The grocery game challenge #2 Sept 9-15, 2013: Why you should use the produce scale
It’s Worth It To Always Check Your Numbers
You can go in just about any of the grocery store chains in Canada including small markets or even organic grocery stores and you will likely find a produce scale or a grocery scale depending on what department you are shopping in.
Today I want to focus on the produce scale only because I happened to notice while grocery shopping on Friday in the midst of chaos because we went at the wrong time that not many people actually use the grocery scale at all. In fact we must have noticed only 2 or 3 people bother to weigh what grocery store products they were purchasing before pushing their grocery cart off to the next fruits and vegetables.
Normally we go shopping during the day if we can when it’s quiet but since I’m on vacation we thought we would battle the aisles with the Friday crowd when the new flyer specials came out for the week. Bad Idea!
When I was talking to my best friend this morning and he told me that he never looks at the price when things are sold by weight, only the final price. This got me thinking because it’s just not fruits and vegetables he was talking about. How many of you do the math when you buy a pack of ground meat or sausages that are sold by weight?
I’m betting many of you don’t have the time to sit there and figure it out nor do you carry a calculator in hand, although most cell phones have one built-in. The reality though is that many people are clueless when it comes to doing math or they simply don’t care like my friend but does that really help your grocery budget if you are guessing how much the fruit you just packed up will cost you at the cash or whether the math is correct on the pre-packaged meat you are purchasing.
I’ll be the first to say that yes I’ve done the math in the meat department many, many times. I’ve actually found an error on the pricing that way and it was a start the car moment but unless you did the math you would not know. It goes both ways here so even though the meat department might be using a meat scale with a printer they need to make sure they are putting in the correct data.
I’m pretty sure all the scales are regulated and checked but human error can cost the store money if it’s not caught by someone. The same goes with our grocery budget and paying attention to pricing, especially when items are scanned incorrect and you can apply the scanning code of practice.
Pay attention
Mindfulness when grocery shopping can be so difficult and to be honest shopping on Friday was so chaotic when we were walking out of the store we both looked at each other and said that there was no way we could look for deals let alone pull out our coupons when looking at the grocery store food. When we plan our grocery list we estimate how much of each product we will purchase if it is in the produce section. You will see that for the most part all the prices for each product are clearly labelled as in the photo above so taking note of the price is important.
If we have $20 to spend for the grocery shop and apples are on sale for $1.00 per pound and we only want 1 pound so around 454 grams we need to make sure we weigh the apples on the scale to make sure we don’t get more than we need or want so we don’t go over budget. The last thing you want to do is be like my friend (sorry mate) who finds out just how much he has in the bag and the cost at the cash.
If you really want to stick to a grocery budget you will weigh your produce. I can’t see everyone being picky about the cost of meat and whether the numbers all match up but for those of us who do the math I’m sure at one point you were happy you did because you made a pricing discovery that was indeed an error on the meat department.
Food waste
Another thing to consider and we’ve talked about this before and it is food spoiling in your refrigerator because you didn’t get to it on time. If you are guessing how much you are purchasing you may find you are buying too much and are eating the same thing every day or you can’t keep up and it goes rotten and into the compost heap for your garden.
When you set your grocery budget and when you look through your flyers to build your shopping list and menu plan take notice of how much the price is, how much you can afford to buy and weigh it on the grocery store to see if you are dead on because the scales are well-marked so you don’t really have to guess the metric system in your head.
Do you weigh your fruits and vegetables and/or check the math on meat products that are pre-weighed and priced?
September grocery game recap
I will post the previous weeks grocery game here for ease of finding them each week if you need to go back and post your shops for the month.
Grocery saving tips
Free Money Saving Downloads is lists that were created to get us on track to work towards reaching our budgeting goals. Get organized with a freezer inventory, meal plan, shopping list, price comparison list and much moreall for FREE. I want to see you save money in your budget.
Click, Save and Print. It’s that easy
- Let Your Coupons Expire And Save Money
- Welfare Food Challenge $26 Per Week In The Grocery Budget
- What A No-Shop Week Really Means
- Should You Buy It Now Or Buy It Later?
