October Month End Budget for Groceries and Eating Out

 October was a really long month.  I realize that it has 31 days but I mean it seemed to go on forever.  I  had been doing a really good job at once a month shopping where I got everything for the month on one big day of shopping but that normally takes me an entire day.  I would get a small trip to get milk and lunch meat later in the month but September messed up that processes with school starting.  I started off with the smaller trip and then spent the majority of the money on the second time. It was amazing how quickly the month was over when it seemed to take so long.

Below are all the things that I got for the month and how much I spent. I got 25 lbs of potatoes (which might have been a lot after the last two months of potatoes purchases). I got lots of meat with13 lbs of ground beef, 21 lbs of boneless chicken, 4 lbs of bacon, 2 lbs of turkey lunch meat, pepperoni, and ground sausage. These are all expensive purchases and my totals feel high but I also feel like I have a ton of food for the coming months. 

Giant $8.43

I went to the store to get the weekend specials.  There was another sale on 5 lbs of potatoes for $1.47 so I bought another 15 pounds. There was a sale on lettuce for $0.88 so I grabbed one since we were almost out of ours.  I also got four packages of Gerber baby food. 

Aldi $29.51

There was another amazing sale on yellow potatoes for $1.29 for a 5 lb bag so I picked up another 10 pounds of potatoes. I might have a problem getting this many potatoes but we really do love our potatoes. I got rice because although we had Basmati, Jasmine and some from Wegman's but my son has declared that he only likes the kind from Aldi.  I got two more packages of bacon at $2.59 a pound. I couldn't pass them up in case the price went up. I got some sausage which was $1.49 per pound and I am actually a little sad that I didn't get more for the freezer. I got a bag of Honey crisp Apples and a bunch of bananas. I got another package of Parmesan Cheese because ours was almost empty.  I got 4 blocks of Mozzarella cheese because I thought we were low but I was wrong because I had plenty but that just means that we have more for next month.  I got a bag of potato puffs because I used all of the tater tots in the freezer through quarantine.  It became a favorite for my son I grabbed a bag to taste test from Aldi. I had no idea if we were out of pepperoni so I got another bag. I got milk and 2 dozen eggs.  It was a lot of groceries to make sure that we had enough for the month.

Harris Teeter $18.10

Turkey Hill Ice Cream was on sale for Buy Two, Get Three Free so I went to get five.  There was also a great deal on Quaker Chewy Bars which we were $1.47 each. While I was there, I also saw Black Cherry Kool Aid which has been discontinued at the other stores so I grabbed some. I also got my free taste and tell drink.

Safeway $1.14

I got an amazing coupon which I wanted to use for $5 off $5 in groceries so I decided to get my son some Cheez-its which were $5.99 for the family box so I only paid $0.99 plus tax. He enjoyed it but ate it in less then a week!

Giant $0.56

 I got a free can of Pepsi with the Friday Freebie coupon that was loaded on my card. I had another coupon to get $0.50 off Duncan Hines Cake Mix which was on sale for $1.00 so it was $0.50 plus tax.

Aldi $12.95

I went to Aldi because we got a bag of chicken fries and they were gross per my son.  I returned them and got the money back and they were out of chicken fries.  I got a replacement kind which my husband and I think taste amazing but my son doesn't like. Since I was already in the store, I grabbed Cran Grape, White Vinegar, Bacon, Margarine Sticks, Margarine Tub, Honey Mustard Salad Dressing and Bacon. We didn't need more bacon but I wasn't sure what we needed.

Safeway $0

I got another freebie loaded to my card for peanut butter.  I figured that it was great for cookies and it was amazing.

Safeway $0.81

I got another $5 off $5 coupon and a price reduction for $5.69.  I decided to use my Kellogg's Family Rewards points to get a $1 off coupon. I also got one package of Gerber baby food.

Giant $0.55

Another great deal with free Crush soda from my Friday freebie coupon and $0.50 off the Betty Crocker Cake Mix which was $1 so I got it for $0.50 plus tax.

Wegman's $40.69 + $2.44

This was my crazy splurge for ground beef because they finally had 80/20 which is a lot cheaper then the 90/10 so I bought two packages which will last about 13 weeks because I put it in 13 bags in the freezer.  Flour was on sale for $1.19 for 5 pounds with a limit of 2 so I got two. I did another transaction with two more because the cashier said it was fine.

