Okay, I've dug up all the receipts I can find, and I'm going to try to figure out what the hell happened.
Week 1
6 July Coles $113.43
6 July Aldi $66.65
9 July Coles $42.65*
10 July Aldi $19.30
11 July Coles $23.05*
Total : $265.08
Week 2
13 July Aldi $89.20
16 July Coles $24.58*
17 July Aldi $34.51
Total: $148.29
Week 3
20 July Woolworths $96.01
20 July Coles $60.94
20 July 1st Choice $54.00
22 July 1st Choice $55.00
22 July Aldi $74.91
23 July Coles $53.63*
23 July Aldi $85.36
23 July Coles $34.52*
Total: $514.37
Week 4
26 July Coles $58.27
26 July Aldi $137.31
26 July Woolworths $49.47
27 July Coles $18.37*
Total: $263.42
Monthly Total: $1191.16
Weekly Avg: $297.79
*Karen
These numbers make sense based on what happened over the course of the month. Week 1 was a fairly normal shop. The only thing unusual about it was that I didn't blog it. Then Week 2 was when the two older boys left. I was just cooking for Tom and myself, so I just bought some quick and easy stuff from Aldi. Sausages, sandwich stuff, frozen chicken strips, stir fry stuff, and a bottle of bourbon. Then I went back a few days later and bought frozen fish fillets, more sandwich stuff, and spaghetti fixins.
In Week 3 the boys were still away, but Karen needed stuff from Coles and Woolworths, so I did a proper sort of shop. But with only 3 people, it was cheap. Under $200. Plus $200 or so worth of liquor. Good times, good times! Apparently I made a second trip to Aldi that week, but I don't have a receipt for it and I'm not entirely sure what I might've bought. I'm guessing there was a fair amount of liquor and junk food involved.
Then in Week 4, the boys came home, I went back to work, and it was time to start behaving myself again. And I did.
I've checked the bank account, and if there was more shopping done, it was done with cash and there's no records. In the end, while we didn't stay under the $240 weekly limit I've set so that we can save for our holiday this summer, we did manage to stay under the old $300 a week limit. And only looking at my shopping, I kept it under $250 a week. Nearly on budget.
But I have to cop some of the blame for her crazy shopping trips, because we've learned that if I keep the pantry stocked with all the crap she likes, then she doesn't need to go to the grocery store, and she doesn't go in there and go nuts. As an example, that trip to Coles on the 27th was the Friday after I'd gone back to work, and her last day off. We'd gone to the movies, then to lunch, but she wanted to go buy herself a bag of chips, and I didn't want to go. So she dropped me off at home and then went by herself.
Keeping in mind that a bag of Kettle chips costs around $4 a bag, and that I had just done the grocery shopping the day before, she ended up spending nearly $20. On what? I have no freaking idea. I'd bought her everything she'd asked for on Thursday. The only reason I didn't buy her a bag of chips is because she told me not to, because she started a new healthy-eating kick that week. Apparently the healthy-eating kick was over by Friday, when she had popcorn and a Coke at the movies, then a burger, chips and a Pepsi at lunch, and then decided she needed a bag of chips and whatever-the-hell-else she bought that afternoon.
So a couple weeks of junk-food bingeing and drunken debauchery didn't break the bank, and while we could've saved that money for our summer vacation, we still managed to hit 80% of our holiday savings target for July, so that's cool.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Shopping Day: 2 August 2012
Aldi: $89.68
Woolworths: $54.90
Coles: $119.19
Total: $263.77
I'm over the $240 weekly average, and I'm not done yet. Tomorrow I'll go to Costco and grab a few things, which will add another $28 or so, which will bring me up to around $300. I should be able to make up for it in future weeks, but I also need to build up my stockpile again. I'm starting to run low on some things.
Things got a little crazy last month. I had the month off, the two older boys went to their grandparents for two weeks, and I got a little carried away with eating, drinking, and generally being merry. But I kept my receipts, and I'm going to try to piece it all back together and see just what the hell happened.
But for now, I'm just focusing on this week. And the main thing is that I'm pretty damned happy with this week's grocery adventure. I'm a bit bummed out that I haven't seen any really great bargains that make me want to fill up my shopping cart with 643 cans of tuna or something, but on the other hand, I'm happy that my basic trip to the grocery store(s) is costing a lot less than it used to. I've got a weekly menu worked out that the kids are happy with, and I've got another month or so of winter before I'll start changing it up a little.
One of the big changes in recent weeks that's saved us a little money is that I'm buying more fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi. This week I got shallots (spring onions/green onions), avocados, cauliflower, iceberg lettuce, carrots, leek, sweet potatoes, red onions, bananas, white cabbage, and red capsicums (bell peppers), and it was all cheaper than I could get it at either Coles or Woolworth's. Maybe I could've gotten it cheaper at the Belconnen Markets or at the Farmers' Market, but then again, maybe not. And at this point, I just can't be bothered making those trips to find out.
The trip to Woolworth's was short and sweet, just to grab a few items that were either on sale or just cheaper than Coles anyway. Nothing special, although they're giving me a discount ($2.95 instead of $3.69) on my low-carb SlimPasta because I'm an Everyday Rewards member, so I'm grabbing a couple of packets every time I'm there.
Coles was great this week, because I bought a lot of stuff that was on sale--canned borlotti (pinto) beans, frozen chicken strips, frozen spinach, and more--and because I had a voucher for 500 bonus Flybuys (worth a whopping $2.50) if I spent over $120 (my total was $131.38), plus I saved $2.19 from my Flybuys My5, and then I got another $10 off for spending over $100 (apparently this was a Docket Deal (coupon printed on your receipt), but I knew nothing about it, didn't have one of the coupons, but the checkout chick gave it to me anyway. She also gave us about 4 times as many Sports for Schools vouchers than we'd earned, so the school may end up naming a playground or stadium after Tom or something.
