2015 Food and Toiletries Spending.......February Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for FEBRUARY 2015.

I have posted February's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2015 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.m listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in February.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals SumMy spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2 at home this month). No kids under 19.

******************

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $8.50
Value  $17.66
Savings  51.87%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $13.00
Value  $18.06
Savings  28.02%

RITE-AID *(see below)
OOP  $5.29
Qs/Ads/+UPs  $178.04
Value  $183.33
Savings  97.11%

 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $53.63

Qs/Ads  $42.97

Value  $96.60

Savings  44.48%
 

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $249.34

Qs/Ads  $273.61

Value  $522.95

Savings  52.32%
 

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 97.11%, Weis at  52.32% and  the Bakery Outlet at 51.87%.  My WORST savings rate was Dollar Tree at 28.02%.

I shopped at 5 different stores this past month. 

TOTAL Out of Pocket........ $351.98

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$534.79

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$886.77

TOTAL Savings of...................................60.30%
TOTAL Savings WITHOUT Rite-Aid.............50.71%

This closes out the February food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I was on target for a $250 monthly spending until Weis had that $10 oyno Catalina Deal.  Let's just say we are STUFFED to the gills with bacon, coffee, turkey breasts and ground beef now. 8-)
If it's any consolation(and it isn't much)I DID spend less this February than in 2014.

Perhaps spending so little monthly on food for a household is unrealistic given what we eat normally.
We won't give up meat/seafood or dairy here(though we have been eating very little dairy the last 2 years)to keep our food spending super low.  If we just ate veggies, bread and carbs I am sure we could get off spending less every single month.
And it seems that the cost of food rises(or the size of packages shrinks)each and every month after the last.

The monthly savings percentage went down by 13.79% in February to 60.30% compared to January's 74.09% average.
I'm not too concern by that since a 60.30% savings rate is still higher than normal(normal for me is about 40%).
The savings rate for the year so far now stands at 68.24%.  That's quite high all things considered.

LOOKING AHEAD To MARCH.........

I want to continue to eat down some of our stockpiles of food and empty out the freezer a bit more. It's just 2 adults for March except that College Boy will be home for a week this month too.  He is the Wild Card in this.   I didn't get anywhere near a $250 spending month for February so I am upping the budget a bit to $300 for food/toiletries in March.  I shouldn't have to buy anything until about a week in. Let's see how close I can get to that $300 mark without exceeding it(IF I don't exceed it).
 

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 February?
*  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?
 

Sluggy

February Food Spending Week 4, Meal Plan February Week 4+ & March Week 1

I love searching around for old photos and advertisements featuring kitchens from years gone by.  These are mostly the kitchens from my youth in the 1960's-1970's or earlier.

This week I give you another kitchen of 1945.....

 Even though it's post-war there is still heavy linear design influence from the Art Deco styling of the 1930's.  The color scheme is very period, but in a pastel palette played against pops of black detailing.  There is a coordinating breakfast nook or morning room past the sliding glass door on the left.
The big deal here is the massive "picture window" located over the sink.  This feature became the standard into the 1950's and beyond for most any suburban tract home kitchen.  Moms across North America could now watch their precious kids playing in the back yard while still taking care of kitchen drudgery like hand washing dishes.

This nifty feature sort of distracted homemakers from complaining about not having an automatic dishwasher that was touted heavily in those "kitchen of the future" ads during the 1920-1930's.  We know the technology was developed so why the gap in production once the war was over?  I am sure if men stayed home in the traditional homemaker role of that era, automatic dishwashers would have been standard in every kitchen! ;-)

Enough of that, onward to the Meals and Food Spending. 8-)

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

SUNDAY--Toasted Chicken with Veggies, Stuffing(boxed)

MONDAY--Quiche, Tossed Salad

TUESDAY--Pork Chop with Maple Glaze, Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts

WEDNESDAY--Red Robin Free Meal for #2's birthday

THURSDAY--Breakfast for Dinner(Hash and Pancakes)

FRIDAY--Chinese Take-Out for Hubs/I, #2 Son was out with friends
SATURDAY--homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Most everything as planned but on different days.  Instead of leftovers night I took the leftover roast chicken and veggies, added a bit more veggies to it and made a large pot pie.  Hubs finished it up on Sunday for lunch.

