Middle of March Budget Update

I had a busy beginning of the month with lots of deals at super doubles and lots of shopping.  The great thing was that I got lots of deals but the bad thing was that there weren't a lot of free things so the totals of my shopping trips were higher then normal.  I am scheduled for a shoulder surgery for the end of the month so I knew that I was going to stock up on easy to make foods because I don't know how long the recovery time is going to be.  There were some great deals to be had and the freezer is stocked with lots of choices.

I try to maintain a budget of $160 per month for all household goods.  Below are the items that I got this month with my budget. I also budget $40 for take out.  I am saving some of that for the end of the month in case we need to get some meals while I am recovering and unable to cook.

Harris Teeter $15.70

I got free Johnson's body wash, Noodle Bowls, yogurt and Hormel Bacon Bits.  I got the Kahiki egg rolls for $0.50.  The Excedrin was $0.99 per bottle which is a good price (instead of $5.49 shelf price) and my headache medicine of choice.  There was an amazing deal on Tide good for Sunday only so I was excited to get it for $0.97 after sale and coupon even though we have tons.  We needed the Gerber food which was still expensive at $1.16 each after sale and coupon.  We also needed turkey lunch meat so I grabbed the deal on those for $1.33 each.  I should have grabbed more but I thought I would get them later in the sale but they were out of stock or I forgot after this because we weren't out.

Harris Teeter $3.04

My friend gave me a coupon so I could get the Oreos with my last coupon on my card.

Aldi $45.74

I had a doctors appointment in Manassas so I decided that I was going to Aldi to get a few things we needed.  I stocked up on cheese because it is cheaper out there.  The potatoes were also a little cheaper so I grabbed 20 lbs.  I was excited to get a few things at really low prices but also a little freaked out when they told me my total because I don't normally do that much damage at Aldi.

Harris Teeter $6.64

I got free yogurt and bacon bits.  The tomato sauce was on sale for $1.88 which was cheaper then the other stores in the area so I grabbed two and used the coupon so they were $0.38 each.  The Excedrin was $0.99 each.  The soup was $0.50 each.  The Pop Secret was $0.49 per box which is a nice treat for my son and they are $0.16 per bag so I got lots of them.  

Harris Teeter $1.13

I got free noodles and yogurt and got the Pop Secret for $0.49 each.

Harris Teeter $7.40

I got free Johnson's and Johnson's.  I paid $0.24 each for the Crunchmaster Crackers and turned them in for a $1 rebate from  Checkout 51.  I got the Perdue Perfect Portions chickens that are pre-marinated chicken that are normally $10.49 per bag.  I got them for $3.24 per bag which is $2.16 per pound.  I wanted to get more but I had an appointment so I got some and put it in my cooler.  I wish I bought all of them because they were out at the other store.  They were super tasty on the grill.

Harris Teeter $8.21

I got free noodles and Johnson's and Johnson's powder.  I got the ground chicken for $1.99 and the whole chicken (which was 7 lbs) for $5.73 after clearance and coupon which is less then $0.82 per pound.

Harris Teeter $10.93

The noodles were still free so I grabbed those.  The Roast Beef was $1.99 per pack so I will make hot sandwiches with them for dinner or lunch one day.  The nuggets were a last minute addition because they are normally $4.19 each and they were on sale and there was a coupon that made them $1.42 each which made them cheaper then Aldi.

Harris Teeter $6.45

We were totally out of Windex so I grabbed the deal for $2 per bottle and then it was supposed to print a $2 catalina but it didn't print.  Customer service had to give me back the money which I took off the next transaction.

Harris Teeter $20.22

 I got the cheez its with the three coupons that I had in my stash.  I got the ground chicken for $1 each with some old coupons in my stash.  I also had one coupon to get the Pringles for $.50 each.  I printed some new coupons to get the shredded cheese for $0.89 each.  These are great to freeze to use at anytime in the future.  The Perdue chicken was shelf price at $9.99 but I got them for $2.99 each which is an amazing deal cheaper then Aldi and super tasty!

 Harris Teeter $6.45

I got another Windex deal and the catalina didn't print out again so I got the money back from customer service.  I would have done this deal again if it wasn't so hard but I got my money from customer service for the second time and that was my limit.

Harris Teeter $12.52

I got some free noodles and bacon bits.  The tomato sauce was on clearance so I got them for free.  Super sad that I bought them for $0.38 before but glad that I got to use all my coupons.  I got the Sargento $0.89 bagged cheese to freeze.  I got the Churros for $0.27 because I didn't know that the cereal was going to be on sale but I would have bought more if I knew.  I got two bags of Dinosaur chicken nuggets and two bags of Chicken Strips.

Harris Teeter $3.21

I knew that I overspent for the month but I couldn't pass up the deal on cereal for $0.77 per box.  They were out of stock on the two freebie deals so I got rain checks.

Total Retail $544.98
Total Saving $397.34
Total OOP $147.64

I have been busy this month but spent most of the money for the whole month in the first two weeks.  I have $12.36 left for the whole month.  I have to get milk and turkey lunch meat which will eat into half of the budget but I have a little left to make the month work.  I haven't used any of the eating out budget but we have plans to buy pizza for movie night and probably once more during the month.

How is your month going?