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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for SEPTEMBER 2010.
I have posted September's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2010.

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 information.

These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(between 5 & 2 at home this month) & 3 dogs. No kids under 14.

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $20.56
Value $70.81 

Savings  70.96%

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP $18.50

Qs/Ads $6.96

Value $25.46

Savings  27.33%

FAMILY DOLLAR

OOP $8.06

Qs/Ads $6.51

Value $14.57

Savings 44.68%

GERRITY'S

OOP $76.37

Qs/Ads $114.82

Value $191.19

Savings 60.06%

RESTAURANT SUPPLY

OOP $16.15

Value $29.95

Savings 46.08%

RITE AID
OOP $12.78 (whole amount put on Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads $687.93

Value $700.71

Savings 98.17% before gift cards/ 100% savings after gift cards

WALMART
OOP $.14
Value $38.14
Savings 99.63%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $127.39

Qs/Ads $247.01

Value $374.40

Savings  65.75%


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 SEPTEMBER

Finesse Shampoo...$2.50
Focus Group Payment....$75.00
Lypsyl Lip Balm....$2.39
Pinecone Research....$6.00
Rite-Aid SCR....$40.98
Sure TMF Rebate...$2.63
Subtotal........$129.50

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

$0.00
 
TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$129.50

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, WalMart at 99.63% and the Bakery Outlet at 70.96%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$267.17

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1178.06

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$1445.23

TOTAL Savings of..........81.51%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$129.50

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$137.67
TOTAL Savings of..................................90.47%

This closes out the September spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-

The garden was giving us an ample supply of goodies but I did stock up on some frozen veggies with a Catalina deal.  I resumed moderate use of coupons when shopping this month after not using many in August.
While I went over slightly on the budgeted $250 amount for the month, the rebates & focus group payment added to the food budget kitty went a long way to help keep my OOP under the set amount.

What's ahead for October 2010.....

Since we just got the new fridge I haven't stocked up on much fresh farm stand veggies for winter yet, but I'll be doing that in early October. 

I am setting the October 2010 Food/Toiletries Budget at $250. I am figuring $150 for regular monthly purchases and the other $100 for the stocking on farm buys and any good seasonal deals(sugar, flour, pumpkin, eggs, pork, apples, etc.)

As always, any rebates received this month will be added to the food budget spending.  I have 4 outstanding rebates due in but I have no rebates going out so these 4(plus any Rite-Aid SCRs)will probably be all the rebate money for the rest of the year.

With nine months of the year behind us, we have averaged $179.21 per MONTH after rebates on food/toiletries spending for 2010 for a family of 4-5 adults/teens + 2-3 pets.

How did you do in September 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

December BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in December.
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 13.

BIG LOTS
OOP $18.08
Qs/Ads $19.94
Value $38.02
Savings 52.45%

BOYER'S(local Independent Grocery)
OOP $13.76
Qs/Ads $15.25
Value $29.01
Savings  53%

CARONE'S(local Independent Grocery that doesn't take IP Qs)
OOP $28.06
Qs/Ads $43.34
Value $71.40
Savings   60.70%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $43.78
Ads/Sales $89.28
Value $133.06
Savings  67.10%

FIVE MOUNTAIN MARKET(local Independent Grocer)
OOP $6.05($26.05 spent, $20 on Gift Certificate)
Ads/Sales $14.00
Value $40.05
Savings  84.90%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $30.32
Qs/Ads $59.91
Value $90.23
Savings  66.40%

RITE AID
OOP $48.00 before rebates/$12.06 Moneymaker  after rebates qualified for
Qs/Ads $456.58
Value $504.58
Savings 90.50%(100%+ after rebates of $60.06 due)

TARGET
OOP $12.70
Qs/Ads $51.52
Value $64.22
Savings  80.22%

WALMART
OOP $17.97
Qs/Ads $9.79
Value $27.76
Savings  35.27%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $111.59
Qs/Ads $173.62
Value $285.21
Savings  60.87%

I've decided NOT to 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' & go toward Food/Toiletries budget purchases, 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 DECEMBER

Kraft Back2School.....$20.00

Kraft Jingle in Your Holiday...$10.00
Olay/Pantene......$20.00
Palmolive Dish Liquid....$1.49
Perdue Chicken...$5.98
Pinecone Research....$9.00
Real Simple....$10.00
Rite-Aid SCR........$132.30
Suave Lotion/Body Wash...$4.98
Venus Razor....$7.99
Zyrtec....$7.02
Subtotal........$228.76

FREE ITEMS

Chik FilA Sandwich
Little Debbie Cupcakes (a box)
Avery/Dennison Prize Pack I won

COUPONS

None Received 8-(

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

KMart Cereal Offer $5.00
Office Depot $25(part of the prize pack I won)
Rite Aid  $10.00
Rite Aid GOS Certificate  $40.00

SubTotal...$80.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$308.76

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 90.50%,  5 Mtn. Market at 84.90% and Target at 80.22%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$330.31
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$953.23
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$1283.54
TOTAL Savings of..........74.26%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$228.76
TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$101.55
TOTAL Savings of..................................92.08%

This closes out the December spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
With the high amount of income from Rebates received I was able to have a low out of pocket for this month.  While an OOP of $330.31 for food spending for a month is good, just over $100 after the rebates are applied is GREAT! 
I was able to stay our of the grocery store for almost 2 weeks total this month and we ate through quite a bit of food in the freezer...food in the stockpile?....not so much.   I made headway in my USE IT UP CHALLENGE but we have more to use up.

