January Food Spending 2024

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for January 2024.

I have posted January's totals on the Total Grocery Savings Page located HERE and have updated the Totals there.  I closed out the books on January a few days early so everything I bought after 1/25/24 will go on February's ledger.
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, Pet Food. We are a family of 2(and 2 dogs).
****************

ALDI

OOP  $4.98

Sales  $3.00

Value  $7.98

Savings  37.60%

BREAD OUTLET

OOP  $6.40

Saving $10.66

Value  $17.06

Savings   62.49%

KROGER

OOP  $258.31

Qs/Gift Cards $179.73

Value $438.04

Savings  41.03%

SHOPPER'S VALUE

OOP $26.82

Sales  $13.64

Value $40.46

Savings  33.71%

WALMART

OOP  $286.93

Qs/Gift Cards $170.61

Value  $457.54

Savings  37.29%

WORLD MARKET

OOP  $69.50

Sales  $352.77

Value  $422.27

Savings  83.54%

********************
My best Store Savings Total was at World Market with a savings of 83.54%.  My worse rate was at Walmart with 37.29%.  

I shopped at 6 different stores in JANUARY.

TOTAL Spent in January......$652.94

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$730.41

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.....$1,383.35

TOTAL Savings of........52.80%

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

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month....

The Monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 2.82% in January to 52.80% compared to December's 49.98% savings average.  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.

The Savings total was great mostly due to all that 90% clearance at World Market after Christmas which was mostly snacks and nibbles and not "real" food.  8-))

With 1 month accounted for, I have spent a Total of $652.94 on groceries/HBA/paper goods/etc. in 2024.

2024 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$652.94

2024 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$1,383.35

2024 Grand Total Saved...............................$730.41

2024 Yearly Savings Total..............................52.80%

The average per month amount spent is $652.94 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, Coupons dotcom, Shopmium, 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 FEBRUARY 2024.....There are a few deals I want to do this week(mostly frozen food clearance at my Walmart)and those will be accounted for in February's budget since I've closed the books on January as of 1/25/24.

I plan on avoiding Ibotta, etc. deals(unless they are items we really really need)in February....and now that I've written that there will be massive discounts this month. lolz).

I really need to seriously get back on track with meals and spending.  With traveling, the Holidays and my Birthday, January has been kind of a wash so I'm kicking it into high gear for February and closing the purse strings this coming month.  February I'll be concentrating on using up freezer and pantry goods that have lingered too long.  I am also going on an Ibotta Fast for February, meaning unless we "need" it, even if it's free or a great deal, I am Not buying it.

I don't have a firm dollar amount budget but I'll shoot for good quality but at the lowest prices I can find.  That's a challenge, given it's the dead of Winter and veggies, even here in the deep South, are pricey but I plan to hit up the Aldi that just opened in November in town. woot!

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 January?

*  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 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

Income & Spending for July 2023

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals 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.

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 July report---On to the June report---

I had 2 goals for July....

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 2023.  

 

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

The amount extra we ended the month of July with?....$6,367.06

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in July---

*  Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)

*  SS income of $3879.00

*  Quarterly 401K withdrawal of $5,200.13

*  Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $823.76

Total "Income" for July....$12,346.55

Expenses in July---

*  Irregular bills in July were $229.73

*  Variable Expenses in July came to $4,672.73

*  Health insurance premiums totaling $1,077.08*

Total Expenses....$5,979.49

$12,346.55-$5,979.49=$6,367.06

* Now that Hubs is on Medicare I include his dental coverage in the HI Premium for me and his Medicare supplement comes out of our checking account.

Slush into July of $61,547.79 addition into August's 2023 Slush Fund comes to $67,914.85

The Slush Fund on it's own page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $6,367.06 .

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The WAM, the water bill, Health Insurance premium and internet were the same(the water within $1.97)as last month.

*  My Amazon c/c went down by $52.60 in July.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The cell phone was the same as in June except we had to add an international plan on one phone for the cruise to the UK and it hit on the July bill so that bill was up by $87.37.  This isn't a normal bill for cell service for us.

*  Electric bill was up by $99.39 last month.  I'll take that as a win since we've been running triple digit temps all month.  Heating seems to have been much more costly up in PA compared to what we pay down here for A/C.

