Nov. 7 Walgreens for eggs. At $1.29, they seem more expensive than I'm used to, so I just buy 1 dozen. Spent $1.29
Also, stop at Trader Joe's for bananas, at 19cents each. I buy 6 bananas, for $1.14. We still have apples, and will get oranges, so a few bananas will be a nice change of pace.
Just down the highway is the Cash & Carry wholesaler. Tomato paste is on sale in the #10 cans, case of 6 cans for $24.84. I buy 2 cases. And oranges also on sale in 40-lb case (88 oranges), for $16.98. Spent $66.66.
Nov. 9 Dollar Tree for macaroni (1), lasagna noodles (2), black tea (1), soy milk (3), and a marked down package of candy corn (50cents). Spent $7.50.
Nov. 11. Again down by Cash& Carry, so I pick up 1 more case of oranges, and a can of coffee for $5.45. Spent $22.43
Nov. 14 Albertson's for the first of my turkey deals. I buy 4 dozen eggs (4/$5), and 2 turkeys (40 lbs for $23.28). Spent $28.28
Nov. 20. Need milk, stop in at QFC. No markdowns, so I buy 1 gallon at $2.99.
Also, stop at Albertson's for 1 more turkey deal (I buy 2 more turkeys, about 36 lbs for $21.28) . Also, this week, potatoes in 10-lb bags for 99cents, limit 1,powdered sugar 2-lb bags, 99cents w/coupon limit 2 (I buy 2), canned veggies 50cents, limit 6, w/coupon (I buy 6). I spend $28.25
Nov. 22, at Fred Meyer. I check milk, again no markdowns. I buy 1 gallon for $2.99.
Nov. 22 Albertson's with 2 daughters, we each buy a bag of potatoes, for 30 lbs, and spend $2.97.
Nov. 23 Albertson's with 3 other family members. Buy 4 bags of potatoes for $3.96.
Nov. 24 one last pass at Albertson's with 1 family member, we buy 2 more bags of potatoes, for $1.98. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes for the winter.
Total spent for the month, so far, $170.44
Nov. 25. Fred Meyer. Celery is on sale for 39cents/lb. I buy 8 bundles of celery, about 17 lbs, to chop and freeze to use this winter in soups/stews/sauces. Also, buy 1 head garlic (34cents), 6 cans veggies (50cents each), 1 more gallon milk ($2.99), 3 bottles sparkling cider ($2), barbeque sauce (in markdown bin for 49cents each -- I buy 6 bottles), 1 bottle cran mango juice ($1.29, markdown bin, will save for Christmas morning), 1 small-ish sweet potato (79cents/lb), and 4 cans of pineapple ($1 each). I spend $28.18
Also, Cash & Carry, for 4 jars of peanut butter (4-lb jars, $5.39), 50 lbs of all-purpose flour ($12.97), and a 2-lb bag of yeast ($6.29). I spend $40.82.
Nov. 28. Black Friday sales. We stop at Bartell's (drug store) for canned nuts. We buy a mix of mixed nuts and just peanuts. We buy about 12 lbs of nuts, total and spend $43.92. Not as good a deal on nuts as last year, but these will be nice to have.
Black Friday, Fred Meyer, check the milk section and find lots of marked down milk. I buy 4gallons whole milk ($1.99 each), and 3 gallons 1% ($1.99 each). Our freezer and fridge are very full, so this is all I think will fit. Spent $13.93.
For the month of November, I spent $297.29. I had a surplus of $19.33 from last month, added to a budget of $160, for a total of $179.33. I was overbudget in November by $117.96. That deficit will carry forward to December. I hope to be caught up by the end of January. We'll have to see.
So, our pantry, freezers and fridges are very, very full. We could go a couple of months and only need milk and eggs (but I'd like to buy hams this month, too).
This month, we stocked up on potatoes, turkeys, canned veggies, peanut butter, tomato paste, canned nuts and fresh oranges. These items will last through the next several months, up to a year on some.
I hope your pantry is well-stocked for the holidays!
Monday, December 1, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
No lunch round-up -- holiday, yay! -- but lots and lots of potatoes
With a shortened work week, we're just making do for lunches for this week. So I thought maybe we could discuss something that's been a question of ethics in my mind for years.
When there's a limit placed on a sale item, what do you think is ethical to do?
I've seen limits worded in a couple of different ways, which I do, in turn, interpret differently.
"Limit 1"
"Limit 1 per customer"
"Limit 1 per household"
"Limit 1 per transaction"
"Limit 1 per transaction" definitely implies that you may go through the check-out line numerous times, IMO., and multiple family members may make the same purchase.
"Limit 1 per household" states that you may NOT have multiple family members go through the check-out line, to purchase more of the limited item. (I've only seen this limit a couple of times. It was on turkeys at a special low price, a couple of years in a row, at one particular store.) And I also interpret their intention to mean "limit 1 per household, per sale per period". If a special price runs in 2 separate ads, one week following another, with this limitation, then I figure I am entitled to make the special purchase in the second week, as well, as the sale ads usually have a calendar at the bottom of the front page, indicating the sale period for which they are advertising. So, I feel I am may make the sale purchase once per sale period.