What's ahead for January 2010.....
Since I have #1 son home for most of this month and my Sis-In Law is coming to stay for a week mid month, I should be able to continue to eat down in the Freezer and Stockpile.  The SIL though will prove to be problematic for my food budget as she eats from a very narrow selection of foods so the challenge for that week is to come up with meals that include these few foods but are acceptable to my family's palette as well.  I am trying very hard to avoid having to cook TWO meals each night!  Two meals will mean more waste and more cost.

The January 2010 Food/Toiletries Budget is set at $200 cash out of pocket.  Any rebates received this month will offset this OOP spending.  This means that I have UP TO $200 of regular income to spend on the food budget and any rebates that are received are added to that budget.  (IE; If $150 in rebates are received in Jan. so I'll have $350 to spend on food shopping this month.)If I don't spend all the money in the budget in January, I'll carry over whatever is leftover into February's food budget.

How did you do in December 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

November BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for NOVEMBER 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in November.
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 13.

ACME
OOP $62.75
Qs/Ads $1072.07
Value $1134.82
Savings  94.47%

CARONE'S(local Independent Grocery that doesn't take IP Qs)
OOP $58.65
Qs/Ads $57.64
Value $116.29
Savings   50%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $14.00
Ads/Sales $55.00
Value $69.00
Savings  79.70%


KMART
OOP $0.00
Qs/Ads $38.99
Value $38.99
Savings  100%

OLLIE'S (local Discount chain Store that doesn't take coupons)
OOP $.97
Qs/Ads $1.02
Value $1.99
Savings  50%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $73.17
Qs/Ads $179.77
Value $252.94
Savings  71%

RITE AID
OOP $132.77before rebates/$.47 after rebates
Qs/Ads $619.83
Value $752.60
Savings 82.35%( 99.03% after rebates of $132.30 due)

SHOP-RITE
OOP $4.32
Qs/Ads $.77
Value $5.09
Savings  15%

TARGET
OOP $15.00
Qs/Ads $18.11
Value $33.11
Savings  54.70%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $1.22
Qs/Ads $38.99
Value $40.21
Savings  97%

WALMART
OOP $15.87
Qs/Ads $17.74
Value $33.61
Savings  52.80%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $163.40
Qs/Ads $350.99
Value $514.39
Savings  68.25%

I've decided NOT to 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' & go toward Food/Toiletries budget purchases, 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 NOVEMBER

Kellogg's Fuel for School...$40.00
Olay/Pantene......$20.00
Palmolive Dish Liquid....$2.79
Pinecone Research....6.00
Rite-Aid SCR........$229.13
SC Johnson......$30.00
Suave Lotion/Body Wash...$3.98
Venus Razor....$7.99
Subtotal........$339.89

FREE ITEMS

Almond Tin(no nuts tho....boo hiss!)

2 x Coupons for Old El Paso Taco Shells & $10 GC from contest I won

Herbal Essence Shampoo Free Item Coupon

Book I won

Kashi Granola Bar yum!

Coffee Samples

COUPONS

Del Monte Fruit-Vocalpoint
Jolly Time Popcorn

GIFT CARDS & STORE CHECKS

Rite Aid  $10.00
Staples  $94.00 Store Check
SubTotal...$104.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$443.89

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from  KMart at 100%,  Walgreen's at 97% and Acme at 94.47%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$542.12
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2450.92
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2993.04
TOTAL Savings of......81.90%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$339.89
TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$202.23
TOTAL Savings of..................................93.25%

This closes out the November spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
With the high amount of income from Rebates received I was able to have a low out of pocket for this month considering I spent over $500 OOP on groceries/toiletries.  After rebates, just over $200 for $3 thousand in products is very good.
Having gotten so much at that Acme sale I was able to give over $350 of food/OTC meds to the Food Bank this month, as well as send 4 bags of food to family without even noticing a dent in my pantry supplies here.
Outside of Rite-Aid, where they now know me by name, I made only 1 other trip to a drugstore....1 trip to WAGS after I went to the Oral Surgeon since I was out that way, and no trips to CVS.

What's ahead for December.....
I have an overstuffed freezer at this point that needs defrosting and my stockpile shelves are groaning under the weight of all the boxed/canned foods on them.  Unless some grocery store sabotages me by running a great Catalina Deal, I am going to institute a USE IT UP Challenge for myself.  No buying unless we absolutely need it, which means only fresh produce/fruit & fresh dairy.
#1 son will be home from school mid-month so this will help me use up some of our stores, as the boy likes to eat!lol

I am NOT going to set a budgeted amount for Food.  If I do while I am trying to spend ZERO, it will just give me license to spend up to that budgeted amount in my head.  I am better off at telling myself I can't spend anything and see how many times I veer off of not spending by the end of the month.

How did you do in November 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

October BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for OCTOBER 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in October.
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 13.

