Grocery Budget Update - September

Holy cow!  This month I focused some serious money and attention to stocking up the pantry and our chest freezer for the upcoming winter. I began the month with a $40.03 deficit.  Now I have a BIG deficit to carryover of $254.99.

The beauty is that we are so well stocked now that I won't need to do much grocery shopping in the coming months, which is the idea.  Most of what I plan to buy is fresh produce and dairy items.  Now my goal is to finish out the year spending as little as possible on groceries.

Our nonfood items came in a at $0.00.  That's right not a thing.  I had a $10 OFF $10 Purchase coupon at ShopKo and I used it to buy a 16# bag of cat food that was on sale for $9.99.  Needless to say, it was FREE!

Here is the list of all the food items I bought last month.  The items highlighted in red are my stock up items:

Groceries		$$$
Smoked sausage (2)		10.00	Sale
Italian sausage (4)		11.96	Sale
Lunchmeat (2)		4.00	Sale
Vegetable oil		1.99	Sale
Brownie mix (3)		2.97	Sale
Sirloin steak (4)		11.96	Markdown
Sirloin steak (4)		10.49	Markdown
Pesto		3.19
Romaine (2)		0.50	Markdown
Spinach		1.99
Lettuce		0.98
Cole slaw mix		1.29
Apples		1.40
Ice cream		3.99	Sale
Ice cream		2.50	Sale
Mushrooms		1.79	Sale
Milk - 1 gal.		1.99
B/S Chicken breasts - 25#		42.25	Sale
Pork sausage - 10#		19.10	Cash & Carry
Ground beef - 10#		32.94	Cash & Carry
Frozen vegetables (2)		7.68	Cash & Carry
Parmesan		5.73	Cash & Carry
Cheddar -5#		11.48	Cash & Carry
Onions - 10#		3.87	Cash & Carry
Seasoning sauce (2)		4.16	Cash & Carry
Sesame oil		2.08	Cash & Carry
Hoison sauce		2.09	Cash & Carry
Franks Redhot		2.20	Cash & Carry
Red curry		0.25	Cash & Carry
Tobasco - jalapeno		1.62	Cash & Carry
Tobasco - chipotle		3.67	Cash & Carry
Ground pork		2.18	Markdown
Ground pork		1.83	Markdown
Ground pork		1.73	Markdown
Pork chops		1.99	Markdown
Pork chops		1.94	Markdown
Pork chops		5.53	Sale
Pork chops		5.31	Sale
Spice packets		2.00	Sale
Canned tomatoes (6)		3.00	Sale
Milk - 1 gal.		1.99
Buttermilk - 1 qt.		1.79
Crackers (4)		5.96	Store Coupon
Cheese (4)		5.96	Store Coupon
Garlic bulb (3)		1.00	Sale
Lettuce		1.68
Cilantro		1.89
Cole slaw mix		1.29
Apples		1.43
Herbed cheese (2)		0.98	Grocery Outlet
Cheese spread		0.98	Grocery Outlet
Hummus (2)		2.98	Grocery Outlet
Cake mix (2)		0.50	Grocery Outlet
Cake mix (2)		1.98	Grocery Outlet
Frosting		0.99	Grocery Outlet
Baking chips (2)		4.98	Grocery Outlet
Coconut		1.99	Grocery Outlet
Mandarin oranges (2)		1.98	Grocery Outlet
Crackers (4)		5.96	Grocery Outlet
Pasta sauce (2)		1.00	Grocery Outlet
Olives (4)		3.96	Grocery Outlet
Breakfast bars		0.99	Grocery Outlet
Tortilla chips		1.59	Grocery Outlet
Cereal		2.99	Grocery Outlet
Hot dog buns (2)		1.76	Store Coupon
Cocktail sauce		2.99
Ramen - 24ct (2)		5.76	Sale
Soup - 24ct		11.76	Sale
Tortillas (2)		2.19	Sale
Macaroni & cheese (10)		5.00	Sale
Cake mix (6)		7.50	Sale
Milk - 1 gal. (2)		3.54	Store Coupon
Chicken stuffing (4)		2.00	Markdown
Tortillas chips (3)		3.00	Store Coupon
Total		$     339.96

$339.96 ÷ 30 days ÷3 people = $3.77 per person per day!

Do you stock up in the summer in preparation for the winter ahead?  How did you save money on groceries this month?  Were you able to find some good sales and stock up on anything?

This budget month runs from 8/20/15 through 9/20/15.