The Grocery Game Challenge Oct 21-27, 2013 #3: Buying when there is a product limit
A Limit Means A Limit For A Reason
When grocery shopping on a budget and you scour the giant weekly ad flyers that come in the mail you are always searching for the best product prices on everyday items you use in your pantry.
If you are a player of the grocery game here at Canadian Budget Binder you know sticking to your grocery budget is imperative to meet your monthly and yearly goals but factoring in some amazing weekly deals is also something to be considered when creating your grocery budget.
It’s essential to make sure that you are stocked up so you can create healthy meals for yourself or your family and of course the grocery savings are imperative especially when you want to stick to your grocery budget.
Product limits
When big sales happen for various grocery stores estimating limits for products is a game they have to play otherwise they may run out of product for the customers.
The grocery store doesn’t want to overstock a product in which case they may be stuck with it if it doesn’t sell or potentially have a return if that is allowed.
I can only assume they don’t want to have returns and would like to nail the sale by making sure that the grocery shopping experience for their customers is fair and equal so everyone gets in on the deal.
It’s no surprise to the average shopper to see a sign posted in a frozen food bunker or down the aisles on a display on a sale product that is on for a remarkably low price with a limit of a product listed.
Although as consumers we see that as a pain in the butt it really is more of a disadvantage for the store and other customers who drive in for a sale and there isn’t enough product available for them to purchase.
In some cases the store only gets a certain amount and there are no other choices but to limit how many of a certain product that a family or individual can purchase.
I’ll admit that we are guilty of going back in the store the next day to pick up a few more products that are on a sale with a product limit but they know that people do that and would rather force them to come in the next day if they have to.
Essentially they can’t possibly stop people from buying lots of one product but they can stop them from buying it all in one go.
The other main reason besides running out of product is that you may find smaller convenience type shops coming to load up on the product at the sale price and hiking the price in their own store for resale and a huge profit.
Limiting the product purchases eliminates the potential of store owners coming in and wiping out the store and keeping the regular everyday customers happy. I know I’ve been all ready to go to a giant grocery store sale only to find out that they had run out of a certain product in the flyer.
Although the store might not be able to control every aspect of the amount of product that comes in when I see a product limit that tells me the store is concerned for their customers and it makes me happy.
I want to know the store is doing everything it can to make sure that when I get in my car and drive to their shop that I will in fact get the product that I want and that I won’t have to come back another day wasting time and gas.
When we were shopping yesterday we noticed there was a limit on cream at Food Basics as it was on sale for $1.99 and if you are a couponer you know there is a save $0.75 off any Lactancia cream coupon out there that expires in December 2013.
Follow the rules
Well, I had about 3 coupons left so I loaded up my cart only to notice the product limit. The lady that came up beside me loaded her cart with over 30 cartons of cream ignoring the product limit and I shook my head thinking that’s why people get angry when there is no product left.
The store obviously knows they only have a certain amount to sell and that it will be a popular sell so why risk getting into an argument at the cash with the cashier.
Sure enough that did happen and her excuse was that she was buying them for her family members who couldn’t get to the grocery store and that she does all the grocery shopping for them.
Well, as you can imagine that didn’t go over too well and even the manager was called out to have the situation explained only to tell her that the product limit was in place to make sure that all of the customers coming in could get in on the deal. She seemed very annoyed but at the same time, what did she expect? We can’t fight the system so why try?
If you really want to get that much cream then I guess you will have to be a returning customer over and over unless it says product limit per person, per day or per family.
I would at least abide by the rules and to be honest, life goes on. Saving a few bucks is one thing but getting greedy to wipe out shelves and specials is another.
How do you feel when you go shopping and find out that a product that is on sale is out of stock?
Do you abide by product limits and think that the stores should have these limits keeping in mind that they might not have control of product quantity?
Grocery saving tips
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I hope you take the time to get back on track and start the saving process in your grocery budget today.
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October Grocery Game Challenge Posts
- The Grocery Game Challenge Oct 7-13, 2013 #1 : Grocery Store Activities For Kids
- The Grocery Game Challenge Oct 14-20 #2: Go on Vacation and Save On Groceries
Missed past Grocery Game posts? Catch up on all the latest grocery saving posts below!
