August Budget Review

Crazy August, where did you come from and where did you go?  It seemed like it flew past but it couldn't have been that fast because I spent almost every cent of my monthly $160 budget on all of the following groceries.  I am not sure why I wasn't more organized this month but it turned into a grocery free for all with company in town and traveling out of town.  I didn't do my first post until the middle of the month (check it out here).  It included these trips to the store:

Aldi's 

Total OOP $10.34

Harris Teeter

Total OOP $10.61

Harris Teeter 

Total OOP $21.60

Giant

Total OOP $11.92

My total spent for the first half of the month was still pretty low at $54.47 but I knew that I needed to keep things under control with Super Doubles falling right in the middle of the month.  There were a few more trips to the store planned and we were super excited to get some great deals.

Then, I went back to Harris Teeter and got a few more things at super doubles.  I can't pass up the chance to save all that money and get real food even though I was only filling up the freezer again!!  We really love those pastas and with cold weather quickly approaching, these will be a super cheap meal at $1 after sale and coupon so I figure that I should get lost of different choices to last all winter.

Harris Teeter 

Total OOP $13.16+ $9.23= $22.39

Shoppers
Total OOP $4.37

We were at the Family Fun Day at my sister in laws work and my husband saw California Tortilla which is a restaurant that I like to eat at (but he is not a huge fan).  He asked me if I wanted to go and I got a little excited until I realized that I was going to be the only one happy and it would be expensive.  So we went and got ground beef to make tacos for lunch at home.  I figure that even though the meat was $3.99 per pound, it worked out cheaper then all of us going out to eat.

Harris Teeter 

Total OOP $16.22

Harris Teeter 

Total OOP $12.06

I got bone in chicken breasts that were on a store special for $0.99 per pound.  I went through the check out line and realized that at the beginning of the store, I said that I would swing by at the end and totally forgot so I had another check out.  I didn't take a picture because it is just raw chicken and not a pretty thing to look at...and for some reason, the packages were really slimy so I didn't take them out of the bags.

Harris Teeter 

Total OOP $0.83

My son and I stopped at a new Harris Teeter between library and other fun things.  He was not happy about skipping the playground to go to Harris Teeter until he found out that it had a parking garage, escalators, elevators and cookies.... which we got to do all of!!!  The place was a made house because we got there just as their lunch rush was starting and they have sandwiches, pizzas and a cafe that was obviously very popular for the local businesses.  We went to the grocery side of things and there was only one other person there.  We found the trail mix, one Cars vitamins and a syrup.  

Wegman's
Total OOP $7.04 and $18.91

I went to Wegman's to get some green beans and then it turned into a million different things.  I grabbed two ears of corn and decided that I should go get some ground beef.  I checked out and saw the milk.  We were going to head to Aldi's after our stop at Harris Teeter but just in case my little one decided that he didn't want to go to Aldi's because he was too tired, I decided that I should get the milk and eggs at Wegman's because there was only a few cents difference and it saved a stop.  I also passed the peperoni which we were almost out of and I grabbed that which turned out to be on sale for $2.29 which I think is nearly the price at Aldi's too!!  Great trip to the store and came home with a bunch of things that we wanted.

Harris Teeter
Total OOP $3.79

Harris Teeter
Total OOP $9.95+ $2.23+$6.21

Okay, this was by far my silliest purchase.  I know that you will look at it and say why is this a silly purchase.  It looks like food and things that you will use.  It took me three check outs to finally get all this stuff.  I went into the store and was making lots of progress getting the items that I wanted and writing my long list of rain checks that I needed because they were out of tons.  I realized that I left the rain checks in the car and I just couldn't concentrate after that.  I checked out with some of my stuff.... and then checked out with more of the stuff and then went to the car.  

I grabbed the rain checks and went a little crazy.  I got the big bottles of Olive Oil which were $10.59 each normally.  The rain check was for buy one, get one free and I had two coupons which doubled.  They ended up being $3.30 each.  I didn't really need the olive oil because I had a few in the cupboard but it seemed like one of those deals that I couldn't pass up.  It also reminded me that I had printed a coupon for red win vinegar.  I used up the bottle that I had in the cupboard forever and didn't replace it.  The bottles were normally $2.49 but I got them for $0.49 each after coupon and sale!!!  I had a rain check and coupons for McCain potatoes so I got two bags of hash browns which we enjoy and they were free. 

Too many deals that I couldn't pass up.  I think that I was too tired to go back into the store but it was the last day of Super Doubles so I didn't have a choice.  I had to call my mother in law when I left the store because I felt that I had turned into her with my crazy need to get all of the deals!!!

Harris Teeter
Total OOP $6.08 less return of $7.41

I decided to return the container of the Flintstone vitamins because they said that they were for toddlers 2-3 years old and they were way more expensive then the Disney ones turned out being.  I got $7.41 credited back to my credit card and we were off and shopping (and super glad to have a little wiggle room in the budget.

We were out of milk and it seemed silly to get more before leaving on vacation but it seemed equally as silly to rush to the store when we got home so I grabbed the milk that was on sale for $2.99.  I couldn't resist the Jif peanut butter deal for $1.47 each.  It is hard to find peanut butter for a good price anymore.  

I thought that I was totally done and then we didn't end up leaving for our planned trip because everyone got sick.  I decided that instead of waiting to find out what happened with the Giant monthly credit and if they were going to issue it, I went back to the store to use it.  I also decided to go to CVS to use the $3 ECBs that they e-mailed to see what I can get with my free money.

Giant

Total OOP $1.10

I went to Giant first and picked up four Gerber fruit (the only fruit my son will eat with his texture issues) and then had to figure out what else to get with my free money.  I added two packages of Land O Frost Turkey since we were totally out of lunch meat and they were on sale for $1 off and I had a coupon for $1 off each one. I still wasn't at enough after coupons so I wandered around the store for a little bit and found the great deal on Jif peanut butter so I picked up one and was on my way to the check out and hoping for a miracle.  The monthly amount came off, I used my coupons, got my bag credit and everything went smoothly.

CVS

Total OOP $0

I went to CVS and tried to figure out what I was going to get.  I decided that I was going to get two boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch which is one of my son's favorites.  It was on sale for $1.97 and I had a coupon for $1 off two boxes.  The red machine printed me out a coupon for $1 off cotton balls which were on sale for $1 so I got them on my card and my husband's.  Might be the best buy of the month because I didn't even owe tax.  I left with four things and actually picked a penny up on the ground so I made a little money going to CVS.

I got a lot this month but I also hit my limit and had to stop shopping.  There were a few more good deals that were out there and I forced myself to stop (like more peanut butter).  That is the only way to come in under budget sometimes.  I was hoping for a little bit better month but I think that I got a ton of food that is going to last us into the coming months.  But we are already out of egg and soon out of milk so I know that I am going to be back into the stores soon!!

How did you do this month?? 

Here are my monthly totals from all of this shopping:


Total OOP $158.24
Total Monthly Savings $452.27


When I look and see that all of these shopping trips should have been about $600, it makes me really sad that people are out there spending that much a month to get these same groceries.  It really makes me appreciate couponing because I get lots of food and can still stay under what most people do in one shopping trip to the store.  I know that I used to spend my current monthly budget in one week or a trip to Target.  I am excited that I might have a chance to share this with more people through a class soon (so Colleen, that is a yes... I am in for doing a class)!!!  I can't wait to help others save as much money and stretch their grocery money farther.