15 Main Sources For Grocery Savings 2017 You Should Know About : The Grocery Game Challenge 2016 #4 Dec 26-Jan 1
SPOTS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANT TO SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES IN 2017.
Grocery Savings 2017-The Grocery Game Challenge starts next Monday January 2 for returning players and for those of you who want to join but aren’t sure about how much money you spend but need to know. There really are many ways to scoop up grocery savings 2017 other than waiting for the paper boy/girl to show up with your weekly grocery flyers.
This is one post I look forward to at the end of the year along with our final budget and net worth updates because these are the numbers we’ve worked so hard for all year. Saving money no matter who you are is challenging and it’s not until you start tracking your money when you really get the answer to that burning question, How much am I really spending on groceries?
When you track your expenses whether it be only your food expenses or you use a budget spreadsheet those numbers at the end of December will either make you very happy or sad. If you’re not happy perhaps you’ll need to consider a new approach to your grocery savings 2017 goals.
Related: How much should my grocery budget be?
Mrs. CBB and I are happy to report that 2016 was a tough year as all of you know with food prices going up and down like petrol prices. Our biggest win wasn’t using coupons which would have easily been our win in 2012 as we saved thousands every year stockpiling.
In 2016 we were blessed with finding in-store reduced product savings that offered us the best deals saving us a whopping $511.24. When your yearly grocery budget for 2 adults and 1 toddler is just under $3000 that $500 savings is enormous.
The best part is that we didn’t have to work hard because there is little to no planning when it involves pop-up deals. The hard part is juggling the budget especially if the item wasn’t something on the grocery list. There are times when you have to make a judgement call about something you find on sale.
You can see all of our final results below in our grocery game chart.
Coupons have changed and we’ll likely never see that happening again. Our diets have changed as well the products we use in our house have changed slightly. Right now we struggle with feeding our son and he might come running in the kitchen asking for an apple but we bought bananas. It’s always something we don’t have so we will try to stock up on a couple of fruits and various other bits that we know he will eat.
I am going to experiment more often. Less meat. Use coupons. Watch the sales- keep my pantry and freezer full. Use leftovers wisely.-Christine H.
The problem is I’m the one left to eat any leftovers because the wife won’t. I can’t wait until things level out in the food department when we all eat what is cooked and that’s it. This parenting role has been a huge transition for us and even though we don’t have it down we’re working on ways to improve our skills as we do our sons.
Grocery Game Challenge 2017
There are so many reasons why your grocery budget will go up or down but you’ll never know unless you track them. This year we had the pleasure of playing the grocery game with many lovely fans all of whom beat the Grocery Game Challenge 2016 posting from January thru to the end of December.
They stuck to their monthly budget, had hiccups like we did but got back on track. That’s how it’s done here when you become part of our savings team. We motivate each other, offer suggestions and continue to stick to our grocery plans each time we shop.
Congratulations to the GGC 2016 savings team: Mary, Christine, Colleen, Kathleen, Angela, Della, Birgit, Juanita, Lori-Lynn, Mimsie, Anne, Leona and another Christine. I know not all of you completed the grocery game challenge from start to finish but I hope to see you back for another shot at it in 2017.
The new 2017 Grocery Game Challenge Schedule is now posted so please print it and review the rules. If you are stuck ask me and I’ll help guide you. I will update everything by next grocery game to 2017 data.
Understanding Grocery Savings 2017
I always want to pick at your brains when it comes to how you spend your money so I did just that yesterday on Facebook. I asked the readers about how they would tackle grocery savings 2017.
I only use coupons on things I regularly buy. If I can find a lot of store coupons I will stock up on things I need.– Thad T.
Has anything changed? Not too much but for those of you who are new to grocery savings understanding the basics about grocery shopping is a must. The Ultimate Grocery Guide is an excellent starting place to read for those of you who are just joining us. I’ll talk more about the 2017 Grocery Game in next weeks blog post but today I wanted to focus on the future.
So, I asked what seems to be the yearly questions to see what frugal info I could squeeze out of all my money saving fans. Mrs. CBB and I also answered these question so we understand our grocery savings path for the new year and how to approach it together.
I used some coupons but my main source of savings was either flyers or price matching. I saved close to $300 this year by price matching against other stores.- Della F.
Take 5 minutes out of your day and answer these questions and if you really want to get to the bottom of your grocery expenses join The Grocery Game Challenge for 12 months and I guarantee you’ll have something to talk about next December.
Have you considered any new grocery goals for 2017?
For instance we’ve decided to increase our grocery budget due to needs and the addition of one little boy in the family. Prices weren’t a major factor in the increase as much as having the ability to buy stuff the wife and I don’t normally buy but our son enjoys. For instance he likes cheese slices but we rarely buy them and they can get pricey at $3.99 an up. Peanut butter is also big on the list so we will be stocking up when it goes on sale.
What will you do more of?
We will certainly keep looking for reduced deals and making use of them in our meal plan as much as possible.
Grocery shopping really drove me up the wall this month! For 2017 my main goal is to get back to meal planning for the week. If I see coupons I’ll use them but most stuff I buy doesn’t have coupons. I think if I’m careful that our grocery budget will go down as there’s quite a few things we can cut out.-Judy F
What will you do less of?
