Join the Crocktoberfest celebration with budget-friendly crockpot recipes that make cooking effortless and fun.
It’s Crocktoberfest time, friends, which means you can dust off your crockpot if it’s hidden deep in your cupboard waiting for some kitchen time.
Crockpot lovers around the world are celebrating the beauty and convenience of the crockpot as we dedicate the month of October to this must-have kitchen gadget.
Related: 10 Must-have Kitchen Tools For The Budget Chef
Creating easy, cheap crockpot recipes is essential to our family because we have a limited grocery budget, so we like to stretch our dollars wherever possible.
Your crockpot is a one-stop show because it can cook anything from baked goods to complete meals without a stovetop.
Uses Less Electricity To Run
If you don’t have a gas range in your kitchen, many of you are on time-of-use electricity programs, which means you pay more or less money depending on the time of day you use your appliances.
In the past, we would only cook after 7 pm to save money, but we soon realized that we didn’t want to eat that late.
We know people who follow this rule because, with rising hydro costs, they can’t afford to jump out of the electricity pricing range.
The great thing about a crockpot is that it doesn’t take much electricity to run.
You can plug it in at any time of day or at night when you are sleeping, and the costs are even less.
Crocktoberfest Creating Memories
It’s incredible how many people think about using a crock pot once Autumn is upon us.
There is something familiar and cozy about aromas in the air once the crispness of the morning and evening air sets in.
Sitting on the front porch watching the leaves fall to the ground on the trees that have turned colour and food smells in the air go hand in hand for us.
We love using our crockpot this time of year, and we know how even the simplest smells in our house will create family memories.
Some people love using the crock pot all year, which is a substantial money-saving approach to chopping your grocery budget and time.
If you aren’t familiar with the crockpot, now is the time to cozy up to these cheap recipes that will bump up family time and reduce kitchen time.
Buying A Crockpot
You can buy a decent-sized crock pot just about anywhere for between $25-$100 when they are on sale.
We have a large stone Rival crockpot with an automatic programmable timer and shut-off convenience.
That means when we go to work or to sleep at night, we can set it and forget it.
If you don’t have the cash in your budget to purchase a new crockpot, I can bet that if you walk into any second-hand shop, a few will be sitting on the shelf.
Many people are given a crockpot as a wedding, Christmas, or birthday gift, and they hardly get used, only to be donated or sold on buy-and-sell sites for cheap.
The best part about the crockpot is waking up in the morning to amazing smells.
In September, October, and November, the smells of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and apples can appeal to the senses and tummy.
Returning home at night after work to a crockpot of finished food is a time-saver and keeps you away from spending money on eating out or splurging on convenience foods that can be costly.
I’m sure any of you who have used a crockpot before can say how your nose does a little dance when you whiff the food you’ve cooked.
Cheap Cuts Of Meat And Reduced Produce
If you find cheap cuts of meat on sale at the grocery store that need time to go from tough to melt in your mouth, your crockpot loves the challenge.
When we buy reduced produce instead of washing it and putting it in the refrigerator, we’ll often come up with crockpot recipes based on what we’ve found.
Once you invest in a crockpot, you can experiment with making cheap recipes that your family will love.
Crockpot Recipes Save Time
Even if you are single or a couple without kiddies, using a crockpot is a super way to whip up a meal without the fuss of being in the kitchen.
Before our son came along, we were used to making crockpot meals for two, but now we have to consider incorporating ingredients into our meals that he will enjoy.
Gone are the days of spicy food for us unless we add the ingredients after our crockpot recipes, which are waiting for us to dive into.
Any parent will tell you that kid-friendly crockpot recipes are our salvation because time is limited.
When I come home from a long day at work, having a crockpot full of food is fantastic, especially when soccer starts at 5:30 for our son, so we’re eating and running out the door again to practice.
Crockpot Recipes You Must Try
I’ve taken the time to pick out some of our favourite crockpot recipes on the web to share with all of you.
Please take a moment to read them and visit the amazing foodie bloggers behind the crockpot.
Depending on your food tastes, you may or may not like them; however, what’s important is that you see the value in using a crock pot and how it can save you time and money.
Poor Man’s Stew
Sarah over at The Magical Slow Cooker LOVES using the crock pot and has tonnes of amazing recipes that you must try, including her poor man’s stew.
Not only is this crockpot recipe budget-friendly, but it also incorporates many pantry staples that most people already have in the kitchen.
We also make a delicious crockpot beef stew recipe in the CBB house, where leftovers rarely make it to the second day.
Southwest Crockpot Chicken And Rice
At Eating On A Dime, Carrie will make your mouth water with her Southwest Crockpot Chicken and Rice dish.