AMELIA'S (Discount Outlet)
OOP $32.32
Ads/Sales $37.18
Value $69.50
Savings 53.50%

CARONE'S(local Independent Grocery that doesn't take IP Qs)
OOP $23.42
Qs/Ads $13.13
Value $36.55
Savings  36%

CVS
OOP $1.06
Qs/Ads $80.94
Value $82.00
Savings 98.70%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $16.78
Ads/Sales $31.22
Value $32.00
Savings 47.50%

FARM STAND(I use local retail grocery prices to figure Value)
OOP $26.50
Qs/Ads $00
Value $70.00
Savings 62.15%

FLEA MARKET(items bought from farm vendor-figure Value same as Farm Stand entry)
OOP $17.25
Qs/Ads $00
Value $23.50
Savings 26.60%

KMART(1 round of double coupons this month)
OOP $81.28
Qs/Ads $470.60
Value $551.88
Savings 85.25%

OLLIE'S (local Discount chain Store that doesn't take coupons)
OOP $2.46
Qs/Ads $1.04
Value $3.50
Savings 29.70%

RITE AID
OOP $188.93(before rebates)
Qs/Ads $357.10
Value $546.03
Savings 65.40%(100% after rebates of $229.13 due)

TARGET
OOP $23.35
Qs/Ads $102.36
Value $125.71
Savings 81.50%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $13.76
Qs/Ads $111.95
Value $125.71
Savings 89.05%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town)
OOP $175.73
Qs/Ads $289.56
Value $465.29
Savings 62.24%

I've decided NOT to 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' & go toward Food/Toiletries budget purchases, 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 SEPTEMBER

CVS Lamp Rebates....$8.00
Dove Hair Repair...$5.00
Goody Headband...$3.99
Kellogg's Fuel for School...$10.00
Kraft/Super Valu....$20.00
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Rite-Aid SCR........$155.42(counting old rebate check lost in mail reissued)
Snapple......$11.98
Zantac........$5.00
Subtotal........$222.39

FREE ITEMS

Betty Crocker Garlic Mashed Potatoes(full sized!)
Chik-Fila Sandwich

Secret Deodorant Sample

COUPONS

Kashi Go Lean-Vocalpoint

GIFT CARDS & STORE CHECKS
Rite Aid  $40.00
Staples  $30.00 Visa Card
Staples  $24.00 (ink rewards)
SubTotal...$94.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$316.39

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from CVS at 98.70%, Walgreen's at 89.05% and K-Mart at 85.25%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$602.84
TOTAL of Rebates...................................$222.39

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$380.45

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1751.22
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2131.67

BUT....I have additional income this month to put into the Food Budget!
Remember I sold a bunch of stockpile items in Oct. at the flea market.  $600 of the $932.25 net made was put toward the $60K Savings Challenge and the rest, $332.25, was put into the Food Budget to offset any OOP spending in October.  So my OOP becomes.....

$380.45-$332.25=$48.20


$48.20 OOP
Value of Items remains at $2131.67

Amount of Savings becomes $2083.47
Bringing the TOTAL Savings % for OCTOBER to...............97.74% (71.70% before the flea market $)

This closes out the October spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
With the high amount of income from Rebates And the Flea Market income received I was able to have a tremendously low out of pocket for this month. Though I initially spent well above what I had planned for the Food Budget, having the extra income streams this month helped me take advantage of a lot of unexpected stock-up opportunities on in season farm produce to freeze and meat buys at the store and still come in under budget.
Outside of Rite-Aid, which I practically lived at in Oct. I was there so much this month, I made very few trips to drugstores.

What's ahead for November.....
I'm going to keep the Food/Toiletries Budget at $250 for November.  I may make 1 trip to the Discount Grocery Outlet this month for cheap dairy/frozen chicken and any special deals I may find.  There is nothing we need at the moment in the way of Toiletries.  The only Drugstore trips will be for any freebies at Rite-Aid and to roll ECBs and RRs at CVS & WAGS or to spend Gift Cards. I'll be picking up the seasonal cheap items this month.....cranberries, canned pumpkin, sugar, flour, etc.  The things I won't be buying are cold cereal, granola bars and pop-tarts...I don't care how cheap they are, I am overrun with those things!lol

How did you do in October 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

$60K Savings Challenge SEPTEMBER Totals...This Won't Be Pretty!

I have posted my SEPTEMBER End of Month 60K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right(near the bottom) for the specific numbers.

Ok, I am hanging my head as September was an utter failure!
I know I had 2 HUGE payments this month--#1 son's Tuition/Room/Board bill for the 1st Semester and then the New Roof bill that nearly doubled in price from the estimate we had gotten.
UGH.
But those items were paid for from other savings pots we have--the College Fund & the Home Repairs Fund.
They didn't figure into the September money pool at all.
There are other reasons why this month was a financial disaster.

With deep regret, I have to report that we finished up September IN THE RED!

The amount we ended the month of September with was -$1163.35.
That's a NEGATIVE Savings of $1163.35.


We had no rolled coins and I am still sitting out on eBay.  I think it's time to get back into selling there for the Holiday Season.

On the recurring utilities front, we saw an increase of $.44 in the electric bill from August, so that bill basically stayed the same.  Once the heat gets turned on in this month, it's a slow steady increase in electric usage until the PEAK Month of Cold known here as February.
Ugh.

The water bill saw an increase of $20.64.  That's about a 45% jump from August.  It was expected as both kids were home from camp and since starting school, are showering more and having me do more loads of laundry.
All other regular bills...Cable, Internet, Phone, etc. were within normal parameters.

The Food Budget costs for September are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food/Toiletries spending in September was my lowest monthly total for the year.  I'm hoping to stay out of the stores more this month and am dropping the October Food/Toiletries Budget to $200.

