Friday, August 2, 2013

July Budget Results



July Grocery Budget 
$425 - Actual Spent was $524.77.  Way over again!

Includes all over the counter medications, personal grooming items, soaps, cleaners and household items for two adults who eat at home 99% of the time.



Previous 2013 year to date overage $132.81 plus this month's overage of $99.71 = $232.58 year to date overage.  Why so much over?  My Stepson was in town visiting this week and he works out = eats like two horses.  He is 21 and never tried crab.  We decided to give him that experience and we priced out going to a restaurant.  We were looking at at least $100-$120 for three of us to have a nice seafood meal.  Instead we bought two bags of crab legs for $40, still very steep but way cheaper than a restaurant.  We ate it with rice, garlic butter and a salad and hubby said it tasted just as good as a restaurant.  Stepson ate it, although I am not sure it lived up to his expectations but at least now he know what it tastes like. Hubby and I enjoyed it but it is so messy that I think we are good for a couple more years.

Coupons used  - $8.48

Some poultry in the form of chicken  legs, one breast, and a turkey left in the freezer.  Lots of ham and some smokies still left as well.  I stocked up on pork loin which I repackage into chops and stir fry mix.  We are currently enjoying lots of Vancouver Island peaches and cream corn which is so delicious, plus lots of fruit and vegetables from all over our Province.  This month I will try and find some deals on fish and skinless boneless chicken breast.

Hair Budget
Annual budget $250 -  Left in Budget $173.38
I spent $17.65 on a hair cut this month.  Due to 30 days of sunshine I am enjoying some natural highlights so no hair dying this month.    $155.73 left to go in the budget for the year.

Clothing Budget
Annual Budget $200 - $152.53 left

I bought  a summer top at Salvation Army for $2.60.  I really tried to look for some clothes for my new job but found little.  Perhaps things are a little picked over right now, so I will keep looking.  Fortunately I can wear almost anything to work as it is casual (within reason) but as I work five out of seven days I need more clothes so that I am not wearing the same thing all of the time.  I hope to do a prowl of thrift stores again tomorrow to try and fill this need.

Remainder of clothing budget for rest of year is $149.93.

Christmas 2013
I have a sealed pot (part of SFT's Life After Mortgage savings plan) that each week extra money I can find goes into the pot to help towards Christmas 2013.   I also have $90 in amazon GCs from Swagbucks that will also be used for gifts (link if you want to join - get points by doing daily poll, watching videos, playing games).  The first half of the year went really well on saving, this month not so much.  I need to step it up a bit.

Losing Weight Challenge
Starting weight June 1, 2013 = 150 lbs.  Weight July 1 was  145.6.  Weight today?  144.4  I only lost 1.2 more pounds but based on all the rich foods  we have been eating lately(think ice cream, BBQ meats and crab legs dripping in garlic butter) I was shocked to step on the scale this morning and see  the low number. Back to some healthy eating, less wine/cider drinking and more working out.  My energy level has been low since starting my job and entertaining family but this weekend is a long weekend and I hope we get at least one good workout or hike in to burn some calories.

After June having lots of rain and grey skies July was pure sunshine, no rain all month.  August 1 we had our first rain and it looks like it is going to rain again tonight, but frankly, everything is so dry and forest fire risk is so high I am happy to see it.

We went for a short hike with my Stepson yesterday afternoon before he had to fly back home today.  Due to rain in the morning we spotted some odd creatures - lots of these very long slugs. Sorry for the blurry iphone shot but you get the idea.

4 Inch Slug
Cheers and have some summer fun this week!


34 comments:

  1. My dear, you ARE amazing! But the WINE!! I'm sorry to hear you have to cut back on the WINE! ;)

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    1. I know, right? Trying to cut it down rather than out though. Cheers!

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  2. Snow crab is one of our favorite meals, but you're right, it's messy, that's why I never order it in a restaurant, having it at home is so much better!

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    1. Yes, Stepson was warned never to order it on a date - way too messy-but tasty

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  3. Excellent job and really amazing how well you are tracking everything!

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  4. Eeeew slugs! Hate them!!!!

    We went over the food budget too. I think it's inevitable these days!

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    1. I haven't found many in our yard but at my Mom's she has lots that travel up her steps to chew on her flowers - that is until I salted her stairs. Hasta La Vista Baby!

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  5. Hey, slugs....one of my kind!lol

    Eating in was a good choice.

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    1. I am so rarely disappointed when we eat in versus out. It is just so rarely worth the money spent in restaurants.

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  6. I love love crab!! So yummy (and expensive)!