- Stock Up On Items When You Can
- The Cost Of Organic Food
- What Foods You Should Not Eat and Organic Gardening
- Knowing Your Prices Is The Key To Saving Money In The Grocery Budget
- Product Price Adjustments Don’t Miss The Savings
- Scanning Code of Practice In Canada (SCOP)
- How To Start Saving Money On Groceries In Canada?
- How Much Should My Grocery Budget Be?
- Top Ten Ways To Cut Your Grocery Budget
- Meal Planning For The Budget
- The Grocery Game Challenge and Our Grocery Budget
- Grocery Budget Saving Tips
- Food Shopping On A Budget
- How To Grocery Shop
- Grocery Store Self-Scanners
- Food and Vegetable Preparation
- Best Time To Grocery Shop
- Organic Food Costs
- Why Shopping Hungry Is Not A Smart Idea
- Are We Eating Too Much Food?
- Discount Days and Rewards Programs
- Getting Back On Track With Food Budgeting
- Why You Should Ignore Your Grocery Flyers
- The Low-GI Diet and Your Budget
- How To Track Grocery Expenses
- Comparing Prices With a Price Comparison List
- Why Too Much Salt Is Not Good For Us
- Shopping More Than Once Per Week
- Food Samples When Shopping
- Food Waste In Canada
Food food and more food
Freshco
- 4 x watermelon Sale $2.00 ea
- 4 x cucumber Sale $0.66 ea
- Hellman’s Olive oil Mayo $3.00 Sale
- Field Tomatoes $1.04
- Romain hearts Sale $1.00
- 3 x lemons $0.40 ea
- Celery $1.00
- Fennel/Anise Sale $1.99
- Oranges $3.00
- Ed Smith Pumpkin Puree $3.19
- Dried apricots Sale $1.00
Total out-of-pocket $27.06
Zehrs
- 4 x pumpernickel bread $3.00- pink sticker %50 off
- 2 x Bernadine labels $0.25 ea
- 8 x Bernadine Standard lids $0.25 ea
- 2 x 454g mushrooms – %50 pink sticker $$3.68 reg price
- 2 x Lined Paper $0.15 ea
- Pack of sweet corn Sale $1.88
- 2 x grapefruit $0.99 ea
Total out-of-pocket $16.70
Shoppers Drug Mart
- Milk $3.97
Total out-of-pocket $3.97
Yearly grocery budget for two: $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 Budget For September: $234.57 which is $235.00-$0.43 overspend in August
- Total Coupons Used this Week : $0
- Total Discounts this Week: $0
- Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
- Total Rewards Points Used: $0
- Stockpile Budget: $20.00 Used $0
- Total Spent This Week: $47.73
- Total Spent So Far for September $
- Total Over/Under spend this shop: $0
- Total Over/Under spend for the month of (September): $ 0
- Total Left to Spend for the Month:$107.82- $47.73= $60.09 left to spend in September
- Total Coupons Used This Month:$n/a
- Total to Carry Over Next Month: $0
- Total Spent To Date This Year: $206.95 (Jan)+ $160.77 (Feb) + (March)$169.62 + (April)$397.74+(May) $155.68 + (June) $216.01+ (July) $235.83 (August) $182.35=$1724.95 (does not include stockpile budget)
- Rendezvous Account: $65.38 This is money saved if there is any leftover at the end of a month of grocery shopping for a date night for the wife and I.
Weekly Overview:We had a fairly good shop this week mainly picking up fruits and vegetables. I think we are on track for a successful September.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grocery Game Challenge RULES….. Read the rules first and if you have any questions email me or comment on this post with your question and someone will answer you as soon as possible.
- 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.
- 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 affected 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? 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.
- What is an FPC? An fpc is a free product coupon which means you can get a free product as described on the coupon.
- How Do I Know what stores accept coupons? You can find all your store coupon policies here. If you are not sure it’s always best to call the store and ask.
- How Do I Grocery Shop?– I can tell you about grocery shopping and what we do in terms of shopping to save money and how it works for us. There are no wrong or right answers, just smart choices.