We will probably work harder in 2017 to stop going to the grocery store more than once a week. This can be tough on any grocery budget as willpower comes in to play. If you’re short on it you might see an increase in your food costs.
Will your budget go up or down?
Our grocery budget will go and I’ll talk more about that next week where I share our new 2017 Grocery Budget for 3.
How will you track your expenses?
We will continue to play the grocery game challenge and use our weekly budget spreadsheet which is available to all subscribers of the blog absolutely FREE.
Goals for 2017 are to cook more meatless dishes and to keep my budget lean. I am using an excel spreadsheet and hope to submit weekly posting for the Grocery Game Challenge.- Birgit N.
What did you learn about grocery shopping in 2016?
Not much more than I already knew in 2015 however what I understand for our family is that we don’t need to go overboard buying sales items as there will always be another sale. Unless of course the products are reduced to amazing prices then we’d consider a larger purchase. In the past we’d load up on toilet paper when it went on sale only to find that it was on sale a few weeks later. Hopefully we can talk more about grocery cycles in 2017 as I hope to track them every month.
I also have got better at the sale cycles and stretching or doing without until I find the sale – hopefully will be a bit stricter with the budget this year.- Nicole J.
Are coupons a big part of your grocery shop?
They weren’t in 2016 as we only used the grand total of $15.36 in coupons. We’ll see if we can increase that amount by putting in time to check the grocery coupon apps a bit more. We kind of fell off that wagon this year and want to improve especially if we’ve missed grocery savings.
If no what else will you use to get grocery savings 2017 ?
New grocery goals for 2017 are to figure out cost per serving and suitable substitutions using less “specialty” ingredients and buying to try to budget the same (which actually means down if you consider inflation) expenses are getting tracked to the penny so this works. During 2016 I learned my family will adjust to food choice changes (brand switch) coupons, apps, price matching are huge in my weekly schedule. One week I forgot my grocery list and phone and spent $40 more!- Anne R.
Grocery Savings 2017 Ideas
This is a list I compiled of all the ways our family plans to incorporate grocery savings 2017 into our budget to help stay on track. I didn’t add this to the list but certainly finding one or two frugal websites that you can follow will help you spend less time looking for flyer deals and coupon specials. Many Canadian coupon websites do all the work for you so utilize these free grocery savings services.
One of my all-time inspirations comes from a fan named Beth who blogs at Aunt B on a Budget. A wonderful lady who knows how to tame her grocery savings using many of the same methods we do in our household.
- Lots of questions! I’m going to try to keep my budget the same as it is for as long as possible but with big increases in grocery prices anticipated, who know how long that will be? It’s already pretty challenging to feed myself for $150/month. I see my number of meatless days – currently on average 3 per week – increasing in order to help keep costs in check. I don’t often use coupons because they’re rarely offered on the sort of items I buy. I save money by buying my food as unprocessed as possible, cooking from scratch, eating seasonal fresh produce (usually less expensive), doing small batch canning of soups made with leftover produce and otherwise seeking to waste as little food as possible, and by foraging.- Beth Ann
- Meal Planning
- Bulk Splitting where you buy in bulk and split with a friend or family member.
- Coupons/Coupon Apps
- Price Matching
- Scanning Code of Practice
- Flyer Specials
- Deal Sites and Grocery Scanning
- Reduced Products
- Managers Specials that pop up while you are shopping
- Non-Advertised Specials that weren’t in the flyers
- Gardening
- Homemade foods
- Rewards Points
- Dollar Store
- Grocery Budget
Lastly your grocery budget depends upon YOU and your family.
Don’t panic, don’t get frustrated and most of stay focused and motivated. You might tell me to bugger off that I don’t understand what you’re going through and you’re right, I don’t. What I do want you to know is that we’re here to help you the best we can, no judgements.
So if you’re ready to understand more about where your money is going every month please join The Grocery Game 2017. There will be more info to come in next weeks blog post. The grocery game is posted every Tuesday.
For the new year I hope to budget better and food shop more effectively specially buying fresh fruits and vegetables.-Elaine G
You bet I use coupons….and I have learned pretty well the sale cycles for stocking up when those hit. During 2017 will be no different compared to 2016 if we stock up on sale cycles we can maintain a decent pantry. It was a battle to get to this point.- Colleen K.
I have a few new goals for 2017. I would like to price match more though. I would like to waste less food.
I would like to maintain our budget at what it is now. But as the year goes on I might have to adjust it.
I have really slacked off this year not keeping track of my weekly/monthly totals but am hoping for a better time in 2017! Coupons are a huge part of my grocery shopping! Enabling me to give gifts and donate lots this year!!-Juanita P.
What to do to save? Well I’ll continue to cook from scratch, eat out less, plan to shop around sales…. I love to use price matching at the stores. I don’t use a lot of coupons because most of what I buy don’t get coupons. I noticed coupons are for processed foods and I don’t buy a lot of that.– Mona
Discussion Question:
What other grocery savings 2017 ideas can you think of?
December 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. Please feel free to download, save and even print the schedule so it’s handy.
