Monday, August 31, 2015

Stretching The Budget

Last month was the most expensive grocery month in the last couple of years ending up at $715.67, quite a bit over the budget of $550.  I saved $11.56 in coupon use.  My 23 year old very high metabolism working out every day Stepson visited for 8 days which was most of the overage.  We also were restricted as to what groceries we could buy for 3 weeks as were waiting on delivery of our full size fridge and living out of a minifridge.  I admit we bought a few prepared grocery dinners as without use of a stove cooking at home was complicated.  Hubby wanted to purchase a fresh half salmon off the local fishermen and that added $40 in expense.  On the upside we kept our eating out to a minimum and really only ate out more than normal twice when my Stepson was visiting which came from a special sealed pot fund.


I managed to stock up on some non-food items this month as there was a no tax event this past Saturday at the grocery store and when you pay 12% less in taxes on those items it adds up quickly.  This month I hope to stick to a reduced food budget of $500 rather than $550 so that my year end totals will be closer to the mark.  Time to stock up on fall root veggies like potatoes, carrots and onions.
Polished shoe left, scuffed shoe right

I also wanted to show you how my absolute favorite shoes are holding up.  These were purchased from a thrift store early last year (see original post) with almost no wear.  Other than the exterior leather scuffing too easily they are still in incredible shape.  I wear them year round including in the rain and on hikes.  They are better than any other shoe I have had including runners and I hope to nurse them along for at least another year.  I do that by using shoe polish, bought to match this particular shoe colour.  From old and scuffed to almost new looking - tada!  I have to do this about once a month in high usage months but so worth it.  I am on the constant lookout for good thrift store barely used shoes - but these are still my best shoe find to date.

It feels like fall here with cooler temperatures brought in by the rains (finally) and the fact that most trees are losing their leaves due to drought.  I love Fall as it is my favorite season of the year.  Time to break out the candles, hot chocolate, and get back to reading!

21 comments:

  1. Though I love having the kids home it sure does bollox up our food spending sometimes. I see it as a small price to pay for having them want to spend time with us though, how about you? ;-)

    It's muggy and going on 90F here this week so our Summer is still hanging on, though we could use a touch of rain too.

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  2. Absolutely - in the past he could only get a couple of days off at a time to visit in his previous job but now that he is in the army he had several weeks off to visit us and his Mom - we need to enjoy it while we can as are not sure when we will next see him. The army charges him $550 CAD per month for all meals (only charged when he is not deployed or "on contract") so he is getting a great deal out of them lol.

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  3. The mini fridge saga I could do without! I think I'd be in a corner,rocking and sobbing if I had to live with a mini fridge.Another reason for your bravery badge!
    Jane x

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    1. The stove I missed the most though...so glad to have one again!

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  4. You still do an amazing job on your budget! I have a $600 food budget but we sometimes go over and every once in awhile come in UNDER!! It's usually the parties and family dinners that I overspend!
    I remember when you got those shoes! You have really enjoyed them! Aren't you glad you were at the right place at the right time? I love it when that happens!

    I am gearing up for September Morn!!! She will be arriving soon!!!

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    1. In Canada it is really hard to stay on budget with 12 percent tax on all nonfood or convenience food items and with much higher prices than the States. Let me just say that I cherry pick all the loss leaders every week.

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  5. Ditto about kids coming home and the impact it has on your food budget. Love to see 'em and love to see 'em leave!

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    1. Yes you are right, it was a nice visit but might have been a bit too long :)

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  6. The smell of shoe polish takes me back to my childhood. Dad would cover the breakfast room table with newspaper and polish our school shoes until they looked like new.
    We always polish the shoes we sell and Jon does his before every wear. xxx

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    1. My husband is a master shoe polisher, he often volunteers when he can't stand the sight of them any more :)

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  7. Considering your circumstances I think you did very well. I have to admit that we don't have a food budget. But out total expenses year after year are the same so I am not concerned. If we go to a restaurant 3 times in a year that is a lot. Of course in Mexico we do get out 3 -5 times per month but the living is much cheaper.

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    1. I have pretty much given up on eating out, it never seems as good as a home cooked meal for such a high expense.

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  8. I'm glad I found your blog. Years ago I had 2 blogs, Lessons on the Cheap and Recipes on the Cheap. I recently combined all blogs into one. Just got too hectic. Anyway, I know I will enjoy your blog. I'm all about cheap as well. :-)

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  9. Our food budget is out of control. I try to keep it at $100 a week for the two of us but it isn't working out so well. And I have $100 a week for gas for the cars and even with the new hybrid we can't seem to save in that area either. Ugh.
    I love the shoes and I love when you find a great buy. I'm still over the moon with my solar lights from Goodwill. They were $6.99 and are stil going strong.

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    1. It just seems harder now, doesn't it?!? Those solar lights were a great deal. Usually the ones you find at the thrift/garage sale no longer work.

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  10. Finding a great pair of shoes (and they do still look fab!) is like winning the lottery. If our feet are happy then we're happy. Wearing poorly fitting shoes can ruin your whole day!

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    1. I am way too old to be wearing uncomfortable shoes anymore, have donated most of those over the years.

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  11. Fall is my favorite time of year too! I can't wait to cook casseroles and find my fall scented candles. I am glad you finally had some rain .

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    1. The rain still wasn't enough, not nearly as much as they predicted. We have very low fire risk now though and that is a good thing and the tress and grass were thankful for it.

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  12. 12% tax does take a big bite. I am eating my root veggies from the garden. I think Wayne is getting tired of my fresh pickled beets. The cucumber plant finally quit producing so I've switched. My carrots are the best I've grown in years. I should be set with those for most of the winter. I leave both in the ground to keep them fresher and pick as needed. My onion crop wasn't as good this year, they are dried and hanging along with lots of garlic. I still have enough onions for several months. Not sure it is cheaper than store bought in the long run, but it's nice to have something to go out and pick. - Margy

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