April Food Spending 2024

Onward to April's Food Spending Report.....

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for April 2024.

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, Pet Food. We are a family of 2(and 2 dogs).
****************

CVS

OOP  $.15

Sales  $13.03

Value  $13.18

Savings  98.84%

KROGER

OOP  $254.38

Qs/Gift Cards $271.51

Value $525.89

Savings  51.63%

SHOPPERS VALU

OOP $11.32

Sales  $10.24

Value $21.56

Savings  47.50%

WALMART

OOP  $272.70

Qs/Gift Cards $149.73

Value  $422.43

Savings  35.44%

********************
My best Store Savings Total was at CVS with a savings of 98.84%.  My worse rate was at Walmart with 35.44%.  Not a bad savings rate overall.

I shopped at 4 different stores in APRIL.

TOTAL Spent in April......$538.55

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$444.51

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.....$983.06

TOTAL Savings of........45.22%

This closes out the APRIL food/toiletries/etc. spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month....

The Monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 3.85% in April to 45.22% compared to March's 49.07% savings average.  A substantial decrease in savings rate but still over 45%

Since we have an adequate income and food should be a pleasure in life(no way am I going to eat unseasoned rice and beans for my remaining days like some people-because I don't have to). I will buy quality food and pay the price at the register.  I may not like the price but I will deal with it.

With 4 months accounted for, I have spent a Total of $2,227.39 on groceries/HBA/paper goods/etc. in 2024.

2024 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$2,765.94

2024 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$5,356.50

2024 Grand Total Saved...............................$2,590.56

2024 Yearly Savings Total..............................48.36%

The average per month amount spent is $691.85 in 2024 so far but that's before all the rebate monies are added in.

Remember that I withdraw all my cash rebate monies(Ibotta, Shopmium, TaDa, Checkout 51 and other miscellaneous rebates sent to my Paypal)at the end of the year and add it back into my food budget, so at the end of the year my food spending will go down.  The other savings apps like Fetch, Shop Kick, Kroger Cash Back that let us get free gift cards(or $ off your grocery total-Kroger), those are added back in when I cash those points in along the way.  Alexa app gives me Amazon credit onto my account but I don't buy food on Amazon(sometimes I buy dog food there)so I really don't know how to count that.

LOOKING AHEAD TO MAY 2024.....

.

I am going to attempt to not grocery shop in May*gasp*.  I know I won't spend anything.  I have an impossible Ibotta Big Bonus($35 for 95 items!!!)so I really have no motivation to rebate this month(unless there are things for the food bank and I don't count those items in my grocery budget any longer). I have a packed freezer(and thankfully it was packed when the power went out, which helped keep the temperature down, but we did lose some ice cream *RIP*)plus lot of canned/boxes goods so the only thing I'll try to spend on this month is fresh produce.

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

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in April?

*  Do you track your yearly food spending?  It's really not that hard or time consuming; just keep your receipts and either track it in a notebook or on a spreadsheet.

*  What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons versus 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

2021 Food Spending Report....The March Edition

 

Easter Greetings to y'all if you celebrate the holiday!  It's a quiet day here at Chez Sluggy with just me, the Hubs and the puppies. 8-)

Onward to March's Food Spending report......

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MARCH 2021.

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(2-3 eating at home this month). No "kids" under 26. (I don't count all the "freebies" I get at the Discount Outlet in my totals either.)
*****************

CVS

OOP  $2.10
Qs/Ads/ECBs  $12.06

Value  $14.16

Savings 85.17%

DOLLAR GENERAL

OOP  $31.34

Qs/Ads  $54.12

Value  $85.46

Savings  62.33%

OCEAN STATE JOB LOT
OOP  $11.96
Value  $22.96
Savings  47.91%

P and R DISCOUNTS
OOP  $34.36
Value  $78.33
Savings  56.13%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC  $836.75
Value  $836.75
Savings  100%

WALMART
OOP  $80.36
Value  $192.69
Savings  58.30%

WEIS

OOP  $138.05

Qs/Sales  $72.67
Value  $210.72
Savings  56.13%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, CVS at 85.17% and Dollar General at 62.33%.

The worst rate was at Ocean State Job Lot at 47.91%  I'll take that all day long! ;-)
I shopped at 7 different stores in March.

