2019 Food Spending Report....The October Edition

* I am posting this a few days early as I am done food spending for October.  Anything bought between now and Nov. 1st will go on November's food budget. *

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

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for OCTOBER 2019.

I have posted October'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 October.  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 5(3 at home this month). No "kids" under 23.
*****************

ALDI'S
OOP  $44.08
Value  $78.06
Savings  43.53%

BREAD OUTLET
OOP  $11.89
Value  $49.30
Savings  75.88%

COSTCO
OOP  $46.90
Value  $79.78
Savings  41.21%

FOOD LION
OOP  $9.73
Value  $17.67
Savings  44.94%

MAINES
OOP  $6.85
Value  $13.81
Savings   50.40%

MALACARI'S
OOP  $44.86
Value  $75.93
Savings  40.92%

OCEAN STATE JOB LOT
OOP  $27.15
Value  $51.97
Savings  47.76%

RITE-AID
OOP  $0.00
Qs/Ads/BC  $300.24
Value  $300.24
Savings  100%

SHURSAVE MARKETS

OOP  $17.24
Qs/Ads $

Value  $28.09

Savings 38.63%

WALMART
OOP  $41.06
Value  $62.56
Savings  34.37%

WEIS
OOP  $111.10
Qs/Ads  $
Value  $200.55
Savings  44.60%

WORLD MARKET
OOP  $7.16
Value  $19.02
Savings  62.35%

*********************
My best 3 Store Savings Totals were Rite-Aid at 100%, the Bread Outlet 75.88% and World Market at 62.35%.   My worst savings rate was at Walmart with 34.37%.
I shopped at 12 different stores in October.....so many stores! lolz

TOTAL Spent.........................................$394.80

TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales.................$333.00

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased........$727.80

TOTAL Savings of ................................45.75%

TOTAL Out of Pocket for October w/R-A........$394.80
TOTAL Coupons/Store Sales w/R-A....................$633.24
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased w/Rite-Aid....$1028.04
TOTAL Savings with Rite-Aid items.....................61.60%

This closes out the October food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....
We spent just under my $400 budgeted amount for food/toiletries in October.
Go me. lolz

The monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 1.88% in October 2019 to 61.60% compared to the September's 63.48% savings average.


With 10 months accounted for, I have spent a Year-To-Date Total of $3,908.56 on food/toiletries in 2018.


2019 Yearly Total Spent To Date....................$3,908.56

2019 Yearly Total Value of Items To Date....$ 13,614.83

2019 Total Saved To Date...............................$ 9,706.27

2019 Yearly Savings Total To Date of............71.29%

The average per month amount spent so far is $390.85 in 2019 which went up .43¢ per month in October.  That's a very slight increase.

LOOKING AHEAD To November 2019.......
I plan on calling in a lot of my chits in November.  I have a $15 P&G prepaid card, a $25 Shursave gift card, and various Target gift cards.  November means Turkey Day so there will be spending for that but most traditional Thanksgiving foods go on sale right before the holiday.  I make my own pies and rolls so those will not be costly.  And I am sure I have foods in the stockpile here I can use so other than buying a turkey the outlays won't be too pricey.
If I work it right we can eat down the freezer in November for the other 29 days of the month and not go overboard with food shopping.  I'll set the usual $400 budget but I'll see if we can do much better/lower.

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 October?

*  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

This Week on the Dining Table

The "What's Out There for Xmas Gifting" Edition................

I was in Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)browsing last week to see what they've gotten in for the Holiday Season so far.  Thought this Monopoly a la John Deere Tractor Company was interesting. ;-)

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned--

1. Sunday--Roast Chicken, Onion, Carrots, Potatoes
2. Monday--Leftover Meatloaf, Squash Casserole

3. Tuesday--Sloppy Joes, Salad

4. Wednesday--Chicken and Dumplings

5. Thursday--Tacos

6. Friday--Chicken Enchiladas, Rice
7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened at home per Hubs info & after I got home--

1. Sunday--Roast Chicken, Onion, Carrots, Potatoes
2. Monday--Fend For Yourself

3. Tuesday--Leftover Meatloaf, Squash Casserole

4. Wednesday--Chinese Fake-Out Chicken, Rice, Sugar Snap Peas

5. Thursday--Sloppy Joes, Tossed Salad

6. Friday--Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches, Corn on Cob
7. Saturday--Mushroom Ravioli Alfredo, Tossed Salad, Garlic Bread

The leftover Meatloaf, etc. got moved to Tuesday, Sloppy Joes, etc. got moved to Thursday, the Ravioli from last week got moved to Saturday, the other 3 new meals not made will go to this week(or not-I might do a chicken casserole with the leftover chicken bits instead of enchiladas).  I took a pork loin out of the freezer and was spontaneous about making tenderloin sandwiches and I hit a sale at Aldi's on Chicken so half the pack went into Chinese Fake-Out. 
It was a mix of some meals planned were made and some spontaneous meals.