So where did things go horribly wrong?
I'll tell you.
*  I paid the Garbage bill(which is due monthly)ahead to the end of the year. That was an extra $126 that didn't HAVE TO come out this month.
*  The quarterly Sewer bill also came due this month, so add on another $90.  At least I got a break for paying it on time. woohoo....lol
*  The 3rd car(the Family Heirloom)needed it's yearly checkup and maintenance.  There goes $914.97.
We figure this car will cost us about $1K a yr. to keep it roadworthy so it's not unexpected having to spend this.  It's just that the cost snuck up on me in September.
*  Then the school taxes came due.  Around here this is a separate tax from any municipal, city or local taxes. I always pay them during the "discount period" so we get a small break on the amount.  I should have paid them last month and would have if I had remembered that the Family Heirloom had it's yearly repair appointment in September.  This tax adds another $1800+ to the budget.
So that's just shy of $3,000.00 of non-monthly recurring expenses.

Add to that a higher than usual Credit Card bill I paid in September for August charges, that included the hotel lodging/meals/gas for taking #1 son to college, some modest back-to-school clothes shopping, college textbook rentals, #1 son's new laptop for school, pool supplies, the graphing calculator that daughter's class required me to buy, breaking down and paying through the nose for #1 son's graduation photos(ouch!), and a bit too much of eating out from August because it was too hot to cook(yah, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!lol).....and we get a CC bill for $2,333.31.
Gulp.
Oh.
My.
Clear as mud now why I am over $1163.35 on my budget for September.

It's a good thing there is money saved at times like this.
*  I don't have to resort to getting a cash advance on my credit card to cover this amount and pay the outrageously HIGHER Interest Rate on Cash Advances as opposed to the rate for regular purchases of goods & services.
*  I don't have to borrow money from a relative or get a payday advance loan from one of those predatory snarky Payday Loan places.
*  I don't have to pawn or sell things to cover this shortfall.
*  Or worse, not pay the bills and have things shut off or repossessed.

Nope.
Because I had extra money at the end of the month for 7 of the last 9 months AND I tucked it away and did NOT SPEND IT, I can easily cover the extra bills this month.
Piece.
O'.
Cake.

Of course, it totally sucks and is disheartening to see In The Red at the end of this month.
But it makes me more determined NOT to let this happen again this year.

We are Nine Months into this $AVING$ Challenge, and we have a Savings Total of $14,472.06 for the year.

What's ahead for October....
Even less food spending.
Trying to get hubby to make less large cash withdrawals from the account and trying to get him to keep receipts/account for the money.  I don't think he has any idea how much he spends since he won't track it.
No travel this month so no unusual hotels, gas, food expenses.
The credit card bill should be substantially lower.  With 2 days to go before the statement closes for this period and we are under $1000.  And that includes the new bed purchase for #2 son.

I'd love to stash away $2K this month.  It should be do-able unless something comes up.  I really need to make up for September's loss in the savings column.  And it would be nice to have a low expense month before the Holidays hit because even though we don't go HOG WILD on stuff at the Holidays, expenses do happen.

Be sure and check out how others are doing with their finances this month at Money Saving Mom.

Sluggy

September BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for SEPTEMBER 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in September.
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 13.

BIG LOTS
OOP $19.72
Ads/Sales $15.30
Value $35.02
Savings 44%

CARONE'S
OOP $32.41
Qs/Ads $18.51
Value $50.92
Savings  36%

CVS
OOP $.63
Qs/Ads $93.68
Value $94.31
Savings 99.3%

ENTENMANN'S OUTLET
OOP $15.00
Ads/Sales $30.00
Value $45
Savings 33.3%

FAMILY DOLLAR(forgotten receipt-carryover from last month)
OOP $11.22
Qs/Ads $6.43
Value $17.65
Savings 36.50%

KMART(2 partial round of double coupons this month)
OOP $66.18
Qs/Ads $908.82
Value $975.00
Savings 93.12%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $9.35
Qs/Ads $6.19
Value $15.54
Savings 40%

REDNER'S
OOP $36.40
Qs/Ads $12.85
Value $49.25
Savings 26%

RITE AID
OOP $92.22(before rebates)
Qs/Ads $265.40
Value $357.62
Savings 74.22%(88.20% after rebates)

SHOP-RITE
OOP $61.13
Qs/Ads $80.75
Value $141.88
Savings 57%

TARGET
OOP $2.30
Qs/Ads $63.87
Value $66.17
Savings 96.50%

TURKEY HILL-convenience store
OOP $4.45
Qs/Ads $0.00
Value $4.45
Savings  0%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $9.18
Qs/Ads $169.59
Value $178.77
Savings 94.85%

WEIS
OOP $96.30
Qs/Ads $
Value $252.73
Savings 62%

I've decided NOT to 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' & go toward Food/Toiletries budget purchases.

REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN SEPTEMBER

Rite-Aid SCR........$166.67
Reynolds Foil........$4.89
Zantac........$5.00
Kellogg's Fuel for School...$10.00
Kraft/Super Valu....$20.00
Pinecone Research....$9.00

Subtotal........$215.56

FREE ITEMS
Gorilla Glue Sample

Gorilla Glue T-Shirt

Venom Sample

Rite-Aid Oral Care Booklet w/5 Free Items inside x2

Rite-Aid/Kellogg's $5 Certificate

COUPONS
Star Foods

GIFT CARDS & STORE CHECKS
Rite Aid  $50.00
Weis  $20.00
SubTotal...$58.96

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received..$285.56

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from CVS at 99.3%, Target 96.50% and Walgreen's at 94.85%.
Kmart just got beat out by Wags but deserves a mention at a very good 93.12% savings rate.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$456.49
TOTAL of Rebates...................................$285.56

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$170.93

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2113.38
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2284.31
TOTAL Savings % for SEPTEMBER....................92.50%

This closes out the September spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
With the high amount of income from Rebates/Gift Cards received I was able to have a tremendously low out of pocket for this month.  I set out to keep it at $250 for spending this month and I succeeded!
I was able to stay out of the stores more this month, as I had wanted to.