TOTAL Spent in March..........................$317.32

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales.................$351.17

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.........$668.49

TOTAL Savings of ................................52.53%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for March w/R-A...............$317.32
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales w/R-A..................$1,187.92
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid...$1,505.24
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items....................78.92%

This closes out the March food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into March without much of a plan in terms of stocking up or eating down the stockpile.  I was able to winnow out some old items and use them up(and not replace them).
I was able to spend less than $400(my usual average per month)but I didn't challenge myself to eat from only what we had so March's total spending was more than February's spending but only by about $106.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 6.02% in March 2021 to 78.92% compared to the February's 84.94% savings average.  Down over 6% but still almost at 80% savings is winning in my book. lol

With 3 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $507.19 on food/toiletries in 2021.

2020 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$824.51

2020 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items....$4764.94

2020 Grand Total Saved..............................$3940.43

2020 Yearly Savings Total.............................82.70%

The average per month amount spent is $274.84 in 2021 so far.

LOOKING AHEAD To April 2021...........

Well I really haven't thought about April yet.  I would like to  continue to try to eat from the pantry/freezer this month and spend less than in April.   If I find a stellar deal on items we use(not including Rite-Aid where I buy "the deals aka the freebies or almost freebies" and pass on what we can't/don't use to the Food Bank, Ex-College Boy and into Giveaways)I will take advantage of those deals still.  With no Holidays in the foreseeable future(4th of July is next?)I don't think the grocery stores will be having many loss leaders until Jume.

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?  It's really not that hard or time consuming; just have your receipts and either track it in a notebook or on a spreadsheet.

*  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 Spending 2020.....The June Report

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JUNE 2020.

I have posted June'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 June.  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.
*****************

CARONE'S/SHURSAVE
OOP  $26.02
Value  $27.22
Savings   .41%

KROGER
OOP  $30.34
Value  $57.87
Savings  49.57%

OLLIE'S
OOP  $17.55
Value  $60.44
Savings  70.96%

PandR DISCOUNTS

OOP  $15.57
Value  $39.32
Savings  60.40% 

RITE-AID *
OOP  $59.60
Qs/Ads/BC/GCard  $442.55
Value  $502.15
Savings  98.73%

SHARP SHOPPER
OOP   $174.36
Value  $389.31
Savings  55.21%

WALMART
OOP  $9.82
Value  $12.75
Savings  23.00%

WEIS
OOP  $72.29
Qs/Ads  $51.85
Value  $124.14
Savings  41.77%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 98.73%, Ollie's at 70.96% P and R Discounts at 560.40% .   My worst savings rate was at Carone's with .41%. But then again, Carone's was Hubs' shopping and not mine. lol  MY worst rate was Walmart at 23.00%

I shopped at 8 different stores in June.

I also earned $92.42 in cash rebates in June which helps offset the spending once I cash those in at the end of 2020.

TOTAL Spent........................................$405.55

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales................$807.65
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased........$1213.20

TOTAL Savings of ................................66.57%


This closes out the June food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I did stay under the $500 budget I set for myself in June so that's positive.  I hit lots of food 75% clearance(and some OTC meds too)at lots of Rite-Aid both in PA and VA near my brother's house which stocked me up for not much money so that's a plus too.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 16.70% in June 2020 to 66.57% compared to the May 2020 rate of 49.87% savings average.  A very significant jump down in savings rate.  I'm all good with that!

With 6 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $2176.07 on food/toiletries in 2019.

Going into 2020 before the pandemic blew the wind out of my sails I wanted to stay at or under $4K for the yearly food spending.  At this point I don't think that will happen but we'll keep plugging along anyway.


2020 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$1770.52

2020 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$4875.66

2020 Grand Total Saved...............................$3105.14

2020 Yearly Savings Total............63.69%

The average per month amount spent is $354.10 at this point in 2020 which went up some from April's average.  As long as I'm around $400 per month it's all good.

LOOKING AHEAD To July 2020.............

July will be eating down the freezers and buying fresh produce as it comes into season mostly.  If I hit on deals we can use/need I'll pick that up too but I hope to stay under $300 this month.  Sluggy plans and God laughs. lol

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 June?

*  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

AUGUST 2012 Budget Results.......Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for AUGUST 2012.

