January Budget Roundup

Wasn't January a really loooong month!  Budget-wise it sure was.

Groceries
Budget for two adults $425 Canadian.
This budget includes all over the counter medications, personal care products, and groceries.

Actual $440.22. Over  by $15.22 which shall come off February Budget (only 28 days - this should be manageable)

Coupons used $13.00.

This month I managed to stock up on meat and both my mini-chest freezer and small freezer attached to the fridge are full.  I took full advantage of specials and now have lots of chicken and ham.  There are also some porkchops, shrimp, and canned Tuna in the Pantry,   In an effort to continue to reduce my grocery spend I bought dried black beans versus canned.  Next week I will make some chili.  There was a great post by Elaine over at Sunny Simple Life on how to prepare dried  beans for recipes so I am going to follow that.  This month I will be on the lookout for some fish sales as we have been eating more of it lately.

I also separated Food and Non-Food items this month.
Food  $288.67  plus Non-food $138.55 = Total  $440.22

Our non-food items are high mainly due to over the counter medications (two non-life threatening diseases reside at our home -  IBS and Fibromyalgia both of which we currently only take over the counter medications). I did manage to do a large stock-up on tin-foil this month, at least a two year supply when it went on sale in early January.

We are trying to eat healthier so in February I will  be buying lots of fruit and veggies to round out our supplies.

Clothing
Clothing budget for the year is $200.  This budget is only for myself.  Hubby spends what he needs as he wears suits a lot and is the face of our company so we consider that business related.  Please note that I set the budget for myself for clothing.  If hubby had it his way I would spend a lot more but he is continually amazed at my finds and has not told me I look like a bag lady (yet) so I must be doing something right.

This month I bought brand new shoes for $3.25 and a pink sweater for $5.25, both at Salvation Army (see post here).  Balance remaining for the rest of the year is $191.50.

Hair
Budget for the year is $250, much lower than last year.  Nothing spent in January.

I need a haircut and to find a sale on hair dye so there will be some money spent in February.   I use First Choice Haircutters in case anyone is wondering.  The ladies who work there are just as adept at cutting my hair as the high priced salons, and I find out what day my hairdresser is working and wait for her (they don't make appointments, wish they did).  Hubby now goes there too.  In Alberta my last hairdresser whom I was very loyal too started out at a First Choice Haircutters and then bought her own salon (therefore my costs went up but she was really good!).  I always tip them as well somewhere from $3-5.  Usually I get out of there for around $20.  They occasionally mail out coupons too!

No Spend Days
I tracked no spend days in January for the first time ever.  I do not intend on tracking these every month as expect it is similar from month to month.  Seventeen no spend days out of thirty one days.  If nothing else I paid more attention to grouping errands so probably saved some gas.  I use very little gas each month ($60 this month) due to working from home.  It takes about $20 in gas to go see my Mom (two hours each direction) and we did that for her Birthday mid-month as she was just here at New Years.  Hubby uses my car a fair amount too - he has a sportscar (that I found at a garage sale and that we paid cash for - one day I will do a post on that) so doesn't like to take it out in bad weather.

For anyone interested in how I track things - the low tech method.  Dollar store notebook.  Put receipts in there and tally up every few days to keep on budget track.  Separate columns for  groceries, then food, nonfood, and coupons.  You really can't get any easier than that!

Top Ways I Saved Money in 2012 & December Budget Results

1. Prevented Food Waste creating ways to use leftovers within a day or freeze them for use later. There has been a conscious effort to reduce food waste here - and it definitely improved in 2012.

2. Used only vinegar as a rinse aid in the dishwasher. I have been doing this for six months now and will never go back to store bought rinse aid. Better for the environment too!

3. Bought in bulk - two weeks ago I bought 8 kg of white rice for $10. Way cheaper than buying small individual bags and now I just have to find a better storage solution for bulk buying.

4. Cherry picked the loss leaders every week from the flyers, stockpiling those items and meal planning around only what was on sale.

5. Maximizing use of frequent flyer and air mile programs. We had nine free flights between Alberta and BC this year - only paying taxes.

6. Continuing to buy used. Clothing, furniture, vehicles. Anything that is required try to find used first. This strategy pays off year after year with someone else paying for all the depreciation. It helps that I love garage saling and thrifting.

7. I finally color my own hair and have found much cheaper options for haircuts. This was the largest breakthrough and my hair care budget in 2013 will be much lower than 2012 as a result.

8. Continued with my paid out phone contract on a month to month basis when it expired in September at a lower rate. I have no need to upgrade my cell phone currently, although in 2013 I may take the plunge and get a smartphone.

9. Cooking from scratch. I now can make homemade pizza crust and pie crust. Hubby has suggested that my cooking has gotten better this year (his has too). In 2013 I would like to dust off that bread-making machine or make dough from scratch. In the past I didn't like the hole the bread-maker makes in the middle of the loaf (does your breadmaker do that?) but there may be a way around that - make the dough in the machine and transfer to oven for baking perhaps.

10. Found free entertainment options and limited eating out to once per month. Eating out is the number one budget buster and I mean anything from grabbing a coffee and doughnut to a lavish dinner. Think of all the groceries you could buy instead! I try and keep our diet varied and interesting otherwise hubby is tempted into eating out more. We occupied ourselves at the beach a lot this past summer and that certainly qualifies as free entertainment. This year hiking and biking is on the agenda.

