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

The Plan for Food Spending in 2015

Food Spending.
The bane of my existence. 8-)

Here is a list of what I have spent since 2010(the year I started fully tracking where all the food/toiletries monies went).  Not too scientific as the number of persons being fed varied during these years from 5 to 2, depending on kids at college or not, and kids moving out or not.


2009--$6,254.84 +(I didn't track rebates and gift cards received that year)
2010--$2,291.67 + ($841.73 rebate checks/ $563.99 gift cards received)
2011--$3,080.59 + ($433.22 rebate checks/ $76.00 gift cards received)
2012--$4,196.36 +($67.48 rebate checks/ $5.00 gift cards received)
2013--$4,560.82 +($80.99 rebate checks/ $15.00 gift cards received)
2014--$4,989.49 +($44.54 rebate checks/ $10 gift cards received)

A little explanation of these figures--
I started couponing and deal hounding seriously in Feb. of  2009 so my full year's spending in food was even more than shown that year.  Yikes!
Obviously 2009 was the year I started stockpiling and learning how to coupon in earnest and by 2010 I had a system and ramped up the rebating.

As you can see a combination of rising food prices, a dirth of rebate deals/gift card deals in each succeeding year and a bit of "food lifestyle inflation" and even though I am feeding less people now than in 2010 my food costs have inched up every year since then.

LOOKING AHEAD for 2015.........
With some planning and watching the pennies better we should be able to keep the food/toiletries/paper goods/cleaning products spending at $4800 or less in 2015.
Here's how I am going to do that--

*  Buy Less.  Since we are looking at selling this house and moving within the next 2-3 years I will start reducing the size of our stockpile.  This means using up more of it in 2015 so I'll need to buy less.  Less $ spent + Less stuff to move=Success!

*  Seek out the best deals I can find on what I need to buy.  Stick to my price book principles and think twice before splurging on items I "want" but don't "need".  Make better decisions with the food dollars.

*  Preserve our garden harvest.  We need to get serious about the garden again and can or freeze what we grow.

*   Make more of an effort to find rebates to send for to offset food spending.  Around 2010 saw the end of the Glory Days of rebating/refunding.  Add in that in PA we can't even do the liquor rebate deals most of the rest of the country can participate in. sigh.

*  Food Waste.  While we have minimal food waste most months I could do better.  I will do better.  Successful meal planning goes hand in hand with food waste(or the lack thereof).  By planning you are halfway to eliminating the waster.  8-)

I am hoping that with these measures I can get the spending down below $4800, even though I was $200 over that in 2014 and food prices are predicted to go up 2-3% in 2015.

So what do you spend on food/toiletries a year if you track those expenses?
What measures do you take to keep your food/toiletry costs down?

Sluggy
 

I Finally Have Some Goals for 2015

After much ruminating over this subject I have come up with a set of Goals for My 2015.

Here they is......


*  Save $28K of our income this year.  This is my Savings Challenge for 2015.  I've upped the goal $4K from last year's goal.  While January isn't off to a great start financially speaking, my eye is on the prize.

*  Sew and COMPLETE 8 Projects.  Last year I completed 2, count 'em 2, sewing projects.  I started another 4 and they sit untouched so far this year.  Sewing is something I can't schedule, I have to be in the 'mood' to sew.  I just never got in that mood much in 2014.

*  Lose 40 pounds.  For the rest of 2015 this means losing 3 & 2/3 lbs. each month.  slow and steady and changing up your diet is the way to go with this one.  I must do this for my health!

*  Have eye surgery.  My trip to the optometrist in January was not good.  That teeny tiny cataract that he saw in Dec. of 2013 has taken off into a full blow one.  I noticed on my roadtrip to the Midwest last July things with my eye weren't right.  I don't know how soon but I will be having cataract surgery in the coming months.

*  Go on at least 5 trips for pleasure.  This is an easy goal. lolz  We already have 1 trip taken to Virginia to visit my brother.  September will be the Family Reunion also in Virginia and October we go to Ocean City MD.  I am planning on going down to Louisiana soon after my eye surgery so that leaves 1 more trip to plan.  Date and place are still to be determined.

*  Have 2 House Repair/Improvement Projects completed.  2 years to go until we start dealing with selling this house so we have a few items to repair/replace in anticipation of that event.  Still figuring out which projects we should tackle this year and the cost.

*  Get rid of 6 boxes of possessions plus some larger items that need disposing of.  I have been in decluttering mode for years now and I am still not done.  That should tell you just how much crap I owned! lolz  The decluttering will continue in 2015, though we are getting real close to having nothing left to ditch.  I think I can ferret out at least 6 more boxes of "stuff".

*  Complete 1 crochet project.  I bought yarn awhile back for a project so I need to get on it.  I finally found the pattern I want to use so this will commence shortly.

*  Reorganize our Personal Files.  Hubs was in charge of filing stuff.  After seeing the mess up in the file room last week I have already begun to tame that paper dragon this week.  I have purged about half of the files and begun on reorganizing all that is left.  I need a better system and I think I'll be taking over this chore because it just drives me crazy when he leaves piles of paper everywhere in that room!

