Going into April, I have $383.99 to spend, which includes the carry forward surplus plus allotted amount of $190. I thought about lowering the budget this month, but chose to save that for next month, instead.
March 31. As I mentioned at the end of March, I would consider any purchases on the 30th or 31st of March as part of April's spending. I stopped at Cash & Carry on the way home from an appointment, mostly for eggs, but also wanted cheese and fruit. I bought a 15 dozen case of large eggs for $14.07 (not quite 94 cents/dozen). these are sold as loose pack, which means they aren't in cartons, but are on sectioned trays which are stacked in a box. I also bought a 5-lb loaf of sharp cheddar cheese for $12.47. The sharp cheddar is 50 cents more per pound that mild cheddar, but I enjoy sharp so much more that I can use less in cooking, making this choice affordable, as well as lightening the impact on my digestive system. I also bought a 5-lb bag of shredded mozzarella, for pizzas, for $10.98. Shredded cheese whether cheddar or mozzarella, is less expensive for me. But loaf cheese is nicer for having as slices or cubes in snacking, or alongside a piece of toast and fruit for breakfast or lunch. I bought a 40-lb case of navel oranges for $15.98 (that's about 39 cents per pound), 17 bananas at 47 cents/lb, and a 5-lb bag of Pink Lady apples for $3.48 (just over 69 cents/lb). Pink Lady apples are a late fall apple, so they keep well into the early spring weeks. I spent $59.68, which always feels like a lot to me, when I'm not buying any meat. But I remind myself that I did buy 60 pounds of fruit and enough eggs for 2+ months and cheese for at least 1 month.
I know this sounds redundant but I really tried to buy foods in the most economical way possible this shopping trip. For example, I did buy a 40-lb case of oranges. As they were under 40 cents per pound, this is a very economical fruit for us. In contrast, the apples were 69 cents per pound; so I view them as the "luxury" fruit for us this week, and only bought 5 pounds. The case of eggs sounds like an unbelievably excessive amount. But in actuality, we will go through this case in 2 months. And in the meantime, I will have saved at least 5 cents per dozen in comparison to eggs on sale during Easter week.
April 4. Senior Shopping day at Fred Meyer, 10% off of house brand groceries, beauty, and hygiene, plus kitchen and household stuff and gardening supplies. I bought the lightbulbs which we desperately needed, and bath tissue, fem supplies and vitamins, as I'd planned. In the food depts, I bought 1 gallon of milk (not on sale, but I got a discount of 10%), cost $2.33, 2 15-oz jars of natural peanut butter, on sale, had coupon and got discount, $1.20/jar, 1 loaf of day old whole grain bread, 69 cents, flour tortillas, 10-ct, 89 cents, I bought 3, hot dogs, 8 ct, 80 cents, I bought 2, two 1/2 gallons of soy milk, sale, coupon, and discount, $1.75 each, 7 dozen eggs, 89 cents/dozen, jar of salsa, freebie, Lara bar, freebie, 1 Lindt chocolate bunny, after coupon $2.50, and a bunch of vegetable gardening supplies, spending $23.14. When I checked out, I was given a $1 off coupon for any purchase, so as soon as I put my groceries in the car, I went back into the store and used that coupon for one more Lindt bunny, $2.50 after coupon. I now have enough chocolate bunnies for all four kids (if you remember, last summer I bought 2 large gold foil Lindt chocolate bunnies at Kohl's with a coupon, for 9 cents each. I've had those tucked away since then, and they'll go to two of the kids and the new ones to the other two. Total spent on food and gardening supplies, $50.57.
In the gardening supplies, I bought vegetable starts for some cool weather veggies for which I haven't gotten to starting seeds, lettuce, kale, chard, plus some new rosemary plants. I'll plant out these veggie starts, and plant seeds in the next patch over. We'll have salads and greens in a few weeks, instead of a couple of months from now.
Spent so far this month, $110.25
April 7. I was at the bank which happens to be next to a QFC. QFC has some of the better markdown prices on milk. I just don't get here very often to check the dairy dept. However, needing to go in person to the bank, I stopped into QFC. I found 1 gallon of skim milk for $1.49, 1 gallon of 1% milk for $1.49, and 1 gallon of 2% milk for $2.29. The 2% has a pull date further out -- explaining the higher price. I buy all 3, as we can use these to get through the next 2 weeks. Total spent, $5.27.
Spent month to date -- $115.52
It's near mid-month and we haven't had a lot of freebies, in the way of leftovers from events or free meals at events, this month. So our spending so far really does represent what has come into the house. I continue to use supplies from the pantry and freezer. So far, this is working, with no complaints. I will hopefully pick up some asparagus and potatoes, but otherwise, if I don't find any great deals for the rest of the month we will be fine. And we have two birthdays this month, so to be able to do birthday dinners and cake on what we have, means that we are in a pretty good place with our supplies.
April 13. Needed envelopes, so I went to Dollar Tree. While there I bought 2 boxes of crackers. Spent $2.
April 13. Stopped in to Fred Meyer to get the last of the Easter basket items. While there I bought a 10-lb bag of potatoes, $2.49 (yikes!), 5-lb bag of carrots, $2.99, 18-oz packages of coating chocolate, 2-milk chocolate, 1-white chocolate, marked down to $1.89 each, 2 loaves of marked down bread, total of 69 cents (the cashier could not get the second loaf to scan correctly, tried numerous times, eventually she said I could have that loaf for free), 1 box of marked down gingerbread tea, $1.89, 3 red sweet peppers for $1, 4 marked down bananas for 39 cents/lb, 1 package of pudding mix, freebie. Total spent, $15.31.
So far, I've spent $132.83 for the month.
April 22. I gave my son and his fiancee $20 to go out to lunch, while they visit the nearby islands. I took that money out of the grocery budget. spent, month to date -- $152.83
April 30. Totally out of milk, stopped at QFC to load a bus pass for a daughter for May, and found 1 gallon of skim milk for $2.29, and 2 1/2 gallons of soy milk, at $1.69 each. Total spent $5.67.
Later in same afternoon, same daughter and I took some time together to talk and run errands together. While out, went by Fred Meyer, and bought some Easter candy that was marked down 75%, for next year (really, no one ever eats it in our house, once I've hidden it), and also got 3 Friday freebie items, a bag of some sort of popcorn snack, 2 boxes of Sour Patch candies (they subbed this for the bags offered), and a box of Annie's Mac and Cheese. Total spent, $4.32
Spent for the month --$162.82
What I bought:
Dairy
22 dozen eggs
10 pound of cheese
5 gallons milk
2 gallons soy milk
Meat
24 hot dogs
Produce
40 pounds of oranges
21 bananas
5 pounds of apples
10 lbs potatoes
3 red peppers
5 lbs carrots
vegetable gardening supplies, including seedlings for lettuce, chard, kale, rosemary, snow peas,
Pantry
30 ounces peanut butter
3 loaves of bread
30 flour tortillas
jar of salsa (freebie)
lara bar (freebie)
2 Lindt chocolate bunnies
just over 3 lbs of dipping/coating chocolate for making choc-covered strawberries and other yummy things later
1 box of tea
1 package of pudding mix (freebie)
2 boxes crackers
2 movie boxes candy (freebie)
1 box mac and cheese (freebie)
1 bag popcorn snack (freebie)
This is such a short list for an entire month. Even I can see that. Next month I will have a much larger list. We ran out of a lot of items this month. I will be restocking many of those items tomorrow. I also noticed that I received a lot of freebie items this month. I was under budget by $27.18. We more than made up for that in the mega car repair bill, though. Oh well.
How did your month end up?
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