Today, I decided to buy more groceries to take advantage of this week's grocery specials!
I bought:
3 bananas (1.34 lbs, @ $0.68.lb) = $0.92
3 apples (1.32 lbs., reg. price $1.99/lb., on sale for $0.89/lb.) = $1.18
1 lb. ground turkey (reg. price $6.99, on sale for $4.99, plus $1 off with digital coupon) = $3.99
4.76 lbs. salmon fillet* (2 whole fillets; reg. price $13.99/lb., on sale for $8.99/lb.) = $42.79!
3 cans tuna in water (5 oz. each; @$1.33/can) = $4.00
1/2 gal. milk = $2.69
1 doz. bakery chocolate chip cookies (reg. price $3.99; on sale with digital coupon) = $2.99 + $0.10 recycling fee
1 cranberry juice cocktail (64 fl. oz., store brand, reg. price $3.69, on sale with coupon) = $3.00
4 bags potato chips (reg. price $4.59@, on sale for $1.99 with the purchase of four) = $7.96
2 bags chocolate chips (12 oz.@; reg. price $4.29; on sale for $2.49@) = $4.98 (holiday baking season approaches!)
Total = $69.60
In addition to my groceries, I bought for Dancer:
3 cans salmon pate (3 oz. each, reg. price $1.00@, on sale with coupon for $0.95@) = $2.85 + $0.26 sales tax
According to the receipt, my original total was $122.71
Savings with coupons and sales amounted to $50.26
Which brought my total down to $72.71 (with Dancer's cat food and sales tax, etc.)
My October grocery budget is $100 (for my groceries only; does not include Dancer's food, household supplies, etc.)
Spent to date: $12.35 (on 10/19) + $23.59 (on 10/23) + $69.60 = $105.54
Oops! Looks like I went over budget, doesn't it?
Ah, but, back in September, I had $76.52 leftover in my budget and I had decided to keep it to splurge on salmon when my daughter comes home for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This is what I wrote back then:
"Now, the question is, will I carry that $76 forward to October? It seems ridiculous to carry that amount forward when my monthly budget is supposed to be $100! Maybe I'll keep it and splurge on salmon when my daughter comes home for Thanksgiving and Christmas!"
So, that's what I am going to do! I am going to add that $76.52 left from September's budget to my October budget, (to simplify the accounting) and I will still have almost $71 to carry forward to November! That will cover Thanksgiving dinner and more!
I am grateful for:
- Being able to order groceries online
- Curbside pick up
- Being able to take advantage of sales and coupons
- I had enough leftover in September's budget to make up for going over October's budget
- A safe drive to and from the grocery store
How did you do with your October grocery spending? Did you keep to your budget? Did you go over? Are you able to find good sales and bargains?
As I've already moaned about - costs are going up. We don't budget very successfully, and perhaps we should be more careful. I am aware of prices, and try to shop a bit savvy with yellow stickers (not that they are very common in France, and usually only give 30% off) but we don't stick to a budget. Love FD xx
ReplyDeletePrices are definitely going up! That makes sticking to a budget a challenge. When I shopped in person, I used to shop once a week or so and check the clearance items. Now, I no longer shop in person (one of my Covid prevention precautions) and I can't shop the clearance items. What I do instead is shop that week's sale items and stock up. I shop with a list, have a certain budgeted amount to spend each time I shop, and I keep a running total of what I am spending. I used to have a certain upper amount I'd pay for a given item, but, obviously, I've had to adjust that in recent years, because the prices have gone up. If there's room in the budget, I'll splurge on one or two items. If there is no room, then, I'll make adjustments. For example, if I knew I didn't have any money carried over from September and I couldn't go over my allocated $100 for this month, I might not have bought the cookies or the chips, and I might have bought only one packet of the chocolate chips. A lot of the items I bought today are "wants" and not "needs". :)
DeleteYou did what you said you would do so that's good to buy the salmon fillet when it's on offer, that's a very good saving. You didn't really go over budget either.
ReplyDeleteI'm not finding too much on what I would call very good offers, prices seem to be settling but much more expensive than they were say a year ago.
Thank you, Eileen; when I initially submitted my order, the estimated total was under $50, because the actual weight of the pieces of salmon was not known. I was a bit shocked at the final price, but, I knew I had the carried over funds from September to cover it, so, didn't mind, too much. You are right, I didn't go over budget, either, because I still have nearly $71 to carry over to November!
DeletePrices are definitely higher than what they used to be, not that long ago. Also, today's "on sale" prices are what used to be the regular price for those items, a year or so ago! I've stopped buying certain things because of it or only buy them as a special splurge. :)
Food costs have gone very high here, too. So good that you didn't spend your saved $. They will come in handy.
ReplyDeleteI think food prices will continue to rise, with all the impacts that the weather and various conflicts have on agriculture, natural resources, the costs of production and transportation, etc. It might be time to make more of those frugal, low cost meals we all know to make!
DeleteGlad you had the unspent funds to cover the salmon. Will be nice to have a treat when daughter comes home! How long has it been since she's been back? You must be getting excited!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. I'm glad I had set aside that money to splurge on salmon! It removed any feelings of guilt for spending so much! It was money that had been allocated for the purpose!
DeleteI haven't seen my daughter in person since January! I'm looking forward to her visit and hoping that nothing goes wrong between now and then!
I paid less for 3 bananas but they may have been smaller than yours! That was a good price for chips but I get annoyed with multiples because I daren't buy 3 large bags of chips for $8, or a certain person might want to snack on some every night and guess who wouldn't be able to resist joining him? So I buy a smaller bag for $1.97 and when it's gone, it's gone, until the next week when I buy another. Yes, I could buy 3 large bags and hide two of them, but then soon I'd have to lie when asked "are there any chips?"
ReplyDeleteThe bananas I bought are rather big! Yes, there's a certain person who will be wanting to eat those chips in my household, too, and it isn't Dancer! LOL! I have to hide them from myself! I should probably do as you do and buy a small bag even if it costs more.
DeletePerfect use of your September overage. Don't you love it when a plan comes together? :)
ReplyDeleteYou got some good sale prices and have done some good stocking up.
Plus there are chocolate chip cookies and 4 bags of chips so who can argue with that lol
Ha, ha! Yes, chips and cookies! I am a happy snacker! :D
DeleteI am glad that the September overage worked out how it did and I am still carrying over a good amount to November, too!