Last week saw 5.5 nights of home cooked dinners, 1.5 nights of leftovers/ffy, and 0 nights of Eating Out/Take-Out for me.
5.5 nights because 1 night I cooked a side dish but heated up leftover meatloaf. lolz

What got put into the freezer last week.....

*

What got taken out of the freezer and used(or cooked up but not used yet)last week at home.....
* 2 whole chickens
* a bag of Sugar Snap Peas
* a Pork Loin
* a bag of Ravioli

A trip to Walmart, Bread Outlet, Malacari's, Maines and Aldi's brought the current weekly spending to $157.51 and my October spending on food to $394.80 for this month. 

My savings percentage last week was 46.70%(without Rite-Aid trips)and October's monthly savings total comes in at 45.75%(w/out R-A).

I have 3 more food shopping/spending days in October but I closed out the books on October this past weekend so anything bought until Nov. 1st. will go on next month's tally.

Leftovers going into this week......Chicken Fake-Out Chinese, Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots and Potatoes, All that Roasted Chicken, Sloppy Joe, 1 helping of Squash Casserole, Pork Tenderloins, Rice, browned Ground Beef, and 1 helping of Ravioli.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Chicken and Dumplings
2. Monday--Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole

3. Tuesday--Tacos

4. Wednesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, leftover Garlic Bread, Salad

5. Thursday--Something TBD + Brussels Sprouts

6. Friday--Leftovers
7. Saturday--Fend for Yourself

As always this menu is subject to change or rearranging depending on what leftovers get eaten or not and what I am feeling like cooking(or not). lolz

What needs buying for this menu?  Nothing whatsoever except maybe some milk.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week? 

Sluggy  

Frugal Friday......the October 25th Edition

Here are the frugal wins of the past week here in Sluggy's World............

*  I received a prepaid Visa card for $12 from the Heartworm medication purchase for Dixie.........

*  I got the Weis Friday Freebie last week...............

A bottle of mustard.  Something we can always use here.

*  I found money!

A dime at Rite-Aid back by the pharmacy last Friday.....

Then a penny in the center aisle of R-A when I was walking up to the front registers.......

Then .11¢ tucked under the register counter.  .22¢ total at R-A on Friday.

Then it was off to Weis(PMITA)Markets for a weekly big shop on Friday and I spied this at a self check-out..............

Another penny.

On Sunday a rare trip to Walmart and I found this.............

a penny in the middle of the self-checkout area.  It was crazy busy and I had to dodge many people to secure this coin. lolz

Another trip to Rite-Aid on Tuesday for some Rx refills and I found this by the shopping cart corral........

A nice shiny penny.

Then on my trip to Aldi's I found an un-corralled shopping cart...........

So I got a free quarter!

*  A few other good deals........

$3.47 after Qs/rebates for these 3 items.

Then to Ocean State Job Lot........

Used my Crazy Deals gift card to buy 3 bags of coffee.  Cost me $1.19 OOP for all 3.

At Malacari's............

6 more pounds of bacon for $7.98 OOP.

3 Boxes of cereal at Rite-Aid......

Cost was $2.97 on a free gift card plus $2.10 back in Ibotta rebates so better than free!

And the Bread Outlet.............

$11.89 OOP for 10 packages of bread products.

* I got some free samples of products...............

I forgot to note this vitamin sample I got on the way home last week when I stopped at Walmart to stretch my legs.

And this sample of fabric softener sheets at Walmart this past week.

That's about it from around here.

What frugal wins did you have this past week?
Tell us all about it. 8-)

Sluggy

A Half-Assed Post

The last couple of days have been trying.

First off I've been attempting to scoop up some deals so I have been out and about to lots of stores this week.
Hubs had his eye injection on Tuesday so I dropped him off and hit a nearby Aldi and then Maines Restaurant Supply store. 
Maines didn't have the two things I wanted the most--multicolor carrots in a 10 lb. bag and sweet potatoes.  Well they had the sweet potatoes but they were 99¢ a lb. and generally at this point in the year/season they are a lot cheaper there.  I ended up getting some bananas, fresh brussells sprouts and 10. lbs. of onions. $6.85 out the door.
At Aldi's I picked up 4.04 lbs. of chicken tenderloins for $6(discount sticker on the pack)so $1.49 per lb. plus a few odds and ends.....fresh mushrooms, hummus, pita chips, fancy pants cheese, half and half and a special Chocolate Cherry Chip Cake.  $25.70 total.
I also got a free quarter from a not corralled cart. ;-)

I hit Malacari's produce market on Wednesday(I think it was Wednesday?)for 2 types of lunch meat and 1 pack of sliced cheese, 10 lbs. of taters, marked down celery and cukes, a large head of cabbage, a watermelon, 2 roasted pepper cream cheese tubs, and 2 x 3 lb. packs of uncured bacon.

Remember these packs of bacon I got there for $5.99/3 lbs.?  Well evidently they still have a large amount to sell so now they are $3.99/3 lbs.  What an unbelievable price, right? $44.86 spent at Malacari's.