New monthly prize: $10 President’s Choice Gift Card for Canadian residents only BUT If you want to play from outside of Canada and have PayPal and you win I will pay you $10 Canadian. I use a random online generator to pick the winning ballot every month.
If you missed any grocery game posts for the month I will post the line-up each week below for you so you don’t have to go looking for past GGC posts for the month. Alternatively, just click on the “Grocery Game Challenge” tab on the blog side-bar to see past posts.
December Grocery Game Posts
- Top 5 Christmas Cookies for the Budget Baker (Last shop for November)
- 4 Simple Shopping Improvements to Battle Food Price Increases GGC #1 December
- Spot A Deal, Share A Deal, Earn Cash Canada GGC #2 December
- How to Calculate and Track Only Food Expenses GGC #3 December
Free Money Saving Tools 2016
You WILL want to check this out!
I know I blast you every which way I can on this blog about my free money saving tools and that’s because I want you to take advantage of them being FREE. So many people pay for budgets and tools on the internet to help them save money and honestly you don’t need to. Even a paper and pen will do the trick.
Click, Save and Print. It’s that easy!
This is the budget that brought us to debt freedom back in 2013 and now I’m offering to all of you for FREE. We still use this budget every month as it helps us to see our overall financial picture.
Don’t pay someone for these services, I’ve done the work for you along with some help from other amazing bloggers.
You can download the FREE Canadian Budget Binder Budget Spreadsheet in Excel…Grab it while you can… It’s FREE! We use it to budget and in large part a reason we could pay our mortgage off in 5 years, check it out!
Free Money Saving Downloads are awesome lists that were created to get us on track to work towards reaching our budgeting goals and now we are sharing them with you.
Get organized with a FREE freezer inventory, meal plan, shopping list, price comparison list and much more all for FREE.
CLICK HERE to download all the free lists and even our family budget spreadsheet. So many free resources at your fingertips.
Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide 2016
Everything you want to know about grocery shopping in Canada is packed into this amazing FREE grocery shopping guide that has taken over 4 years to create.
The Ultimate Grocery Shopping guide is ongoing with new informative money-saving posts added every month.
Even if you don’t live in Canada there are some amazing budget saving tips that will help put you on the path to more savings at the supermarket.
Share this guide with your friends and tell them about Canadian Budget Binder especially if they are struggling with their grocery budget.
The time is NOW to get started saving money on groceries so please enjoy the many money-saving posts in the The Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide.
2016 Grocery Shop Results
Yearly grocery budget for two + 1 Toddler 2016: $2820 spent $2799.01
(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 this Month: $233.25
- Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $233.25
- Total Gift Cards used to date: $65
- Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $0
- Total Rewards Points used to date: $0
- PC Points Plus Earned to date: 390,000
- Scanning Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $6.00
- Shoppers Optimum: Just under 850,000 Optimum points (I will update this twice a year)
Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)
- Zweet to cash out : $18.25
- Checkout51 to cash out : $22.00
Our Grocery Shop This Week
Food Basics
- 2 x 4L 2% Milk Sealtest $4.27
- 4 x 10% Cream $1.99
Total Out-Of-Pocket $16.50
- Total to spend this month : $235.00-$1.75 overage from November= $233.25
- Stockpile budget 2016 : $25.00
- Stockpile budget used this month: $26.19 over $1.19
- 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: $511.24
- Total spent this week: $16.50
- Total spent so far this month: $212.26
- Total over/Under spend this shop: under
- Total over/Under spend for the month: under $20.99
- Total left to spend for the month: $21.98 (made an error last month) $37-49-$16.50=$20.99
- 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 $236.77+ November $227.30+December $212.26
Weekly Overview (your final thoughts)
It was nice to see that we have money leftover at the end of the Grocery Game 2016 however we know that in 2017 we will boost that amount up to account for the extra foods we buy for junior now. This year has been tough and I’m sure 2017 will be no different. Thanks for playing along with us everyone it has been so much fun!! Let’s do it again. I’m thrilled with our savings and I hope you’re excited about yours. Makes a big difference when you track everything doesn’t it?
Your online savings partner,
Mr.CBB
Coupons and Coupon Apps 2016
Here are some great places you can find Canadian Coupons! These are your latest Checkout 51 offers which you can use to help save money. We’re finding less and less coupons in the stores these days. What are your thoughts? Are coupon apps taking over the paper coupons?
If you notice I’m missing a valuable link please message me and I’ll get it added to the savings list below.
Sign up for the Nielsen Canada Home Scan Program and you can earn rewards points fast to redeem for awesome products or gift cards. I did this in the UK and loved it!!
Where can I find Canadian Coupons 2016?
Plus check out these other hidden areas online to get more coupons!!
- Healthy Essentials Printable Coupons (Johnson and Johnson)
- Danone Coupons Get up to $25 in coupons
- Clorox Coupons Sign up to print coupons in the Clorox family which include Greenworks, Glad etc.
