Income & Spending.....the September Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals, personal savings and social security payments, I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.

We went into retirement in June of 2017 with no debt, no mortgage nor a car payment.

I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out. 8-)

On to the September report--

I have 2 goals for September.....

The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.

The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund.  This slush fund may be applied toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2024.

*  I do not include/report on our retirement accounts here, just the non-retirement ones.

I'm happy to report that we finished up September in the black.

The amount extra we ended the month of September with?....$3,811.54

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in September---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $2,530.11

*  SS income of $3,828.70

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $1,413.06

Total "Income" for September....$7,771.87

Expenses in September---

*  Irregular bills in September were $0.00

*  Variable expenses in September came to $3,252.90

*  Medical Premiums in September were $707.43

Total Expenses....$3,960.33

$7,771.87-$3,960.33=$3,811.54.

Slush Fund coming into September of $67,630.38 and the addition of $3,811.54 in September, our end of September 2024 Slush Fund comes to $71,441.92.

The Slush Fund, on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog), shows an addition of $3,811.54.

Outgo

As for the variable expenses this September, here are the good and bad side of things.....

Here are the GOOD THINGS

*  The cellphone bill was .06¢ higher than in August.
*  The WAM was the same as the previous month.
*  My Amazon card was $229.32 less than in August.
*  The Joint Mastercard was $32.64 less than last month.
*  Hubs Amazon card was $326.91 less than in August.
*  Hubs Aviator card was $2,484.14 less than last month.
*  My Aviator card was $289.68 less than in August.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The Water bill was $2.10 more than August's bill.
*  The electric bill was $46.65 more than the previous month.
*  The joint Mastercard was $8.08 higher than in August.(not a big thing)

The Food Budget costs for September are in another post HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payments(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS for September 2024---Financially it was a good month.

GOING FORWARD INTO October 2024--We've got three irregular bills--house insurance(ouch!) and the dogs go to the vet and the groomers.  So the 0outgo will be about $1,600 higher in October for those alone.  We are also still trying to recoup what we paid out for the Alaska cruise we couldn't go on in August due to a medical issue.  The cruise line only refunded 25% of what we paid and is making us go through the travel insurance we purchased to get the rest of what we are out.

Here's hoping 2024 treats us all even better financially! 8-))

So how was your September financially?

Did you spend less than the income you had in September?

Did you stay within your budget or not?

What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?

Did you pay down/off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or retirement account?

Or did you blow all your excess monies after bills were paid on a "want"?

If you post your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can  go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!

Sluggy

4 Months of To-Do Lists....EEK! Sort of Long

I just noticed that I have neglected to post my monthly TO-DO List outcomes for the last FOUR  MONTHS!

Geez....how did THAT happen!!
Well that's easy to explain actually...well at least some of it.
Right before September List was suppose to be written I had an emergency gall bladder surgery.
Then in early November after I recovered other stuff was going on and I didn't get October's list done.
Early December and well, the Holidays, enough said so there went November's list. lolz
It's time for December's list(well I am kind of late in January with that one)and I am trying to get back on track.

So let's combine the lists from September to December and try to briefly as possible go through them all.

The item I always have at the top of the Month is "Pay Bills" and that's always accomplished so I am leaving that one off since y'all know it was done each month.

FOUR MONTH OF TO-DO LISTS

*  Read Books-Here's what I read the last 4 months--I really fell down on this goal the last quarter of 2020.

In September I read--

"Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin" by Jill Lepore

I got this one at Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)and now I know WHY it was there.  The book was fine if a little thin because of the subject matter.  Written by a Harvard professor(la de da!)it was basically a biography of Jane Franklin, the younger sister of Benjamin Franklin.  It was interesting but so little information jhas survived the last 200 years concerning Jane's life that there wasn't much to work with here.  The author expanded by including a lot of information on Ben Franklin and their "close" relationship as brother and sister.  Funny thing is that when Benjamin Franklin wrote his memoirs he never mentioned Jane at all.  Hmmm.is that telling as to Ben's sense of self-importance or that he though no one reading his memoirs down the ages would be interested in what his sister, being a mere woman, thought of the world or her life?  You be the judge.

The odd thing that really distracted from my enjoyment of this book was this....

On random pages at random places in the story, there was no print on the page!