This is budget-friendly and filled with black beans, rice, chicken, and spices that taste like a soup.
Perfect on a cold evening or for afternoon lunch.
Crockpot Cherry Dump Cake
Over at the Crockpot Ladies, Heidi, Katie, and Sarah know what they are discussing when creating frugal crockpot meals.
If you love to bake but don’t have the time, this crockpot cherry dump cake might appeal to you.
I also love the idea of bringing this dessert to a potluck.
You can use a different pie filling if you don’t care for cherries.
In 2 hours, dessert will be ready after dinner, snack time, or breakfast.
Simple Crockpot Apple Sauce
A simple crockpot applesauce is inexpensive and less hands-on than you think.
Making applesauce in your slow cooker is easy and requires only 5 ingredients.
This ideal healthy snack is delicious warm or topped with sugar-free whipped cream.
Cinnamon Roll Crockpot Oatmeal
You will agree that Amanda at Moms with Crock Pots has nailed it with this cinnamon roll crockpot oatmeal.
With flavours of cinnamon and oats topped with a simple glaze, your family will repeatedly ask for this cheap breakfast favourite.
Homemade Crockpot Apple Butter
Michelle at The Gracious Wife has perfected making homemade crockpot apple butter.
Can you imagine what your house will smell like once this recipe bubbles on your counter?
I can, and I love it.
Crockpot Turkey Meatballs
Our turkey meatballs with a homemade honey BBQ sauce are one of many crockpot recipes Mrs. CBB and I have created, one of which our son loves.
We must create kid-friendly crockpot recipes that our family will enjoy, so we aren’t cooking different foods every single time.
Other Frugal Crockpot Recipes on Canadian Budget Binder
- Easter Dinner in the Crock Pot for 8
- CrockPot Pulled Pork with Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Easy Crockpot Slammin Chili
- Crockpot Beef Stew
- Cheesy Crock Pot Lasagna
Discussion Question: What are your favourite fall or winter crockpot recipes?
October Grocery Game Challenge
Join in the 2016 Grocery Game Challenge (GGC) fun and post your grocery shop in the comment section of each GGC blog post.
Here are the rules to get you started and where you’ll also find a link for the updated 2016 GGC schedule.
September GGC Winner goes to Ballot #8 Christine W. Congrats, Christine.
October Grocery Game Posts
- 12 Practical Ways To Afford Expensive Food For Less– Last shop for September
Shoppers Drugmart
- 1 x Nielsen 2% Milk
Total Out-of-Pocket $4.27
Metro
- Broccoli $0.99
- 4 x Nielsen 35% Whipping Cream $1.99 each
- 4 x Selection Bacon $2.88
Total Out-Of-Pocket $20.47
No Frills
- 4 x Butter $2.87 each $11.48
- 2 x old cheddar Cheese bars $3.87 each
Total Out-Of-Pocket $19.22
Costco
- Big Bag of Brussel Sprouts $4.95
- Mozarella Saputo $20.99
- Philadelphia Cream Cheese $15.95
- Tub of organic lettuce greens $3.87
- Club Pack of Sausages $10.80
Total Out-of-Pocket $56.55
Monthly Grocery Breakdown
- Total to spend this month: $235.00-$8.38 overage from September $226.62
- Stockpile budget 2016: $25.00
- Stockpile budget used this month: $25.00
- Total coupons used this week: $0
- Total coupons used to date: $15.36
- Total in-store discounts this week:$0
- Total in-store discounts to date: $482.34
- Total spent this week: $100.50
- Total spent so far this month: $100.50
- Total over/under spend this shop: over
- Total over/under spend for the month: $ over by double this week
- Total left to spend for the month: $126.12
- Total Spent To Date 2016: (does not include stockpile budget) Jan $252.95 + Feb $249.46 + March $211.11 + April $248.11 + May $279.07 + June $231.96 + July $244.40 + Aug $201.30+ Sept $238.12+ October $
Grocery Shop Overview
As you may have noticed, we bought a Costco membership to test out for a year.
If we don’t find that we are getting the savings we want, we will eliminate it.
We bought the executive Costco membership, which seemed fair enough for us then, provided we spent sufficient time in the store throughout the year.
If not, then they will reimburse us for the extra costs.
I’m unsure if we will, but in 2017, we will likely see a hike in our grocery budget with rising costs.
The significant part is that I can grab cheap gas to work.
This month will be tight with the Costco shop, so we will have to evaluate our shopping habits now that we have this dangerous card that can either save or break us.
Time will tell.
Discussion: Do you use a Costco Membership? Any tips to share for us?
Please leave your comments below.
