This Week on the Dining Table

 The "I Wish I Wasn't Here" Edition...

It's cold as F*^k here!  It was 80F and sunny back in December 2021 in the Virgin Islands.  That larger boat was the one we took there.  Maybe we can move there or go stay for a month or two if we can find someone to watch the dogs for us and not charge us an arm and a leg. ;-)

How about you take our dogs for awhile Kim.  With all the animals and grandkids running around there you'd never even notice them. hehehe

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned......

1. Sunday--I didn't eat(see above), don't know what Hubs had

2. Monday--Chicken and Dumplings w/Carrots

3. Tuesday--Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff, leftover, Brussels Sprouts, Rice

4. Wednesday--Fish, Cole Slaw
5. Thursday--Butternut Squash Ravioli w/Béchamel, Salad

6.  Friday--Homemade flatbread Pizza, Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Leftovers

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--I didn't eat(at hospital), don't know what Hubs had

2. Monday--Chicken and Dumplings w/Carrots

3. Tuesday--Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff, leftover, Brussels Sprouts, Rice

4. Wednesday--Fish, Cole Slaw, Sweet Potatoes
5. Thursday--Ate Lunch out, I didn't have dinner

6.  Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Chinese Take-Out for Lunch, no dinner

Again, the homemade pizza and squash ravioli didn't happen and moves again.

What got put into the freezer last week....

*  a box of Super Pretzel

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

*  1 lb. London Broil

*  1 box of fish

*  a box of Super Preetzel

*  a qt. of Ben and Jerry's

I spent $29.99 on food/toiletries/HBA the last week. This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $29.00 for February.  

There are 21 shopping days left in February.  

I've earned $51.12 on Ibotta in February.

I've earned $10.13 on Checkout51 in February.

I've earned $5.00 on Coupons dotcom/Paypal in February.

I've earned 258 points($.25) from shopping on Fetch in February.

I earned 150 Kicks($.60)from food shopping on Shop Kick in February. 

I've earned 942SB($9.42) from food shopping on Swag Bucks in February.

I've earned $0 from food shopping on Tada in February.

That's $67.75 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Tada/Fetch)on $29.00 in grocery spending so in reality it's -$38.75 spent after the 3 rebate apps I count(plus a $1.50 rebate sent to my Paypal account).

rah...

My savings percentage for the last week was 67.33%(without "regular" Rite-Aid trips)and the monthly savings total for February comes in at 67.33% so far(w/out R-A). 

Leftovers going into this week.....Chicken and Dumplings, 1 helping each of Fish, Cole Slaw, Sweet Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Bought a bucket of KFC while out

2. Monday--Leftover KFC

3. Tuesday--Chicken Marsala w/Mushrooms, Veggie TBD, Mashed Potatoes

4. Wednesday--Leftovers or Copycat Bob Evans Salad
5. Thursday--Butternut Squash Ravioli w/Béchamel, Salad

6.  Friday--Homemade flatbread Pizza, Veggie TBD

7. Saturday--Leftovers

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Nothing.  I've got everything I just have to dig some chicken breast out of the freezer for the Marsala.  I'll save some chicken from the KFC bucket to top my Bob Evans copycat salad.  I made Colonial dressing last week to use on that.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy

  

2018 Food & Toiletries Spending.....the December Edition & Yearly Totals

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2018.

I have posted December'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 December.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Sum.  My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 4-5(4 at home this month). No "kids" under 22.

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

ALDI
OOP  $24.35
Value  $41.61
Savings  41.48%

BOYER'S
OOP  $4.39
Value  $9.29
Savings  52.74%

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $10.16
Value  $53.78
Savings  81.10%

GROCERY OUTLET
OOP  $68.80
Value  $184.29
Savings  62.67%

OLLIE'S
OOP  $2.32
Value  $6.56
Savings  64.63%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC  $793.69
Value  $793.69
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $1.98
Value  $3.98
Savings  50.25 %

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $252.82

Qs/Ads  $1134.88

Value  $1387.70

Savings  81.78%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, Weis at 81.78% and the Bread Outlet at 81.10%.  My worst savings rate was at Aldi at 41.48%.
Over 40% being the worst is a-ok with me! ;-)

I shopped at 8 different stores this past month.  