So hey, it's no Extreme Couponing kind of thing, but hell, I got heaps of groceries, started building up my stockpile again, and just eyeballing it, I think I probably saved around 25% on the whole trip.
Woolworths: $54.90
Coles: $119.19
Total: $263.77
I'm over the $240 weekly average, and I'm not done yet. Tomorrow I'll go to Costco and grab a few things, which will add another $28 or so, which will bring me up to around $300. I should be able to make up for it in future weeks, but I also need to build up my stockpile again. I'm starting to run low on some things.
Things got a little crazy last month. I had the month off, the two older boys went to their grandparents for two weeks, and I got a little carried away with eating, drinking, and generally being merry. But I kept my receipts, and I'm going to try to piece it all back together and see just what the hell happened.
But for now, I'm just focusing on this week. And the main thing is that I'm pretty damned happy with this week's grocery adventure. I'm a bit bummed out that I haven't seen any really great bargains that make me want to fill up my shopping cart with 643 cans of tuna or something, but on the other hand, I'm happy that my basic trip to the grocery store(s) is costing a lot less than it used to. I've got a weekly menu worked out that the kids are happy with, and I've got another month or so of winter before I'll start changing it up a little.
One of the big changes in recent weeks that's saved us a little money is that I'm buying more fresh fruit and vegetables from Aldi. This week I got shallots (spring onions/green onions), avocados, cauliflower, iceberg lettuce, carrots, leek, sweet potatoes, red onions, bananas, white cabbage, and red capsicums (bell peppers), and it was all cheaper than I could get it at either Coles or Woolworth's. Maybe I could've gotten it cheaper at the Belconnen Markets or at the Farmers' Market, but then again, maybe not. And at this point, I just can't be bothered making those trips to find out.
The trip to Woolworth's was short and sweet, just to grab a few items that were either on sale or just cheaper than Coles anyway. Nothing special, although they're giving me a discount ($2.95 instead of $3.69) on my low-carb SlimPasta because I'm an Everyday Rewards member, so I'm grabbing a couple of packets every time I'm there.
Coles was great this week, because I bought a lot of stuff that was on sale--canned borlotti (pinto) beans, frozen chicken strips, frozen spinach, and more--and because I had a voucher for 500 bonus Flybuys (worth a whopping $2.50) if I spent over $120 (my total was $131.38), plus I saved $2.19 from my Flybuys My5, and then I got another $10 off for spending over $100 (apparently this was a Docket Deal (coupon printed on your receipt), but I knew nothing about it, didn't have one of the coupons, but the checkout chick gave it to me anyway. She also gave us about 4 times as many Sports for Schools vouchers than we'd earned, so the school may end up naming a playground or stadium after Tom or something.
So hey, it's no Extreme Couponing kind of thing, but hell, I got heaps of groceries, started building up my stockpile again, and just eyeballing it, I think I probably saved around 25% on the whole trip.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Shopping Day: 29 June 2012
It's good to know that even after things got a little crazy (including Jack being home sick most of the week), everything worked out in the end. No big bargains this week. Just a simple shop that'll get us through the week on budget while still making sure that everybody gets their little treats.
Woolworths: $40.33
Coles: $59.79
Aldi: $79.03
Total: $179.15
My limit this week was $183.29 and I came in $4.14 under it, so that's sweet. My totals for the last four weeks were:
$274.99
$226.91
$274.81
$179.15
And my average for this month was $238.96. Cool cool cool.
Woolworths: $40.33
Coles: $59.79
Aldi: $79.03
Total: $179.15
My limit this week was $183.29 and I came in $4.14 under it, so that's sweet. My totals for the last four weeks were:
$274.99
$226.91
$274.81
$179.15
And my average for this month was $238.96. Cool cool cool.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Shopping Day: 22 June 2012
After being sick, I was back in action in time to do the shopping trip for the 22nd. Sort of. I didn't have much of a plan, but I had a list, but there were a few complicating factors. First of all, I wasn't entirely sane (long story, but basically I was on a junk food binge), and I was also buying groceries to give to the library to pay in exchange for fines.
It turns out that the four of us with library cards have managed to accumulate over $100 in fines for borrowing free books and then being incapable of returning them on time. But this month the library is letting people pay off fines with food ($2 per item), so we're trying to pull together a decent pile of non-perishable items that will cost significantly less than the $100 we owe. So I'm going to try to exclude those items from the totals, if I can remember which ones should be included.
Aldi: $4.75
Aldi: $96.95 ($16.92 for library)
Woolworths: $63.35 ($10.00 for library)
Coles: $82.09
Coles: $6.00
Aldi: 21.67
Total: $274.81
Over the weekly average again, but hopefully not by so much that it won't screw up the average for the month. Right now, it's at $258.90 for the three weeks, which means I need to keep next week's shop at $183.29 or less to stick with my $240 weekly average. That's only 10 cents less than what I spent for the fourth week last month, so it shouldn't be a problem.
And just as a little update on the point of the extra saving--the money we're setting aside for a vacation this summer--after this week's shopping we should've saved and deposited $500 since we started. Thanks to careful budgeting and a little extra work I picked up, we're already at $745.00
It turns out that the four of us with library cards have managed to accumulate over $100 in fines for borrowing free books and then being incapable of returning them on time. But this month the library is letting people pay off fines with food ($2 per item), so we're trying to pull together a decent pile of non-perishable items that will cost significantly less than the $100 we owe. So I'm going to try to exclude those items from the totals, if I can remember which ones should be included.