Then I'd turn the page and the book was fine....

And then a few pages further there's be more blank pages!  This kept happening aboout the 1/3 of the book and man, was it ever aggravating!  I persevered however and eventually the misprints stopped and I was still able to follow the thread of the book.  I hate to say it but I threw that book in the trash(the only reason I'd EVER throw a book out)when I was done though I would liked to have had this one remain in my book collection. 8-(

In November I read--

"Ostend: Stefan Zweig, Joseph Roth and the Summer Before the Dark" by Volker Weidermann

I did a little background reading on these two German authors before attempting this book because I know so few German writers(other than Goethe and Thomas Mann).  This was an interesting read as it explored the time right before Hitler came to full power and the troubles that some German authors who "weren't on board" with the Nazi agenda had....the political upheaval in their lives and families, the publishers who were forbidden from printing these writer's works, their emotional, mental and physical struggles to survive from this loss of income and some in their circle of friends being unable to return to German for fear of the consequences if they had gone abroad.  Ostend is a tiny seaside town in Belgium that was a favorite of a certain circle of German friends and writers and this book retells of their last Summer of glory at the sea before the Darkness fell over Europe.  Full of sadness and melancholy but a moving story.

I know I read more than TWO books the last 4 months but I didn't keep them(donated those books as they were "meh").  Perhaps I didn't finish a book in October due to surgery/not feeling up to reading much/or the short trip that month.  These other tomes must not have been very memorable as I can't recall any of them.  I did start two other books but have yet to finish them, but when I do, I'll report in. ;-)

* Hold Giveaways  DONE  Luckily I had Giveaway Boxes pre-filled and ready to go for the reat of the year by September or I may not have had anything to giveaway in October and maybe in November.  

Here's what was given away...5 boxes of goodies in total . 

September

October

November #1

November #2

December

*  Mail Giveaways  DONE  Everything was mailed out promptly.

*  Change out Wardrobe  I wanted to get this done in October after out short trip to MD(as it would still be warm down there).  Then we had a spell of warm for the season weather in November so I waited until early December to change out my clothing for the Winter season.  It just didn't make sense to do this chore earlier this year.  Blame it on being 2020....that works for me! lol

*  Dentist Appointment  Had my Dentist appointment for a cleaning in September.  No x-rays or new cavities so it was free.  This was my only Dentist appointment for the year as the Dentist was closed until August.  I hate that we paid for dental insurance that was suppose to pay for 2 6 month cleanings but only got to get 1.  I think we are due a partial refund on those premiums.  Of course if we had had a dental emergency I think the dentist would have seen us so I guess I am not too upset over being charge for a whole year of service. ;-)

*  Doctor Appointments  Oh boy, did we EVER have LOTS of Doctor appointments during this time due to the surgery!  A regular checkup in September then an ER visit, a surgery and a whole slew on appointments(4 in total)coming off the surgery situation plus 2 regular appointments with specialists I see.  We are all systems go by this point! 8-)

*  Stuff to Salvation Army  I believe we made three trips to Sallie's over the course of 4 months.  Of course the months I planned this to happen, it didn't.  Should have been 2 trips but Hubs forgot some things he shoved in his car's trunk and had to make a quick trip back later in Deecember.  We got rid of about 3 boxes of items we don't need/don't use.  The point is that the chore did get taken care of but it took longer than expected.

*  Go through bags of Clothing Ex-CB left  This one happened in September.   A few items I pulled out that were new with tags went back to Kohl's after Christmas and I got store credit.  A few other items I put aside to sell on eBay(Levi's mostly).  Everything else went into the Sallie's donation box which didn't leave when planned(see item above)but it was all donated before 2020 was over.

*  Continue to Deal w/VA stuff  DONE  This item has continued to drag on and on.  Partly due to the lawyer we were using and partly due to issues my brother has letting go of things.  I can't go into this further but once this pandemic let's us travel again I hope to make some headway as there is stuff I had to be in VA to do in person.

*  Work on Details of Winter Trip  This Winter Trip ultimately was put on hold until 2022.  I'd love to go sooner but traveling for now is on hold and IF things open up by August/September I don't think I want to be in the American Southwest during that time of year so we'll hold off until Winter 2022 on that particular trip.  I'd like to go to LA to see my daughter as we haven't seen her in a year now, since the wedding.