- Kraft Canada Sign up and receive recipes and coupons by email
- MySavings.com Printable Smart Source Coupons
- Walmart Canada Printable Coupons
- Proctor and Gamble PandG Sign up for printable coupons
- Hidden Coupon Portals You Should know about – I found this over at Save a Loonie and you’ll want to sign up for notifications and check out the site so you get notified every time a hidden coupon is available from Save.ca, Brandsaver, Smart Source etc.
Grocery Game Challenge 2016 FAQ’s
- 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. The rules have been updated for the 2016 challenge year.
- Do I have to be Canadian to post my Grocery Shop?: No, you don’t have to be Canadian to post your shops. We have fans who post their grocery shop who live all over the world.
- What is the monthly prize and who can claim it?- The monthly prize is a $10 PC Loblaws Gift Card and for our out of country friends it’s $10 CDN via Paypal if they win. As more people join I will add more money to the gift card or I will split it up and offer 2 prizes every month.
- 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 but you will still get a ballot when you post your shops even if they are late but I encourage you to stay on schedule. If you choose to post monthly or bi-weekly you will only get 1 ballot for that shop. It’s a proven fact the minute we stop doing something that is scheduled that we end up forgetting to do it altogether. Don’t let that be you! You can post your shops all month-long.
- Does your Grocery Budget include health and beauty and laundry products?: No, our Grocery Budget includes such items as shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dish soap etc. As of 2014-2015 we no longer include such items in our grocery budget so we can see actual food numbers at the end of the year in order to plan accordingly our budget.
- Do you stockpile food? 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 longer as we found we weren’t eating it fast enough. Stockpiling is still great and just one way to help cut your budget to save money if you do find items that you can buy in bulk at a sale price.
- Canadian Coupons:Where can I find Canadian Coupons?: Here are your latest Checkout 51 offers that you can use to help you save money in the Grocery Game Challenge. There are many great Canadian Couponing websites online that share weekly coupon match-ups so you can plan your grocery list.
- Best Coupon Apps: Coupons are slowly fading with mobile coupon apps being the big rave these days. Just recently the popular coupon site Save.ca that mailed coupons to households has gotten involved with the addition of a new mobile Save.ca app joining forces with the many other coupon apps available. If you find an app that I don’t talk about please let me know as they are always being added and I’d like to review them.
- What is the Best Flyer App- We use Flipp on our Iphone so if you wan to have all your flyers in one spot download Flipp from the Apple Store or get it on Google Play.
- What is an FPC?: An FPC is a free product coupon which means you can get a free product as described on the coupon.
- What is GGC?– The Grocery Game Challenge of course!
- How Do I Know what stores accept coupons?: 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.
Nobody is perfect, heck we struggle with this part of our budget like many people do. This is why the grocery game challenge was created back in 2012 and is one of the most popular hang out spots for people who want to save money on groceries in Canada.
If you’ve just joined The Grocery Game Challenge 2016 get ready to look at your grocery budget by learning…
- Where you are spending money
- How much money you are spending
- How much money you are saving every month
If you want to learn everything I know about grocery shopping in Canada check out my Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide! It’s FREE!
If you know a topic that should be discussed send me an email. If I use your topic I will put your name in a draw for a prize at the end of the year.
You’ve made a wise decision to take control of your grocery budget now show me your shops and let’s get saving!
Welcome to The Grocery Game Challenge 2016!
-Mr.CBB
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Save
month of Dec 1-31 2016
Name Your Store: i.e. Superstore (Canada)
Total Coupons Used: $1.11 (superbucks/PC green pts)
Total Out Of Pocket: =$157.22
redeemed PC pts- $60.00
Gift card-$15.52
ribs lunch combo – $5.99 (reduced) =$2.99
tomato soup 9 @ $0.50= $4.50
cream of mushroom soup 21 @ $0.50= $12.50
milk 4 L – $5.99
milk 4L- 3 @ $5.69= $17.07
reduced produce 8 @ $1.49= $11.92
whiskas cat food – $0.89 (coupon- Free) = $0.00
planter’s peanut butter 1 kg – 5 @ $2.79 = $13.95
white sugar 2kg – 8 @ $1.49= $11.92
NN evaporated milk – 12 @ $0.88= $10.56
450g spalding bacon 2 @ $1.88 = $3.76
plain bagels = $1.99
3 x 5000 PC pts
Hunt’s Garlic and herb pasta 12 @ $0.99= $11.88
NN sphaghetti – 2 @$1.69 = $3.38
NN elbow macaroni – 2 @ $1.69 = $3.38
NN basmati rice –8 lbs- $11.99
Graves apple juice 1.36L- 6 @ $0.88= $5.28
large eggs 2 @ $1.99= $3.98
crunchie chocolate bars 3 @ 2/1.00= $1.50
egg nog- $3.29
hot cross buns $2.50 (reduced) = $1.25
cooked 10 pk chicken wings $ 7.69 (reduced)= $3.84
NN pudding packs 3 @$1.19= $3.57
bananas= $1.90
bulk mushrooms- $1.04
apple turnovers –4 pk $3.99 (reduced) = $1.99
variety ball rolls $4.99
cauliflower $3.49 (reduced) = $1.74
clementines 2 lb $3.99 (reduced) – $1.99
clementine box 4 lb- $4.69
PC pickles 2 @ 2/$5.00= $5.00
VH Tikka masala sauce- $2.98
1 L chocolate milk- $1.99
kraft cheese whiz 8 @ $2.99= $23.92
3 lb carrots- $1.49
NN coffee 4 @ $4.69 (3200 PC pts)= $18.76
Name Your Store: i.e. Sobeys(Canada)
Total Coupons Used: $
Airmiles redeemed – $
Total Out Of Pocket: $11.50
Benylin cold medicine $9.99= $11.49
Name Your Store: i.e. Stirlings Fruit/veg market (Canada)
Total Coupons Used: $
Total Out Of Pocket: $1.45
bananas
Name Your Store: i.e. Lawton’sDrugs (Canada)
Redeemed airmiles- $
Total Coupons Used: $0.