- 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
- Go on vacation and save on groceries
Food food and more food
Food Basics
- 3 x Lactancia Cream Sale $1.99- $0.75
- Krinos Feta $13.99
- 2 x Lactancia butter Sale $2.88
- Plain Yogurt Sale $1.88
- Premium Bananas $1.49
- 2 x Seedless cucumber $0.98 each $1.96
- Sweet Potato $2.33
- White Mushroom $1.77
- Spring Lettuce $3.99- $2.00 coupon
- Grapefruit $1.97
Total Out of Pocket $36.86
Zehrs
- 12x cans of Sundried tomatoes Sale 2/$4.00
- Appenxel cheese $5.66-$2.83 pink sticker
- Pork Loin Sale $17.91
- Romain Lettuce $0.79
- 24 pk crayola crayons $1.14- scop
- Crayola Pencil crayons $2.24- scop
Total out of pocket $32.22
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 October $235.00-$21.12 (overage September)= $213.88
- Total Coupons Used this Week : $2.25
- Total Discounts this Week: $0
- Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
- Total Rewards Points Used: $0
- Stockpile Budget: $0 Used $20.00 (ham)
- Total Spent This Week: $69.08
- Total Spent So Far for October $67.71=$69.08=$136.79
- Total Over/Under spend this shop: $0
- Total Over/Under spend for the month of (October): $0
- Total Left to Spend for the Month: $77.09
- Total Coupons Used This Month: $2.25
- 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 + (September) $255.69 = $1980.64 (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: Since we went to the relatives for a weeks holiday we did not grocery shop last week so we are ahead of the budget for now.
Canadian coupons found
Frequently Asked Questions
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 fans who post their grocery shop who live all over 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 products?
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.
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.
You can find all your store coupon policies here. If you are not sure it’s always best to call the store and ask.
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 t 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.
Welcome to The Grocery Game Challenge Canada!
-Mr.CBB
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I finally got here to post the third week!! Hopefully the internet won’t crap out on me as I hit send!!! I went to NF this week and did spend more than I thought I would but such is life. I used a good number of coupons there, the cashier had to use a coupon over-ride as I guess I went over what they are used to. There were a number of coupons lumped together so I will just put that total at the end with the total spent there. I’ll try to mark the items I used a coupon for if I can remember as I go.
No Frills, Oct 18
2 blocks cheese @5.97- 11.94, coupons
3 lbs butter @ 2.88- 8.64, PM to Food Basics
6 cans soup @.67- 4.02
1 case ginger ale, 18 count- 4.77
1 yogurt- 4.97, coupon
1 yogurt- 3.97, coupon
2 Dawn dish soap @2.47- 4.94, coupon
1 box mini chocolate bars(Halloween, 50 count) 8.98
1 can pasta sauce- 1.77
1 4l milk- 3.97
1 pasta- 1.67
1 jar unsweetened apple sauce- 1.67
1 package rice- 3.47
1 cranberry cocktail- 2.97
1 Power ade- 1.37
1 lge bag raisins- 4.99
1 6 pack Royale tisues-3.97, coupon
2 Royale TP “4.47- 8.94
1 paper towels- 4.44
1 Temptations cat treats- 1.63
4 72 count Tetley “2.97- 11.88
1 tomato sauce- 1.57
1 bag Whiskas cat food- 5.98, coupon
3 W/W bread “3.08- 9.24, 50% discount 4.62
2 bagels “1.47- 2.94
1 blade roast- 16.84, 30% discount- 5.05
1 Janes chicken nuggets- 4.88
2 ground turkey @6.34, 30% discount on both- 1.90+ 1.90
bananas- 1.02
1 toothpaste- 4.79, coupon
2 Dove body wash @4.72- 9.44, coupon
2 Dove shampoo @4.77- 9.54, coupons
2 Dove conditioner @4.77- 9.54, coupon
1 mouthwash- 3.79
2 packs tortellini @2.00- 4.00
Tax- 11.06
Total- $188.28, $26.97 coupons and discounts
Foodland, Oct 19