*  Move $-matured CD  We had a CD mature in September.  Looking around at the current rates at that time our best move was to just roll it over where it was sitting into a new CD.

*  Cash in 3 Savings Bonds  DONE  Three Savings Bonds matured so we cashed them in during September.

*  Take 401K Withdrawal  DONE  We also took a small 401K withdrawal in September to cover 1 of 3 irregular bills that came due-Long Term Care premiums, yearly School Taxes and Legal Fees concerning my VA issue.  The withdrawal was just to cover the school taxes.

OCTOBER saw these items added........

*  List Things on eBay FAIL  I don't feel so bad about this item on the list.  It stayed on the To-Do  List until December but I never did get around to listing anything on eBay.  Looking back at the clusterf**k the mail was last Fall I am GLAD I never put anything up on eBay to sell!  I found out yesterday that one of my Christmas Cards I sent out for Anne's Card swap arrived on 1/25!  44 days to  go barely 170 miles to MD via mail.  Heck I got a card from someone in Canada well before Xmas!  I am so glad to fail this year listing on eBay. lolz

*  Make More Masks  DONE  Part were done in Oct. and part in Nov.  I've got 5 more masks finished.  I hope to not have to make more but we'll see. 

*  Go on Trip  DONE  We had scheduled a quick trip to the beach and I was healed up well enough to still go mid to late October.  We researched and kept an eye on infection rates in the area and how the hotel was handling protocols(no housekeeping service unless you requested it so we didn't, sanitation stations all over the hotel and I stayed out of the pool).  Mostly we did outdoor activities away from other people and ate in the room or in almost vacant restaurants.  There was one outing to the outlets to two stores and they were only allowing X number of folks inside at a time.  We didn't pick up any infections and I really needed to get away for my mental health.

*  Stuff to Food Bank  FAIL  This didn't happen in October.

*  Invest Savings Bond $$  FAIL  Another one that didn't happen in October.

NOVEMBER saw these items added......

* Have Company  DONE  The only company we had at Thanksgiving was Ex-College Boy and his roommate(whom we call #3 Son).  They are in our 'bubble'.  It was a small enjoyable gathering and we sent them both home with lots of food.  I did make too many pumpkin pies but we thought Older son and his GF would be here but due to job restrictions they were unable to travel out of state.

* Plan & Cook for Turkey Day  DONE  We had only 4 people for dinner so other than the pie situation a lot less food was prepared and it was still plenty to too much.  Lots of leftovers were eaten the rest of November.

* Roll/Spend ECBs  DONE  I had something like $30+ in ECBs and I did get to CVS and roll/spend them down a bit during the Black Friday weekend.

* Roll/Spend Bonus Cash  DONE  Ditto for the Black Friday deals at Rite-Aid.

These are just some of what was hauled home from Rite-Aid on Black Friday Weekend.

* Drag Out Xmas Gifts  DONE  Gifts I've been collecting throughout the year were stored away until November in the Guest Room/Toiletries Stockpile Room closet.  Two tubs worth by Christmas and I wrote out a list as I went through them with whom got what and noted any "holes" in gifting that still needed to be filled.

* Get Kids' Xmas Lists  DONE  You'd think I was asking them to give me the contents of their ban accounts instead of a list of what they want me to GIVE them! lolz

* Stuff to Food Bank  FAIL  Another month I didn't get this done due to not being able to contact the person at the Church were they collect/give out the food.  I just kept trying to connect with the person and it wasn't happening.

* Invest Savings Bond $$  DONE  Finally got this money transfer to a higher interest bearing account in late November.  It was only just over $2K but hey!, money is money and better it be in there than sitting not earning anything. ;-)

DECEMBER saw these items added to the To-Do List...

* Have Company? DONE  While Older son and GF couldn't come for Christmas(again GF's work restrictions)we did have Ex-CB, #3 Son and the Brother in-law and Nephew over.  It's was a good day overall.

* Plan & Cook for Christmas  DONE  I got everything done and on time.  I cooked ahead a few things so I wasn't so rushed and tired on Xmas.  We had everyone over for dinner later than usual so we had some time to relax with the dogs in the morning and not stress about getting stuff ready for company.

