Results are in, and…
I am officially great at predicting when I’m going to majorly blow my budget.
Also, I am officially terrible at giving weekly updates.
:-(
Tuesday, September 11
I spent $96.09 on my Walmart grocery pickup!
Thankfully, $25.07 of it was on diapers. Which means I only have to claim $71.02 for grocery. Still.
I needed more pinto beans, and Sam’s Club has the cheapest around – assuming you’re buying 50 lbs. Which, of course I am! I also got individually packed Ruffles (because it’s ultimately better for me to know that there are potato chips at home that I can indulge in occasionally and in moderation when needed than for me to be picking up entire family-size bags every other week at the grocery store and inhaling them on the drive home. Just sayin’)
After I subtracted my oxygen bleach, it was $62.27
So… with a budget of $115 per week – I spent $133.29 on Tuesday alone. But I didn’t buy any fresh produce, so I still needed to do my ALDI shopping on Thursday.
Thursday, September 13
I spent $42.73 at ALDI – all of it on groceries.
And sometimes I just don’t have time to arrange the groceries to look pretty once I get home :-)
So I ended the week $61.02 in the hole.
Monday, September 17
I sent Daniel to Walmart to pick up prescriptions for the kids and I – and to get us some ice cream. Sometimes I just feel the need. $4.30 for two containers.
Tuesday, September 18
Another ginormous Walmart order – $75.24
But, just like last week, I get to subtract diapers (as well as some storage bags and plastic wrap.) After I take out those, I’m at a more respectable $41.68 for groceries. – and that 25 lb bag of all-purpose flour should last me at least a month :-)
I didn’t do Sam’s Club this week – the block of cheese from last week is still unopened in the fridge and Daniel’s Sun Chips to keep at work will wait until we’ve got more to order from Sam’s.
Thursday, September 20
Knowing that my budget was in the red, I intended to shop strictly by my list at ALDI this week.
And I almost did.
But there were hams for $1.19 per pound and I don’t have any ham in my freezer right now (a rare event, let me tell you!)
And I had some extras I needed for lunch (I’d packed lunchmeat and mustard since we didn’t have any bread or easy-to-eat-while-out fruit or veggies in the house.)
So I also bought some bread and sliced cheese for our sandwiches, some mandarin oranges to go along with them, and some trail mix for a pre-storytime snack. (Also pictured? The bread for pizza bread Thursday evening – I’d forgotten to include it in the previous picture!)
That was $68.06 minus $4.29 for the scrub brushes I’d bought for kids’ activities. So $63.77
Okay, time for some quick math (see kids, math does come in handy in your future life!)
*Under breath* 63.77 plus 41.68 plus 4.30 Wait – am I actually going to do this in my head? I suppose, now that I’ve got the numbers down on screen it’s easy enough. Five, carry one. Seven, carry one. Nine. Ten.
$109.75
Folks, this would be lovely if I weren’t in the hole already.
To review…
Week 1: $18.48 below budget
Week 2: $61.02 above budget
Week 3: $5.25 below budget
I’m still $37.29 in the hole for the month.
I’ve got one more full week in the month and I need to keep my purchases down to $77.71
Can I do it?
The good news is that I’m working my way through the first cycle of my new fall menu and putting a half dozen or so entrees in the freezer each week – which means the second time through the cycle should be a) less work and b) less expensive. Also, now that I’ve bought beans and flour and chips and ramen (another “because mama needs something on hand just in case she wants to sulk in a corner with hot food”), I’m not going to need those again for quite a while.
The bad news is that we’ve still got one more week in that first four-week cycle – which means I’m still trying to double up (and don’t really want to make too many substitutions).
Even so, I think I’m up for this challenge. Bring it on!