*  Hubs Amazon c/c bill was $1,047.34 higher than in June.  See cruise above. ;-)

*  The Mastercard c/c bill was $300.16 more than last month.

*  The American Airlines c/c was used in July(Hubs made a trip to PA to see his dying brother)so that was $1,208.88.

*  Chester needed shots this past month so this bill was $99.73 higher than their vet visits in June.

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

FINAL THOUGHTS on JULY 2023---Like the food bill for July, there weren't many wins last month in bills overall.  Lots of c/c bills came due from the time in London and the cruise plus an unplanned emergency trip to PA for Hubs.  But we have enough socked away to cover everything without having to carry a balance and pay interest on a c/c.  Even if we hadn't had that 401K quarterly withdrawal we STILL would have been in the black after paying all the bills so that's a "good" thing.

THOUGHTS going forward into AUGUST 2023---The only irregular bills are going to be 2 dental cleanings.  We no longer have dental insurance so we'll be cash customers for that.

Can't really think of much we've put on credit cards except food and home repair stuff for the house so far in August and the end of July after those c/c statements cut.  The other irregular bill is for 2 dresses I ordered from the fat lady store as I had a free shipping code and a $10 reward certificate.  I don't have a black dress and when the nephew finally plans a memorial service for Hub's brother, if I am in any shape to fly there and we can go, I'll need something other than a purple or a lime green dress to wear.8-)

So how was your JULY financially?

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

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 a retirement account?

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

If you posted 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

Income & Spending Report 2022.....the June Edition

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals 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.

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 June report---

I had 2 goals for June.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2022.

I can report that we finished up June in the Red.

The amount we ended the month of June with?...-$3,538.09

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in June---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,235.81(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $160.97

* 1/3 of Quarterly 401K withdrawal=$1,733.36

*  SS of $2,432.00

*  Dividend of $18.48

*  Cash Deposit of $360.00(Hubs sold a gun and put some $$ into the household funds)

Total "Income" for June.....$7,940.62

Expenses in June---

* Irregular bills in June were $5,333.82

* Variable Expenses in June came to $3,918.76

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$11,478.71

$7,940.62-$11,478.71= -$3,538.09

Slush into June of $44,108.86 in that Fund, subtract $3,538.09 and we get $40,570.77 going into July's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a subtraction of $3,538.09

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The Internet, cell phone and WAM was the same as last month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The water bill went up by $5.17 compared to last month.

*  The electric bill was $2.75 more than in May.

*  The gas bill was $48.55 last month.

*  The Mastercard bill was $147.51 higher in May.

*  The Amazon card bill was $296.18 last month.

*  We had 5 irregular bills due in June--

  *  The quarterly LTC premiums were due for $2,226.13

  *  The doggies had vet visits and shots for $218.00  

  *  A/C repair for $2,962.00

  *  6 Window replacements came to $3500.00

  *  A month of storage for $95.40

The a/c and windows are non recurring bills.

The storage is a short term bill for now.

The Food Budget costs for June are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on June 2022---It was a high spending month what with the $6,557.40 in home repairs and moving costs.   We were able to cover all but $3,538.09 of these abnormally high bills in June with our regular income streams.  The rest of the overage in spending came out of the Slush Fund which is why we have one. ;-)

The interest income on  the non-retirement funds was very low in June which wasn't expected.  Though the water, electric and gas were higher in June it was all small amounts.  The c/c bills were higher in June due mostly to Hubs purchasing painting supplies.

THOUGHTS going forward into July 2022--The only irregular bills due in July are the short term storage bill and my Ancestry membership renews in July.  We also have decided to take another quarterly 401K withdrawal in the 3rd quarter which nets us an additional $1,733.36 each of the next 3 months in 2022.  We should be well below our income this coming month.

So how was your June financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in June?
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 off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted 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 

Income & Spending Report 2022....the April Report

Now that we are living on an annuity, 401K$ withdrawals 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.

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 April report---

I had 2 goals for April.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2022.

I can report that we finished up April in the red.
The amount we ended the month of April with?....-$616.96

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in April---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,229.07(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $148.90

* 1/3 of Quarterly 401K withdrawal=$1,733.37

* RMSA account to pay for health premiums totaling $2,226.13

*  Cash in Pts. on M/C of $16.21

Total "Income" for April.....$7,353.68

Expenses in April---

* Irregular bills in April were $1,645.58

* Variable Expenses in April came to $4,098.93

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$7,970.64

$7,353.68-$7,970.64=-$616.96

Slush into April of $42,061.98 in that Fund, subtract $616.96 and we get $41,445.02 going into May's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a subtraction of $616.96

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The Internet, cell phone and WAM was the same as last month.