* Make a few Christmas Treats  DONE  Gosh help us, NO pumpkin pies this holiday. lol

I made 2 pecan pies(1 to take to Older son as it's his most fav), peanut butter cookies(Ex-CB's fav)and Mexican wedding cookies.  I also bought a small peppermint chocolate cheesecake at the discount grocer for cheap(which nobody really liked lol).

* Roll/Spend ECBs  DONE I stayed on top of my CVS game(what little game I had lol).

* Roll/Spend Bonus Cash  DONE  Roll/Spend Down massive amounts of BC at Rite-Aid happened in December too.

* Finish Christmas Shopping  DONE  There wasn't much to buy after I hauled home my Black Friday drugstore loot. lol  Just a gift card or two.

* Wrap Christmas Gifts  DONE  Some got wrapped at the last minute(as is always the case)but they all got wrapped and the ones for my R-A pals got delivered Xmas eve as well as 3 Pizzas.

Here's an out of focus photo of our little tree with gifts wrapped underneath for family that was coming for Christmas.

Hubs and I ended up driving to Jersey the weekend after Xmas to visit with Older son and his GF for the day and took their presents to them then.  I figured if I had also mailed their packages they might still be waiting for them to arrive given the terrible mail situation in December. lol

* Mail Christmas Packages  DONE  I mailed out 6 packages but whether they arrived before Xmas was another matter not in my hands. lolz  Most of them ended up traveling through the "7th Circle of Postal Hell" aka as the Philly Mail Distribution Hub so I am grateful everything got to it's destination eventually.

* Stuff to Food Bank  DONE  I finally got all the donations up to the Food Bank.  I also made a large donation to the local AmLegion Hall for their overseas troops care packages.  It's no fun to be away from home especially at the Holidays.

* Collapse  DONE  More of a partial collapse really.  Glad all the hullabaloo was over and we had nothing on the agenda between Xmas and the New Year.  Hubs and I just relaxed and didn't worry about getting much done going into 2021.

So now I and y'all are all caught up with my To-Do Lists.

rah.

I don't have to worry about doing one now for another 4 Days! lolz

Sluggy

2011 Review Extravaganza......July to September

I'm taking part in this 2011 Review Extravaganza from over at Mimi's Place, Living in France.
Here is the link to The Rules.
If you want to take part go read the rules and then link up each Friday in December.
And to read the folks participating, go click on the Extravaganza Button on my side bar.


Onward to my 3rd installment of the  Review of 2011...the July to September months.

JULY

July was a very busy month here!

We started out the month at the halfway point of 2011.  I did a check-up on my progress toward my GOALS for the Year.

The Garden started off Doing Great!

I continued earning some Coin on the Side.

I tried to become an Amazon Affiliate.  This didn't work out very well as once it took effect, I could only post titles and no content on the blog.  I then posted about 20 titles in one day trying to get it to work.  HERE is one of those posts......HERE is another one.  Funest day ever!

I finally held another Stockpile Sale.  Here is the work I did to get THERE.

AUGUST

 I did a little DIY in the Kitchen in August.  Homemade Breakfast Sausage anyone?

 Who could not love CUCUMBER P*RN?

Can you believe we held another Stockpile Sale?

We saw some more Decluttering P*rn this month.

We waved goodbye to Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Holly when we dropped off our Daughter to college for the first time.

And I ended the month talking about my Artistic Past.

SEPTEMBER

I dug out the trash and got #2 son's room cleaned.   Most unusual garbage found?..... 52 Plastic Spoons.

Just into the month and our area was hit by the worst Flood since Hurricane Agnes-The Flood of 2011.

I reminisced about being Mortgage-free in one breath and  having our house insurance cancelled in the next because I lost The Bill. bleh

I talked about the End of an Era-my Rite-Aid Pillaging.

As part of my effort to get rid of the rest of the eBay stock I had hanging around, I decided to hold a Garage Sale-styleToy Sale locally.  I spent a large amount of time prepping for it like HERE.

We ended the month with a Lightning Strike!

What is in store for us after this?
Check back next Friday for Part 4 in the Series, where we dissect October to December.

Sluggy

The Year in Review 2010--Part III

No, I am not celebrating the New Year yet!
Mimi over at LIVING IN FRANCE is doing a Linky Thingy...don't ya like my use of technical terms?