1 onion powder-1.49
1 pasta sauce- 1.79
1 bunch celery- 1.99
1 10 lb bag potatoes- 3.99
1 grated parmesan cheese- 4.61
1 jug water- 5.49
Tax- 0
Total- $18.61, .75 coupon listed, no idea what for
Foodland, Oct 23
1 pasta sauce- 1.79
1 pack cheese slices- 2.97, .75 coupon
1 bread machine yeast- 3.99
1 4l milk- 4.79
1 jug water- 5.49
Tax- 0
Total- $18.28, .75 coupon
Total budget for year- $7800.00
Total budget for month- $600.00
Total coupons/discounts this week- $28.47
Total spent this week- $225.17
Total for month- $195.64+$118.13+$225.17=$538.94
Total over/under for week- over- $75.17
Total over/under for month-N/A
Left for month- $61.06
Total coupons/discounts this month- $7.50+$6.49+$28.47=$42.46
Total carry-over to next month- $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$800.56+O$538.94=$7351.45
So that is week three, over by a lot. The Halloween chocolate bars were a bit more than I thought I’d have to pay but they will be snacks for a while if they stay hidden. The roast, while it seems a lot of money, was discounted and I got 3 meals for 4 adults from it so that isn’t quite so bad. The toothpaste was a request by hubby. The Dove products were needed, we were almost out of shampoo, conditioner and body wash so being able to get it on sale and with coupons helped. Stuart’s catfood was on sale plus there was a coupon, he’s eating cheap for a while!! Don’t have a lot left for the month, it’s going to be tough there……
HI Christine,
Lots of shopping happened this week for you. I notice some of the prices are expensive but FOODLAND is a pricier store I find like Metro but they have some great deals each week as well. The Halloween chocolate I find is so overpriced and I refuse to pay full price for chocolate bars. Do you find this time of year you are making more soups and roasts? Like you we look at the discounted meat to get a bargain and it’s been a long while since we’ve paid full price for meat. We find fish is cheaper than meat sometimes. Keep up the good work…. lets see if you can stretch that budget until the end of the month. You get ballot 17 Mr.CBB
LOL i saw the same thing as Mary did, but at the end i figured it was the tuna lol
i always follow the rules, when the store sign says limit of 4, i buy 4 and i will go back there again another day. i respect that. no arguing with the staff about that at all. 🙂
i had to wait till the end of the month to finish my budget so i am like a couple weeks later than yours. had to catch up with the $134 over budget i spent from september, so this month i had been a little restrained from shopping, but still had to buy some so, guess i need another month to cover up with the over-budget. here’s what i did:
October 21-31, 2013
Budget for 2 people + 3 pets: $250-134.54(over-budget from Sept)=$115.46
October’s spending: 22.42+14.82+16.71+106.71=160.66
October’s budget left: 115.46-22.42-14.82-16.71-100.56=-45.2 overbudget
October’s coupon used: 0+78.72+5+8.7=92.42
My shops for the last week: 22.28+57.31+14.17+6.80+6.15=106.71
Giant tiger total 22.28
acorn squash 2×1.29=2.58
onions 0.69
garlic 0.47
carrots 0.69
pops 2×2.27=4.54
fancy feast cat food 24×0.55-4xB5G1=11.00
HST 2.31
Farmer Al’s total $57.31 (local butcher in Hamilton)
Pork shoulder chops 3.92+3.06+3.52=10.50
Pork side ribs 3.56
Chicken wings 7.52
Stewing beef 3.28
Beef braising ribs 6.77
Ground pork 4.45
Ground beef 4.45
Roast 8.23
Black forrest ham 2.61
strip loin steak 3.67
Spaghetti Taglia 2×1.00=2.00
Walmart total 14.17
Reese PB cups 2.00
Delissio pizzas 3×3.97=11.97
HST 0.26
Giant Tiger #2 total 6.80
Broccoli 1.47
Onions 1.09
Black diamond cheese slices 2×2.88-1.50WUB2=4.26
Rounded down savings -0.02
Walmart #2 total 6.15
Catelli pasta 2×1.00-2×1.00=FREE
Zantac’s 2.22-3.00=+0.77overage
Nestle Halloween snacks PM 5.88 (comes with $5 coupon inside!)