I have posted August'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 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 5(3-5 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 16.
******************

FARM STAND
OOP   $31.50

Value   $80.48

Savings  60.86%

RITE-AID

OOP  $.70

Qs/Ads/+Ups/Gift Card  $613.06

Value  $613.76

Savings   99.88%

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $346.94

Qs/Ads  $269.18

Value  $616.12

Savings  43.69%

WALMART

OOP  $17.88

Value  $31.14

Savings  42.58%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $88.92

Qs/Ads  $73.01

Value  $161.93

Savings  45.09%

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 August

Total...$0.00

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 99.88%,  the Farm Stand at 60.86%, and Weis at 45.09%.  l shopped at 5 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$485.94

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1,017.49

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,503.43

TOTAL Savings of...................................67.67%

This closes out the August spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into August with $400 budgeted for food/toiletries for the month.  I obviously blew through that mark plus another $85.94.  Having all 5 of us home for almost a week and having #2 Son(aka the Eating Machine)home full time helped push me over but I gave myself an extra $100 last month so I'll have to see where we went off course.  I suspect it's a little more junk food and extra spending on fresh veggies/fruits AND the almost $100 I spent on meats at the Meat Sale at the local market.  Also, the bulk of the farm stand purchases were either for canning pepper relish or for veggies to freeze for this winter's consumption.

So yes, now I see where that $185.94 went. ;-)

Again, I didn't use many coupons in August, not counting Rite-Aid, where I use many MANY coupons!lol 

At strictly grocery outlets, I used 2 coupons and 2 catalinas I earned to be exact.

 

LOOKING AHEAD TO SEPTEMBER......

I will be keeping my food budget at $400 for September.  #2 Son is home again.  I might be going back to the farm stand for Fall veggies and I want to leave myself some budget room for stocking up opportunities this month if they come along.

How did you do in August 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

$20K Savings Challenge Report for May 2012

Ok, here is my May Savings Challenge Update post for 2012.
This post is NOT about bragging or showing off.  It's just what we are able to save given our income and being able to hang tough against "unconscious" spending.

Just to update, My Savings Goal for the Year in 2012 is $20,000.  It's well below what I've saved in previous years I know.  But we also have a goal of paying for 4 home improvement projects at Chez Sluggy this year.  We plan on cash-flowing these projects with the additional money we save and/or our income tax refund.

On to the May report.....

I have posted my MAY End of Month $20K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $1,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up May in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of May with?.......$2,832.03!

Income
We had $2728.26 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
Add in $2.00 in Rebates applied against the food expenses, $101.31 in blog ad revenue & $.46 in interest(HAHAHAHAHA!) and  you get a total of $2,832.03.

Outgo
Traditionally May has been a fairly normal month as far as spending goes.  No big tax bills or lump payments. 

As for the expenses this May......

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The water bill was boringly the same.

*  The mild winter temps continued, which decreased our heating/electric bill by about $25.  The second consecutive month for a decrease....yay!

*   The credit card was $400 less than last month's bill.  It was still over $1K though. bleh!
*  No car maintenance/repairs bills this month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  Credit card bill was fairly high at $1000+.

*  We bought a new dishwasher.

*  The new dishwasher meant hiring a plumber to install it(our house is weird)....that was $265!!!

*  Another vet bill for 1 of the dogs.  Not large but it's still unusual spending.

*  Cash spending(my food money and Hub's WAM money)was WAY HIGH!  I'm going to have a talk with him about reigning it in this weekend.

The Food Budget costs for May are in another post, which is located HERE.

YEAR-TO-DATE GRAND TOTAL.....
With 4 month behind us, our Savings Grand Total for 2012 is $9,422.83.

We hit our monthly goal in May and then some, so now we are ahead of where we need to be

With 5 months done, we should be at $8,333.35 saved for the year, so $1,089.48 ahead for the year!

As for a look ahead at JUNE.....
* There will be another vet bill for surgery the beagle had this week.(It was put on the credit card.)
* The quarterly garbage bill will be due.
* Mini-vacation will cost money but most charges will be put on credit card so not due until July.(Good for June's figures but not for July's.)
* A 3rd paycheck in JUNE!!!  We will NOT use it toward our saving challenge goal however.  This check will go toward paying the home improvement projects that NEED to begin soon.

I figure I should be able to meet the monthly savings goal for this Challenge in June, barring any money fiascoes.

So how much did YOU save in May?  Did you spend all your income or did you put something aside?

Do you have an emergency fund of 6-8 months worth of expenses?
Do you have debt?

