Food Spending Report........the April Edition

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for APRIL 2020.

I have posted April's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in April.  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 4(3 at home this month). No "kids" under 24.
*****************

MAINES
OOP  $100.79
Value  $153.30
Savings   34.25%

MALACARI'S

OOP  $73.64

Value  $113.70

Savings 35.23%

OCEAN STATE JOB LOT
OOP  $33.63%
Value  $49.09
Savings  31.49%

PandR DISCOUNTS
OOP $30.70
Value  $74.02
Savings  58.52% 

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/GCard  $105.94
Value  $105.94
Savings  100%

WEIS
OOP  $47.48
Qs/Ads  $25.38
Value  $72.86
Savings  34.83%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, P and R Discounts at 58.52% and Malacari's at 35.23%.   My worst savings rate was at OSJL with 31.49%.
I shopped at 6 different stores in April.

TOTAL Spent........................................$297.45

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales................$194.95

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased........$492.40

TOTAL Savings of ................................39.59%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for April w/R-A........$297.45
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales w/R-A....................$300.89
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid....$598.34
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items.....................50.29%

This closes out the April food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into April not knowing what to expect on the food/toiletries spending front.  Having to send Hubs to Weis(PMITA)Markets and the lack of sales there in April I knew we'd spend more on items and we did. I went to smaller stores(the produce market and restaurant supply store)and saved about what I usually save buying items there(which is better than I can do on those items at grocery stores.
By using some stockpile items instead of relying on the stores I was still able to stay way under budget($102.55 under)but the stockpile has taken a hit.  Regular grocery store prices(from my look around on Wednesday-my first foray out into one in 5 weeks)seem to have risen significantly for me to notice.  Is this the new normal in pricing and for how long?
This unknown means we all need to watch closely what we spend on food, budget better where we can and to make sure we eat our leftovers and not throw food away!

The monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 19.17% in April 2020 to 50.29% compared to the March 2019 rate of 69.46% savings average.

With 4 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $1209.62 on food/toiletries in 2019.


2019 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$1209.62

2019 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$3756.74

2019 Grand Total Saved...............................$2547.12

2019 Yearly Savings Total............67.80%

The average per month amount spent is $302.41 in 2020 which went down a couple of dollars.

LOOKING AHEAD To May 2020.............
Who the F&*k knows!
The stockpile/pantry is looking a tad ragged and thin after April.

I don't even want to hazard a guess.....do you? lolz


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 April?

*  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?

Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

2019 Food & Toiletry Spending.......the March Report

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MARCH 2019.

I have posted March's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in March.  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 4-5(2-4 at home this month). No "kids" under 23.
*****************

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $4.00
Value  $13.37
Savings  70.08%

FOOD LION
OOP  $32.00
Value  $46.02
Savings  30.47%

MALACARI'S
OOP  $12.33
Value  $27.51
Savings  55.18%

OLLIE'S
OOP  $9.77
Value  $26.93
Savings  63.72%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/Visa Prepaid Rewards  $604.17
Value  $604.17
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKETS
OOP  $34.17
Qs/Ads  $19.38
Value  $53.55
Savings  68.25%

WALMART

OOP  $26.85

Qs/Ads  $4.40

Value  $31.25

Savings  14.08%

WEIS
OOP  $237.71
QsAds  $288.88
Value  $526.59
Savings  54.86%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, the Bread Outlet at 70.08% and Shursave at 68.25%.  My worst savings rate was at Walmart at 14.08%.

I shopped at 8 different stores this past month.  

TOTAL Out of Pocket for March.........$356.83

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales.................$360.39

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.........$725.22

TOTAL Savings of ................................50.80%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for March w/R-A.............$356.83
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales w/R-A...................$972.52
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid....$1329.35
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items.....................73.16%

This closes out the March food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
The kids didn't spend much on groceries while we were gone for 2 weeks(they did buy a lot of take-out instead)but I more than made up for it when I got home. lolz  I was still able to stay under $400 for the month with $43.17 to spare and that includes all the groceries I bought on vacation-both to eat then and the good deals I brought home.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 17.40% in March 2019 to 73.16% compared to the February  90.56% savings average.  February's percentage was a bit of an anomaly plus I had to buy groceries at Walmart in March on vacation and they are far from the best deal overall.
Plus the Rite-Aid haul in March wasn't as big so that kept my savings percentage down too.


With 3 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $1146.31 on food/toiletries in 2018.