Aldi: $4.75
Aldi: $96.95 ($16.92 for library)
Woolworths: $63.35 ($10.00 for library)
Coles: $82.09
Coles: $6.00
Aldi: 21.67
Total: $274.81
Over the weekly average again, but hopefully not by so much that it won't screw up the average for the month. Right now, it's at $258.90 for the three weeks, which means I need to keep next week's shop at $183.29 or less to stick with my $240 weekly average. That's only 10 cents less than what I spent for the fourth week last month, so it shouldn't be a problem.
And just as a little update on the point of the extra saving--the money we're setting aside for a vacation this summer--after this week's shopping we should've saved and deposited $500 since we started. Thanks to careful budgeting and a little extra work I picked up, we're already at $745.00
Shopping Day: 15 June 2012
I was sick for a week and Karen did the grocery shopping, so things are a little confusing, but I'm trying to put it all together and to figure out what the hell happened. I think it didn't turn out too badly.
Here's what I've worked out, based on bank records:
Instead of a shopping trip on the 15th, she did one on the 14th, then another couple of smaller trips on the 18th and the 20th.
14/6/2012 Coles: $153.85
18/6/2012 Coles: $37.82
20/6/2012 Aldi: $35.24
Total: $226.91
She bought some weird stuff, and she bought things that were on sale but would've been cheaper elsewhere, but she kept the family fed and kept it under budget. I'm a happy man. :)
Here's what I've worked out, based on bank records:
Instead of a shopping trip on the 15th, she did one on the 14th, then another couple of smaller trips on the 18th and the 20th.
14/6/2012 Coles: $153.85
18/6/2012 Coles: $37.82
20/6/2012 Aldi: $35.24
Total: $226.91
She bought some weird stuff, and she bought things that were on sale but would've been cheaper elsewhere, but she kept the family fed and kept it under budget. I'm a happy man. :)
Friday, June 8, 2012
Shopping Day: 8 June 2012
Woolworths: $44.05
Aldi: $75.17
Supabarn: 8.80
Coles: 93.94
Costco: $53.03
Total: $274.99
This week didn't involve any exciting bargain-hunting. It was more about getting all the weird little items that people (mainly Karen) have been asking for and I've been holding off on buying, week after week. A new dish cloth. Plastic gloves. Stuff you can't eat. Stuff I don't care about. So I keep putting them off in favor of doing things like buying a dozen jars of peanut butter or 5 lbs of cheese. But not this week. This week I bought all the crap I don't care about and made my family happy.
And also kept the whole thing under $300, which will help me hit my target of a $240/week average.
One thing I thought about this week is that I haven't been figuring in the cost of petrol (gas) involved in driving out to Costco (nearly 10 miles), or even the IGA (over 4 miles) and Supabarn (nearly 8 miles). That's compared to the three shops in Gungahlin (Coles, Woolworths and Aldi), which are all about 1.5 miles away. I'm going to need to work out just how far I drive, and also how much it costs per mile/km to work it out, but with petrol over $1.50 per litre ($5.80 per gallon), I think it's clear that it's going to be a significant cost. Just guessing, but I think that if I'm not saving at least $5 by driving out to Costco, I'm losing money doing it. Because some of the thing I buy at Costco aren't available elsewhere, it's hard to say exactly how much I saved this week, but it was around $12, so I came out at least a little bit ahead.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Numbers - First Three Months
I thought I'd pull all the numbers together and post them together for easy reference.
March 18 $303
March 23 $244.48
March 30 $312.71
April 5 $209.76
Total $1069.95
Average $267.49
Savings $290.05
April 13 $284.56
April 20 $304.57
April 27 $312.34
May 3 $141.62
Total $1043.09 $2113.04
Average $260.77 $264.13
Savings $316.91 $616.96
May 10 $277.57
May 17 $255.39
May 24 $237.76
May 31 $183.39
Total $954.11 $3067.15
Average $238.53 $255.60
Savings $405.89 $1022.85
March 18 $303
March 23 $244.48
March 30 $312.71
April 5 $209.76
Total $1069.95
Average $267.49
Savings $290.05
April 13 $284.56
April 20 $304.57
April 27 $312.34
May 3 $141.62
Total $1043.09 $2113.04
Average $260.77 $264.13
Savings $316.91 $616.96
May 10 $277.57
May 17 $255.39
May 24 $237.76
May 31 $183.39
Total $954.11 $3067.15
Average $238.53 $255.60
Savings $405.89 $1022.85
Shopping Day: 31 May, 2012
Woolworths: $60.72
Aldi: $65.81
Coles: $56.86
Total: $183.39
This was the fourth shopping trip of the month, which I'm trying to keep as small as possible by pulling meals together from the stockpile. That didn't really happen so much this week, but I tried. A big reason for that is because I've kept the other three shops this month well below my original goal of $300 a week. In fact, the biggest weekly total all month was $277. And the other reason is that we just happened to run out or low on a lot of stuff. The stockpile, such that it is, still only consists of relatively small amounts of a relatively small number of items. Until I can get more shelves, and change up my shopping strategy a bit, that's not going to change.
While the original goal was to keep three of the four shops around $300 and then the fourth one at around $150 (I quickly realized that keeping it at $50 to 100) wasn't practical), my new goal is to keep the average weekly total at $240 or less. That's over $20 a week less than the original goal, but I'm confident that I can do it.
My weekly total for this month were $277.57, $255.39, $237.76 and $183.39, for a total of $954.11 and a weekly average of $238.53. So not only did I hit my goal of a $240 per week average, but I'm slowly but steadily dropping the monthly total. I've been doing this for three months, and the first month I spent a total of $1070, the second month a total of $1043 and this month a total of $954. Based on the average weekly cost of $340 that I worked out earlier this month, that means that I've saved over $1000 in the last 3 months.
