August budget in review - 8isGreat

The last three weeks have been extremely busy here!
We had 4 birthday celebrations.
DD #1 started college.
I began homeschooling DD #2 & 3.
For the first time ever DS #1, 2 &3 went to public school.
An unforseen ($COSTLY$) home repair caused many changes to our original plans for education for the 2009/10 school year. So, I have been spending the past 3 weeks buying textbooks for homeschooling kids and registering and placing public school kids and teaching myself Algebra II late at night. :o)
I missed the Kroger 2 week long Mega Event and I missed Harris Teeters Super Doubles AND Triples. There just wasn't any way to do what needed to be done for my children's school plans and shop for deals...or even plan meals! DH stepped in and made many meals during these weeks and we've ordered pizza in twice - extremely rare for us.

Regrets? NONE. I'm just glad I didn't know ahead of time all the changes I would be making. It would have stressed me out too much. :o)

August spending breakdown.
Week #1 -$174.30
Week # 2 -$123.94
Week #3 -$131.76
Week #4 - $48.89
Last 3 days of month -$103.28
Total spent on groceries, H&B, baby items, and cleaning products for August 2009 -$582.17

I went overbudget AGAIN. I'm not upset this month. I have been in the past.
Life is "REAL" and God is in control, not me. He knows what is best for us and we need to stick close to Him to discern His plans. I really think I didn't do too bad all things considered.
A goal is a great tool and I won't stop keeping a budget goal.
I wonder what my total would look like if I didn't add in cleaning, baby and H&B items. Probably under $500. Maybe I will make separate accounts of these categories in the future.

Here is what we got for $582.17.

August Purchases
H&B
Blink Tears 2
Body soap 4
Schick intuition refill cartridges 12 individual
Feminine products 4
Purse sized Hand lotion1
Tooth brushes 12
Shampoo 2
Conditioner 3
CVS Makeup remover toweletes 1

BABY ITEMS
Tubs Huggies wipes 32

CLEANING/HOUSEHOLD SUPPLIES
Electrasol power tabs 3
Tide liquid 4 large bottles
8 AA Energizer Lithium batteries

BREADS
Hot Dog Buns 5
Hamburger buns 6
Tortillas 70
Croutons 3 bags
Honey wheat loaves 9
Italian loaf 1
French Loaf 2
English Muffins 30 individual

BEVERAGES
Cranberry juice 1
Apple juice 8
12 pack soda 5
2 liter soda 1
Tea bags 4 boxes
Powdered lemonade drink mix 1

CANNED/JAR
Tuna fish 2 cans
Ravioli 4 cans
Plum sauce 2
Ragu pasta sauce 2
Peanut butter 1
Diced tomatoes and green chilis 2
Enchilada sauce 1
Soups 8 cans
Roasted peppers 1
Tuna 6 cans
Salsa 1

DRY GOODS
Frosting 3
Devil’s Food Cake mix 1
Mac n Cheese boxes 3
Cereal 12
Chocolate chips
Nutri Grain bars 1 box
Ramen Noodles 2 pkgs
Flour 15 lb
Sugar 5 lb
Jumbo Pasta Shells 2 boxes
Martha White Muffin Mixes 14
Cereal 4 boxes
Granola bars 1 box
Poptart boxes 22
Dole fruit bowls 1
Grape jelly 1
Chocolate chips 4 bags
Potato chips 4
Tortilla chips 1
Individual snack size chip bags 150
Mac N Cheese 5 boxes

PAPER PRODUCTS
Paper towels 21 rolls
Napkins 7

DAIRY
Eggs 208
Milk gallons 60
Sour cream 7
Cheese block 4
Shredded cheese 14
String Cheese 48 individual
Sliced cheese 6
Butter 12 sticks
Cream cheese 1 block

DELI
Potato salad
Sliced Turkey breast 3 ¾ lbs
Honey Ham 9 ¾ lbs.
Provalone 2 lb

MEATS
Ball Park Hot Dogs 2 packages
Boneless skinless chicken breasts 40 individual
Split Chicken breasts 12
20 lb chicken leg quarters