Over time you will gradually learn where you should and shouldn’t go in the grocery store or at least how to say no, I’m on a budget I ‘need to buy this or that. You may also substitute items in order to stick to your budget to make it work. Nobody is perfect, heck we struggle with this part of our budget like many people do and this is why the grocery game challenge was created.
If you have just joined The Grocery Game Challenge get ready to dive deep into your grocery budget and learn just where you are spending, how much you are spending and what you are saving. You’ve made a wise decision.
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I shop for 2 adults and a 2 ½ year old boy. Our budget is $90/week or $450 for this month and includes laundry, health/beauty, etc.
RCSS
Wonder bread 2 x $2.18 – 2 x $1.00 CO51
Almond milk 2/$4.00 – 2 x $1.00 coupons
Almond milk 2 /$7.00 – 2 x $2.00 coupons
Habitant pea soup (PM FB) 2 x $1.00
PC BM jam 2 x $3.49
M&M’s 2 x $1.09 – 2 x FPC
Eggo’s $2.97 – FPC – $1.00 CO51
Milk $3.99
Maxwell house coffee (PM SDM) $6.99 – $5.00 coupon
Goldfish 3 x $1.98
Cream cheese (PM SDM) $2.99
BD cheese bar (PM Target) 2 x $3.66 – 2 x $.75 coupons
Q-tips (PM WM) 2 x $2.47 – 2 x $1.00 coupons
Mascara (PM WM) 2 x $4.98
Dove bar soap 10 x $1.79 – 50% pink stickers – $9.00
Bath fun time spray foam $3.99 – 50% pink sticker – $2.00
Tax free day $3.64
Coupons $19.65
CO51 $3.00
OOP $62.04
RCSS
Cheerios hearty oats(PM Target) $2.79 – $1.00 coupon
Soy milk drinking boxes 3 x $2.27 – 3 x $.50 coupons
Almond milk drinking boxes $3.49 – FPC
PC Decadent cookies $1.98 – FPC
Allens juice boxes $1.67
PC juice boxes $1.49
Lay’s chips (PM WM) 2 x $1.88 (had to bring to a party)
MiO 4 x $2.99 – 2 x $2.00 coupons
Coupons $15.46
Tax free $2.05
OOP $18.49
RCSS
Almond milk 2/$7.00 – 2 x $2.00 coupons
Coconut yogurt $4.59 – FPC
PC salsa $2.49
Piller’s ham (PM FC) $3.00
Hummus (PM WM) $2.97
Sausage buns $3.19 – 50% pink sticker – $1.60
Hot dog buns $2.18 – 50% pink sticker – $1.09
Cucumber (PM FB) 2/$1.00
Garlic $.49
Romaine $.99
Oranges (PM) $1.79
Carrots (10lbs) $1.88
Potatoes (10lbs) $1.88
Bananas $2.00
Coupons $8.59
OOP $24.17
Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year : $4,680 ($90/week)
•Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $450 (5 shopping weeks this month) – $14.50=$435.50 (I went over last month)
•Total Coupons Used this Week : $43.70
•Total Coupons Used This Month : $75.67
• Total Coupons Used this Year: $1408.52
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this week: $3.00 + $3.00 (for using VISA)=$6.00
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this month: $8.00
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this year: $123.00
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this week: $0
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this month:$0
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this year: $394.31 (Unfortunately this month is the end of using the card for us as we are no longer allowed to use it)
• Total SCOP this week: $0
• Total SCOP this month: $0
• Total SCOP this year: $4.24
•Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
•Total Spent This Week: $104.70
•Total Spent So Far for September: $207.96
•Total Over/Under spend this shop: N/A
•Total Over/Under spent for the month of September: N/A
•Total Left to Spend for the Month: $227.54
•Total to Carry over Next Month: I do not carry over to the next month.
•Total Spent To Date This Year: $3044.89
•Weekly overview: So far for the month I’m a little over but hopefully I will catch up. I find myself being a little more picky with what I purchase now that I don’t have the discount card. This shop also had almost 2 full weeks in it.