-Mr.CBB
My tip for Costco is NEVER get a buggy! If you can’t carry it to the cashier, you probably don’t need it! Hubby and I each have 2 hands so it’s amazing how much we can carry without using a cart. 🙂
I love that tip Mary!!! I’m going to tell the wife that. Very smart~
OCTOBER – Week #1 of 5- Oct 3-9, 2016
2016 GROCERY BUDGET / STOCKPILE BUDGET AND US RESERVE:
•Total Grocery Budgeted For Year: $190.00 x 12 = $2,280.00 for 2 adults
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REMARKS FOR THE WEEK:
Before we start our OCTOBER shopping off though, I am going to make my usual monthly “reserve” transfers:
Grocery:
$ 190.00 for the month
($ 30.00) trf to re-stocking – normally $15.00
($ 0.00) trf to holiday reserve–normally 15.00
($ 0.00) trf to summer reserve–normally 15.00
($ 70.00) trf to US Reserve –normally $45.00
CANADIAN Grocery Balance $90.00
REMARKS FOR THE WEEK:
This month I beefed up the Re-Stocking Reserve and US Reserve transfers because we are in good shape with both our Holiday and Summer Reserves. I will resume topping them up in Jan 2017. For now, I’ll just keep beefing up the Re-Stocking and US Shopping reserves for the months of November and December but in December, I will also transfer the balance of the Redeemed Points Reserve into our Holiday Season Reserve.
Since we lost the ability to earn points on prescriptions with a Supreme Court ruling, we don’t earn a lot of MORE points anymore and redeeming points for groceries isn’t as attractive an option as it once was (as you can see from the balance we have actually redeemed in 2016).
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OUR “CANADIAN” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
Shopper’s – Maple Ridge –
2 GRADE “A” LARGE WHITE EGGS 1 Dozen @ $1.99 ea = $3.98
Total OOP: $3.98
** Earned 30 Optimum Points on this shop **
** SAVED $0.00 in Rain Check Coupons **
** SAVED $0.00 Loyalty Savings on this shop **
—————————————————————–
Walmart– Maple Ridge –
1 bag carrots (3 lbs – $1.47)
1 bag of onions (3 lb – $1.47)
Total OOP: $2.94
—————————————————————–
Meridian Farm Market– Maple Ridge –
2 Green Onions (2 for $1.00) << really nice large bunches too!
Total OOP: $1.00
—————————————————————–
Save On– Maple Ridge –
2 x 2lb baby carrots $4.00
2 Celery $0.89/lb = $3.69
1 Turkey Breast Roast $5.49/lb = $15.19 << roasted, sliced and ready for sandwich material
Total Regular Grocery OOP: $7.69
Total Holiday Grocery OOP: $15.19
** Earned 23 MORE Points on this shop **
** SAVED $0.00 in Rain Check Coupons **
** SAVED $6.32 Loyalty Savings on this shop **
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OUR “US RESERVE” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
Fred Meyers – Burlington
Peppermint Mocha Creamer $2.50
Kroger’s Iced Coffee $3.19
• US Grocery OOP: $5.69
—————————————————————–
Costco – Burlington
1 case black olives $9.79
• US Grocery OOP: $9.79
—————————————————————–
Walmart – Burlington
2 Pickles @ $1.96 = $3.92
24 Cup of Soup @ $0.28 = $6.72
• US Grocery OOP: $10.64
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2016 Y-T-D GROCERY SAVINGS:
•Total Loyalty Card Price Reductions This Year:
Jan $36.76 + Feb $160.96 + Mar $27.00+ Apr $117.96 +May $55.61+June $8.50+ July $46.99+ Aug $13.85+Sept $0.60+Oct $0.00 = $468.23
•Total Coupons/Rain Checks Used This Year:
Jan $0.00 + Feb $20.46+ Mar $1.00 +Apr $5.23 + May $10.68 + June $0.00+ July $0.00 + Aug $0.00+ Sept $0.00 Oct $6.32 = $43.69
•Total Price Match Savings Used This Year:
Jan $0.00 + Feb $0.00 + Mar $0.00 + Apr $0.00 + May $0.00 + June $0.00+ July $0.00 + Aug $0.00 + Sept $0.00 Oct $0.00 = $0.00
•Total More Points Earned This Year:
Jan 10 + Feb 182 + Mar 3 +April 48 + May 96 + June 0+ July 573 + Aug 208 + Sept 11 + Oct 23 = 1,154 Points
•Total Air Miles Earned This Year:
Jan 6 + Feb 43 +Mar 182 + April 32 + May 24 + June 3+ July 0 + Aug 0 + Sept 0 + Oct 0 = 268 Air Miles
•Total PC PLUS Points Earned This Year:
Jan 1800 + Feb 5000 +Mar 5200= April 3,100 + May 0 + June 2,600+ July 0 + Aug 6,600 + Sept 0 + Oct 0 = 24,300 Points
•Total Optimum Points Earned This Year:
Jan 0 + Feb 0 +Mar 0 + April 0 + May 0 + June 40+ July 0 + Aug 40 + Sept 20 + Oct 30 = 130 Points
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2016 Y-T-D GROCERY SPENDING:
•Total OOP Year-To-Date:
Jan $196.78 + Feb $193.74 + Mar $182.77 + April $255.43 + May $143.05 +June $182.79 +July $188.72+ Aug $171.07+ Sept $195.65 + Oct ($30.00+$70.00+$2.94+$1.00+$7.69+3.98 = $115.61) = $1,825.61
•Total Year-To-Date Grocery Budget:
Jan $190.00+ Feb $190.00 + Mar $190.00 + April $190.00 +May $190.00 + June $190.00+July $190.00+Aug $190.00 +Sept $190.00 + Oct $190.00= $1,900.00
•Total Over/Under on Year-To-Date Grocery Budget: $74.39 AVAILABLE
* I decided to do a run to Portland, OR to enjoy the Fall Harvest offerings at Souplantation… thanks to their email discount coupons. 🙂 A girl can only take so much temptation. lol After driving six hours to get there, we'll go at least twice before we come home.
