Friday, August 24, 2018

August Grocery Shopping: Update

I have not been posting grocery shopping totals these past couple of weeks, mainly because I haven't done a big grocery shopping since the first week of August, (on August 10, actually).

My August grocery budget is $100; however, I went over my July grocery budget by $12.92 ($96.22 - $109.14 =  -$12.92), which is being deducted from the August grocery budget.

8/10 Groceries

On August 10, I did a big grocery shopping and bought coffee for my daughter when her favorite brand of coffee went on sale; I spent $35.89 (of which, $24.95 were for the coffee).

Five days later, on August 15, after my doctor's appointment, I stopped at the small Armenian grocery store and bought bread and grapes:

8/15 Groceries

I spent a total of $2.86 for the bread and grapes.  I suppose this could have been called my Week 2 groceries.

Then, on 8/20, I did another grocery shopping trip:

8/20 Groceries
Bread, milk, oil, and bananas.  The total came to $7.47.  I suppose this could be considered my Week 3 grocery spending?

In case anyone is wondering about my meals, I promise I have been eating quite well.  I am not going to list all the meals I've had, but I've had steak, salmon, and ground beef, eggs, vegetables such as broccoli, tomato, and zucchini, and fresh fruits such as pineapple, cantaloupe, bananas, apples, and grapes.  Plus rice, bread, and pasta, of course.  And the occasional indulgences such as French toast, and take out food (Thai, Japanese, and, Italian).

In addition, there is another package of beef steak, a little ground beef, and half a smoked sausage (plus tamales and turkey pot pies) in the freezer.  I will need to buy some fresh vegetables and fruit, this weekend, but otherwise, I think I am OK for the rest of August!  The beef steak can be made into a curry or a stir fry, the smoked sausage can be made into a stir fry, too, and the ground beef can be mixed with rice to make fried rice, or paired with leftover mashed potato to make potato balls or curry puffs, or used as an omelette filling.

August Grocery Budget = $100 - $12.92 overspent in July - $87.08
Spent to date = $35.89 + $2.86 + $7.47 = $46.22
Balance remaining = $87.08 - $46.22 = $40.86

How is your August grocery budget coming along?

10 comments:

  1. My August groceries are always slightly bizarre. First week is using up as much as I can from fridge and freezer before we go away. Next fortnight is self catering and eating out, all a little haphazard, and final week is using up holiday leftovers, with a view to proper menu planning for September. Add in the random gifts of courgettes (zucchini) and apples from friends and meals have been strange lately!

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    1. I'm sure you are managing the budget just fine, though. How nice to receive gifts of zucchini and apples! I'm thinking of zucchini bread, apple bread, apple pie and sauce and jam. :)

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  2. I know already that I have spent far more in August than I normally do. I have not added it all up yet, but thank goodness I had as many Optimum points as I did to spend, taking some of the financial burden away. I will total it up closer to the end of the month, as I have a restaurant meal to pay for this coming Tuesday.

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    1. I love how you've been using your points to pay for your groceries. I'm sure you'll do fine. I wouldn't include the amounts of points I used when adding up what I spent; only what I spent out of pocket. As for restaurant meals, I went way over budget on eating out, this month! But I am allowing myself to splurge a little. I am on vacation, after all! :D

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  3. On Thursday I bought groceries for the last week of the month, and still have to add up the total. August is already expensive. I hope for a spend less September. 😀

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    1. Maybe you can do a pantry/freezer month in September, Nil. One year (was it last year?), I joined a blog friend in doing something she called a "shelftember". Yes, it was last year, and here's the link to my first week of Shelftember: https://bless2cents.blogspot.com/2017/09/shelftember-week-1.html
      Maybe that might help?

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  4. I have been in "the battle of the bananas" for quite a while now. I go to look for bananas and they are all green. By the time those I buy have all ripened there are some that desperately need to be used up. Oh I know, banana bread, but I went off it after years of the dreaded "Air Canada economy breakfast banana muffins" while crossing "the pond" overnight. They have since changed to a very acceptable banana bread in place of the muffins, so I guess I should think of making my own again.
    So, my solution to the banana battle has been to buy 2 or 3 at a time. While they are ripening, I buy another 2 or 3 green ones, and this continues so that I always have a couple that are ready for eating and some on the way. I got out of kilter the other day, though, because I was expecting to find the usual green bananas and instead there was a whole tray of perfectly ripe ones. I haven't seen that in months!

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    1. I am like you with the ripening bananas, Bushlady! I don't like very ripe bananas and I don't much care for banana bread, either! I, too, buy slightly green bananas, and a few at a time. I've been freezing the ripe bananas with the intention of making smoothies, maybe. Or, perhaps I'll bake a big batch of banana bread for Christmas gifts, this year!

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  5. You have done well so far on your August budget! I have overspent big time! September, I intend to use up all the stuff I have been stockpiling!

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. How are you doing? Maybe your expenses were due to your new diet? I was just replying to Nil's comment above and mentioning the "shelftember" I did, last year, in September to keep the grocery spending down and eat from the pantry! The link to the first week is here: https://bless2cents.blogspot.com/2017/09/shelftember-week-1.html

      Maybe I should do another "shelftember" again, this year and have you join me?

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