2019 Yearly Total Spent To Date....................$1146.31

2019 Yearly Total Value of Items To Date....$7048.92

2019 Total Saved To Date...............................$5902.61

2019 Yearly Savings Total To Date of............86.20%

The average per month amount spent so far is $382.10 in 2019.

LOOKING AHEAD To April 2019.......

Well our Easter dinner plans are up in the air so far.  We may be going to Jersey to eldest son's GF's parents gathering for Easter.  In that case I'll need to bring a dish or two and won't be cooking Easter dinner or having Hub's relatives over.  Not hosting will bring my April spending down a bit. 
Also bringing my April spending down will be the annual Target gift card deal that happens before Easter(Spend $50/Get $10 Target Gift Card)and I can use my free Target gift cards and/or my 10% off discounted gift cards I bought before Xmas to do this deal.  At any rate I'll pair Qs and sales to get some cheapy foodstuffs in the coming weeks when that Deal rolls around.  This will help bring my monthly spending lower(I hope).
At any rate, I hope to stay under that magic $400 threshold in April for food and toiletries.

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 March?

*  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?

Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

Food & Toiletries Spending.......the October Edition

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for OCTOBER 2018.

I have posted October's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in October.  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 4-5(4 at home this month). No "kids" under 22.

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

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $10.95
Value  $47.49
Savings  76.94%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $2.09
Value  $4.00
Savings   49.99%

GIANT
OOP  $36.63
Value  $91.89
Savings  60.14%

MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $30.02
Value  $49.97
Savings  40%

OLLIE'S
OOP  $61.87
Value  $236.29
Savings  73.82%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC  $449.35
Value  $449.35
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE
OOP  $13.16
Value  $21.24
Savings  54.07%

WALMART
OOP  $15.94
Value  $23.26
Savings   31.17%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $110.20

Qs/Ads  $82.62

Value  $192.82

Savings  42.85%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, the Bread Outlet at 76.94% and Ollie's at 673.82%.  My worst savings rate was Walmart at 31.17%.

I shopped at 9 different stores this past month.  

TOTAL Out of Pocket for October..........$308.46

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales............$435.97

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.........$744.43

TOTAL Savings of ................................58.56%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for October.....$308.46
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales....$885.32
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid.....$1193.78
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items........74.16%

This closes out the October food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
October was a decent month, lots of savings on groceries bought and I stayed well under $400($91.54 under).  I could have bought less but am pleased at how the spending turned out this month.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 2.19% in October 2018 to 74.16% compared to September's 76.35% savings average.
The free stuff from Rite-Aid skewers my averages but without R-A I am at a 58.56% savings.  So even without R-A we are doing well on the "savings" front.

With 10 months accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $4264.09 on food/toiletries in 2018 which is a 73.70% savings rate for the year so far and averages out to $426.40 spent per month in 2018.  Back down to within $26.40 for my monthly spend goal of $400.  I am not complaining about that! ;-)

LOOKING AHEAD To November.......
Let the Holiday games begin! lol  Lots of baking and other food deals coming up.  I need to take a pantry/freezer inventory before I go shopping for Thanksgiving goodies, etc.  I know we'll need a turkey but otherwise not sure on what else.
I hope to keep it at or below $400 spent for the 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 October?
*  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?

Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

Food & Toiletry Spending.....August Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for AUGUST 2014.

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

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

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $13.50
Value  $40.41
Savings  66.60%

BIG LOTS
OOP  $22.14
Value  $27.62
Savings  19.84%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP  $75.24
Qs/Ads  $34.92
Value  $110.16
Savings  31.70%

RITE-AID
OOP  $34.57
Qs/Ads/+UPs  $466.76
Value  $501.33
Savings   93.10%

 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $70.05

Qs/Ads  $52.66

Value  $122/71

Savings  43%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $210.70

Qs/Ads  $168.80

Value  $379.50

Savings  44.50%
 

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 93.10%,  the Bakery Outlet at 66.60% and Weis at 44.50%.  My WORST savings rate was Big Lots at  19.84%.
I shopped at 6 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$426.20

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$755.53

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,181.73

TOTAL Savings of...................................64%

This closes out the August food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I came close to a $400 food month, going over by $26.20.
No where near the $300 I wanted to keep it under.

The monthly savings percentage went up by an astounding 23.24% in August compared to July's average.   I am surprised but happy about that.  8-)))

In addition the savings percentage went up for the year by 3.27% because of the stellar savings month that was August.  After July my yearly % of savings was 45.85% and after adding August in it stands at 49.12% for the year.
WOW!
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-)

Most months I have a store or two where I shop with a high savings % rate but it's usually a store where I spent very little anyway so it doesn't impact my overall % total for the month or the year.
But this month about half of my actual food spending was at Weis($210.70)and I still achieved a savings rate of 44.50% there. 

Even if I take my Rite-Aid shopping out my August totals that monthly total is $391.63 spent with a 42.44% savings rate. 
Awesome.

LOOKING AHEAD TO SEPTEMBER......

I am excited to see in September where our food spending ends up,  This is the first FULL month without feeding any children here......just Hubs and myself.
And the dog.
I am going to try for a $250 food budget in September.
I plan and the food gods laugh.  8-)

 

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.

Total spend on food/toiletries so far this year after 8 months.....$3,328.19.
The average monthly food/toiletries spending to-date for the year so far is $416.03.  This is $1.46 a month increase from last month's total for the year so far.  Seems I spent more on average last month but I got better deals.

Hoping that September is the month we get it back under a $400 per month average.

 

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in August?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?
*  If so, how are you doing thus far in 2014?
 

Sluggy

Food & Toiletries Spending.....March Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MARCH 2014.

I have posted March'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 March.  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 4(3 at home this month)& 1 dog. No kids under 18.
******************

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $6.00
Value  $11.97
Savings   49.9%

DOLLAR STORE
OOP  $13.00
Value  $37.65
Savings    65.47%
 

RITE-AID
OOP  $11.53
Qs/Ads/+Ups  $158.16
Value  $169.69
Savings  93.2%
 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $26.29

Qs/Ads  $10.97

Value  $37.26

Savings  29.44%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $81.96

Qs/Ads  $40.27

Value  $122.23

Savings  32.95%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 93.2%,  the Dollar Store at 65.47% and the Bakery Outlet at 49.9%.  My WORST savings rate was Shursave Market at 29.44%.
I shopped at 5 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$344.86

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$380.76

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$725.62

TOTAL Savings of...................................51.80%

Even without counting the Rite-Aid shopping, my savings rate was 38.94%.

This closes out the March food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into March wanting to keep my food/toiletries budget at $300, but I went over by $44.86.
It sure beats spending $400 though.  ;-)
Over a 50% savings rate for March was only possible because of my Rite-Aid deals last week.  The "normal" rate I like to try for is 40%.

I tallied up our Eating Out spending for March and it came in at $155.11(including tips).
$96.31 of that was #2 Son's Birthday dinner and the other $58.80 was meals out on my trip to Delaware.
This spending doesn't come out of our food/toiletries budget however.


LOOKING AHEAD TO APRIL......

I am not even going to attempt to predict what April's food/toiletries spending will look like.  I have a road trip coming up this month (!!!)so I'll be buying convenience foods this month for those staying home.  These typically cost more anyway so we'll see where we stand on the spending come May 1.

 

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.

Total spend on food/toiletries so far this year.....$1,040.66

The average monthly food/toiletries spending this year so far is $346.89.

 

How much did you spend on food/toiletries in March?
Do you track your yearly food spending?
 

Sluggy

SEPTEMBER 2012 Budget Results....Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for SEPTEMBER 2012.

I have posted September's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2012 and updated the Yearly Totals.
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 5(3-4 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 16.
******************

BREAD OUTLET
OOP   $20.89

Value   $73.21

Savings  71.46%

BIG LOTS
OOP   $15.12
Value   $21.79
Savings   30.61%

GERRITY'S
OOP   $7.00
Qs/Ads  $2.45
Value  $9.45
Savings  25.92%

RITE-AID

OOP  $38.65

Qs/Ads/+Ups/Gift Card  $523.23

Value  $561.88

Savings   93.12%

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $138.18

Qs/Ads  $93.06

Value  $231.24

Savings  40.25%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $204.76

Qs/Ads  $158.14

Value  $362.90

Savings  43.58%

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 RECEIVED IN September
Rite-Aid Single Check Rebate for July

Total...$6.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$0.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Nothing.

