Posts Tagged ‘grocery budget for 2’

The Grocery Game Challenge #9 Feb 25-Mar 3,2013-No-Shop Week, No Means No!

Posted: February 26, 2013 in The Grocery Game
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Maybe Yes No

Photo Courtesy/Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We woke up yesterday morning with the intention of this week being a no-shop week, but that didn’t happen thanks to yours truly. So much for the no-shop clause as I’ve busted it for the month even though it’s the last shop for February. That’s right I’m the one to blame this week for making the wrong decision but that’s Ok we’re allowed to make mistakes. A no shopping day or week whichever you prefer to call it means “no shopping” including not even going near the stores. When you hear temptation call its you that has to make the final decision. Yes, No or Maybe is what runs through my mind and sometimes I lose to temptation, it happens to the best of us.

I don’t know what made me go into the shops yesterday but what I do know is that the decision cost me $47.73 of which I would not have spent had I stuck to the grocery budget. Typically we shop no frills then food basics as we can price match if we need to but yesterday I just had this urge to go in to 2 shops to see what’s on sale. The thing is when you have a grocery budget for 2 you really don’t need as much as you think in the house. I think we go overboard with spending on food items that hang around our house or we used to  but that’s all changing. Shortly I’m going to do a blog post on what we eat in a typical day and why we don’t need to spend so much on food. The premise of “if it’s in the house, you will eat it” stands true and sometimes we eat more than we should because of it. Going back to Pauline’s post of making the best of what is available it really makes me think of the amount of food we buy that is pure marketing in my eyes.

What is a No-Shop Week for us?

When we started this grocery game challenge part of the deal was that we would spend less time in the stores so we would save some money. We found the more we went in the more we would shop. You all know, you do it yourselves when you see something and you try to justify why you need to buy it. That’s you, having a back and forth conversation with your mind and the side of the brain that wins is the one that says no. In most cases or at least in my experience it’s typically something we don’t need although a good bargain has caught me off guard although it’s rare it’s a “must have now” purchase. Sometimes I wonder if we just like to shop to be nosey or to see if we are missing out on anything.

I’m not talking just about grocery shopping because it’s easy for me to go into Sears, Canadian Tire or Home Depot and pull the same stunt, the “just looking” to see what’s on sale that’s not advertised game. That game can get costly if you don’t have self-control or a budget but the problem I had was that I knew we had money left to spend so I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I was wrong but hey, we live and learn. This is our personal agenda, maybe not yours but it has helped us to save lots of money on crap we didn’t need to buy. I’m sure many people, us included can look around our house at items we spent money on while “window shopping” that we don’t even use. This is what the moral of the entire no-shop week is about for us, less spending more doing.

What did I learn from this?

I learned that there is no “maybe” and no “yes” on the dice, it’s No. No means No. If we take the time to put a plan into place we should stick to it although rules are meant to be broken, I know. I’m not saying stay out of the shop if there is an emergency and you need diapers I’m saying stay out of the shops if you don’t need to be in there. If you have no plan, no grocery shopping list then you likely didn’t anticipate the shop. If you run out of a spice to cook a meal, find a new meal to cook or eat it without that spice or substitute it. If you MUST go into the shop to pick up an item you forgot send the person with the most strength to say no, and that’s not always me. Mrs.CBB though is the one I have to watch out for but she will beg to differ stating that I’m the one who she has to control. Good thing we work as a team. What I would do the next time if I MUST go in is go straight to the product I need and right back to the cash. Get in, get out as the good saying goes and try to remember, No means No even if you have to say it over and over. Freedom from debt feels better than stuff.

How do you stop yourself from buying more than you need if you go in for one item?

Grocery Game Challenge No Shop Week Feb

Our Grocery Game Challenge Results 

Food Basics

  • 3 x Classico Basil Pesto Sale $1.87
  • 3 x Classico Sun-Dried Tomato Sale $1.87
  • 1 x Dried Apricots $0.97
  • 1x cumin Sale $1.00
  • 10 x Colgate Total Advanced Health Toothpaste Sale $1.99-$1.50 coupons (not in picture, forgot it …..oops)
  • 4 lbs Navel Oranges $3.97
  • Loose Weight Garlic $1.77 (I’m finding the 5 packs to be mouldy lately)
  • 2 x 1L Lactancia Cream Sale $2.49-$0.75
  • 1 x Pita Bread $0.99 
  • 4 x Dempsters Bread Sale $2.29- Buy 2 bread save $2.00 on fruits or vegetables
  • 1 x Pack of pork chops $10.00-30%
  • 2 x bags of fresh spinach $1.50 each