Total Out Of Pocket: $38.30
30 double roll pkg cashmere toilet paper- 2 @ $9.99= $19.98
Gagnon santa marshmallow bar= 6 @ 3/$1.00 (discount 10% ) = $2.05
Benylin DM – $9.99 (discount 15%)
2 L milk- $3.49
Name Your Store: i.e. MacQuarrie’s Pharmasave (Canada)
Total Coupons Used: $.50
Total Out Of Pocket: $1.46
Temptation cat treats $1.77 (less coupon) = $1.27
Name Your Store: i.e. Giant Tiger (Canada)
Total Coupons Used: $
Total Out Of Pocket: $2.90
Tostitos 1 @ 2/$5.00= $2.50
Overall for the month of December 2016
$ 1.45 + $3.44 +$19.43 +$55.40 +$23.00 +$0.10 +$2.05 +$13.25+$10.09+ $5.47+$8.00 +$1.46 +$4.69 +$41.07 +$9.53 +$11.50 + $2.90 = $212.83 out of pocket
$ .02 +$0.10+0.89 + $0.06+$0.02+$0.02+$0.50 = $1.61 (coupon /PC green PC pts/ star bucks)
$ 5.52+ $0.77 + $9.23= 15.52 -gift cards
$ 40.00 + 20.00= $60.00 airmiles/ pc points redeemed to pay for the groceries
$ -PC pts (I use my PC points and Air miles to buy them- gift cards )
Do the above for each receipt you have then copy the template below and paste it to the bottom of your shop so we can see your results.
Points Overview (add any other sections you need to show us your savings)
Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $216.67 (averages $50 week)..includes toiletries, cleaning supplies,
Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs
Code of Practice (SCOP) to date $3.50 (january)
Coupon Apps (add any other apps you use to save money)
Snap Groupon to date: $0
Zweet to date: $0
Cart Smart to date: $0
Checkout51 to date: $0
GROCERY SHOP THIS WEEK (add any other sections you need to show expenses and savings)
Stockpile budget 2015 ($0.00): $0
Stockpile budget used to date: $0
Total coupons used this week: $0
Total coupons used to date: $15.31 (Jan)+25.48 (Feb)+ $14.59 (March) +$20.14 (April) + $12.37 (May)+$14.49 (June)+ $8.41 (July) + $6.00 (Aug) +$6.77 (Sept) + $1.97 (Oct ) + $10.13 (Nov ) + $1.61 (Dec) =$137.27
Total in-store discounts this week: $0.00
Total in-store discounts to date: 0.00
Total spent this week: $0
Total spent so far this month: $Total over/Under spend this shop: $
Total over/Under spend for the month $under spent -$840.36 (Jan-Dec)
Total left to spend for the month : $3.84 under
Total Spent To Date 2016: ( includes stockpile budget) $218.21 (jan) +$118.78 (Feb) +$141.90 ( Mar)+ $150.20 (Apr) + $104.62 (May)+$76.71 (June) + $88.93(July) + $135.30 (Aug) + $186.49 (Sept) + $101.78 (Oct ) +225.47 (Nov )+ $212.83 (Dec) = $1761.22
Weekly Overview (your final thoughts): We officially adopted our foster cat , Amber, so I will start to include her food/litter. My husband and I suffered thru a week of the flu,and then a week of a nasty cold so we didn’t eat much. This month was a mixture of pantry building and indulging in treats occasionally.
Hi Kathryn,
I hope you are both feeling better. Congrats on the foster cat. A friend of ours fosters cats until they are adopted and loves it. You stocked up on some great deals this month including the toilet paper double rolls, peanut butter, reduced cauliflower and the bacon. What was the reduced produce you bought 8 of? I find now that the prices have gone down that the reduced rack at one of our Food Basics has gone from 1 to 3. The prices are ready to move too. Bags of avocados for 0.99 etc. Deals not to be missed that’s for sure. Well it looks like you both had a successful shopping year and I must say I’m amazed at how well you can shop, well done.
You get the last ballot for 2016. #12. Mr.CBB Happy Holidays to you both.
8 reduced produce @ $1.49- our Superstore puts random fruits/ vegetable on a styrofoam try for $1.49.