Harris Teeter $36.31

This trip was to get the weekend evic Pringles which were $0.47 after sale and coupon and they are my son's favorites. I also grabbed the $1.79 chicken which I thought I was going to get two packages but they looked pretty good so I got four.  There was a coupon for $5 off $30 purchase which also came off that I wasn't expecting so that was awesome.  Sadly they were out of the Heinz Ketchup deal so I didn't get to buy those and they still aren't offering rain checks.

Walmart $0.02

We were almost out of sugar so I went to see if they had the 25 pound bag and they did so I grabbed a gift card to pay for it with my free points.

Aldi $15.10

I got two pumpkins at $1.89 each. Splurged on cookies for my son because I found the double stuff ones which I haven't seen in months.  I got 6 blocks of Sharp Cheddar because we were running low.  I got a container of skim milk since it was my last trip to the store in the month even though we weren't out. They were out of lunch meat, chicken fries and something else that was on my list but I just didn't have the energy to hit another Aldi and Harris Teeter and I had food that had to get into the refrigerator so I ended my shopping day after my 6th store. I am grateful that we have a lot of options in the area but it is also exhausting to chase after all the deals in one day.

 

Walmart $0

I went to the store to get a new bike helmet for my son because I ordered it  online and we waited patiently.  It was over two weeks of waiting for it to leave the FedEx facility.  I checked daily and it wasn't happening so I set up a FedEx account because it said it would tell me more information.  Nope nothing! I finally found the link to complain to Walmart and they were super strange in the online chat but decided it was lost and they provided a refund or reship option.  I decided I just didn't trust them and there was stock in the local store so we went the next day and got a new one the next day.  I got a gift card on My Points to pay for some Peppermint Ice Cream for my husband.  The rest of the gift card went to our non-food purchases which I don't count into our budget. He really enjoyed it!

Aldi $16.87

I knew that I was at the end of my budget but things have been so hard to find at the store and I haven't been able to get chicken fries for months so I was down pretty low with what we had in the freezer so I grabbed three. Our budget needs to be flexible in these crazy times and I know that I was low last month so there was wiggle room. I also got some bananas for my husband's breakfast.

Lidl $9.02

I had to stop to get lunch meat because Aldi hasn't been carrying the lunch meat that my husband likes.  I talked to someone that works there and she said that they were replacing the pound containers with these little 8 oz packages that were nearly the same price.... well that is twice the price so not for me thanks!  I stopped to get two packages there and there was plenty.  I also decided to grab two bottles of Cran Grape because I thought me might be running low on the Lidl one. 

Safeway $0

I went to the store to get the freebie of the pizza that was added to my card.  We were pretty excited to have the convenience food which we got to enjoy together for lunch.

Total Retail $407.36

Total Savings $214.86

Total Rebates $2.46

Total OOP $190.04

I was initially disappointed that I was over my $160 budget. Looking back at what I got, I know that I got tons of things to use for months to come. Shopping is still difficult here with stock issues and higher prices which is hard when we switched to once a month shopping. I ask the person at Harris Teeter about the ketchup and he says try back tomorrow which is not going to happen but in the past, I totally would have gone back.  I could have gone to another Harris Teeter but I had already been to 5 or 6 stores in one day already so I just couldn't do it and I had frozen things to get home. It is so hard for me to shop sales like I have been doing for the last 12 years and I actually got a lot of sale prices this month so I am counting this as a win.  I was $11.24 over my total budget so that is not too bad (see eating out information below to see why I blame the pizza)! Also grateful to have used two gift cards from My Points which I have been working really hard on since Swagbucks has gotten so hard to save a little more on the budget.  How are you doing with shopping and budgeting?

Eating Out or Take Out

Our big splurge at the end of the month was to get Pizza Hut.  We decided to go with two pizzas so that we would have leftovers to eat before or after Halloween celebrations.  It was great to have the quick meal around the busy time.  We spent $21.20 which is under my $40 take out budget but I certainly spent the extra money with the grocery shopping.

Month End Budget for June Groceries and Eating Out

I normally have a monthly budget of $160 for groceries and $40 for eating out so during this time we decided to go with $200 for groceries and skipped eating out.  Prices have gone up so much so it was much needed.  Also without the ability to shop sales and use coupons to get the lowest price, there is an increase in the amount things cost.  In addition, we are getting more treats because we are stuck at home so we are all getting something a little special to enjoy and look forward to.