Not that I've got a bank account with an extra $1000 in it or anything. The money, unsurprisingly, has been spent. I'm not entirely sure what it's been spent on, but it's definitely been spent. Some of it was spent on plane tickets to fly Jack and James up to Ballina for the school holidays. Some of it was spent on a speeding ticket (not mine), on make-up (not mine), on new clothes (not mine), on Jack's birthday presents and party, etc. All perfectly reasonable purchases, I'm sure. Well, except for the speeding ticket. But I get the feeling that when the money is just sitting there in the transaction account, there can be an almost overwhelming desire to spend it.
So starting today, I'm moving the money I save (based on the $340 a week average I calculated earlier this month) from the grocery bill to a separate account. It's going to pay for our vacation this summer, and after that it's going to pay the credit card balance down (which is costing us over $55 a month in interest), for next year's vacation, and to add to our house deposit savings account as well.
Aldi: $65.81
Coles: $56.86
Total: $183.39
This was the fourth shopping trip of the month, which I'm trying to keep as small as possible by pulling meals together from the stockpile. That didn't really happen so much this week, but I tried. A big reason for that is because I've kept the other three shops this month well below my original goal of $300 a week. In fact, the biggest weekly total all month was $277. And the other reason is that we just happened to run out or low on a lot of stuff. The stockpile, such that it is, still only consists of relatively small amounts of a relatively small number of items. Until I can get more shelves, and change up my shopping strategy a bit, that's not going to change.
While the original goal was to keep three of the four shops around $300 and then the fourth one at around $150 (I quickly realized that keeping it at $50 to 100) wasn't practical), my new goal is to keep the average weekly total at $240 or less. That's over $20 a week less than the original goal, but I'm confident that I can do it.
My weekly total for this month were $277.57, $255.39, $237.76 and $183.39, for a total of $954.11 and a weekly average of $238.53. So not only did I hit my goal of a $240 per week average, but I'm slowly but steadily dropping the monthly total. I've been doing this for three months, and the first month I spent a total of $1070, the second month a total of $1043 and this month a total of $954. Based on the average weekly cost of $340 that I worked out earlier this month, that means that I've saved over $1000 in the last 3 months.
Not that I've got a bank account with an extra $1000 in it or anything. The money, unsurprisingly, has been spent. I'm not entirely sure what it's been spent on, but it's definitely been spent. Some of it was spent on plane tickets to fly Jack and James up to Ballina for the school holidays. Some of it was spent on a speeding ticket (not mine), on make-up (not mine), on new clothes (not mine), on Jack's birthday presents and party, etc. All perfectly reasonable purchases, I'm sure. Well, except for the speeding ticket. But I get the feeling that when the money is just sitting there in the transaction account, there can be an almost overwhelming desire to spend it.
So starting today, I'm moving the money I save (based on the $340 a week average I calculated earlier this month) from the grocery bill to a separate account. It's going to pay for our vacation this summer, and after that it's going to pay the credit card balance down (which is costing us over $55 a month in interest), for next year's vacation, and to add to our house deposit savings account as well.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Shopping Day: 24 May, 2012
Supabarn: $17.06
Aldi: $58.01
Woolworths: $55.82
Coles: $100.87
Reject: $6.00
Total: $237.76
In my first post here I said that our grocery spending was getting close to $400 a week. I went through our bank statements for 2011 and worked out that (at least for purchases made by credit card), we spent an average of $340 a week for the year.
To help save for our holiday up north this summer, I'm planning to drop our weekly average to $240 a week and putting the $100 difference into the savings account. If I can stick to it for the whole six months, that'll mean $2600 to help cover the costs.
This week I picked up 10 bottles of passata (tomato puree) for 99 cents a bottle, a dozen and a half cans of beans for 68 cents a can, and 8 small (375 ml) jars of peanut butter for 2 dollars a jar. I would've liked to buy more of all of them, but I couldn't do it and stay under that $240 limit.
My average for the last three weeks has been $256.91, so that gives me $189.28 to spend next week and still have a $240 a week average. That shouldn't be too hard if there aren't too many unexpected extras, and if I can plan meals that make use of my stockpile. Anybody know any good recipes using peanut butter, tomato puree and beans?
Aldi: $58.01
Woolworths: $55.82
Coles: $100.87
Reject: $6.00
Total: $237.76
In my first post here I said that our grocery spending was getting close to $400 a week. I went through our bank statements for 2011 and worked out that (at least for purchases made by credit card), we spent an average of $340 a week for the year.
To help save for our holiday up north this summer, I'm planning to drop our weekly average to $240 a week and putting the $100 difference into the savings account. If I can stick to it for the whole six months, that'll mean $2600 to help cover the costs.
This week I picked up 10 bottles of passata (tomato puree) for 99 cents a bottle, a dozen and a half cans of beans for 68 cents a can, and 8 small (375 ml) jars of peanut butter for 2 dollars a jar. I would've liked to buy more of all of them, but I couldn't do it and stay under that $240 limit.
My average for the last three weeks has been $256.91, so that gives me $189.28 to spend next week and still have a $240 a week average. That shouldn't be too hard if there aren't too many unexpected extras, and if I can plan meals that make use of my stockpile. Anybody know any good recipes using peanut butter, tomato puree and beans?