I spread out my shopping dollars amongst quite a few store this month with only 1 or 2 trips to most.  I tried out some new stores for me...Family Dollar & the Entenmann's Bakery Outlet.  KMart saw me alot as the month started off with a Double Coupon Event and ended with one as well.
I stayed out of the drugstore mostly in September(even Rite-Aid compared to previous months)as you can see in my very low spending for CVS & WAGS.

What's ahead for October.....
I have fully stocked up the freezer with meats as of Oct. 1st.  I have a fair amount of seafood as well.
I do want to hit the farmer's market this week and grab some local produce to freezer as this is the tale end of the growing season here.

As for the organizing I wanted to do last month....I began going through all the toiletries/food stockpile about a week before Sept. ended.  I will finish this organizing in October. I know I'm going to have excess items, things we just won't/can't use before it goes bad so I'll be concentrating on getting rid of stuff via selling, giving away to friends and family & donating to charity.  I'm going to concentrate on getting "my house in order" and not on shopping for food/toiletries.  We have enough(and in some cases too much)of both.

I'm going to keep the Food/Toiletries Budget at $250 for October & try to stay out of the grocery & drug stores this month.  Well, right after KMart double coupons is over this week....lol
I just have this feeling in my bones that Price Chopper will be running a good Catalina Deal soon.  In my book, they are waaaaay overdue for one.  I hope they don't have one as it will torpedo my Oct. "stay out of the store" efforts, but I'm just sayin..... ;-)
The only stocking up I forsee outside of the farmer's market produce may be some baking supplies(flour, sugar, etc.).  The Holidays are coming and these types of items do go on special at this time of year.  Part of my $250 may be used for laying in these types of foodstuffs.

How did you do in September 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

It's Almost Time for the End of Month Totals....

I was just sitting and doing some monthly calculations while my macaroni cooked for the homemade Mac & Cheese I am making tonight.
With 1.5 days left in September it looks like I'm going to have both good and bad results.  My monthly food & toiletries budget will be under my $250 mark but my $60K $AVING$ Challenge will dip into the negative for September.
Ugh.
September is turning out to be another bad month for squirreling cash away. Haven't had a negative savings month since February.  And this month's number will blow that Feb. negative total out of the water!

I'll try not to stick my head in the oven with the Mac & Cheese over this.
Oh wait....we don't have a gas oven so that won't work anyway.

I guess I'll live to try to save again in October.
**Sigh**

Sluggy

August BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for AUGUST 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in August.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4 as of 8/30). No kids under 13.


ACME
OOP $113.86 (this drops to $73.86 after $40 Rebate)
Qs/Ads $1180.19
Value $1294.05
Savings  91.20% (94.30% after Rebate)


CARONE'S
OOP $1.29
Qs/Ads $0.00
Value $1.29
Savings  0%

CVS
OOP $2.72
Qs/Ads $236.10
Value $238.82
Savings 98.85%

KMART
OOP $47.84
Qs/Ads $648.28
Value $696.12
Savings 93.13%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $123.43
Qs/Ads $263.32
Value $386.75
Savings 68.10%

RITE AID
OOP $219.39
Qs/Ads $525.75
Value $745.14
Savings 70.55%   **This is before Single Check Rebate of $184.66 & Gift Cards($15) earned.**

TARGET
OOP $15.38
Qs/Ads $20.00
Value $35.38
Savings 56.50%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $41.60
Qs/Ads $311.98
Value $353.58
Savings 85.50%

WEIS
OOP $69.87
Qs/Ads $90.71
Value $160.58
Savings 57.50%

I've decided NOT to track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons". Rebates will also show up in the Monthly Totals when spent, but I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.

REBATES RECV'D. IN AUGUST

Rite-Aid SCR........$85.00
Reynolds Foil........$4.19
Centrum..........$19.99
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Physician's Formula....$7.13
Staples Checks....$20.33
Subtotal........$139.64

FREE ITEMS
Gillette Shampoo x 2 Coupon
Wrigleys Coupon

COUPONS
Swiss Tea
Nabisco

GIFT CARDS & PrePaid VISA CARDS
Rite Aid  $25.00
Staples   $33.96
SubTotal...$58.96

TOTAL Value of Cash/Visa/Gift Card Rebates Received..$198.60

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from CVS at 98.85%, Kmart at 93.13% and Acme at 91.20%.
Walgreen's was a distant 4th this month because of sending hubby to buy stuff.  If there is a problem(coupon won't scan, item rings up wrong, etc.), he doesn't say anything....he just pays whatever they tell him to.
Oy!lol

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$645.10
TOTAL of Rebates...................................$198.60

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$446.50

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$2266.61
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2911.71
TOTAL Savings % for AUGUST....................84.67%

This closes out the August spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
After the Rebates(money coming back into the budget), I was able finally to achieve a Food Budget spending UNDER $500.
Yippee!!! 8-)))

Our garden finally produced some veggies this month.  I have only canned/frozen a bit of the harvest however for the coming winter.  We lost all the tomatoes to the late blight and many plants just didn't sprout or fruit out.  I am not set up for winter gardening in this climate but I'll try to gather locally a large assortment of fall crops for the makeshift root cellar in the garage.