We have been trying to go to once a month grocery shopping which has been an adjustment but I think that this month was getting way closer to accomplishing.  I went out to the store on three different days stretched in the month so I wasn't out too often but I had a few different stores to go to in order to get the things we normally use. 

Harris Teeter $34.84

I went to the store because I saw some sales that I couldn't pass up and I decided to  grab Turkey Hill ice cream because my son loves it.  I got cereal with the printable coupon and sale.  I got two containers of eggs.  I got key lime yogurt.  I grabbed a bunch of tropical punch and grape Kool Aid.

Aldi $8.31

I went to the Aldi that was close to the Harris Teeter but the stock was horrible and the costs were so much higher so I decided to drive all the way to the other Aldi to get the other items while I was still out.  I did get two sugar and two flour and one bag of pepperoni.

Aldi $24.91

I went to my second Aldi of the day and grabbed the last items that I needed. I got two more flour but they were out of sugar.  I got two bags of pretzels and my son's favorite Ranch chips.  I got a container of oats and bottle of oil to add to the stockpile.

Walmart $45.51

I decided to order online for grocery pick up at Walmart for a few things that I haven't been able to get at other stores.  Super great because I got my son's favorite granola bars which I haven't been able to find for months. I got the Kool Aid flavor that is discontinued at a bunch of other stores and is my son and husband's favorite.  I also got another pack of ice pops because we were out.  I got a 25 lb bag of sugar which I built up my muscles with pouring into my container.  Sadly, they took the flour out of the order so I didn't get any flour.

Wegman's $31.34

Since we were in the area, I went to get ground beef.  I think that I was so surprised that they had only 90/10 ground beef and the price was super high that I didn't even stop to think that I also needed to get bread flour or the flour that I didn't get at Walmart so I only got meat in this purchase which we made into 7 meals to enjoy for the next month. I did remember that we were almost out of lettuce so I grabbed a head when I was walking through produce.

Lidl $67.64+ $2.95

I was ready with my once a month list of all of things that I needed to get and I was on the hunt for everything that I could find.  I was super excited to get most of the things that I wanted and needed while going through the store.  My new list to try to shop once a month really helped.  I had all of the items and amounts listed and got to find most of them. I got two dozen eggs, bacon, 7 mozzarella cheese, 3 large cheddar cheese, celery, turkey lunch meat, blueberries, 2 ketchup, can of pineapple, jar of salsa and carrots.  I bought a lot of treats including 4 tortilla chips, Lidl Oreos, box of brownie mix, vanilla wafers, Crispy Rice, 3 bags of marshmallows, 2 bags of ice pops.  My husband and son decided that Lidl Cran Grape juice was good enough so I got 6 of them to last through July.

I had to go back across the street because I needed the cream and there was a bigger and cheaper container there so I went back and also grabbed another bag of marshmallows because I got a second package of Crispy Rice at Aldi so I needed them to make more Rice Krispie Treats!!  I am sure that you can't see everything in this because I piled it in the garage before cleaning it off and bringing it in the house.

Aldi $50.58

I went to Aldi second to get the items that were left on the list.  There was a sign for the potatoes to get them cheaper then they have normally been so I grabbed three bags but the cashier had to override the price.  I got white rice because my son isn't loving the Wegman's rice we got last time.  I got zucchini which was done by pound instead of by package this time which was a little of a surprise.  I got a package of bacon because more is always better.  I got and two more dozen eggs and three mozzarella because they were cheaper at Aldi.  I got three packages of pepperoni because we have been using lots of them with pizza and more.  I got another package of Crispy Rice so that we could make more treats.  I got two bags of pretzels and three bags of Ranch chips.  I got one salsa and one Cran Grape to do a taste test against Lidl brand.  I got one gallon skim milk and one half gallon whole milk.  I got an extra bag of Chicken Fries which is my son's favorite.

Giant $10.02

I stopped at the store to get the corn on the cob for 10/$2 which is a favorite and a few deals that I found online.  I saved the coupons on my card and I decided to get Cheerios and Oat Crunch Cheerios which were on sale for $1.99 and there was an electronic coupon for $1/2.  I got the Juicy Juice juice boxes which were on sale for $2.50 and there was $1 electronic coupon and I two $1 coupons from the newspaper so it was $1 for each one.  I also got 2 Gerber bananas even though they weren't on sale and I didn't have a coupon because we were out of them.