We have a grocery budget issue coming up…we signed up for one of those programs where you have free range and antibiotic free meat delivered to your house for a year and pay monthly. This is going to eat up $172 a month (or $40/week) of our grocery budget. I hope we can manage. I was talking to one of my best friends who does this as she wants “healthier” meat for her children and she said that she is going on 14 months and she still has meat in the freezer so hopefully we will encounter the same fortune and be able to benefit in the long run. We did get a free set of pots as well lol. I guess you’ll have to keep an eye on me now! We did sample the meat and it does taste way better than what we were eating (at least the chicken breast did!).
Our weekly budget is $100 making this month $400.
It was a busy few days for me and shopping. Money didn’t last very long!!!
Sobeys
$15.18 sirloin tip roasts (3 roasts)
$9.80 top sirloin cap steaks (3meals)
$1.29 green leaf lettuce
.99×2 cucumber
$5.31 4L milk
$4.49 caramel machitio muffins
$3.99-$1.50C international creamer
Target
$4.88×2 cb cheese
$2.99×2-$3C downy softener
$2.99-$2C bounce sheets
$14.20 total oop
$5 total coupons
Safeway
$1.32×5-$2C 2L pop
$4.79 4L vinegar
$9.65 total oop
$2 total coupons
Walmart
$2×2-$3C febreeze spray
$2.97 fries
$5.97-$2C janes chicken
$4.47 vitamin c chewable
.57×5 frozen juice
.97 French bread
$14.94 total oop
$5 total coupons
save on foods (stacking)
this was my last time stacking P&G coupons due to them changing their policy
$1.66×3 barilla plus pasta
$3X4 bicks pickles asstd
$5.99 bounty 6pk
$5.99 puffs 4pk
$8.99 charmin 12pk
$5.99 cascade actionpks
$4.99 tide pods
$2.50×2 bistro express rice
$11.55 total oop
$42.75 total coupons
$90.89 total weekly oop
$56.25 total weekly coupons
$180.97 total monthly oop
$76.88 total monthly coupons
Hi Juanita,
Another great week of shopping for you and under budget. You are doing awesome this month. Go girl~ You used tonnes of coupons this week wow. I can’t remember the last time we used that many coupons in one week, it’s been years. Keep up the great shopping…. I bet you will beat your budget this month!!!! You get ballot 11
hey Mr.CBB
There has been very little at the shops that I’m willing to pay an arm and a leg for fresh produce!
So we have been enjoying the few items I buy and the yummies coming outta our garden.
We gave canning a try this weekend and made dill pickles outta the cucumbers from the hubby’s grandmas garden. Thankfully the cost was only twentyish dollars for the 1L jars and vinegar, since I had dried dill, garlic frozen in the freezer and salt in the cupboard it helped keep our costs down. Now we just have to wait four months to eat them!! Probably won’t last that long 😉
I have my eyes on some flour that is supposed to be marked down, hope that doesn’t hurt the budget too much if I buy it. I’m sure I can make it work.
It’s great that you get to eye those deals and it saves you lots of money. I say keep on doing what you are doing because you are doing it right. I’m jealous of your garden this year.
Here are my shops for the week, both are at Foodland this week. I got a little bit of an extra discount with the one shop as Kelly gave me a seniors discount…. What a stinker!!! I’ve known her since she was 5 and now has two little girls of her own!!!