*  Start an exercise program and do it every month.   I will begin slowly with riding the exercycle and snow shoveling.  Once I build up some stamina(and I unbury the dreadmill in the garage)I'll start walking.  I've got some hand weights and need to come up with a routine I can do.

*  Gardening.  Not sure how much of a garden(veggies)I will attempt this year.  At least a few plants so I can make my relish in the Fall and can some tomatoes.

Ok, I think that's a nice big list.
Now I need to break this all into bite sized chunks so I get it accomplished.

Wish me luck because I'm going to need it with some of this! ;-)

Sluggy

The Feline Nieces & Nephews

My brother has 5 cats. 

He inherited one named Kit Kat.  She had been my oldest brother's cat and when he went into a coma in early 2008 and then died in 2009 my other brother kept her.   And since she wasn't fixed there was soon a litter of kittens and they kept one male.  They call him Socks, because he had white markings on his feet.
And then when they didn't fix that male cat Socks, when he got old enough to procreate, Kit Kat had another litter. 8-(
Both of these cats are fairly feral and live outdoors.  If the weather is bad they live in the garage but they won't come into the house.

They kept two kittens from that litter(and I think they finally got those two cats fixed, at least I hope so).

The boy kitten they kept is called Sling Shot and looks like his mother KitKat(a striped calico?)but he is much larger than the momma.
The other girl kitten they kept is called Baby Socks because she has the markings like her father, Socks, but is small like her momma cat, KitKat.
Confused yet?

Baby Socks also has a "skin condition".  I don't know from cats, but if she was a dog I'd call it mange.
At any rate, any time College Boy touched Baby Socks I made him wash his hands. ;-)

Baby Socks needs to be given spray baths with some medicated stuff but trying to get her to hold still for these treatments means using a harness and a leash and much meowing and gnashing of teeth.

 

Sling Shot had a urinary issue and had very expensive surgery and has to stay on even more very expensive cat food for the rest of his life.
I am not a cat lover so I'd be rehoming all these expensive fluff balls if it was me.

The fifth cat is my sister in-law's cat.  She is a huge white cat called Lilly.  She is also an alpha cat that doesn't get along with any other animals(or people for that matter)so she lives in their bedroom and never comes out. A regular "kitty bitch" they call her. lolz

I didn't get any pictures of the other 4 cats while I was in Virginia.
I am not a cat fan so that's my excuse.

Sluggy

 

Shopping Today

Well I think I've turned the corner of whatever got ahold of me.
I felt up to going shopping today.  First to,where else?, Rite-Aid!

2 x Dove Deo on sale=$9.98
2 x Dove 'Poo on sale=$7.00
1 x Jergens lotion 20% wellness disc.=$3.59
1 x Jergens crema 20% wellness disc.=$5.83
2 x Jergens Natural Glow trial size 20% wellness disc.=$4.46
1 x R-A cotton balls Free w/BF Rain Check=$0.00
SubTotal=$30.86

Coupons Used
2 x $2/1 Dove Deo ManuQ=$4.00
2 x $1/1 Dove Deo VideoValuesQ=$2.00
1 x $4/2 Dove 'Poo ManuQ=$4.00
1 x $3/2 Jergens products IPQ(coupons dotcom)=$3.00
2 x $2/1 Jergens product VideoValuesQ=$4.00
1 z $2/? Mystery Load2CardQ which came off!=$2.00
Coupon Total......$19.00

$30.86-$19.00=$11.86
I used $11 in +Up Rewards and paid .86¢ OOP.
I received back $15 in new +Ups($5 wyu 2 Jergens, $5 wyu2 Jergens Natural Glow, $5 wyb$15 Dove/Noxzema/St. Ives/Simple).

I have no clue what Load2Card came off but I suspect it was a $2/1 Dove 'Poo Q since when the cashier tried to take the $4/2 Dove ManuQ off it beeped and she had to push it through.
My store employees are so tired of this issue and just let it go.  I don't mind getting an extra $2 off my total so it's good with me too. ;-)

And the Jergens Deals are 2 separate ones.

There is a Jergens/Biore Buy 2 Get $5 +Ups on the regular sized products.

There is also a Jergens Natural Glow Buy 2 Get $5 +Ups on the trial/travel sized Jergens.  These are $2.79 at my store(might be a bit cheaper at your store)so with 20% Wellness discount they are $2.23.
2 come out to $4.46 and you get a $5 +Up Rewards back(limit of 2 per card/account).


$40.52 worth of products.
Spent $11 in +Ups, got $15 +Ups back.
OOP .86¢
Nice.

Then I hiked over to WeisPMITAMarkets for this stuff....

8 x Lipton dry soup mix on sale=$10.32
2 x Knorr Pasta sides on sale=$2.00
1 x Lipton decaf tea bags on sale=$2.99
SubTotal......$15.31

Since I spend $15 on select Unilever items, $5 came off instantly making my total $10.31

I used--
1 x $1/2 Knorr pasta sides ManuQ=$1.00
2 x $1/2 Lipton dry soup mix ManuQ=$2.00
2 x $.75¢/2 Lipton dry soup mix IPQ(doubled to $1/2)=$2.00
Coupon Total..........$5.00

$10.31-$5.00=$5.31 OOP

11 items for $5.31 makes each one .48¢.
And we have enough dip mix for a year. lolz

Sluggy