May 2012 Budget Results.......Food and Toiletries Spending

Here are my FOOD BUDGET spending totals for MAY 2012.

I have posted May's totals on the right side bar under Total Grocery Savings for 2012 and updated the Yearly Totals.
I am listing subtotals for each store I purchased from in May.  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(3-6 at home this month)& 2 dogs. No kids under 16.
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BAKERY OUTLET
OOP   $5.89

Value   $27.74

Savings  78.77%

SHURSAVE STORES(small local independent affiliated stores)
OOP  $151.77

Qs/Ads  $90.87

Value  $242.64

Savings  37.45%

WEIS MARKETS

OOP  $180.82

Qs/Ads  $134.15

Value  $314.97

Savings  42.60%

I don't track Rite-Aid's +Ups here, nor CVS's ECBs & Walgreen's RRs. They will be included when used on purchases under "Coupons".   I'll keep track of what rebates are received monthly.  Rebate money/gift cards will be considered 'income' & will go into the Food/Toiletries budget, offsetting the Out of Pocket. Cash will go immediately into the Budget kitty, while Gift Cards will be calculated in when spent.

REBATE CHECKS RECEIVED IN May

Rite-Aid SCR....$2.00
Subtotal........$2.00

GIFT CARDS and CERTIFICATES
Nothing

TOTAL Value of Cash/Store Checks/Gift Card Rebates Received...$2.00

COUPONS and FREEBIES
Nothing

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My best 3 Store Savings Totals were the Bakery Outlet at 78.77%, Weis at 42.60% and Shursave Grocer at 37.45%.  Ok, so I only shopped at THREE STORES again this MONTH!lol

TOTAL Out of Pocket........$338.48

TOTAL Coupons & Store Sales Savings...$246.87

TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$585.35

TOTAL Savings of...................................42.17%


TOTAL of CASH Rebates........................$2.00
TOTAL Out of Pocket After Rebates........$336.48
TOTAL Savings including Rebates...........$228.10
TOTAL Value of Items Purchased............$585.35
TOTAL Savings After Rebates...................42.52%

This closes out the May spending.

THOUGHTS & COMMENTS for this month.....

I went into May with $400 budgeted for food/toiletries for the month.  I was able to stay well below my budgeted amount, even with more kids home and more mouths to feed.
Of course, by not actively couponing and doing the drugstore deals, my savings percentage didn't come anywhere near to the 70 or 80% I can pull out of my ass when I try hard.

I used very few coupons again in May. My 40%ish savings was mostly just buying what was on sale and/or buying meat with store discount stickers on them.  Ok, I have a few Catalinas I used too.  I spent almost NO TIME working up scenarios or ways to devise more savings on my shopping trips.  This debunks all those naysayers who think you have to spend lots of time fooling with(fooling=clipping, getting, organizing)coupons in order to save substantial money at the grocery store.  Just buying on sale and stocking up at lowest price in the sales cycle can reap you significant savings.  And buying on sale/lowest price only requires you to keep track of the week to week selling price of goods.  Not a big time hog in my book.  ;-)

LOOKING AHEAD TO JUNE.....

I will be keeping my food budget at $400 for June.  I just don't know what is going on yet this month.  This week we have family coming to stay.  2 weeks hence #2 Son leaves for camp and I'm not sure when he is returning.....could be the end of June, could be end of July.  I'm not planning on any stock ups but you never know with me. lol
I don't feel like I'll "need" all $400 but I've got it there just in case....but I don't plan to use it all.

How did you do in May with your Food Budget? 

Please leave a comment or link to your post and let us hear about your progress!  By sharing our struggles and efforts we can help each other stick to our budgets and learn to be better guardians of our resources.

Sluggy

How Did It Get to Be June Already?

Well goodbye May!
I read pretty near everyone in the blogosphere lambasting May for being a really sucky month this year.
Sucky as in sucking all the money out of their pockets!
Lot of unexpected and planned spending was had in May for many folks.
Everyone is glad to see May go.