11. Moved ourselves versus hiring a mover and purged a huge amount before the move. This saved us at least $7000 - it was tough but totally worth it. Only move items that are difficult to replace or mean something to you. Buy furniture when you get there. We filled one cube van and two cars worth - that was all that was moved. We downsized from over 3600 sq ft to 1700 sq foot and love our new home. Now just to get rid of the gigantic home back in Alberta! It goes back on the market in March.


The No More Christmas Cr**p Campaign

If you missed the original post see here. Well, other than the few vintage ornaments I found in November there was one other Christmas Crap purchase this year. One that went over the allotted budget! Hubby insisted we get two more light strands for the exterior of our home as due to the style of our new home we didn't have enough lights. I searched and searched the thrift stores but could find only the older style energy busting lights. After being called Scrooge I caved and we spent $24 at Canadian Tire on LED lights. It was not worth an argument and they look pretty nice. Hopefully they will last forever and we don't need to buy anything new at all next year. I collect vintage glass ornaments so will keep looking at garage sales and thrift stores to find them at the absolute lowest prices.

December's Grocery Budget $425

If you are a new follower the grocery budget includes all over counter medications, grooming and cleaning products.

Actual $667.31. Way Over!
Coupons used $12.65

$200 of this amount was spent on Christmas food/snacks in Alberta, much of it left behind for my stepson to finish. I continued to stock up on items and my stockpile keeps growing. Hopefully 2013 will be easier on the grocery budget as it took a bruising this year due to depleting the stockpile before the move and then starting over once we got here.

Grocery overage for 2012 = $664.57 less money transferred in from hair ($104.01) and clothing ($90.01)budgets throughout the year = $471.55 OVERALL BUDGET OVERAGE. A few months ago the grocery budget increased from $400 per month to $425 so there it shall stay in 2012. Grocery prices have increased and I had to be realistic with the budget since we rarely eat out now.


Annual Clothing Budget $200
I bought an Eddie Bauer Spring shirt for $3 at the Thrift Store this month.
Total Spent on Clothing, shoes and accessories this year was $109.99.
Throughout the year $90.01 of clothing budget was transferred out to reduce the grocery budget overage.

Of the $109.99:
used:
7 shirts
3 pants (2 jeans, 1 capri)
2 belts
boots
new:
bra, socks, nylons

In 2013 the clothing budget will remain at $200 as I need to do an undergarment shop and only purchase those new so need extra funds for that. As well, I will be looking for a good rain jacket. So far I have not found one at the thrift stores so again, may have to purchase it new. We intend on travelling to Washington for a cross border weekend away/business supplies shop so probably will spend some money on clothing there as prices are 40% to 60% cheaper than in Canada.



Annual Hair Budget $400
I had a cut this month for $20.12 which included a $5 tip. Yes, you can get a good haircut for cheap. My hair looks little different than when I used to spend $140 for a cut and color.

Actual spent in 2012 $295.99. $104.01 was transferred out to Grocery Budget overage. The Annual Hair Budget in 2013 is being reduced to $250.

I look forward to a new 2013 budget year with a clean slate! There will be no transferring of budgets to other categories in and I shall stay ON TARGET!!

November Budget Results and Getting A Handle On Our Grocery Bill

November's Grocery Budget $425
Year to date overage prior to November $261.25
Actual November grocery spend $472.
Over by $47 this month for year to date overage now at $308.25.
Coupons Used $10.97.
If you are a new follower the grocery budget includes all over counter medications, grooming and cleaning products.


Annual Clothing Budget $200
Remainder after October $6.40
($109.79 was transferred out of clothing to cover part of grocery overage in September and October)
Bought leather Kenneth Cole belt for $3.35 at Salvation Army.
$3.15 remaining for rest of year. I might buy a pair underwear this month, new of course as don't buy used undergarments.

Annual Hair Budget $400
Balance after October $99.13.
Zero spent - I used the root kit bought in October last week. I need a hair cut but am trying to stretch it another week so I can get one closer to our Christmas visit to Alberta. Whatever is left will be transferred to reduce the grocery overage at end of year.


It seems harder than ever to stay within our grocery budget, even after increasing it to $425 per month. Perhaps it is because our entertainment budget has been reduced $60 per month for two of us(eating out once) but I think the true reason is that all groceries have gone up. I would have paid $5.69 for four litres of milk last week - got it free using Quality Foods points. Perhaps it is because we pay 12% tax on all nonfood items (and some food items that are considered convenience foods). Perhaps it is because I am still stocking up and have been forced to buy items when not on sale. Whatever the reason, I have gone over the food budget again this month. We are living leaner than we ever have and as a result my cooking skills have become better because we are eating at home 98% of the time. I do use coupons but most of the ones I have access to are for processed foods or for items that I don't buy like air fresheners. If only they made coupons in Canada for staples.