*  The electric bill was $71.23 less than March's bill.

*  The gas c/c was $31.30 less than in March(because we didn't use Sunoco gas much but used other stations and put on m/c instead).

*  The water bill went down by $5.11 compared to last month.

*  The Mastercard was $336.24 lower than March's bill.

*  The Amazon card was lower by $83.34 this month.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

All the regular bills were lower but we had 3 Irregular bills to pay in April--

*  Yearly Real Estate taxes of $1,414.58 were due.

*  I paid $200 toward our December cruise.

*  State taxes of $31 were due.

The Food Budget costs for April are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on April 2022---As predicted in March's wrap-up we did indeed finish in the red in April.  Mostly due to vacation expenses in March that got paid in April.  Nothing we didn't anticipate though.  The irregular bills were also expected in April.  We took a small quarterly 401K withdrawal but divided over 3 months it didn't add enough income not to be short in April.  Thankfully we have the Slush Fund to draw from for this overage of bills.

THOUGHTS going forward into May 2022--Besides the semi-annual car insurance(an irregular bill), things should be lower.  Regular bills like electric will continue to go down as we heat with electric but it won't be hot enough for the a/c yet.  If we can keep the c/c bills lower in May maybe we can come out ahead this month.

So how was your April financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in April?
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 off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted 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 

Income & Spending Report....February 2022

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals, 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.

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 February report---

I had 2 goals for February.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2021.

I can report that we finished up February in the black.
The amount we ended the month of February with?....$1,764.55

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in February---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,229.07(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $159.74

* 1/3 of Quarterly 401K withdrawal=$2,051.69

* RMSA account to pay for health premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total "Income" for February.....$7,666.63

Expenses in February---

* Irregular bills in February were $1,644.20

* Variable Expenses in February came to $2,031.75

* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13

Total Expenses....$5,902.08

$7,666.63-$5,902.08=$1,764.55

Slush into February of $39,046.36 in that Fund, add $1,764.55 and we get $40,810.91 going into March 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,764.55.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  The Internet was the same as last month.

*  The water bill was $2.16 less than in January.

*  The electric bill was $13.08 less than last month.

*  The Mastercard c/c was $1288.08 less than in January.

*  The Amazon c/c was $95.14 less than last month.

*  The cell phone was $40.67 less than in January.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The WAM was $150.00 higher than in January.

*  The gas bill was up $10.32 from last month.

Irregular bills were paid too.

*  We paid the annual sewage bill in January instead of in February.

*  We gave Ex-College Boy a birthday check.

*  We gave Eldest Son and his new bride a Wedding Check.

*  We had to kennel the dogs for a few days and paid for that.

The Food Budget costs for February are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on February 2022---We got through the month with quite a bit leftover(mostly due to 1/3 of the 401K withdrawal).  Most of the wedding bills are due in March too.

 

THOUGHTS going forward into March 2022--Well, I predict March will see us in the RED for the month.  Thankfully we have the Slush Fund to cover any overage in bills!  Between wedding bills(hotel room, rehearsal dinner final payment)and the airline flights, gas for car to get to Lousiana, car rental out West, motel stays and dog kenneling for almost 2 weeks(don't forget eating out as well)and the Long Term Care premiums are due in March, yep, we'll be in the red.  So many bills in March!

Not to worry though as it all averages out during the fiscal year.  The $3200+ we had leftover in Jan./Feb. should cover most of the extra bills in March.

March will be a doozy of a month for bills so I'll be sitting my butt home in April and listing stuff on eBay. 8-)))

So how was your February financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in February?
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 off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted 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 

Income & Spending 2021......The June Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), 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.

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 June report---

I had 2 goals for June.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2021.