Me?
I don't rightly remember much of May what with all the stuff going on here, I haven't had much time to notice how monetarily sucky the month was for us.  I do recall many hands being stuck into my face, palms up, waiting for dollars to be deposited onto said hands over the course of May but the exact dates and amounts escape me.

And I was bad too in May since I spent money on some clothes and shoes.  Granted I got everything for great sales prices but it's nothing I needed really.  Who needs purple clogs, right?!
And then I bought a new bathing suit for myself.  Maybe that WAS a need though since all my old suits all have dry rot from all the chlorine over the past 5 years.  So a new one was in order and I did get it on sale.  But even so.....fat ladies swimsuits on sale are STILL outrageously expensive!

I guess when I sit down later today to do my "Savings Challenge" accounting I'll see the bottom line on the spending won't I?
If you hear a sonic boom later today, that will be me reacting to the bare walls in our money vault.
And believe me, the money vault is pretty bare(for us)as we leave May.

This morning, I found a post in my Drafts that I never completed and posted in May.  It was a Quarterly Updated on how the Yearly Goals were going.
Did anyone notice a post on my blog about a Goals update in May?
Nope, didn't happen, did it?

The kids came home mid month in May and it's been a blur since then. ;-)
Let me go and take a peek at my blog so I can recall what went on.....brb.....

Man!  I was a whole lot of BORING in May, wasn't I?
Food shopping, Meal Plans, a Giveaway and a whole LOT of Video/Music Clips.
1 Savings Challenge Report for April and 1 Decluttering Session.

Makes me wonder why anyone even reads this!

Here's a run down of what's ahead for June at Chez Sluggy.

Moving and cleaning stuff.
Surgery for one of our dogs.
Hemming Daughter's work pants for her new job.
#2 Son finishing out the school year and the wailing and gnashed of teeth that goes with that!
Graduation for the Nephew.
Hub's siblings descending on us for the event noted above....oh, now THAT will be fun!
Packing and getting #2 Son ready for camp training.
Taking #2 Son to camp.
Taking a small vacation.
More Decluttering.
Working on my Genealogy.
Working on Scanning Photos.
And dare I mention it....finally maybe doing some sewing.

Yeah, I didn't think anybody would actually BELIEVE that last one.....

So, let's all take a deep breath before we launch into June. 
And let's hope it's a sunnier month for all!

So did your May suck all the cash outta your pockets?
Or did you survive high and dry, sitting on your pile of cash?

Sluggy

Go Feel Some Warm Fuzzies

Ok, I just had to share this after I saw it on my friend Alisa Rickett's Facebook page.

I dare you to go watch this clip and NOT smile!
If you're like me, you'll dissolve into a puddle of teary-eyed goo by the end.....

Sluggy

Why O Why O Why O.....

In a few weeks here,  the Hubs & I will be taking a short jaunt to Ohio.
Since we'll be dropping off #2 Son at camp on the western edge of PA, we'll take the opportunity to spend some time alone with each other out that way.  We figure we'll cross over into Ohio and see what there is to see and do there.
So if anyone knows of any thing to "see and/or do" while in eastern Ohio--meaning from Columbus and on over to the right of there in the state--please leave a comment with some suggestions.
And no, we don't do amusement parks and we aren't going up to Cleveland, but anything else we would love to hear some ideas!  ;-)

Sluggy

May Food Spending Week 4, Meal Plan Week 4+/Week 1

I hope everyone had a reflective Holiday. Let's open today's Food post/Meal plan with this clip I "lifted" off someone else's blog......

