Happy Halloween!

Are ready for it?

 

I'll be hiding in the house this year.  I didn't buy any candy(the first time since 1989!)and this is the second year I have no kids to dress up and send out foraging for treats.
I'll be trying to list some things on eBay tonight and let me just say, that THAT will be scary enough for me!lol

Have a happy one!

Sluggy

October 2013 Budget Results.....Food & Toiletries Spending

It's not the end of October yet but I am posting my month end totals since I am finished grocery shopping for this month.

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for OCTOBER 2013.

I have posted October's totals on the Total Grocery Savings for 2013 Page located HERE and have updated the Yearly Totals there.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in October.  If you aren't interested in that much detail, just skip to the bottom for the Totals Summary.

My spending includes Food, Toiletries/HBA, Pet Supplies, Cleaning Products, Paper Goods & tax where applicable. We are a family of 5(3 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 17.
******************

FOOD LION
OOP  $40.17
Qs/Ads  $13.26
Value  $53.43
Savings  24.82%
 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $203.89

Qs/Ads  $106.04

Value  $309.93

Savings  34.21%

PRICE CHOPPER
OOP  $25.04
Qs/Ads  $25.09
Value  $50.13
Savings  50%

RITE-AID
OOP  $7.97
Qs/Ads/+Ups  $49.61
Value  $57.58
Savings  86.16%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $142.57

Qs/Ads  $80.04

Value  $222.61

Savings  36%

I am no longer adding my rebates received into my food budget directly. I will use them on food on occasion and will note that when used.  I will keep track of rebates/gift cards/certs received here as before however.

REBATE CHECKS RECEIVED IN October.....$8.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES....$0

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$8.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES

Zero

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 86.16%, Price Chopper at 50% and Weis at 36 %.  I shopped at 5 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$419.64

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$274.04

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$693.68

TOTAL Savings of...................................39.50%

This closes out the October food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into October with my usual $400 budgeted for food/toiletries purchases.
I went over by $19.64. 
Not too bad really and I'm not upset over it.  If I hadn't hurt my foot(and didn't have to send family to the store who don't worry about getting the best deal), who knows if I would have been able to stay under $400.
I did restart the Rite-Aid shopping this month and that spending is included in my totals.  I'll probably spend a bit more at Rite-Aid as we get closer to Christmas.
 

Looking ahead to November---Other than Thanksgiving, there are no special occasions coming up that require extra food spending this month for us.  Not sure about Thanksgiving at this point as #2 Son will be working that day(a restaurant), so it will just be me and Hubs at home.  Our Thanksgiving meal might be a tad unusual and it will definitely be a lot smaller than the norm for us.
As I buckle down and follow the pre-surgery eating plan this month, we may have less food spending.  But I'll keep the food budget for November at $400.

 

And here is the run down of my Food & Toiletries Spending for 2013 so far this year--
 

2013 Total Saved $2,523.40

2013 Yearly Total Value of Items  $6,216.33

2013 Yearly Total Spent $3,692.93

2013 Yearly Savings Total of  40.60%

 

In October, total savings percentage for the year has gone DOWN .13% over September's year-to-date total of 40.73%, to 40.60%. 
But we are holding steady in the 40%s.
I'd love to get to the end of the year with a 40% savings percentage for all of 2013.
We shall see if it happens. ;-)
The average monthly food/toiletries spending so far this year stands at $369.30.

 

How much did you spend on food in October?
 

Sluggy

Go Win!

Sonya Ann is having a giveaway.  Not sure how long it's running....until she gets back from Vegas maybe?

Go enter it HERE.

And tell her I sent ya!


Sluggy

Oh Goody! Problems Already....LOL

It never fails.
I try to sell somewhere and the "problem folks" find me immediately.

I was/am a magnet for crazy buyers and scammers on eBay so why did I think Etsy would be any different? lolz

The first email I get a few hours after opening my store yesterday was someone wanting my phone number and mailing address so she could buy something over the phone or by mail from me.

I take Paypal, Etsy gift cards, Debit and Credi cards.
Sorry, no personal checks/mail orders and I can't take/process credit cards directly over the phone, just through Etsy.

Ugh.

Second up is a potential buyer in Japan who wants a shipping quote.
Though I DO ship most anywhere in the world, I doubt she is going to actually buy a $4 piece of fabric that costs $23.95 to ship to Japan.
It isn't spun gold or anything.....


Sluggy

This Week on The Dining Table

The "Back Home Now & It's Cold as Heck Here!" Edition.......

 

 

This is a Caprese Salad I made a couple of weeks before we went to Ocean City, when we still had fresh tomatoes from our garden.
I can honestly say now.....I am not a fan.  Don't know what all the fuss over it is about.
Do you like this dish?

Here are the meals that were planned last week--sort of--
 

Sunday--pizza out
Monday--steak, fries out
Tuesday--1/2 fish sandwich, 1/2 sweet potato fries, cup of crab soup out
Wednesday--other half of Tuesday's dinner ate in the room
Thursday--turkey sandwich at home
Friday--bratwurst on roll, strawberries at home
Saturday--whatever I can find at the house if Judy doesn't come over, otherwise a roast chicken or eating out

Everything was eaten as planned except Friday I had leftover Broccoli Soup and Strawberries and Saturday was Roast Chicken, Carrots and Potatoes.

As for food spending last week.....there was one trip to the store on Saturday, I spent $48.41 on $65.39 worth of groceries at 1 store.
I had $36.74 left in the food budget so I went over by a bit this month.

I didn't include the little out of pocket spent this month at Rite-Aid yet for October and that will add another $7.97 spent out of the food/toiletries budget.

No food waste while we were gone.

Leftovers going into this week--1 bratwurst, leftover roast chicken with carrots and potatoes.

Here's this week's meal plan---

Sunday--Clam Chowder
Monday--Tacos(I'll probably have a chicken sandwich and a part of a bag of frozen veggies.)
Tuesday--leftovers
Wednesday--Lasagna, Salad
Thursday--leftovers
Friday--London Broil, Asparagus
Saturday--leftovers or something scrounged around the house


I'll be posting my final October food spending post in the next day or two since I won't be going grocery shopping again this month.

What got fixed and served at your house this week?

Sluggy