Total Out of Pocket $46.04

Zehrs

  • 1 x Gold Sour Cream Sale $2.69-$1.00

Total Out of Pocket $1.69

Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year : $2819.38
  • Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $235.00 or $78.33 week with one no-shop week per month or $58.75 for 4 weeks per month. (During the months with 5 weeks we just make it work)
  • Total Coupons Used this Week : $24.50
  • Total Discounts this Week: $3.00 (meat)
  • Total Checkout 51 rebates this Week: $0 Don’t Use this service
  • Total Checkout 51 rebates this Month: $0 Don’t Use this service
  • Total Colleague Discounts (CD) this Week: $0 I wish I had a discount
  • Total Colleague Discounts (CD) this Month:$0 see above 
  • Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
  • Total Rewards Points Used: $0
  • Stockpile Budget: $20.00 Used: $0 Already Spent for month of February
  • Total Spent This Week:$ 47.73
  • Total Spent So Far for (Feb): $26.27+41.50 +45.27+$47.73=$160.77
  • Total Over/Under spend this shop: $47.73 over as it should have been a no-shop week
  • Total Over/Under spend for the month of  (Feb): under $74.23
  • Total Left to Spend for the Month: $74.23 but this is last shop for the month 
  • Total Coupons Used This Month :$6.00+8.00+8.00+ $24.50 = $46.50
  • Total to Carry Over Next Month : $ n/a We don’t carry over 
  • Total Spent To Date This Year: $206.95 (Jan)+ $160.77 (Feb)= $367.72

Weekly Overview:  Well you read my thoughts on no-shop and what it should mean and how we are going to make a plan of action. I’m not beating myself up by any means although I do try to understand our motivations and what drives us into the shops. We still came in under budget for the month which is great and the money we did not spend will stay in our savings account as we don’t carry over.

Some Coupons We Found This Week

February_Coupons-Grocery-Game-Challenge

How was your grocery shop this week? Post your shop exactly like how I did and let us all know. 

FAQ’s- Grocery Game Challenge RULES…..

  1. 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 players from around the world.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Where can I find Canadian Coupons? Here are your latest Coupon Match-ups  of the week including Checkout 51 from 25 Newspaper Inserts around Canada compliments of Save Big Live Better that you can use to help you save money in the Grocery Game Challenge.

Canadian Samples

Giveaway! We have reached 4000 LIKES on Facebook and I must say I’m so proud of the community of fans that we are building because each and every one of you bring personal experiences to the table that we can all learn from. I thank you all for sharing your tips, opinions, tricks and secrets, personal stories but most of all for taking the step towards understanding your own personal finance. Canadian Budget Binder began with the people in mind and not only sharing our personal experiences or getting the experts in to share but for you to come forward and tell the world your story. We can all learn from each other, this is what CBB is all about and it will never change!

How To Enter

Win either a Canadian Samples Pack or a second prize consisting of an envelope of Canadian coupons. Thank you to Katrina Bearinger for donating the sample pack. If you missed her amazing story on CBB you can read about her initiative about how she turned her passion and skills into making extra money.  Click here to Enter Note: Contest Closes March 1, 2013 at 12 am EST. -Update, Contest Closed Winners Contacted. 

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Making The Best Of What Is Available: My Grocery Shopping

Posted: February 18, 2013 in Frugal Living
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Grocery Shop Garden Vegetables

I have lived in five different countries over the past 10 years such as  France, Guatemala, Spain, the UK and Morocco. While I love to cook, changing country had taught me that you can’t have the same meal plan wherever you live. Grocery shopping is a different experience in every country. In France, cheese is cheap and delicious, while finding cheese other than orange cheddar is a challenge in Guatemala. You would think that living in a cheaper country means that every daily item is cheaper. It is true. But daily items mean what the people who live there eat.

In Guatemala that means beans, rice, meat and vegetables. Not cheese. Cheese is a luxury that is not part of the lower and middle class diet. Even milk is a luxury, which is strange because there are so many cows, but I guess the whole refrigerated distribution is complicated. Instead of having cheese for lunch and dinner as I would in France, I eat mozzarella or cheddar cheese once or twice a week, on pizza or omelets. And once in a while, I pay a premium to enjoy a nice goat cheese from a gourmet delicatessen, with a glass of wine.

Wine is another thing that I have learned to replace. In France any supermarket knows how to store wine, in a dry and cool room. Here it is about 30 degrees Celsius all year at the main port where containers arrive with the wine. Customs can take days to clear while the wine gets a heat shock. Then it is brought to my little town on a bumpy road, and you take a serious bet when you buy a bottle there. Once again, I could go to the wine shops of Guatemala City and pay the price of an excellent Bordeaux for an average at best bottle of wine, or switch to beer like I did, which is just fine.

Dinner in Guatemala

So what are meals like in Guatemala?

