Food Spending....the September Edition

Onward to September's Food Spending Report....

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for September 2025.

I have posted September's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located  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, Pet Food. We are a family of 2(and 2 dogs).
***************

ALDI

OOP  $50.2

Value $74.76

Savings  24.74%

DOLLAR GENERAL

OOP  $38.80

Value  $69.25

Savings  43.97%

REDNER'S

OOP  $83.68

Value  $103.49

Savings  41.00%

SCHIFF'S

OOP $70.73

Value  $89.68

Savings  19.15%

SHOPRITE

OOP  $35.39

Value $48.50

Savings  27.04%

WALMART

OOP  $178.90

Value  $276.94

Savings  35.40%

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My best Store Savings Total was at Dollar General with a savings of 43.97% and at Redner's with a savings rate of 41.00%. Not a bad savings rate average overall though.

I shopped at 6 different stores in SEPTEMBER.

TOTAL Spent in September....$543.73

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$235.24

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased....$778.97

TOTAL Savings of........30.20%

This closes out the September food/toiletries/etc. spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month....

The Monthly food spending savings percentage was 30.20% . No where near my 40% average which I prefer but there were reasons(mostly specialty products to make Keto compliant items).

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.

With 9 months accounted for, I have spent a Total of $3,765.69 on groceries/HBA/paper goods/etc. in 2025.

2025 Yearly Total Value of Items  $5,403.09

2025 Total Saved   $1,637.40

2025 Yearly Total Spent  $3,765.69

2025 Yearly Savings Total of  30.30%

The average per month amount spent is $418.41 in 2025 so far but that's before all the rebate monies are added in.

Remember that I withdraw all my cash rebate monies(Ibotta, Shopmium, TaDa, Checkout 51, Swag Bucks, My Points and other miscellaneous rebates-Aisle, Tremendous, Sampoll  etc. and have it 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.  I don't add in all the cashed out savings until the end of the year,

The other savings apps like Fetch, Shop Kick, Kroger Cash Back that let us get free gift cards(or $ off your grocery total-Kroger Cash Back), those are added back in when I cash those points in along the way.  Alexa app gave 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 and it's defunct now so I won't worry about that bit.

Because I don't like to let money sit in these rebate accounts and Paypal, I send $$ to my bank account throughout the year.  So far I have sent $798.61 from various rebating programs and through Paypal to my bank(and used some of my Ibotta $$ to buy gift cards so $ is going back into the food purchases).  If you add in all that my food spending at the 9 month point in 2025 comes in at $2,967.08 or $329.68 per month.

Besides all I sent to my bank account I have more $ sitting in these various rebating programs as well as in Paypal.  This is not counting ShopKick or Fetch, which all comes out in gift cards.

LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER 2025....

It's difficult right now with my health issues to go to the store so I am having to rely on Hubs to do much of the shopping,  Plus we don't have room to stock up much.  Sigh  What's a frugalista to do?? ;-)

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 September?

*  Do you track your yearly food spending?  It's really not that hard or time consuming; just keep 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

   

Frugal Friday...the October 3rd Edition on Saturday

 Not too much frugal going on here.

*  When to Occupational and Physical Therapy this week.

*  I sold 4 items on eBay last week.  Go me! 8-)))

*  I earned 0 Shop Kicks.

*  I earned $29 on Ibotta.

*  I earned 125 points on Fetch.

*  We got a storage unit and are moving more things into it in prep for when we move back to the area we had our house in.  While not frugal now it will be when it comes time to move.

*  I found money!  Nope, skunked again.  Even went to Aldi last week and didn't find any abandoned carts. rats.

Found Money The Past Week.....00¢

Grand Total Found in 2025....$6.59

That's all I got.

What frugal things did you do this past week?

Sluggy

Musical Interlude

 Long day here.

Enjoy this until I get back online.

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday........the September 29th Edition

Guess what I found on an island near the Arctic Circle??

Yep! A used dental floss pick on the ground.

Onward to the meal planning!  Here is what was planned for the last week.....

Here is what was planned for the this week.....

1. Sunday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini

2. Monday--Beef and Broccoli

3. Tuesday--Take-Out

4. Wednesday--Cheddar Broccoli Soup

5. Thursday--Salmon, leftover Green Beans

6. Friday--Don't know yet

7. Saturday--Don't know yet

And here's what happened....

