Friday, March 29, 2019

Wrapping Up A Thrifty March



I ended the month with our car on fumes, three quarters of a tank in the truck and $300 left in the checking account.  Financially, March was a stellar month for us.  All of us.  I began the month with next to nothing in the checking account and a pitiful paycheck as is often the case when February only has 28 days in it so you end up minus a couple days of pay on your check.  We also got hit with a hefty power bill due at the beginning of the month as last month was colder than January.  Not to worry, though.  I managed to get the monthly bills paid and filled up the tank on the car.  I even managed my savings goal with that check, which actually kind of surprised me.


A few days later my Federal income tax refund arrived and I was feeling really good about that.  I dumped pretty much all of that into my savings account replacing what I took out to give my oldest daughter for her car purchase and my youngest daughter's orthodontist bill I paid at the beginning of the year.  With our emergency fund and my savings account back in order I trudged on.  That same week my new boss pulled me into his office to tell me I was getting a bonus check this month and the amount nearly knocked me out of my chair.  When the check arrived I hustled down to the bank and deposited it into my savings account.  I left with my deposit slip in hand and don't think I felt my feet touch the ground once heading out to my car.


Mid month I used my paycheck to pay our mortgage two weeks ahead of schedule and made my savings goal.  I have set amounts I like to add to my savings account each pay day.  This time I doubled it as I'd worked some overtime and it was a full check to boot.  I also received my state income tax refund and used that to purchase some extra groceries and a couple other items on my want list.


One thing I absolutely did not do was go crazy and blow through a bunch of money.  I was extremely mindful of what to do with all of the money I acquired and made really good choices.  I didn't buy a bunch of crap we didn't need and put most of it into savings and paid my bills.  I bought groceries still using sales and coupons too.  When it came to purchasing the handful of other items I picked up I took my time and really evaluated each purchase.  I was super pleased with how the month turned out.


On a side note I need to brag about my girls a little bit because I'm super proud of them as well.  As you know my oldest bought a car and since then she has worked every shift she can to earn as much as she can.  Her goal is to get the money spent on the car, including licensing it, back into her savings account as quickly as possible.  So far she has put back a third of that amount and she has a plan to have the rest of it back in about a month.  I'm just thrilled that she is even thinking along those lines, let alone acting on it.  She is also setting aside money for future maintenance so she is prepared for those expenses when the time comes.  My youngest daughter baby sat and put every bit of what she earned into savings too.  They just amaze me sometimes.


Now while April won't see the windfall of cash like March did I know it is still going to be a fabulous month.  I'm feeling really good about where we are and I'm confident we're going to make good progress on our financial goals.


Thursday, March 28, 2019

My Grocery Budget 2019 - March Update



Last month I mentioned I was going back to my regular grocery budget.  I forgot that March is the month where I usually get my income tax refund and I like to add an extra $100 our budget to stock up a bit.  It works out really well, timing wise, after the holidays, winter months, higher heat bills, etc.  So instead of keeping it under $150, I actually had $250 to spend on groceries this month.


I used sales, coupons and strategic shopping to restock our pantry and spice cupboard, add to our freezers and keep us in fresh produce and some dairy items.  I even manage to squeeze in a trip to Cash & Carry as well as to purchase a couple items for my daughter's upcoming graduation party.


I kept my nonfood spending pretty minimal as there wasn't much we really needed this month.  Some canned catfood, kitty litter and a couple comet cleansers from the dollar store.  Total spent on those items came in at $10.92 of my $25 budget.

