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| February 23 Groceries |
It was a sunny day, today, crisp and clear, with a high of 59F. I decided to go grocery shopping in the afternoon, to two stores, to stock up on this week's deals.
Store number 1, first, for the sugar, frozen fish, and a bag of generic cat food while I was there:
6 x 10 lb. bags sugar, $4.79@ = $28.74
1 bag (24.5 oz) frozen fish fillets (12 pieces) = $3.99
1 bag cat food = $8.99 + $.79 tax = $9.78
Total spent = $42.51
But cat food is not included in my grocery budget, only people food (cat food and pet supplies are included in a different "pet care" budget), so, amount spent on groceries = $42.51 - $9.78 = $32.73
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| February 23 Receipt 1 |
60 lbs. of sugar is a lot, isn't it? I will give one bag to my daughter to take back with her. The rest will come in handy when I make my jams and chutneys, later this year.
Oops, I forgot to include the fish fillets in the picture, above (I had put it in the freezer as soon as I came home):
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| Frozen Fish Fillets |
Then, I went to store number 2 to stock up on the tuna and peanut butter. Dancer shares a can of tuna with me and we go through a can a week. I decided to buy 24 cans at once and it will last us a good six months. They have a "sell by" date of December 2017, so nothing will spoil before I use them up. I also bought a container of chocolate powder, two jars of peanut butter, a container of milk, some bananas, and another bag of cat food (which is not included in my grocery totals):
1 can chocolate powder = $2.99
2 jars peanut butter, $.99@ = $1.98
1 lb. bananas @ $.59/lb = $.59
1 pint milk = $.99
24 cans tuna @$.50 = $12.00
Total spent = $18.55
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| February 23 Grocery Receipt 2 |
Total spent on groceries today = $32.73 + $18.55 = $51.28
I was able to stock up on the sugar and tuna because I had money in the grocery budget that was carried over from January's grocery budget.
February grocery budget = $75 + $20.53 carried over from January = $95.53
Spent to date = $10.11 + $24.69 + $51.28 = $86.08
Balance remaining = $9.45
That will be enough for 10 lbs. of chicken drumsticks (at $.49/lb), some zucchini, carrots, potatoes, apples and pears or a small papaya, and maybe even a packet of pita bread ($.50) from the ethnic store on Tuesday.
I had pancakes and canned corned beef (sauted with onions and chili powder) for brunch, today. A glass of chocolate milk after I came back from grocery shopping. Leftover pancakes and the last of the corned beef for dinner, along with some sliced cucumber and an orange.
I did some office work, today, and did a load of laundry. Was able to air out the house in the afternoon and I spoke on the phone with one of my cousins and an aunt.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to work from home
- Being able to stock up on sugar and canned tuna
- A sunny day
- Feeling a bit better
- Phone conversations with aunt and cousin
How was your Thursday? How are you coming along with your grocery shopping this month? How do you budget for stocking up?
Good buys,especially the sugar. I have a yearly food budget so I might go grossly over one month to stock up but it all evens out in the end.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne. A yearly food budget is a good way of getting around monthly budget constraints. I just carry over any balances and it usually evens out over time.
DeleteThere are two things about stocking up--one is the money to do it, the other is having a place to store it. Do you have much room for stocking up?
ReplyDeleteThat is a very important point, Live and Learn, having sufficient storage room for stocking up.
DeleteI have what I consider a reasonable amount of storage space in my kitchen. I don't have a pantry cabinet, as such, but several of the upper kitchen cabinets are given over to food storage. I was able to fit in all the bags of sugar and the cans of tuna, without any difficulties. There's space for a few other cans of items I will be wanting in the future - coconut milk (I am down to 1 can and I like to have about 4 on hand), coconut water (again, down to 1 and like to have about 6 on hand). I won't store food in the garage because that is subject to extreme heat in the summer and I don't store anything under my bed, but, I could find room in the 3rd bedroom for a few boxes of food, if I needed to.
I certainly don't have the up to 1 year's worth of food that some people recommend, but I keep several gallons of water and at least a couple of weeks worth of food in case there is an earthquake, and grocery stores are closed or there won't be any food deliveries due to damaged roads and infrastructure. Always assuming I'll be home with access to my stores and not at the office (where I have only the prescribed 3 days of emergency rations) or on the road, somewhere!
Well now, Dancer can be happy that he's all squared away for tuna for a good long while. That was a great price on it. It rarely comes down that low around here. 60 pounds may seem like a lot of sugar, but when you start making jams, it sure is amazing how quickly it goes. Glad you are feeling better and that the sun has come out!
ReplyDeleteHugs
Jane
Thank you, Jane. It seems tuna almost always goes on sale for $.50/can just before lent, in my area. That's generally when I stock up, although, I think this is the first time I actually bought 24 cans in one go! I am now waiting for a sale on canned fruits. Not sure when that will happen, but I'll be ready when it does!
DeleteThat is really a great price on the sugar. I am getting close to the end of my stash of sugar, so have been keeping an eye on prices. In theory I have a monthly budget for groceries, but in reality I'm working off of an annual number. This means that I can go under or over in a particular month and the total just rolls over. In my experience this generally works out, although my tighter budget this year might be a bit of a struggle. I don't think so, though...I really feel like we were wasting a lot of food last year because I kept our grocery budget too high.