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were the Rite-Aid at 93.12%,  the Bread Outlet at 71.46%, and Weis at 43.58%.  l shopped at 6 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$424.60

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$808.95

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,233.55

TOTAL Savings of...................................65.58%

TOTAL Out of Pocket after Rebates received this Month......$418.60
TOTAL Savings after Rebates of..........................66.07%

This closes out the September spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into September with $400 budgeted for food/toiletries for the month.  I obviously blew through that mark plus another $18.60.   I know I did a bit too much stocking up on a few things and I bought a few too many snack foods for #2 son.  It's nothing I can't live with though.
My grocery savings hovered at below 45% for September.  I used very few Qs this month.  This lack of coupon usage seems to be a theme with me lately.  I do still buy on rock bottom price(or at least very good sale price) but don't find Qs much here for food items I want/need to buy.

 

LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER......

I will be keeping my food budget at $400 for October.  We don't have any special dinners or holiday food spending this month.  I've already bought the Halloween candy to give out, but that came out of another pile of money that isn't the Food Budget anyway.
I'm going to try to cut back on spending a little this month but I'll leave the $400 budget in place since I now give Daughter a portion of the food Budget each month for her to buy convenience foods to take to work for her meal there.  The portion she spends is unpredictable so far.  I'll try to keep track the next few months to see if I can pin down how much it needs to be monthly and adjust my spending accordingly.
Hopefully I'll have a little leftover from my budget when the month is over but it is not guaranteed.

How did you do in September with your Food Budget?
Did you stick to it?
Did you find any good rock bottom prices to stock up on groceries?

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

APRIL Budget Results....Food & Toiletries Spending

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


CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP $47.45
Qs/Ads $41.29
Value $88.74
Savings 46.53%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $16.67
Ads/Sales $33.33
Value $50.00
Savings  66.65%

PRICE CHOPPER Northeast
OOP $75.51
Qs/Ads $49.06
Value $124.57
Savings 29.40%

RITE AID
OOP $0.15 ($23.46 put on Rite-Aid Gift Card)
Qs/Ads $162.81
Value $162.96
Savings 99.91%

TURKEY HILL(convenience store)
OOP $4.80
Qs/Ads $0.00
Value $4.80
Savings 0%

WALMART
OOP $11.95
Qs/Ads $0.00
Value $11.95
Savings  0%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $41.66
Qs/Ads $27.21
Value $68.87
Savings  39%

I 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 MARCH
Johnson & Johnson Beauty Rebate...$20.00
Olay 3 items Rebate....$15.00

Olay 2 Cleansers Rebate.....$15.00
Pinecone Research....$6.00
Renpure Shampoo....$3.00
Rite-Aid SCR....$100.33

Subtotal........$159.33

FREE ITEMS

5 Gum  Free Pack of Gum

Johnson & Johnson  $10 Item

Welch's Juice  Free Juice Voucher

COUPONS

None

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
Rite-Aid P&G SCR $10 Gift Card

Rite-Aid $5 Nivea Gift Card

Rite-Aid $25 Heart Healthy Gift Card

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$100.33


My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, Entenmman's at 66.65% and Carone's at 46.53%.


TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$198.19
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$313.70
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$511.89
TOTAL Savings of..........61.30%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$159.33
TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$38.86
TOTAL Savings of..................................92.40%

This closes out the April spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
Starting with a $250 food/toiletries budget we not only kept under that amount before the rebates were figured in, but after rebates we spent a mere $38.86 of the budgeted amount for the month!  And that is with my infamous Lobster Splurge too. 

I spent most of the month staying out of the stores and had DH pick up items as needed since I was injured for part of the month and couldn't drive.  His shopping for me did NOT involve using sales and coupons for the most part, thus even though we spent almost $200 OOP initially, not alot of coupons were used or items bought on sale, thus the lower savings ratio overall. 

What's ahead for May 2010.....

The May 2010 Food/Toiletries Budget is set at $300 cash out of pocket.  Any rebates received this month will offset this OOP spending.  Since the rebating has slowed to a crawl I don't see much coming in for May to throw at the food bills. (IE; My Rite-Aid SCR check is going from $100 in April to $8 in May.) I have raised the budget by $50 because #1 son returns from college next wekend, so I'll have more mouths to feed=more food spending in May.  Even with that adjustment, it will take a lot of self-control to keep within budget this month!  I did very little shopping really in April and got out of the coupon groove so I have my work cut out for me for May.

With a quarter of the year behind us, we have averaged $165.60 per MONTH on food/toiletries spending for 2010 for a family of 4 adults/teens.

For someone who use to....
*spend $500 and up per MONTH before I stockpiled, shopped to the sales and used coupons on a regular basis
*had less food/toiletries to show for it
*we ate a lot more store brands
*we ate a lot more of unhealthier type foods
...this THRILLS ME!


How did you do in April 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