PRODUCE
Cucumbers 4
Red Onion 1
Yellow Onion 1
Celery
Green leaf lettuce 1
Baby carrots 2 lbs
Apples .89+ 1.36 lb
Bananas 3.27+1.88 +3.35+2.78
Watermelon
Clementines 5 lb
Iceberg lettuce 3
Cherries 1.26 lbs
Organic Bananas 8.08 lbs
Corn 28 ears
Peaches 27 lbs.
Grapes 2.25+2.14 + 1.96 lbs

FROZEN
DiGiorno Pizzas 6
Breyer’s Chocolate ice cream 1
Dove stick ice cream
Dreamsicle bars

It looks like we buy alot of deli meat. I freeze it when it is on sale. I wonder if it would be cheaper to buy a ham butt instead of sliced in the deli dept. I use 30% off Qs in the deli so my OOP is pretty low on deli purchases. Just thinking out loud...

Practicing Hospitality on Budget

After reading 8isgreat's last post about her grocery budget struggles I was reminded of a recent article by a guest poster on Money Saving Mom about Practicing Hospitality on a Budget.

It was something the author struggled with until she set up a separate cash envelope for "hospitality" and put a set amount of money in there each month. Something so simple, yet I never thought it before!

Hopefully this article will be helpful to you and your family.

July Budget Review for 8isGreat

Back in April I began tracking my spending. Details here. In May I was determined to cut my budget. I gave myself parameters outlining what was covered in my budget here. I strived to meet these goals in May, June and July also.

I wrote here about my first week of July. I was determined to push on without making changes to my budget goals for the month.

Here are my expenses for the month
Week 1 $250.82
Week 2 $63.31
Week 3 $73.37
Week 4 $134.68
Last 3 days of the month $61.51 - (I was purchasing items to qualify for MIR w/7/31 deadlines)
July's total is $583.69
I submitted over $150 in MIR this month, bringing my expenses for July down to $433.69.

Here is what I purchased this month:

2009 JULY Expenses - Grocery/H&B/Cleaning/Baby products

BREADS
Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns 12
English muffins 13
Wheat sandwich bread 13
Rye/pump swirl bread 1

DAIRY
Milk gallons 49
Pillsbury French loaf dough 4
Butter 20 sticks
72 Eggs
Cheese blocks 3
Shredded cheese 4 lb
Yougurt cups 4

MEAT
35 Beef patties
4 top round steaks
2 flank steaks

FROZEN FOODS
Corn dogs
35 lbs ice
Popsicles
Orange sherbert
Waffles 5 boxes
Haagen daz 4

DELI
1 Macaroni salad
1 Potato salad
5 lbs honey ham
3 lbs turkey
3 lbs provolone
1 lb Colby jack
Parmesean cheese

PRODUCE
Green leaf lettuce 5 heads
Cucumbers 3
Green onion
Tomatoes 1.33 lb (thank goodness the garden kicked in here!)
Bananas 19.56 lbs.
Strawberries 2 lbs.
Watermelon 1
individual yellow corn 24
Apples 11.22 lbs
Cherries 6.03 lbs
Grapes 4.95 lbs
Peaches 13.94 lbs
Russet potatoes 5 lbs
Onion 2

CONDIMENTS/DRESSINGS
BBQ Sauce: 15 (donated)

DRY GOODS
15 Fruit Roll up boxes (donated to swim team concessions)
Ramen Noodles 5 packages
Marshmallows 2 bags
Hershey candy bars (6 pack) 3
Grahm crackers
Bread crumbs 1
Peanut butter 1
Minced onions 1
Vanilla wafers 1 box
Chocolate chips 3 bags
Smuckers fudge 1 jar
Cereal 4 boxes
Popcorn kernels 1 bag
Packages of Flour tortillas 2 packages
Vegetable oil 1
Cake mixes 4 boxes
Olives 1 jar
Cup o noodles 2 cups
Martha white muffin mix 6 mixes
Roasted red bell peppers 2 jars
Mayonnaise 4 large jars
Spiral pasta 6 bags
Pancake mix 10 boxes
Syrup 7 bottles
Candy bars 4 individual
Olive oil 3 bottles
Tuna 2 pouches
Potato chips 3 bags
Cookies 2 packages

BEVERAGES
Sparkling grape juice 3 bottles
Powdered lemonade
Tea 4 boxes
Apple juice10 frozen concentrate containers
Starbucks double shot: 3 cans