 Most of the Food spending this month was for stockpile purchases(canned/bottled/bagged items).  We were eating alot from the freezer to empty it out some so we could fit in the local farm purchases.  I generally start buying extra local produce around Late Aug./Early Sept. for the freezer. 

What's ahead for September.....
I want to ease up on couponing in September.  I have 1 child away at college, so less mouths to feed=less spending on food.  I am stocked to the gills in the stockpile and still too full in the freezer.  Besides, I am burned out right now on couponing.  This month was CRAZY with shopping!  Between the Acme Deal in early August and TWO weeks of KMart Double Coupons, I am so ready to sit my butt home and just do some serious organizing.  My stockpile is in shambles as is my coupon binder!

I am going to try to AVOID the Grocery Store for at least 2 weeks this month, except for fresh fruit, potatoes, milk, flour & cheese.  We have enough meat and rice/noodles to last the month.  I am shooting for spending the bulk of my food budget at the farm market in September.
I will give myself a $250 food budget for the month.

I just hope the stores don't come up with some great deals I can't resist!lol


Sluggy

July BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JULY 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in July.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5. No kids under 13.

CARONE'S
OOP $24.23
Qs/Ads $7.19
Value $31.42
Savings 23%

CVS
OOP $.86
Qs/Ads $54.89
Value $55.75
Savings 98.5%

FARM FRESH
OOP $26.48 **Just had to pick up some Smithfield Ham while in Virginia!
Qs/Ads $12.52
Value $39.00
Savings 32%

KMART
OOP $54.52
Qs/Ads $869.30
Value $923.82
Savings 94%

OLLIE'S
OOP $5.55
Ads $4.30
Value $9.85
Savings 44%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $57.11
Qs/Ads $139.67
Value $196.78
Savings 71%

RITE AID
OOP $86.95
Qs/Ads $356.06
Value $443.01
Savings 80.37% **This is before Single Check Rebate & Gift Cards earned.**

SHOP-RITE
OOP $23.34
Qs/Ads $131.45
Value $154.79
Savings 85%

TARGET
OOP $62.06
Qs/Ads $130.40
Value $192.46
Savings 68%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $24.01
Qs/Ads $126.56
Value $150.57
Savings 84%

WALMART
OOP $25.17
Qs/Ads $14.06
Value $39.23
Savings 36%

WEIS
OOP $130.41
Qs/Ads $530.45
Value $660.86
Savings 80%

TOTAL Out of Pocket.............................$520.69
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings....$2376.85
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$2897.54
TOTAL Savings % for JUNE......................82%

I've decided NOT to track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons". Rebates will also show up in the Monthly Totals when spent, but I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.

REBATES RECV'D. IN JULY

Rite-Aid SCR........$54.18
Reynolds Foil........$2.99
Cheerios Check....$5.00
Dove Hair Repair Challenge...$4.69
Lysol......$3.00
Physician's Formula....$7.13
Subtotal........$76.99

FREE ITEMS
Kashi Bar Coupon
Starbucks Ice Cream Coupon
Soft Soap Body Wash Coupon
Candy Bar Coupon
Purex 3-In-1 Coupon

NO Gift Cards

TOTAL Value of Cash Rebates..$76.99

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Walgreens at 84%, KMart at 94% & CVS at 98.5%. If you figure the Rebate I am due back from Rite-Aid($85), then my Savings % there is 99.5%.
(I spent $86.95 OOP and will receive back an $85 Check and $50 in Gift Cards.)
This closes out the July spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
Well, I set out to keep the Grocery/HBA spending under $500 for July...something I haven't been able to do yet. I didn't quite make $500 but at only $20 over, this is my least food/toiletries spending for 2009!

And this amount was with very little fresh produce included from my garden! I figured keeping it to $500 for July but that amount was counting heavily on not having to buy much in the way of fresh produce. We just harvested the first of the squash and cukes a couple of days ago, so in July we only had fresh salad greens supplementing the menu. This makes that $520 spent an even better showing.

I know that some of you out there may spend way less than $500 a month on your Food/Toiletries Budget. I don't know how you do it(unless you are eating rice and beans all the time!lol). But for us, $500 is really low. ESPECIALLY if you consider that a year ago I use to grocery shop.....sit down for this revelation.....WITHOUT COUPONS!
Yes folks, I never even peeked inside the Newspaper inserts on Sunday. Just threw the coupons out when we were done reading the paper.

It wasn't always like that. I used to coupon years ago, when I was a young married woman & hubby and I were living off of a much smaller salary. As he started earning more and I brought in some extra money on my side hustles, and then the babies started coming in quick succession, I had no time or energy for saving money with coupons. Then the babies started growing and eating ALOT MORE!lol Soon that small food bill was double and triple and taking too big a bite out of the income.

Last year, I would just go to the store once a week and do a $150 shop. But that big shop would be supplemented with 2-3 little mini-shops during the week to pick up things I forgot during the big shopping trip. $20 here, $15 there....add on another $40-$80 a week to that $150 total=$200+ a week!
And for that $200+ we barely had enough to eat through to the next week. We certainly didn't have shelves of extras for an emergency situation like we do now.

And that was a year ago.....since then, the price of everything has increased at least 6%. So I'd need $222.60 in today's dollars to buy last year's same $200 worth of food. Extrapolate out that weekly amount to a month and I was keeping a food/toiletries Budget equivalent to $964.60 a month in 2008.

So it blows my mind that I can spend LESS now on the Food budget and we have so much MORE foodstuffs than before!

