When I can see that I'm going over my budget, month after month, and I'm not purchasing a lot of convenience or junk food, then I know that I need to increase my grocery budget, and decrease some other element of the overall household budget.
We have been spending more on groceries in recent months, in very large part due to increased nutritional needs for a few members of the family. And I have gone over budget, every month, for about 1 year. So, it's time to increase the food budget, once again. I do this in fairly small increments, with hopes to catch up within a few months. I had been budgeting $185 per month for groceries. I have now increased that amount to $200 even.
Oct. 4 Fred Meyer -- I'm out of milk and it's on sale with coupon this week, 99 cents/half gallon, limit 6. I buy 6. spent $5.94 (and I hang on to my coupon for Tuesday's Senior Discount Day).
Dollar Tree, making a monthly run for an assortment of items. I also buy 1 quart of soy milk. spent $1
Oct. 6 Fred Meyer, for 10% off Senior Discount Day. The discount applies to house-brand items. I search the flyer and the store aisles for great deals on my "regular" items. I first make a pass by the egg cooler. I've been hunting down the very best egg prices in my area, and Fred Meyer seems to be the place. It's the Cherry Lane, 5-dozen large egg pack that is the best price per dozen, at $9.89, that works out to about $1.98/dozen. Fred Meyer can barely keep stock of these eggs at our store. They are frequently sold out when I get there. As I'd just used my very last 2 eggs (from a purchase in August) over the weekend, I was hoping FM would have these 5-dozen packs in stock. I made myself get out and early to the store this morning, for best chance of buying the eggs. There were only 3 packages left, when I got there. I bought 1.
Also, heavy whipping cream was on sale in quarts. I bought 5, at $3.86 each. I had checked Cash & Carry's price (online) on heavy whipping cream on Monday, so I could compare prices when I shopped FM. FM had the better price. The expiration date is not until December. These are quart containers, so I will only be opening what I need at a time, and can keep some of the cream "fresh", through Thanksgiving (whipped cream on pies!), and if there happens to be any leftover, at the end of November, I can freeze, whipped, in mounds to use at Christmas dinner.
I also had my coupon for the sale milk, and was able to use the coupon plus the senior discount, so today, I bought 6 half-gallons of milk, at 89 cents each.
On one of the end-caps, I noticed cans of coffee on sale, and they had French Roast, which is my preferred coffee. If I can make myself a good cup of French Roast, then I don't feel like I want/need to go to a coffee house for a cup. So, buying French Roast on sale, and with my senior discount winds up being an even better bargain that just my out-the-door price. I save by minimizing stops at coffee houses. The sale price is $4.99 (large can, about 31 oz, I think), my discount is another 50 cents off, so I pay $4.49/can, I buy 3 cans.
I also always check the baking aisle. I have a few go-to prices in my head for various baking items. Semi-sweet chocolate chips are on sale in 12 oz packages, for $1.99, I save an extra 20 cents with discount, so I pay $1.79/ 12 oz package. I buy 6 bags. Also, salt is now 49 cents/canister. With my discount, it's 44 cents. I buy 4. I like to buy things like salt in multiples. I rarely run out this way.
My last stop is the bulk bins, in the nutrition center aisles. I buy sunflower seeds, raw, hulled for $1.34/lb, dry-roasted almonds at $6.29/lb, pitted dates at $2.49/ lb, flax seeds at $1.06/lb, and onion powder at $7.19/lb. The flax seeds and the pitted dates were on sale this month, so I tried to buy a supply that will last us a couple of months. The sunflower seeds are so much cheaper than the almonds, and serve a very similar purpose in baking and nutrition, so I bought more sunflower seeds than almonds, and will use the s.seeds more for snacks than the almonds.