Fortunately we have SPG points to use for the hotel and we got the very last room available for points…kind of meant to be, wouldn't you say?
So the vacation budget will handle some lovely meals for us – Red Lobster, Souplantation, Black Angus, Goldberg's, the Columbia Bar and Grill and Red Robin. The clothing budget will get tapped for a little "tax free" shopping at Costco since hubby needs new runners.
Weather permitting, we'll be enjoying some scenic walking as well. I want to do the Japanese Garden, Bob's Red Mill outlet and the boardwalk along the river.
Needless to say, there'll be no big Thanksgiving festive meals coming from our grocery budget this month and that $74 we have available will more than do our needs. I have scheduled a Ricky's Senior's night 3 course turkey dinner night after we get back so that we still get to enjoy a nice turkey dinner. 🙂
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2016 POINTS REDEEMED RESERVE:
2015 Fwd $0.00+Jan $4.69+ Feb $5.19+ Mar $0.00+ Apr $0.00 + May $4.69 + June $0.00+ July $0.00 + Aug $0.00+Sept $0.00 + Oct $0.00= $14.57
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2016 US GROCERY RESERVE:
2015 Fwd $0.00+Jan $45.00+Feb $45.00+ Mar -$59.58+ Apr $45.00+ May -$22.79 + June -$48.42 + July $45.00 + Aug $45.00+Sept $112.62 + Oct ($70.00-$26.12=$43.88)= $168.12
** There's no US grocery shopping planned again until November when we do our one night get-away for our anniversary celebration.
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2016 RE-STOCKING RESERVE:
2015 Fwd $217.50+Jan -$49.65 + Feb -$140.69 + Mar $25.48 + Apr +
-$5.29+May -$9.70 +June $15.00+July -$41.81 + Aug $17.93+Sept $15.00 + Oct $30.00= $73.77
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2016 Y-T-D HOLIDAY SEASON RESERVE:
2015 Fwd $81.51+Jan $15.00 + Feb $11.61 +$15.00+ Apr $15.00 +May $20.00 + June $15.00+ July $15.00+ Aug $15.00+Sept $15.00 +
Oct $-15.19= $202.93
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2016 Y-T-D SUMMER RESERVE:
2015 Fwd $100.00+ $537.50 Trf from Borscht Fund+Jan $15.00 + Feb $11.61+ Mar $0.00+Apr $15.00 + May -$51.21+ June $3.23 +July $7.62 +Aug (15.00-30.21=-$15.21)+ Sept $15.00= $638.54
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• SUMMARY OF FUNDS Y-T-D:
$ 1,900.00 Grocery Budget JAN-OCT
$ 14.57 Redeemed Points to Purchase Groceries
($ 413.59) ADDITION TO: Misc Reserves (Re-Stocking, Xmas & Summer)
$ 434.86 REDUCTION TO: Misc Reserves (Re-Stocking, Xmas & Summer)
($ 250.71) Trf to US Grocery Reserve Net of 2016 Spending
($ 14.57) Set in reserve to offset Redeemed Points
($ 1,596.17) Actual CASH SPENT YTD
$ 74.39 AVAILABLE FOR Y-T-D SPENDING
• VALUE POINTS REDEEMED Y-T-D:
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – JAN
$ 5.19 Whole Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – FEB
$ 4.69 Skim Milk- 3,100 MORE Pts – MAY
$ 14.57 Total $ Value of Points Redeemed
THE VALUE POINTS REDEEMED will be added to our Holiday Reserve next Christmas.