Usually a piece of meat or a fresh fish from the lake, a side of rice and a few vegetables. We don’t do three courses like the French, or even desert. Simple, healthy and cheap. Meat is $3/lb, we eat lunch and dinner with a pound since I don’t eat much meat. Rice is the base of any meal, when in France it was potatoes. Not that potatoes are expensive, usually they cost $0.40/lb, but my boyfriend says I have turned him into a ”potatovore” so I try to balance and learn how to cook more rice. Rice is perfect to fry with any leftover vegetables by the way, so often the odd carrot or zucchini ends up diced in the rice.

Another thing that I have had to get used to is shopping once a week or once a fortnight. The nearest supermarket is 20 miles away and with our not so efficient car it costs $20 round trip. So I plan my meals accordingly and have invested in a deep freezer to avoid food waste. I buy as many vegetables as possible, dice and freeze the ones that will be cooked anyway and could go bad quickly. Like celery, zucchini or cauliflower. I also freeze the meat, bacon, cheese (as we only eat that cheese cooked on pizzas or crepes it doesn’t matter).

On the first days after a grocery shop we have a side of salad, as after three days the lettuce starts looking sad in the fridge, then for the rest of the week we eat the vegetables that last longer like onions, tomatoes and avocados. Delicious ripe avocados are a real delight here, and I make a mean guacamole!

Mojarra Fish

For breakfast, we have eggs (from our hens) and beans, the typical Guatemalan breakfast. Or crepes. They are like breakfast burritos, you can put anything inside, egg, cheese, ham, tomatoes, jalapeño chilis, basil, onion… filling and delicious. If I want bacon on my eggs or crepes, I would cut a little bit of my frozen bacon and cook it in a few minutes. The packs of bacon are too big and would go bad if I had them in the fridge. The only processed food I buy on a regular basis is a can of pureed beans, that we have with breakfast. I could cook the black beans for three hours, blend them, cook them some more with onions and garlic, and then fry them a little, but that four-hour process is too long, plus unlike my crepes, I never get them to taste right. No disappointment with the can.

Dinner is not a very important meal here, many people just have a hot coffee and biscuits. Coffee is the one thing you would imagine is to die for here and super cheap, but apparently the best coffee is exported so we also buy quite an expensive coffee for my boyfriend as I don’t drink coffee. We don’t systematically have dinner, sometimes we snack on chips, or have something sweet, like my homemade frozen yogurt. I have cultures that turn milk into yogurt and then freeze it with a little sugar and some pieces of fruit. Or blend the frozen yogurt with fruits. Banana and apple were my last favourite.

Freshly Harvested Beans

Our diet is quite basic, and I do almost everything from scratch. We never buy frozen meals, I cook and freeze. A few products are really expensive like I mentioned, although most days we eat pretty cheaply. I am trying to keep an eye on the grocery spending and have joined the grocery game challenge, with a goal of $200 per month for two. I have only $100 for January and February because we did a big shop for Christmas, and I am fully stocked on expensive items. If you would like to see more about grocery prices in Guatemala, and how bad I miss coupons, you can check Mr CBB’s grocery game challenge posts.

I forgot to say that we also buy drinking water, we pump our water from the lake to shower and do dishes and it is a very clear lake but we’d rather not risk it, so every week, a truck delivers a 5 gallon tank of potable water to our door for $2.

Colorful Market Town of Zunil

My point with this post, apart from showing you how the food and cooking goes in Guatemala is to suggest that you try doing the best you can with what you have on hand.

  • If you live in the country, chances are you will find farmers selling corn by the side of the road at a bargain during harvest season. Make all kinds of recipes and you won’t feel like you are eating the same thing all the time.
  • If the supermarket has a special item on offer, stock up, not so much that you will throw food, just enough to prepare a few cheap meals.
  • If you harvest berries in the woods, wash them and freeze them to enjoy them all year.
  • If you have a garden, learn how to can or preserve your surplus crop.
  • If you find a deal on beef meat, freeze part of it and don’t buy chicken or pork that week.
  • If you go to the market at the end of the day, forget your shopping list and articulate your meals around the reduced products.

Having an exotic meal once in a while is perfectly fine, but if you want to control your grocery spending, your best bet is to make do with what is cheap and available.

The following is a guest post from Pauline Paquin, a French girl who blogs over at Reach Financial Independence. Born and raised in Paris, Pauline writes about how she has been traveling the world for the past 10 years, while trying to build wealth and achieve financial independence, and how you can follow your dreams and reach your goals too. You can follow Pauline on Twitter @RFIndependence

Editors Note: Thanks Pauline for opening our eyes to food and grocery shopping in a different culture and a small part of your life in Guatemala.

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