Canadian Budget Binder

Boxing Day Deals kept piling up in our shopping cart today but that’s OK we planned to pick up some great deals and we did. Not everyone fancies going out for boxing day but for us we were pretty sure it would save us some money. I’m guessing many of the people working on boxing day were just as anxious to pick up deals. Our cashier at Canadian Tire told us that she wants to pick up a few things after her shift if there’s anything left. There was a great deal today spend $60 and get a $15 spending card so I don’t blame her. They were pretty much throwing money back at us and we used every bit of it. We planned to be at Sears for 6 am when they opened but that didn’t happen. Laziness kicked in and we just didn’t give  a toss when we got there because we thought if we find what we want great but we’re not running out at stupid-o-clock for a deal. We finally made it out by noon with a Tim Horton’s coffee in hand and made our way to the mall, Sears, Value Village and Canadian Tire. I personally don’t see the difference opening so early and why regularly scheduled hours are any different. The customers will come whether it’s 6 am or 9 am because if there’ s money to be saved they will come knocking.

Since we are away on holiday for Christmas we won’t be buying any food this week. We also will be taking home tonnes of leftover food from the relatives that will keep us going for a few days. There’s nothing wrong with leftovers in our house. We ate some pretty awesome food this week including a panettone eggie bread with maple syrup. If you want this elegant holiday recipe keep an eye on the blog so you don’t miss it.

This is the final grocery game challenge post for December 2012 and I’ll be posting the winner in first grocery game post for January. If you read the grocery game rules again you will see I made changes to the template. I added in some other figures that Mrs.CBB and I want to track for 2013.  I typically ask for the posters to copy paste the template at the end of their shop so I can see the numbers. This is not only for me and other fans but for you to track your progress all year-long.

I can’t believe almost an entire year has passed since we start posting the grocery game. I’ve had some amazing fans jump aboard and post their shops with me to help them stick to their grocery budget. So many people would email me to ask me the same question “how much should my grocery budget be?” and the answer is simple.. depends on your overall budget and what’s left after paying your fixed costs. I know with 2013 just around the corner that our budget will increase for food which means we will work even harder this year to come up with frugal recipes along with sticking to the budget. I hope you hop on board with all of us. Tell your friends about the grocery game so they too can save money in the budget. This is the place where we motivate each other to stick to the second highest cost in the household, groceries.

Our Purchases

Shoppers Drug Mart

• 1x Milk $4.19
• Total Out of Pocket $4.19

 Our Grocery Game Challenge Results 

• Total Grocery Budget for the Week: $84.23 (For the month of Dec)
• Total Coupons Used this Week:$0
• Total Scanning Code of Practice: $0
• Total Spent This Week:$4.19
• Total Spent So Far for December: $24.28+38.36+$4.19+$4.19=$71.02
• Total Over/Under spend this shop: $N/A this month
• Total Left to Spend for the Month: $13.21
• Total Coupons Used This Month : $8.54+23.57=$32.11
  

Overall: We spent under budget this month but that’s ok as we know we spent more on groceries over the course of the year than we should have. I’ll have the final numbers in an upcoming post as well as our plan for 2013. It’s going to be a better year for us now that we know our spending habits. How about you?

FAQ’s- Grocery Game Challenge RULES…..

• 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.

• 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.

• Where can I find Canadian Coupons?

There are many places you can find Canadian Coupons whether it be in store or via the mail.

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.

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