Start living below your means NOW and put some money away for emergencies and/or start paying down your debt.
And once you get debt-free, continue to throw that debt repayment money into savings.  You won't believe how fast you can accumulate wealth once you have no debt!

It is NEVER too early or too late to SAVE SOMETHING.
And the amount you save is NEVER too small!
Anything you can spare will go a long way to make you more financially secure in this crazy unstable world we live in.

So come along and Challenge Yourself to Save Money each Month Toward a Realistic for YOU Savings Goal or Debt Goal!

Not everyone can shoot for $20K, I fully get that!
But everyone can shoot for some number, right!?

Find a money goal that works for you and put that number out there for everyone to see.  Put it into paying down your debt, put it into savings, invest it or put it toward the principle in your home mortgage....just get busy and do this!

It will help keep you accountable to your goal if other eyes are on you.
Put it out there online and let us all stalk your money too. ;-)

So how was your May financially?
Did you spend less than you made?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
How much did you save in May?

Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.   Do you have any tricks or tips that help you to end your month before the money runs out?    Let us know!
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!

Sluggy

November Budget Results.......Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for NOVEMBER 2011.

I have posted November's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2011 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in November.  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 15.
******************

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $17.89

Value  $72.44

Savings  75.30%

LUCAS FARMS(local produce market)

OOP  $13.02 

Value  $27.33

Savings  52.36%

RESTAURANT SUPPLY STORE
OOP  $32.50

Value  $75.90

Savings 57.20%

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $104.43

Qs/Ads  $173.15
Value  $277.58
Savings  62.38%

WALMART 

OOP  $3.60

Qs/Ads  $0
Value  $3.60

Savings  0%

WEIS (local chain Grocery store in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $99.66

Qs/Ads  $261.51
Value  $361.17
Savings  72.40% 

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 NOVEMBER
Pinecone...$3.00
Subtotal........$3.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
$0.00
TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$3.00 * a pathetic month*

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Zero  *more pathetic-ness*

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were the Bakery Outlet at 75.30%, Weis at 72.40% and the Shursave Stores at 62.38%.
I shopped at 6 different stores in November.....well really it was 8 but 3 of them were Shursaves so I counted them as the same store. ;-)


TOTAL Out of Pocket........$271.10  soooo close!lol

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$546.92

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$818.02
TOTAL Savings of...................................66.86%


TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$3.00
TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$268.10
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$549.92
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$818.02
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................67.22%

This closes out the November spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-I came very close to staying on my $250 food budget in November.  I cashed in a grocery store gift card and did a couple of different Catalina Deals(can you say GRAVY?lol)this month.  I also bought a second turkey in November and did a wee bit of stocking up on dairy/baking supplies.

Oh! Wait a minute.....actually if you look at my October food budget post I set a $300 budget for November so I came in UNDER!

Go me!!lol

Now I'm sure that if I had remembered I gave myself a $300 food kitty last month, wanna bet I would have spent $320?  8-)

What's ahead for December.....
As always I'll keep an eye out for Catalina deals I can use.  I am going to try to use up some meats/proteins in the freezer this month before we get to Christmas.  The freezer needs a good defrosting and clean out.  Using up will help keep the food spending in check since I foresee a big Ham purchase in 3 weeks or so for a big Christmas Dinner and that hunk o' meat will cost mucho coinage!

With 1 month left in the year, we have spent a total of $2,772.85 of our income on food/HBA in 2011.
That comes out to $252.08 per month.
We brought home items with a reg. retail value of $13,287.59 so far this year.
That's a savings of $10,514.74 or 79.07%.

How did you do in November with your Food Budget?  Did the Turkey Holiday dinner bust your budget(not to mention your belt!lol)

What are your challenges for December?  Any family coming to stay....Holiday Celebrations?..  Do you throw parties and how do you budget for that?...or is your/the childs'/the spouse's school/work/Holiday extracurricular activities schedule too busy to shop/cook/eat as a family?

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

November Food Spending Week 3, Meal Plan Week 4

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

SUNDAY--Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
MONDAY--Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs
TUESDAY--Teriyaki Salmon w/ Veggie Fried Rice
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers
THURSDAY--Kielbasa, Potato Salad, Cabbage
FRIDAY--Chinese Take-Out
SATURDAY--Take-Out Pizza *at behest of Hubs and #2 son

No Breakfast for Dinner night, Chinese take-out instead.  No Squash casserole night because I never got to the Product market last week for said squash, so we had leftovers instead. And I was out voted on Saturday and a pizza was ordered(using a gift card).