I can report that we finished up June in the red.
The amount we ended the month of June with?.....-$5,153.51

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in June---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,971.99
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $178.85

* Stock Dividend of $18.27

Total "Income" for June.....$5,391.35

Expenses in June---

* Healthcare Premium for June was $1,971.99(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in June were $1,253.69(Wayfair swing, Long term care Premiums, Vet appt., Dentist)

* Bathroom Renovation $5,292.00
* Variable Expenses in April came to $2,027.18
Total Expenses....$10,544.86

$5,391.35-$10,544.86=-$5,153.51

Slush into June of $47,165.11 in that Fund, subtract the $5,153.51 in shortage and we get $42,011.60 going into July's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows a reduction of $5,153.51 for June.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Internet and cell phone were the same as in May

*  The WAM was the same amount taken as last month.

*  The electric bill was $15.18 lower than in May

*  The Amazon c/c bill went down by $6.18  from last month.(It was actually lower by more but I overpaid it a bit in June.)

*  The credit card bill was $474.85 lower than in May.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The water bill was $1.42 higher than in May.
*  We had a bunch of smallish an irregular bills this month; Wayfair, Long Term Care premiums, Kohl's, Vet Bill, Dentist.  

*  Then we had to pay the contractor for the bathroom renovation. ouch

The Food Budget costs for June are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on June---Stayed under the food budget and all variable bills except the water bill were lower than in May but we had a significant amount of irregular bills and then we knew the bathroom reno would put us in the hole for the month but that's what the Slush Fund is for(funding extras like this).  I am ok with it all as the bathroom turned out better than expected(the bar for handymen around here is set pretty low). ;-)
 

THOUGHTS going forward into July 2021---

There are no irregular bills coming this month though Hubs got a new phone so the cell bill will be higher.  The cruise and airline tickets will be hitting the credit card this month so I need to figure what pot of monies I'll dip into to pay those portions of the trip costs. 8-( or 8-)))

Other than that it's smooth sailing for July(see what I did there? lol).

So how was your June financially? 

Did you spend less than the income you had in June?
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 off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted 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

Income & Spending 2021....the April Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), 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.

  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 April report---

I had 2 goals for April.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2021.

I can report that we finished up April in the black.
The amount we ended the month of April with?.....$317.87

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in April---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,971.99
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $243.27

* Transfer from Hubs private account to cover part of state taxes $252.00

Total "Income" for April.....$5,689.50

Expenses in April---

* Healthcare Premium for April was $1,971.99(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in April were $577.00
* Variable Expenses in April came to $2,822.64
Total Expenses....$5,371.63

$5,689.50-$5,371.63=$317.87

Slush into April of $46,565.10 in that Fund, add the $317.87 in overage and we get $46,882.97 going into May.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $317.87 for April.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Internet and cell phone were the same as in March.

*  The WAM was the same amount taken as last month.

*  The electric bill was $89.95 lower than in March.

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  The gas bill was $98.03 higher than in March.
*  The water bill was $3.74 higher than last month.
*  My Amazon c/c was $286.81 higher than in March.
*  The Mastercard was higher by $636.72 than last month's bill. 
*  We had to pay $577.00 to the state of PA for taxes in March. bleh.

The Food Budget costs for April are in another post, which is located HERE .  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on April---
Well we ended up with one irregular bill in April, Hubs filed the PA state taxes early.
Otherwise it was an ok month.  Any month I end up with more money than month is good. 8-)
I did spend a bit over on food than I wanted/planned to in April but it's all good.  I earned back $360.55 on Ibotta on the $426.43 I spent in April on food. (And that doesn't count the other 4 rebate apps I use so I almost got back all the food budget money I spent which gets addd back at the end of the year. 8-)))

THOUGHTS going forward into May 2021----

One irregular bill(semi-annual car insurance premium of $600+)in May and some bills on landscaping/gardening work will be coming in on the c/c and that's on top of the regular variable bills for the month.  And my vacation c/c bills...I don't even want to go LOOK at what those will be! lolz

So how was your April financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in April?
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 off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted 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

2021 Food Spending....the April Report

 One more day until the month ends after today but I am finished food spending for April at this point so I am posting this a bit early.  Anything spent in these last two days on groceries will go onto May's tracking.

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for APRIL 2021.

