Onward to January's Food Spending Report.....
Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for January 2024.
I have posted January's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there. I closed out the books on January a few days early so everything I bought after 1/25/24 will go on February's ledger.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in January. 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, Pet Food. We are a family of 2(and 2 dogs).
****************
ALDI
OOP $4.98
Sales $3.00
Value $7.98
Savings 37.60%
BREAD OUTLET
OOP $6.40
Saving $10.66
Value $17.06
Savings 62.49%
KROGER
OOP $258.31
Qs/Gift Cards $179.73
Value $438.04
Savings 41.03%
SHOPPER'S VALUE
OOP $26.82
Sales $13.64
Value $40.46
Savings 33.71%
WALMART
OOP $286.93
Qs/Gift Cards $170.61
Value $457.54
Savings 37.29%
WORLD MARKET
OOP $69.50
Sales $352.77
Value $422.27
Savings 83.54%
********************
My best Store Savings Total was at World Market with a savings of 83.54%. My worse rate was at Walmart with 37.29%.
I shopped at 6 different stores in JANUARY.
TOTAL Spent in January......$652.94
TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$730.41
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.....$1,383.35
TOTAL Savings of........52.80%
This closes out the JANUARY food/toiletries/etc. spending.
THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month....
The Monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 2.82% in January to 52.80% compared to December's 49.98% savings average. Since we have an adequate income and food should be a pleasure in life(no way am I going to eat unseasoned rice and beans for my remaining days like some people-because I don't have to). I will buy quality food and pay the price at the register. I may not like the price but I will deal with it.
The Savings total was great mostly due to all that 90% clearance at World Market after Christmas which was mostly snacks and nibbles and not "real" food. 8-))
With 1 month accounted for, I have spent a Total of $652.94 on groceries/HBA/paper goods/etc. in 2024.
2024 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$652.94
2024 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$1,383.35
2024 Grand Total Saved...............................$730.41
2024 Yearly Savings Total..............................52.80%
The average per month amount spent is $652.94 in 2024 so far but that's before all the rebate monies are added in.
Remember that I withdraw all my cash rebate monies(Ibotta, Coupons dotcom, Shopmium, Checkout 51 and other miscellaneous rebates sent to my Paypal)at the end of the year and add it back into my food budget, so at the end of the year my food spending will go down. The other savings apps like Fetch, Shop Kick, Kroger Cash Back that let us get free gift cards(or $ off your grocery total-Kroger), those are added back in when I cash those points in along the way. Alexa app gives me Amazon credit onto my account but I don't buy food on Amazon(sometimes I buy dog food there)so I really don't know how to count that.
LOOKING AHEAD TO FEBRUARY 2024.....There are a few deals I want to do this week(mostly frozen food clearance at my Walmart)and those will be accounted for in February's budget since I've closed the books on January as of 1/25/24.
I plan on avoiding Ibotta, etc. deals(unless they are items we really really need)in February....and now that I've written that there will be massive discounts this month. lolz).
I really need to seriously get back on track with meals and spending. With traveling, the Holidays and my Birthday, January has been kind of a wash so I'm kicking it into high gear for February and closing the purse strings this coming month. February I'll be concentrating on using up freezer and pantry goods that have lingered too long. I am also going on an Ibotta Fast for February, meaning unless we "need" it, even if it's free or a great deal, I am Not buying it.
I don't have a firm dollar amount budget but I'll shoot for good quality but at the lowest prices I can find. That's a challenge, given it's the dead of Winter and veggies, even here in the deep South, are pricey but I plan to hit up the Aldi that just opened in November in town. woot!
If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share your thoughts with us all.
* How much did you spend on food/toiletries in January?
* Do you track your yearly food spending? It's really not that hard or time consuming; just have your receipts and either track it in a notebook or on a spreadsheet.
* What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons versus 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
I admire how organized you are with your monthly tracking on those purchases. I am too lazy; but I do try and shop around for deals when I can. I live vicariously through all your deals, and I am in awe of the amount you save. Like you there is more to life than living on beans and rice!!
ReplyDeleteGill, I'm just a money nerd, that's all. Just keep your receipts in a binder or bag and sit down at the end of the month and add em up. 8-))
DeleteTarget lowered their eggs to match Aldi prices since they are so close together in the college town. When I spent more time at work house I almost exclusively shopped at Walmart. Now that I am in University town a lot, I shop Aldi, Dollar Tree,, SAMs, Winn Dixie, and sometimes Target. I seldom shop at Walmart now. I like Aldi’s prices on chips, bread, mini bagels, salad kits, spinach, cheese, eggs, milk, and hot dogs for the dogs. I usually buy hamburger meat at Winn Dixie but will occasionally buy it at Aldi. I usually buy paper towels at Sam’s, and I like Target for the occasional special. Winn Dixie also does a lot of Bogo and is two minutes from my house, and Dollar Tree is next to it. Usually Alsi is the cheapest on most everything and I stick with them except on bad hair days where I just cannot deal with the lines. What I buy is very repetitive because of autistic kid. Cindy in the South
ReplyDeleteI forgot to add I did not eat out at all, not even a bag of chips at a convenience store. However, I did buy Hardee’s breakfast in drive thru for autistic kid twice when he was having a meltdown. Cindy in the South
ReplyDeleteI actually like blackeyed peas and brown rice with no seasoning at all. However, that will never be a meal for more than one meal.
ReplyDeleteWe buy what we want and need, good quality and at whatever price we have to pay. Still, we don't spend much. I did buy frozen broccoli bogo and for less than fresh. As long as we have bscb, we are okay...lol. It is amazing that almost everything we want or need is bogo sooner or later. Neither of us eat or want pricey cuts of meat, thankfully.
All our produce now must be shipped in, so high prices. I cannot wait until the local farmer's markets open.
I’m done trying for the Ibotta bonuses. They delayed a rebate for the second time so that the bonus was skipped. Not worth going through their appeals process for a few dollars.
ReplyDeleteWe have budget for every category of living expenses. Its a generous budget for two retirees. We saved money while working so we don't have to skimp on buying food We eat less meat/chicken than others and eat 80% healthy so not much spent on bunny snacks. I shop BOGOs at Publix. Shop some at Aldi but not as much in summer as south's heat is so brutal I won't get out of car to save just a few bucks I shop mostly at Kroger and fill in at Wal-Mart. Three stores within two blocks and Wal-Mart is 2 miles from those 3 I check and use digital coupons regularly
ReplyDeleteDarlene in Tn
We spent $406 in January on groceries, but we did eat out more than usual (ski trip), so it's not totally accurate. Either way, it was more than reasonable, given we are feeding two adults & two teens.
ReplyDelete