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Weekly Menu Plan: 25 - 31 May
Friday: Burgers and Chips ($8.00)
Saturday: Tacos ($12.90)
Sunday: Cottage Pie
Monday: Sausages, Pasta, Veggies
Tuesday: Braised Chicken & Tomato, Mixed Veggies ($7.50)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread ($8.80)
Thursday: Tater Tot Casserole ($7.80)
Saturday: Tacos ($12.90)
Sunday: Cottage Pie
Monday: Sausages, Pasta, Veggies
Tuesday: Braised Chicken & Tomato, Mixed Veggies ($7.50)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread ($8.80)
Thursday: Tater Tot Casserole ($7.80)
Weekly Menu Plan: 18 - 24 May
Friday: Chicken Burgers & Chips
Saturday: Enchiladas
Sunday: Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake
Monday: Nachos
Tuesday: Chicken Tikka Masala
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread
Thursday: Chili
Saturday: Enchiladas
Sunday: Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake
Monday: Nachos
Tuesday: Chicken Tikka Masala
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread
Thursday: Chili
Weekly Menu Plan: 11 - 17 May
Friday: Hamburgers & Chips
Saturday: Nachos
Sunday: Sausages, Mac and Cheese, Mixed veggies
Monday: Chicken and Chorizo Casserole
Tuesday: Cheeseburger soup, Herb Bread
Wednesday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread
Thursday: Tuna Casserole
I just realized that I haven't been adding my meal plans for the last couple of weeks, so here they are. I'll come back later and add in the costs.
Saturday: Nachos
Sunday: Sausages, Mac and Cheese, Mixed veggies
Monday: Chicken and Chorizo Casserole
Tuesday: Cheeseburger soup, Herb Bread
Wednesday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread
Thursday: Tuna Casserole
I just realized that I haven't been adding my meal plans for the last couple of weeks, so here they are. I'll come back later and add in the costs.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Shopping Day: 17 May, 2012
Woolworths: $80.39
Aldi: $65.71
Reject Shop: $8.00
Coles: $101.29
Total: $255.39
Nothing awesome this week, but I was happy to see that the total was barely over $250, even with lots of extras for Jack's birthday next week. Extra chips, Coke, ingredients for a cheesecake, etc.
My big bargain this week was for the little (85g) cans of shredded chicken that Jack has been asking for. I bought some about a month ago to see if the boys liked them. Jack did, James didn't, and I told Jack that I'd buy more when they were on sale again. Woolworths ran them for 99 cents a can this week, so I bought a dozen.
I also earned my first My5 discount from Flybuys (sorry, I mean flybuys). If you're not familiar with it, the way it works is that you select 5 items and get a 10% discount (even if it's already on sale) when you buy it. As long as you spend at least $50, and I think there's a limit of 5 of each item. For me, it meant an extra $4.10 savings at the register.
The general idea is that you should select high-priced items so that you maximize your discount. The thing is, I don't buy a lot of high-priced items at Coles, so that's not going to work for me. So I've selected items that I buy every week (or nearly) -- bread, orange juice, Coke, tomatoes, and ground beef. The only one that may not work for me every week is the Coke, since I generally only buy it from Coles when it's on sale.
But over-all, I've happy with my purchases, and my stockpile is about as big as it can get unless I buy more shelves, buy a second freezer, or start stashing stuff in other cupboards, closets, etc. like some kind of hoarder.
Aldi: $65.71
Reject Shop: $8.00
Coles: $101.29
Total: $255.39
Nothing awesome this week, but I was happy to see that the total was barely over $250, even with lots of extras for Jack's birthday next week. Extra chips, Coke, ingredients for a cheesecake, etc.
My big bargain this week was for the little (85g) cans of shredded chicken that Jack has been asking for. I bought some about a month ago to see if the boys liked them. Jack did, James didn't, and I told Jack that I'd buy more when they were on sale again. Woolworths ran them for 99 cents a can this week, so I bought a dozen.
I also earned my first My5 discount from Flybuys (sorry, I mean flybuys). If you're not familiar with it, the way it works is that you select 5 items and get a 10% discount (even if it's already on sale) when you buy it. As long as you spend at least $50, and I think there's a limit of 5 of each item. For me, it meant an extra $4.10 savings at the register.
The general idea is that you should select high-priced items so that you maximize your discount. The thing is, I don't buy a lot of high-priced items at Coles, so that's not going to work for me. So I've selected items that I buy every week (or nearly) -- bread, orange juice, Coke, tomatoes, and ground beef. The only one that may not work for me every week is the Coke, since I generally only buy it from Coles when it's on sale.
But over-all, I've happy with my purchases, and my stockpile is about as big as it can get unless I buy more shelves, buy a second freezer, or start stashing stuff in other cupboards, closets, etc. like some kind of hoarder.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Shopping Day: 10 May, 2012
Costco: $15.28
Woolworths: $54.18
IGA: $13.03
Supabarn: $65.27
Aldi: $50.27
Healthy Start: $10.95
Coles: $68.59
Total: 277.57
I managed to stay under the limit today, even with Karen's last-minute additions to the list. To be fair, Thursday morning only just started being considered "last-minute" a couple of weeks ago, but this week has been so busy that I actually started the shopping on Wednesday, and I can see where that might become a regular thing.
The big bargains this week included Raguletto pasta sauce at Woolworths for $1 (I bought 20), Doritos salsa at Supa IGA for $1.69 a jar (I bought 4), and chicken breasts for $6.99 a kilo (I bought 6 kg/18 single breasts) and chorizo for $9.99 a kilo (I bought 1.5 kilo/10 links) at Supabarn.
Yeah, SIX KILOGRAMS of chicken breasts. I have no idea what happened. I asked for 2 kilos, and the girl behind the counter gave me 6 kilos. And right about the time I was going to correct her, I decided that I might as well take 'em. They were at their best price, I've got space in the freezer, and they're going to get eaten, so why not? I juggled the list a little, and managed to stay within budget, so I'm happy with it.