CANNED GOODS
Ravioli 5 cans
Chicken noodle soup 3 cans

PAPER PRODUCTS
Paper towels 9 rolls
Ziplock bags 6 boxes
Chinet plates 12 packages

HOUSEHOLD
Playtex kitchen gloves 4 pair
Lysol wipes 11 containers
Oxi Clean 1 bottle
Tide HE detergent 1 bottle

HEALTH & BEAUTY
Feminine products 16 packages ( I always stock up when these are 50c or less/pkg)
Cotton balls 1 bag
Hand sanitizer 3 small bottles
Nail polish remover 1 bottle
Hand soap pump 1 bottle

It is frustrating to consistently miss my goal. I have decided to give myself a little more budget room. I believe I could keep a $400/month budget in the areas I have selected if we lived a consistent routine. But we are a large group. We have celebrations to have (birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, sacraments, holidays, etc.) and we love to entertain and frequently have family and friends over for dinner. So my goals for my August budget are more generous. I am setting my goal at $500 and hope to fall below this. This gives me $125/week for my groceries, baby needs, paper products, cleaning supplies and Health and Beauty items.

As for cash, it has proved very difficult to have an envelope of cash to draw from. When I have cash I have teenagers who need to borrow it or spend it on something outside the "purposes" outlined in this budget. It is easier to lend the cash then drive to the ATM to get more. I thought I could use my debit card and keep a running track of expenses in my receipt notebook. However, I would need to keep closer track of this notebook. I think it would be much easier to have $125 in my wallet each week and know exactly what is left unspent after each purchase.
I will give the cash only system another chance in August.

A $400 monthy budget for a family of ten

My finance goals for May, June and for July has been a $400 budget to cover all groceries, cleaning supplies, and all H&B items for a family of ten and all baby items for my 21 month old. In May I spent$491.65 for these categories and in June I spent $425.88 (not including the cost of a graduation party). And now here comes July...

It’s July 13th. We spent as much of last week as possible with my DH’s family from Iowa and Northern Virginia. We had a wonderful time!

Without any regrets, I spent more than half the month’s budget in the first week. I used a lot of stockpiled foods to help, but I wanted to celebrate, not skimp! We wanted to see our family whenever we could, so we hosted as much as possible. DH & I both bought extras for the week and some of my trips were unplanned (read no sales and no coupons).

So, $240.82 of the $400 July budget is gone. I am not deterred. I am still going to try to keep my budget at $400 for the month. Maybe all of these months not being able to hit $400 will convince me to raise my budget to $450. We’ll see. For the remainder of the month my weekly menus will be made up of only what I already have on hand. I expect to need a stray ingredient here and there, produce, bread and milk. We are completely out of paper towels and are only using towels for wiping hands and rags for clean-ups.
I am concerned about our milk consumption pushing us over the budget. If I only budget $50 each of the last three weeks of July I expect to spend at least $20 of this each week on milk. This leaves $30/week for anything else. I do have a $25 gift check for Walgreens that I may use to purchase milk if I need to.
I lost my CVS coupon folder three weeks ago. This might also affect my July budget because I will have to use real money for H&B items. My folder was filled with coupons, a CVS gift card with a balance of about $15, my CVS card, my DH’s CVS card, my DD’s CVS card (she is headed off to college in the fall & I was helping her to “CVS”) and there were also $30-$40 in ECBs in there. I have avoided CVS since my folder went missing with the exception of popping in to the three CVS’s that I frequent to see if it might have been found and turned in. I plan on getting some ECBs this week on the free school supply items – this expense will come out of my Education budget, but I can use the ECB’s they generate on H&B items.

One thing that will help me for the rest of July is that I am officially on the cash system. It should be easier not to spend extra when I can see exactly how much (little) is left in the envelope.

June monthly spending - 8isGreat checks in

My June monthly budget GOAL for groceries, H&B items, baby items and cleaning supplies is $400/month for my family of ten. I have not switched to a cash system. I tried it for the first two weeks of June, but got off track.

An unusual expense that affected my OOP expenses this month was my oldest DD's HS graduation party which was a celebration I wasn't about to skimp on.

