At our last check in, I had a remaining $45.83 in my budget for the rest of the month. My plan was to just buy things we needed or great stock up items, but as you can see by the picture above, I caved in and got some treat items. What can I say, I was in need of some comfort foods since my last grocery challenge update post. I did not blow the budget though! 😉
So here is a breakdown of what I bought and why:
Walmart~ I bought all of the above that you see in the picture. We needed more popcorn, the donuts were a craving and the York Peppermint Patties were a nice treat at the reduced price of .20 each. Plus, my hubby had taken a mini vacations so we indulged in some goodies. Total cost $ $5.23
Farmer's Market~One of the things on my Fall bucket list was to go to Farmer's Market. I was thrilled to find Pohas there. You might know them as ground cherries. These were fruits that I ate as a child and have not found for years now. Of course I had to get some! I also found pears there (way overpriced but I believe in supporting local organic farmers so I bought them). Total cost $3.30
Winco~I bought 2 boxes of Wheat Thins (we were completely out of crackers), some celery (we use a lot celery) and 4 boxes of Pilsbury Family Size Brownie mixes @ .88 each. That is a stock up price for me and makes for a quick dessert when I need one in a hurry. Total cost $8.33
So $45.83-$3.30-$8.33-$5.23 leaves me with a grand total of $28.97 left for the remainder of the month.
Love this series. Thx for keeping it real & honest. Gotta have the comfort food, imo. My latest - a Snickers bar that I grabbed at the checkout stand. Can't remember the last time I bought a candy bar.
ReplyDeleteAnd, pop-tarts. They've been on sale here for $1.77 for a box of 8. Just sweet enough to curb the cravings but not so great that I binge through the box.
SJ
Snickers are my favorite!!! It has taken lots and lots of willpower not to buy them. However, the after Halloween candy sales may or may not (who am I kidding, they will) have me stockpiling them! ;)
DeleteSometimes you just have to have a treat. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes you do! I hope your mom is having a nice birthday today!
DeleteSo the quart of ice cream I ate after everyone went to bed last night, counts?
ReplyDeleteLOL! No, if no one sees you eating it, then the calories at least do not count. ;)
DeleteYou are doing great with the challenge, Debbie! Well done!
ReplyDeleteThank you Bless, I hope you are feeling much better today!
DeleteNot long to go until the end of the month. The amount you have left should last for the next 6 days. Bluey bought a box mix for profiteroles. I made these up and he loved them. He went and bought another box for me to make up. Today he came home with a large mango cheesecake for $4. Half went in the freezer and half in the fridge. I cant see it lasting very long. We understand the need for goodies in this household.
ReplyDeleteJane, I am amazed that you and Bluey had the willpower to put half of that cheesecake in the freezer. ;) Mango and cheesecake, two of my favorite things!
DeleteYour challenge is going so well. You found several things that were such a great deal. I have not found farmer's markets to be very economical around here, except for the one we stumbled upon last Saturday in the driving rain and wind--those prices were very low:) The 4 vendors that showed up probably just wanted to go home! I was amazed at the steady stream of people walking over to buy things, though, despite the weather. I bought a butternut squash and 3 ears of corn.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful I'm not on a super tight budget this month. The kids are eating me out of house and home, for whatever reason--it's amazing that it is continuing into this week. You have to understand, the girls are not big eaters except on rare occasions, so it's surprising me. I finally made the scalloped potatoes I've been wanting to make. I did it last night, after work, and after they had all eaten dinner....I thought. 1/2 the large pan is already gone......What a great way to fill them up--with potatoes! I'm going to end up a little over the $50/week I set this month. (And, I did my planned Costco run as well) Had I know, I would have set the budget higher. The first 2 weeks were fine, last week was over budget, and this week, I'm at about $37 so far, but already the new milk jug is almost empty, and so forth:) Another 9 x 13' pan of cornbread was eaten, except for 4 small pieces, just yesterday!! I'm just glad Rob is back to work after the summer, and I've been working quite a bit extra this month, so we will reap those benefits in a couple of weeks. For now, the Lord has blessed with plenty to feed these girls and ourselves, so I am thankful.
Are the girls all growing again? I know that when my kids were hitting a growth spurt, they could eat me out of house and home too. Plus, we had all their friends here too. ;)
DeleteI would not feel bad at all if I were you for going over your budget. God provided the finances because HE knew what was coming. Be blessed my friend!
All 3 of the girls are at their full height. As for their full weight? Probably not, especially the youngest. So, they may gain weight, but aren't growing taller. So, I guess they are just hungry.
DeleteI wasn't allowed to bring anything last Sunday for Family Sunday Dinner, so I can't blame it on feeding anyone extra. I am bringing food tomorrow, which is good. (I always buy bagels, whole wheat bread, rice milk, and materials for Rice Krispie Treats for Jake and /or Michaela because even though they don't "live" here, they are here an awful lot, especially Jake, so they aren't extra.) I did buy bagels and the krispie treat ingredients, as we used them all up.
I don't necessarily feel bad, because I feel as you do about it, but I am a little baffled:) We went out and got a few more groceries tonight so I'm either going to start November loaded up because they will stop eating, or I will keep shopping. If they suddenly stop eating so much, I will still be baffled:) I'm hoping to keep the bill down a bit more in November, as I have several other items I want/need to pay for. The taxes are due Nov. 15, and while we have almost all of that money, it was a little more than we had planned, so we will have to chip in a little extra this month for that. I've also been fixing up a little in the house, so there's a bit of cash going out for that. Then, there is Thanksgiving, which I'm hosting, but everyone brings things, so that won't be hard, but I will need to set aside some of the grocery budget for that. We'll see how it ends up:) I'm actually not sure where to set it this next month. Setting up a budget is not usually because I only have that much money (sometimes it is, but not often), as much as it is to keep me accountable, not waste, use up what I have on hand, or because I have another project I want to pay for in the works, and I'd rather use the money for that. In September, I didn't work very many hours at all, so the October paycheck was rather small, but it was enough when added to Rob's also smaller paycheck (because school didn't start until the 2nd week of September.) In October, both Rob and I worked more hours. We will see the benefits of that in the beginning of the month for his and mid November for mine, when we get paid. All that being said, we will be fine until that larger (than last month) check comes in in mid November. Even if we have to spend a bit extra on food in November, we can buy it during the second 1/2 of the month, which will work out wonderfully! So, we are good, and we are blessed, and absolutely no one will ever be hungry around here...once in a while, though, they won't have preferred food 100% of the time:)
I hear you on the bills. We are looking at some large ones also at the beginning of the month. I did go over our grocery budget but I got things that will take us through for a few months.
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