughter in Louisiana. I shoot for a monthly savings rate over regular retail of 40% and we surpassed that with the Rite-Aid spending included.
While I get good value for what I spend(my OOP vs. the regular retail price)I am finding it difficult to keep the actual spending low.
I sucked at being frugal on food/toiletries in April.
bleh.
LOOKING AHEAD TO MAY......
After a runaway food spending month in April plus the road trip expenses I'll be trying to reign in the outgoing cash in May. I want to try to keep food spending to $300 or so.
We don't have any celebrations with food related costs for May so let's see if I can keep the spending down.
Of course after saying all this, I went out and spent $89.54 at the grocer store this week.
I suck.
Without counting the Rite-Aid shopping, my savings rate was 38.39%.
This closes out the April food/toiletries spending.
THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into April with no expectations, which was a good thing since we spent well over $400 this month. We did a bit of stocking up on loss leaders and took some food/toiletries to my daughter in Louisiana. I shoot for a monthly savings rate over regular retail of 40% and we surpassed that with the Rite-Aid spending included.
While I get good value for what I spend(my OOP vs. the regular retail price)I am finding it difficult to keep the actual spending low.
I sucked at being frugal on food/toiletries in April.
bleh.
LOOKING AHEAD TO MAY......
After a runaway food spending month in April plus the road trip expenses I'll be trying to reign in the outgoing cash in May. I want to try to keep food spending to $300 or so.
We don't have any celebrations with food related costs for May so let's see if I can keep the spending down.
Of course after saying all this, I went out and spent $89.54 at the grocer store this week.
I suck.
If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.
Total spend on food/toiletries so far this year.....$1,511.46
The average monthly food/toiletries spending this year so far is $377.87.
How much did you spend on food/toiletries in April?
Do you track your yearly food spending?
Do you track your yearly food spending?
Sluggy
Haha. Were the $89 spent yesterday? If not, they could be called April's... I know how that feels. Sometimes I prefer when we get paid far away from a new month beginning, because it makes the funds seem like they go so much farther!
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I didnt spend a lot on food for April... mostly because I spent the funds for soft foods during March. Overall, I spent about $100 of $120... but that's not counting the boatload of foods I bought while at my parents' house for them. That probably added another $60 if not higher.
Yes it was spent May 1st darn it! lol
DeleteIf I just moved it over into April's food spending that would put me over $559 for last month.
I guess I'll live with keeping it real and in May's tally sheet.
And I wonder what your parents are going to do about food once you really do move across the country.....
Sluggy
ReplyDeleteDO you menu plan? THis has saved me a ton of money over the years. How I do it:
-grab a freebie wall calender (pinned inside a kitchen cabinet)
-take an inventory of all food already in the house
-create menu (dinner) plans around what is on hand, substituting whenever needed, if possible, ultimately creating the "must haves/gotta buy this" list for the upcoming month (I do this on the 15th of the previous month for the upcoming month). I also have menu "themes" for the various days of the week: Big meat meal on Sunday aka Sunday supper that will provide soup stock/sandwich fillings, enough meat for a second meal; Fish on monday, Crock pot Tuesday, vegetarian Thursday etc. This helps me to brain storm ideas. DO I ever stray off the menu? sure, but 95% of the time, it's what is cooked/served. THis written menu also killed "what's for dinner, Mom?"-a bonus
HTH
BTW-I have an under $400/month budget for food, including an organic CSA farm share. This covers food, personal care, paper goods, cleaning items but not pet supplies for 4 people plus 2 frequent flyers (all members are 15 and up). If I overspend one month, the overage rolls over into the next and I severely limit my spending the next month to make up for it. We also eat seasonally, most of our food is cooked from scratch, we rarely eat out.
Carol,
DeleteI do meal plan, have for Years.(see my reg. Monday posts, "This Week on the Dining Table").
This month with the vacation and leaving an 18 yr old with money & leftovers & food ready to cook in the freezer so he can Fend for Himself(and him opting for letting food here sit(and rot)and buying take out and pizza every night)things didn't work out so well.
Back to what I normally do in May.
And thanks.