Food Spending 2023....the January Report

Onward to January's Food Spending report......

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for JANUARY 2023.

I have posted January'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 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. We are a family of 2(and 2 dogs).
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KROGER

OOP  $146.62

Qs/Ads  $122.14

Value  $268.76

Savings  19.40%

SHOPPER VALUE

OOP  $9.89

Qs/Ads  $6.08

Value  $15.97

Savings  38.07%

SUPER 1 FOODS 

OOP   $41.55

Qs/Ads  $29.67

Value  $71.22

Savings  41.66%

WALMART
OOP  $216.62

Qs/free Gift Cards  $52.14
Value  $268.76
Savings 19.40%

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My best 2 Store Savings Totals were at Super 1 Foods at 41.66% and Shopper Value at 38.07%

I only shopped at 4 different stores in January.   8-)

TOTAL Spent in January................$414.67

TOTAL Coupons/Sales/Gift Cards....$211.61

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased.....$626.28

TOTAL Savings of ............................33.79%

This closes out the January food/toiletries spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....well my spending/percentages went up as I wasn't able to grocery shop much due to having to stay off my injured leg.  Having Hubs shop isn't the best way to keep spending down and I couldn't be in the store to snag clearance deals as Hubs sticks to a list I have to assemble for him. ;-)

The monthly food spending savings percentage went DOWN by 9.39% in January 2023 to 33.79% compared to the December's 43.18% savings average.  It's really not a great comparison between these 2 months as we weren't home and cooking for most of December and largely housebound in January. 

With 1 month accounted for, I have spent a Total of $414.67 on groceries in 2023 so far.

2022 Yearly Grand Total Spent....................$414.67

2022 Yearly Grand Total Value of Items.....$626.28

2022 Grand Total Saved...............................$211.61

2022 Yearly Savings Total..............................33.79%

The average per month amount spent is $414.67 in 2023

LOOKING AHEAD to February 2023...

Still in recovery mode and can't stand to cook for long so it's limited grocery shopping and meal choices.  The word for February is perseverance.

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?  It's really not that hard or time consuming; just have your receipts and either track it in a notebook or on a spreadsheet.

*  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 "It's No Longer January" Edition.....

I received two cards for my birthday, one from Hubs and one from my brother.  I guess the younger generation no longer believes in sending cards since none of my kids sent me one.   Now we are in February or still the Rainy Season in Louisiana.  Might need to put a call into Noah if the rain keeps up as it's been in January. lolz

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......

1. Sunday--I had a Greek Salad

2. Monday--Chicken Parm, leftover turkey sides or salad

3. Tuesday--Kielbasi, Cabbage

4. Wednesday--I'm getting a tooth pulled so applesauce or something similar, Hubs is on his own

5. Thursday--Ditto

6.  Friday--Leftovers or ?

7. Saturday--?

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--I had a Greek Salad

2. Monday--Kielbasi, Cabbage

3. Tuesday--Subway sandwich for Linner

4. Wednesday--Jello(Cherry)

5. Thursday--Jello(Peach), leftover Mashed Potatoes

6.  Friday--Salmon, Spinach Souffle, Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

7. Saturday--Chicken Parm, leftover Cabbage

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

*  4 Stauffer's Spinach Soufflé

*  1 Kielbasi ring

*  1 pack of Turkey Bacon

*  2 frozen Chinese dinners

*  1 box of ice cream bars

*  1 frozen Pizza

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

*  Kielbasi

*  Salmon

*  1 Spinach Soufflé

*  Chicken Parm

Last week we picked up stuff at Kroger, Ollie's and Walmart(I went to Kroger to get $1.99 lb. cherries but they were out so I bought lots of other stuff yay!)and spent a total of $145.43.

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $145.43 for February so far.

There are 22 shopping days left in February.

I've earned $38.77 on Ibotta in February.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in February.

I've earned $0 on Coupons dotcom in February.