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    1. Hubby and I determined that if we were just buying for the two of us we could have lived with one bag of crab legs for $20 making it $10 per person - not that bad. I am sure Stepson at a whole bag himself.

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  7. I budget or estimate $500 a month for groceries and essentials for 3 people and 4 pets. I should start saving my receipts and see what I actually end up paying. I'm sure it's more than that.

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    1. Four years ago we spent $1200 a month - crazy right? I never got the budget low until I started tracking every single dime spent. If I could keep hubby out of the grocery store 100% I could get it lower but he has this tendency to crave expensive things like stuffed Kalamata olives and marinated peppers. Better spent there than in a restaurant.

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  8. We make our own wine...works out around $4-$5 per bottle.
    Jane x

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    1. I would love to do that, a friend many years ago used to make wine and I would assist her but haven't tried it on my own. I may have to do so...there might just be enough room in the laundry room :)

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    2. In Nova Scotia, the stores that sell wine kits will now let you make and bottle them on site, so you don't have to store the equipment in your house if you don't have much room. Do you have that too?

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    3. Good idea, I will have to check. That would be a lot cheaper in the long run.

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  9. I never thought to budget annually for things such as haircuts. What a good idea! I think I will look at our monthly budget and see what we can budget for annually instead of monthly!

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    1. Annual budgeting allows for a lot more flexability as some months I don't spend anything and some months I spend a lot. I had no idea what I was spending on haircare until I started tracking it. The budget is set on previous year spends.

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  10. That dreaded food budget overage again, it's getting harder to make ends meet! But well done on the other categories!

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    1. We pretty much have decided to give up eating out for the most part which helps justify the higher grocery costs. We get so disappointed by restaurant food lately, it just isn't worth the cost.

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  11. I too love crab (oh, & wine, since we're discussing it. ;-)) I've gained about three pounds over the summer. Nothing too serious, but I definitely need to refocus. It's hard with the move, that's for sure.

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    1. I would say darn impossible with the move and so much going on in your life. It might be better just to maintain right now versus trying to lose anything more

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  12. I really like your budget posts and I am considering doing something similar as I need to spend a year living on as little as possible. Just need to work out a reasonable budget :)

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    1. My budget came about from trial and error, first from recording each month's spends. I tweaked it to our lifestyle after that but everyone's budget is totally different based on priorities. Scratch cooking rules when living cheap though :)

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  13. Im 43 an have never tasted crab either. I've never been a fish fan of any kind. My mom was and my brother and husband are though. What you made does sound delicious. I went over my food budget already this month and I"m not finished yet. I dont know why since I bought less than last month. Maybe prices went up? I"ll have to compare my receipts . August is goin to be a very very lean month for us and I have family coming in on the 17th that I haven't seen in 6 years :(

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    1. If you hate fish you probably wouldn't enjoy the crab experience. I am sure prices have been creeping up - I have decided to spend what we need on groceries and avoid eating out at all costs. We still have a very good standard of living that way, plus eat healthier. Hopefully your family will pitch in on the cooking/groceries.

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  14. Just found your blog and like it very much! Are you near Courtenay? The nearest I've been to there was a conference trip to Victoria (didn't get to explore the island). My spouse and I eat at home 99% of the time too, and our grocery bill was way up for July...mysterious!

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    1. I live in Comox just across the river from Courtenay. Victoria is about a 3 hour drive from Victoria. The rest of the Island is very beautiful - you should visit it if you get the chance.

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  15. I always seem to go over on my food budget so I know how frustrating it can be.
    But I really think that you are doing a great job all around. It's so hard to be good all the time.

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    1. Yes, definitely difficult. If I blow any budget it should be the food one.

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  16. I tasted Orkney crab for the first time recently and thought it was ok.

    I love that you treated your boy on a budget. Shame about the food budget being over, but totally understandable if you were feeding 3. I'm pleased to see you used some vouchers.

    Good news on the hair budget. I get mine done 3 times a year-at the beginning of each school term. So my hair was last treated in late March-so it will be 5 months when I go again. I do have a little grey but I'm not too worried about it.

    Clothes-I found 2 tops in a thrift shop in Scotland. One is in great condition and is white linen from a good quality chain shop in the UK. I will be using that for India 2014 for sure. The other is pretty blue and white. It will be fine for school.

    Christmas-Glad you are steadily adding to the sealed pot. And those swagbucks rewards are building up.

    Great news about losing weight! I must weigh myself again.

    Hope your job is going well and you soon recover some energy!

    Sft x

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  17. The weight is tougher now - no great recent losses but still trying!

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