Another month down with the grocery budget, this is the month where we fell off the wagon - badly. Changed dietary requirements plus hosting two celebrations and we ended the month in the red.
$525 budget (all food/cleaners/over the counter meds/personal products) less $5.10 overage from previous month=$519.90 budget this month. We ended up at $571.39. Just over $50 overage. Due to our recent change in eating habits I have been spending more on frozen and fresh fruit, more variety in our veggies and more on meat. We are only eating the "cheap" carbs 1 or 2 times a week. It is paying off on our waistline but costing our grocery budget. I am also using my money as I see fit and that means I am "buying Canadian first". If I can justify the price and the product is made in Canada I am buying it (still buying Mexico too :). Let's just say I am putting my money where my mouth is, my own "trying to break free trade agreement" repercussion. Based on the above I am going back to the $550 a month budget effective May 1. Fortunately our business is doing so well we have had to give ourselves another raise this month, the second of the year. The extra will be going into the Italy 2018 fund and will help with the grocery budget.
Yesterday I had lunch with my Mom out. When that happens I am usually not interested in eating supper so advised hubby was on his own. He went to the grocery store and bought $37 worth of deli meats/cheese (we already had 3 types) and other stuff (have no idea what). Yes, I rarely encourage hubby to go to the grocery store. Oh well, we can afford it although he is not helping me stay on grocery budget. He had the nerve to come back and say "Gee, groceries are sure expensive". Yes, especially when you don't look at prices!
My Christmas fund is looking good. $500 in cash, $53 in amazon GCs (from Swagbucks), $10 in Shoppers Drug Mart points and $30 in PC Plus points. The points will be used to offset gift and grocery purchases. The cash will be used both for gifts and travel expenses for our annual mid-December visit to Alberta. We will use some of the airmiles I won last year to pay for flights but there are still taxes, hotels and car rental to save for.
One other area of our budget that I have been spending more on is clothes. My new Skecher Go Walk shoes arrived and after using them for two days including a couple of miles on the treadmill I have to say they definitely are comfortable. Hubby thinks they look a bit like slippers but I DON'T CARE! Comfort rules. As my weight has been shifting some of my clothes are too big now so another purge of the closet is required as I am not going back to that larger size! Fortunately I enjoy thrift store shopping so can revamp the closet with not too much money.
I am trying to change the way we eat on a permanent basis versus a temporary diet. This takes time but we are already seeing the benefits. Yes, a few pounds have been shed but that is a slow process. We are also increasing our activity levels and all of us including the dog are seeing a benefit there.
The bumblebees are back enjoying the rhodos in my back yard, even in the rain. Our days range from rainy to sunny to rainy to rainy. Just wait 10 minutes and the weather changes again. We got caught out in the rain on a walk this week but managed to seek shelter until the worst had passed. The temperature is slowly warming up but still not quite warm enough to plant my tomatoes due to night temperatures dipping low.
May should be a busy fun month - lots of great things to look forward to. Garage sales, going to a play with my Mom, kayaking if the weather warms up, meeting up with a blogging friend who is visiting our beautiful island, and at the very end our trip to Greece! Lots of things to do before we go though including a five day business trip for hubby, yard work, packing, and a large accounting project which includes 2 months of catch-up then upgrading our accounting system.
How did you do in April? Did your budget go off the rails?
Our budget is off the rails, but only because we are spending on the house. Also, we are making an investment into our rental house (yard work, handyman clean up, etc) to list it next week. So, worth it, but expenses that were not on the original budget.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that to more you do to make a property look pristine before sale means two things - it sells faster and for more money. Well-spent but like you say, not in the original budget.
DeleteIn all honesty, April budget got away form me with trying to improve eating, Easter food, and shower food, on top of March being very low, so our food stocks were low. I'm tracking again in May, starting with DH's haul on Sunday, and my stuff on Saturday (even though April-counting towards May as most will be consumed in May)but I too am trying ti increase the fruit, veg, and lean meats, whole foods, and cut the cheap foods in efforts to drop my weight, but not diet in the traditional deprivation sense.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had a tough time with Easter. You had a lot of activities that had to involve multiple dishes and you fed a lot of people! I had pancakes yesterday :) It's not all rabbit food, that long and winding road to eating better.