There are no Tim Hortons Coffee's (the last one I had was in October when my Stepson was here as a treat). There are no spontaneous lunches out. We carefully plan our days and outings to avoid eating out as that is the number one budget buster. We belong to a business organization that has a lot of fundraisers for Charity. Since August we have been to two - cost $30 per plate. We declined going to their Christmas party at $37 per plate as it is not going to charity. There are no movies out with popcorn as we own a PVR purchased in 2011 with cash so we record lots of movies and tv shows (yes, we have cable). Once in a great while we rent a DVD for $4 - the last time being early October. Early in November we invited our neighbor friends over for some drinks and I splurged on a variety of cheese and crackers to go with it. The extra cheese was frozen to use for casseroles.

In order to keep our entertainment budget low we try and keep our diet varied and interesting, which sometimes involves buying more expensive ingredients. This week's menu included chicken curry, shrimp stirfry, cajun chicken pasta casserole (one of the best things I have ever cooked so says hubby and I just threw it together with ingredients we had) and tonight barbequed burgers. Yesterday a large batch peanut butter cookies for desert was whipped up - froze half.

It is difficult to source out inexpensive meat here. For now we are using less meat in casseroles and stir fry's. Last week Tuna was on for .77 cents a can - the usual lowest price here is .99 cents so I bought twelve. I creep about in the meat section of every grocery store looking for pink stickers with extra dollars off. Every week the flyers arrive out comes the list to write down the loss leaders at every store - and that is my shopping list for the week. Buy only what is on sale and do without until something goes on sale.

The plan this month is to start a Price Book to keep track of lowest prices found on grocery items so that when a sale comes along I know how good the sale is to stock up. This is certainly not my idea, but one borrowed from that famous Frugalista
Amy Dacyczyn, author of the The Tightwad Gazette - go to the library and read the books if you haven't already for frugal ideas,some over the top and some very good ones that anyone could benefit from. The budget is likely to get blown again this month due to Christmas as we are flying back to Alberta for five days and the four kids will be over at our house for at least four of those days. They consume huge amounts of food being 15, 17, 19 and 21 but we are really looking forward to the time with them so I will have to do some meal planning for that timeframe. Family time is worth blowing the budget!

July Budget Roundup

flowers from front of house beds

July's Grocery Budget $400 less YTD overage of $269.40=$130.60


Actual $466.26. Over by $335.66 YTD

Coupons Used $23.86


No haircuts this month so Annual Hair Budget $400
= $142.20 for rest of 2012



This is the month that I try and reduce the YTD grocery overage which occured all from the last three months due in part to restocking the pantry and the move which can throw budgets out of whack. Now that my pantry is mostly full I am only buying when there is a great deal. We are eating at home a lot more than we used to before the move and that is making an impact in the budget, but I fully intend to stay within the $400 budget this month and chip away a bit at the overage.

I made scones for the first time using this recipe from allrecipes.com and added some cinnamin, cloves, raisins and milk as found it too dry without adding more moisture. They were yummy but a little more like a cookie than scones. Rather than cut them I just dropped them biscuit style.

I also made tzatziki from scratch using some Greek yogurt obtained for free with a coupon - it was amazing and I will definitely make it again. No pictures of that as it was long gone before I thought about taking a picture. The recipe can be found here at Kalyn's Kitchen. I highly recommend using proper Greek yogurt and fresh dill.

Miniature rose in container pot on my patio

There are two small tomatoes growing with several blossoms on the two tomato plants we keep in containers on the back patio. As they were not purchased until the last week of June they are later than normal for this time of year. Luckily September here is normally georgous and sunny so they have some time yet to grow. Each plant was $1.14 on sale so if we get a couple of tomatoes out of it they will have paid for themselves.

What I haven't shown you is the bug eaten petunias in pots at the front of the house. I have been battling with earwigs for two weeks and they were winning but this week I started getting the upper hand. Next year I will research annual plants they don't like eating or hang the pots rather than put them on the ground. They don't seem to like tomatoes, roses, or hot peppers.

Hubby made dinner and brought in some flowers the other night for me. I had the same colour hydrangea in my bouquet when we got married and now enjoy them in the front flowerbed. There were orange lilies that bloomed a few weeks ago and now these pink ones are in bloom. The black cat was a souvenir brought back from Egypt fifteen years ago. The vases are actually pillar candle holders that I bought at a garage sale about five years ago, hubbys idea to put the flowers in them.

Have a great day!

May and June Budget Results

Due to an extremely busy life no budget results were posted for May so today I will post both May and June.

May's Grocery Budget was $426.57 minus April overage of .45 = $426.12.

This includes all food, over counter medication, cleaning supplies and items like shampoo, razors, and other bathroom products.

Actual results were $595.68 - over by $169.56.
Coupons used $16.88.
Yes, way over budget. The reason for the overage is we switched gears from selling the Alberta house to having my adult step-children occupying it while they attend college so some groceries were purchased to be left behind.

June's Grocery Budget $400 less May overage of $169.56 = $230.44
This budget is now permanently lowered to $400 per month based on our new life.
Results: $499.84. Over by $269.40
Coupons used: $38.87
I had to buy a lot of items from scratch this month. Only a few groceries were transported like spices, oatmeal and some canned items that the boys would not use back in Alberta. Instead of buying smaller sizes to try and stay within budget I bought large quantity at lowest prices. Most of the pantry is completely stocked up except for the freezer.