Sept 7
1 can tomatoes- .99
bananas- .97
2 small zucchinis- 1.55
6 Gatorade @1.66- 9.96
1 pasta sauce- 1.79
2 packs pasta@ 2.00- 4.00
1 multi grain bread- 2.79
1 pack ice cream drumsticks- 2.97
1 18 pack eggs- 2.97
1 cranberry cocktail- 2.99
2 MG Cheerios @2.99- 5.98
1 bag Paula Red apples- 2.99
1 raisin bread- 2.99
1 Cinnabon bread- 3.29
1 Liberte yogurt- 3.99
1 Bisto gravy powder- 3.99
Parmesan cheese, grated- 4.15
2 cheese blocks @ 4.44- 8.88
2 4l milk @4.79- 9.58
1 jug water- 5.49
1 case ginger ale- 5.78, 2.00 coupon
1 box chocolate bars (Halloween)- 5.99
Tax- 3.21
Total-$95.28, 2.00 coupon
Sept 11
bananas- 1.11
4 Gatorade@ 1.66- 6.64
1 18 pack eggs- 2.97
1 WW bread- 2.98
1 bagels- 2.99
1 Oatmeal Crisp cereal- 2.99
1 MG Cheerios- 2.99
1 block cheese- 4.44
1 4l milk- 4.79
1 jug water- 5.49
1 case ginger ale- 5.87, 2.00 coupon
1 chicken nuggets- 5.99
Seniors discount- 2.27
tax- 1.53
Total- $50. 41, 2.00 coupon, 2.27 discount
Total Budget for month- $600.00
Total budget for year- $7800.00
Total coupons and discounts this week- $6.27
Total spent this week- $145.69
Total spent this month- $144.48+$145.69=$290.17
Total over/under for week- $4.31under
Total over/under for month- N/A
Left for month- $309.83
Total coupons/discounts for month- $7.55+$6.27=$13.82
Total Carryover- $530.52
Total YTD- J$818.08+F$598.07+M$770.12+A$938.07+M$650.13+J$876.78+J$734.75+A$625.95+S$290.17= $6302.12
So for the second week this month I made it under. The gatorade was a decent price and we were almost out so there was a wee stock up.Kelly was a stinker with the discount, I called her on it and she just laughed and said to not question her. As I said I have known her since she was a little kid. I’m friends with her Mom and some of her step cousins…. It saved me a little so what ever. There were some nice deals this week… cheese, eggs, cereal, ice cream treats, bread, bagels… the chocolate bars have been hid for Halloween. Foodland is celebrating their 50th anniversary right now with a contest, so far I’ve won a couple of .50 coupons but I haven’t used them yet. The chocolate bars got me an extra ticket for the contest and they were a couple of bucks off. Works for me. Not sure if I can come under this week but hopefully for the month… I have a little room there now. I need meat for a few meals so we shall see what deals I can get….
Hey Christine,
I like a good seniors discount lol.. tkae it while you can. I’m so happy you were under budget. Do you think the chocolate will last until halloween lol? That’s great you are winning coupons from Foodland because every penny counts. I’m sure you can come under for the month if you plan it that way and stick to the plan. Keep focused and you can do it. You get ballot 9
The chocolate should last, I didn’t tell anyone I got it and it’s up on the top shelf of the pantry behind the packs of pasta up there. Even I need a chair to get to it!!!! So long as it stays up there out of sight it’s good. Mind you I’ll keep an eye out for other deals on Halloween chocolate bars, so we will have lots by then… Oh Foodland had pumpkins out this morning!!!!!!!! Didn’t see a price yet but I’ll be getting one very soon!!!!!
Oh Christine, you are making me laugh this morning hahaha… you know it’s there and will find any means to get at it when you want it lol. I love you all!! lol
Hello everybody!
i use the scale often when i buy fresh produce, but i have never used it for meat. Now that you have said that, i will next time i get meat!! Dont want anyone to take advantage of me lol
I bought quite a bit of dog food this week because walmart has it on sale. i combine it with my coupons to make it almost half price of what i usually get, so i stocked up. this will be good for a few months for our little Gracie. 🙂 Also another big find this week was Pedigree marrowbone dog treats at Giant Tiger. They have them on for 0.74 for a small pack. i have some coupons of save $2 WUB2 to make them making me overage, that means pedigree pays me to buy their dog treats lol so i for sure stocked up for Gracie again! She loves the marrowbones!! 😀 have you seen Gracie before? she is a Pomeranian, came to Canada with me on the same flight together with our 2 cats. i will post a picture of Gracie on your facebook later on. 🙂