I'm also very happy with the $1 pasta sauce, and honestly wish I had more shelf space, because I would've bought more. I can't make it myself for that price, and even though it doesn't taste all that great, I add so much to it that it really doesn't matter.
It's 5:30 now, and I've been on the go since 7:30 this morning, and in 10 minutes I have to get dressed and go to work. But it was worth it.
Woolworths: $54.18
IGA: $13.03
Supabarn: $65.27
Aldi: $50.27
Healthy Start: $10.95
Coles: $68.59
Total: 277.57
I managed to stay under the limit today, even with Karen's last-minute additions to the list. To be fair, Thursday morning only just started being considered "last-minute" a couple of weeks ago, but this week has been so busy that I actually started the shopping on Wednesday, and I can see where that might become a regular thing.
The big bargains this week included Raguletto pasta sauce at Woolworths for $1 (I bought 20), Doritos salsa at Supa IGA for $1.69 a jar (I bought 4), and chicken breasts for $6.99 a kilo (I bought 6 kg/18 single breasts) and chorizo for $9.99 a kilo (I bought 1.5 kilo/10 links) at Supabarn.
Yeah, SIX KILOGRAMS of chicken breasts. I have no idea what happened. I asked for 2 kilos, and the girl behind the counter gave me 6 kilos. And right about the time I was going to correct her, I decided that I might as well take 'em. They were at their best price, I've got space in the freezer, and they're going to get eaten, so why not? I juggled the list a little, and managed to stay within budget, so I'm happy with it.
I'm also very happy with the $1 pasta sauce, and honestly wish I had more shelf space, because I would've bought more. I can't make it myself for that price, and even though it doesn't taste all that great, I add so much to it that it really doesn't matter.
It's 5:30 now, and I've been on the go since 7:30 this morning, and in 10 minutes I have to get dressed and go to work. But it was worth it.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Shopping Day: 3 May, 2012
Big W: $17.98
Woolworths: $19.37
Aldi: $50.34
Reject Shop: $8.50
Coles: 45.43
Total: $141.62
I'm very happy with the shop today because I came in well under budget. To stay with the same 4-week average as last month, my max for this week was $168.48, and I beat that by $26.86. I also returned a roasting pan at Coles and got a $15 refund, so if that's included, my total goes down to $136.62 (but I won't, since the original purchase was before I started the whole bargain shopping thing).
So for the last four weeks, my totals have been $284.56, $304.57, $312.34, and $141.62, for a total of $1043.09 ($2114 over the entire 8-week period), and an average of $260.77 per week over the last four weeks ($264.25 average over 8 weeks). I'm very happy with that, but I'd like to eventually get it down to an average of $250 a week.
The limited budget wasn't a problem in terms of getting groceries needed for the meal plan, but it meant I couldn't stock up big on any bargain items. Which, as it turned out, wasn't really a problem since there weren't a lot of good bargains this week anyway.
At Big W, I grabbed a huge 10 kg box of laundry detergent for $10, and an 18-roll pack of toilet paper for $7.98. The laundry powder was an unexpected substitution, since went there to buy a 5 kg box for $12.96, and was actually headed to the check-out with it until I saw this Trix brand at less than half the price. It might suck, but I figured it was worth a shot.
No big bargains at Woolies this week, and after that I drove to Watson to get some things at the IGA--garlic bread, dinner rolls, and microwave popcorn. But the microwave popcorn turned out to be mini-sized bags (definitely no bargain), and I couldn't find the garlic bread or dinner rolls, so I left completely empty-handed. Luckily, I found garlic bread at Aldi at a better price than at IGA.
So really, the only big bargain today was the laundry powder. I'm hoping the stuff is okay (we're generally not that picky), because if so, it ought to last a while. I bought the 5 kg box six weeks ago, and it might last another week. If the bigger box works out about the same, we should be good for laundry powder until some time in August.
And the other thing about this week's shopping is that it's Thursday, and I'm done. Which means I've got 6 child-free hours tomorrow, and I don't have to spend any of them in the grocery store. Sweet!
Update 6/5/2012: I was afraid that $141 grocery bill was too good to be true. Sure enough, it turns out that I needed a lot more ground beef than I had in the freezer. Plus Karen needed another box of tissues, so tonight on the way home from work I stopped off at Coles and added $14.38 to my total for the week. So that's $156.00, which is still well under the $168 cap for this week. As long as I don't have to make any more unexpected trips to the grocery store, I should be alright.
Woolworths: $19.37
Aldi: $50.34
Reject Shop: $8.50
Coles: 45.43
Total: $141.62
I'm very happy with the shop today because I came in well under budget. To stay with the same 4-week average as last month, my max for this week was $168.48, and I beat that by $26.86. I also returned a roasting pan at Coles and got a $15 refund, so if that's included, my total goes down to $136.62 (but I won't, since the original purchase was before I started the whole bargain shopping thing).
So for the last four weeks, my totals have been $284.56, $304.57, $312.34, and $141.62, for a total of $1043.09 ($2114 over the entire 8-week period), and an average of $260.77 per week over the last four weeks ($264.25 average over 8 weeks). I'm very happy with that, but I'd like to eventually get it down to an average of $250 a week.
The limited budget wasn't a problem in terms of getting groceries needed for the meal plan, but it meant I couldn't stock up big on any bargain items. Which, as it turned out, wasn't really a problem since there weren't a lot of good bargains this week anyway.
At Big W, I grabbed a huge 10 kg box of laundry detergent for $10, and an 18-roll pack of toilet paper for $7.98. The laundry powder was an unexpected substitution, since went there to buy a 5 kg box for $12.96, and was actually headed to the check-out with it until I saw this Trix brand at less than half the price. It might suck, but I figured it was worth a shot.
