Or, how to go over your grocery budget by mid-month in three parts!
In case anyone is interested, Part 1 and Part 2 have been linked.
I did more grocery shopping this week.
On Friday, I went to the Armenian store for fresh produce, for the most part:
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| Ethnic Store Receipt |
Just about everything I bought there was cheaper than what I might have paid for the same item at the supermarket. For example, cucumber was $0.69 there and $0.89 at the supermarket. Lettuce was $0.99 each and $1.99 at the supermarket. Apples were $0.79/lb. vs. $1.49/lb.; cauliflower $0.69/lb. vs. $2.29/lb., yam/sweet potato $0.99/lb. vs. $1.99/lb. and so on. Shopping for fresh produce at this store saves money, but, there is no curbside pick up available.
I spent $28.13 at the ethnic store on Friday.
However, I still wanted to get a few other items from the supermarket to take advantage of their weekly deals, plus half & half for my daughter (I wasn't sure how good the half & half at the ethnic store was and they didn't have the regular sandwich bread I wanted).
Here is the Supermarket receipt:
Total Savings: $30.70 (sales, coupons, and waived delivery fee)
Order Summary
Item Details
12 Items
I spent a total of $42.35 at this store and, yes, I took advantage of their curbside pick up.
This week, I spent a total of $28.13 + $42.35 = $70.48
But, I had only $60.90 left in my February budget!
My February grocery budget is $184.55 (after deducting what I overspent in January)
Spent to date: $60.21 (2/1/25) + $63.44 (2/7/25) + $28.13 (2/14/25) + $42.35 (2/16/25) = $194.13
And that is how you go over your monthly grocery budget in three easy parts by mid month!
I still have two more weeks to go and no grocery budget left! The ethnic store has advertised a one day only sale for pork chops at $1.99/lb. which is a good deal and I had been thinking of buying some, but, with what? Do I borrow from the March grocery budget? Do I increase the February grocery budget? Do I let the sale pass without buying any pork chops? What would you do?
As it is, I will have to borrow from the March grocery budget to cover half & half for my daughter, for the rest of the month. Daughter has offered to pay for the rest of February's groceries, but, I don't want her to do that (we might do something like that once she comes home to stay). I told daughter that we will eat from the pantry and freezer for the rest of the month to keep the borrowing from March to a minimum. Obviously, I have not been as savvy a grocery shopper this month as I've imagined myself to be! I've been indulging in too many splurge items!
How are you managing with your grocery budget this month?
Try adding a but to each months grocery budget for unexpected sales or “stock-up” items.
ReplyDelete5$ wouldn’t be too hard to handle I think but would give you the ability to take advantage of sales like those pork chops!
At that price I say grab’em!!!
Happy shopping,
Helen
Hi Helen, I need to start setting aside a bit of money for stocking up, as you've suggested. I had been managing on $100 a month for myself for the past several years (with going over budget every now and then and then, adjusting for it during the following month), but, now, with my daughter being home with me, I am trying to settle on a reasonable budget for both of us. Simply doubling what I used to spend hasn't been working too well as I've been buying some splurge items to celebrate the fact that my daughter is home! But, I will get the hang of it, eventually. Thank you; I think I will get a couple of pork chops on Tuesday! It's a good price for them, isn't it?
DeleteThank you for commenting and I hope to hear from you, again. :)
As long as you have the money somewhere in your budget, I say splurge when you want on food. Having your daughter home is certainly a reason to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June; yes, I do have the money somewhere else in my budget. But, this little budgeting exercise is showing me that I have to really watch my shopping habits if I am to keep to my budget, or, I need to increase the budget!