But the "Limit 1" and "Limit 1 per customer" have more ambiguity built in. One per what? Per transaction? Per family? Per day? What constitutes a customer? Am I a new and separate customer each time I enter the store?
I did some calling around and discovered that policies do vary from one store to the next. Some stores will allow you to go through the check-out line and buy the "limit" several times per car trip to the store, but with a stated limit, like 4 times. Other stores discourage this with wording in their ads, such as, "we reserve the right to enforce limits". Mostly, I was given the same basic explanation, along the lines of "we wish to provide enough stock of any sale item, so that all customers will have the opportunity to make this purchase." And there is some basic kindness and courtesy, here. It seems selfish to clear a shelf of all of the advertised items.
So, where do you fall on this issue? When a store imposes limits to a sale-priced purchase, what do you feel most comfortable doing?
For our family, here's how we interpret, and act on "Limit 1" or "Limit 1 per customer":
When our children became adults (age 18), they also began contributing to our household finances. I consider them all as paying rent, here. This became the age when I felt most comfortable giving them the cash to make a purchase, for our family to acquire more of a limited item. They could just as easily be renters in their own apartments, doing all of their own grocery shopping. We don't hide this in any way, but follow each other one right after the other in the check-out line. (And with identical twins, it would be pretty hard to try and "fool" the checker!) With 5 of us in the household, we can acquire 5 of a "Limit 1" item.
I figure that each time I drive into the parking lot that I am a new customer, as grocery stores encourage and hope for customers to make repeat visits throughout the week. So, in 1 week, I may go to the same grocery store multiple times, to purchase as many of an item as I need, at the special price. If they wished to only sell me the item at the special price once, then I would expect the limit to read "Limit 1 per person", and I would abide by that, one per person in my family.
So, this week, potatoes are on sale at Albertson's, 10-lb bag for 99cents, "limit 1". On several days this past week, myself, and any family members I had with me in the car, stopped at Albertson's and each bought our 1 bag of potatoes. Yesterday, I picked up our last bag of potatoes for our winter supply. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes to get through the winter months. And I feel we worked within the rules imposed by the store.
What are your thoughts on store limits?
When there's a limit placed on a sale item, what do you think is ethical to do?
I've seen limits worded in a couple of different ways, which I do, in turn, interpret differently.
"Limit 1"
"Limit 1 per customer"
"Limit 1 per household"
"Limit 1 per transaction"
"Limit 1 per transaction" definitely implies that you may go through the check-out line numerous times, IMO., and multiple family members may make the same purchase.
"Limit 1 per household" states that you may NOT have multiple family members go through the check-out line, to purchase more of the limited item. (I've only seen this limit a couple of times. It was on turkeys at a special low price, a couple of years in a row, at one particular store.) And I also interpret their intention to mean "limit 1 per household, per sale per period". If a special price runs in 2 separate ads, one week following another, with this limitation, then I figure I am entitled to make the special purchase in the second week, as well, as the sale ads usually have a calendar at the bottom of the front page, indicating the sale period for which they are advertising. So, I feel I am may make the sale purchase once per sale period.
But the "Limit 1" and "Limit 1 per customer" have more ambiguity built in. One per what? Per transaction? Per family? Per day? What constitutes a customer? Am I a new and separate customer each time I enter the store?
I did some calling around and discovered that policies do vary from one store to the next. Some stores will allow you to go through the check-out line and buy the "limit" several times per car trip to the store, but with a stated limit, like 4 times. Other stores discourage this with wording in their ads, such as, "we reserve the right to enforce limits". Mostly, I was given the same basic explanation, along the lines of "we wish to provide enough stock of any sale item, so that all customers will have the opportunity to make this purchase." And there is some basic kindness and courtesy, here. It seems selfish to clear a shelf of all of the advertised items.
So, where do you fall on this issue? When a store imposes limits to a sale-priced purchase, what do you feel most comfortable doing?
For our family, here's how we interpret, and act on "Limit 1" or "Limit 1 per customer":
When our children became adults (age 18), they also began contributing to our household finances. I consider them all as paying rent, here. This became the age when I felt most comfortable giving them the cash to make a purchase, for our family to acquire more of a limited item. They could just as easily be renters in their own apartments, doing all of their own grocery shopping. We don't hide this in any way, but follow each other one right after the other in the check-out line. (And with identical twins, it would be pretty hard to try and "fool" the checker!) With 5 of us in the household, we can acquire 5 of a "Limit 1" item.
I figure that each time I drive into the parking lot that I am a new customer, as grocery stores encourage and hope for customers to make repeat visits throughout the week. So, in 1 week, I may go to the same grocery store multiple times, to purchase as many of an item as I need, at the special price. If they wished to only sell me the item at the special price once, then I would expect the limit to read "Limit 1 per person", and I would abide by that, one per person in my family.
So, this week, potatoes are on sale at Albertson's, 10-lb bag for 99cents, "limit 1". On several days this past week, myself, and any family members I had with me in the car, stopped at Albertson's and each bought our 1 bag of potatoes. Yesterday, I picked up our last bag of potatoes for our winter supply. We now have 100 lbs of potatoes to get through the winter months. And I feel we worked within the rules imposed by the store.
What are your thoughts on store limits?
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