This month's acquired freebies
Here is the food I bought this month:

Groceries

 $$$







Cream (2)

           6.76

Wal-Mart
Bratwurst patties (2)

           5.14

Wal-Mart
Coleslaw mix (2)

           2.94

Wal-Mart
Onion

           0.47

Wal-Mart
Mushrooms

           1.78

Wal-Mart
Avocados (2)

           1.76

Wal-Mart
Grape tomatoes

           2.26

Wal-Mart
Whipped cream

           2.68

Wal-Mart
Green onions

           0.98

Wal-Mart
Turkey sausages

           4.18

Wal-Mart
Cheese - 1# (2)

           5.56

Wal-Mart
Pan spray

           1.53

Wal-Mart
Chia seeds

           3.98

Wal-Mart
Bakers chocolate (2)

           3.94

Wal-Mart
Gelatin (2)

           0.68

Wal-Mart
Gelatin

           0.72

Wal-Mart
Ground beef - 10#

         19.90
Sale
Cash & Carry
Cheddar - 5#

         10.93

Cash & Carry
Monteray Jack - 5#

           9.68
Sale
Cash & Carry
Soy sauce

           1.99

Cash & Carry
SF Syrup

           2.59

Cash & Carry
Apples - 4#

           3.28

Cash & Carry
Bananas

           0.91

Cash & Carry
Blueberries - 2.5#

           5.38

Cash & Carry
Green beans- 5#

           4.86

Cash & Carry
Yogurt (8)

           7.80
Sale/Digital Coupon
Albertsons
Onion

           0.47

Albertsons
Strawberries - 2#

           4.47
Sale
Albertsons
Grapes

           3.48
Sale
Albertsons
Avocados (2)

           1.54
Coupon
Albertsons
Almonds

           5.99

Trader Joes
Olive oil

           6.99

Trader Joes
Avocados (6)

           2.99

Trader Joes
Mushrooms

           1.79

Trader Joes
Bell pepper

           0.69

Trader Joes
Grape tomatoes

           2.49

Trader Joes
Bananas

           1.14

Trader Joes
Rib eye

           7.99

Trader Joes
Tortilla chips

           3.34
Sale
Albertsons
String cheese (2)

           3.50
Markdown
Albertsons
Chicken breasts

           0.35
Sale/Digital Coupon
Albertsons
Grapes

           3.16
Sale
Albertsons
Strawberries - 2#

           2.98
Sale
Albertsons
Yogurt (4)

           3.52
Sale
Albertsons
Yogurt

           0.50
Digital Coupon
Albertsons

Salad mix

           1.99
Digital Coupon
Albertsons

Salad mix

           1.59

Albertsons

Bananas

           0.44

Albertsons

Broccoli (2)

           3.04

WinCo

Cauliflower (2)

           2.76

WinCo

Sausages

           3.53
Sale
WinCo

Burger patties

         11.98

WinCo

Tater tots

           1.58

WinCo

SF Pudding (3)

           1.56

WinCo

Pork sausage (2)

           3.98
Sale
WinCo

Olives (3)

           2.94

WinCo

Enchilada sauce (2)

           1.56

WinCo

Canned tomatoes (4)

           1.84

WinCo

Tomato sauce (2)

           0.92

WinCo

Tomato sauce (4)

           1.04

WinCo

Applesauce

           1.48

WinCo

Tuna (2)

           1.36

WinCo

Soy sauce

           1.25

WinCo

Sour cream

           1.18

WinCo

Chili powder

           0.51

WinCo

Onion

           0.36

WinCo

Coleslaw mix (2)

           1.96

WinCo

Zucchini

           0.88

WinCo

Squash

           0.40

WinCo

Vanilla

           0.88

WinCo

Bread

           1.18

WinCo

Broccoli

           3.24
Sale/Digital Coupon
Fred Meyer

Bell pepper (3)

           1.00
Markdown
Fred Meyer

Salmon

           6.99
Sale
Fred Meyer







Total

       233.48




$233.48 ÷ 31 days ÷3 people = $2.51 per person per day!


Next month I will definitely be back to shopping on a much smaller budget.  As usual I'll be looking to spend my money wisely and make sure I get everything I need at a really good price.  I'll keep my eye on sales and look for coupons to help me shave even more off the final prices too.



This budget month runs from March 1 through March 31