1. Sunday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini

2. Monday--Pizza

3. Tuesday--Beef and Broccoli

4. Wednesday--leftover Pizza

5. Thursday--Cheddar Broccoli Soup

6. Friday--Salmon, Asstd.Leftover Veggies

7. Saturday--Leftover Cheeseburger, Green Beans

We shopped at Walmart and Hubs bought coffee at Dollar General last week.

What got taken out of the freezer.......

*  Chicken Thighs

*  Marinated Thin Sliced Beef

*  Salmon

The last week we spent a whopping $84.38 on groceries(a quarter of that was Hubs' coffee)and the savings rate came in at 36.61%. Spending for the month is $376.93 and the savings rate is 33.05% for September before rebate monies are added in.

 

Rebates earned in September--

$144.31 on Ibotta

$2.80 on Checkout51

$10.92 on Aisle and Misc.

$158.03 total in $$

Total spent after rebates is $218.96

for September. 

5,134 Pts. on Fetch 

1,706 Pts. on Swag Bucks

880 Pts. on MyPoints

6,129 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Before AND after rebates we had a slightly low spend month for groceries, so far, at least for us.

Leftovers going into next week...zuke in tomatoes

Here is what is planned for the this week.....

1. Sunday--leftover Cheddar Broccoli Soup

2. Monday--Roast Beef and Provolone Subs

3. Tuesday--Chicken w/Artichoke filling, Caesar Salad

4. Wednesday--Pork Tenderloin w/Stir-Fry

5. Thursday--Schnitzel(guess who went to Aldi?lol)Green Beans or Cabbage

6. Friday--Leftover Pork Tenderloin, Yellow Squash

7. Saturday--maybe Chicken Marsala for company

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week.

Sluggy   

Why Boomers are Retiring "Broke"

This video is very interesting.  I have to agree with him on most of it.  Unless you stayed out of the stock market until the '90s or made and hung onto large salaries(or were with one of the few companies that continued to offer pensions)you'd be among these people.

Tell me what you think.

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....September 26th Edition

 Not too much frugal going on here.

*  Had knee xrays put on a CD for the surgeon.  No cost to me, Medicare picked up the tab.

*  When to Occupational Therapy this week.

*  I sold 10 items on eBay last week.  Go me! 8-)))

*  No eating out but we used a gift card to get pizza one night.

*  I earned 550 Shop Kicks.

*  I earned $53.48 on Ibotta.

*  I earned 2,42 points on Fetch.

*  We got a storage unit and are moving more things into it in prep for when we move back to the area we had our house in.  While not frugal now it will be when it comes time to move.

*  I found money!

Found a dime at Domino's.

Found Money The Past Week.....10¢

Grand Total Found in 2025....$6.59

That's all I got.

What frugal things did you do this past week?

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday....the September 22nd Edition

 

 

Onward to the meal planning!  Here is what was planned for the last week.....

Here is what was planned for the this week.....

1. Sunday--Chicken Marsala, Assorted Veggies

2. Monday--Salmon, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Hubs leftover, me nothing

4. Wednesday--leftovers

5. Thursday--Ginger Chicken(Hubs rice also)

6. Friday--Cheeseburger, Veg TBD

7. Saturday--Don't know yet

And here's what happened....

1. Sunday--Chicken Marsala, Assorted Veggies

2. Monday--Salmon, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Hubs leftover, me nothing

4. Wednesday--leftover Chicken Marsala, Veggies

5. Thursday--Ginger Chicken(me)

6. Friday--Cheeseburger, Green Beans

7. Saturday--leftover Chicken Marsala, Caesar Salad 

We shopped at Shoprite and Walmart last week.

What got taken out of the freezer.......

*  Chicken Breasts

*  Salmon

*  Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

The last week we spent a whopping $60.00 on groceries and the savings rate came in at 38.69%. Spending for the month is $292.55 and the savings rate is 34.71% for September before rebate monies are added in.

 

Rebates earned in September--

$90.83 on Ibotta

$2.30 on Checkout51

$0 on Aisle and Misc.

$93.13 total in $$

Total spent after rebates is $199.42

for September. 