I don’t remember exactly now, but mot likely peppers, mushrooms, onions, avocado, cantaloupe, cauliflower, broccoli,tomatoes., limes. It’s kind of fun, because you never know what you see. We did the fostering for 5 years to about 40 kittens, and it was very rewarding, but this momma cat didn’t have a future without us….(she bit the SPCA worker when they tried to shove a pill down her throat…lol)
Yes that’s what we did for the first shop of the year with cauliflower and broccoli so we can make homemade soup!
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 this Month: $650.00
Total Grocery Budget with any carry-overs $650.00
Total Gift Cards used to date: $185
Total Rewards Points redeemed this week: $40
Total Rewards Points used to date: $40
PC Points Plus Earned to date: 54660
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 : $33.25
Our Grocery Shop This Week
As I am so far behind with everything that’s been going on here I’m just going to give the totals for the month and a year end report.
Total to spend this month : $650
Stockpile budget 2016 : $25.00
Stockpile budget used this month: $0
Total coupons used this week: $5.00
Total coupons used to date: $128.12
Total in-store discounts this week:$7.56
Total in-store discounts to date: $176.93
Total spent this week: $634.51
Total spent so far this month: $634.51
Total over/Under spend this shop: under
Total over/Under spend for the month: under $15.49
Total left to spend for the month: $15.49
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 $506.85+ November $611.32+ December $634.51= $72.66.25, under for the year by $533.75!!
Weekly Overview (your final thoughts) even if you don’t subtract the gift cards from friends and the small redemption from Air Miles I would have still finished under for the year!!! This is a big help as we have extra expenses at the moment with having to have my Dad admitted to a long term care home. Plus after my fall in early Nov it was hard to get around for a few weeks so I needed help to get the groceries and got what I needed to get and that was about it. A few things could have been seperated into the stockpile amount. I found No a Frills had eye of the rounds on sale when I was there last time for $1.97 lb!! I grabbed a small one and cut it in half for January meals, and the spiral cut ham I got at Walmart for New Years. I also grabbed 4 boxes of the cider that the older boy enjoys at No Frills. They were out at Foodland so we ran out here. No Frills had it and cheaper than Foodland!! Very happy older son!! After the last couple of months I am so happy I finished the year under budget for the second year in a row!! Next challenge will be keeping that same budget amount and stockpile amount for 2017!!
Hi Christine,
Another year has come and gone and it sure did dish out the ups and downs for you and for many others BUT we are survivors aren’t we? I’m sure you could find most prices in town cheaper than Foodland. I’m sure he was really happy now he’s stocked up. You are all amazing wow. Our budget will be going up only because of the baby but not by much. Who knows maybe we will find out we don’t need it. 🙂 I hope you are feeling better since the fall and we’ll see you back for another awesome round of The Grocery Game Challenge 2017… and some kick-butt savings!!! We can do it. You get ballot #11. Maybe the last of the year too… hmm. Mr.CBB
Week 52 – Dec 30, 2016 – Jan 5, 2017
Name Your Store: Superstore
Total Coupons Used: $0.00
Total Points = 5,800
Total Out Of Pocket: $91.69
Human
1 Kg Sugar = $2.00
1.4 Kg Minute Rice = $5.89
2 NN Soda Crackers – (600 PC Points) = $3.50
3 NN Pasta – $2.00 (600 PC Points) (PM Shoppers Drug Mart @ $1.50) = $4.50
PC Split Green Peas = $2.78
3 NN Mushrooms = $3.87
Cream of Chicken Soup – (200 PC Points) = $1.49
4 Campbell Cream of Soup – $1.14 (PM Sobeys @ $0.50) = $2.00
2 Campbell Chunky Chicken Corn Chowder – (400 PC Points) = $4.00
Bisquick = $3.39
Cheerios – $5.98 (PM Frescho @ $3.49) = $3.49
Apple Cinnamon Cheerios – $6.98 (PM Freschco @ $3.49) = $3.49
Sea Salt = $1.79
2 Danone Yogurt = $4.00
4L 2% Milk = $4.27
Philadelphia Cream Cheese = $3.48
2 Kraft Marble Cheese = $7.96
2 Kg NN Frozen Peas and Carrots = $4.44
Bananas – 1.670 Kg = $2.10
Lean Ground Beef (Club Pack) – $28.67 (30% Pink Sticker = $8.60) = $20.07
2 WW Wonder Bread – $2.27 (30% Pink Sticker = $1.36) = $4.18
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: $50.40
Left for the Month: $12.11
Total Human (Adults) to Date: $1559.63
Total Grocery Budget for the 3 Cats ($364, for the pay period – $14.00)
Total Cats this Week Period: $
Total Cats to Date: $321.02
Total Grocery Budget for Stockpile ($520)
Total Stockpile this Week Period: $21.22
Total Stockpile to Date: $259.67
Total Grocery Budget for the Personal Hygiene ($182)
Total Personal Hygiene this Week Period: $
Total Personal Hygiene to Date: $256.10
Total Grocery Budget for Meat ($500.00)
Total Meat this Week Period: $20.07
Total Meat to Date: $527.75
Total Coupons Used this Week Period: $2.00
Total Coupons Used To Date: $
Total Grocery Savings for this Week Period: $9.96
Total Grocery Savings to Date: $9.96
Total Price Match for this Week Period: $9.85
Total Price Match to Date: $304.13
Total PC Points Received this Week Period: 5,800
Total PC Rewards Points Used this Week Period:
Total PC Rewards To Date: 14,538
Overview: Well the last shop of the year has taken place and there’s a little bit left for next week’s milk and such. It will be nice to have a fresh clean slate again and take each week or two where it might go. I’ve made my last payment for this year so the total debt (minus mortgage) is under the $24K and I’ll be chipping away it to try and reduce it below the $12K mark by the end of 2017.