So far $1,900.00 has been budgeted Y-T-D for 2016 and we have recorded $888.47 of these funds as “spent” and in fact they have been “saved”:
$ 73.77 Freezer Re-Stocking Fund
$ 202.93 Holiday Season Fund + $130 PC Plus Avail.
$ 638.54 Summer Season Fund
$ 168.12 US Shopping Reserve
$ 14.37 Points Redeemed Reserve
OUR CURRENT TOTAL UNUSED RESERVES ARE $1,097.73. This means the $936.51 that we carried forward from 2015 PLUS AN ADDITIONAL $888.47 that we have added in 2016, LESS $727.25 that we have drawn out for use in 2016.
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The valid rain checks I hold are as follows:
SAVE ON FOODS:
6 Bags Western Family Kettle Potato Chips @ 3/$7 << going to expire unused
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This week’s BREAKFAST menu plan:
HUBBY: Earl Grey Tea with Lemon Juice + Bagels/English Muffins with fat free cream cheese spread, peanut butter or Cheez Whiz, toaster waffles, hot cross buns OR Rice Krispies cereal with skim milk
MYSELF: Tetley Tea with Skim Milk & Equal + yogurt, apples, bananas or hard boiled eggs
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This week’s LUNCH menu plan:
MON: Imitation Crab Sub with macaroni salad for hubby / Chicken Boullion for me
TUES: Ham & Cheese Sandwiches & Greek Salad for Larry / Greek Salad for me
WED: Egg Salad Sandwiches & Kosher Pickle for Larry / Hard Boiled Eggs, Green Apple & Carrot Sticks for me
THURS: Tuna Salad Sandwiches & Cottage Cheese for Larry / cottage cheese & sliced roma tomato for me
FRI: PB & J Sandwiches
SAT: Souplantation
SUN: Red Robin
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This week’s DINNER menu plan:
MON: Vegetable Soup
TUES: Denver Omelette with Roasted Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, Celery & Peppers
WED: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Creamy Tomato Soup
THURS: Spaghetti with Tomato Alfredo Sauce
FRI: Red Lobster
SAT: Black Angus
SUN: Souplantation
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Hi Mary,
Wow this adventure certainly sounds like fun. I hope you both enjoy your well-deserved getaway together. I think it must have been fate that you got the last room, huh? What will you do with a case of olives? Are they black sliced olives? I’ve been to a small Japanese garden before and it’s quite detailed and I’m glad we had the time to see it. I hope you do too. Happy Thanksgiving Mary and Larry. You get ballot #1. Mr.CBB
Week 40 – Sept 30 – Oct 6, 2016
Name Your Store: Herrle’s
Total Coupons Used: $
Total Points =
Total Out Of Pocket: $16.24
Human
6 Raisin Butter Tarts = $5.99
Pumpkin Pie = $6.29
Quart Bean = $3.95
Name Your Store: Superstore
Total Coupons Used: $1.00
Total Points =
Total Out Of Pocket: $25.64
Human
2 Cheerios – $5.98 (PM Zehrs @ $3.77) ($1.00 Coupon) = $6.98
Large Eggs = 1.97
4 L 2% Milk = $4.27
2 – 450 g Kraft Marble Cheese = $7.56
6 Bagels = $0.88
2 WW Wonder Bread – 2/$5.00 (PM Shoppers’ Drug Mart @ $1.99) = $3.98
Cats
No shop
Grocery Game Challenge Results
Total Grocery Budget for the 2 Adults ($1890.00, for the pay period – $70.00)
Total Human (Adults) this Week Period: $41.88
Left for the Month: $28.12
Total Human (Adults) to Date: $1109.58
Total Grocery Budget for the 3 Cats ($364, for the pay period – $14.00)
Total Cats this Week Period: $
Total Cats to Date: $236.40
Total Grocery Budget for Stockpile ($520)
Total Stockpile this Week Period: $
Total Stockpile to Date: $198.43
Total Grocery Budget for the Personal Hygiene ($182)
Total Personal Hygiene this Week Period: $
Total Personal Hygiene to Date: $226.21
Total Grocery Budget for Meat ($500.00)
Total Meat this Week Period: $
Total Meat to Date: $297.27
Total Coupons Used this Week Period: $1.00
Total Coupons Used To Date: $26.96
Total Discounts/SCOP this Week Period: $
Total Discounts/SCOP to Date: $4.09
Total Checkout 51 rebates this Week Period: $0
Total Checkout 51 rebates to Date: $10.00
Total Snap rebates this Week Period: $0.00
Total Snap rebates to Date: $1.00
Total Price Match for this Week Period: $5.00
Total Price Match to Date: $262.95
Total PC Points Received this Week Period:
Total PC Rewards Points Used this Week Period:
Total PC Rewards To Date: 12748
Overview: Stayed under budget which is good 🙂 The baked goods from Herrles’ are all homemade goodies.