My OOP expenses for the above categories for my family was $553.83 for the month of June.I estimate that the graduation cost me approximately $127.95. If I subtract the graduation food expenses, which I intend to, my June bill was $425.88. Only $25.88 over my goal! I am sooo close!! I know I can meet it in July!

Once again, my goal for July is $400 for the same categories. If Frugal Momma can continue to fall below her goal each month, surely I can at least meet mine one month! :o)

I did quite a bit of stockpiling this month on really cheap or free items. I stocked up on canned tuna, toilet paper, cereal, Pampers, chicken and pork (and sugar free gum, too!) I also bought alot of Propel and Joint Juice. These two items were "teasers" they cost me nothing, they were only in my basket because purchasing them lowered the cost of the items I actually needed in my basket. If this confuses you read this post on MoneyMakers. I did get stopped by a fellow shopper who wanted to know if I was throwing a party for "old" people. I didn't know what he was talking about until I realized what I must look like selecting produce and dairy products with a cart filled with Joint Juice. Oh well. :o)

One thing that REALLY surprised me was that we purchased 50 gallons of milk in June! Insane!! There are only 30 days in the month! I guess with all the kids home from school we are going through more than normal. But to be honest I don't know what normal is. Never before have I counted how many gallons I bought. I just usually grab between 4 and 8 gallons when I am picking up milk. I am sure at least 3 gallons ended up down the drain. I told the kids how much milk we are drinking and asked them to help me reduce this for next month by placing their unfinished milk in the refrigerator or using smaller glasses so they don't over pour.

Here is what I bought in June. All this (not including the H&B items I forgot to save receipts from because I got them for free) cost me $553.83. I spent $425.88 for our family's needs and stockpiling for future family use plus $127.95 for a graduation party.

BABY
13 jumbo bags Pampers
2 pkgs GoodNites
1 Baby bath wash

HEALTH & BEAUTY
I didn’t save my receipts from all the free items I got at CVS and Wags (I figured because I spent zero I didn’t need to keep my receipts – I’ll remember this next month)
I know I bought 1 large shampoo, 2 large conditioners, razors, 2 sun blocks, etc.

PRODUCE
Tomatoes (Roma) 1 lb.
Granny Smith Apples 2.12 lbs.
5 Avacados
Bananas 18.21 lbs
Green Onions
Fresh Express Spinach
Green Leaf Lettuce 3
Vidalia Onion 1.08 lb
Tomatoes (large slicing) 2.92 lbs
Cucumbers 2
Cherry tomatoes 1 pkg.
Strawberries 1 pkg
5 lb red potatoes
1.15 Peaches
1 bag baby spinach
Fresh Express Chef salad
Fresh Express cranberry pecan salad finishers

MISC
Freezer Jam Pectin
Ketchup 3
Mayo 4
A1 Steak sauce 4
Charcoal 2
Ice 3 10-lb bags
Jarred cherries 1

MEAT/SEAFOOD
3 Angus London Broil
Perdue Split Chicken Breasts 14.87 lbs
20 hamburgers
10 packages of Boneless Pork Tenderloin
6 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts
1 one lb. pkg Ground beef
2 OM hot dogs
2 lb. cooked shrimp

DELI
1.57 lb Turkey breast
1 lb honey ham

FROZEN
4 Apple juice concentrate
6 OJ concentrate
4 sherbert tubs
Ice cream 3 Bryers
7 DiGiorno Pizzas

3 personal store band pizzas
1 Puff Pastry Sheet
2 Ocean Spray Cranberry juice
3 10# bags ice

PASTA
3Egg noodles
22 Ramen Noodles (individual)
1 Manacotti
3 Spaghetti
6 Elbow Macaroni
2 Penne

BREAD/BAKERY
8 loaves Pepperidge Farm Rye/Pumpernickle Swirl
1 loaf Honey Wheat
8 loaves wheat bread
Entemann’s Doghnuts
½ Sheet Cake
4 packages hamburger buns
4 packages hot dog buns

CEREAL
4 Rice Krispies
6 Kix
4 Multi Grain Cheerios 2
1 Cheerios
4 Frosted Mini Wheats