Hi Dee,
Congratulations on finishing The Grocery Game Challenge 2016~ It has been one heck of an up and down year with prices that’s for sure, but you did it. That’s incredible how well you’ve been paying down your debt Dee. I’m proud of you. Sometimes it’s nice to follow others who are working their butts off to pay off debt and never give up. You’re that person. Well done. Keep at it. See ya in GGC 2017. You get ballot #10. Mr.CBB
I also hope to inspire more people around me to be more aware of their costs in 2017….knowing that a small effort weekly adds up to a lot in the end. There are some fertile minds out there that only need a little encouragement. I need to bust a few mindsets that say “Walmart always has the lowest prices” (if you price match), “I don’t have the time” (to save 40% on your groceries?) It’s a prevalent issue amongst so many people, they just don’t believe it adds up to any amount.
Last year I converted my Mum (retirement is a fixed income, make the most of your spending dollar), she in turn taught 2 friends (they go together weekly now). It’s a matter of habit. And a matter of making smart choices.
Congratulations to you, Mr. CBB, and everyone else who managed to come in within or even under target! How amazing to see such a huge number at the end of the year! Well done!!!
I am quite excited to join the 2017 challenge again and hope to keep the momentum going this time. In sickness and in health….
My food budget will be 80$ a week or 340$/month to start out plus 20$/month for stockpiling. I am hoping to reduce this a little as I get back into a routine. But I also aim for healthier, organic products whenever possible, so I may have to bit the bullet and shell out more for locally grown produce. We’ll see… It’ll be an experiment – especially during the winter when produce is not as readily available locally.
The shops I have close by are not necessarily known for low prices either, but I will work with what I have.
Another possibility I want to look into is to grow micro greens at home.
Hi Birgit,
I’m excited to have you join us. I know that you will make it from start to finish and see just how impressed you are with your numbers. I know all of us have over the past almost 5 years now. If you have any questions please let me know. Mr.CBB Good Luck B.
DECEMBER – Week #4 of 4- Dec 26-Jan 1, 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:
With Christmas behind us, it’s time to celebrate my birthday and to ring in the New Year.
We decided to postpone our Post-Christmas get-away until January so this is how we finished off our vacation budget in 2016:
Total Vacation Costs YTD:
Week 1 $271.24
Week 2 $125.17
Week 3 $ 50.28
Thanksgiving $249.10
Anniversary $201.90
Pre-Christmas CANCELLED
Post-Christmas POSTPONED TO 2017
Total $897.69 Spent >> $602.31 will be added back into the vacation budget for 2017
——————————————————–
Now on to the Grocery Game Challenge:
I had planned for this to be my final post on the GGC but I have devised a HUGELY abbreviated version of my usual posts so that I will be able to stick with you all but I’ll cut way back on the details…no more meal plans although I will have them on my online calendar, no summary of rain checks although I will have reminders on my calendar to use them prior to their expiry, totals only for YTD Savings and points earned even though I have the monthly break-down in my spreadsheet and so on & so forth. My goal is to let you know what, if anything, that I have spent in a given week and where I stand year-to-date.
I will continue my grocery budget 2017 at $190.00 per month… the same as we have had for the last 5 years in a row. As you can see though, I once again finished the year in the black. The leftover GGC funds available have been transferred into my Re-Stocking Reserve for 2017…all $10.57 of it! LOL 🙂
If you look at the reserves – again we are closing our year with more money in the total reserves than we had at the opening of the year. Obviously, this budget level is working for us. I do enjoy having the reserves though because they give us a buffer to hedge our prices against seasonal food inflation. I can stock up when the prices are cheap and hold back when it’s off season.
Happy New Year to all the GGC posters & I am wishing you all a successful close to your 2016 GGC & let’s work together to find lots & lots of great deals in 2017!
