tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post7784992819171569874..comments2024-03-28T18:58:47.880-07:00Comments on creative savv: August 2016 Grocery Spending JournalLilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-6787518191025746902016-09-01T06:41:37.245-07:002016-09-01T06:41:37.245-07:00Hi Patti,
You learned something valuable, about th...Hi Patti,<br />You learned something valuable, about the soup. Good to know, I'm sure.<br />I like your inventive pantry storage solution. I've stored canned goods in boxes under the bed, in past years before we had an official pantry. There's no rule that says food needs to be stored in the kitchen.<br /><br />Oh that sounds quite warm, still. I can imagine no soup on the menu for a while, yet for you.<br /><br />Have a great day, Patti!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-36935007532336386322016-09-01T06:37:59.203-07:002016-09-01T06:37:59.203-07:00Hi Busy Bee,
It sounds like you've got a good ...Hi Busy Bee,<br />It sounds like you've got a good plan for your pantry supplies. Great job with the stock rotation! Nothing will be lost to waste!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-19911828971352208982016-09-01T06:36:04.249-07:002016-09-01T06:36:04.249-07:00Oh yeah, Cat, your boys are going to eat you out o...Oh yeah, Cat, your boys are going to eat you out of house and home in just a couple of years. Then, it will get better.<br />Those sound like reasonable prices on the uniforms. The hand-me-downs probably help. But aren't a complete solution. At least you're not buying a huge new wardrobe every fall. Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-66391903756340804292016-09-01T04:50:12.487-07:002016-09-01T04:50:12.487-07:00Lili, that is certainly true on the big food years...Lili, that is certainly true on the big food years. I think it will probably get worse before it gets better as my little boys are currently only 6 and 8!<br /><br />Used uniforms are here and there in thrift shops. But Academy sells them for very reasonable prices ($4.99 for polo shirts and $8.99 for the shorts) so I tend to buy them there unless I find used ones in excellent shape. I did find one pair of uniform shorts at a thrift shop for $2 this summer in great condition. And right now, the 6 YO can still wear hand-me-downs from the 8 YO. My 10 YO daughter, however, doesn't have any hand-me-downs as our middle school and high school are not yet wearing uniforms (some are) so the older girls don't have any to hand down.Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00396716408304381802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-44931723104849477262016-08-31T12:04:25.774-07:002016-08-31T12:04:25.774-07:00Good to rotate stock. We did a pantry clean out. W...Good to rotate stock. We did a pantry clean out. We do not have an official pantry so things are way back in the<br />cupboards and in square 5 gallon pails stacked under the stairs. They are buckets that I washed and lined for food storage. We let 4 cans of soup go out of date. I found the only canned soup we eat is Campbells<br />when we are sick, other than that we eat homemade. So I will not buy any other to have stocked for flu season. I learned something new about us. I hate to waste food. We probably will not have soup any time soon it is 95 today. Probably lots of salad and fruit.<br />We stayed fairly low on our grocery bill. I don't think we eat as much when it is hot.<br />Once again you did great on your grocery spending! Good for you.<br />PattiPrecious People Preschoolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02284398084100195331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-28895280096135984152016-08-31T10:22:39.960-07:002016-08-31T10:22:39.960-07:00I'm working on what I call "stock rotatio...I'm working on what I call "stock rotation" lol. I've culled pull and put all my open #10 cans of dried foods on the front of the shelf. I'm working on sliding them into meals as frequently as I can. <br /><br />Looks like you did well with your shopping totals!Sharahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08766692049927299389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-39888923339791434212016-08-31T08:55:41.138-07:002016-08-31T08:55:41.138-07:00Hi Kris,
oh yes! I get inspired by all of everyone...Hi Kris,<br />oh yes! I get inspired by all of everyone else's menus! I think we have fresh fruit with dinner almost every night, this time of year. We're currently in apples and blackberries and about to start on plums, with occasional pears thrown in there. nice to have so much fresh fruit.<br /><br />With your mom, lunches out might just have to be a part of your budget for a while. It brings her such joy and gives you both time to share, without interruptions from home or work. These are your years to relish time with her. It sounds like you're finding some budget options. The senior center sounds like a good one. My son and his girlfriend have become experts on finding cheap date places. Costco hot dogs are big with the two of them, as are Swedish meatball dinners at IKEA.<br /><br />I bet your kids love that frozen yogurt place. It sure sounds amazing. And only going once or twice a year makes each time more special.<br /><br />have a great day, Kris! And enjoy your Labor Day weekend!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-87381222764589831902016-08-31T08:47:25.927-07:002016-08-31T08:47:25.927-07:00Hi Cat,