No big bargains at Woolies this week, and after that I drove to Watson to get some things at the IGA--garlic bread, dinner rolls, and microwave popcorn. But the microwave popcorn turned out to be mini-sized bags (definitely no bargain), and I couldn't find the garlic bread or dinner rolls, so I left completely empty-handed. Luckily, I found garlic bread at Aldi at a better price than at IGA.
So really, the only big bargain today was the laundry powder. I'm hoping the stuff is okay (we're generally not that picky), because if so, it ought to last a while. I bought the 5 kg box six weeks ago, and it might last another week. If the bigger box works out about the same, we should be good for laundry powder until some time in August.
And the other thing about this week's shopping is that it's Thursday, and I'm done. Which means I've got 6 child-free hours tomorrow, and I don't have to spend any of them in the grocery store. Sweet!
Update 6/5/2012: I was afraid that $141 grocery bill was too good to be true. Sure enough, it turns out that I needed a lot more ground beef than I had in the freezer. Plus Karen needed another box of tissues, so tonight on the way home from work I stopped off at Coles and added $14.38 to my total for the week. So that's $156.00, which is still well under the $168 cap for this week. As long as I don't have to make any more unexpected trips to the grocery store, I should be alright.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Weekly Menu Plan: 4 - 10 May
Friday: Burgers & Chips ($8.00)
Saturday: Enchiladas ($7.65)
Sunday: Jambalaya ($11.80)
Monday: Fish & Risoni Stew ($7.00)
Tueday: Chili Mac ($8.10)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread ($8.70)
Thursday: Minestrone Soup ($9.00)
I don't usually meal plan two weeks at a time (although maybe I should), but since I have a much more limited budget next week, I've got to plan more carefully, so I'm trying to get started early.
The average price of those meals is $8.61, which is actually higher than the average price for this week's meals. Note to self--make sure you've got plenty of canned tuna around so you can do the cheap tuna casserole during the week with the tougher budget. What makes these meals good options for next week is that the only ingredients I'll need to buy are tortillas for the enchiladas, and some garlic bread to go with the fish stew, the spaghetti and the soup. Total cost? 8 bucks. Sweet, right?
Saturday: Enchiladas ($7.65)
Sunday: Jambalaya ($11.80)
Monday: Fish & Risoni Stew ($7.00)
Tueday: Chili Mac ($8.10)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread ($8.70)
Thursday: Minestrone Soup ($9.00)
I don't usually meal plan two weeks at a time (although maybe I should), but since I have a much more limited budget next week, I've got to plan more carefully, so I'm trying to get started early.
The average price of those meals is $8.61, which is actually higher than the average price for this week's meals. Note to self--make sure you've got plenty of canned tuna around so you can do the cheap tuna casserole during the week with the tougher budget. What makes these meals good options for next week is that the only ingredients I'll need to buy are tortillas for the enchiladas, and some garlic bread to go with the fish stew, the spaghetti and the soup. Total cost? 8 bucks. Sweet, right?
Weekly Menu Plan: 27 Apr - 3 May
Friday: Burgers & Chips ($8.00)
Saturday: Tacos ($12.90)
Sunday: Sausages, Fondant Potatoes, Green Beans ($4.40)
Monday: Salisbury Steak, Pasta, Veggies ($7.90)
Tuesday: Chili ($7.10)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread ($7.10)
Thursday: Tater Tot Casserole ($7.80)
Wow, an average meal price of $7.90. That's the difference in meals based around ground beef and those based around chicken breast. And the sausages are good for the budget, too. Good thing, since I bought a bulk pack of 2 dozen.
Saturday: Tacos ($12.90)
Sunday: Sausages, Fondant Potatoes, Green Beans ($4.40)
Monday: Salisbury Steak, Pasta, Veggies ($7.90)
Tuesday: Chili ($7.10)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread ($7.10)
Thursday: Tater Tot Casserole ($7.80)
Wow, an average meal price of $7.90. That's the difference in meals based around ground beef and those based around chicken breast. And the sausages are good for the budget, too. Good thing, since I bought a bulk pack of 2 dozen.
My Grocery Reward Points, April 2012
Blogging about the new Flybuys program made me realize that I can now keep track of all my grocery reward points totals fairly easily. Coles and Supabarn print your total directly on the receipt, Woolworths is online:
Coles Flybuys: 6437 (2000 points= $10)
Woolworths Everyday Rewards: 718 (750 points=$5)
Supabarn Rewards: 142 (2000 points=$20)
So we've got enough Flybuys for $30 in Flybuys Dollars, nearly enough Everyday Rewards points for a $5 gift card (I earned another 12 points yesterday which hasn't been added yet, but most of those points came from 550 bonus points on 13 April, and I have no idea why I got those), and I'm still a long way off from earning that $20 gift card from Supabarn.
Coles Flybuys: 6437 (2000 points= $10)
Woolworths Everyday Rewards: 718 (750 points=$5)
Supabarn Rewards: 142 (2000 points=$20)
So we've got enough Flybuys for $30 in Flybuys Dollars, nearly enough Everyday Rewards points for a $5 gift card (I earned another 12 points yesterday which hasn't been added yet, but most of those points came from 550 bonus points on 13 April, and I have no idea why I got those), and I'm still a long way off from earning that $20 gift card from Supabarn.
The New Flybuys
Our new Flybuys card came in the mail on Thursday, and I used it for the first time on Friday. A quick look through their new rewards catalogue tells me that we'll be converting Flybuys points to Flybuys Dollars and getting deductions on our grocery bill.