Even with keeping the budget down to $520 in July, I was still able to take advantage of a couple of INCREDIBLE SHOPPORTUNITIES that came my way.

This $520 for July included 11 Trips to KMart during the Double Coupons Week in early July, a couple of trips to Target for cereal/cookies for the Kellogg's Rebate & a trip to Price Chopper to stock up on sale/clearanced staples(rice & spaghetti sauce mostly), as well as all the smaller food shopping trips & a splurge on that expen$ive Smithfield Ham we picked up at the Farm Fresh down in Virginia.

As for the total I am shooting for with my Food/Toiletries Budget for August....I am torn. The stockpile is looking quite healthy except for a few types of items, so I have a small percentage of things to stock-up on.
I have a Shopping Campaign all set to launch on Sunday for a really really good Cat deal at a grocery chain down the road from here. And then there is the return of KMart's Double Coupons Week later in August. There shouldn't be much I need by then, so I'll still check it out but I'll try to limit myself to things that will be free with the doubled coupons. I usually do free and items under $1 during these KMart Sales, so free only will be cutting back for me.

So I'm going to keep the Food Budget for August at $500 again. The kids will have returned from their summer jobs this month and the #1 son will be leaving for college too. I anticipate some irregularities with the menu(eating out and extra meals)this month, plus some farmer's market spending(to preserve for winter) so we'll leave some wiggle room in the budget for whatever pops up in August.

Sluggy

$60K Savings Challenge JUNE Totals...Halfway There!

I have posted my JUNE End of Month 60K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I am once again able to say that we finished up JUNE in THE BLACK!
The Savings for June was under $1000. Not great but good. At least we didn't Live Beyond Our Means this month, which is NEVER a good plan.

The MasterCard bill(which is paid off each month-NO BALANCE EVER!)was just over $1584.33 this month. We had some big unusual purchases like the CAR RENTAL(while my van was in the shop due to daughter's accident), the purchase from the local nursery for the garden & #1 son needing new pants & shoes(that boy is so compact that I haven't bought him clothes in 1.5 yrs!). Those 3 purchases alone account for $973.62 of the cc bill.

We had a bit of rolled coins as usual, but I am still sitting out on eBay for now.
I do plan on having a Yard Sale soon. I'll be selling some of my stockpile to raise some cash.

On the recurring utlities front, we saw a $1.20 reduction in the cost of the electric bill from May. We did have a couple of days early on in June where the A/C was run but this hasn't had any impact on the electric bill. The water bill was an identical amount to May's bill which is freaky. Last month water usage was up because of opening the pool for the season. Hubby has been dealing with pool problems in June, where he's had to partially empty and refill the pool so usage is still up. Gas purchases went up, as the price of gas at the pump rose.

The Food Budget costs for June are in another post, which is located Here. Food/Toiletries spending in June was my lowest monthly total for the year. I am determined to bring that total down even more in July. No stockpiling is needed & the garden should start producing this month, so if I can stay out of the grocery stores I can have a VERY low monthly food spending for July.

We are Six Months into this Challenge. At the HALFWAY MARK, we have a Savings Total of $12,146.75 for the year.

Not the $30 Thousand(halfway to the $60 Goal) I was shooting for at the halfway point, but still, $12 Thousand could have a significant impact on anyone's life.

What's ahead for July.....I plan on a much lower Food/Toiletries Spending. We also have a bonus week in the pay schedule so a 3rd paycheck is coming this month. Between those 2 things and the normal amount we usually save in a given month, I am hoping to realize approx. $4000 toward the Savings Challenge for July. It might have been a higher number, except for some CC charges coming due(4 pair of prescription eyeglasses, hotel stays, food & gas bought for the 970 mile trip we had to take last week)later this month.
If I get around to doing the Yard Sale too, that should add to my Savings total for July.

Check out Money Saving Mom's Blog May Financial Update Post to see how others are saving money and living more frugally Here.

Sluggy

$60K Savings Challenge MAY Totals...Getting Traction on Saving!

I have posted my MAY End of Month 60K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I am once again able to say that we finished up MAY in THE BLACK!
Hoo-rah! It's not anywhere near my $5000.00 monthly target but it's all good. Every dime saved is a dime NOT SPENT!

While 1 month's of savings may not look like much when you are putting those dimes away, when you get some months of putting them away under your belt, and look back, it adds up quickly!

$11K can accomplish alot if needed....a new roof(which we need), a "new-to-us" replacement car for commuting(hubby's car has 'issues'), a repair of the ceiling in the kitchen or the walls in the bathroom(which we can also use), or almost enough to pay for a full year's college tuition at a state school. That's our list of how to spent the Savings, I am sure you have a similar list. The "To Spend" items may be different but it's filled with needs that are no less important to you.

The MasterCard bill(which is paid off each month-NO BALANCE EVER!)was just over $800 this month. This is delightful but with some big unusual purchases like the CAR RENTAL(while my van was in the shop due to daughter's accident), the purchase from the local nursery for the garden and a few other things like #1 son needing all new jeans & pants(that boy is so compact that I haven't bought him clothes in 1.5 yrs!) added to the usual gas station fill-ups and hubby's online purchases, etc., June's bill is looking 'big scary'. bleh....

We had a bit of rolled coins as usual, but you will notice there is NO eBay income again for May. eBay is still not worth the effort/expense. Financially it is more advantageous for me to either sell the stuff at a garage sale or donate it & take the tax write-off. That may change in the fall, so I'll be holding off doing eBay until I can re-evaluate the situation at that time.