Last week was all about many little food shopping trips revolving around....say it with me!....GRAVY!

8 transactions at Weis Markets(aka Evil Empire)and 1 trip to the RSS(aka Restaurant Supply Store)for blue cheese dressing(aka PRECIOUS).

 
Total for all the food shopping last week came to $91.07.

 

That sure sounds like A LOT of $$ to me, but look at what I got for that amount.....

93 cans of gravy

21 cans of soup

1 bag stuffing

4 bags of croutons

6 bags of frozen potato/onion rings

2 bags of salad

2 cans of pineapple

4 bags of cheese

8 containers of sour cream

2 cans of cranberry sauce

5 3-packs of yeast

11 single packs of yeast

2 boxes of broth

1 applesauce cups

2 boxes of pie crust

2 bags of green beans

1 gallon of dressing

1 14-cut cheesecake

1 turkey

The only thing missing is a Partridge in a Pear Tree.....

If I saw it all sitting out together I'd think I did good.  I need my visuals people!lol

My savings percentage was 72.40% last week, as the reg. retail was $329.84 on the groceries I brought home. 

My running total spent for the month is now at $213.52, which leaves me $36.48 to stay within my $250 monthly food budget.  Ok, I "really" have $39.48 since I have $3 in rebates this month to throw into the food kitty....which is how I handle rebate $. 8-)

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions w/Gravy
MONDAY--Tilapia, Squash Casserole, Sweet Potato Fries
TUESDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Pasta, Salad
WEDNESDAY--Tacos, Veg.
THURSDAY--Turkey Thanksgiving Dinner
FRIDAY--Chili or Leftovers
SATURDAY--Leftovers

Items needed for this menu.....Yellow Squash, Bell Seasoning, Rutabaga, Sweet Potatoes, Celery and Milk.  I have $20 in store Rewards I have to spend by Saturday or lose them, so I'll get as much of this as I can at the ShurSave store.  

This is the last food shopping Week in the month.  Between the free $20 rewards and the $39 I have left, I think I'll be able to stay under budget for November...yay!

 

Unless of course, I start jonesing for some more Gravy! lol

So have you run out of food budget yet this month?

Or do you have lots of cash left?

Sluggy

March Budget Results.....Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MARCH 2011.

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

BIG LOTS
OOP  $6.80
Value  $12.28
Savings  44.62%

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $14.23
Value  $70.89
Savings  80%

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP  $89.67

Qs/Ads  $98.85
Value  $188.52
Savings  52.44%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $11.18
Value  $18.00
Savings  38%

RITE AID
OOP  $5.79 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads/+Ups  $770.79
Value  $776.58
Savings  99.35% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $82.10
Qs/Ads  $115.62
Value  $197.72
Savings   58.50%

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

REBATE CHECKS RECV'D. IN MARCH

Lypsyl.....$2.39
Rite-Aid SCR...$68.98
Subtotal........$71.37

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

Subtotal....$0.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$71.37

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Chef Boyardee.....Free Ravioli Q
Herbal Essence 'Poo...$1/1 Q & Free Item Q
NeilMed......Free Neti Bottle
MegaRed....Free Supplement Sample
Orbit.....Free Pack of Gum Q
P&G....Q Booklet
Purina.....Free Bag of Dog Food Q

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%,  The Bread Outlet at 80% and  Weis Markets at 58.50%.  I only shopped at 6 stores in March.


TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$203.98
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1060.01
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1263.99 with Rite-Aid figured in
TOTAL Savings of...................................83.86%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$71.37

TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$132.61
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$1131.38
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1263.99
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................89.50%

Since my Rite-Aid shopping(which contains No OOP)always skews my savings percentages, I like to figure my Totals without the Rite-Aid numbers also.
TOTAL OOP after Rebates.....$132.61
TOTAL Value of Items Purchases(w/out Rite-Aid items)....$487.41
TOTAL Savings After Rebates(w/out Rite-Aid items).....72.80%

This closes out the March spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-
While I didn't set out to do a "No Spend Month", my grocery spending was under $120 until the last week of March.  I did the Kraft Cheese Instant Discount Deal a second time on the 26th at the local ShurSave affiliate store, plus my Daughter went to the store with me and she needed quite a few items so she could make quick, easy lunches and dinners on the nights that she worked.  So I spent almost $40 on her needs alone on that trip.
We did eat down some of the veggies, meats and ice cream in the freezer this month, as well as quite a few canned goods.
In the end, we kept the spending under $140.00 for the month which was very good.