This is my weekly shops:
September 9-15, 2013
Budget for 2 people + 3 pets: $250/month
September’s spending: 119.39+29.83=149.22
September’s budget left: 250-119.39-29.83=100.78
September’s coupon used: 70.56+45.22
My shops for the last week: 2.35+5.32+22.16=29.83
Giant Tiger #1 total: $2.35
Glad freezer bags 4×1.43-2×2.00WUB2=1.72
Pedigree dog treats 2×0.74-2.00WUB2= -0.52overage
Cream 1.00-0.75=0.25
HST 0.94
rounded down -0.04
Giant Tiger #2 total: $5.32
Ketchup 2.75
Potato mix 2×0.87=1.74
Pedigree dog treats 6×0.74-3×2.00WUB2=-1.56 overage
Spaghettini 0.69
Foil 0.99
HST 0.90
Walmart total: $22.16
Cesar dog food 4×8.47-3×3.00-FPC=16.41
Zantac’s 6×2.22-6×3.00= -4.68overage
Pirate cookies 3×1.4=4.32
HST 6.14
Rounded down -0.03
————————————————————–
Hwy Wing
Great deal on the dog treats wow!! I would have stocked up for sure. We have a pet budget now because dog food just costs so much these days. You get some good overage with the zantac but we can’t find them anywhere. Keep up the great job with all your coupons and grocery budget. You get ballot 8
Week 35
Publix
Bread $3.15
Dozen Eggs $1.89
Coffee Creamer $3.50
Total Out of Pocket $8.04
Publix
Corned Beef $4.69
Canned Peas $0.91
Canned Corn $0.91
Total Out of Pocket $6.51
Publix
Pineapple Juice $3.49
Total Out of Pocket $3.49
Publix
bread $3.15
2 x toothpastes $2.89
Crisco Oil $7.99
Charmin Toilet paper $4.99
2 x town house crackers $5.00
Total Out of Pocket $24.50
Broward Meat
2 x festival $3.78
4 lbs Snapper Steaks $21.43
Cashews $1.99
Total Out of Pocket $27.20
Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year: $4000
Total Grocery Budget for September: $187.04
Total Coupons Used this Week: $0.00
Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0.00
Total Spent This Week: $69.74
Total Spent for September: $69.74
Total Underspend this shop: -$22.98
Total Overspend for the month of September: $117.30
Total Left to Spend for the Month: $117.30
Total Coupons Used This Month: $0.00
Total to Carry Over Next Month: $117.30
Total Spent To Date This Year: $ $3,227.89
Weekly Overview: I’m off to a good start this month. I was over on this shop but that was before I came back to tracking my purchases. I was keeping my receipts last month, but it took me that long to upload them to my spreadsheet
Hi Dr. Sheba
I hope your September will be the month where you can get back on track. The year is coming to an end faster than we can keep up these days but for all of us who budget and play the grocery game we will be able to reflect on the year to see where we want to bring 2014. You’ve come a long way since your first days of posting here and I can see how you are changing your thoughts and in most cases your spending although you know that there is plenty of room for improvement… You had a great shop this week even though you went over but you have just over $100 left to spend for the month. I want to see how well you are going to spread that money and if you can resist temptation. Keep up the awesome work, I’m proud of you. CBB
SEPTEMBER – Week #2 of 5 – September 9-15, 2013
2013 GROCERY BUDGET / STOCKPILE BUDGET AND US RESERVE:
•Total Grocery Budgeted For Year: $142.50 x 12 = $1,710.00 for 2 adults
•Total Stockpile Budgeted For Year: $47.50 x 12 = $570.00 for 2 adults
•Combined Grocery Budget for 2013: $190.00 x 12 = $2,280.00
==========================================================================
REMARKS FOR THE WEEK:
I thought briefly about running across the border to get some bread but after a night of waking up every 60 minutes all night long, I knew that I was in no shape to be driving on highways this morning. We’ll be in the US in 8 days…I will simply have to do without my gluten free bread until then. 😀
==========================================================================
OUR “CANADIAN” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
NO SHOPPING UNTIL WEEK #3 OF OCTOBER!!
==========================================================================
OUR “US RESERVE” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
NO SHOP UNTIL WEEK #3 OF SEPTEMBER
– next week…YIPPEE!!!
