2016 Food & Toiletries Spending....January Update

**I am posting this a few days early as I am done with my food spending.  The mayo I am picking up on special later today is for the food bank so not coming out of the food budget $.

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JANUARY 2016.

I have posted January'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 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 3(2-3 at home this month). No kids under 19.

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BAKERY OUTLET
OOP  $9.00
Value  $31.64
Savings  71.55%

BOYER'S
OOP  $40.36
Qs/Sales  $28.72
Value  $69.08
Savings 42%

CVS
OOP  $11.96
Sales/Qs  $12.38
Value  $24.34
Savings 50.86%

MAINE SOURCE
OOP  $60.82
Sales  $36.71
Value  $97.53
Savings 37.64%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/gift card  $717,24
Value  $717.24
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKET
OOP  $18.54
Qs/Ads $6.48
Value  $25.02
Savings  25.90%

WALMART
OOP  $19.01
Value  $26.61
Savings 28.56%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $202.24

Qs/Ads  $260.56

Value  $462.80

Savings  56.30%

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, the Bakery Outlet at 71.55% and Weis at 56.30%.  My WORST savings rate was Shursave Market at 25.90%.

I shopped at 8 different stores this past month.

** My TOTAL out of pocket for January food/toiletries was $373.30.
After I deduct the items I paid for that I am donating to the local Food Bank my OOP spending stands at $349.97.

TOTAL Out of Pocket........ **$349.97

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$1079.95

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$1,429.92

TOTAL Savings of...................................75.52%
TOTAL Savings without Rite-Aid...........50.89%

Value of items excluding Rite-Aid bought ones was $712.68.
Rite-Aid goods brought home totaled $717.24

This closes out the January food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
I went into January wanting to do a $300 food budget for the month($200 for family spending and $100 to restock College Boy on food to take back to school with him).
After deducting what was spent on food bank purchases I spent $349.97 this month.
I didn't meet that $300 goal this month.  There were just too many deals and after the Holidays markdowns to stick to only $300 in January.  Approximately $50 over isn't terrible so I am happy with how things turned out.

The monthly savings percentage went down by 2.47% in January to 75.52% compared to December's 77.99% savings average.
While saving 3/4 on food every month is unsustainable I'll take it while it lasts. lolz

I have spent a total of $349.97 on food/toiletries so far in 2016.

LOOKING AHEAD To February 2016.........
Ok, since College Boy won't be home this month and we have no traveling plans and are hunkered down for the duration of this Winter and the freezer is still pretty full,  I will try for a $250 food month for February.  If deals on food come around this month I'll give myself an extra $50 and try to come in under $300.  This seems like the right amount as I tend to end up around $300 most months with food purchases.

If you have other ideas or guidelines you follow please leave a comment and share yours with us all.
Here's hoping y'all had a great year for spending less on food in 2015.

*  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?

Now let's start 2016 off right by tracking where your money goes on food/toiletries/HBA/paper goods/pet needs.
Is anyone out there up for tracking expenditures and trying to spend less but still eat well?


Sluggy

Big Change on the Horizon

It has officially begun.

Remember that bathroom remodel/renovation we were suppose to have done in 2015, that we put the money away for, but never got around to "pulling the trigger" on, as they say?

Well, it is happening.
And happening soon I think.

The project manager and the general contractor came to the house on Tuesday to measure and talk about the job.
I've picked out most of the stuff we need to buy......making decisions like this went quickly for me.

Besides flooring(tile)and wallboard and various unseen screws, nails, spackle, paint and trim,  etc. we are looking at $1800 for fixtures, cabinets, mirrors, tub, surround, toilet, doors......and it could easily top $3000 for all this other stuff combined.
Then there is the cost of all that labor......ick.
It's a small job he says though.

Even with all the spackling and waiting and sanding and spackling again and waiting again they should be in and out within 10 days if there are no back ordered parts or supplies.
And this might begin as soon as the middle of February.

While standing in the bathroom on Tuesday with the contractor as I was rattling off what needed to be done in there, he asked me if anything was going to stay in the room.  I replied, "Maybe the window valance." lolz
Yep, it's a total redo from the wall studs up.