TOTAL Out of Pocket for December..........$364.82

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales............$528.70

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.........$893.52

TOTAL Savings of ................................59.17%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for December.....$364.82
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales....$1322.39
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid.....$1687.21
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items........78.38%

This closes out the December food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I wanted to stay as far under my $400 budget in December as possible.  Under $300 was what I shot for but it wasn't to be(not with the deals I saw and took advantage of). ;-)  But we were still $35+/- under $400 so I'm happy with that.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went up by 1.82% in December 2018 to 78.38% compared to November's 80.20% savings average.

With 12 months accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $5111.85 on food/toiletries in 2018.

Add in the Rebates/Refunds Kitty of $754.76 to offset my food budget and my Grand Total for the Year goes down to $4357.09 spent on all food and toiletries in 2018.

2018 Yearly Total Spent...................$4357.09

2018 Yearly Total Value of Items...$20339.95

2018 Total Saved.............................$15982.88

2018 Yearly Savings Total of.............78.58%

The average per month amount spent is $363.09 in 2018.  It's under an average of $400 per month which thrills me to no end.  8-)))

LOOKING AHEAD To 2019.......

We'll be taking advantage of all the shopping strategies we do every year.  Midway through 2019 my daughter will be moving out after finishing her college degree so the food bill should go down some.  We'll see at that point how low we can get our food spending with only 3 adults living in the house.
Stay tuned to this Bat Channel to see how 2019 unfolds.....

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 December?

*  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

2017 Food & Toiletries Spending....January Update

* Posting my grocery totals a few days early as I am done food spending for January.  If for some reason I shop again before Wednesday, this amount will go onto February's spending.*

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JANUARY 2017.

I have posted January'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 January.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Sum.  My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 4-5(5 at home this month). No kids under 20.

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

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $10.75
Value  $54.90
Savings  80.42%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/PPs  $873.20
Value  $873.20
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $50.74
Qs/Ads $27.28
Value  $78.02
Savings  35%

SURPLUS OUTLET
OOP  $37.01
Value  $102.01
Savings  63.72%

TARGET
OOP  $0.00
Value  $66.46
Savings  100%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $452.77

Qs/Ads  $433.45

Value  $886.22

Savings  48.91%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, Target at 100% and the Bread Outlet at 80.42%.  My WORST savings rate was Shursave Market at 35%.
The bulk of my money was spent at Weis Markets in January and I had a 48.92% savings rate there.
I shopped at 6 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket..........$551.27

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$433.45

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$886.22

TOTAL Savings of ..................................73.25%
TOTAL Savings w/o Rite-Aid of ..............53.58%

This closes out the January food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into January wanting to spend $500 on food and toiletries.
I went over budget by $51.27 because of a few stock-up opportunities.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 4.79% in January to 73.25% compared to December's 68.46% savings average.  January's Rite-Aid haul of freebies after sales/coupons/points really helped raise the savings rate overall this month.

With 1 month accounted for, I have spent a Grand Total of $551.27 on food/toiletries in 2017 which averages out to $551.27 per month spent in 2017. 8-)


LOOKING AHEAD To February........

3 weeks into January and word came that the BF was going back to Louisiana to live.  For me, this means I can back down on my grocery/toiletries spending in 2017.  I no longer will need a $6K food budget for 2017. 8-)))
I should be able to do a $300-$400 food budget per month now so I am shooting for between $3300 and $4400 in food spending for the rest of 2017(or $3800 to $4900 for the full year).

For February I am going to try for a $300 grocery budget as College Boy won't be home this month.
Perhaps I can do even better by heavily relying on the stockpile/freezer in February?  Time will tell.

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 January?
*  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

2016 Food & Toiletries Spending.....April Update

* I've closed out the April books a couple of days early as I am done shopping.  Anything bought in the next 3 days will come out of May's funds. *

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for APRIL 2016.

I have posted April's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2016 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.  I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in April.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Sum.  My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2 at home this month). No kids under 20.

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

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $4.75
Value  $20.45
Savings 76.77%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $20.00
Value  $54.64
Savings  63.40%


MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $62.56
Value  $84.00
Savings  25.52%


RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/gift card  $144.98
Value  $144.98
Savings 100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $29.66
Qs/Ads $53.59
Value  $23.93
Savings  44.65%


TARGET
OOP  $.98
Qs/Ads  $3.00
Value  $3.98
Savings  75.38%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $131.07

Qs/Ads  $137.64

Value  $268.71

Savings  51.22%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, the Bakery Outlet at 76.77% and Target at 75.78%.  My WORST savings rate was Maine Source at 25.52%.  Other than Maine Source, all other stores were at least 44.65% savings.
I'll take it. ;-)

I shopped at 7 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket..........$249.02

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$381.33

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$630.35

TOTAL Savings of...................................60.50%
TOTAL Savings without Rite-Aid...........48.70%

Value of items excluding Rite-Aid bought ones was $485.37
Rite-Aid goods brought home totaled $144.98.