I've earned 2,239 points from shopping on Fetch in February.

I earned 10 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in February.

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in February.

That's $38.77 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $145.43

 in grocery spending so in reality it's $106.66 in food spending after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 31.27% and the monthly savings total for February comes in at 31.27% so far.  

Leftovers going into this week.....Kielbasi and Onions, Turkey slices, Corn Casserole, Rolls.

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

1. Sunday--Cheeseburger, leftover Cabbage

2. Monday--Teriyaki Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry, Rice

3. Tuesday--Fend for Yourself

4. Wednesday--Rigatoni w/Mushroom and Meat

5. Thursday--Something frozen

6.  Friday--Pizza, Salad

7. Saturday--BBQ Chicken, Veggies TBD

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Mushroom, other Veggies for Sat. and Salad stuff.  Not a very inspiring plan, just easy basic stuff mostly that I can delegate prep to Hubs so I can stay off the leg.

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 deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy 

What's Happening Around Here

We celebrated my birthday two Saturdays ago.........

At a nice Chinese Restaurant connected to a seedy motel.  They had a dark beer from Brazil called Xingu.  It was the closest thing to a Guinness I could find on their menu.  That's my yearly Birthday Beer.

Me checking the giant incense burner, at least I think that's what it is. lol

Then it was off to get my Birthday cake......

Since it's Mardi Gras Season here, do what the natives do, get a King Cake!  This one serves 20-24 people or 10-12 Cajuns according to the information they give out. ;-)

Around these parts this is where you come for the best King Cake around, a Hardware Store that's everything  Mardi Gras too in the Season.

You pose with their Giant Baby(like the ones they bake into a King Cake.

I posed wearing culturally insensitive to some Mardi Gras beads.

Not like these beads were much better.......lolz

Down here, Mardi Gras is not just a day of celebrating before Lent, Mardi Gras is a Season that runs all through January up to Fat Tuesday whenever it falls somewhere near the end of February.  

This hardware store is Mardi Gras Central in this part of Louisiana.  Racks and racks of beads, King Cakes, boxes of miniature Moon Pies, Doubloons, mini footballs, mini frisbees, masks, Hula hoops and everything else the Krewes throw from the parade floats.  Since it was a weekend the place was jammed with people picking up Mardi Gras parade paraphernalia.  Everyone was wishes us a Happy Mardi Gras too.

Here I am in a miniature hat ready for Mardi Gras........

All these years I thought my birthday was in such a depressing Wintery Season.  I was just not living where the "Bon Temps Rollez" until now.

It has rained all week here....the first Sunny day was Friday.  I think Louisiana needs to rethink how they divide up the year.  This place is more like Central America with a dry season and a rainy season.  We are definitely in the rainy season now.

Just take a look at these photos of our yard.........

Yes, those are old boats in the distance.  I told Hubs we need to drag them closer to the house just in case we need to use one to evacuate. lolz

This is our own personal "bayou" in the front yard near the driveway(if you can call it a driveway).....

A couple other "lakes" out on the side yard. 

Even the Wound Care place is all decked out for the Season with purple, green and gold fleur de lises........

It has been a heck of a week this past week but not in a good way.  4 out of 5 days saw me going for medical tests(I passed with flying colors!), wound care(no power washing, hooray!)and a tooth extraction.  I am now moving onto the 2 times a week Wound Clinic where they are increasing the compression on my leg to get this thing healed up  Go Me.

The only thing is all this bandaging on my leg goes down onto my foot and I can't get my shoe on that foot.  I have been reduced to going around in public in slippers.  **face palm**  I never thought I would end up a "Person of Walmart".  What's next?...wearing pajamas in public??! 

Sluggy

Frugal Friday.....the February 3rd Edition on Saturday

 Welcome to Frugal Friday!  Sorry it's a day late but medical and dental stuff took up most of my week here. 
There is one Frugal win this past week......