The only 'other' income I've been able to realize since stopping eBay selling is any rebate money that comes in during the month. The Staples rebates on all that printer paper helped boost the Rebate total this month.

A big Annual Vet Visit Bill for the 3 doggies & a $441 car repair for hubby's vehicle brought the NON-Credit Card, out of the ordinary expenses for May to $900.

On the recurring utlities front, we saw a $76 reduction in the cost of the electric bill since the heat has been turned off & no A/C is needed yet. The water bill went up by $21, as hubby has been dealing with opening the pool, meaning the use of more water for that. Gas purchases went up, as the price of gas at the pump rose.

The Food Budget costs for May are in another post, which is located Here. Those are still high but I am determined to bring them down in June. No or little stockpiling is necessary this month and if I can keep out of the grocery store, I should be successful in reducing the Food bill.

Five Months into this Challenge, & so far we have a Savings Total of $11,206.16 for the year.

Now is the PERFECT time to start saving money if you aren't already. Get started today!
Just doing 1 thing will get the ball rolling.
I'll be putting up a post concerning practical ways to save money later this week. Check back for that about Friday. I'll put a LINK to it in this post when it's up.

Check out Money Saving Mom's Blog May Financial Update Post to see how others are saving money and living more frugally Here. (Looks like Money Saving Mom's Financial Check-Up Post isn't up yet....give her a few days and then check the link.)

Sluggy

May BUDGET RESULTS-Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MAY 2009.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in May.
These Totals include Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5. No kids under 13.

BOYER'S
OOP $90.08
Qs/Ads $108.54
Value $198.62
Savings 55%

CVS
OOP $30.00
Qs/Ads $391.43
Value $405.39
Savings 92.50%

DOLLAR GENERAL
OOP $8.18
Qs/Ads $7.00
Value $15.18
Savings 46%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP $12.18
Qs/Ads $0.00
Value $12.18
Savings 0%

GERRITY'S
OOP $48.09
Qs/Ads $24.00
Value $72.09
Savings 34%

GIANT
OOP $17.68
Qs/Ads $25.82
Value $43.50
Savings 43.50%

KMART
OOP $100.60
Qs/Ads $381.22
Value $481.82
Savings 79%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP $89.06
Qs/Ads $413.37
Value $502.43
Savings 76%

RITE AID
OOP $93.63
Qs/Ads $183.19
Value $276.82
Savings 66% **This is before Single Check Rebate & Gift Cards earned.**

SHOPRITE
OOP $190.98
Qs/Ads $225.67
Value $416.65
Savings 55%

WALGREEN'S
OOP $54.36($22.82 on Gift Card, actual OOP $31.54)
Qs/Ads $974.83
Value $1074.83
Savings 95%

WALMART
OOP $51.32
Qs/Ads $11.63
Value $62.95
Savings 19%

WEIS
OOP $233.20
Qs/Ads $496.85
Value $724.75
Savings 68%

TOTAL Out of Pocket.............................$1019.36
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings....$3243.55
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$4287.21
TOTAL Savings % for APRIL......................76.33%

I've decided NOT to track CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons". Rebates will also show up in the Monthly Totals when spent, but I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.

REBATES RECV'D. IN MAY

Rite-Aid SCR...........$40.49
Walgreen's Gift Card...$44.52
Progresso Rebate........$1.09
Ensure Rebate...........$6.99
Unilever Ham Rebate....$19.75
Misc. Rebates..........$19.96
Pinecone Survey.........$3.00
Staples Rebates.......$209.65

TOTAL Value of Rebates....$345.45

My best 3 Store Savings Totals were at CVS 92.50% & Walgreens at 95%!
This closes out the May spending.

Looks like not only did I NOT break 82% for a monthly savings total for May but I went over my $700 goal for monthly spending.
I did spend LESS than April, about $60 less overall.

So onward to June. I forsee a reduction in grocery bills this month. #1 son will be leaving this month for his job at the YMCA Camp, so won't be here for meals. Daughter will be going with him for training and will return home until her work contract starts in Aug. Then #2 son will be attending camp the end of the month, so he won't be eating here half of the month, when he returns in July.

As for the stockpile, I can say I am more than fully STOCKED on everything except some meat and fresh produce/milk/eggs. Likewise, in the toiletries/cleaners/dog food department, we are good-to-go for the forseeable future.
So it will be a light shopping month here at Chez Sluggy.

Unless some incredible shopportunity presents itself this month.... ;-))

I'm shooting for keeping the food spending under $600 in June. We've got some traveling to do in June so we'll have to eat out some, which will put this amount to the test.

We've got the garden put in now, which is a budget help with the free veggies, but we won't see any food savings there until the plants start producing in July. Between the local farm I buy from & my garden I usually don't buy any produce from the grocery stores in the summer months. The farmer can be a bit more than the grocery store so that will keep my monthly total up but being able to pull from the stockpile the staples will keep the total down.

One thing that will affect my spending OOP this month are the state of the Wags RRs and the CVS ECBs. I have TONS of RRs to roll every 2 weeks before they expire.....rolling costs some OOP cash however. That is no problem for now, as I have a well stocked WAGS GiftCard to use for the OOP. I may just burn alot of RR's and the few ECBs from CVS I have this month. The pressure to use them, especially when there isn't that much I want to acquire lately at Wags, is getting annoying. I'm in that store so much that any day now, some customer is going to mistake me for an employee! That seems to happen to me alot whereever I go shopping in grocery & drug stores.lolol

Sluggy