ReplyDeleteYour post reminds me that I should take more advantage of the ethnic markets near my home. In the past I have gone a little nuts in ethnic markets, buying all kinds of new-to-me ingredients just because they were novel. Which is fine, except not especially helpful to my budget! The Asian grocery store though is the best place for me to get affordable soba noodles, and we really like to eat those in a soup or with a peanut-sesame sauce.
My Thursday was long and busy. I had classes in the afternoon/evening, but earlier in the day I had a volunteer appointment and then rushed over to the grocery store to pick up a few items. Then I decided that I needed to make a dinner casserole for my husband in the 40 minutes I was home. I felt a little rushed. :)
It sounds like you had a very busy day, indeed! But I am sure your husband appreciated your thoughtfulness and enjoyed the dinner you prepared. Food is the language of love for many of us, isn't it?
DeleteI can totally toss my budget overboard when I am in some of the ethnic stores, especially if I go with my daughter! She is a lot more adventurous than I and is willing to try different things. I tend to stick to the tried and true. Still, I think it is cheaper than a holiday and who knows, especially these days, it might be safer than travel to other parts of the world and even the country, so a trip to an ethnic store might be a good compromise. :)
Good morning. Are you feeling a little better today?
ReplyDeleteAmazing price on the tuna and peanut butter. Enjoy your fish, easy and quick. We use very little sugar. I gave it up in my cup of tea in 1968 which I was pregnant with child #1 and decided it wasn't worth the calories and slowly stopped using altogether.
I admit I don't have a hard and fast food budget. Although I tend to be a very frugal shopper. If I see a good buy on something we use I usually just stock up. When we were first married and I worked putting my hubby thru university it was a different story and again when we put our three children thru very good universities. I try to buy the best fruits and veg that I can and cook healthy as my husband is on a low fat low salt eating plan.
Sandy
PS I have my computer back so another learning curve from the old system!
Hi Sandy, glad you have your computer back; was it being repaired? Funny how we have to get used to things all over again, after awhile, isn't it?
DeleteI seem to have developed a full-blown cold and cough. Sneezing and coughing, watery eyes, and all congested. No fever, but I took a Tylenol for the general aches and pains. Just have to let it run its course, I suppose. I just don't handle colds, well.
I should probably give up sugar, but I am afraid I still use it in my two cups of tea, each day, along with milk. Otherwise, I don't use a lot of sugar, unless I bake, and lately, I haven't done much of that, either. It's just one of those things I like to have plenty of, on hand, and hate to pay full price to buy when needed.
Sounds like you are comfortable with your grocery spending and that is what is important, isn't it?
Hope you are having a lovely day and looking forward to a fun weekend ahead.
Some good deal there! I did pick up a few things today - I'm a vegetarian but hubby and son eat meat so picked up some meat sales. My good buy of the day was some el paso 'Mexican' items - they were on sale for .88 and I had 2 coupons for $1 off two so I was quite happy!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. You definitely good some good bargains on the sale items; especially with the coupons! Well done!
DeleteHah! I share a tin of tuna with my cats too. that is a great price for them. I dont have a specific budget for stock piling, but it is something I want/need to consider. Pleased that you are feeling a little bit better and that you had some sun.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. Any time I open any can, doesn't matter what, there's a lot of anxious meowing and purring, hoping for a handout! You'd think he was starved! I don't really have a separate budget for stocking up, but there's enough leeway in my "miscellaneous" budget to stock up, if I need to and there's not enough in the month's grocery budget.
DeleteAs usual you did a great job managing your budget, Bless, including already knowing how you'll spend the remainder of it!
ReplyDeleteI stockpile but mostly because we had a large family for so many years, my brain hasn't gotten used to cooking for fewer people. Also, I'm conditioned to filling an empty spot if there is one, hence why I bought 12 boxes of pasta this week when I noticed that we were down to just about 10 in the pantry.
However, like you we live in a catastrophe-prone area (hurricanes), so I also do stock up for hurricane season. I still have lots of canned goods from last year so this year I might get away with just buying bottled water and a few more cans, including tuna.
I'm lucky to have a large pantry and kitchen so I'm only limited by the size of my freezers right now :)
It's hard for me to pass up a bargain - pasta was on sale for $.49/lb, and I was so tempted to buy some, but I had to tell myself the 6 packets I have (plus the 2 I just opened) are more than enough! I don't eat pasta every day, and a box will last me for at least a month, if not more. Yes, it's important to be stocked up when natural disasters strike, assuming one is home when it happens and has access to the stock pile (and roving bands of armed bandits don't come around to steal your stock! I've been watching too many disaster movies, can you tell?)
DeleteGood buys... I stocked up on tuna last week.. Love having it for quick lunches.. Hope you keep feeling better.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Judy. I opened a can of tuna, today. Dancer got a spoon of it! I am planning to make a sandwich for myself with some of it. He'll probably get another spoon or two over the next couple of days, as well.
DeleteHa! It is possible to buy 5kg bags of sugar here, and I sometimes pick up two bags in preparation for preserving... But once, I had only picked up one bag and the young chap on the till stared at it and said, "What are you going to do with THAT!?" I always have loads of sugar on standby!
ReplyDeleteI'm still keeping a stock of sugar on hand! Ever ready to make some jams or chutney! :)
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