DeleteI am so glad to hear the tales of another recreational male shopper. The items bought like your husband's purchases are nothing I would ever buy. But like you said it is not doing any major damage.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to get 2 raises in the same calendar year!
Yes, business is good, after five years things are paying off. We are very strict with our salaries, always ensuring we have 3-6 months of salary in the company account. Right now we have 7 and there is no sense in having more than 6 or we just pay more corporate taxes.
DeleteI don't think I bought meat all month long since I am trying to see what is in the back of the refrigerator freezer. I managed to get some free fruit and vegetables. I spent so little that I am amazed. All the fruit and vegetables I did buy were so cheap, like 50% off in some cases since I price-matched things at Walmart.
ReplyDeleteI plan the rest of may to be that kind of month - clean out the fridge and freezer as hubby is away for part and then we go on holiday. I really don't want to be throwing things out. Unfortunately only 1 grocery store price matches here, crazy right? And that store is already the lowest priced one.
DeleteI sat up an budget and expensive tracker in my bullet journal and hubby and I are going to try what our gov't (USA) believes to people can eat on, which is $357. That not including paper product, soups and such. For that our state of Idaho has a disabilty program of there own. Max a person can get is $54 a month. So for non food item for home I've budget out $150.
ReplyDeleteThat should be interesting. Food is so much more expensive here but in summer I have access to our farmers market which is not really cheap but the quality of food is so much better.
DeleteCongratulations on your business achievements. That's awesome. We spent way more than our grocery budget in April. Why? How? I have no idea, but I added up the receipts and was shocked. I know that we have too much snack food in the house for sure. I started buying "light" bagged popcorn for hubby as he loves it. He's a snack monster. Our 90 lb daughter always likes a little something sweet after a meal, so we have either cookies, chocolate or ice cream on hand, all of which hubby and I eat as well. I've got to get fit and stop eating junk.
ReplyDeleteI've cut out snacks for me but hubby is still a snack machine. He loves salty things so I have to keep popcorn/chips in the house. I have the sweet tooth so have stopped buying those things.
DeleteWell...instead of saving in April and May I put the money towards a second trip :) I like doing it that way because then the money I already have in savings isn't touched so I can pretend the trip didn't cost me a thing! Head games - they work!
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea! I love that you still save regularly, I think so many people stop when they start collecting retirement funds. It's a great habit to keep up and that way you have money for different things when you want them.
DeleteWe only take out of the company the money that we need to live on and we pay minimal taxes. For some reason we also pay low corporate taxed.
ReplyDeleteCan you please send a photo of your Sketchers and the link? I am always looking for comfy shoes.
Supposed to be sunny today, not.
We ended up with the best day so far this year after morning rain - pure sunshine! And warmth (16 degrees, warm for us). The link: http://shoewarehouse.townshoes.ca/store/shoeWarehouse/en/search/?text=ladies+go+walk&%26id%3Dsearch%26lpos%3Dheader= but there are a few designs, just search Go Walk in the womens section. They are very comfortable. But not open toed so you might not like them lol
DeleteLove.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my blog Regine!
DeleteGood on you for choosing home-grown, quality ingredients. When you start to be more mindful of what you eat you get a lot more pleasure from food.
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted to hear business is going so well for you, you both work so hard, you deserve a pay rise or two! xxx
I still love to eat, but am trying to eat only things that are worth it. Today we are having spiced BBQ chicken breast, corn on the cob, and asparagus with garlic and mushrooms
DeleteWell done on buying local where you can. It is often more expensive but the only way to keep local businesses going. Anna
ReplyDeleteNice to know that you got an increase increase in your pay. Great work! So, 2018 Italy pictures! Congrats
ReplyDeleteYou are so good about maintaining budgets. Both our bumblebees and mason bees are busy "as bees." I love watching the mason bees using their new nesting blocks. - Margy
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