I'll try to remember to take some BEFORE photos to compare to the AFTER ones.
I am just waiting now to get the call about the estimate and to go down to sign the contract so we can be put onto his work calendar and get a start date for the big Sluggy's Bathroom Project to begin.

We have had a mixed bag of results over our years of home improvement jobs, but mostly have been dissatisfied with the outcomes we get.  Except for the back deck we had built....those guys did a FABULOUS job!

I hope this job goes well and the money is well spent.

Unfortunately Hubs doesn't have a handy bone in his body so we pay through the nose in labor for every repair/renovation we undertake this is part of the reason why I am always reticent to spend money on renovations.
I don't mind paying well for it I just want it done correctly and I want the results to last more than a week before it all goes to hell.

And it will be soooooo nice to finally be able to take a shower in MY bathroom again!
And not to have to sit on a very pale minty green toilet EVER again....not even a nice vintage mint green one.  8-)

Sluggy

Rite-Aid Quickie

I went up to Rite-Aid on Tuesday, even though I said I wasn't buying anything there this week to get some Subway gift card(as they are giving Plenti points with purchase this week but the store was out of cards).
I also saw this in the sales ad at home before I left to go........

Spend $15 on select P&G items, Get $5 back in Plenti Points.
Between the $2/1 Tide Q in the coupon insert on Sunday and the 2 x $2/1 Tide Qs I printed at coupons dotcom this makes for some very cheap Tide.

I also had a $3 off wyb $15 on cleaning and/or laundry items Q that Rite-Aid sent me via snail mail to combine with this Deal.

3 x Tide on sale $5.34=$16.02

1 x $3 off $15 R-A Q=$13.02

3 x $2/1 Tide Qs=$7.02 + .78¢ tax=$7.80 OOP

I paid with Plenti points and received $5 new Plenti points so these 3 jugs of Tide cost me $2.80 in Plenti points.

Tide for less than $1 a jug.....who's gonna walk away from that!?!  ;-)

There is a limit of 1 of this Spend $15/Get $5 Tide/Bounty/Duracell Deal per card.

Sluggy

Weis Shopping & Future Mayo

I went to Weis(PMITA)Markets on Tuesday to get a few things.
Today is the last day of the sales flyer in which they have assorted items for .88¢ each when you purchase in increments of 8.  I did that deal yesterday and also got a few other deals......

The 9 Barilla pasta boxes, the 4 Knorr noodle bags, the 2 Powerade Zeros and the box of Scotties tissue were all .88¢ ea.
I had $5.25 in coupons of this stuff--3 x $1/3 Barilla, 2 x $1/2 Knorr and a store generated Catalina Q for .25¢ Scotties tissues--so $8.83 for all 16 items.  Most of that pasta and those noodles will be going to the food bank.

I had a $1/2 Pillsbury refrigerated items(coupons dotcom)IPA and those were on sale for $1 each, making the biscuits .50¢ a tube.....with the cost of flour and butter, I can't make biscuits for that cheap! lol
I also found this flavor of G2 Gatorade bottles on clearance for .50¢ each so I picked up 4.

I found a bag of onion rolls 50% in the Bakery Dept. for $1.64 and this package of almost 1 lb. of Angus cube steaks marked down AND with a $2 Instant Discount sticker, making it $2.92. (The beef goes in the freezer awaiting College Boy's return for Spring Break as he loves Chicken Fried Steak.)

I spent $16.65(w/tax) on $41.68 worth of regular retail groceries, giving me a 60% savings rate for these purchases.

Just a note--
This Friday when Weis(PMITA)Markets holds their Friday Sale they are going to have Hellman's mayonnaise on sale for 50% off.  That's a good deal to begin with and if you can combine the $1/2 Hellman's in the 1/3 inserts that would make it $1.50 per jar which is an even better price.

Better still for me, I can combine that sale with a coupon in that Unilever NYE Party booklet I got at Walmart while shopping with my Eldest son down in F'burg at the end of December..........

Reg. price of $3.99, on sale for $1.99, use $1/1 Q=.99¢ mayo.
Sweet!

Of course these Qs say only 2 identical Qs in a shopping trip and I have 5 of them so I'll have to do 3 transactions.  I'll go to the self-checkout registers so this won't be a problem and I wouldn't have to keep getting back in line to get all my mayo.

Mayo for the food bank, here we come!! lolz

Thursday in the new ad at Weis and there is Purex laundry detergent for $1.97 per jug.  I plan to get 8-10 of those and this, along with everything else I bought this month and the toiletries I got for free at Rite-Aid recently will give me a full food bank donation to take in next week.
I'll pile it all together for a photo before I haul it off.  8-)))

And I'll deduct everything I've spent on food bank goodies from my food budget for January as it's not goods we will keep and use.  While this will bring down my food spending total for Jan. it won't get me under budget by a long shot since I wheel and deal to get this stuff for free or very inexpensively, just like the food I buy that we do eat.  ;-)

Sluggy

January Giveaway......Sluggy's Favorite Things

Ok Folks, this is the first Sluggy's Boring Blog Box Giveaway for 2016.

Since it's My Birthday,  it's a special giveaway box a la Oprah, full of Things Sluggy Loves!
Besides the things I love there are special things I have gathered in my various travels in the last couple of years.

Here is what you can win if your entry is picked---

1 Bag of Hershey's Dark Chocolate Pieces
1 Christmas Tin of Lindt Truffles
1 Jar of my Homemade Pepper Relish
1 Plastic Commemorative Cup from the Mudbug Madness Festival in Shreveport, LA
1 Box of Apple Candy from Western VA
1 Duck Call from DC Ducks Amphibious Boat Tours Washington DC
1 Pencil from Moundville Archealogical Park Moundville, AL
1 Magnetic Shopping List Pad
1 Slimey Glue Slug from UC Santa Cruz, CA
1 Postcard from Big Walker Lookout in Wytheville VA
1 Pair of Wild Bryde Wolf Pierced Earrings
1 2000 Olympic Keychain from Australia Summer Games(sent to me in 2000 by a friend from New Zealand)
1 Root Beer flavored Sprecher's Brewery Lip Balm from Milwaukee, WI
1 Package of Root Beer Fizzies Drink Tablets from Hoover, AL
1 Hand Painted Ceramic Bunny pulling a Wagon of Easter Eggs trinket box made by me

I'll leave this giveaway open until Sunday, February 7th, at 11:59pm Eastern Time, so that gives everyone a full week+ to enter this one.  The next day I'll put all the valid entries into a container and draw out a name and that person wins.


You may get ONE ENTRY every day by leaving a comment on this blog post until the Giveaway ends.
Tell me what here is the things you most want to win in your comment or tell me what you think about the upcoming US presidential election(that one should be good for a laugh or two, right?lol).

  Disclaimer--This giveaway is open to those with mailing addresses within the US or Canada only.
If you are in Canada, you will receive a smaller box of goodies, as the shipping rates internationally are ridiculous and I am not taking out a mortgage on my house to pay to ship this stuff.  ;-)

**
If you need this shipped to Canada, I'll have to change the box and it's contents a bit.  I can ship a plain box weighing up to 3lbs. via 1st class mail, which, while much more than the flat rate Priority to US addys, is still affordable.  These prize boxes usually weigh 7 or more lbs. when full, so if the winner is in Canada, I'll let them pick and choose which of the items they prefer sent in their box, until the box weighs 3lbs.  I hate to have to do this(not ship ALL prizes to them)but I would hate it even more to exclude them totally from entering the giveaway.

***NOTE***

Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you in your comment.  If you're not a registered Blogger User with your contact information on your User page, please put your email addy in your comment or email me your email addy privately when you leave a comment so I can get ahold of you if you win. If your Blogger associated user profile is a GOOGLE one with those Google Circles nonsense I CAN NOT CONTACT YOU as Google Circles doesn't show your contact info.  I again had to disqualify some entrants in the last giveaway because their profile is linked through Google and not Blogger.  Please check your profile!  And if you ARE entering through a Blogger profile PLEASE have contact info(email addy)in that profile.  If I can't access your email addy I can't contact you so email me your email addy or add your email address to your User Profile.

If I can't contact you then you can't win.  I have had to disqualify more readers than I care to due to this issue and I sure don't want it to happen again.  Thanks!

So let's get this started!

Sluggy