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 & tax where applicable. We are a family of 4(2-3 eating at home this month). No "kids" under 25. (I don't count all the "freebies" I get at the Discount Outlet in my totals either.)
*****************

BREAD OUTLET

OOP  $14.00

Value  $52.10

Savings 73.63%

DOLLAR TREE

OOP  $2.00

Value  $3.49

Savings  42.69%

MALACARI'S

OOP  $10.65

Value  $19.22

Savings  44.59%

OCEAN STATE JOB LOT
OOP  $0.00(used free gift card)
Value  $11.00
Savings  100%

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

RITE-AID
OOP  $2.52
Qs/Ads/BC  $1,999.95
Value  $2,002.47
Savings  99.87%

TARGET

OOP  $0.00(used free gift card)

Value  $76.61

Savings 100%

WALMART
OOP  $223.10
Value  $547.02
Savings  59.22%

WEIS

OOP  $139.80

Qs/Sales  $157.11
Value  $296.91
Savings  53.15%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Target at 100%, Ocean State Job Lot at 100% and Rite-Aid at 99.87%.

The worst rate was at Dollar Tree at 42.69%  I'll take that all day long! ;-)
I shopped at 9 different stores in April.

TOTAL Spent in April.........................$423.91

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards......$731.26

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased....$1,155.17

TOTAL Savings of ...............................63.30%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for April w/R-A...............$426.43
TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards w/................$2,731.21
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid...$3,157.64
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items....................86.50%

This closes out the April food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into April without a plan other than eating down some of the frozen assets and staying under $400 for the month.  Didn't quite stay under budget but we did eat down freezer/stockpile.  Spending was a bit high but my $360.55 in just the Ibotta cash rebates makes my "actual" spending almost nil for the month so there is that. 8-)))

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by 7.58% in April 2021 to 86.50% compared to the March's 78.92% savings average.  Any month I get a lot of items at Rite-Aid my savings percentage goes waaay up! ;-)

With 4 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $1,250.94 on food/toiletries in 2021.

2020 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$1,250.94

2020 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$7,922.58

2020 Grand Total Saved...............................$6,671.64

2020 Yearly Savings Total.............................84.21%

The average per month amount spent is $312.74 n 2021 so far.

LOOKING AHEAD To May 2021...........

I really haven't thought about May much yet.  I plan to take a break from Ibotta next month so there will be less shopping.  I will get the deals I find however as always.  I hope to be at around $300 spet for the month.

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?  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

Income & Spending 2021....The January Report

Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals(some months), 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.

  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 January report---

I had 2 goals for January.......
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 fun may be to apply 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 2021.

I can report that we finished up January in the black.
The amount we ended the month of January with?.....$337.34

Income or Funds We Can Access

The "income" in January---

* Monthly annuity payment of $3,222.24(after tax withholding)
* RMSA(Healthcare account)reimbursement of $1,971.99
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $450.45

Total "Income" for January.....$5644.68

Expenses in January---

* Healthcare Premium for January was $1,971.99(paid for with RMSA reimbursement)
* Irregular bills in January were $406.00
* Variable Expenses in January came to $2929.35
Total Expenses....$5,307.34

$5,644.68-$5,307.34=$337.34
Slush into January of $34,308.14 in that Fund, add the $337.34 January overage and this brings the Slush to $34,645.48 going into February 2021.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $337.34 for January.

Outgo

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

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

*  Internet and cell phone were the same as in December.

*  The WAM was the same amount taken as last month.

*  The Mastercard bill was $542.98 lower than in December

HERE are the BAD THINGS

* The water bill was $4.18 higher than December's bill.

* The electric bill was $93.78 higher than last month's bill. This one will continue to rise as Winter deepens.

* The gas bill was $31.54 higher than in December.

*  My Amazon card was $917.51 higher than last month.  Our Mastercard was compromised so I had to put food shopping on the Amazon c/c as well as some Xmas spending.

*  Hubs got his own Amazon c/c what with our Mastercard info being stolen.  He used it to the tune of $326.07 in January.

*  We had 2 irregular bills due-the yearly garbage bill and my eye exam and glasses paid for.

The Food Budget costs for January are in another post, which is located HERE.  Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).

FINAL THOUGHTS on January---
It was a good month overall financially.  Not much leftover once every bills was paid but there was some income not spent.  I'll take this as a win since the monthly health insurance premium went up in 2021 by $88.23.