Hi Dee,
Are the baked goods from a shop where you live or from St. Jacobs? I’m going to be doing some baking this morning with the wife or by myself depending on how our son gets on. It’s always great to hear when we can stay under budget. It would be nice it would be us saying it for once though, lol. It’s posts like this that inspire us. Keep up the great work. You get ballot #2. Happy Thanksgiving Dee!!! Mr.CBB
Herrles is another form of another “farmer’s market” as they sell all kinds of produce. There’s activities for kids, not that my daughter ever did any of that. Herrles also sells baking goods from a local vendor called “Anna Mae’s” which is Mennonite baking.
I try and stay under budget and we now a system that works for us.
Oh, I had no idea. I’m glad your system is working for you. Not many people can say that is true for their own. Well done.
Thanks for the crock pot recipes! I just used mine tonight. I put the roast beef I bought on the weekend in there with potatoes carrots and gravy. It was really good! So nice to come home to after a really long day at work.
I bought a new crock pot on the weekend, our lid to our old one shattered in the spring and I was unable to purchase a replacement lid from Canada and to get it shipped from the us was more than what a new crock pot would cost.
The one I got was crock pot brand 6 quart from Walmart for 29 and change, I thought it was a pretty good deal, I even used a Walmart gift card my husband got from work, he gets one per month as long as they hit their goals.
Lots of recipes to try! I am starting with Crock Pot Cherry Dump Cake. Thanks for sharing these wonderful recipes.
I’m going to try this for the rest of the year, my name is Christine and I’M from Europe hence you will see all my purchases are in EUR . I have been reading the blog for a few months now and I am more organised than before. I have also been able to lower my bills, yeah. I have a ton of allergies which makes it difficult sometimes but limits me eating out. I would love to be consistent with my meal planning like Mary.
Total grocery budget for 1 adult
12×190 = 2280
Total stockpile budget
12×50 = 600 (my stockpile counts anything that lasts me more than a week) my freezer is tiny so I can only stock up my pantry.
October week #1 / October 1-9
Calculated budget 55 for groceries
Oct 1
Name Your store Hofer
Total OOP 17.56 (2.29 bulk)
2 sweet potatoes 0.94
6 apples 0.98
Pomegranate 1.19
2 bananas 0.51
Frozen blueberries 750g 2.79
Canned tomatoes 0.45
Turkey ham 1.95
2lbs oranges fair trade 1.79 (they didn’t have other oranges )
Lettuce 0.99
Tricolore bell peppers 1.99
125g raspberries 1.69
Baking spray 2.28 (b)
Name Your store Spar
Discount –
Total OOP 2.98
Frozen peas 1.39
125g baby spinach 1.59
Name Your store Spar
Total OOP 11,46 (b5.38)
Discount 2.97
3 mangoes 1 each discount otherwise I would not have bought them but they are nice in smoothies)
Mini pasta 1.39 (b)
Goldfischli 1.19
Whole Grain sandwich 1.89
Cranberry preserve 3.99 (b)
Name Your store Hofer
Total OOP 22.83 (b3.68)
Discount –
2 banana 0.52
Canned tomatoes 0.45
Romans tomatoes on the vine 0.62
2lbs lemons 1.99
Organic Celery 1.99
Cherry jam 1.39 (b)
Spelt flour 2.29 (b)
Parsley 0.89
3 turkey ham 1.95 ea
Veg f soup 0.79
125 raspberries 1.69
Can tuna 1.38
2x 6 boiled eggs 1.49 ea
Name Your store Hofer
Total oop1.29
Olive bread 1.29
Name Your store Billa
Total OOP 1.89
Whole Grain toast 1.89
Name Your store Billa
Total OOP 3.46
Discount –
Romance tomatoes on the vine 0.58
2lbs zucchini 0.99
Whole Grain sandwich 1.89
Total budget for bulk 50
This week 11.35
Bulk to date August 72.42, September 70
Total bulk left to spend 38.65
Total groceries this week 48.12
Calculated 55
This week under
Total left to spend this month 141,88
Total spent to date July 235, August 170.34, September 148.94
Meal plan
Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry
Ham lettuce tomato sandwich
Potato broccoli soup
Weeknight pasta w sundrieds tomato pesto, with peas
Egg salad sandwich w carrots
Pancakes
Porridge w berries
Hi Christine,
Welcome to the Grocery Game Challenge!! The best part about this is that you can live anywhere in the world that you want. It’s a game to beat yourself because sometimes we need that motivation or we just let things slide which causes as we know, debt. You know Mary has been an inspiration to many of us since she came on board from the beginning of this challenge almost 5 years ago. Over those years her organizational skills have blown me away. Do you typically buy organic? How much more does it cost at the grocery store? What do you use Spelt flour for? It seems you eat a very clean diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. I know what it’s like to live in Europe with a small house and kitchen. I didn’t have a freezer when I lived in the UK apart from what I had in the mini fridge in my kitchen. I wasn’t able to stock up like I can here in Canada now. We have a massive freezer in our basement. What I’ve learned is that it can save us tonnes of money especially with our stockpile budget which you have also. Where in Europe are you from? You get ballot #3. If you win the GGC I will post money via Paypal to you. Mr.CBB