Anyway, you are suppose to post your life's highlights from 2010.  This installment is covering July, August and September.  Be sure and check out the other bloggers' posts too....



JULY

After a rather late start to the growing season we finally have our first Harvest in early July....yay!

I start my Christmas gift shopping this month.  By buying throughout the year you can pick things up for discounted prices and save a ton over waiting until the Christmas season when discounted prices are hard to come by, if not impossible to find!  The key with shopping this way is to be O-r-g-a-n-i-z-e-d!  Keep track of what you buy and whom you need to buy for.  Otherwise, you'll find yourself spending way more than you need to or planned to.

It is a very hot month here in my corner of the world.  I don't do well in the heat....never have.  Despite that, I keep my donating momentum going and many more items are sent off to Sallie's.  I also glean the stockpile again and send off a large donation to the Food Bank in July, as well as a nice healthy cash donation. 

I talk about striking a balance between store bought/processed foods and making everything from scratch and the cost implications.  About that same time #2 son has a meltdown with me over not getting fast food anymore.  Imagine having a mother who cares enough about you to cook from scratch....why, I have alot of nerve torturing him that way, don't I?!?

I do some Rite-Aid shopping(not much really this month)and I hold a bevy of giveaways on the blog.

Our beagle is diagnosed with cancer.

AUGUST

This month I attempt to not spend money at the grocery store.  We eat from the stockpile/freezer, the garden keeps us in veggies and I supplement what the garden didn't supply with produce from the farmstand.   I keep track of how many pounds of food we grow and we pass the 29lb. mark this month.  

I reminisce about my Shopping Triumphs of 2009--The great Catalina scores and KMart Double Coupon shops that just seem to have not happened in 2010.  I shed a wistful tear or two.

Hubs & I take a short vacation to Maine for some decompression time.  We go sightseeing and visit  friends.  It is relaxing because we have no set itinerary.  We just play it by ear each day and chose something to do/see from our list and don't try to cram every possible entertainment in.  It is also a very frugal vacation since we stay in an RV, or with friends, eat cheaply or use coupons at restaurants whenever possible and do free or almost free activities.  We even Christmas shop at discount stores as one activity.

I turn my minivan into a solar oven.  #2 son and I make chocolate chip cookies.  They are excellent, cheap to cook(free energy!) and we do it all without heating up the kitchen or the house.

The fridge breaks and I can't get anyone to come fix it.  We buy a new fridge.  It is a necessity as....

#1 son returns home from his summer job.  He brings with him a friend from England who stays with us for a week.   Just guess how much food 2 19 year old guys can eat in the course of 1 measly week!

I actually sew....patch and hem pairs of  pants for #1 son.

As a thank you for sewing his pants, #1 son leaves home to go back to college, taking with him the other "Eating Machine".  My wallet sighs in relief.....

SEPTEMBER

By the end of this month, we top 77lbs. of produce from our garden...wow!

I hit a 75% clearance sale on food items at Rite-Aid.  Most of this goes to the Food Bank.

I put out a call for all Eastern/Central PA Bloggers to link up together.  Nobody answers the phone....

Just about the time I was running low on dog food, Weis Markets runs a Purina Catalina Deal and I take advantage of it.
Synchronicity?....I think so!

This month also sees those $5/5 Kraft Cheese printable coupons.  Many people end up with many many packages of shredded cheese for $1 a pack, myself included.

I talk about how to effectively complain to a company about a product to obtain refunds, free product or high value coupons.
I then complain to anyone reading the blog about how our local newspapers are inconsistent from one to the next with which coupon inserts are included on Sunday.  Maybe I should follow my own advice and complain to the newspaper companies and not y'all. ;-)

The neighbor's RV saga begins when I complain about how they leave that huge thing parked in their driveway and block my sightlines.  I get some Anonymous nasty comments over that one.  Hmmm....perhaps the neighbors read my blog?  Naaaahhh!

By the end of the month, the garden is still producing....especially Giant Alien Cucumbers.   Now there's a title for a Sci-Fi parody......"When Giant Cukes Attack!"

The Final Installment, PART IV, is coming tomorrow so I can get this finished before 2010 is over.

Sluggy

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