This closes out the April food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into April wanting to do a $250 food budget for the month.  I ended up staying under my goal just barely.
Yay me! ;-)

If you look at our Eating-Out Totals for April they are down from March's so we weren't buying food less and eating out more this month, which means we really were paying less to eat.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went down by 15.98% in April to 60.50% compared to March's 76.48% savings average.  Yes, this level of savings, though down from March's savings level is still a good problem to have! lolz

If you delete the items bought at Rite-Aid in April our savings percentage goes down to 48.70% which is still well above the 40% savings rate threshold I like to stay over.  We "brought home" less things from Rite-Aid this month so the difference between all savings % for April and not including Rite-Aid savings % in the April total is less of a range than in March when we "brought home" a lot more from Rite-Aid.

We did empty some freezer space even though the salmon and chicken sausage deals meant adding a bit more to the freezer, more food got used up than got added.  Some pantry goods also got used up and not replaced and the only new pantry goods that were added were items we had used up.

With 4 months accounted for, I have spent a total of $1190.22 on food/toiletries so far in 2016 which averages out to $297.56 per month spent.  The average in March stood at $313.73 per month spent to that point in 2016 so we are down $16.17 spent per month from last month's year-to-date tally. Compared to this point in the year to 2015's totals we have spent $43.64 less on food and toiletries in 2016.

It would be so nice to continue this less spending trend back down below $4K for the year.  Now that my daughter is moving back home for a couple of years I know this low amount of spending on food will not continue and we most probably won't get under $4K spent on it all for 2016.
And I am ok with that.

LOOKING AHEAD To May 2016.........
College Boy returns home from college on Summer break 1 week into the month.  This means our food spending will increase in May.  But some of us will be out of town this month and not be eating at home, so that might counterbalance somewhat the increase in food spending that CB being home  will require.

I will continue with my usual shopping ways in May....buy loss leaders or great deals which we can use.  I will try to empty some more freezer space and eat down from the pantry as well this month.
I am going to try for a $300 food/toiletries spending month in May.  A slight $50 increase hopefully will be enough to cover 1 more mouth to feed and still be able to stay under budget.

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

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in April?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?
*  What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons vs. buying at regular retail price last month, if you track that sort of thing?
*  What are your methods for keeping your food spending in check?

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


Sluggy

2016 Food & Toiletries Spending.....March Update

* I've closed out the March books a couple of days early as I am done shopping.  Anything bought in the next 2 days will come out of April's funds. *

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MARCH 2016.

I have posted March's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2016 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.  I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in March.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Sum.  My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2-3 at home this month). No kids under 20.

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

BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $6.00
Value  $27.25
Savings 78%


CVS
OOP  $0.00
Value  $3.96
Savings  100%


MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $34.47
Value  $62.78
Savings  45.09%


OLLIE'S
OOP  $6.22
Value  $22.77
Savings  72.68%


RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/gift card  $484.06
Value  $484.06
Savings 100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $43.55
Qs/Ads $29.71
Value  $73.26
Savings  40.55%


TARGET
OOP  $18.96
Qs/Ads  $65.98
Value  $84.94
Savings  77.68%


WALMART
OOP  $1.48
Qs/Ads  $2.01
Value  $3.49
Savings  57.59 %

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $121.46

Qs/Ads  $103.35

Value  $224.81

Savings  45.97%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, CVS at 100% and the Bakery Outlet at 78%.  My WORST savings rate was The local Shursave grocery at 40.55%.
I'll take it. ;-)

I shopped at 9 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket..........$232.14

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$755.18

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$987.32

TOTAL Savings of...................................76.48%
TOTAL Savings without Rite-Aid...........53.87%

Value of items excluding Rite-Aid bought ones was $503.26.
Rite-Aid goods brought home totaled $484.06

This closes out the March food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into March wanting to do a $250-$300 food budget for the month.  I ended up staying under the low end of my goal.  This was surprising to come in under $250 as I figured I'd be somewhere between that and $300 spent in March.  But I did manage to eat down what was here a bit and didn't do a lot of stocking up besides.

Of course if you look at our Eating-Out Totals for March they are up while the food shopping totals are down.  The Eating Out is up more than the food shopping is down however since we had an expensive for us Birthday meal out in March and Hubs and I did a fair amount of lunch type eating out around Easter time as well as lunchtime cooking fatigue for myself some days where I got some fast food out(mostly Subway)which is something I usually don't do most months.  Eating Out totals got a bit pricey in March.  It's nothing we can't handle in our budget but might help to explain how I can spend so little on groceries.  Even so we spent way less than most Americans on Eating Out in March and way less than those same Americans for food shopping so I am good with what we spent.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went up by 3.13% in March to 76.48% compared to February's 73.35% savings average.
If you delete the items bought at Rite-Aid in March our savings percentage goes down to 53.87% which is still well above the 40% savings rate threshold I like to stay over.

While saving 3/4 on food every month is unsustainable it's nice to see and better yet is the over 50% percentage saved not including the bulk of the toiletries spending, so we got over 50% savings on food alone.

With 3 months accounted for, I have spent a total of $941.20 on food/toiletries so far in 2016 which averages out to $313.73 per month spent.  The average in February stood at $354.53 per month spent to that point in 2016 so we are down $40.80 spent per month from last month.  I can't believe I am still under $1K spend on food and toiletries with a quarter of the year behind us!  If all things go at this pace for the rest of the year we could end the year spending UNDER $4K for 2016.  We haven't been under $4K for the year in food/toiletries spending since 2011, back when there were lots of rebate offers and better coupons and I heavily into that sort of shopping.

It would be so nice to continue this less spending trend back down below $4K for the year.  Though I am not prepared to buy lesser foods and processed foods just to get my spending to that level but if I can get down there and still maintain the level of quality we enjoy now, all's the better.
It's still very early in the year so I am not getting my hopes up that this trend will continue, especially if certain events materialize later in the year which are planned(more on that later).

LOOKING AHEAD To April 2016.........
No College Boy visits this month and no Holiday spending should make for a low outlay in April for food/toiletries.
I will continue with my usual shopping ways in April....buy loss leaders or great deals which we can use.  I will try to empty some more freezer space and eat down from the pantry as well this month.
I am going to try for another $250 food/toiletries spending month in April.

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

*  How much did you spend on food/toiletries in March?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?
*  What was your savings percentage buying on sale and/or with coupons vs. buying at regular retail price last month, if you track that sort of thing?
*  What are your methods for keeping your food spending in check?

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


Sluggy

2015 Food & Toiletries Spending.....June Update

I am posting June's spending totals a day early as I am done shopping for the month.
I have to be as I only have $8 left in my wallet. lolz

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JUNE 2015.

I have posted June's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2015 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly 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 3(3 at home this month). No kids under 19.

******************
BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $16.00
Value  $63.36
Savings  74.75%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $12.63
Value  $29.22
Savings  56.78%

KMART
OOP  $13.85
Qs/Ads  $3.60
Value  $17.35
Savings  20.63%

MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $93.77
Qs/Ads $62.76
Value $156.53
Savings  40.09%

OLLIE'S
OOP  $7.44
Value $12.57
Savings   40.81%

RITE-AID *(see below)
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads  $39.72
Value  $39.72
Savings  100%

SAM'S CLUB
OOP  $89.51
Value  $151.03
Savings  40.73%

 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $29.68

Qs/Ads  $47.39

Value  $77.07

Savings  61.49%

SURPLUS OUTLET
OOP  $73.48
Value  $144.33
Savings  49.09%

WALMART
OOP  $28.69
Qs/Ads $8.75
Value $37.44
Savings  23.37%
 

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $236.98

Qs/Ads  $390.08

Value  $627.06

Savings  62.20%
 

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, the Bakery Outlet at 74.75% and Weis at 62.20%.  My WORST savings rate was Kmart at 20.63%.

I shopped at 11 different stores this past month.  (Yikes!)  Lots of single transactions at lots of stores except at my usual 3 stores.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........ $602.03

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$753.75

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,355.78

TOTAL Savings of...................................55.60%
TOTAL Savings WITHOUT Rite-Aid.............54.25%

This closes out the June food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into June wanting to do a $400 food budget for the month.  That plan was blown to bits due to some deals, some junk food buying for College Boy, and most notably the .74¢ a block cheese deal at Weis.  ;-)  I exceeded my budget by a third this month when all is said and done.  A full third of my spending was done at Weis.  Most months I pretty much spend my budget equally between Weis and the Shursave grocer(with a few shops at other stores thrown into the mix).  Not so in June.

Way over but ultimately this month will save us more money in the long run by catching these deals.
At least that is what I hope.  ;-)

The monthly savings percentage went up by 10.90% in June to 55.60% compared to May's 44.70% average.  Good deals, coupons and having $36 in store scrip that I used helped to pull the percentage saved up.

The savings rate for the whole year so far now stands at 59.52%.  That's a 1.20% decrease in savings over May's YTD total(60.72%).  It's still hanging in well over a 40% savings rate for the year so I won't beat myself up over this small decrease.  It would be very difficult to maintain a 74 or even a 60% savings rate like I achieved in January and February of 2015.  Sure, if we only bought and ate items I got at a great discount for the rest of the year, but part of those high savings rates was due to heavy Rite-Aid shopping at the beginning of the year and if you look back to that time, most of what I bought at R-A then was NOT food but toiletries/HBA and paper products.

I have spent a total of $2,351.66 on food/toiletries in 2015 so far at the halfway point of the year. That averages out to $391.94 per month so just under $400 average per month.  Not a bad thing but I can do better.

June's Grocery Spend Fest  raised the average monthly spending by $42.10 more per month for the year-to-date.
And May's spending raised the average monthly spending by $41.47.   This is NOT a good trend.....
bleh.
We need to wrangle this back down closer to an average of $300 per month.

If you take my halfway through 2015 total and extrapolate it out for the full year, we are on track to achieve a $4,703.32 Food/Toiletries Spending Year for 2015.

In 2014 we did $4,989.49 so 2015 is tracking better.
In 2013 we did $4,560.82 so 2015 is tracking $142.50 worse.
In 2012 we did $4,196.36 so 2015 is tracking $606.96 worse.
In 2011 we did $3,080.59 so 2015 is tracking $1,622.73 worse.  Yikes!

LOOKING AHEAD To JULY.........

We'll try for a $300 food budget for July.
We are stocked on many of our staples here now so I should be able to accomplish this goal.
We do have a grown child coming home for a week or so and a cookout for July 4th to throw but we'll try to keep it reasonable and not overdo the occasions with food.  Plus I will dig around in the stockpile and see if I can utilize what's on hand more rather than running out to the store.
With the eldest son home I do plan on going through the freezer and dishing up some smoked meats and barbecue as he so enjoys those things.  Having another mouth to feed helps me justify all the work(and the amount of food)this preparation takes.
 

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?
*  How much are your on track to spending for 2015 on food at this halfway mark?
*  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?
 

Sluggy

Food & Toiletries Spending.....January Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JANUARY 2015.

I have posted January's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2015 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in January.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 3(2-3 at home this month). No kids under 18.

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

BIG LOTS
OOP  $3.00
Qs/Ads  $1.50
Value  $4.50
Savings  33%


HARRIS TEETER
OOP  $77.61
Qs/Ads  $88.80
Value  $166.41
Savings  53.36%

OLLIE'S
OOP  $0.00-used gift card that I didn't pay for
Value  $35.99
Savings  100%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP  $7.99
Qs/Ads  $7.99
Value  $15.98
Savings  50%

RITE-AID *(see below)
OOP  $6.48
Qs/Ads/+UPs  $541.67
Value  $548.15
Savings  98.75%

 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $26.46

Qs/Ads  $13.17

Value  $39.63

Savings  32.23%

SURPLUS OUTLET
OOP  $47.20
Value  $76.39
Savings  38.21%
 

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $142.85

Qs/Ads  $172.74

Value  $315.59

Savings  54.73%
 

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Ollie's at 100%, Rite-Aid at 98.75%, and Weis at 54.73%.  My WORST savings rate was Shursave Markets at 32.23%.

I shopped at 8 different stores this past month. 


* Let me explain my Rite-Aid total. The actual OOP(aka Out Of Pocket)spending was $11.33 for all of January.  Due to some returns and such I had a credit in December at Rite-Aid.  After applying as much of it to get my total spent to $0 in December I had $4.49 still to carryover into 2015.  After applying this amount to spending it brought my oop down to $6.48 for the month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........ $311.59

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$891.05

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1202.64 

TOTAL Savings of...................................74.09%
TOTAL Savings WITHOUT Rite-Aid.............53.38%

This closes out the January food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
While I wasn't under $250 for the month like I wanted to be, I was closer to that amount than my usual monthly $400 amount.
I'll call this a "Win".  ;-)

The monthly savings percentage went down by 5.84% in January to 74.09% compared to December's 79.93% average.
I'm not too concern by that since a 79.93% savings rate is unusually high.

LOOKING AHEAD To FEBRUARY.........
I want to continue to eat down some of our stockpiles of food and empty out the freezer a bit.  This means I don't need to spend as much at the stores(unless an incredible deal comes along).  Plus with the weather as bad as it is in February around here I am less likely to go out and shop, except at my 2 local stores(and Rite-Aid).  Staying home more means less chance to spend, so I am hoping to try for a $250 food/toiletries month in February.  Let's see how close I can get to that.
 

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 January?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?

 

Sluggy

Food & Toiletries Spending......November Update

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for NOVEMBER 2014.

I have posted November's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2014 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in 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 3(2-3 at home this month)& 1 dog. No kids under 18.

******************
BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $11.00
Value  $33.93
Savings  67.58%

BIG LOTS
OOP  $25.86
Qs/Ads  $12.37
Value  $38.23
Savings  32.36%

DOLLAR TREE
OOP  $4.90
Value  $12.50
Savings  60.80%

MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $77.71
Qs/Ads  $61.86
Value  $139.57
Savings  44.32%

OLLIE'S
OOP  $33.98
Value  $57.88
Savings  41.39%

P&R OUTLET
OOP  $6.03
Qs/Ads  $7.64
Value  $13.67
Savings  55.88%

RITE-AID
OOP  $10.28
Qs/Ads/+UPs  $319.38
Value  $329.66
Savings   96.88%

 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $229.74

Qs/Ads  $69.02

Value  $298.76

Savings  23.10%

SURPLUS OUTLET
OOP  $34.24
Qs/Ads  $52.25
Value  $86.49
Savings  60.41%

TARGET
OOP  $10.39
Qs/Ads  $16.25
Value  $26.64
Savings  61%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $140.61

Qs/Ads  $142.39

Value  $283.00

Savings  50.31%
 

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 96.88%, the Bakery Outlet at 67.58% and Target at 61%.  My WORST savings rate was the Shursave Market at 23.10%.
What is more impressive is that I had a 50.31% savings rate at Weis Markets AND I spent almost $150 there.  It's easy to get a great savings rate at a store where you only buy a few things but is you make many purchases there it's a lot more difficult!

I shopped at 11 different stores this past month.  I tried a few of new places for me or places I don't go to often as it's not in my regular routine.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$584.74

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$735.59

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,320.33

TOTAL Savings of...................................55.71%
TOTAL Savings WITHOUT Rite-Aid.............42.01%

This closes out the November food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

Well I sucked big time at staying under $350 in November.  What can I say......

The monthly savings percentage went down by 10.13% in November to 55.71% compared to October's 65.84% average.  I blame this on me buying stuff not at it's best low price in order to have enough spending at the local market to earn a gift certificate during their yearly promotion.  I also bought things I don't need now(stocked up)and not at the best prices. sigh.  With the way I shop I haven't been able to earn one of those certificates for YEARS now!  But every year I fall back into a bad pattern and try to spend, spend, spend. sigh.
I need to pull this post up next Nov. 1st and reread it so I don't fall into that old familiar trap next year!

The savings percentage went down for the year by .03% after adding November's numbers in. 

Total spend on food/toiletries so far this year after 11 months.....$4,588.66.

The average monthly food/toiletries spending to-date for the year after adding in November's numbers is back up to $417.15.   That's what happens when you spend almost $600 in one month on food/toiletries.
bleh.

I have a decision to make concerning $17 I was refunded at Rite-Aid this month(a $12 refund and a $5 refund for +Up Rewards and Coupons that were applied post sale.  I'll just use this to cover my small amounts I pay on each transaction at R-A after the +Up Rewards are applied to my total in December, which means that probably ALL my OOP costs will be covered until the end of the year at Rite-Aid.
8-)))


LOOKING AHEAD TO DECEMBER......

Let's just say I'm planning on staying under $5K total for the year on food/toiletries spending. That gives me $411.34 to play with in December.  College Boy will be home most of December as he comes home from school for the term a week from this Friday.

I would really like to keep the yearly spending total at $4,800.  This gives me a monthly average for the year of $400 a month spent.  Sounds much better than a $416 per month total that staying under $5,000 gives me.
But that would mean limiting myself to $211.34 food spending in December.  I probably could do that, especially if we eat out for dinner more than 2 times this month.

I'll try to keep it under that but don't hold your breath.
I suck.......
 

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 November?
*  Do you track your yearly food spending?
*  If so, how are you doing thus far in 2014?
 

Sluggy