$2 glass jar being used as a pantry cannister says "British Made" on bottom, purchased at Salvation Army

This month will be spent trying to find a good source of low cost meat, scratch cooking and using coupons to assist with reducing the grocery costs. Realistically there is no way I can make up the overage by the end of July but I will try and reduce it, chipping away at it each month in an effort to be fully accountable. The goal is to make up the overage by end of 2012.

$4.75 Capri Pants purchased at Salvation Army

Annual Clothing Budget $200
May spent $12.98 on Jeans and a t-shirt at Goodwill
June spent $4.75 on capri pants at Salvation Army
= $172.28 for rest of 2012
The secret to maintaining a frugal wardrobe is to shop thrift stores and to be continously looking to add pieces, even if that means buying one or two items per month. The capri pants were a necessity for this new more relaxed lifestyle. I do not feel deprived at all and am very happy with my current wardrobe even though I have only spent a grand total of $27.72 so far this year. If I could lose 10 pounds I would have even more clothes to feel comfortable in as there are a few items in the closet that are a bit tight and therefore I am not wearing. Rather than give in I am challenging myself to lose 10 lbs by October 1. Current weight 146 pounds - just putting that out there for the record.


Annual Hair Budget $400
May spent $50 on a cut = $142.20 for rest of 2012
If necessary I will pull some money from the clothing budget to add to the hair budget as am doing better in that category. I had my regular hair dresser in Alberta cut it extra short on the last visit and am considering letting it grow until October when I am going back for a family visit and can book an appointment with her. If it gets really bad I will try and get a cut with a local hairdresser which is kind of inevitable at some point. I have a really great relationship with my hairdresser and have found it difficult to find someone I like to cut my hair in the past so am very loyal to her. Husband is not willing to have a go nor am I willing to let him near me with a pair of scissors and my mother's eyesight is not good enough for that either.

As I get older(42 now) I find myself avoiding crowds so we spent a quiet Canada day visiting the CFB Comox Airforce musuem which was quite interesting with a drive to the ocean afterwards. Even though it was mostly cloudy it did not rain so was a nice pleasant mild day.

The unpacking of the house is mostly sorted. There have been a few more expenses than initially anticipated as we have had to buy things here like a lawnmower, hoses, and toilet plungers that we would have moved if we had sold the house but were left in Alberta with the house there. In the end, hopefully, this gamble of keeping the Alberta house for two years will pay off until the market gets stronger.

I am off to plant some flowers and do some weeding. Have a great day!

January Budgetary Results

Art Courtesy of the Graphics Fairy

Grocery Tally - January Budget: $426.57 (see how I determined this budget and tips to save money on groceries here)minus overage of $74.54 from December = $352.03
Actual $352.32 - over budget by .29 which will come off February Budget. A success with tiny overage due to finding stuffed chicken breasts on sale this evening(6 for 9.99).

Meat purchases of $100.48(included in above totals).

Next month I will keep track of non-food items separately for the first time. It is very interesting analyzing your grocery budget at the end of the month.

Coupons used: $9.88 - very low but it was mostly scratch cooking this month so not many items to use coupons on.

Clothing Annual Budget $200 ($16.67 per month) Zero spent this month. With a much lower budget this year it will be saved for when I need something (versus want something). The closet is full and and I don't anticipate any pricey clothes purchases in my future. When I do, I will try and buy used with exception of undergarments.

Now for my dirty little secret. What do I spend way too much money on? My hair. There. I said it. After an episode of pink hair at age 19 from a colour treatment gone wrong (from student hair stylist school) I have shied away from anything but seasoned hair stylists. No home dye jobs for my roots. This may have to change with our new "work less play more on a budget" lifestyle. In 2011 I budgeted $1000 for hair and hair products (yes, just me, please don't be too judgemental). Actual was $636. I include professional hair styling products in that amount. Anything bought at a regular drugstore is included in the grocery budget. Ridiculous, isn't it?

In 2012 the budget for hair is $400 ($33.33/month) - Zero spent this month although I do have to get a haircut in the next week or two. My average haircut costs $50 and a cut and dye costs $120-$130. This includes one salon hair product that I cannot part with (tried to find cheap replacements and no luck-product is Super Skinny Flat Ironing Serum by Paul Mitchell) due to very thick fine hair. Hairspray is $1.98 Finesse - purchased with coupons.

As someone who is deathly afraid to dye her own hair I have to figure out a way to keep within this budget. Do you dye your own hair? What line of home dye is your favorite? Any suggestions?

December Grocery and Coupon Tally

Yet another weekend spent spiffying up the house to get it on the market. This weekend we did paint touchups, took garbage to the dump(cost $17), redeemed our bottles for deposit ($47 back)and cleaned carpets with our Hoover carpet cleaner at a total cost of $24 for one bottle of carpet cleaning solution (still 1/3 left). We purchased the unit six years ago when renovating our last house. Weighing out the cost of hiring someone to carpet clean (minimum $200 for the home we had at that time) or purchasing a Hoover Cleaner for $200 and doing it ourself we decided to go with the tougher but thriftier option. Same cost but over time this unit has saved us about $700 due to amount of times used-almost every six months and it has stood up well over time. We purchased ours at London Drugs where you can also buy the cleaning solution but almost any carpet cleaning solution will work. If you own a house with a lot of carpets I highly recommend making the investment. We did a little research ahead of time and decided Hoover was the model for us and six years later we have no regrets. There are many other types of carpet cleaners out there of which I am sure are equally good buys. Just remember, the cheapest option is not always the best option, read reviews before you buy.