HST 1.05
HEY Wing,
I know what it’s like to try and get through the grocery budget when you have an overspend the month or two prior but sometimes it’s worth it as long as the stockpile is a great deal. I don’t suggest it often as it can be very difficult to get back on track so it’s hard to hold back and say no. We are working very hard on the no part…and walking away. I agree that going back the next day is the better way to get items with a limit rather than trying to argue about getting more. Keep up the great work….. you get ballot 19 Wing!!!! GO WING GO! Mr.CBB
This week was a bit of a bigger shop. Had to stock up on some of the more pricey essentials….here goes 🙂
Zehrs
Cream of mushroom soup x2=2.67
Clam Chowder 2.00
Pickles=2.99
Caesar salad dressing =1.99
Vegetable Oil=5.79
Oregano 1.39
Dog Food=14.99
Juice 1.29
Frozen juice=1.87
Lactose Free Milk 8.49-1.00 coupon=7.49
Plain organic soy milk 3.99
Vanilla flavour organic soy milk=3.99
Organic Pasta =2.99
Organic salsa=3.79
Organic 2% Milk=3.79
Organic Pasta=2.49
Organic Tortilla Chips=3.79
Organic Apple juice=2.50
Fries=3.49
Yogurt=5.99
Lasagna noodles=2.99
Toilet Paper=6.99
Paper towels=5.99
cream cheese=2.99
mozzarella cheese=5.99-0.75=5.24
cheese slices 4.59-0.75=3.84 (ouch…i scoured the flyers and noone had on sale :()
ricotta cheese 2×2.99=5.98
Turkey sandwich meat=5.98
Honey Ham sandwich meat 5.56-2.78=2.78
Hamburger Buns 2.50
Bagels=2.50-1.25=1.25
Whole Wheat Sub BUns 2.50-1.25=1.25
Country naturals bologna 3.99-3.99 coupons= Free
Hot Dogs (terrible habit…but soooo tasty)=1.79
Striploin Steak (pack of four…HUGE)=16.78 (ouch!)
Organic mushrooms=2.79
Thyme=2.39
orange peppers=1.76
red peppers=1.63
green peppers=0.84
yellow onions 2.49
plastic bags 0.25
organic apple juice 3.78
Total=164.13
October 21-27
Budget for the month $700
October Spending so far=411.52+164.13=575.65
Left for the month =124.35
Not much left for the month….but i did make two lasagnas this week, chicken soup in the slow cooker and homemade beef stew. Wont need much for the next week as hubby and I are away all weekend at a concert! Go Us! Hopefully I can make it under budget 🙂
Hi Joanna,
I’m so happy to see you back again!!
How do you use all your colorful peppers? I know what you mean about getting the more expensive items when going grocery shopping. If we have to get them all in the same shop it really does drive the grocery budget up higher. I don’t mind the odd hotdog either but we don’t buy them any more. If we are out on the town in the summer or at a bbq I’ll enjoy one. You made lots of great meals like the lasagna which will get you through many meals. Keep up the good work and I hope to see you back more regularly. You get ballot 18 Mr.CBB 🙂
hi! For all the peppers….well i use them everywhere…in my lasagna…in my salads…in veggie stir frys and for veggies and dip for my five year olds school lunches 🙂 I adore peppers!
our weekly budget is $100 a week making this month $500.
Sobeys
$5.79 beef jerky
$1.10 hot&spicy chicken
.97 kaiser buns
$1.99 hair gel
.99×2 cheddar smokies-clearance
.30×4 hot dog buns
$13.15 total oop
Save on foods-stacking
$8.49×4 melitta kcups-xmas gift
$7.99×12 van houtte kcups
$19.85 total oop
$110 total coupons
$33 total weekly oop
$110 total weekly coupons
$281.77 total monthly oop
$360.84 total monthly coupons
Was able to keep it under budget this week!! Even got to stock up on kcups this week.
Which will help with keeping us in budget with the holidays and flights coming up.
Hi Juanita,
Wow, I didn’t think stacking was still going on. What a great deal on the kcups for Christmas gifts.I think it’s smart that you are thinking ahead for Christmas. We still have to get going and plan the next couple of months so we are ahead of the shopping game lol. Great job with this weeks shop…. you rocked it. Do you find you are spending all of your grocery budget each month?
You get ballot 15….. Cheers Mr.CBB
Hey Mr.CBB
I am noticing we don’t always spend what we plan for our grocery budget every month and that can be for a few reasons, we had a good month without alot of oop or we had to tighten our belts and put less into our weekly amount. Like this week we were outta town visiting the kids and I always worry about money and the what ifs while away so we pulled money from our weekly food budget to cover if we needed it and this trip we kinda did….well we gave the kids some extra pocket money before we left and that would have been normally for our groceries, we know money is tight for everyone but we all need a treat or two and plus they are my kids we gotta spoil them here and there when we can afford to.