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OUR “CANADIAN” SHOPPING THIS WEEK:
SAVE ON FOODS – Maple Ridge –
1 Celery $0.99
Total GGC Spending: $0.99
** Earned 0 MORE Points on this shop **
** SAVED $0.00 in Rain Check/ Coupons **
** SAVED $0.00 Loyalty Savings on this shop **
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OUR “US RESERVE” SHOPPING LAST WEEKEND:
OUR NEXT USA SHOP WILL BE in JAN 2017
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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 $12.84+ Nov $0.00 + Dec $5.87 = $486.94
•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+ Nov $0.00 + Dec $10.62 = $54.31
•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+ Nov $0.00 +Dec $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 + Nov 0 + Dec 16 = 1,170 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 + Nov 0 + Dec 1 = 291 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 + Nov 1400 + Dec 1000 = 26,700 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 31 + Nov 0 + Dec 20 = 151 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 $190.00+ Nov $178.55 + Dec (Trf to US $150 + Trf to Re-Stocking $15+$16.40+$5.00+$2.49+$0.99+ $10.57 trf to re-stocking = $200.45) = $2,280.00
•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+ Nov $190.00 + Dec $190= $2,280.00
•Total Over/Under on Year-To-Date Grocery Budget: $0.00 AVAILABLE
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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+Nov $0.00+ Dec (-14.57 trf to Holiday Reserve) = $0.00
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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 $62.37 +Nov $43.74 + Dec ($150-$15.98-$5.16-$20.34 = $108.52) = $421.46
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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+Nov $15.00 + Dec ($15+$10.57 = $25.57)= $133.74
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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-$35.97 = -$51.16)+ Nov $-39.92 + Dec ($14.57 trf from Points Redeemed-$15.00-$25.00-$10.92-$9.99 = $-46.34) = $80.70 + $140 worth of RCSS POINTS + $10 Dream Air Miles
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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+Oct $0.00 + Nov $0.00= $638.54
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• SUMMARY OF FUNDS Y-T-D:
$ 2,280.00 Grocery Budget JAN-DEC
($ 337.93) NET RESERVE TRANSFERS
($ 1,942.07) Actual CASH SPENT
$ 0.00 AVAILABLE Y-T-D GGC SPENDING NOT INCL RESERVES
• RESERVES Y-T-D:
$ 133.74 Freezer Re-Stocking Fund
$ 80.70 Holiday Season Fund + $140 RCSS POINTS + $10 Dream Air Miles.
$ 638.54 Summer Season Fund
$ 421.46 US Shopping Reserve
$ 0.00 Points Redeemed Reserve
OUR CURRENT TOTAL UNUSED RESERVES ARE $1,274.44. This means the $936.51 that we carried forward from 2015 PLUS AN ADDITIONAL $1,299.72 that we have added in 2016, LESS $961.79 that we have drawn out for use in 2016.
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The valid rain checks I hold are as follows:
Thrifty Foods
8 x 2L Sprite Zero @$0.95 each – Good to Jan. 19/2017
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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
** We’ll have a COMPLIMENTARY hot breakfast at the Hampton Inn on Monday thru Thursday **
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This week’s LUNCH menu plan:
MON: Grilled Cheese-Ham-Onion Sandwiches
TUES: China Kitchen Buffet
WED: Ivar’s Clam Chowder
THURS: Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich
FRI: Olive Garden with birthday coupon
SAT(New Year’s Eve): Pancakes
SUN(New Year’s Day): Leftover Slow Cooker Potato & Dill Soup
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This week’s DINNER menu plan:
MON: Cup of Soup
TUES: Red Robin for free birthday burger
WED: Bob’s Burgers and Brew
THURS: Slow Cooker Crockpot Potato Dill Soup
FRI: Divine Clam Chowder
SAT(New Year’s Eve): Peasant Cabbage & Tomato Soup
SUN(New Year’s Day): Peas, Carrots, Corn, Brussels Sprouts, Apple Brown Rice and Ham with a dessert tray of mincemeat tarts, butter tart squares, Danish Butter Cookies, Fruitcake, Peanut Brittle, chocolates, candies & nuts
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Hi Mary,
Sorry to hear you had to post-pone your Christmas trip. Where will you be going in January?
What amazing news Mary! I’m thrilled to hear you will be with us in 2017. 🙂 I’m more than thrilled to hear how much money you have left to transfer. What a successful year for you both on such a small budget. It’s amazing what we can do if we plan and keep organized. Congrats!
P.S Your pop rain Check is pretty awesome considering the price of 2L name brand pop these days.
You get ballot #9. Mr.CBB Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to both Larry and yourself.
We are hoping to head to Burlington, WA for a weekend in January if the weather permits…this is the place with the 4:00 pm cookie call! I didn’t have a birthday dinner (I saved it for the trip) so we’ll have a nice steak dinner to look forward to at Outback Steakhouse. In the worst case scenario, it doesn’t cooperate and we simply have to wait until February for 2nd weekend that I have already booked in Bellevue, WA.
It turned out that the weather here between Christmas and New Years was just one snow event after another and I am a total chicken when it comes to traveling in the snow. I am so glad we cancelled the trip rather than risking life and limb. We did have a day trip to the US to celebrate the first day of Larry’s holidays on a bright & sunny day…remember? Larry is a good driver, it’s all the other idiots speeding along with their “all season radials” that terrifies the devil out of me! We have snow tires but a patch of ice simply doesn’t care what sort of tires you have – slip, slide you must. 🙁
I rather like the rain check too Mr CBB. Sometimes when I am sick, all I drink is flat pop so I like to have a few bottles in the house without having to pay a God awful price for them. LOL It seems like November and December have been full of colds and flu for me. I have said more than once to hubby lately that all I really care about is liquids & I REALLY enjoyed the soup I made last night. Let’s home turning the page into 2017 puts an end to that cold & flu cycle. 🙂 After all, our meals tend to be a lot more interesting when I feel well enough to eat them too.