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And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--Baked Tilapia, Stuffed Clams, Mixed Veggies
MONDAY--TV Dinners from the back of the freezer....uh, oh.....
TUESDAY--Sloppy Joes, Corn on Cob(or COC as it's known around here)
WEDNESDAY--London Broil and Pineapple on the grill
THURSDAY--Sausage or Chicken patty Sandwiches, Harvard Beets
FRIDAY--Chinese take-out
SATURDAY--Leftovers

We finally got those dreadful tv dinners outta here! Just 1 night of take-out. The weekly food spending was $129.85 this past week.
Again with the going over $100 in a week. ugh 4 times to the grocery stores this past week. I bought some London broils and chicken breast(BOGO deals)and then I spazed out and bought SIX BOXES of frozen fruit bars!lol It seemed like the most logically thing to do at the time and given the sale price and the heat the last few days, those suckers will be gone in no time.lol

Value of food bought was at $210.79 so my savings rate was 38.40% for the week. Total spending for the month to this point is $327.99. It's a good thing I 'upped' my food budget to $400 for May, huh?

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 In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with a little Sloppy Joe left, half of the London Broil I cooked last week. After Monday's cook-out I also have a large amount of baked beans and potato salad to use up this week.
The weather here is extremely hot for May, at least until Thursday so I'll be avoiding running the oven until then.

This week's menu.....
SUNDAY--Leftovers and/or Whoppers
MONDAY--Burgers/Dogs cookout, baked beans, potato salad
TUESDAY--Alfredo with veggies and steak slices, tossed salad
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers (crazy schedules night)
THURSDAY--Spaghetti and turkey meatballs, saute veggie mix
FRIDAY--Pizza
SATURDAY--BLTs or Cheese Steaks(diners choice)

This menu gives us 5 new meals and 2 nights of leftovers(or 1 night of leftovers and 1 night of fast food).
As for items I need to buy for this week......hot dog rolls, sauerkraut, meatballs, tomato, lettuce. We'll be buying milk as usual, along with some fresh fruit.

So what is everyone else eating this week?  

Sluggy

The Perfect Day for P*rn

Just when you thought it was safe to lurk here again, the P*RN is back!
The DeCluttering Porn, that is. hehehehe

And here we go!

1 x GI Joe Classic Dwight Eisenhower
1 x Barbie Princess Bride
1 x Atlanta 1996 Olympic Porcelain Plate
1 x black men's jeans(used)
1 x women's wallet(used)
1 x sewing pattern-medieval wench(used)
1 x classic movie monsters pen set
1 x Cherished Teddy in box
1 x Lego set(used)
2 x flat king sized sheets

1 x Star Wars Throw Pillow(used)
5 x Men's T-Shirts(used)
This lot courtesy of #1 Son cleaning out the closet in his old room a couple of weeks ago.

 7 x Micro Machines Star Wars Playsets

1 x Metal Water bottle
1 x 1996 Rep. National Convention Pin Set
7 x Matchbox Miniature Comm. Trucks/Cars in boxes
2 x AirWick Fragrance Holders
1 x Gameboy Case(used)
6 x Disney Millenium Pins
2 x Matchbox cars(used)
1 x Key Holder/Lanyard(used)
1 x Silver Winne the Pooh Charm

Looks like a nice pile of stuff leaving here, huh?
Well, it would be, except that it's tiny compared to all the crap that Daughter brought back from college.
Remember this?....

Imagine that red cart filled TWICE full of crap.
And now imagine that HALF of what was hauled home actually made it into Daughter's room.
Yes, a full cart of that crap landed in my garage........

And it sure takes up more room that what I got rid of.
Ick.

I already feel another load of decluttering forming, at least in my brain.....

I just realized that this is my first bit of decluttering since February and Carla's Decluttering Challenge Month.
I've gone almost 3 MONTHS since I decluttered last!

So how about you?
Have you gotten your DeCluttering Porn on yet this year?
Now that the good weather is here, it's time to fling open those garage/basement/closet doors and wage the battle with your Clutter Demons again.
Who knows?  Maybe this year is the year you WIN that Battle!!

If you've got some spare time this long weekend, pick an area in your home to declutter.
Just give yourself 15 minutes and see what you can find that needs to leave your house.
What could you live without?
What is laying around that adds nothing to your life anymore?
What is no longer useful?
What is no longer adding joy or beauty to your life?