*   I happened to look in my Ollie's(Good Stuff Cheap!)app and found a 15% off your whole shopping trip coupon there for Valentine's day.  It expires 2/12.  Since we had some time to kill between the wound care appt. and my dental appt.(which was over near the Ollie's)we went in and I found a few food items we needed.......

Have you ever seen Caramel Banana flavored Cheerios?  I haven't and Hubs wanted to try them.  I needed the applesauce, panko, the pretzel crackers were 75% off and boxed stuffing is good to have in the pantry for various things(though it tastes too salty for me unless it's doctored up).  2 cartons of chicken broth didn't make it into the photo either. 
We also found a pair of drapes for the master bedroom(but forgot to get a curtain rod lol).
$10.49 later for the food items we were off to the dentist.

*  I found money!
Nope, nothing this week.  Sluggy got skunked on the four days she left the house to go the medical/dental visits.  Hubs found 6 pennies at Walmart in the self-checkout machine when he went by himself and the rat wouldn't give  me those coins.  sniff sniff

Total Found in last Week.... .00¢
Total Found this Year........15¢

That's about all I've got for this past week.  

Any frugal wins in your neck of the woods?  Let's hear all about them!

Sluggy   

This Week on the Dining Table

 The "Don't Get Wedded to Your Meal Plan" Edition.....

Things happen in life.  And that includes things/events that make you have to change up your meal plan.  This was one of those weeks.

I did get that turkey gotten for free at thanksgiving thawed and cooked but with making all the sides too it wore my leg out for the day.  I spent after an early dinner(linner)confined to the recliner with my leg up instead of visiting with daughter and son in-law and the granddog.  Oh well.

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned.......

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Shrimp Scampi w/Fettucine Noodles, Salad

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Salmon, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

5. Thursday--Kielbasi, Cabbage

6.  Friday--Leftovers

7. Saturday--Turkey Dinner w/Fixings

And here's what actually happened........

1. Sunday--Leftovers

2. Monday--Shrimp Scampi w/Fettucine Noodles, Salad

3. Tuesday--Leftover Beef Pie

4. Wednesday--Liver and Onions w/Gravy, Brussels Sprouts(lunch out, no dinner)

5. Thursday--Fend for Yourself(I had a pot pie)

6.  Friday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself(I had some cantaloupe)

7. Saturday--Turkey Dinner w/Fixings

Getting back on my feet to cook a bit with help from Hubs.  I only "cooked" two meals this week as we had many leftovers.

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

*  Nothing

What got taken out of the freezer and used...

*  1 bag of Shrimp

*  1 pot pie

*  1 whole turkey   

Hubs mostly picked up stuff to the tune of $31.38 last week.  Just little things we needed and medical supplies.

This brings our food/toiletries/paper goods Total to $414.67 for January.  

There is 1 shopping days left in January.

I've earned $87.73 on Ibotta in January.(I used $20 to buy a gift card.)

I've earned $2.82 on Checkout51 in January.

I've earned $16.75 on Coupons dotcom in January.

I've earned 2,499 points from shopping on Fetch in January.

I earned 1,590 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in January.

I've earned 640 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in January.

That's $107.30 in rebates(not counting the Shop Kick/Swag Bucks/Fetch)on $414.67

 in grocery spending so in reality it's $307.37 in food spending after the 3 rebate apps I count.

My savings percentage for the last week was 29.96% and the monthly savings total for January comes in at 33.79% so far.  

Leftovers going into this week.....Shrimp Scampi w/Linguine,  Roast Turkey and sides.

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

1. Sunday--I had a Greek Salad

2. Monday--Chicken Parm, leftover turkey sides or salad

3. Tuesday--Kielbasi, Cabbage

4. Wednesday--I'm getting a tooth pulled so applesauce or something similar, Hubs is on his own

5. Thursday--Ditto

6.  Friday--Leftovers or ?

7. Saturday--?

What do I need to buy to fix everything on this menu?  Nothing really but some fruit.

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 deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy