Monday, February 29, 2016

February Grocery Tally and Christmas Fund 2016


February Grocery Budget $550 less $20.90 overage from January = $529.10

I ended up the month at $554.56.  $2 in coupons were used.
Yes, I ended up over again and now the extra from January and February overages will be deducted from March.  The month was looking good until the very end when we had to stock up on non-food over the counter medications.


This month for the first time I broke out the budget into food, nonfood and tax.  This is how things shook out.  Of the $554.56 spent:

Food $420.66
Non-food $123.62 (OTC meds, cleaners, toiletries)
Tax $10.48 (5-12% per item for some convenience food/pop/nonfood items)

Previously I just lumped everything together by but separating things out, I realized that I am spending more on the food portion than previously thought and had actually thought that non-food spending would have been higher, something to keep in mind for March.

I still managed to stock up on lots of items this month but am running low on meat and fish so those will be the priority early in the month.  We also have Easter in March so need to find a cheap turkey and inexpensive celery for stuffing, which seems to be the expensive veggie item these days.

Christmas 2016 Points, freebies

$25 Amazon GC from Swagbucks (click here to join, a referral link)
$20 from a food product class action lawsuit (applied for this 1.5 years ago)
$30 PC Plus Points

Total $75

I have actually gotten to the point with Angus Reid Forum that I can request a cheque for doing the occasional survey ($50 threshold) but will wait until later in the year to do so and therefore am not counting that until I have the cash in hand.

I am finalizing details for our trip to Spain and have exactly 32 sleeps left until we leave.  Can you tell I am excited?!?!





12 comments:

  1. I run over budget about every other month, but then I have months like this one where I shopped only 3 times and spent about 50 bucks each time, so I was way under budget. I figure it all evens out at the end of the year.

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    1. I do that too, play the over/under game. The end goal is the annual food budget but it all keeps me on track to write it down. It has stopped hubby from buying those damned $12 stuffed olives too.

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  2. Good job anyway on the food seeing as you pay more than we do for basics.
    I did hear the price of caluiflower came down a bit and you don't need a home equity loan now to buy a head or two. lol

    I got a $10 gift card in the mail last week to tuck into the Xmas fund, along with that massive .10¢ check refund.....we'll be living large by Dec. at this rate! hehehe

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    1. Yes, cauliflower gold came down in price but celery went up....the new gold veggie lol. Put that 10 cents in your sons socks and tell him that is his Christmas stocking lol.

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  3. I'm excited for you with only 32 sleeps left!!!
    I think you are doing great with the grocery budget. At times, it seems like an impossible fight. I'm changing up the way that I shop to see if it helps. Den likes t come up with things to make on the weekend and I always end up running back out to get something. Now I am just barely buying the minimum and then running out again if there is something that he needs. It seems to be helping but it is a SLOW process of finding out what the problem is.

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    1. I find it a challenge sometimes as hubby wants to cook then instantly needs expensive ingredients that we need to run to the store for. I cook with whatever happens to be in the house. Sometimes I play the game - buy just one ingredient to go with what we have to extend the meals for the groceries that we have in the house. Yes, I am sick that way lol.

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  4. YOu sure are excited! LOL, it's good to be excited, it makes us feel so alive!
    We want to know how much we spend a month in food,OTC meds, cleaners and cat needs... We are having a hard time, we keep forgetting to put the receipts in the jar!!!

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    1. Buddy the dog has a separate category - he is quite expensive but we knew that when we got him, especially when he needs haircuts just like humans and much more expensive than humans since he doesn't shed. I consider him more of an entertainment category lol.

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  5. Our vacation money to Copenhagen went down the drain. My 9 year old daughter needed to get therapy, she started showing extreme OCD and therapy is costing $2000 a month!!! So by the way, if anyone is looking for a career choice, Id say child psychology is the way to go. Especially because it took me weeks to find one, they were all full...Anyhow, no more vacation to copenhagen. Its okay, sometimes things happen and you just have to deal with it. Can even budget for that crazy amount. I bet you will have so much fun in beautiful spain...and eat great food too! Cant wait to see the pics!

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    1. That sucks! I hope your daughter finds the help she needs. We had issues with my stepdaughter and she moved away before we could find her help. Ours is covered by healthcare (some depending on what it is) but it takes months/years to get in.

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  6. I can't count sleeps yet; it would be too depressing lol! So, yes, I'll be excited for YOU!! I had to UP my food budget a little as I was buying a lot of fruit and veg for juicing. I think I'm going to keep juicing to a few weeks per year as opposed as to a daily thing - too expensive. I was able to buy celery a week ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was the first bunch this winter!

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    1. At least you have a trip to look forward to! I had to book this many many months in advance(8) so we could block off the time with the company and book around it so know what that feels like. I wonder why celery costs so bloody much! Soon our local crop will be available and our farm market reopens in May so the costs will come down at least.

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