CANNED/JARRED
1 OEP Enchilada Sauce
2 Chicken Noodle soup
1 jar roasted red bell peppers
5 Cream of Chicken Soup
1 jar cocktail sauce
1 jar maraschino cherries
74 cans of tuna (total cost $32.68)
1 Peanut butter
1 Tomato paste
1 mushrooms
6 black beans
9 OEP refried beans
4 Tomatoes and green chilies

DAIRY
50 Gallons Milk - Woah! Who knew!
5 twelve count eggs
2 eighteen count eggs
2 Cream cheese
27 Cheese shredded (these were a $ maker at HT)
6 Cheese blocks
36 Yogurt (individual)
1 Whipped cream
2 Cool Whip
2 packages of 4 sticks butter
10 Sour cream (these don't expire until 10/09)
3 Refrigerated dough
3 Ricotta Cheese

HOUSEHOLD
1 Downy
6 boxes Hefty Kitchen garbage bags
9 boxes Hefty One Zip bags
8 packages Chinet Casuals Lunch Plates
2 packages Chinet Dessert Plates
2 Greased Lightning
4 Hot Shot Insect/wasp spray
6 Packages of 12 rolls of Scott Bath Tissue

BEVERAGES
108 Joint Juice individual bottles (&Maker at Safeway)
49 Propel individual bottles($Maker at Safeway)
7 2L bottles Soda
5 Energy Drink
9 Individual canned soda

BAKING
1 McCormick Rum Extract
1 McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract
1 McCormick Almond Extract
3 small McCormick cinnamon
Molasses
3 bags of Flour
10 packages of Muffin Mix
10 boxes BC Brownie Mix
1 Shortening
2 Jello pudding
8 Pancake Mix
1 Pancake Syrup
1 Olive Oil
1 Vegetable oil

SPICES
McCormick Oregano Leaves

COOKIES/CRACKERS
5 Ritz
5 Wheat Thins

CHIPS
11 Potato chips
1 Corn Chips
1 Pretzel Rods

CANDY
10 Individual Candy Bars 10 (total cost .89)
51 FoodLion brand gum (total cost $4.59)

Cash only groceries--month of June review

Last month was our family's first go at using cash only for all of our grocery shopping. You can read the results of last month's budget here. Since we came in under budget last month, I decided to cut $20 off this month's budget and set a budget of $340 for our family of 6 for the month. With just 1 day left in the month and no more shopping trips for me I thought I'd run and post my numbers today. To my surprise we came in WAY under budget this month!

Total for the month of June groceries:
Budget: $340
Actual spent: $216.72
Amount UNDER Budget: $123.28
Mail in rebates submitted from this month's grocery receipts: $51

Not counting the money we'll get back for the mail in rebates we spent only 67% of our budgeted amount. That's $54.18 a week for a family of 6! If you count the money we're getting back from the rebates that brings the month's total to $165.72 or nearly 49% of the monthly budget.

You can see by looking at my Meal Plan Monday postings that we eat pretty well, but if you're wondering what you can really buy for $54 a week this list is for you! (Note--we eat lots of frozen veggies that I've stockpiled for pennies a bag so you don't see anything like that on the list this month and you'll remember how prolific our lettuce has been this year so we didn't need to buy any of that!.)