Lidl $3.97

I had to go back because the Aldi receipt rang up incorrectly so we had tried the Vanilla Wafers so I went back to get three boxes.

Total Retail $529.45
 Total Savings $249.38
Total Rebates $1.10
Total OOP $278.87

I know that I was way over budget this month but we have a ton of things in the house so we are really set for a little bit even though I spent $78.87 over budget.  We are only low on ice cream, milk and lunch meat so I will have to go to the store to get those things and a few more I am sure.  My son also wants apple juice so adding that to the list.  It has been a tough few months for the budget with everything going on.  I think that I have finally adjusted to shopping less and it is an interesting new way even if it does cost a little more.  

Although those expenses have gone up, most other expenses have gone down.  I just filled up my car with gas for the first time since March for almost 4 months on the same tank of gas.  I normally fill up every 6 weeks so this is obviously a lot less.  We are doing a lot of walking around and only going out a few times a month.  We are also getting all our haircuts at home instead of going out.  How are your expenses and spending going?

February Month End Budget Update and Eating Out Total

Each month I work with a budget of $160 for our family of three.  This year I have changed a little bit and I am actually using the rebates back towards my total so that I work harder to get the rebates and because I am now transferring them into our bank account.  We also budget $40 for eating out.  I link the two amounts because we normally spend more on eating out when I don't get as much grocery shopping. The $200 budget is super low but I work hard to make it every month with sales, coupons and anything else I can use.

This month, I decided to make a list of all of the things in my pantry and my freezer even though I had already done the meal plan for the month.  I was a few meals short for the month so I thought that this would help fill the gaps.  I realized that I was super low on meat so I had my eye out for deals.  I went crazy this month with all the deals but I was super excited with all that I got so you will have to check it out below.  There are pictures and break downs of everything that I got for the month and the totals at the bottom. 

Harris Teeter $27.95

It was the last day of super doubles that I made it to and the first day of the month.  I got Ocean Spray for our stockpile for $2.14.  The Bananas Mixed Berry was on sale for $1.50 and there was a coupon so I got $3 off so they were $1 each.  I got the Super Pretzels for $0.09 and Tater Tots for $0.50.  The cheese was $1 which is super tasty for making pizza and other melting cheese.  The Prego was a great deal (thanks Christine) where the one was the Taste and Tell freebie.  The second jar was $0.48 after the sale and coupon. I put in for $3.85 rebates on the pretzels on Ibotta and Checkout 51.

Aldi $15.33 

I went to grab a few things we were out of (mostly chicken fries, tub butter and the shortening) and grabbed a few extras like the garlic salt for $0.99 and the bananas for my husband.  I also decided me needed the Parmesan if I decided to make lasagna which has been in the works for awhile.  I got $0.10 any item Ibotta rebate.

Harris Teeter $3.32

I picked out the tomato sauce which the shelf sign had the same price as the others but it didn't come up on sale but customer service fixed it for me.  I love when they have the tomatoes on sale cheap and we were running low so I was glad to get some.

Harris Teeter $3.32

I went to the other store to get the weekend freebie veggies because the other store didn't have them and I grabbed the diced tomatoes.  They rang up $0.37 each so I got the limit of 12.  I have made the sweet potatoes a few times for lunch and they are tasty but I still have a few left.

Aldi $7.52

We were out of milk and rice and bananas.  This was my second store looking for rice so we were totally out which isn't common because it is a staple at our house.

Harris Teeter $5.10 

I got two ice creams and there was a great rebate that made these an amazing deal.  I got back $9.19 from Ibotta and Checkout 51.  I also used the rain check for the Roasting Mexican Street Corn.  I am trying to decide if I am going to eat this plain or make some chicken tortilla soup.

Wegman's $15.82

I went to Wegman's to get ground beef which I kept some out to make tacos and then froze 5 bags for meals to come.  It actually went up in price so I was a little bummed but I got it anyway. 

Giant $0.05

I went to get my free Chobani yogurt.

Harris Teeter $3.63

I got some clearance steaks and free cottage cheese which I am going to use with the ricotta for lasagna.

 Safeway $0

My friend, Pam, gave me a coupon for free flour so my son and I stopped there and my son excitedly got two tickets for the Monopoly game.  We scanned them into the app and put them on the paper.