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2013 Y-T-D GROCERY SAVINGS:
•Total Loyalty Card Price Reductions This Year:
J$40.04+F$44.48+M$98.35+A$50.00+M$3.00+J$0.00+Jy$55.55
+Au($36.66)+S($52.74)= $303.10
•Total Coupons Used This Year:
J$60.46+F$0.00+M$11.79+A$12.48+M$1.50+J$54.54+Jy$ 42.16= +Au($3.80)+S($38.57)= $225.24
•Total More Points Earned This Year:
J265+F248+M151+A26+M0+J59+Jy7+Au26+S0= 782 Points
•Total Air Miles Earned This Year:
J57+F10+M30+A83+M0+J161+Jy20+Au(1)+S(208)= 570 Air Miles
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2013 Y-T-D GROCERY SPENDING:
•Total Grocery OOP Spent So Far This Year:
J$217.50+F$198.39+M$72.90+A$215.04+M$70.12+J$49.97+Jy$114.23 +Au($100.49)+S($47.50+4.98+10.48+67.89)= $1,169.49
•Total YTD Grocery Budget So Far:
J$190.00+F$190.00+M$108.79+A$142.50+M$142.50+J$50.00+
Jy$114.36+Au($99.62)+S($142.50-$32.50-$47.50=$110.00) = $1,147.77
•Total Over/Under on the YTD Grocery Budget: $21.72 OVER
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2013 Y-T-D STOCKPILE SPENDING:
•Total Stockpile OOP Spent So Far This Year:
J$0.00+Feb$0.00+M$81.21+A$77.55+M$17.45+J$82.86+Jy$79.24
+Au($0.00)+S($20.00)= $358.31
•Total YTD Stockpile Budget:
J$0.00+Feb$0.00+M$81.21+A$47.50+M$47.50+J$82.86+Jy$35.64+
Au$43.60+S($47.50-$27.50=$20.00) = $358.31
•Total Over/Under on the YTD Stockpile Budget: $0.00 AVAILABLE
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2013 RE-STOCKING RESERVE:
•Total 2014 Re-Stocking Budget:
J$0.00+Feb$0.00+M$0.00+A$0.00+M$0.00+J$0.00+Jy$17.50+Au $17.50 +S($27.50)= $62.50 AVAILABLE
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2014 Y-T-D BORSCHT STOCKPILE RESERVE:
•Total 2014 Borscht Stockpile Budget:
J$0.00+Feb$0.00+M$0.00+A$0.00+M$0.00+J$120.00+Jy$32.50+
Au$30.50+S$32.50= $215.50 AVAILABLE
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• TOTAL FUNDS SPENT IN 2013: $1,527.80 <<$1,710 was budgeted for Jan-Sept '2013
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CLOSING GROCERY POSITIONS FOR AUGUST:
CANADIAN $’s
Groceries: ($21.72) << Woops!
Stockpile: $0.00
2014 BORSCHT: $215.50
Cash Hiding Spot: $0.00
Re-Stocking Funds: $62.50
US $’s
Our Reserve: $148.73
US Cash Hiding Spot: $150.00
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The valid rain checks I hold are as follows:
Thrifty Foods:
4 China Lily Soya Sauce Refill bottles @$2.99 ea (Good until Nov 13th)
Safeway:
4 Safeway Select Boneless Honey Hams @ $8.99 (Good until Nov 29th)
4 Pantry Essentials 500g bacon @ $2.99 (Good until Dec 2nd)
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Hi MARY,
A no shop week for you this week. Sounds like you will be a happy girl once you go for your 8 day trip to the US to get your gluten free bread. 🙂 You get ballot 7
We are shopping in the US this coming Sunday but I can’t get too much as we have a 17 day vacation in Scottsdale coming up quickly! I am really looking forward to it! We’ve got free entrance tickets for a Greek festival, plan to hit 2 farmer’s markets and will do a day trip to Tucson to hit my favorite restaurant in Arizona.