Go ahead and donate, recycle or throw it OUT!
Make it a blessing in someone else's life if it no longer is one in yours.

Sluggy

Frugaled Out, The Weekend Plans & Songs for a Friday

Like I was just commenting to SonyaAnn over on her blog today, I think I've lost my Frugal Gene.
Ok, maybe just hidden it away somewhere.
I haven't hunted a deal in ages really.
As for hitting up lots of different grocery stores for deals?.....hasn't happened in months and months.
The deals just aren't good enough to get me to drive all over the place.  It just seems a big waste of my time and gas, what with the current prices of that! ugh

I stay in town except on rare occasion and buy at Weis PMITA Market or the ShurSave affiliate independent market.
And if I use a coupon it's a fluke.
And no Rite-Aid still.  The last trip to Rite-Aid was in MARCH.....almost 2 full months ago!
I know some of you are whoozy at that news and need to sit down.lol

But I still don't need any more toiletries.  We are still going strong on my big big stash of those.  So there is no point buying more, even if it's practically free, right? ;-)

I've got some +Ups sent from corporate(for ones that didn't print)I have to use by the end of June so I know I'll be heading back there next month.  But other than that, I'll be laying off of Rite-Aid until the Fall.

I've still got a huge Toiletries stockpile.
I've still got a huge toilet paper stockpile.
I've still got a huge laundry detergent stockpile.
I've still got a decent household cleaners(including hand washing dishes soap/dishwasher soap)stockpile.

As for the food stockpile it's getting leaner and meaner every day.
Lots of pasta, tomato products, peanut butter, spices, canned fruit, hot cocoa, coffee, oatmeal, canned soup, rice, ketchup, mustard, dry soup mix and olive oil.
Using up stuff I no longer stockpile like salad dressing, barbecue sauce, cold cereal, jelly, etc.
I'm going out in the garage this weekend and reorganizing it all.

You are all thinking I am crazy to want to spend a Holiday working in my garage, but since it's suppose to be in the mid to high 80's here, the garage will be the coolest place to be in my house! lol
Plus the kids won't want to be anywhere near the garage working so I'll have some peace and quiet too.
A win/win situation if ever there was one.

If Hubs gets the pool ready I'll probably spend some time in that too, pretending it's not too cold still to swim in it.
No other plans really.
Just sit around and relax, do a few things around the house and drink a few adult beverages this weekend.

I hope you do something you want this weekend too.
I'll leave you with this musical interlude.

Here's a band I used to like a lot in the past.  They started out in Ohio but early on in their musical development they spend a good deal of time in my old stomping grounds in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, which includes the southside metro area of Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Va. Beach and Newport News, Hampton, Yorktown and Williamsburg on the peninsula side.

The band is Blessid Union of Souls, or Blessid Union as they refer to themselves now.  They gained popularity in the 1990's and had a Top Whatever Hit you might recognize which is the 2nd clip below.

The first clip is my favorite song of theirs called "Oh Virginia".  It's a homage to their time there. 
If you google it you can find a music video they did for it but it's fairly lame.  I think their record label at that time put about $8.57 into the production budget for it. ;-)
So I am featuring a live rendition they performed at a gig in Tennessee instead.

There is a longish harmonica solo which isn't part of the song, but the guy is very good.  The mouth organ gives the tune a very 1990's flavor so much so that you expect Blues Traveler's John Popper to jump up from behind an amp.

The guitarist also does some crazy riffs and if I'm not mistaken I heard some Jimmy Page "Misty Mountain Hop" in there, which segued into the beginning of  the Kinks "You Really Got Me" intro.

Ok, so nobody knows WHAT I am talking about so I'll just shut up and bring on the tunes.
Crank it up, put your hands together and Enjoy!!!

And have a great weekend!

Oh Virginia


Hey Leonardo!

Sluggy