THOUGHTS going forward into February 2021----Hubs and I have yet to sit down and talk finances and the game plan for 2021.  We just haven't taken the time to do it in January so February it will be.  We are still working on satisfying our yearly insurance premium deductible(even with 3 dr. visits for  me and 1 for Hubs in January and an expensive specialty drug refill)so the HSA is taking a big hit right now.  There are no irregular bills in February but three in March(and one of those in big-property taxes)so we'll try to keep the February spending low.  Even so we may take a 401K withdraw in March after we sit down and go over the numbers.

Hubs has started the agony of doing the taxes too so we'll see who owes whom soon(we'll probably owe the state and the Feds will probably owe us as usual).

So how was your January financially?
  

Did you spend less than the income you had in January?
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 off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?

If you posted 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

Food Spending 2020....the November Report

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for NOVEMBER 2020.

I have posted November'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 November.  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 at home this month, sometimes feeding 3). 
*****************

ALDI

OOP  $46.71

Value  $73.51

Savings 36.46%

CVS
OOP  $8.96

Qs/Ads/ECBucks $223.93
Value  $232.89
Savings  96.15%

DOLLAR GENERAL

OOP  $5.97
Value  $31.97
Savings  81.33%

OLLIE'S

OOP  $9.13

Value  $20.27
Savings  54.96% 

PandR OUTLET

OOP  $7.54

Value  $13.25

Savings  43.09%

RITE-AID *
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC/GCardS $1492.66
Value  $1492.66
Savings  100%

SCHIFF'S
OOP   $15.48
Value  $39.70
Savings  60.01%

WALMART
OOP  $53.17
Value  $91.30
Savings 41.76%

WEIS
OOP  $238.37
Qs/Ads  $225.36
Value  $463.73
Savings  48.60%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, CVS at 96.15% and Schiff's at 60.01% .  

I shopped at 9 different stores in November. 

I also earned $173.50 in cash rebates in November(Ibotta/Coupons dotcom app)which helps offset the spending once I cash all the rebates in at the end of 2020 and add them into my totals.

TOTAL Spent(without R-A)...................$385.33

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales................$578.59
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased........$963.92

TOTAL Savings of ................................60.02%

Add in the Rite-Aid purchases and we get.........

TOTAL Spent........................................$385.33

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales................$2071.25
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased........$2456.58

TOTAL Savings of ................................84.31%

This closes out the November food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....Thanksgiving was an intimate affair this year of only 4 people. I picked up a few seasonal deals and I did my usual Rite-Aid pillaging for the 3 day Black Friday sale.  Plus found some good deals at other stores throughout the month of November.  It was a good November in terms of food spending.

The monthly food spending savings percentage went UP by an amazing 16.84% in November 2020 to 84.31% compared to the October 2020 rate of 67.47% savings average.  Rite-Aid Black Friday sales do that to my November totals every year. 8-)))

With 11 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $4,239.97 on food/toiletries in 2020.

I had wanted to stay under $4K in food spending in 2020.  Higher prices due to Covid derailed me for a bit but once I add in all my rebates/refunds/post coupon/found money pots into the grocery spending category I will most assuredly be back under $4K spent on food for the year as I have well over $1K in rebates right now to dump back into the grocery fund and I have 1 more month to do better too. ;-)

2020 Yearly Grand Total Spent.....................$4,239.97

2020 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$14,114.06

2020 Grand Total Saved.................................$9874.09

2020 Yearly Savings Total............69.96%

The average per month amount spent is $385.45 at this point in 2020 which went down .01¢ from October's average.  As long as I'm around $400 per month with 3(now 2 but we feed EX-CB sometimes and his roommate too)people in the house, it's all good.  

LOOKING AHEAD To December 2020..........The big unknown is who will be here for Christmas due to Covid.  More folks means more food spending in general since some who may be coming have food allergies and/or preferences so in order to accommodate everyone I may need to spend a little more....if they come.  I've got turkey breasts and hams in the chest freezer so unless I splash out on a beef roast there aren't any large food purchases for Xmas that I can foresee.

Overall I don't plan to spend more than my usual $400 food budget in December and perhaps I can reign that amount in a bit as well.  Time will tell.

As far as normal meals, Hubs and I are going to use up some more frozen assets this month so maybe I won't need to buy very much at the grocery stores?  Sluggy plans and G** laughs!

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?  Are you happy with that amount and did you get good value for your money?

*  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