Onward to December's food spending report & closing out the 2013 Totals.....
Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2013.
I have posted December's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2013 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in December. 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 at home this month)& 1 dog. No kids under 17.
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MAINE SOURCE(restaurant supply store)
OOP $21.69
Value $30.87
Savings 39.74%
RITE-AID
OOP $4.19
Qs/Ads/+Ups $360.58
Value $364.77
Savings 98.85%
SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP $68.08
Qs/Ads $54.17OOP $68.08
Value $122.25
Savings 44.31%
WEGMAN'S
OOP $39.92
Qs/Ads $8.00
Value $67.08
Savings 40.50%
WEGMAN'S
OOP $39.92
Qs/Ads $8.00
Value $67.08
Savings 40.50%
WEIS MARKETS
OOP $151.23
Qs/Ads $130.57
Value $281.80
Savings 46.33%
I am no longer adding my rebates received into my food budget directly. I will use them on food on occasion and will note that when used. I will keep track of rebates/gift cards/certs received here as before however.
REBATE CHECKS RECEIVED IN December.....$0.00
GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES....$0
TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$0.00
COUPONS and FREEBIES
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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 98.85%, Weis at 46.33% and the Shursave Market at 44.31%. My WORST savings rate was 39.74% so I think I did exceptionally well in December on the value of what I got!
I shopped at 5 different stores this past month.
TOTAL Out of Pocket........$285.11
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$581.66
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$866.77
TOTAL Savings of...................................67.10%
This closes out the December food/toiletries spending.
THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into December wanting to cut my food/toiletries budget by $100, to $300 budgeted for ALL purchases, to make up for overspending in November by about $120.
I met that challenge.
Go me! 8-))
In December, total savings percentage for the year has gone UP 6.32% over November's year-to-date total of 60.78%, to 67.10%.
If you add my November and December food spending together it comes to $867.89, which makes my monthly average $433.95 for those 2 months. I am still over my $400 goal per month for Nov./Dec. but I got close.
As you can see my Savings Rate in December remained high, partly because of my Rite-Aid shopping.
Without the Rite-Aid totals added in, my December Savings Rate is 44.04%. Achieving a savings rate in the 40's is what I strive for. Add in Rite-Aid totals and my overall Savings Rate hits 67.10%.
This closes out the December food/toiletries spending.
THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into December wanting to cut my food/toiletries budget by $100, to $300 budgeted for ALL purchases, to make up for overspending in November by about $120.
I met that challenge.
Go me! 8-))
In December, total savings percentage for the year has gone UP 6.32% over November's year-to-date total of 60.78%, to 67.10%.
If you add my November and December food spending together it comes to $867.89, which makes my monthly average $433.95 for those 2 months. I am still over my $400 goal per month for Nov./Dec. but I got close.
As you can see my Savings Rate in December remained high, partly because of my Rite-Aid shopping.
Without the Rite-Aid totals added in, my December Savings Rate is 44.04%. Achieving a savings rate in the 40's is what I strive for. Add in Rite-Aid totals and my overall Savings Rate hits 67.10%.
We kept the food spending under $300 this month but still splurged on Prime Rib Roast for Christmas dinner(plus fresh seafood on Dec. 23rd) and ate very well otherwise all of December.
So what is my secret to spending so little on groceries and toiletries?
I chalk this up to.....
* I buy loss leaders.
* I use a smallish assortment of coupons(to buy things I would have bought anyway).
* I use a price book, tracking to stock up when groceries where at their rock bottom price in the sales cycle. I never pay full price for anything that will eventually go on sale....ok, maybe not never but very infrequently.
* I buy items on instant markdown and substitute them for other ingredients that are more expensive that week(or keeping those marked down goods for later in the freezer).
* I cook from scratch a good deal of the time, because it makes sense and I have to watch what I eat and have to keep my sodium intake low.
* I buy in season whenever possible.
* I have started to cook/serve/eat less food at meals so we have little to no food waste. Sometimes I purposely cook more than we are going to eat for planned leftovers.
This is NOT to say that I don't follow/do all this all the time. I do splurge and pay more for some things occasionally or just don't bother due to boredom or lack of energy, etc. or make mistakes. But more often than not, these are my guidelines and how I keep more money in our pocket.
If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.
So what is my secret to spending so little on groceries and toiletries?
I chalk this up to.....
* I buy loss leaders.
* I use a smallish assortment of coupons(to buy things I would have bought anyway).
* I use a price book, tracking to stock up when groceries where at their rock bottom price in the sales cycle. I never pay full price for anything that will eventually go on sale....ok, maybe not never but very infrequently.
* I buy items on instant markdown and substitute them for other ingredients that are more expensive that week(or keeping those marked down goods for later in the freezer).
* I cook from scratch a good deal of the time, because it makes sense and I have to watch what I eat and have to keep my sodium intake low.
* I buy in season whenever possible.
* I have started to cook/serve/eat less food at meals so we have little to no food waste. Sometimes I purposely cook more than we are going to eat for planned leftovers.
This is NOT to say that I don't follow/do all this all the time. I do splurge and pay more for some things occasionally or just don't bother due to boredom or lack of energy, etc. or make mistakes. But more often than not, these are my guidelines and how I keep more money in our pocket.
If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.
2013 Total Saved $4,008.31
2013 Yearly Total Value of Items $8,569.13
2013 Yearly Total Spent $4,560.82
2013 Yearly Savings Total of 46.77%
Yes, I saved almost HALF of what I would have spent if I just ran to the store and bought whatever/whenever I felt like buying by thinking ahead and exercising some restraint over my behavior.
2013 Yearly Total Value of Items $8,569.13
2013 Yearly Total Spent $4,560.82
2013 Yearly Savings Total of 46.77%
Yes, I saved almost HALF of what I would have spent if I just ran to the store and bought whatever/whenever I felt like buying by thinking ahead and exercising some restraint over my behavior.
The average monthly food/toiletries spending this year was $380.07. We kept our food/toiletries spending average BELOW $400 per month in 2013.
How much did you spend on food in December?
Do you track your yearly food spending....if so how did you do this year?
Do you track your yearly food spending....if so how did you do this year?
Sluggy