The weekly food spending was $51.51. Most of that was buying whole roaster chickens at .88¢ lb.  Approx. $20 of stuff at Big Lots, some apples and onions and a gallon of milk and that's about it.

Almost 4 Weeks in and I've spent $207.26 of my $300 February food budget.  $92.74 left for the month plus $92.32 leftover from January that didn't get spent.  I've got 3 days left in the month so I doubt at this point if I'll exceed my budget for February.  Yay me! ;-)

Going into February Week 4+/March Week 1 have NO leftovers!  Imagine that?lol

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Hubs/#2 Son had Burger King, I had a big salad with nuts and fruit

MONDAY--Ravioli, Salad

TUESDAY--Pecan Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Cauliflower/Carrot blend

WEDNESDAY--Meatloaf, Green Beans, Smashed Potatoes

THURSDAY--Fish, Rice, Teriyaki Veggie Melange

FRIDAY--homemade Pizza, Salad
SATURDAY--Leftovers

This menu gives us 5 new meals, 1 eating out and 1 night of leftovers.  The fish meal moved from last week's menu since it wasn't cooked/served.  Meatloaf is Hubs request and Pecan Chicken is #2 Son's request.

Items needed to buy for this menu are... salad greens.  I've got everything else here already in the freezer or the pantry.
We'll be buying milk as usual. The only stocking up opportunities I see so far this week are salmon for $5.99lb., and tilapia for $3.49lb.(and I have Qs for the tilapia, so $1 less per lb.)

Those bagged salad kits are on sale for $1.99 this week, so I'll be eating those a lot for lunch and serving them with 2 dinners.

So what is everyone else eating this week?  

Sluggy

February Budget Results.....Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for FEBRUARY 2011.

I have posted February's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2011 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in February.  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 5(4 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 15.
******************

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP  $94.73

Qs/Ads  $76.62
Value  $171.35
Savings  44.72%

RITE AID
OOP  $8.67 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads/+Ups  $1,286.63
Value  $1,295.30
Savings  99.33% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards

WALMART
OOP  $2.69
Qs/Ads  $.55
Value  $3.24
Savings  17%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $25.47
Qs/Ads  $7.50
Value  $32.97
Savings   22.75%

I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nor CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN FEBRUARY

Admiral Nelson's....$4.00(one of the few alcohol rebates valid in PA)
Kellogg's Toy Cash...$10.00
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Rite-Aid SCR...$29.00
Subtotal........$46.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

Subtotal....$0.00--How sad is this?lol

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$46.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Chef Boyardee.....Free Ravioli Q
CoffeeMate....Free Creamer Q
Egg Beaters....Free Item Q
Herbal Essence 'Poo...$1/1 Q & Free Item Q
Karo Syrup....Free Item Q
MegaRed....Free Supplement Sample
MyBlogSpark/Pillsbury....Free Apron/Pen/Recipe Booklet
P&G....Q Booklet
Yoplait Yogurt....Free Item Q

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%,  Carone's at 44.72% and  Weis Markets at 22.75%.  I barely shopped at 4 stores in February.lol


TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$122.89
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1379.97
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$207.56 before Rite-Aid
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1502.86 with Rite-Aid figured in
TOTAL Savings of...................................91.82%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$46.00

TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$76.89
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$1425.97
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1502.86
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................94.88%

This closes out the February spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
I set out to spend half my allotted Food budget for Feb. which was $125.00.  I managed to come in under that total even before adding my cash rebates into my allotted kitty.
We substantially ate down the freezer and some stockpile.  I did manage to refill the freezer space up with free ice cream from Rite-Aid in Feb. and I processed the last of the pumpkins into puree for the freezer.  Besides the ice cream and cookie mix from Rite-Aid I did very little stockpiling of food in February.  The HBA/Toiletry haul from Rite-Aid is another story altogether!lol  I see a Garage Sale in my near future once the weather warms up.....

What's ahead for March.....
I think I'll try for another Low Spend Month with the Food Budget. Nothing as severe as $125 though, but something like $200.  If some good 'Stockopportunities' come up in March(it IS National Frozen Food Month, is it not?) I will abandon my Low Spend Goal for that.  Either way, I'll be shooting to keep the food spending under or at $250 for the month. 