Our model is very similar to this one in case you are thinking of buying one:


December was a month I figured that I would most likely blow the food budget due to making food gifts and entertaining family. Fortunately the way the food budget works is if I go over one month that is ok - I just take the overage off the next month. This method sets me up for continued success and it allows some room to purchase great deals - even if found at the end of a grocery month.

December Food Budget: $426.57 (see how I determined this budget and tips to save money on groceries here)
plus .38 left over from November = $426.95
Actual $501.49 - over budget by $74.54 which will come off January Budget

Meat purchases $87.58 of that $501.49 which included products with meat

Coupons used: $35.79 or total for 2011 $523.69.

I no longer have a goal for coupon use - other than to only use coupons to buy products I already use or where it will get me an item for free or almost free. Many coupons out there are for items I do not wish to bring home so have seen less useage this year than the last couple. Interesting when you consider my grocery expense is at its lowest on a month to month basis than it has ever been-back in 2008 I was spending $1100 per month. Fortunately we have changed our ways.

October Grocery & Coupons Tally & the Power of the Freebie

October Food Budget (Thrifty Plan) $426.57 less $19.12 overage from September = $407.45 Budget

Actual $406.40 Woohoo made budget with $1.05 to spare which is added to Novembers Budget

Coupons used $40.50
Coupons year to date used $459.22

This month I tracked meat purchases including products that included meat like frozen pizza and meat based soups
$86.80
I was shocked that most of my foodbill is non-meat items. A real eye-opener.

A completely awesome freebie week:

Free Keurig cups care of amazon.ca gift certificates made through swagbucks.com

P&G Sampler

Woolite Sample

Jergins Sample

8 Free Cineplex Movie passes (to be given as Christmas Gifts) from Aeroplan


The power of free!

August Coupon Savings and Grocery Budget Results

Grocery Budget for August 2011 $450.00 minus overage from July of $52.41 = $397.59

Actual: $443.61. I shaved a small amount off July's overage(was over $52.41 that month) but $46.03 is now being deducted from Septembers food budget.

This idea of carryforward your overage or underage is a great way to stay on budget. Not only are you accountable for the month but you are also accountable for year to date. It is one of the tools that has kept me on track - that plus writing every food purchase down with a budget in mind.

Coupons used $28.52 this month (year to date $335.19)
Others use coupons more freely buying products they don't need or stockpiling. I agree with the concept of stockpiling but am not currently adding to mine due to looming move. As well we are eating healthier whole foods which means it is difficult to get coupons on onions, oranges and meat. Instead I scour the fliers looking for loss leaders - just yesterday picked up a package of four chicken legs back attached for .99/lb ($2.34 for the package). This is a special at my grocery store only for the weekend. Unfortunately I got the last package. Today I will go back as the store is three blocks from my house to see if I can stock up. Everyone knows fresh food costs way more than crappy high caloric fast food. Our biggest splurges were cherries from the Okanagan. Even at $1.78/lb we ate at least $30 worth this month.

I haven't been shopping for much other than food items. Goodwill and garage sales have been avoided with the thought that we are moving in a few months and I really have enough clothes and loads of books to read.
Two of my last book purchases were some that I have been waiting to find:

The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Now I just have to find the third and final book in the trilogy.
These were found at Goodwill for $2.49 each. Each retailed for $13.50 .

In July I only purchased one shirt at Goodwill for $5.99 and zero for the month of August for clothes. Yesterday (on September budget) I finally broke down and bought a new pair of shoes to wear to work as had completely worn out my others.

Retail $54.99 on sale $17.99 and used my 10% Alberta Motor Association card to get an additional 10% off at Payless. Final price including tax $16.07. They are even leather which was unexpected at that price.

Year to date clothing spent (includes socks/underwear/nylons/clothes/shoes) $304
The only item I regret purchasing is the new red trench coat that I had splurged on and paid $73.13 in the Spring. I still like the jacket but have had to take every button off and sew them on properly, which is a drag as they kept coming loose. The major benefit of purchasing used clothing is that the quality of the item is evident-they never shrink, never run and if they wear too easily you will see that before you buy.


We fly out tommorrow for four days to Vancouver Island to start the house hunt in the Parksville-Qualicum Beach area which is also called Oceanside. I am very excited - we don't really intend to buy this trip unless something that is completely awesome and underpriced grabs us. It is a fact finding mission to scope out where the grocery stores are, get the feel of the town and neighborhoods. Flights - free except taxes on airmiles. Accommodation-a private Inn on the ocean with kitchenette so we can save on eating out, $30 was negotiated off the nightly rate as we are booking four nights and total cost is half the price of all of the local hotels and condos (I compared 15). Yes, full on ocean view with private balcony and access to barbeques. That is why I call this blog living rich on the cheap. You really can have everything if you look around for it.