And while I was in Fred Meyer, I checked the candy aisle. Lindt truffles were on sale for 25 cents each. I bought myself one, just because. I'm saving it for an emergency, you know, like, someone didn't do one of their chores and I had to do it for them, or the toilet seat was left up, or someone spilled something sticky on the kitchen floor and I stepped in it barefoot in the wee hours of the morning, while making my daily stagger to the coffee pot. That sort of emergency merits a truffle for my pain and suffering! Anyway, I spent $74.17
October 9. Fred Meyer to buy 6 half-gallons of orange juice, 99cents w/coupon. spent $5.94
October 15. So far this month I've spent $87.05, and we're half-way through the month. After my overage from last month, I have $119.39 for the month of October. Sooooo, it looks like I have $32.34 left. Will I make it? I don't know. There's a few things I want from Cash & Carry later this week. I was going to get a 5-lb bag of Mexi-blend cheese for just over $10 a bag, but now am thinking about scrapping that idea. Mexi-blend is not a favorite of mine. I prefer cheddar. So, I may skip the cheese this week, and wait for cheddar. But C & C also has large cans of roasted peanuts. They are so nice to have on hand. I can put a bowl out for guests, add a quick protein boost to packed lunches, add to salads, stir-fries and curries. I'm still thinking on this.
October 16. Cash & Carry for a 25-lb bag of carrots (10.48) and 3 #10 cans of sliced olives (4.27 each). I spent 23.29. No peanuts or cheese, afterall.
October 16. Fred Meyer, pumpkins for carving (and I'll cook them, too) 19cents/lb, I buy 3. Acorn squash $1 each (I find 3 that weigh over 4 lbs apiece), I buy 3, and butternut squash, 39 cents/lb., I buy 2. Also while there, I find marked down 2% milk, at $1.40/gallon. I buy 4. I spent 16.96
October 28. Cash & Carry, specifically for a case of eggs (15 dozen --180 eggs), for $26.95, but also for 1 5-lb bag of pizza blend cheese (pizza blend has provolone and cheddar, in addition to mozza -- it's slightly better on my tummy than straight mozzarella), for $10.48, 1 gallon of mayonnaise, for $6.25 (just in time, as I just this week finished off the last gallon, bought in spring), and a 50-lb sack of onions, for $9.98 (that's 19 cents per pound). This time of year, the onions are new crop, so still have months of keeping in them. Total spent today -- $53.66
total for the month of October -- $180.96. With previous month's overages, I had $119.39 for the month, so I was over by $61.57. This is actually an improvement over last month. Last month, I was over by $80. I'm closing the gap, and I feel confident that by early next year, I'll be back on track. I've been really stocking the pantry, fridge and freezer, the past few months. I took an inventory of what we are needing, and it's not a whole lot for the next couple of months.
November, in the US, is THE month of fall to stock up on many items. I'll be looking for cream cheese, turkey, potatoes, celery, and sweet potatoes/yams.
If you don't remember, last November I bought 7 bundles of celery. I will buy at least 9 this year. We went through the 7 very quickly. I chopped and froze at least half of that celery, including leaves. Celery leaves can discolor with time in the freezer, so I used those first in soups, sauces, stews and casseroles. And last year's purchase of 90 lbs of potatoes was just about right, for our family. I'll stick to that amount again this year.
I was able to do several online surveys for Fred Meyer, this month. In addition to the fuel rewards points from purchases, I have 30 cents off per gallon of gas, to spend next month. I'll wait until I am on "empty", to get the most gas at that discount as I can.
What I bought in October:
Dairy
milk -- 12 half-gallon jugs of whole milk, 4 gallons of 2% milk
shredded cheese -- 5-lbs of pizza blend cheese
heavy whipping cream -- 5 quarts
eggs -- 18 dozen
soy milk -- 1 quart
Produce
large bag of pitted dates from the bulk bins
6 half-gallons of orange juice
25 lbs of carrots
3 pumpkins
3 acorn squash
2 butternut squash
50 lbs of onions
Pantry items
3 big cans of coffee
6 bags of chocolate chips
4 canisters salt
sunflower seeds
almonds
flax seeds
onion powder
1 chocolate truffle
3 #10 cans of sliced olives
1 gallon mayonnaise
What I didn't buy -- I didn't buy any meat this month, as I still have plenty of chicken quarters, a whole ham, some ground beef, some pork roast, some ground turkey, some fish and some cooked turkey in the freezer. I'll be looking for whole turkeys and hams this holiday season, for the freezer.
