Last shopping of the month

I spent $103.38 this weekend. I got $20 back in register rewards to add to my budget. Total spent this month was $300.63 but I have $20 extra to add to next months or take off of this months. I don’t plan to do any more shopping this month (unless I find some more marked down pork at Albertsons!! ) so looks like I made budget!! About the pork deal at Albertsons…I have $1/1 Hormel Always Tender pork manu coupons. I was at Albertson’s late on Saturday night and discovered that they mark down pork that needs to be sold by the next day. I was able to get 7.29 lbs of pork for $6.25! Most of it was boneless sirloin chops. That is only $.86/lb! I will be popping in there often late at night now. My Sweetbay is closing so I was able to get a lot of stuff there at a 50% mark down.

What I got this weekend:
12 cans dog food
1 bottle lotion
7.29lbs pork
1 - 2 liter diet dr pepper
44 cans beans
2 cans bread crumbs
12 cans tomato sauce
10 bottles salad dressing
2 boxes broth
1 gallon milk
6.36lbs tilapia
3lbs bananas
3 rolls paper towels
4 klondike
2 half gallon ice cream
2 dozen eggs
1 loaf bread
25 frozen pizzas
3 mens razors
13 - 20ft rolls aluminum foil
2 - 24ct bottles excedrin

Last weeks purchases

Last week I spent $90.12 and saved $204.27. Not my best week but still looking good for the $300 a month challenge. Total OOP so far this month is $197.25. This is what I bought last week for $90.12:
4 OJ
1 bag pinto beans
2 bags black beans
1 hamburger buns
8 oranges
1 head lettuce
1lb fresh mushrooms
2lbs carrots
5lbs potatoes
1 bag coleslaw
1 box altoid mints
16 boxes milk bones
1 canister salt
2 jug catlitter
18 tubs deli turkey
12 tubs frosting
18 bags frozen veggies
9 cans soup
1 gallon milk
18 - 32oz powerade
2 packs chicken wings

Another week down

Since last post I have spent another $89.06 for a total OOP of $107.13. It is almost mid month so I feel good about that. What I got:
40 - 32oz powerade
10lbs deli ham
7 dozen eggs
4 loaves bread
6 - 24ct bottles aleve
40 boxes rice sides
8 pasta sides
9 pouches mashed potatoes
6 - 4pack yogurt
10 tubs buttery spread
1 gallon milk
10 boxes pop tarts
4lbs ground beef
4 bags cheese doodles


40 rice sides…I use 3 each time I make something with them. We have 3 kids…and they all have very big appetites especially for stuff like Spanish rice or chicken and rice or fried rice…or stuff like that. Very inexpensive and easy to throw together on a busy night. I make a rice dish at least 2 or 3 times a month so that is only 4 months worth. The butter tubs were very cheap on sale with coupons – my freezer is now stocked for a year on this. Eggs were $1.29 a dozen, I eat LC…and I have learned by experience that they are good for at least a month past the date on the carton. The deli ham was a great deal. Several weeks ago it was BOGO Albertsons but they were out so I got a raincheck. Last week it went on sale for $1.50 less per pound than it normally sells for. So I got 10 one lb packs and paid for 5 at the $1.50/lb sale price!! I vacuum sealed it and it is now in my freezer for lunch boxes! Same with the bread only I didn’t vacuum seal that!