Number	Unit	Item
Produce
4	lbs	strawberries
10	indiv	bananas
1	32 oz	blueberries
1	indiv	pineapple
12	fuji	apples
3	oz	baby spianch
1	bunch	green onions
1	indiv	tomato
2	indiv	tomatoes
7	indiv	bananas
2	bags	salad mix
4.17	lbs	seedless watermelon
2.8	lbs	apples
6	ears	corn
1	pt	blueberries
1.98	lbs	bananas
1	lg	onion
1	lg pack	raspberries
1	lg	seedless watermelon
5	indiv	bananas
5	indiv	apples
1	indiv	tomato
1	qt	blueberries
1	indiv	sweet potato
1	indiv	pineapple
1.96	lbs	apples
2	indiv	roma tomatoes
1.86	indiv	apples
2	indiv	pineapples
1	indiv	seedless watermelon
4	indiv	apples
2	lbs	lbs potatoes
1	indiv	large sweet potato
1	indiv	small onion
5	indiv	bananas
1	pack	strawberries
Dairy
1	gallon	skim milk
2	gallon	2% milk
3	gallon	2% milk
4	lbs	butter
2	blocks	cream cheese
1	gallon	skim milk
1	dozen	eggs
1	dozen	eggs
1	gallon	skim milk
1	gallon	2% milk
3	dozen	eggs
1	gallon	2% milk
4	lbs	butter
5	lbs	shredded mozzarella
2	lbs	cheddar
1	qt	heavy cream
3	gallons	2% milk
1	6pk	TJs yogurt
5	indiv	containers yogurt
1	gallon	skim milk
1	lbs	Kraft american cheese
1	gallon	skim milk
Bread
1	16pk	hot dog buns
1	16pk	hamburger buns
1	8 pk	hamburger buns
1	8 pk	hamburger buns
1	loaf	sandwich bread
1	bag	mini bagels
1	pk	hamburger buns
1	pk	hot dog buns
Meat
10	lbs	frozen chicken breasts
2	lbs	bacon
2	8oz packs	pepperoni
0.67	lbs	beef strifry
1.3	lbs	ground beef
1.67	lbs	london broil
2.67	lbs	sirloin steak
22.14	lbs	boneless skinless chicken breast
5.2	lbs	pork tenderloin
2.5	lbs	pork tenderloin
3.6	lbs	boneless skinless chicken breast
1	pk	taylor ham
2	pks	hot dogs
Canned/Jarred
2	cans	sweetened condensed milk
2	bottles	BBQ sauce
4	bottles	BBQ sauce
2	bottles	BBQ sauce
1	bottles	soy sauce
1	can	chili
Staples
1	bag	flour
1	bag	confectioners sugar
1	bottle	vegetable oil
1	bottle	syrup
2	boxes	Cheerios
1	box	cake mix
1	box	instant pudding
1	box	cake mix
1	box	instant pudding
3	boxes	cake mix
3	boxes	instant pudding
1	box	brownie mix
2	boxes	brownie mix
2	boxes	cake mix
3	boxes	instant pudding
1	bag	flour
Beverages
24	pk	bottled water
29	bottles	joint juice
14	bottles	joint juice
14	bottles	joint juice
27	bottles	joint juice
36	bottles	joint juice
2	half gallons	Tropicana OJ
Misc
2	bags	Lays Potato chips
1	box	granola bars
1	bottle	soy sauce
12	oz	bag chocolate chips
4	lbs	chocolate chips
5	indiv	donuts
1	jar	crushed garlic
1	bottle	lemon juice
1	can	cooking spray
1	bottle	ketchup
1	pack	zesty herb marinade
Household
4	boxes	tissues
2	bottles	handsoap
1	bag	gallon ziplocks
3	bottles	Shout
1	8pk	Bounty paper towels
2	purse packs	tissues
2	12pk	Cottonelle toilet paper
Baby
9	bags	Pampers
1	bag	Huggies swim diapers

Cash only grocery budget--month in review

This month was the first I tracked my purchases and used only cash for groceries. Dave Ramsey (author of Total Money Makeover) writes that people spend 18% more when they use "plastic" to make their purchases over cash. I thought we did pretty well already in the grocery area--but decided to see if using cash only made a difference. It did! I thought more about each purchase I made and would need to be aware how much cash I had on me when I was in the grocery store.


At the beginning of the month I took out $360 in cash. I thought that was reasonable for a family of 6. That covered all grocery, baby, cleaning supplies, health and beauty items.

I spent $324.48. I came $35.52 UNDER budget this month. I also submitted $87 in mail in rebates from those grocery receipts. If you count that money back I'm getting, I spent $237.48 for the month. (And I still have $12 in catalinas that I can use on June groceries!) I was hoping to spend even less than I did, but you'll see in the list posted below that I stocked up on a LOT of different items this month, hopefully meaning next month's spending will be even less.

In the month of April I spent $523.55. Not counting the $87 I'm getting back in mail in rebates, I spent $199.07 LESS in May than April. I'm not all that good at math--but I think that's a 38% savings from last month!

When I got back from the store I input my receipts into Excel to track not only what I spent, but what I bought. (I was curious how much milk I get each month, how much bread we eat, how much produce we go through in a month, etc.) I also put what I've spent into my itouch as soon as I get home from the store, that way I have a running budget in my purse at all times.

