I put in a grocery order on Friday, June 30, and picked it up in the evening.
I was debating whether to put in a grocery order or not because all I was out of was bread. But, there were some really good deals (chicken on sale at $0.99/lb., sausages at $2.99/5 links package, chips for $1.99 a bag if you bought 4, etc.) and I had money left in the grocery budget, so I decided to take advantage of the sales, especially to stock up on junk food treats!
I bought:
4.28 lb. chicken thights @ $.99/lb. = $4.24
35.2 oz. ground beef hamburger patties (10 patties) = $10.00
2 packages of Italian sausages, 5 sausages per package ($2.99@ on sale with digital coupon; reg. price $5.99@) = $5.98
1/2 gal. milk = $2.39
8 oz. cheddar cheese (reg. price $3.99, on sale with digital coupon) = $1.99
1 carton French vanilla ice cream (48 fl. oz. reg. price $6.99) = $3.49
1 carton ice cream bars (6 count; reg. price $5.99) = $3.99
3 bananas, 1.56 lb. @ $.69/lb. = $1.08 (I asked for green bananas, but, they gave me very ripe ones)
3 lbs. grapes = $3.98 (grapes were $1.99/lb. and I had ordered the 2 lb. pack, but, they substituted the 3 lb. pack at the same price as the 2 lb. pack)
1 cucumber = $0.79
1 container orange juice, 52 fl. oz., reg. price $5.49 = $2.99
2 boxes corn flakes, 13.5 oz. @, reg price $4.89@; on sale for $1.99@) = $3.98
1 loaf sandwich bread = $1.99 (had to go back for it because they left it out!)
2 x 5 lb. bags rice, reg, price $3.79@, on sale for $3.50 @ = $7.00 (due to the sale, it was cheaper to buy two 5 lb. bags than to buy one 10 lb. bag)
2 bags (8 oz @) potato chips (Reg. price $4.49@; on sale for $1.99 if you buy 4 or more) = $3.98
2 bags (9.25 oz.@) tortilla chips (reg. price $5.99@; on sale for $1.99 if you buy 4 or more) = $3.98
1 bag (8.5 oz.) Cheetos (reg. price $5.69@) = $1.99
2 bars chocolate (reg. price $4.49; on sale for $3.00 @) = $6.00
My order total came to = $64.84
According to the receipt:
The original price of all my groceries, at regular price = $118.92
What I saved with coupons (including a $5 off on over $50 spent in a single transaction) and sales = $54.08
The store clerk who brought the items out to the car, Ricky, said, "You saved over $50! That's awesome! Congratulations!" I told him it pays to shop the sales!
June grocery budget = $100.00
Spent on groceries in June = $5 (on June 6) + $30.24 (on June 8) + $64.84 (on June 30) = $100.08
I went over the budget by eight cents!
I'm not going to worry about that! Besides, I also have $64.46 carried over from the May budget and I can deduct 8 cents from that, if needed!
After I came home and put away the groceries, I realized that they had left out the loaf of bread although they had charged me for it. So, I called the store and was told to come back to pick it up. I had to go into the store in order to do so, but, I had my mask on and I felt comfortable enough for the 5 minutes or so that I was inside the store.
That was my grocery spending for June! July's grocery budget will be $100 (plus $64.38 carried over from the May budget - yes, I deducted the 8 cents I overspent in June from that carried over amount!)
How did you do with your June grocery budget? Were you able to keep to your budget?
You did so well with your savings and congratulations from me too. I'm glad you treated yourself to some treats and why not indeed. How ironic that the one thing you needed the most was not with your order but you were able to go in store to collect it.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. I had been resisting buying too many snacks and treats because, if I have them in the house, I will eat them! But, I decided to indulge myself this time. I do dislike the stores' strategy of having you buy multiple items in order to get the best price, but, I guess it makes sense to them.
DeleteWasn't it ironic that the one thing I wanted was left out and I had to return to the store and actually go inside to collect it? I tried to call from the parking lot to have them bring it out to me, but, that call got transferred to the pick up department and when no one picked up the phone after 5 rings, it got cut off! So, after a couple of attempts, I just gave in and went inside the store. 6:30 p.m. on a Friday is not my preferred time of day to go inside a grocery store, but, I was there for about 5 minutes, so, not too bad, I guess.