I have been thinking of lowering our weekly amount that we spend on groceries but with the holidays coming up and me still wanting to stockpile a few staple items I don’t want to. But the new year will bring changes that will force the weekly/monthly to amount to vary or at least probably be alot less and I am hoping with stocking up on the staple items it will help us transition through till we know what kind of budget we have to work with. I am just trying to be positive, think good things, not stress about what is out of our control, just be in the now and look forward to our future. 🙂
Mr CBB, what are you going to do with all those cans of sun dried tomatoes? Are they packed in oil? I don’t remember ever seeing them in the store. I’ll have to watch for them! 🙂
Hmm did I say it was sundried tomatoes? It’s sundried tomato white tuna… so we will go through them fast. They are pricey so we thought for $1 a can for white tuna is great and a solid protein which we try to eat lots of with vegetables.
OCTOBER – Week #3 of 4 – October 21-27, 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 had planned to do some grocery shopping in the US this weekend but we are going to be down in less than 2 weeks… so I pushed our shop back until November 11th. I figure I might as well economize on the gas we spend. Besides, I have one loaf of gluten free bread and some gluten free bagels in the freezer. I can make that stretch!
I received a $50 cash gift from my father to cover some of our Thanksgiving groceries – he does it every year for all 3 of his daughters to make sure we can all afford to enjoy a turkey. Normally, I split the funds 50-50 with hubby and save it for our TFSA contributions but this year I am putting it towards cleaning up our $3.69 grocery overage and then adding the $46.31 to our grocery cash hiding spot to bring it up to $51.31 before this week’s Canadian shopping.
We also received $23.00 cash from Larry’s mother to cover her and the sister-in-laws portion of a lunch bill that Larry paid. I nabbed that money as well and added it to our cash hiding spot to bring it up to $74.31 before this week’s Canadian shopping.
The cash infusion sure helped us out this month. Without it, we would have either had to do without fresh fruit and veggies or we’d have been in the red in a big, big way. It’s sure getting a lot more difficult to make that $190 per month work – especially when I had run down the perishables planning on a vacation that I ended up cancelling. I can see this winter is going to be a lot more vegetarian meals at our house or at least really cutting down the portion size of the proteins to make a package stretch further. I can’t believe the price of canned tuna these days! Yikes!!!
==============================================================================================
OUR “CANADIAN” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
Thrifty’s Foods – Maple Ridge
2 English Cucumbers – Buy 1 Get 1 Free $2.49
3 oz pack shallots $1.99 + 25 bonus points
1 x 10 lb Onions $3.99 + 40 bonus points
1 Green Cabbage $0.49/lb $1.51
1 Green Onions $1.99
1 sour cream $2.99
1 cottage cheese $2.99
1 cauliflower $4.99
2 Purple Top turnips $0.99/lb $0.50
2 Parsnips $1.98
1 Rutabaga $1.91
4 pks Extra Lean Ground Beef – Buy 1 Get 1 Free – $3.06+$3.07 = $6.13
•Total OOP: $33.46
• Grocery Budget OOP: $33.46
• Stockpile Budget OOP: $0.00
** Earned 297 Thrifty Points on this shop **
** USED $0.00 in Coupons **
** SAVED $0.00 Loyalty Savings on this shop **
Safeway – Maple Ridge
1 bunch bananas 50 cents/lb ($3.99 – $1.49 Loyalty Savings) = $2.50
3 Tetley Ginger Mint Tea ($10.77 – $1.77 Loy. Svgs) = $9.00
+BONUS 20 Air Miles
•Total OOP: $11.50
• Grocery Budget OOP: $11.50
• Stockpile Budget OOP: $0.00
** Earned 20 Air Miles on this shop **
** USED $0.00 in Coupons **
** SAVED $3.26 Loyalty Savings on this shop **
Save On Foods – Maple Ridge
6 WF tomato paste ($5.34 – $2.34 Loyalty Savings) = $3.00
6 WF 680 ml Tomato Sauce ($13.74 – $7.74 Loyalty Savings) = $6.00
4 Green Giant Simply Steam ($11.96 – $7.96 Loyalty Savings) = $4.00
1 International Delight – Special Edition $3.79
2 pomegranate ($3.98 – $1.98 Loyalty Savings) = $2.00
2 Habitant Pea Soup ($6.36 – $3.36 Loyalty Savings) = $3.00
•Total OOP: $21.79
• Grocery Budget OOP: $21.79
• Stockpile Budget OOP: $0.00
** Earned 22 More Rewards on this shop **
** USED $0.00 in Coupons **
** SAVED $23.38 Loyalty Savings on this shop **
==============================================================================================
OUR “US RESERVE” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
