Food & Toiletries Spending.....December Update & YEARLY Grand Totals

Onward to December's food spending report & closing out the 2013 Totals.....

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for DECEMBER 2013.

I have posted December'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 December.  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)& 1 dog. No kids under 17.
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MAINE SOURCE(restaurant supply store)
OOP  $21.69
Value  $30.87
Savings  39.74%

RITE-AID
OOP  $4.19
Qs/Ads/+Ups  $360.58
Value  $364.77
Savings  98.85%
 

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $68.08

Qs/Ads  $54.17

Value  $122.25

Savings  44.31%

WEGMAN'S
OOP  $39.92
Qs/Ads  $8.00
Value  $67.08
Savings  40.50%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $151.23

Qs/Ads  $130.57

Value  $281.80

Savings  46.33%

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 December.....$0.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES....$0

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$0.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES

1 x Free Coke 12 pack Q from MyCokeRewards

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 98.85%, Weis at 46.33% and the Shursave Market at 44.31%.  My WORST savings rate was 39.74% so I think I did exceptionally well in December on the value of what I got!
I shopped at 5 different stores this past month.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$285.11

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$581.66

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$866.77

TOTAL Savings of...................................67.10%

This closes out the December food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into December wanting to cut my food/toiletries budget by $100, to $300 budgeted for ALL purchases, to make up for overspending in November by about $120.
I met that challenge.
Go me! 8-))

In December, total savings percentage for the year has gone UP 6.32% over November's year-to-date total of 60.78%, to 67.10%. 

If you add my November and December food spending together it comes to $867.89, which makes my monthly average $433.95 for those 2 months.  I am still over my $400 goal per month for Nov./Dec. but I got close.

As you can see my Savings Rate in December remained high, partly because of my Rite-Aid shopping.
Without the Rite-Aid totals added in, my December Savings Rate is 44.04%.  Achieving a savings rate in the 40's is what I strive for.  Add in Rite-Aid totals and my overall Savings Rate hits  67.10%.
 

We kept the food spending under $300 this month but still splurged on Prime Rib Roast for Christmas dinner(plus fresh seafood on Dec. 23rd) and ate very well otherwise all of December. 

So what is my secret to spending so little on groceries and toiletries?

I chalk this up to.....

* I buy loss leaders.

* I use a smallish assortment of coupons(to buy things I would have bought anyway).

* I use a price book, tracking to stock up when groceries where at their rock bottom price in the sales cycle.  I never pay full price for anything that will eventually go on sale....ok, maybe not never but very infrequently.

* I buy items on instant markdown and substitute them for other ingredients that are more expensive that week(or keeping those marked down goods for later in the freezer).

* I cook from scratch a good deal of the time, because it makes sense and I have to watch what I eat and have to keep my sodium intake low.

* I buy in season whenever possible.

* I have started to cook/serve/eat less food at meals so we have little to no food waste.  Sometimes I purposely cook more than we are going to eat for planned leftovers.

This is NOT to say that I don't follow/do all this all the time.  I do splurge and pay more for some things occasionally or just don't bother due to boredom or lack of energy, etc. or make mistakes.  But more often than not, these are my guidelines and how I keep more money in our pocket.

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

 

Here is the run down of the Grand Totals for my Food & Toiletries Spending for 2013--
 

2013 Total Saved $4,008.31

2013 Yearly Total Value of Items  $8,569.13

2013 Yearly Total Spent $4,560.82

2013 Yearly Savings Total of  46.77%

Yes, I saved almost HALF of what I would have spent if I just ran to the store and bought whatever/whenever I felt like buying by thinking ahead and exercising some restraint over my behavior.

 

The average monthly food/toiletries spending this year was $380.07.  We kept our food/toiletries spending average BELOW $400 per month in 2013.

 

How much did you spend on food in December?
Do you track your yearly food spending....if so how did you do this year?
 

Sluggy

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy.....I Need a Drink!

Yes, we are stranded in a motel off an interstate today.
Like Sonya Ann we are having really miserable luck with cars lately.  Maybe she is causing this bad luck?  Ok, I need to think that because if it's not her, then this is all on me.