How did you do in February with your Food Budget?
What are your challenges for March?
Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.


Sluggy

February BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for FEBRUARY 2010.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in February.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4 at home-all 5 home for 2/3 of this month & 3 dogs. No kids under 14.

BIG LOTS
OOP $41.02
Qs/Ads $34.42
Value $75.44
Savings 45.60%

BOYER'S(small local chain in next town)
OOP $11.38
Qs/Ads $6.43
Value $17.81
Savings 36.10%

CARONE'S(local Independent Grocery that doesn't take IP Qs)
OOP $11.13
Qs/Ads $7.82
Value $18.95
Savings   41.30%

CVS
OOP $0 ($1.57 put on Gift Card)
Qs/Ads $27.76
Value $29.33
Savings 100%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $6.00
Ads/Sales $11.64
Value $17.64
Savings  66%

GERRITY'S(local chain that takes IPQs)
OOP $11.78
Qs/Ads $11.76
Value $23.54
Savings 50%

PRICE CHOPPER Northeast
OOP $127.48
Qs/Ads $599.59
Value $727.07
Savings 82.46%

RITE AID
OOP $24.96 ($41.94 put on Gift Card/Prepaid Visa Card)
Qs/Ads $732.17
Value $799.07
Savings 96.88%

WALGREENS
OOP $30.93
Qs/Ads $155.74
Value $186.67
Savings  83.43%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $111.55
Qs/Ads $497.58
Value $609.13
Savings  81.70%

I've don't track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN FEBRUARY

Caregiver's Marketplace(for 2009)....$14.50
Ducolax.....$5.00
Kraft Jingle in Your Holidays x 2....$20.00
Naked Juice.......$10.00

Nature Valley Granola Bars....$2.50
NeilMed Sinus....$9.00
Olay Quench Rebate...$12.48
Olay $20 Rebate.....$20.00
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Rite-Aid SCR....$57.52

Subtotal........$154.00

FREE ITEMS

Free Oreos x 5!lol

Stacy's Chips

Pillsbury Orange Rolls Q

Barilla Pasta Q

Kraft Crackers

Kraft Pizza

Kraft Cookies

COUPONS

Jollytime Popcorn
PC Catalinas  $18
Weis Catalinas  $20

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

CVS/Biologie 'Poo  $9.99  Prepaid Visa

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$163.99


My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from CVS at 100%, Rite-Aid at 96.88%, and WAGS at 83.43%.
The best Grocery Savings Total was Price Chopper at 83.43% saved.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$376.23
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2128.42
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2504.65
TOTAL Savings of..........85%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$154.00
TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$222.23
TOTAL Savings of..................................91.12%

This closes out the February spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
I think I did quite well this month, especially considering all the Catalina Deals I did!  The spending before rebates was $376.23 but with rebates added to the budget of $250, we had $404 to use, so we have $27.77 left to carry over into March's food/toiletries budget.
Leftover food budget money....wow!....what a concept!lol

What's ahead for March 2010.....

The February 2010 Food/Toiletries Budget is set at $277.77($250+$27.77 carryover from Feb.) cash out of pocket.  Any rebates received this month will offset this OOP spending.  I have $129.85 in Rebates outstanding, so anything that comes in this month gets thrown into the food budget kitty.
I have finally put away all the food I bought in Feb. at Price Chopper and Weis procured during their Catalina Deals and my stockpile does indeed runneth over now!
What I am hoping for March is this....that a good chunk of the Cash Rebates I am waiting on arrive this month.  Then by combining that rebate money and not food shopping much this month and eating what is here, I can keep the food spending to an amount equal to the rebates received and the leftover budget money from Feb.($27.77)and NOT touch the proper Food/Toiletries Budget amount of $250.

Wouldn't that just be awesome if I can pull it off?
I am going to try!  This week has been good so far as I've stayed out of the stores mostly....does Rite-Aid count?lolol
As long as some "stock-upportunity" doesn't present itself, I should be fine. ;-)

At any rate, whatever is leftover (if anything is leftover!)in the food budget for March, I'm going to throw it into the Savings Challenge money pot instead of carrying it over into April's food budget.
The Savings Challenge kitty needs anything I can throw at it!

How did you do in February with your Food Budget?  Leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.

Sluggy