One of the differences you have with your ...Hi Cat,<br />One of the differences you have with your grocery budget and mine is that you're feeding a larger group on a daily basis than I am. With all of my kids being older, they all have occasions where they eat elsewhere, and none of them are still growing, and my H and I are older, so our caloric needs aren't as high. You can console yourself with the thought that very soon, your family's food needs will go down, too. but right now, you're still in the huge grocery bill years. And if you can keep your spending down by half this month, imagine what your savings will be like in just a few more years!<br />Can you find used uniform items at all? Or do they just get quite used after a year, and not be worth buying. I can't believe school is starting or has started already. I just don't feel like I've had a summer, yet. I certainly don't want to slide on into winter so soon!<br /><br />Have a great day, Cat! hope the weather is cooling, there.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-83562424936434213452016-08-31T08:40:21.226-07:002016-08-31T08:40:21.226-07:00Hi Sara,
good job on the grocery shopping! I love ...Hi Sara,<br />good job on the grocery shopping! I love seeing those savings. I know you do, too. And great work on using up what's in store in your pantry and freezer! It is amazing how much can fit in one freezer or pantry. I'm working on the same.<br /><br />Have a great week, Sara! Good luck getting everything on your list done!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-1148012652948332942016-08-31T07:53:06.449-07:002016-08-31T07:53:06.449-07:00So funny that our peach and blueberry fruit cups w...So funny that our peach and blueberry fruit cups were "calling" to you to be eaten. I was just looking for a way to use up our produce--around our house, you can't go wrong with fruit cups of any type. :)<br /><br />I hear ya on how expensive the frozen yogurt was--but since you're doing so well on your expenses, I am glad you are able to have a splurge. My mom likes to eat out a lot, so I'm finding our restaurant spending has increased a bit. With school starting, this should level out a bit, although I think I will have to bite the bullet and anticipate more coffee/lunch expenses. There is a wonderful senior center close to her apartment which has a cafe--she can get subsidized meals there for, I think, $3.50. They run more in the neighborhood of $6 for the general public, but not bad, overall. <br /><br />In the tourist town near me, there is a really fun fro-yo place--they have indoor wooden swings available to sit in (overlooking the water) and the choices for both yogurt flavors as well as toppings are crazy huge! It's a once or twice a year event for us, but the kids looooove it when we go.Krisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-68873350699041389822016-08-31T07:37:11.841-07:002016-08-31T07:37:11.841-07:00You're doing great with your spending! You al...You're doing great with your spending! You always do, but you're even outdoing yourself! :) My numbers aren't ever as low as yours, but I was happy to keep us to about half our usual spending by eating down the freezer. Our yearly side of beef was coming this month as well as needing some clothing (younger three need uniforms for their public school--some things were usable and some needed replacing)and school items so this helped free up funds for those items.Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00396716408304381802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-12356591267864484582016-08-31T06:30:24.018-07:002016-08-31T06:30:24.018-07:00Hi, Lili--
I definitely concur with your last par...Hi, Lili--<br /><br />I definitely concur with your last paragraph, though our food budget is not as tight. I was thinking when you were talking about bulk/commercial products yesterday how wonderful those options are... but they do require us to also run our kitchens like a business in making sure we make good use of our stocks to try to prevent waste, as well. The best price on something isn't a bargain in the long run if we don't use it up. :) <br /><br />We have been clearing out our pantry and freezer the past couple of months both to limit time spent grocery shopping, to simplify our meal prep, and to make our food storage leaner and meaner. <br /><br />In the future, we may be making some changes to what and how much we store, for a number of reasons; but this time of using up the current stores (including experimentation with some of the true "emergency" food we'd had, with really good results) has been a very positive thing ... not just for our pocketbooks, but for our repertoire of cooking/eating ideas, as well. :) <br /><br />I was happy yesterday when I did go shopping (first "real" shopping for more than milk or yogurt in a month) that, even at the nearest, most-expensive chain supermarket, I got $38 discount off $102 of groceries! Both Labor Day sales and some big overstock discounts added up to a tidy sum! Hoooray!<br /><br />Have a great rest of the week! Sara :) Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com