The Grocery Game Challenge Nov 19-25-Black Friday and 35 Days Til Christmas
There’s only 35 days left until Christmas with Black Friday around the corner and Thanksgiving this Thursday in the USA for our American friends. That means it’s time to get the ball rolling so you don’t leave everything until the last minute including grocery shopping and baking. If you missed my Grocery Game Post from last week you will see all the holiday cookies we will be baking come the first week of December. I will be posting these recipes every Sunday in December. This week we are staying away from the grocery stores as we have no money left in our grocery budget for the month. What we plan to do is eat what we already have in the pantry, freezer and refrigerator.
I think we have more than enough food to pull off a week of no trips to the grocery store especially since today is already Tuesday. My advice would be to not look at the flyers if you really want to stick to your grocery budget or save some money extra each month so you can shop if they have super deals on so you can stockpile some items. We may do this for next year where we add an extra $20 a month for stockpiling and carry it over as projected expenses. It will only be used if a great deal comes on for toilet paper for example and we have coupons.
Do you save extra money in your budget for stockpiling or do you simply use your monthly grocery budget to stock up on what you can?
Speaking of Black Friday, I read a post by Mandy at Money Master Mom this morning who thinks it’s only a deal if you need it when heading out into the line-ups searching for a bargain. You can read how her Black Friday Getaway crossing the border ended up costing her more than she bargained for. If you don’t plan to cross the border for Black Friday and shop at home or on-line having a set shopping budget so you don’t get overwhelmed with the mass marketing is ideal in this situation.
I agree, when it comes to Black Friday, Cyber Monday or any deal for that matter unless you “need it” then it’s likely not a bargain. I know many people who spend money using Canadian coupons to buy items in the grocery store just because they have a coupon yet may never use that product or will let the product expire. I’m not talking about laundry, toilet paper and cleaning supplies I’m talking about the food. The thrill of the chase to find the best deal and the best price is always on for some savvy budget savers but ask yourself if it’s really worth it. Have you experienced having too much food and product expiring before you get a chance to consume it? Do you donate it?
Around the holidays can be the toughest time of year for families to stick to a grocery budget or any budget for that matter. We start to see gifts for everyone on our list even at the grocery store. It’s super easy to get carried away with the festivities, the decorations and the lights. My advice is to make a plan and stick to it but don’t get discouraged if something goes wrong. Everything we do in life is a life lesson and we should learn from our mistakes.
Post your Grocery Shop Below in the comment section and you might be our next Monthly Winner!!!
Total Grocery Budget for the Month for 2 Adults:$190.00 at $63.33 for 3 weeks of shopping with 1 No-Shop Week per month.
This was a no-shop week so last weeks totals apply to this week as well.
Weekly Grocery Game Challenge Results for Mr. and Mrs. CBB
- Total Grocery Budget for the Week: $63.33
- Total Coupons Used this Week:$17.50
- Total Scanning Code of Practice: $0
- Total Spent This Week:$14.48
- Total Spent So Far for November: $99.21+75.13+$14.48=$188.82
- Total
Over/Under spend this shop: $1.18 - Total
Over/Under spend for the month of November: $1.18 - Total Left to Spend for the Month: $1.18
- Total Coupons Used This Month : $45.33 + $10.00 Spending Card+$15.99+$17.50=$88.82
Overall: We are happy that we stood our ground and are eating from what we have in our home to stick to our grocery budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I have to be Canadian to post my Grocery Shop?
No, you don’t have to be Canadian to post your shops only to win a monthly prize. We have a few posters from around the world.
- When does the Grocery Game Close each month?
The Grocery Game Challenge Closes at Midnight of the last Sunday of the last post for the month. You can post your shops all month-long so if you miss a week you can go back and post so you still get your entry in the monthly contest.
- Does Your Grocery Budget Include Health and Beauty and Laundry?
Yes our Grocery Budget includes such items as shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dish soap etc. We don’t mind stockpiling items that won’t be effected by expiry dates or have long expiry dates but not so much food any more. It’s just one way to help cut your budget to save money. We are currently well stocked with those products since we used coupons heavily the past couple of years. We haven’t really stocked up on much but we have taken every opportunity to purchase more paper towel, toilet paper, fabric softener and a host of other items that are an excellent price with coupon.
There are many places you can find Canadian Coupons whether it be in store or via the mail. I would suggest following an on-line coupon community or coupon Facebook page in your area.
Canadian Coupon Match-Ups- Match your coupons with flyer sales!
Here are your latest Coupon Match-ups of the week from around Canada compliments of Save Big Live Better. Just one of my favourite Couponing sites for finding the hottest grocery deals in Canada!
Here are a couple of coupons we picked up while shopping this week at Canadian Tire.
Are you NEW to Canadian Budget Binder?
If you are new Start here!
Do you have a Question for Mr.CBB please click HERE to ask him!
You can Follow Canadian Budget Binder on Twitter HERE or Facebook HERE and Pinterest Here.
You can also subscribe to Canadian Budget Binder so you don’t miss a blog post. Fill in your email address on the HOME page of the blog off to the left where it says “Subscribe Via Email”- No Spam, I promise!
Are you on Mr.CBB’s Blog Roll? Check HERE… if not and you want me to check out your blog and add you, come introduce yourself.
If you want to write a Guest Post for Canadian Budget Binder start here!
Related articles
- What Products To Stockpile For Maternity Leave (canadianbudgetbinder.com)
- Is Couponing Worth It? (fatwallet.com)
- Nearly Half of Cyber Monday Shoppers Plan to Spend More Money Online That Day Than In-Store During the Holiday Season, Finds Annual CouponCabin.com Survey (sacbee.com)
- Thanksgiving on a budget, Beltway Bargain Mom?s coupon tips (wjla.com)
- Local man loads up on groceries for free (clickorlando.com)
Photo Credit Cookies- Copyright (c) <a href=’http://www.123rf.com’>123RF Stock Photos</a