We are saving as much of our paychecks as possible right now for our first year of living without jobs. It does feel like that day is approaching when we can "take our jobs and shove them" and only work if we want to or feel like it at something that interests us. FREEDOM IS AROUND THE BEND!

July Grocery Tally and Coupons

Grocery Budget for July 2011 $450.00 plus $11.12 left from June = $461.12 less $43.54 for travel days (applied towards travel budget) = $417.58
Actual: $469.99! Yes, over budget. I bought a lot of meat for BBQ season and completely wonderful cherries, loads of watermelon and peaches.
$52.41 will be deducted from August $450.00 budget so I will have to be very careful this month as my August budget is now down to $397.59.

Coupons used $26.71 this month (year to date $306.67)

Best deal this month? Laundry detergent that my stepson got for $1 per bottle (see previous posts) and two free tickets (except tax) on Westjet to Comox in September for the start of our house hunt.

I love airmiles.ca. It turns out when I was short a few airmiles for the second airline ticket for our trip my speed shop at Safeway worked well as the airmiles were deposited within 10 days!

Cost of two return airline tickets to Comox from Edmonton On Westjet $805.52
Paid only $299.54.
Actual savings $505.98.

We already have enough points for at least 3 more tickets between Aeroplan, airmiles and hubbys Royal Bank Avion credit card for future trips to the island.

This has been the summer of almost nil entertainment costs as we have been taking advantage of freebies from hubbys job. First it was the Edmonton Indy, and then last weekend we ended up with a bunch of free food tickets to the Edmonton Heritage Festival. Although the festival itself is free as there is no parking so you must take public transportation and food tickets are costly.

I took my 14 year old stepdaughter and we grazed our way through 63 outdoor pavillions representing 85 different countries. Over 125,000 thousand people attended the day we went. It was hot, food was great, but after a couple hours we were wilting and the crowds were pretty large so went home. I still had extra tickets left so ended up passing those on to another friend who was attending on a different day plus donated a bunch of tickets to the food bank (who is able to redeem them for cash) who uses this festival as their largest collection venue of the year. Total spent? $5.50 on park and ride.

My plan to stay on track this month? Use more coupons and better plan meals. I have more time so should be successful.

I have stayed away from the garage sales this month due to our move as keep harping on hubby everytime he buys something that we will have to move it to another Province, therefore am trying to take my own advice. I have enough stuff anyway.

Summer in Alberta means nightly storms - last night we had a four hour electrical storm that started at 3am. These parting photos were taken a few nights ago while it was raining. Sunset, rainbows and clouds.

Get out and enjoy some summer fun!

The $16 Watermelon and $9.99 Cheez Wiz Story

I hate feeling ripped off at the grocery store. These days it seems easier than ever to blow your grocery budget.

Right before our trip to Costa Rica I was craving watermelon. As it is healthy for you I was going to cave to the craving. Four days to go before the trip I did not think I would be able to eat a whole watermelon. My grocery store, Sobeys, has half watermelons available. Unfortunately in a hurry I did not look at the price (they are counting on that). That week there was also a special on strawberries (shipped all the way from California) for .99 a pint. At the cash register I nearly had a heart attack. $8 for half a watermelon! The poor teenage girl did not know how to take my exclaimation "Are you kidding me! $16 for a whole watermelon! Please take that off my bill!" I refuse to be ripped off by grocery stores. I could almost air ship the damn watermelon from Central America cheaper. I went home with only my .99 strawberries.

A second incident at the same store this week has me intending to talk to the manager next time about their outrageous prices. Cheez whiz, that nasty processed cheese goup that hubby can't live without was on sale at multiple grocery stores this past week for $4.99. Unfortunately I missed the sale at Sobeys by one day (looked at the flier incorrectly) and got home with $9.99 Cheez Whiz. Not wanting to return to the store that night (note to self - look at the receipt before leaving the parking lot) the Cheez Whiz was left in the bag with receipt out of hubbys sight lest he open it in a midnight snack moment. The nice girl at customer services was very helpful but promptly told me they don't price match. Are you kidding me? So she accepted my return and I purchased a new bottle at Save On Foods for $4.99 on the way home from work (no extra gas involved but still expensive in my books).

So in a total refusal to be ripped off by Grocery Stores I intend to shop at three different grocery stores plus Walmart to keep within the grocery budget. Meat at Save On, Produce at Sobeys and everthing else wherever the sales are. And yes, the next time this happens I will be hunting down the manager to give him or her a piece of my mind.

One day, I hope to be a little more self sufficient growing fruit and veggies in a climate that has more than a 60 day growing season. Until that day, grocery store manager, you better watch out. I'm watching you.

June 2011 Grocery Tally, Coupons and more Costa Rica Photos

Grocery Budget for June 2011 $450.00 plus $10.41 left from May=$460.41
less $90 for travel days (applied towards travel budget) = $370.41

Actual: 359.29! $11.12 Carried forward to July.

Coupons used $14.48(year to date $279.96)


My worst month for coupon use this year. Fact: It is much easier to scout for bargains and use coupons when you have time. This month I had none!