What's ahead for April.....
We'll need to make another trip to the Bread Outlet this month to restock.  I can't make bakery items as cheaply as I can get them on deep discount at the Outlet. 
I'll also be buying a 5lb. block of Cooper Sharp Cheese at the Restaurant Outlet since we haven't done that since last year.  By slicing my own, we save the large mark-up on the deli sliced cheese.
The only meat I plan to buy in April will be any marked down packages that are at or under my Price Book amount for various meats. 
I'll be on the look-out for sour cream and ricotta cheese on sale/discount as we are also out of those items.  No stockpile items are low at this point but I'll keep my eyes open for 'stockopportunities' where combining my Qs and loss leader sale prices will get me some 'extreme couponing' deals.
Again, I hope to accomplish this for not more than $250 for the month.

How did you do in March with your Food Budget?
What are your challenges for April?
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

November Budget Results....Food & Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for NOVEMBER 2010.

I have posted November's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2010 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in November.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable.We are a family of 5(4 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 14.

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP $8.56
Value $32.61
Savings  73.75%

CARONE'S(small local independent store)
OOP  $59.32

Qs/Ads  $28.32
Value  $87.64
Savings  32.31%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $10.06
Value  $24.30
Savings  58.60%

OLLIE'S(regional discount chain-takes no coupons)
OOP  $8.71
Value   $17.98
Savings  51.64%

PRICE CHOPPER(Northeast)
OOP  $30.99
Qs/Ads  $20.60
Value    $51.59
Savings  40.0%

REDNER'S(does not double coupons)
OOP  $70.90
Qs/Ads  $71.62
Value  $142.52
Savings  50.25%

RITE AID
OOP $21.61 (whole amount put on free Rite-Aid Gift Cards)=$.00 actual OOP
Qs/Ads  $1,405.67
Value  $1,427.28
Savings  98.49% before gift cards/ 100% savings after free gift cards

WEIS (local chain Grocery store that doesn't take IP Qs in my town/doubles up to $1 total)
OOP  $63.78
Qs/Ads  $78.70
Value  $142.48
Savings   55.24%

I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nore 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 NOVEMBER
Pinecone Research....$3.00
Subtotal........$3.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES

VISA Preloaded (Giveaway win)...$10.00
Dunkin Donuts(Giveaway win)....$5.00
Staples Ink Recycling Reward....$12.00

Subtotal....$27.00

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$30.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES

DOVE....free Deodorant Sample
HEALTHY CHOICE...BOGO Free Coupon
MEGA RED....free 2 month supply
VOCALPOINT...Barilla Pasta Coupons(1 was for a free box)


My best 3 Store Savings Totals were from Rite-Aid at 100%, The Bakery Outlet at 73.75% and Weis Markets at 55.24%.

TOTAL Out of Pocket...............................$252.32
TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1,674.08
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.............$1,926.40
TOTAL Savings of..........86.90%

TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$3.00

TOTAL OOP After  Rebates....................$249.32
TOTAL Savings of..................................87.06%

This closes out the November spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month-

I went over my budget for November by $2+, but with my WHOOPING HUGE Cash rebates this month(LOLOL)offsetting the spending, I kept the food/toiletries expenditures just under my $250 limit.  I was able to pick up some extra baking supplies for the stockpile and discounted meats in November and still stay close to my budget.

What's ahead for December 2010.....

I'm keeping the food budget set at $250.  #1 son will be home for a couple of weeks this month, plus there is the added costs for providing a Holiday meal(Christmas).  My blogging buddy Annie Jones is doing a Pantry Challenge for December HERE.  I might try to join in on this one.  If I do, I hope to spend alot less than what I've budgeted.  We shall see how this goes....

As always, any rebates received in December will be added to the food budget to offset what we spend.

With eleven months of the year behind us, we have averaged $199.28 per MONTH after rebates on food/toiletries spending for 2010 for a family of 4-5 adults/teens + 2-3 pets.
That's approx. $46.64 a week.  I'd call that pretty darn good for a family our size! ;-)
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