DeleteI would buy something I eat at a good price like that. Create a budget line for good deals like this for stock ups. I keep a little spare $ in my weekly budget for that. I try (ha ha) not to spend it on splurges!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie. Yes, I think I need to set aside maybe 10% of my monthly budget for stocking up when there are good deals. I find myself splurging more when my daughter is home! :)
DeleteI am intrigued by your purchase of the organic chestnuts and wondering how you will use them. We only see them around Christmas time as some people like to put them into turkey stuffing or add them to Brussels sprouts. When we lived in Europe, in winter they were sold in little bags, freshly roasted on a brazier on street corners and they made a lovely snack!
ReplyDeleteThe chestnuts are grilled and peeled and are sold in small bags; my daughter likes to snack on them and they were a treat for her. Oh, freshly roasted chestnuts sounds lovely.
DeleteThe prices are certainly a bit cheaper! I think feeding two it's not surprising that you're going over budget by a bit.
ReplyDeleteThe prices for produce at this ethnic store is much cheaper than at the supermarket. As for the budget, I did double it to account for having two of us, but, I think I have been splurging a bit more on what is, essentially, a rather frugal budget. Either I must increase the budget or I must cut back on the splurge items!
DeleteI do not have a true grocery budget, but I only buy things when they are at my price point I am comfortable with. TheHub who is my new grocery store partner (Not my idea grocery partner) does not understand the process of buying more than needed when it at rock bottom prices. For instance, Motts apple juice is something he drinks every morning. He only drinks about 1/2 -3/4 cup so the 64 ounce bottle lasts quite a while. However it was deeply discounted last week, so I bought 4 bottles. He was arguing that he does not need that much, until he looked (ok i forced the looking) at the exp. dates and realized what a long time he has to consume it all. I will always buy multiples of things we use regularly to save money down the pipe.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne; I, too, try to buy multiples of items I use when they are on sale, with the idea of saving money later on, when I need them and they are not on sale. I dislike having to pay full price for items I could have bought on sale! I will probably increase my grocery budget, especially when my daughter comes home for good. These past couple of months were a trial run. :)
DeleteI'm sure your husband was happy that you stocked up on his apple juice when it was deeply discounted. :)
It's best to stock up when there are offers on, and you've got plenty of groceries in now, Bless. Perhaps you won't need to spend as much next month.
ReplyDeleteI'm thrilled that I've managed to complete a weekly shop again, so I've no need to pop to the supermarket mid-week. It saves so much time. Xx
Thank you, Jules. I do like to stock up when there are deals and offers. I shall definitely make up for any over spending in next month's budget.
DeleteWell done with the weekly shop and not needing to do a mid-week top up! Good planning on your part!
I fail at budgeting, so I can't give any *sensible* advice. However, thinking back to your previous totals, you got a lot of items that will carry on over a few months. I remember you getting a great deal on tuna and smoked sausage.
ReplyDeleteMy very frail opinion is that I'd check out how stuffed the freezer is with other bargains and perhaps get some of the pork.
Also, I don't know how viable this is, but could you add on another $50 to the budget. Have this floating around but only use it when you get the really good bargains. Try and build it back up from the following months when you save from using those bargains.
You're so much better at budgeting than me, so I'm sure that you'll work out something that keeps you well fed and healthy at a good price.
Thank you, Lyssa; your suggestions are very helpful. Yes, a lot of what I am buying will be eaten over the next several months. I rarely shop for just enough for that one week.
DeleteMy freezer seems to be stuffed with a lot of garden produce that I grew and couldn't eat by myself. There's a whole bin filled with bags of frozen blueberries, another filled with snowpea pods, some frozen peaches, and gallon sized bags of chilies! :D I must ask you for your husband's pickled chilies recipe!
I have some chicken, a little cooked turkey (leftover from Thanksgiving), half of the pound of ground beef I bought earlier, two of the smoked sausages I bought earlier, a couple of packages of breakfast sausages, and the two packages of bacon I bought this week. I would like to have more meat in the freezer. Which is why I bought some pork chops today!
I do have the ability to add another $50 to the budget and I am thinking that I will do that, from now on and keep that for stocking up when I find bargains. :)