NO SHOPPING UNTIL NOV. 11th
==============================================================================================
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+O$40.22+$4.50+3.26+23.38=$71.36= $452.18
•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+O$$21.98= $247.28
•Total More Points Earned This Year:
J265+F248+M151+A26+M0+J59+Jy7+Au26+S0+O141=
923 Points
•Total Air Miles Earned This Year:
J57+F10+M30+A83+M0+J161+Jy20+Au1+S208+O80=
650 Air Miles
•Total Thrifty’s Points Earned This Year: << Starting to track
Jan-Sept (988)+ O(297)= 1285 Points
==============================================================================================
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$130.85+O$111.97= $1,281.46
•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$110.00+O$133.69 = $1,281.46
•Total Over/Under on the YTD Grocery Budget:
$0.00 AVAILABLE
==============================================================================================
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+O$47.50= $405.81
•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$20.00+O$47.50 = $405.81
•Total Over/Under YTD Stockpile Budget:
$0.00 AVAILABLE
==============================================================================================
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+O$27.50= $90.00 AVAILABLE
==============================================================================================
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$32.50+$O$12.50= $228.00 AVAILABLE
==============================================================================================
• TOTAL FUNDS SPENT IN 2013: $1,687.27
$1,900 is budgeted for JAN-OCT '2013 but with cash additions from recycled bottles, cash hiding spot money and repayments of funds owed to us…we increased our reserves to also have :
$90.00 Freezer Re-Stocking Fund
$228.00 Borscht Fund
Total $318.00
==============================================================================================
CLOSING GROCERY POSITIONS FOR SEPTEMBER:
CANADIAN $’s
Groceries: $0.00
Stockpile: $0.00
2014 BORSCHT: $228.00
Cash Hiding Spot: $9.06
Re-Stocking Funds: $90.00
US $’s
Our Reserve: $148.73
US Cash Hiding Spot: $17.25
==============================================================================================
The valid rain checks I hold are as follows:
Save On Foods:
Old Dutch Potato Chips 270 grams @ $2.50 (Good until October 31st)
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)
==============================================================================================
Hi Mary,
Great deal with the cucumber. Isee you bought parsnip but how do you prepare them? I can’t get over the price of the cauliflower wow $4.99. I think you were smart to try and save money on the gas with your trip to the USA but I know you are smart with your money and make sure that your trips to the USA save you as much as you can get. Do you just eat the pomegranate seeds or do you mix them with something like yogurt or in a muffin? My wife fancies them but I’m not a huge fan unless the seeds are all taken out for me because i’m a baby haha… keep up the great work you did very well considering what you set out to get. You get ballot 14. I’m sure your US shop will be awesome and I look forward to you sharing that shop with us. Cheers Mr.CBB
Mr CBB… the turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, shallots are all for a slow cooker “16 bean and vegetable” soup along some potato, sweet potato, carrot, celery, onion and red peppers that I already have on hand. They also make great mashed combined 1/2 and 1/2 with either potato, sweet potato or carrot. It’s harder to get hubby to eat the mashed so I hide them in the soup. LOL 😀
The pomegranate is so easy if you peel it in a bowl of water…the pith rises to the top, the seeds fall to the bottom and you don’t end up wearing that nasty, staining juice. I like the seeds as a nice healthy snack. I grew up eating the seeds as a kid as a part of my packed school lunches. They are also really nice sprinkled over a salad too. I have thrown them into a brown rice casserole along with some chopped, toasted walnuts just to punch up the color and for a little bit a little tart flavor. 🙂
The cauliflower was that expensive because it was organic. The non-organic ones looked terrible so I spent the extra to have a nice one. Organic is so much more expensive… I could buy a regular cauliflower this week at Save On Foods for $1.49 but with going away, I am giving it a miss. 🙁