From what I purchased this month, I was able to I donate over $200 worth of groceries to the food bank.

So, what did $324.48 cash buy me this month?

Produce
5	indiv	apples
2	indiv	bananas
2	indiv	tomatoes
6	ears	corn
1	head	iceberg lettuce
3.1	lbs	potatoes
0.9	lbs	apples
6.39	lbs	bananas
0.65	lbs	roma tomatoes
5	lbs	potatoes
5	lbs	Fuji apples
3	indiv	bananas
6	ears	corn
2	lbs	strawberries
1	indiv	pineapple
	18 oz pk	blueberries
7	indiv	bananas
3	lbs	apples
3.89	lbs	bananas
2.67	lbs	apples
2	lbs	organic carrots
3.97	lbs	potatoes
2	indiv	portabella mushroom caps
2	lbs	celery hearts
1.52	lbs	grapes
2	lbs	vidalia onions
1		seedless watermelon
6	ears	corn
1	indiv	red pepper
1	indiv	green pepper
1	lbs	carrots
1	lbs	organic carrots
2	indiv	red peppers
1	indiv	green pepper
1	indiv	cucumber
2	indiv	oranges
8	indiv	Fuji apples
3	indiv	pears
1	head	green leaf lettuce
1	indiv	extra large tomoato
9	indiv	bananas
2	lbs	strawberries
2	indiv	sweet potatoes
6	ears	corn
6	indiv	kiwi
5.76	lbs	Fuji apples
9.92	lbs	potatoes
1	indiv	cucumber
Dairy
1	gallon	2% milk
3	gallon	2% milk
2	gallon	skim milk
1	dozen	eggs
3	dozen	eggs
1	lb	Kraft American cheese
1	pint	heavy whipping cream
1	package	cream cheese
1	6 pk	yogurt
4	lbs	butter
4	gallon	2% milk
2	gallon	skim milk
4	lbs	cheddar cheese
3	6pks	yogurt
2	pks	shredded cheddar
4	blocks	cheddar cheese
2	blocks	colby jack
3	dozen	eggs
1	gallon	whole milk
2	gallon	2% milk
1	lb	Kraft American cheese
2	gallons	skim milk
1	lb	Kraft American cheese
1	32oz	plain yogurt
2	4pks	Yoplait yo-plus yogurt
4	lb	Kraft American cheese
2	16 oz	Breakstones sour cream
1	8 oz	Daisy Sour Cream
3	gallon	2% milk
Bread
1	loaf	bread
1	pk	hot dog buns
1	dozen	mini bagels
1	2pk	ficcelle bread
2	loaf	bread
2	loaf	bread
1	16 pk	hamburger buns
2	loaf	bread
Meat
5	pks	Hot dogs
10	lbs	frozen chicken breasts
6.07	lbs	ground beef
8	lbs	hamburgers (32)
2.6	lbs	ground turkey breast
1.66	lbs	london broil steaks
1.5	lbs	eye round steaks
2	lbs	NY strip steaks
1	lbs	thin cut fajita steaks
13.33	lbs	90% ground beef
2.6	lbs	ground turkey breast
4.7	lbs	stew meat
12	indiv	beef shish kabobs
1.5	lbs	thin cut fajita steaks
1.25	lbs	ground turkey breast
Canned/Jarred
1	jar	strawberry jelly
1	bottle	syrup
12	bottles	Pace salsa
3	bottles	Pace salsa
2	cans	baked beans
1	bottle	syrup
1	jar	seedless red raspberry jam
1	jar	orange marmalade
1	30 oz jar	mayonaise
3	bottles	Kraft ranch dressing
1	bottle	Pace salsa
20	bottles	Kraft BBQ sauce
130	bottles	Kraft BBQ sauce
2	bottles	Kraft salad dressing
2	bottles	A1
4	cans	refried beans
2	cans	hormel chili
2	bottles	Newmans Own Balsamic Vineg.
2	jar	miracle whip
1	jar	skippy peanut butter
Staples
13	boxes	Special K
1	boxes	Saltines
2	boxes	Life Cereal
2	cans	kidney beans
1	bottle	Parmesan cheese
1	bottle	Vegetable oil
1	boxes	brown rice
2	lbs	brown sugar
1	boxes	baking soda
1	5lb bag	flour
2	boxes	Special K yougrt
1	boxes	Frosted Mini Wheats
5	boxes	Frosted Mini Wheats
2	boxes	Ritz crackers
2	boxes	Wheat Thins
4	boxes	Froot Loops
4	boxes	Apple Jacks
4	boxes	Corn Pops
2	boxes	Frosted Mini Wheats
9	boxes	Raisin Bran
4	boxes	Rice Krispies
4	boxes	Frosted Flakes
2	boxes	Barilla Picollini bowties
3	boxes	Uncle Bens brown rice
1	box	Black pepper
3	packs	Wacky Mac
20	packs	McCormick Zesty Herb marinade
Beverages
10	pks	6 ct Deer Park water
3	boxes	capri sun
1	bottle	iced tea
4	bottle	Vitamin water
4	12 pks	Coke
1	1/2 gallon	Tropicana OJ
7	bottle	Vitamin water
5	bottle	Vitamin water
1	1/2 gallon	Tropicana OJ
1	bottle	Deer Park Sparkling water
Misc
12	boxes	Fiber One bars
1	indiv	donut
2	bags	Sunchips
2	indiv	reusable shopping bags
1	indiv	newspaper
1	bags	marshmallows
1	bags	Hershey Bliss
2	bags	Hershey Bliss
2	bags	Lays potato chips
5	bags	Hershey Bliss
1	bar	Hershey Bliss
6	boxes	Jell-O
2	12ct boxes	Poptarts
3	indiv	donuts
Household
3	8pks	Paper towel
1	12pk	Cottonelle toilet paper
1	pk	napkins
1	box	tissues
3	pks	36 ct Chinet plates
2	box	Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
10	bottles	Lysol toilet cleaner
2	boxes	Ziploc gallon freezer bags
1	large tub	Oxiclean
6	packs	Marcal Napkins
Baby
1	pk	184 Huggies wipes refill
Frozen
1	box	Frozen pretzles
1	box	french toast
1	bag	french fries
1	1/2 gallon	vanilla ice cream
7	bags	peas
3	bags	corn
5	cans	OJ
3	half gallons	ice cream
2	indiv	cheese pizzas
1	indiv	pepperoni pizza
2	bags	Lender bagels
2	tubs	cool whip
1	box	ice cream sandwiches
1	box	frozen spinach
3	half gallons	ice cream
2	bags	Lender bagels
1	box	Frozen pretzles
4	boxes	Bagelfuls