February - New start

Alright, I totally blew budget last month. I spent almost $700. I saved $2360 and my meat freezer is packed. My pantry items are good for a year or more. My HBA and household cleaners…more like 2 years. Cat food is good for a year. Dog good…not so good. I have started cooking for my dog again. He prefers it and if I can’t get his food free or almost free, cooking for him is a better option both nutritionally and economically.
I don’t know if I can stay under $300 but will try. Yesterday I went to Publix and got 20 boxes of Quaker granola bars, 6 – 4 packs of Yo Plus yogurt (DH loves this brand and I had $1 off q’s that expired yesterday) and 6 packs of bratwurst. Total OOP after q’s and sale was $18.07. I then went to our neighborhood butcher/seafood market and got 2 lbs of deli roast beef. This rivals Boars Head and sells for only $5.99/lb versus almost $12/lb at Publix. I started low carb again and have learned that having this lean roast beef on hand is a life saver when I want to go grab something off plan. I vacuum sealed 1lb of it and put it in the freezer. I get so upset when I am not able to finish it before it starts to ‘go’ and don’t always get to the butcher before he closes.
I looked at the Publix preview and don’t see much that I am interested in. If the q match ups make stuff free or almost free, I may shop this week. To be continued.

Winn Dixie score on ribeyes and a Publix trip

I have given up on meeting my 300 goal this month. Sigh. Spent another $114.61 and got:

21.66lbs ribeye steak
4 - 7ct packs steakums
1 loaf bread
6 cans tomato
2 bags coffee
2 bags chex mix
10 mayo
8 - 16oz boxes velveeta

Going back to Publix later this weekend to get some more granola bars, velveeta and tomatoes. We are stocked on beef for sure. I am making a committment to low carb and could not pass up the beef...I sorta feel pathetic but this is an effort for the long term cut of the bill and I used to be at $300 a week so I should not feel so bad for not passing up these deals. GRRRRRR

Since last post I have spent another $79.40 for a total OOP of $436.70. Totally blew budget this month. There were deals that I just could not pass up, stuff I have been needing to stockpile. Since last post I have bought the following:

4 london broils
16 hoagie rolls
1lb sliced deli ham
2lbs sliced deli turkey
8 jars peanut butter
15 packs gum
60 cans rotel tomatoes
22 boxes cheese crackers
8 pints egg beaters
6 bags cat food
1 bag dog food
6 boxes toaster strudels
6 - 4pack fruit parfait cups
32 boxes cereal
6 dove beauty bars
28 cans chili
2 - 160 ct pack napkins

Publix has some great deals coming up on velveeta and other stuff. I am not going to shop on SB sunday and have to go back to work next week so I will again, be making additional spending purchases this month. However, I have a $5/50 from Albertsons and a $10/50 from Winn Dixie to use to help bring the OOP down.

Hope I do better next month. This is so hard to do while continuing to build a great stockpile of stuff we don't already have a stock of...

But hey, did you notice I got 32 boxes of cereal in addition to all of the other stuff for less than $80? At a reg price of $4 a box of cereal, for that $80 I would have only gotten 20 boxes.

Publix trips 1/20/09

On Tuesday I got 1 bag of dog food, 18 bags of cat food, 6 – 32ct boxes of electrosol, and 18 boxes of pasta. Total OOP was $17.53. Total OOP so far this month is $357.33. Total saved is $1923.76. Percent savings 81.43%. I am stocked for 6 months on cat food and a couple years on dishwasher detergent. A year on pasta sauce and pasta, peanut butter, household cleaners stocked for at least 2 or 3 years, oatmeal for a year, meat/poultry for many many months, lunch box snacks for the rest of the school year in to the summer, candles and hair care for years, soup for a year, and many many months of frozen other items. I looked at the Publix sales this week and all I can think that I need to get are fruit parfait cups. The kids love these in their lunch boxes and I only have a handful of 4 packs in stock. I will also get more cat food. I have a couple $5/30 competitor coupons left to use and the bags are on sale for $3.49. I have $3/1 q’s to use as well making almost free catfood (probably tax only). We leave on Saturday for vacation so my budget spending is almost done for this month as we return on the 1st of next month. Considering the stock that I have, I am fairly confident I will meet or beat the $300 a month budget next month and start absorbing the overage I incurred this month. I still have $20 in ECB’s and $10 in RR to apply to next months spending so at the moment, I am about $27 over budget. Not bad for my first month!!