Food & Toiletries Spending......September Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for SEPTEMBER 2014.

I have posted September'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 September.  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 3(2 at home this month)& 1 dog. No kids under 18.

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FARM STAND
OOP  $28.00
Value  $60.95
Savings  54.07%

GIANT
OOP  $27.86
Qs/Ads  $15.20
Value  $43.06
Savings  35.30%

MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $15.09
Value  $23.19
Savings  34.93%

SAM'S CLUB
OOP  $51.22
Value  $73.50
Savings  30.31%

TARGET
OOP  $18.78
Qs/Ads  $79.97
Value  $98.75
Savings  81%

RITE-AID
OOP  $8.48
Qs/Ads/+UPs  $449.50
Value  $457.98
Savings   98.15%

 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $95.22

Qs/Ads  $35.98

Value  $131.20

Savings  35.98%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $107.88

Qs/Ads  $85.33

Value  $193.21

Savings  44.17%
 

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 98.15%,  Target at 81% and the Farm stand at 54.07%.  My WORST savings rate was Sam's Club at 30.31%.
I shopped at 8 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$306.67

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$850.80

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,157.47

TOTAL Savings of...................................73.50%
TOTAL Savings WITHOUT Rite-Aid.............57.37%

This closes out the September food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I came close to the $300 budget I shot for this month.
$6.67 over that target.

The monthly savings percentage went up by 9.50% in September to 73.50% compared to August's  64% average.

In addition the savings percentage went up for the year by 3.67% because of the great savings month that was September.  After August my yearly % of savings was 49.12% and after adding Septmeber in it stands at 52.79% for the year.
8-)
But I am not expecting it to stay that high.....though 2013's yearly rate was 46.77% so who knows where it will end up in 2014.  8-)

Even if I remove my Rite-Aid shopping out my September totals that monthly total is $298.19 spent with a 57.37% savings rate. 
Awesome.

Total spend on food/toiletries so far this year after 9 months.....$3,634.86.

The average monthly food/toiletries spending to-date for the year so far is $403.87.  We brought it down from $416.03 which is where it stood after August's spending was added in.
I saw a decrease in the monthly average by $12.16 so far for the year.

While September wasn't the month we got the average monthly food spending back under a $400 per month average, but we got it within $4 of there.
I'll take it!

LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER......

I am going to try again for a $300 food spending budget this month.  It's just Hubs and I here this month again and I don't foresee any company coming for meals.
Since we have an extra 3rd paycheck this month it's tempting to loosen the spending in October and buy some food treats.....lobster, steak, and even paying full price for other items.
Shocking, right? lolz
Tempting but it isn't going to happen here!  We will stay the frugal course this month......
 

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?
*  If so, how are you doing thus far in 2014?
 

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Nothing Much Got Accomplished Last Week" Edition--

Nothing got accomplished last week other than canning relish, cooking a few meals, selling fabric, making phone calls and dog wrangling that is.
Nothing exciting to show y'all or even any photos other than the ones of shopping hauls and the minivan getting hauled away that everyone saw already.

 

I did crack open a different one of my 3 billion brands of root beers.  I didn't care for this one much.....good thing I had only bought one of it, right? lolz
I should have seen where it says "caramel cream" that I wouldn't like it.  It tasted of cream soda.
I don't like cream soda.
meh.

Onward to the meal planning!

What was planned last week--

1.  Take-Out Chinese

2.  BLT sandwiches(use our tomatoes)

3.  Zucchini and Chicken over Rice(use our tomatoes)

4.  Tacos or Taco Salad(use our tomatoes)

5.  Flounder, Coleslaw, Butternut Squash
6.  Broccoli Cheddar Soup(in crockpot), fresh bread
7.  Leftovers or Greek Hamburgers and leftover sides

  

And this is what actually happened--

 

1.  Take-Out Chinese

2.  BLT sandwiches(use our tomatoes)

3.  Roasted Whole Chicken, leftover baked beans, leftover veggies

4.  Tacos or Taco Salad(use our tomatoes)

5.  Stuffed Peppers and Rice
6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers
 

Only 3 new meals were prepared.  I was feeling spent after canning all that relish and had Hubs pick up a chicken from Sam's Club one night.
Bad, bad me......
I also forgot to plan the stuffed peppers even though I had a bag of peppers leftover after the canning, so I changed things around to suit the ingredients I had.

We ate about all the leftovers that were created this week(except for all those peppers!)and just made quick easy stuff....a big salad, a bowl of cold cereal in milk, yogurt, a hamburger patty, etc.
   

Last week I made 3 trips to the stores, the local market & Weis on Wednesday, and Target on Saturday.  And then there is always Rite-Aid were I spend a wantonly large amount of money. lolz
 

I spent $110.60 on food last week(and an additional $2.16 at Rite-Aid).

Going into this week, in leftovers we have.........some of that roasted chicken I'll eat for lunches and some taco filling and fixings and stuffed peppers STILL.

Here is the plan for this week.........The meals that didn't get fixed last week will move to Next week, not this week.  You'll see why below......

1.  Teriyaki Salmon, Coleslaw, Spinach Souffle

2.  Leftover Stuffed Peppers

3.  Zucchini and Chicken over Rice

4.  Lasagna, Spinach Salad

5.  Pizza, Tossed Salad
6.  Eating Out
7.  Eating Out

I didn't get enough tomatoes to can so I just made tomato sauce with it and will use most of it making a large Lasagna.
Family is coming to dinner on Thursday and we leave for the Reunion the following morning so Thursday will be something quick and easy and something everyone will eat.

I am also making a pot of chili on Thursday for the family that is staying here to dog/house sit while we are at the Reunion.  There will be leftover Lasagna and Stuffed peppers and good hot dogs in the fridge(all of which they like to eat...I think!).  I am leaving lots of food for them to have while they lounge around Chez Sluggy.
When we get back we'll survey the damage and start in eating whatever leftovers remain the following week.

Food Waste--a handful of baby salad greens got slimey.

What I need to buy this week......salad greens, cottage cheese(for the lasagna), and a couple of pizzas.  WeisPMITA Markets has 1lb. blocks of cheese for $3.77 this week so I will also be stocking up on cheese.  5 blocks of cheese, greens cottage cheese(on sale this week for $1.99)and milk should set me back $35.  I will probably find other things to buy though, I always do! ;-)

I am up to $218.55 in food/toiletries spending for September at this point(including the Rite-Aid trips).  That means $81.45 left in the $300 Sept. food budget now.  If I really want to I can keep it under $300 this month by sticking to spending $35 this week and keeping the 2 days left after that, the rest of Sept., as low spends on food.
I don't have to, I just want to.

But going to Southern VA next weekend might just soften my reserve......if I meet up with a salt-cured Smithfield type ham while down there, it will! 8-)
 

   

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 that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?
How much did you spend on food so far in September?

 

Sluggy