Best deals this month:

Used clothes! Now at the six month mark for 2011 and my clothing budget is as follows:

$282 Spent
$136 in new clothing: red trench coat, bra, 3 pairs pantyhose and 1 shirt
$146 in used clothing: 4 pair shorts, 20 shirts and 1 fall jacket

I shopped a little more than expected in June for clothing to wear on my trip to Costa Rica but ended up with a lot of good summer clothes which will also be very useful on Vancouver Island with a much warmer climate.


My best buy of this month:
summer top that is non-wrinkle, was purchased for $2.50 and travels wonderfully as you can scrunch it up into a 2 x 2 inch ball for packing.

Even better, hubby says it is his new favorite shirt!

Freebies this month:
Triscuit Free Product Coupon
Nesquick Free Product Coupon
Stride Pack of gum

Costa Rica was such a memorable trip. I was able to meet up with friends over at Happier Than a Billionaire to discuss Nadine's new book and their four exciting years living in Costa Rica after selling all their belongings and Chiropractic businesses and moving to Costa Rica. It sounds like a pipe dream but four years later and they seem to have no regrets. They are healthier, happier and likely will live longer for the choice.

Our goal is similar. By June 2012 we hope to be mostly unemployed living on Vancouver Island. We will sell all our assets and downsize, choosing quality of life over career status.

I see hours of taking pictures in my future!

May 2011 Coupon and Grocery Tally

Photo: Grebe nest below our house, 3 eggs, waiting for baby Grebes to hatch

Grocery Budget for May 2011 $450.00 plus $35.99 left from April=$485.99
Actual: 475.58! $10.41 carried forward to June.
Coupons used $48.48(year to date $265.48)


No great deals this week. I have been mostly preoccupied with the new Canon Rebel T3i I purchased. Buying this camera is part of the "Getting a life" plan that we are carrying out this year. I have an interest in amateur wildlife photography and needed the right camera to do it. Other than perhaps buying additional lenses this camera should last me 10 years.

The big plan is:

1. Sell our house and move to Vancouver Island summer 2012, house to go on market February or March.

2. Downsize our home in both space and money. Our goal? Bank some money from the sale of the current house. Buy a house with no unused space and a good outdoor area where hubby can putter and I can have a few flowers and grow some good things to eat. Smaller house means lower tax and heating bills. Sell anything that we don't love before we go so we don't have to pay to transport it to another Province. I expect we will be cutting our current possessions in half.

3. Change jobs. This means saving as much money as possible before we go to bank so that when we arrive on island we take a few months off, and then seek work that makes our hearts happy. Sounds crazy but we have planned this for several years and will have the funds to carry us through 3 years with no income if necessary. I hope to be working in the tourism field or maybe a greenhouse. I really can't see shuffling paper and working at a job where I don't make a difference any more.

4. Pursue hobbies and a lifestle that interests us and leave our old workaholic lifestyle behind. Part of this plan includes getting a dog as we will have sufficient time to spend with him. Hubby wants to start to start a consulting company. For me this means exploring my new hobby of photography and endless days exploring the seashore.

Obviously this new life means lower income, but based on always living below our means, paying cash, buying used, and using coupons completely achievable when we have no debt. No, we are not retiring, just finally getting a life.

Sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?

And Sometimes We Eat Steak

All I talk about on this blog is about scrimping and saving. Sometimes we do live rich on the cheap.

Our monthly grocery budget is $450 which on a Canadian budget is lower than the average Canadian and slightly higher per person than a frugal budget but if you consider that we eat roast beef, skinless boneless chicken breast, shrimp and steak on a regular basis it is pretty low.

"Extreme Couponing" is a USA based show. In Canada things are much different. A good deal means scouring the fliers and stockpiling when things are on sale. There is no doubling of coupons and clerks have to manually punch in each coupon to give you a reduction which usually means a 20 second pause for each coupon. Frankly, if I lived in the USA I could eat for free based on couponing. There are far less coupons available to Canadian consumers and rarely to we get great deals on meat and produce.

This week I was fortunate to stumble across a great deal on Alberta Beef (some of the best in the world) 15 days aged steaks vacuum sealed perfect for the freezer at $10 per package of four small (or two large) steaks. This is a smoking hot deal as usually a good steak from Costco costs about $18-$25 per steak. I refuse to pay that kind of price.

The steaks were absolutely the best with no seasoning required (although we add sea salt to ours for premium taste) and were eaten with green pepper, mushroom and onion Shish-k-bobs. Total cost of meal with a glass of wine for 2 was approximately $18 (a cheap bottle of wine here is $10, a good one $30). A similar meal in a restaurant would have been $75. Fortunately both hubby and I enjoy cooking so we eat well.

To give you the idea of cost of goods in Alberta:
4 litres Milk $3.89
Bread $1.99 to $3.99.
Bag of 60 shrimp medium size shell on frozen $13.99 (I buy these when they go on sale b1g1)
10 lb russet Potatoes $2.99 summer $4.99 winter
Corn on the cob winter $1 per cob, summer .33 per cob
Frozen Pizza average price $7.99, on sale price $4.99
Long English Cucumber Summer .99 to $1.29, winter $1.59 to $2.99

I would love to eat local and do as much as possible but if I restricted us to a 100 mile diet we would be eating meat and potatoes and not much more (except in summer).