Hi! I buy some organic stuff (potatoes and onions) and sometimes they don’t have the regular stuff at my store Eg celery or oranges and it’s either the same price or cheaper than the regular stuff in other stores (I compare the prices of the flyers and the unit prices). I use spelt flour for everything you use AP wheat flour, pancakes, waffles,… I want to bake some bread again in the autumn /winter months. Haha, it would be great if I really would eat clean all day. Our company pays for our lunches and the offer is not always the healthiest choice or I can’t eat the healthier meal due to my allergies (nuts especially ), so I try to balance it out with my home cooking. But on the other hand I feel really grateful that we eat free lunches I am saving a ton of money. I am from Austria.
Oh, I forgot to mention that we don’t have coupons or price match here. I check all the flyers for the stores I go to online and compare prices if I get a deal like with the mangoes I feel lucky. Hofer is about the cheapest store here, they have about 5 sale items a week, but I didn’t need any of those this week. I am trying to figure out how much or little to buy just now to get me over the week, I try to buy only so much that I don’t throw out food and money by the end of the week. If I don’t overspend I transfer the groceries surplus in a jar for later use and after a while if I don’t need it goes straight to savings.
Yearly grocery budget for 4 adults and 2 cats -$7800
(The above total does not include the stockpile budget of $300/year or $25/month.
Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings)
Total Grocery Budget for the Month:$650
Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $650
Total Gift Cards used to date: $165
Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
Total Rewards Points used to date: $0
PC Points Plus Earned to date: 49310
Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $0
Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)
Zweet to cash out : $12.25
Checkout51 to cash out : $29.25
Our Grocery Shop This Week
Foodland #1
1 jug water -5.49
1 8pack tetras -2.50
2 Zcheerios @4.99
2 cases ginger ale @3.69, 2X1.00 coupons
2 4pack KD @3.49
1 raisins -2.29
1 Temptations cat treats -1.99
2 4l milk @4.99
3 lbs butter @3.99
1 pack cream cheese -2.49
4 Swanson meat lies @4/5.00
4 packs frozen veggies @1.99
2 bags cranberries @1.99
1 celery -1.99
Bananas -1.34
2 bagels @2/5.00
Tax -1.87
Total OOP -$91.19, 2.00 coupons
Foodland #2
1 Rice Krispies -7.79
1 jug water -5.49
1 8pack tetras -3.99
3 Cheerios @2.99
3 cans pineapple tidbits @1.19
2 4l milk @4.99
3 blocks cheese @3.88
1 ice cream -3.99
10lb bag potatoes -4.99
Bananas -.85
1 bread crumbs -2.49, AM discount -.50
2 raisin bread @2.99
Total OOP -$69.23, .50 discount
Canadian Tire, stock pile
4 bags sugar @1.66
Total OOP -6.64,stockpile
Total to spend this month : $650.00
Stockpile budget 2016 : $25.00
Stockpile budget used this month: $6.64
Total coupons used this week: $2.00
Total coupons used to date: $111.12
Total in-store discounts this week:$.50
Total in-store discounts to date: $157.08
Total spent this week: $160.42
Total spent so far this month: $160.42
Total over/Under spend this shop: over
Total over/Under spend for the month: $ over for week
Total left to spend for the month: $489.58
Total Spent To Date 2016: (does not include stockpile budget) Jan $579.69+ Feb $628.96+ March $605.28+ April $584.23+ May $475.36+ June $747.58+ July $631.00+ Aug $683.19+ Sept $568.28+ October $
Weekly Overview (your final thoughts)
I’m over for the week but I still have 4 weeks to go. Should be able to do it with what is in the freezer after Thanksgiving and the turkey leftovers. The Air Miles cash is still building up as are the Canadian Tire money and my PC Plus points. These will help get through the rest of the year and the big dinner at Christmas around here. I can still be under budget for the month but I will have to work at it. I am making a couple of squares recipes for my nieces wedding shower coming up but I have everything I need here now. I am happy to be baking again as it is nice and cool enough to now!!