2,767 Pts. on Fetch 

1,706 Pts. on Swag Bucks

800 Pts. on MyPoints

6,129 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Before AND after rebates we had a slightly low spend month for groceries, so far, at least for us.

Leftovers going into next week...chili Hubs made.

Here is what is planned for the this week.....

1. Sunday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini

2. Monday--Beef and Broccoli

3. Tuesday--Take-Out

4. Wednesday--Cheddar Broccoli Soup

5. Thursday--Salmon, leftover Green Beans

6. Friday--Don't know yet

7. Saturday--Don't know yet

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week.

Sluggy   

The Creators of the Tudor Dynasty

 Not only did these two created the Tudor dynasty but they are my direct ancestors(my 19th Great Grands).

Interesting podcast.........

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the September 19th Edition

   Not much frugal going on here.

*  Drove to NJ for a consult with a surgeon.  That's an entire day I won't get back but he has agreed to do knee surgery on me.  It's still to be determined if this will cost me anything OOP(besides our premiums).  fingers crossed

*  I sold 3 items on eBay last week.  Go me!  And they were both large!

*  No eating out.  whoopee

*  I earned 1,208 Shop Kicks.

*  I earned $10.93 on Ibotta.

*  We got a storage unit and are moving more things into it in prep for when we move back to the area we had our house in.  While not frugal now it will be when it comes time to move.

*  I found money!

No, I got skunked again.

Found Money The Past Week.....00¢

Grand Total Found in 2025....$6.49

That's all I got.

What frugal things did you do this past week?

Sluggy

FAFO!

Yes, you have a First Amendment right.  But there are consequences for ones words and/or actions.

If an employer doesn't want your views to be associated with their brand, they have every right to severe your relationship with them.

Nobody deserves to die for their political views.  And nobody deserves people to cheer for their death.

Lots of people are learning about FAFO right now.

Don't give your hard earned money to companies that celebrate death and evil.

Sluggy

Charlie Kirk - An American Hero

They willl not silence truth tellers.

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday....the September 15th Edition

It seems like this is my life.  Between dealing with eBay a-holes, keeping the house clean and therapy and dr. appointments I can't catch a break.
 

Onward to the meal planning!  Here is what was planned for the last week.....

Here is what was planned for the this week.....

1. Sunday--Take-out

2. Monday--Chicken Parm, leftover Green Beans

3. Tuesday--leftover take-out

4. Wednesday--Chicken BBQ, Sweet Potato Fries

5. Thursday--Meatballs(w/or w/o Pasta), Caesar Salad

6. Friday--Stir-Fry Pork and Veggies

7. Saturday--Salmon, Veggies TBD

And here's what happened....

1. Sunday--Take-out

2. Monday--Chicken Parm, leftover Green Beans

3. Tuesday--leftover take-out

4. Wednesday--leftover Chicken Parm, Green Beans

5. Thursday--Stir-Fry Pork, Veggies

6. Friday--Meatballs(Pasta for Hubs), Caesar Salad

7. Saturday--Stir-Fry leftovers(me

We shopped at Dollar General and Walmart last week.

What got taken out of the freezer.......

*  half a Pork Loin

*  Meatballs

*  Stir-Fry Veggies

*  Chicken

The last week we spent a whopping $81.14 on groceries and the savings rate came in at 43.18%. Spending for the month is $232.55 and the savings rate is 33.60% for September before rebate monies are added in.

 

Rebates earned in September--

$79.58 on Ibotta

$2.30 on Checkout51

$0 on Aisle and Misc.

$81.88 total in $$

Total spent after rebates is $150.67

for September. 

2,592 Pts. on Fetch 

1,706 Pts. on Swag Bucks

800 Pts. on MyPoints

6,129 Pts. on ShopKick

0 Pts. on TaDa

(I don't count these until I cash out for a gift card or cash.)

Before AND after rebates we had a slightly low spend month for groceries, so far, at least for us.

Leftovers going into next week...chili

Here is what is planned for the this week.....

1. Sunday--Chicken Marsala, Assorted Veggies

2. Monday--Salmon, Baked Sweet Potato Fries

3. Tuesday--Hubs leftover, me nothing

4. Wednesday--leftovers

5. Thursday--Ginger Chicken(Hubs rice also)

6. Friday--Cheeseburger, Veg TBD

7. Saturday--Don't know yet

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week.

Sluggy