2015 Food & Toiletries Spending......December Update & Year End TOTALS

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2015.

I have posted December's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2015 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.  I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in November.  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 & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2-3 at home this month). No kids under 19.

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BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $4.75
Value  $20.45
Savings  76.77%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $8.00
Value  $19.82
Savings  59.63%%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP  $35.88
Qs/Ads/gift card $59.59
Value  $95.47
Savings 62.41%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/gift card  $549.00
Value  $549.00
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $57.24
Qs/Ads $33.98
Value  $91.22
Savings  37.25%

SURPLUS OUTLET
OOP  $19.04
Value  $32.90
Savings  42.13%

TARGET
OOP  $0.00
Value  $14.38
Savings  100%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $278.76

Qs/Ads  $336.79

Value  $615.55

Savings  54.71%

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Target and Rite-Aid at 100%,  Bakery Outlet at 76.77% and  Price Chopper at 62.41%.  My WORST savings rate was Shursave Markets at 37.25%.  Besides Shursave all my savings precentages were at Least in the 40's.  8-)

I shopped at 8 different stores this past month.

** My TOTAL out of pocket for December food/toiletries was $403.67.
However I cahsed out my Saving Star account(where some of my electronic coupons savings are deposited-I don't count these coupon savings in my monthly totals until it's cashed out)and was able to deposit $84.17 for 2015 into our bank account, thus offsetting $84.17 of food spending.  This brought my OOP spending from $403.67 down to $319.50.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........ $319.50**

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1119.29

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1438.79

TOTAL Savings of...................................77.79%
TOTAL Savings without Rite-Aid...........64.09%

This closes out the December food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into December wanting to do a $350 food budget for the month and I went over by $53.67 due to last minute Holiday temptations.  8-(  The only thing that saved the month was the cashing out and banking of my SavingStar rebates and I had almost forgotten to do that before year's end.  This deposit brought my food spending in December down to $319.50 so I finished the month under budget.

The monthly savings percentage went down by 1.2% in December to 77.79% compared to November's 78.99% savings average.  This is mainly due to all that free stuff I got at Rite-Aid in November Black Friday weekend and then I got less free stuff in December.  Still way over the 40% savings rate I like to see each month.

GRAND TOTALS for 2015

2015 YEARLY OOP SPENDING on Food/Toiletries........$4,338.87
2015 YEARLY VALUE OF ITEMS BOUGHT.........$11,975.45
2015 YEARLY SAVINGS of................$7,636.58
2015 SAVINGS PERCENTAGE on SPENDING..........63.77%

I have spent a total of $4,338.87 on food/toiletries in 2015. That averages out to $361.57 per month. We came in at a monthly average of under $400 for the year which pleases me.  By strategic shopping we were able to eat well AND save money. 8-)

LOOKING AHEAD To January 2016.........
As we are packed to the gills with food/toiletries I think we'll be eating down our stores at the house and not grocery shopping much in January.  I am thinking $200 in food spending for January and perhaps another $100 to stock up College Boy with provisions for the upcoming semester.

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.
Here's hoping y'all had a great year for spending less on food in 2015.

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in December?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?
*  What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons vs. 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?

Now let's start 2016 off right by tracking where your money goes on food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods/pet needs.
Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

December Food Spending Week 4, Meal Plan Week 5

Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Lone Star for steaks(holiday treat out)

MONDAY--Daughter's Bday Meal out, Mom Sake binge

TUESDAY--Leftovers

WEDNESDAY--Beef Stroganov, Rice, Broccoli
THURSDAY--frozen Pizzas, Salad(nobody ate the Salad tho)

FRIDAY--BBQ pulled Pork Sammies, Coleslaw, Corn
SATURDAY--Chinese food out(Xmas Eve tradition)

3, count 'em 3 Dinners out last week!  It's the Holidays, what else can I say?lol

I cooked 2 actual meals last week, we had leftovers 1 night and the frozen pizzas(lazy dinner)was the night of the Band Concerts since there was no time for a sit-down dinner.

As predicted, the food spending was high last week.

In all, we spent $139.35 last week at the grocery stores.  8 trips to various stores, lots of small trips to pick up a thing or two while someone was already out nearby and 1 big trip to the restaurant supply store(where I bought the hunk of meat to BBQ among other things).   Reg. retail of $250.53 so I saved 44.38% last week.

I find this hysterical that I spent just over $100 for 3 WEEKS of meals earlier this month and I cooked a large number of those meals.

Then I cook 2 meals total in Week 4 and I spend $139+ in 1 WEEK!!lol

My spending is in reverse proportion to my cooking.  Hmmmmm......

I also did something sneaky last week.  I got these for free!

$40 in Weis gift cards.  

I had gotten a Catalina about a transfer or bring a new Rx to their Pharmacy deal at my local store.  As part of the remodel(and price hike)this Weis closed up the Pharmacy/DrugStore down at the end of the strip mall and put it inside the Grocery Store.  They are offering this move your prescriptions/get gift cards deal to drum up business.  So I moved 3 Rxs and filled a new Rx last week and got $40 in gift cards for free.

Now if only Rite-Aid would bring back their 'move your Rx gift card' deal in January so I can move them all back there, I'll be all set!lol

I had planned to use all $40 this month to bring my OOP food spending down, but I ended up using $20 when I had Hubs pick up the Ham for Christmas dinner and I gave the other $20 one to BIL for Christmas.

My Dec. food spending total so far through 12/25 is $240.92.  That leaves $59.08 with 6 days left in the month.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Ham, Rolls from scratch, Deviled Eggs, Rutabaga, Green Beans, Cranberry Glop, assorted pies

MONDAY--Leftovers

TUESDAY--Leftovers

WEDNESDAY--Date Night-I have a free dinner for 2 to Applebee's to use

THURSDAY--Leftovers

FRIDAY--Leftovers
SATURDAY--Appetizers, homemade Pizza-using dough Hubs picked up last week for cheap

We have tons of leftovers in the fridge for this week, so I plan on doing little actual cooking.

Huge container of leftover Stroganoff & Rice, half a Ham left from Christmas, pulled Pork, Coleslaw, 2 lbs. of Roast Beef coldcuts(that #1 didn't polish off)and 2 bags of homemade rolls.

I see Stoganoff, Pork Sammies, Cheese Steaks and Ham & Cheese Omelets in our future.  Fill in with some fresh veggies and we are set for the week.  Heck, we have enough pie and cake to get us through an Ice Age!lol

Items needed for this menu.....except for the ever present milk, a little bit of cheese for cheesesteaks, some veg. and Hub's herring in cream sauce(for NYE celebrating), there is nothing else I can think of to buy this week.  I may actually stay under $300 spent on food for the month.  (Again, our eating out budget is a separate pile of money.)

So what is everyone else doing this week between Christmas and New Year's Day?  Just grazing on all the food that piled up at your house for Christmas?  Or are you cooking up a storm?  Or are you swearing off of food altogether, fasting and/or changing up your diet in anticipation of the new year? ;-)

Sluggy