Three quarters of our monthly budget goes to meat, and fresh produce. Hopefully one day when we move to Vancouver Island where produce is plentiful, year round and cheap will I be able to shave even more off the grocery bill. This year, more so than others companies have been giving Canadians more free product coupons to try out their product. As a result this is my best freebie year so far.

Freebies this week:
P&G mens brandsampler (value approx $12)
Coupon for free Asana Yogurt (not shown)
Coupon for free Chocolate Cheerios

March Grocery Tally, Coupons and Freebies

Grocery Budget for March 2011 $450.00 plus .73 cents left from February=$450.73

Actual: 437.84!
Coupons used $78.97 (year to date $183.88)








March Freebies received:
4 capsules Advil Night
1 Mars Chocolate single bar (long gone)
1 Tazo Tea Bag (pretty bags, ok tea for those who like fru fru tea)
4 Crystal Light Singles

No Contest Wins (have not had any time to enter contests lately)
Year to date 2011 winnings $10 Beyond the Rack GC

March turned out to be a pretty good grocery month. Due to the pending move sometime this year (once house sells) I am buying less and using more of what I have.
My best bargain of the month was Contact solution that is usually $9.99 a bottle for $3.76 at Rexall- I bought 4 (sorry no photos as hubby has already carted them off) and each had an attached travel size bottle as a bonus.

One of my goals this year is to buy as little new clothing this year - trying for lowest all time budget on clothes. This includes things like nylons, shoes and accessories.

So far so good:
January: $23.96 - 1 fall coat, 1 t-shirt, 2 necklaces, 1 earrings and 1 pair pantyhose. All but the earrings and pantyhose were used. The earrings were costume jewellery marked down from $15.99 to .99 at Rexall at after Christmas sale.
February: $33.00 - 7 shirts - all used (one was 50% off day at Sally Ann)
March: $26.95 - 4 shirts all used and a necklace also used.

I don't need much in the wardrobe, in fact this weekend is time to clean out the closet. Shoes are required however, as my current work dress shoes are quite worn. I prefer new shoes and they are one item I sometimes will spend high amounts to get a decent pair so hopefully there are some sales.

Spring is suddenly upon us, high temperatures and melting snow. Posts about baby Canadian Goose watching to come!

February Grocery Tally and Recent Bargains

Annual Grocery budget $450 per month x 12 = $5400
Due to grocery overspending in January the overage was deducted from February and the final grocery budget for the month was $418.20.

Actual was $417.47! Success! and .73 cents has been forwarded to March's budget.

Coupons used: $30.25. Quite low but as always the goal is to stay within the grocery budget so a complete success. It did help that February was a short month. When I neared the budget I quit shopping. Pretty simple really. We just ate out of our existing pantry and freezer.

Freebies received:
2 packets Thinsations
Dentyne Ice Gum
$10 in Amazon.ca gift cards from using Swagbucks

No Contest Wins - really too busy to enter this month

Best buys in February:

In all I bought seven shirts at my two regular thrift stores for $33. One Saturday I stumbled upon a 50% off everything sale at Salvation Army which made a great deal even better. Above are photos of three (the rest are in the laundry as have worn all but one already).

The major benefit of buying used clothes is after a wash they are "NEW TO YOU". You can afford a larger wardrobe without a large cost outlay. Any change in dye colour or misshaping has already happened before you brought it home. I am on a personal mission this year to try and buy 80% used clothing, only buying new for underwear, socks and if required clothing that is required for functions that I cannot buy used (like the wedding we have to go to next weekend that I still don't have the right blouse to wear). With higher clothing prices predicted due to increased cost of cotton and oil transportation costs buying used enables me to stay within budget.

My absolute favorite buy of the lot is the baby yellow Tommy Hilfiger sweater. Not due to name brand but based on compliments received from co-workers and hubby while I was wearing it. Sometimes I buy name brand second hand clothing due to higher quality types of fabrics, wool and cotton, always without paying the high price!

Another massive moneysaver this month was redemption of airmiles: = $1200 savings
2 tickets from Edmonton to Victoria - savings $700 (paid $230 in tax)
1 ticket from Edmonton to Denver for a birthday gift for my mother to see relatives - savings $500 (paid $150 tax)


My next post will include real estate adventures and bargain shopping on Vancouver Island, our future home - yay!

Grocery and Coupon Tally 2010 Results

December blew the grocery budget, worst month in two years! Oh well, I actually stocked up therefore the freezer is full and the budget should recover this month.

December Groceries $811.47 (total honesty here)
December Coupons $39.26

In 2008 I estimate my average grocery bill was $850 per month/$10200 per year. In 2009 It likely was closer to $600 per month/$7200 per year. I kept track of coupons used in 2009 and it amounted to $1612 (first year of couponing is always the highest, sometimes buying unnecessary crap).

For the first time I can actually tally what my real grocery bill was for the year 2010:

Groceries $6125.39 (average of $510/mos)
Coupons $1273.01

I have no coupon goal for 2011, as it seems way more important to see the bottom line on money spent on groceries after coupons.

Grocery goal in 2011 $5,400 or $450 per month. This would be an overall savings of $625 off 2010.

Of course I could go even lower but we eat at home 99% of the time therefore our entertainment bill is smaller!