One of the nice things about having an extra week on the shopping budget with those months where there are five, is that I don’t have to wait until the new month to get my budget balanced.
One of the not so nice things about having an extra week on the shopping with those months where there are five, is that I don’t get to avoid balancing my budget until the first week of the new month.
I knew I was in trouble budget wise before this trip even started. Because my Costco trip was over budget, so my wiggle room was non existent. But the funny thing is, I couldn’t freak out that much. I mean, sure, there is that momentary first response of “ohhhhhhh what have I done” but the rumpus has almost cured me of that completely.
Two things pop into my head when I start to go to the dark blame of over budget shame. The first thing is this: these are extraordinary times, with extraordinary prices, so I don’t need to have an extraordinary response. Like, the me I was a year ago who cried about budget overages had not lived through meat shortages, or bread shortages, or toilet paper shortages. She could not have even guessed about life in the rumpus. The uncertainty, the rollercoaster of emotions. But me of today? I’ve lived through more serious things than budget overages, at this point. We all have. So every trip that I’m safe and able to feed my family is a good trip. Sure, I try and stay to a budget. But I can’t beat myself up about strict adherence anymore.
The second thing that I remember is this: since the rumpus, every week, the night before grocery shopping, our fridge shelves are empty. We don’t throw anything out. Everything gets eaten, or frozen, and produce has no time to go bad. The money spent on groceries is going to good use every week. Not a bite is wasted, so not a cent is wasted. Can’t get too mad about that.
So now that I’m feeling all zen and brave, let’s look at the numbers.
- My Kroger Budget for the month was $490. Total spent for Kroger was $596.84. I am $106.84 over budget.
- My Costco Budget was $300. Total Spent for Costco was $339.46. I am $39.36 over budget.
- Entertainment budget was $100 and we spent 57.40. I have a $42.60 surplus.
Total over budget for home and groceries is $146.30.
Let me tell you, right about now, I am grateful I let y’all talk me into saving last month’s surplus for this month. The first thing I do is apply the $14.48 I was under budget last month to this month’s overages. Goodbye, $14.48! You brought me great joy! $146.30 is my total overage. I apply the $14.48. This brings me down to $131.82.
Next I apply the Entertainment budget surplus of $42.60, which leaves me with $89.22. I’ll be using stimulus money to cover this.
It’s not perfect, but it is an improvement. In the early months on the rumpus, I was hundreds of dollars over budget every month. To be under $100, even after a month of being miraculously under, feels like a step in the right direction.
- Avocados (5)-$3.35. In-store sale, $.67 each.
- Bananas, 2.78 lb-$1.53.
- Blueberries, 18 oz (2)-$5.
- Boar’s Head Maple Turkey, .75 lb-$6.07. They were out of Private Selection. Needs must.
- Boar’s Head Pepperoni, .75 lb-$7.21.
- Clementines, 3 lb -$3.88.
- Creamette Pasta (3)-$2.75. *Digital Coupon* for $1 off three brings each down to $.91.
- Fuji Apples, 3.03 lb-$3.91.
- Green Leaf Lettuce, 1.36 lb-$2.30.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 16.96 lb-$33.77. Chicken!
- Kraft Salad Dressing (4)-$3.96. $.99 each with Buy 6, Save $3.
- Kroger Milk, .5 gal-$1.79.
- Mangoes (5)-$3.35. In-store sale, $.67 each.
- Merry Estate Gouda-$3.49. Manager’s Special!
- MultiGrain Cheerios (3)-$4.37. $1.79 each with Buy 6, Save $3 stacked with a *Digital Coupon* for $1 off two or more boxes made each box $1.45.
- Pepper Jack Cheese-$4.33.
- Private Selection Bread (1) -$1.49. *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off Private Selection Rolls which I guess also counted bread. Hurrah!
- Private Selection Ice Cream, .pint-$1.49. Another *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off.
- Private Selection Ice Cream, .5 gal-$2.99. *Digital Coupon* for $1 off.
- Private Selection Thyme-$2.29. $.90 off with a *Digital Coupon.*
- Roma Tomato, 1.14 lb-$1.13.
- Shrimp, 2 lb-$9.98. Keep the cheap shrimp coming!
- Simple Truth Baby Food Pouches (4)-$3.25. *Digital Coupon* for $.75 off four.
- Simple Truth Onion Powder-$3.19.
- Simple Truth Organic Ground Turkey, 5 lb-$5. Manager’s Special for $1 a pound. This normally sells for $4.49 a pound. So I got it for 88% off.
- Vidal Onions, 1.34 lb-$1.33.
- Catalina Print out from last week’s grocery trip from Gerber, for $.50 off entire trip.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, CoinOut, Shopkick (350 kicks for Blueberries and Bread)
Total Budget: $19.15
Total Spent: $125.99
Deducted from Other Budgets: $106.84
Are you finding that there is less waste and more empty shelves in your fridge these days? How has the rumpus changed your attitude about food? Let me hear from you down below!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey five years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!