We always pay our credit cards off each month so I thought I was doing a good thing using plastic and getting 3% back on all the purchases. I think I'd rather have the 38% savings instead!

Can I feed my family of ten on less than $100/week - UPDATE

My goal this month was to spend less than $100/week on groceries, H&B items, cleaning supplies, and diapers. I did not meet this goal, but considerably dropped my OOP expenses in these catagories this month (May) when compared to April. See April's totals here.

My total OOP expenses [for groceries, H&B, cleaning supplies and diapers] in May was $491.65. My April expenses for the same catagories were $1,120. I spent $628 less this month.

The weekly breakdown for May comes to $122.91/week. April's weekly breakdown was $280. I spent $157 less each week in the month of May.

The problems I encountered that made my goal of $100/week difficult were:

1. I implemented my weekly menus, but after a great first week I ended up not sticking to the menu on the average of 2-3 days per week. I realize that I really need to look at the activities my family has scheduled and plan accordingly.

2. Another problem I didn't anticipate was my DH or DD making purchases for me but adding extra items that affected my OOP expenses.

3. I also made some unplanned purchases for a hungry toddler on a mini road trip. I should have planned ahead and had some crackers and water in the car for this.

4. I continued to stock up on items that my family regularly uses when I found a really great price.

My goals for June:
I still think I can get my weekly OOP expenses below $100/week and will keep this goal for June.

I learned that I need to create a more realistic meal plan that fits with our activities.

This month I will give myself a "stock up" weekly budget that is within the regular weekly budget. Maybe of the $99 budget I could allocate $49 to stocking up and $50 for the regular milk, bread, eggs, I need to keep us going.