Lidl $12.55

I went to Lidl to the grand opening and got a bag, frisbee and chip clip.  I got $0.75 eggs, $0.75 Nacho Cheese Chips, $0.89 Tortilla Chips, $1.19 Celery and $1.00 Oven Ready Lasagna.  I got three bags of potatoes for $1.99 each. Fun new store and I can't wait to find some new favorites.

Giant $0.04

Freebie and used it to make scones.

Safeway $0 

I got another freebie on my Safeway app and we enjoyed it on a busy weekend.

Harris Teeter $15.62

There was a deal to get $2.47 soda so I decided to get them.  I saw the popcorn and grabbed two bags of kernels.  I got clearance sausage which was $1 so I came home and made sausage sauce.  I also got a head of lettuce for $0.99 which is cheaper then Aldi and Lidl.

 Wegman's $12.85

I went to get mac and cheese because I totally forgot when I got the ground beef.  I saw a sign for chicken at $1.79 per pound so I grabbed it too.  Now I just needed to make time to cut it all up and freeze it!!

Aldi $12.58

I went back for another trip to Aldi to get some things that were were low on.

Giant $10.72

I went to Giant to get the bacon that was on sale for $1.99 each pound.  I was told that it was really important to get them so that we could have baked potato soup.  When walking through the store, I saw ground beef for $1.79 so I got that and came home and cooked it all.  I made salsa sloppy joes, chili and cooked some for taco rice.  I was excited to be prepped for the week and get some cheaper ground beef.

Lidl $3.87

I went back to get my free birthday croissant at Lidl which I got when signed up for the app.  I got an extra bag of chips and a big block of cheese because we were totally out.

Harris Teeter $21.61

I went to the store with a ton of coupons and the best deals for the first day of super doubles. I didn't have that much left in the budget but I decided to put together a huge order and try to use the $5 off $25 coupon from Lidl.  I got 6 packages of Fruit Gushers for $0.34 each.  I got the Perdue Chicken $1.09 each.  I got the hashbrowns for $0.50 per bag.  The expensive Perdue chicken was $3.49 per bag for 1.5 lbs.  The ground beef was on sale for $1.88 per pound so I was excited to grab a few of them.  I got the roast beef for $1.99.  The Egg rolls were $0.50 per box.  The Ragu sauce was $0.34 each and I got three tomato and one alfredo.  The best deal was the Scrubbing Bubbles which gave a $2 catalina which printed out before so I used it in this transaction too!!

Harris Teeter $0.03

Something went crazy wrong in this transaction but it was only $0.03 so it was great that I got this all for free.  I had to use the clearance Kool Aid to get above the negative.

Harris Teeter $1.30

I got the Fruit Gushers for $0.34 each and the tater tots for $0.50 each and the Scrubbing Bubbles.  The amazing thing is that I had the catalina from the previous transaction to get all this for $1.30.  I love the roll over catalinas!!

Harris Teeter $1.44

I got the fries for $0.50 each and the Scrubbing Bubbles for $0.99 each with the last of my sad coupons for Scrubbing Bubbles running out.  I used the catalina to get these for super cheap too!! Then super excited to get another one to use on another transaction.

Harris Teeter $2.13

I thought this was going to be the end of my super doubles fun so I decided to get the one thing on the list that my son and husband said they needed.  It is obviously not a real need but they were super happy to get them.  I used the catalina so that it was way cheaper at $1 per box.

Harris Teeter $1.66

One last stop for the month and I got three more bags for $0.50 and my freezer is overflowing.  I also got two free Stonefire Naan which I actually put them in the freezer so later pizzas. Sad for no more catalinas but super excited about all these deals.

Safeway $0

Got another freebie added to the Safeway card so I went to the store to get it.  The women in front of me kindly gave me her monopoly coupons which was an even greater gift to my son.  He loves the monopoly game even though we never win anything.  I also put in an Ibotta for $0.25 for any item.

Total Retail $569.74

Total Savings $391.30
Total Rebates $16.04

Total OOP $162.40

I was totally excited to get all the deals that I got this month and only be $2.40 over budget.  It was an amazing month and I think that I got a bunch of things that will carry us through the next month really well.  I just need to reorganize the freezers to fit things and get at them better.

Eating Out

I can't believe that this month only had one take out Pizza Hut and we used a gift card so there was no money out of pocket.  $0 spent for our total take out this month!!