Anyway, in the midst of a jolly good time spending time with our #1 Son on the west coast of PA, the car decided to misbehave.  It was too bad to ignore and attempt to limp home and cross fingers that we didn't break down somewhere on the road on the way home.

So Hubs is 2 miles away sitting at a Firestone Car Repair Center with the chariot and I am stranded in a motel room by the interstate watching it snow outside......

How nice!
Wouldn't you want to spend your vacation in this way too? lolz

So keep our chariot in your prayers today that the work gets finished so we don't have to extend our stay and that the weather holds out so we can get home.

Fun, fun, fun!

Sluggy

Moms + Beer=Questionable Behavior

I am one gal who is all about having a good time, but let me just say that if you are 2 years old, it is cute if you stand up on a table in a restaurant and dance but it's so wrong to do this if you are 40-ish mom and your 10 year old-ish kids are with you........

Great role modeling lady!  I hope your daughter doesn't end up a pole dancing stripper....not that there is anything wrong with being one......8-)))

Hey! I've made some questionable life choices in my 50+ years, but that one?  Never.  But then again, I'd probably be buying them a new sturdier table.......

Sluggy

 

Guess Where I Am Today?

This morning I saw gigantic lobsters and fishies!

Then it was some fashionable décor.....

With matching accessories!

A visit with a frisky pooch too......

More as it unfolds......

Sluggy

Is It Saturday Yet?!?

I got my errands run today.

First off, eye doctor appointments for #2 Son and I before the year ends.

 

I am still half blind as the doc had to dilate my pupils this time.......gak!
#2 Son had to drive us home.

What do you think of these beauties?

$200 VOGUE frames.....Verrrry Purple with rhinestones running down the side arms.

Very attractive, especially with that mad scientist hair I had going on today......

Forgot to take a pic of the frames I DID get, so y'all have to wait until next year to see them.
Yes, I am a big tease.....

After spending $137 OOP on 2 sets of lenses and frames(we gots real good vision benies!), we went next door to Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)to look for this.....

Found 3 canisters(I am addicted!)and #2 Son talked me into buying a few other things too for him with some leftover Xmas money.

I didn't buy these however.....

Miniature Mr. Potato Heads.
Soccer Spud and Dancing Tater for $6.99.......really?! lolz

And yes, they were actually selling a box of rocks in the toy aisle.....

Read what is included in the box.....
6 Paints
They don't mention there are rocks in the box, but the box does say Makes 10 "Projects".
"Projects" is code for....rocks!
Believe me, there are 10 rocks in that box.
I pulled out my back picking it up and shook it.
Trust me.

I wonder how much extra you pay for buying a box of rocks with 6 paint pots inside, instead of just buying 6 paint pots and going outside and finding your own rocks?

I think anyone who buys this doesn't need the rocks since they can just shake a few out of their head.  ;-)

Next stop was Sallie's to drop off that last load of 2013 I posted pics of earlier this morning.
And as Monty Python would say, "And there was much rejoicing in the land.....rah!".

Then some Wendy's to sustain #2 Son so he had the strength enough to drive me home.

But there was a stop at the gas station to fill my car's tank and a stop at the Credit Union to fill my wallet before we pulled into the driveway. 8-)

Then a solo trip to Rite-Aid to spend those expiring +Up Rewards.

Used 5 rain checks(free cashews, free "Dream Sheets", .59¢ facial tissue, $4.37 toilet paper-after Qs and rain check-and FREE baby shampoo-after Qs/rain check), bag of Rolos and candles were 50% off, big candy bars about .40¢ each after Qs/sale, 4 bottles of spices for the pantry came out to .75¢ each and the Finesse was $1 a bottle after +Ups received.

All in, I spent $1.64 OOP(including tax)after using my $36.98 in +Up Rewards and Qs.
I received $5 in +Up Rewards back(2 x $2 wyb2 Finesse, $1 wyb2 J&J shampoo-even though the shampoo was FREE after rain check/Qs. 8-))

I put a small dry rubbed pork roast in the crockpot for #2 Son to eat off of the next few days(pulled pork sammies!) and the dog has been fed.

After I post this I am going to take a nap and do a little clear cutting(zzzzzzzzzzzzz)because I got up before 6 am. this morning.
Bleh.

So what did YOU get done today??

Sluggy