I ordered and picked up groceries, on Friday, January 3, 2025.
I bought:
4 x 6 packs of soda, on sale for $3.25 each = $13.00
4 x $0.30 California Bottle Recycling Fee = $1.20
1 pint Half & Half = $2.69
6 cans condensed milk, reg. price $3.99@, on sale for $2.50@ = $15.00
2 loaves white bread, reg. price $2.49, $1.39@ with coupon (had to buy 2) = $2.78
6 ramen instant noodles, reg. price $0.50, on sale for 3/$1.00 = $2.00
4 instant noodles cups, reg. price $0.59@, on sale for $0.50@ = $2.00
1 container garlic powder, 2 oz. = $1.50
1 container onion powder, 1.75 oz. = $1.50
10 lb. granulated sugar = $7.99
5 bags ground coffee, 12 oz. @, reg. price $11.99@, on sale for $6.99@ (must buy 5 or more, mix and match items) = $34.95
Total = $84.61
In addition to groceries, I also purchased:
5 tubes of toothpaste, reg. price $2.79@, on sale with digital coupons for $0.99 @, = $4.95
The toothpaste was something I had been waiting to go on sale at this price; I was allowed up to 5 tubes with the coupon and I bought the limit.
My total with the toothpaste and $1.72 sales tax on the toothpaste came to $91.28
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I have been contemplating my grocery budget for 2025.
I have kept it at $100 per month for a couple of years, now, even though the cost of groceries have increased. Should I continue to keep it at $100 per month for myself in the hopes that grocery prices will come down? After all, our incoming president did make lowering grocery prices a campaign promise. Or, should I consider it to be an empty promise as so many other campaign promises have proven to be, and raise my budget to $125 per month, in anticipation of rising costs due to various factors such as increased tariffs, avian flu, weather incidents affecting crops, etc.?
Either way, I will still be budgeting under what the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends as a monthly grocery budget for one female in my age group for their "Thrifty" Food Plan. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture has four Food Plans: Thrifty, Low, Moderate, and Liberal.)
The November 2024 Thrifty Food Plan allocates a weekly budget of $52.60 and a monthly budget of $227.70 for a female aged 51-70.
The budget for a female aged 20-50 (the age group to which my daughter belongs) is $56.40 weekly and $244.40 monthly.
Maybe I should keep to $100 per month to start with and see if I need to increase it, later?
In any case, once daughter comes home to stay, in September, I will have to review the budget and increase it to accommodate the needs of two people. Daughter has said that she is happy to contribute to the grocery budget and general household expenses when she comes home to live with me. I am not planning on requiring her to contribute, but, I might say that I'll buy the basics and she'll have to buy any extras she might want.
To start with, my January grocery budget will be $200 for the month for both of us.
What do you think? Do you have a grocery budget? Does it cover only food (as mine does) or do you include household supplies as well? How do you decide how much to budget for groceries?
Happy New Year, Bless! It's wonderful to hear that your daughter will be moving in with you later this year. What do you think about keeping the grocery budget at $200 a month during the next two months as a trial? If I understand it correctly, your daughter will be home until the end of February, so you'll have two months to gauge whether adjustments will be needed for future months when she joins you indefinitely.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you, too, Nia.
DeleteThank you, Nia, yes, I think I shall keep the grocery budget at $200 for the two of us for January and February and then, go back to $100 when she's away, and see how things go. I can make adjustments to the budget, if needed, when she comes back home. There should be some garden produce, too, in the summer, to help with groceries. :)
My budget apparently meets the thrifty food plan, although I didn't know that! I didn't know your daughter is moving back. Will she work remotely or change jobs? I might have missed something. I imagine it will be a big challenge to keep your budget the same as you've done these past few years.
ReplyDeleteWell done meeting the thrifty food plan budget, even if you did so unknowingly! Yes, my daughter is planning to move back home. She is hoping to work remotely, unless something changes at the last minute, in which case, she will be looking for a new job! Yes, sticking to the same budget might be a challenge, but, we shall see how it goes. I'm starting out the year with a fairly full freezer and pantry and that should help.
DeleteI'm impressed that you have a bottle recycling fee. It is high time something like that happened here, at least in our province. We do have refunds on beer cans and bottles and wine and liquor bottles, but all those other bottles are not subject to any fee to cover the need for recycling.
ReplyDeleteYes, there's a recycling fee on bottles and cans of soda. You do get it back if you take your bottles and cans to a recycling center, but, I have been putting the bottles in the recycling bin and people come through on trash pick up day and pick the recyclables from the bins.
DeleteLol
ReplyDeleteI sit here in the early morning drinking my tea, getting a good laugh at your asking if you should count on a campaign promise when making your budget. hahahahaha.
Big news in your life - your daughter will be moving home. I'm sure that makes you (and her) very happy. As far as the food budget, I think what Nia and you discussed makes sense. And then see how it goes.
Looks like my husband and I are well below the thrifty budget plan too assuming the male amount is similar to the female. Although there was a month in 2024 we were over $500. Then the following month we were under $300 so I must have stocked up on some sale items in that big month.
Typically I am happy if we stay at $400 or under. I try to shop sales for things we buy all the time like you just did with your toothpaste.
I do think efforts like that matter and help the bottom line.
I know you don't like to freeze bread. 2 loaves will mean lots of sandwiches or maybe french toast?
Glad I was able to help you start your day off with a laugh, Debra. :D I am not holding my breath, or anything like that, but, I shall be keeping very close tabs on the price of groceries this year; you can count on that!
DeleteYes, with daughter moving back home, later this year, I will start out with $200/month and see what adjustments need to be made. I know that she allocates $150/month for groceries for herself when she is up in the Bay Area because groceries tend to cost more up there.
I think you do very well to keep your monthly spending to $400.
Here's to a thrifty year in 2025!