On Wednesday our hot water heater crapped out(after our microwave died while I was in OC).  There goes another $1100 we didn't expect to spend.   Thankfully we have $16+K in a Slush Fund still so that got paid for with cash.  ;-)

Wednesday Dixie went into heat too so we've been dealing with horny dogs. lolz  I'll be talking to the vet at Chester's appointment next week about getting him snipped soon.  Hubs is not feeling this breeding our doggies thing so I am throwing in that towel.

Now it's Thursday and Humira shot day today and now my joints are killing me.  They don't hurt as bad as the HS abscess in my breast though.  I think the stress of my OC trip brought on a flare(even good stress causes flares).  It's stopped draining and has now turned into an abscess.  An antibiotic will put that to rights once I get a hold of my doc.
The weather here keeps ping-ponging from cold to almost hot and my sinuses aren't feeling very well either(another side effect of Humira too).

So enough of my whining.  Just another sunny day in Sluggy's World.   Aren't you glad I shared this all?  *snort*

Sluggy

Grocery Shopping Lately....Vacation & Beyond

So while down South I did pick up a few items to tote back home for the food stockpile.
First at Costco(since brother is a member and we don't have a Costco around here).........

4 lbs. of pecans
40 oz. of cashews(a treat for me!)
3 lbs. of minced garlic
Total was $46.90 OOP
If I had to buy these things around here at reg. retail I'd have had to spend $79.78 or thereabouts.

Then when picking up some stuff at Food Lion for the sister in-law I bought this to tote home......

4 cans of FL brand tomato soup on clearance for .48¢ each
2 cans of Generic tomato soup on clearance for .47¢ each
3 packages of country ham slices for $2.29 each *not pictured*
Total was $9.73

I usually pick-up Chuck Shaw wine for $3.29(or whatever it is priced at now)for cooking when down by a Trader Joe's but the Aldi near my brother's house had a Aldi brand wine, Winking Owl for $2.98 a bottle so I got 6 bottles of that.........

6 bottles Merlot and Cab Sav w/tax came to $18.38.

The only thing I bought for the food stockpile was a package of 4 blend peppercorns at $7.16 w/tax.

All totaled vacation food shopping for home that week came in at $82.17.

I've done a lot of food shopping this week too!

I hit Weis last Friday and these were the best deals I found.......

1 x Vero Gusto Barilla pasta sauce on sale=$4.99
2 x SeaPak breaded shrimp on sale=$10.98

I used 2 x .75¢/1 SeaPak IPQs that doubled so $3.00 off the shrimp making it $7.98 out the door.

There was a $6.00 Ibotta rebate on the pasta sauce and a .75¢ rebate on the shrimp(x2=$1.50)so I got $7.50 back.
Plus another $2.00 back from Checkout51 on the shrimp.

$12.97 spent on these 3 items and $9.50 back in cash rebates.
Nice.

On Sunday I did a little shop at Walmart.  Here are a few things I had rebates on..............

8 x Chobani flips and Greek yogurts=$9.76
2 x Oikos yogurt drinks=$3.92
2 x Dial hand soap=$1.96
3 x Country Crock "plant butter"=$6.54
Total......$22.18
I earned back $10.63 at Ibotta for buying this stuff so $11.55 after rebates.
I also bought a tub of sour cream, 3 cans of whack biscuits, a big hunk of cheese, almond milk for Hubs and 4.07 lbs. of summer squash, spending $41.06 w/tax on this shop.

I hit the Bread Outlet on Monday with Hubs...........

3 loaves of bread
2 packs of English Muffins
2 packs of hamburger rolls
1 box of cinnamon rolls
1 box of cheese danish(for Ex-CB)
And we spent over $10 so got a free box of doughnuts too.
$11.89 OOP for everything here.

We also hit Ocean State Job Lot on Monday.....

I picked up the coffee Ex-College Boy likes using a $10.78 gift card which was free for buying $10.78 of select food items on a previous trip.
Coffee came to $11.97 so I paid $1.19 OOP for these 3 bags.

I also picked up 3 jars of honey on an Insider coupon deal there. $8.97 OOP for all.

And the "Free Food" table had more of those imported cranberry/muesli cookies I liked so I got 6 more tins(one is already opened lolz)and a bottle of honey/maple syrup blend Hubs wanted to try.
Total was $16.99 for all this and we got another Crazy Deals gift card.  I now have $87.99 in these gift cards.

I also picked up 3 boxes of cereal at Rite-Aid Monday........

These are $1.99 each this week.  I printed off 3 x $1/1 IPQ cereal from my Kellogg's Rewards Account, making each box .99¢ ($2.97)which I paid for with a free R-A gift card.  I earned back $2.10 at Ibotta and these items put me over a Bonus there for $5.00 so paid $2.97 on gift card and got back cash rebates of $7.10 total.
Sweet.  If Ex-CB doesn't eat this by the end of the year they'll go to the food bank as they are always begging for cold cereals.

Total spent this week so far on food is $80.10.
Total earned in cash rebates $17.73 and a $16.99 OSJL gift card.

A bit more shopping is slated for this week/month.....Aldi and Malacari's produce market and maybe the freebie at Weis on Friday.  ;-)

What food deals have you found lately?

Sluggy