I need bread, butter, milk, yogurt, Pamela’s GF Baking Mix and GF Cornbread Mix, dried beans, apple slices, dishwashing detergent (only if I see a sale) and I am watching to see if there’s any chocolate deals. I would like to send some chocolate treats to a couple of folks as little thank-you’s… but only if I can get a deal. 😀
Now that I have shifted into soup, chili and stew mode… it’s really simplifying my shops! After we get back from Scottsdale…I see a homemade seafood chowder in our future. 😀
Nope I never do. But I don’t think that would probably come as much of a surprise to you considering what I spend on groceries. 🙂
Nope, nothing surprises me with groceries when it comes to you Tonya lol..
i will freely admit that i have NEVER actually used the grocery scale. it would be a good idea, especially when purchasing pricey (per pound) items like cherries and grapes, because i often purchase far too many. i guess that i typically just assume that the scale at checkout will be accurate, but as you note– the store aren’t immune to errors.
It may be accurate at cash and it may not be and that’s a point I did not touch on so thanks for bringing that up. If you know what you bought because you weighed it than when the cashier weighs it you already have the power to know whether or not her scale is accurate because you previously weighed them.
I never use the scale. I should, I know. I just only use it if a recipe calls for a certain weight of something.
It’s worth it to use the scale when buying produce because you don’t want to buy more than you will eat or need.
Great idea to weigh produce. I have been surprised sometimes to find out how many pounds of tomatoes I am actually buying or grapes. I might have made a different choice if I would have weighed them!
It’s true and then you get to the cash and the cashier weighs it and your eyeballs pop out your head and what do you do, you wave it through.. ok.. lol..
Great post! I rarely use the scale but I think I’ll be using it more after reading this 🙂
it doesn’t hurt to take a moment to check… I’M HAPPY to hear you will try the scales now.
Looks like you got some nice deals!!! I’m jealous of the watermelon, I haven’t had any in ages as hubby doesn’t care for it so I would likely be the one eating the whole thing. Your prices are much better than I can get here..:(
I have found meat that was mis-labeled, remember the stewing beef I found that was labeled Lean ground beef???? I was too busy grabbing it to say much to anyone given that I think I got the last pack and it was such a good price for stewing beef!! I got a number of meals out of that, I made 2 batches of the baked stew recipe I got from Mary, and each batch worked out to 10 servings here. The four of us had 2 servings each plus there was enough for the boys to have when we were out of town.!!I keep looking for more deals like that….
I have been thinking with autumn coming up I might buy a pumpkin this year and cook it in the slow cooker for baking and then freeze it. I have baked it in the oven like you might squash and it worked out, a little runnier than canned but it worked just fine, especially if you drained it a little as you thawed it. I used one of the big pumpkins and we had pies, and muffins from it. One pumpkin went a fair way!!!
Oh, and last I looked my shops from last week were still in moderation……..
I’m eating a container full as i type this to you lol. Yes i do remember that time with the meat amd that is why I was thinking about it. Pumpkins are great and it breaks my heart to see so many of them end up in the trash after a few hours of fun. Ya they are in mod, I was hoping to catch up tonight.
When the kids were small and wanted a pumpkin for Halloween, I used to carve the day of Halloween with the kids, save the cut out bits and cook it the next day…. Then the kids got pumpkin muffins in their lunches and snacks. I see your point as I see the poor pumpkins drooping on the front steps weeks after Halloween when the frost has got them…..
I have never thought to weigh anything or check the price in prepackaged items. Another very useful tip from the wise grocery sage!
oh my goodness. we always read the labels and check the prices as we have found many errors in the past. never know unless you check.. cheers Kim
I weigh some produce but if my recipe calls for 1 medium…I get 1 medium. I too have caught some doozie errors in the meat department and dug through the rest of the pile to see if I got the one and only and generally it’s just one that is mis-marked. Hubby uses the calculator on the phone, I do the math in my head but either way we’ve spotted some amazing deals. 😀
Yes I don’t weigh if it’s one or 2 items but you can just as well find errors if you are mindful.
Mr. CBB! Busted! I do not use the scale. It is as if I’ve forgotten to use it. I used to, but it’s almost as if I don’t see it (unless I bang my head on it). We have been so tired of paying so much for apples and do love certain kinds, so we’ll have to use this. And, if you really have apples for $1 per pound, I am moving to Canada. We usually pay over $2 and sometimes close to $3.
Thank you for this reminder, and I would like to get back into this practice of weighing my options!
You never know Tammy what a few seconds of your time would make to the grocery budget especially if you caught an error.