Hi Christine,
Ah so you’re over your first week, lol. Is this a 5 week month? Oh boy I better go check. It sounds like your turkey leftovers went far by your posts on Facebook. I made a chicken and that gave us quite a few meals and we’re still not done the soup yet. I want to do a blog post of the ultimate budget-friendly Christmas dinner. I’ll ask that question after Remembrance day on FB. Hopefully I remember. Baking is nice during the cooler months. We have a counter top convection oven which allows us to bake all year. It doesn’t give off as much heat as the oven does and it’s cheaper to run. Well worth the $60 bucks to buy it. WOW those Rice Krispies are pricey but I’m guessing are part of the squares you are making for the shower. Well done Christine. Lets’ see how the rest of the month turns out for you. Are you planning a trip in to No Frills? You get ballot #7. Mr.CBB
Week 1 – Oct 2 – 8
• Grocery budget to work with in September: $320
• Total coupons used this week: $1.00
• Total coupons used to date: $50.19
• Total RCSS gas coupons used to date: $16.00 (total – Superbucks program done)
• Total Giant Tiger Enviro bag credit this week: $0.06
• Total Giant Tiger Enviro bag credit to date: $0.24
• Total value PC Plus points redeemed this week: $0
• Total value PC Plus points redeemed to date: $110
• Total gift cards/certificates/gifts used this week: $43.19
• Total gift cards/certificates/gifts used to date: $115
• Total Neilsen Homescan Visa rebate cards used this week: $0
• Total Neilsen Homescan Visa rebate cards used to date: $170
• Total Checkout 51 rebate cheque used this week: $0
• Total Checkout 51 rebate cheques used to date: $20.25
• Total student discounts to date: $139.37 (total – Student discount done)
• Total spent this week: $79.70
• Total spent so far this month: $79.70
• Total left to spend for the month: $240.30
• Carry over: $0
• Total in carry over jar: $0
• Total overspent: $44.80
• Total Spent To Date 2016: $2,421.50
Giant Tiger: Egg rolls 4.00, Spring rolls 4.00, Sweet and Sour chicken balls 2 x 4.00, Lasagna 5.97 less 1.00 coupon, Cabbage rolls 4.98, canned mushrooms 2 x .77, Caesar salad kit 1.47 clearance, Pam BBQ grilling spray clearance 2.10, Black forest ham 4.98, less bag credit 2 x .03, plus tax .07: Total Paid 36.05
RCSS: Robin Hood Oats 3.17, sour cream 1.48, milk 4.27, frozen blueberries 3.98, cool whip 2.50, potatoes 10 lb, bananas 1.35, grapes 1.59, spaghetti squash 1.65, sausages clearance 1.94: Total 23.60, used gift card so $0 paid
Walmart: 40 pk K-cups 14.88, candy cane cookies 2.25, pringles 3 x .66, Armstrong cheese 2 x 3.87, frozen peas 2.27, baguette 2 x .87, tax .26: Total Paid 31.10 rounded down 2 cents
RCSS: PC gingerale .88, Nutella on go .44, mushrooms 1.67, bacon 4 x 1.97 (PM), bread 3 x 1.59, dinner rolls 2.50, tax .17: Total 19.59, used gift card so $0 paid
Rexall: Twistos 3 x 1.88, cheese sticks .99. chips 3 x .99, diet coke 2.49, tax 1.44: Total Paid 12.55 rounded up 1 cent
We have some snack food and frozen food from this week to help speed up our time crunch nights. It’s still cheaper to buy some of the frozen convenience stuff than get takeout. We also hosted Thanksgiving this year, so there are chips and pop on there too. Overall not a bad week. I am very fortunate to have been gifted a gift card for the Loblaws chain stores from work, so it was completely unexpected and totally appreciated. It was a great thanks for a job well done. I loved it!
Hi Angela,
Ah, you didn’t do too bad at all and Giant Tiger always has great deals on their products. I agree that you can save money buying convenience food at the grocery store rather than eating out which can be very costly. My wife had a bowl of soup when she went out with her mates to celebrate her birthday and that alone cost $9 for a small bowl. Thankfully it was a free birthday meal. That’s nice that you were gifted a gift card. There’s always use for a gift card when it relates to groceries. What was your overall cost for Thanksgiving and how many people did you feed? You get ballot #10 Mr.CBB