You got some excellent bargains! I didn't do very well on staying in budget. I'm hoping to do better this month!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie. There are months when I go over budget, too; good luck with staying within budget in July! :)
DeleteI am glad you deducted that 8 cents from the May carry-over. It makes a huge difference
ReplyDelete😄
Oh, it does, it does! :D Got to balance them books, you know! :D LOL.
DeleteIt's hard to resist a good sale, when you use those items anyway. I was lucky with the frozen yogurt and the "Frosties" yesterday. There was $4 off each and I made sure that was what I was charged at the checkout. Not long ago at the checkout I was being charged the full price and when I queried and was proved right, I got the "Frosties" free!
ReplyDeleteYay for free Frosties! :D I told my grocery store clerk that, next time, I have to be given a discount for having to return to the store because they forgot my bread! He laughed.
DeleteI will definitely use everything I bought yesterday. I was very glad that I had enough in the budget to indulge in a few extras! :)
Well done on the budget! I need to button down on the budget a bit more. I know I am doing better as - because I am meal planning - I am going to the store less frequently. I am struggling coming up with budget meals. I think I need to pull the cook books out again!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. Well done on the meal planning and shopping less frequently. Budget meals are difficult at best and almost impossible now with the cost of groceries being so high! What I do is stock up when things go on sale and meal plan based on items that are on sale that week or what I have in the freezer, etc.
DeleteMy goodness. I am shocked at how cheap your grocery items are!! (Lucky you ) One big bar of chocolate is more than $4.49 in Auckland, New Zealand. 1/2 kilo of brown or basmati rice is about $3.50. Just 2 examples.
ReplyDeleteHi Ratnamurti. I'm always interested to find out about grocery prices in other countries because we tend to think our prices are high! Yes, they are higher than they used to be, but, maybe not as high as in some other countries. 2 lb. basmati rice (which is just a bit less than a kilo) is $4.99 for the store brand and $5.99 for the brand name at the store I am currently using; the 10 lb. bag of my preferred brand is $19.99 (basmati rice is less expensive at the ethnic stores, but, they don't offer curbside pick up and I am still "sheltering in place" for the most part). Store brand brown rice is $1.89 for 2 lb., the brand name one is $3.00/2 lb. on special sale this week, and the brand name organic brown rice is $4.99/2 lb.
DeleteI just buy the cheapest (store brand) white rice, especially when it goes on sale. :)
I thought the chocolate was expensive, even on sale (the last time I bought chocolate, it was on sale for $1.67/bar.)
Hope you are keeping well.
Well done on sticking to your budget and still being able to have some treats. I always try to stock up on things I used regularly when they are on special offer but that seems to be happening less frequently these days. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. Things are not going on sale/special offer that often any more, are they? And even when they do, the new sale price is higher than it used to be. One does what one can, I guess.
DeleteI'm glad you've had your COVID booster shot and feel better about dashing into places when needed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June, me too! :D I am still following the county's Covid numbers (they are being posted on a weekly basis, now) and although the actual numbers have gone down (mostly because fewer people are testing and reporting), the test positivity rate has gone up. I'm going places, fully masked, only when I have to as opposed to want to.
DeleteGreat job hitting your budget right at the $100 mark!
ReplyDeleteIt's good you took advantage of the sales and got your self a few treats :)
Oh gosh - the bread! One of the reasons for the shopping trip was that you were out of bread. How did it feel going into the store? I think that was your first time inside a grocery store since before covid.
And too bad about the bananas but you lucked out with the grapes.
Thank you, Debra. I was happy with my spending and the treats I bought. Yes, the bread! Wasn't it ironic? The main reason to get the groceries was being out of bread and the whole reason for doing pick up was because I didn't want to go into the store! 6:30 p.m. on a Friday is not the best time of day to go into a grocery store if you are trying to avoid crowds, but, it wasn't too bad. I stayed at the front of the store and I was there for maybe 5 minutes at the most. Yes, it was the first time inside a grocery store (I did go into the dollar store, the other day after getting my booster vaccine). I am not sure if I will want to go inside a store on a regular basis, yet (testing positivity has gone over 6%), but, maybe if I had to go into a smaller store during a less crowded time, I might.
DeleteYes, I've more grapes than I know what to do with! They are a bit sour...