Flybuys points convert to Flybuys Dollars at a rate of 2000 Flybuys points = 10 Flybuys Dollars. Since we earn 1 point for every dollar we spend, plus another 1 point for using our NAB Visa card, that works out to 10 Flybuys Dollars for every $1000 we spend. Essentially, a 1% discount, so I don't think I'll worry about figuring that in when comparison shopping.
The old FlyBuys offered 2 Points per $5, plus I was getting another 1 Point per $5 for using my NAB Visa, for 3 Points per $5, and worth a $20 gift card per 2500 Points. That's $4166 to earn $20, and with the new system, we're earning 2 Points per $1, and worth $20 discount per 4000 points, which is $2000 in spending to earn that $20.
The reason I say we'll probably redeem the points for cash is because I looked at the merchandise rewards, and when you work out the prices, they don't look that great. They offer an iPod Touch 8 Gb for 43,800 points. That works out to be $219, which is the same as the price on the Apple Australia website. But Dick Smith is selling them for $169 with free delivery. So I think I'll just take the cash discount at the register, thanks. According to my receipt yesterday, we've got enough Flybuys points to knock off $30.
Another new thing going on with the Flybuys re-launch is called My5, where you pick 5 items (from a list of over 800), and from now until the end of October, you get 10% off every time you purchase them. Even if they're on sale. I haven't made a final decision and registered them yet, but I think I've worked out my 5 items--ground beef, Coke, Lawson's bread, Daily Juice, and Amoroso Tomatoes. 10% off those items works out to be about $3.50, which isn't huge, but I think it's about the best I'm going to get.
And the last new thing I've seen so far are the "Docket Deals" they're not printing at the bottom of the shopping receipt, along with the fuel discount coupon. This week they've offered me 400 bonus Flybuys if I buy a box of their Coles Hoki fish fillets. Assuming that the in-store price is the same as (or close to) the online price, that's a 400g box for $7.94. Aldi sells crumbed fish fillets for $3.99 for a 425g box. Even with the $2.00 worth of Flybuys points, that's not a good deal, so I think I'll pass. The other offer is 40% off an "Italian chilled meal", which looks like either a ready-made lasagna or a pasta single-serve meal/side dish. We've tried a few pre-made lasanga meals, and weren't very impressed, but maybe this new product line is better. With the 40% discount, the lasagna is cheaper than a similar product at Aldi ($8.40 vs $9.99), so maybe we'll give that a try two weeks from now (next week is our eat-from-the-stockpile week).
Flybuys points convert to Flybuys Dollars at a rate of 2000 Flybuys points = 10 Flybuys Dollars. Since we earn 1 point for every dollar we spend, plus another 1 point for using our NAB Visa card, that works out to 10 Flybuys Dollars for every $1000 we spend. Essentially, a 1% discount, so I don't think I'll worry about figuring that in when comparison shopping.
The old FlyBuys offered 2 Points per $5, plus I was getting another 1 Point per $5 for using my NAB Visa, for 3 Points per $5, and worth a $20 gift card per 2500 Points. That's $4166 to earn $20, and with the new system, we're earning 2 Points per $1, and worth $20 discount per 4000 points, which is $2000 in spending to earn that $20.
The reason I say we'll probably redeem the points for cash is because I looked at the merchandise rewards, and when you work out the prices, they don't look that great. They offer an iPod Touch 8 Gb for 43,800 points. That works out to be $219, which is the same as the price on the Apple Australia website. But Dick Smith is selling them for $169 with free delivery. So I think I'll just take the cash discount at the register, thanks. According to my receipt yesterday, we've got enough Flybuys points to knock off $30.
Another new thing going on with the Flybuys re-launch is called My5, where you pick 5 items (from a list of over 800), and from now until the end of October, you get 10% off every time you purchase them. Even if they're on sale. I haven't made a final decision and registered them yet, but I think I've worked out my 5 items--ground beef, Coke, Lawson's bread, Daily Juice, and Amoroso Tomatoes. 10% off those items works out to be about $3.50, which isn't huge, but I think it's about the best I'm going to get.
And the last new thing I've seen so far are the "Docket Deals" they're not printing at the bottom of the shopping receipt, along with the fuel discount coupon. This week they've offered me 400 bonus Flybuys if I buy a box of their Coles Hoki fish fillets. Assuming that the in-store price is the same as (or close to) the online price, that's a 400g box for $7.94. Aldi sells crumbed fish fillets for $3.99 for a 425g box. Even with the $2.00 worth of Flybuys points, that's not a good deal, so I think I'll pass. The other offer is 40% off an "Italian chilled meal", which looks like either a ready-made lasagna or a pasta single-serve meal/side dish. We've tried a few pre-made lasanga meals, and weren't very impressed, but maybe this new product line is better. With the 40% discount, the lasagna is cheaper than a similar product at Aldi ($8.40 vs $9.99), so maybe we'll give that a try two weeks from now (next week is our eat-from-the-stockpile week).
Weekly Menu Plan: 20-26 April
Friday: Hamburgers & Chips ($8.00)
Saturday: Enchilada Casserole (12.68)
Sunday: Autumn Tomato & Vegetable Soup ($11.50)
Monday: Spanish Chicken & Chorizo Casserole (11.80)
Tuesday: Pizza & Cupcakes (Karen's birthday)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread ($10.20)
Thursday: Grandma's Tuna Casserole ($4.00)
Not counting Karen's birthday meal, the average price of dinner at the Broussard residence last week was $9.70 to feed four of us (not counting Karen's vegan meals). That tuna casserole brought it down under $10 per meal, and the kids like it, so I think I'm going to try to work it into the menu every other week if I can. I'm going to change the recipe to add in some vegetables, but it'll still cost less than $5 even then, so I think it's an excellent bargain.
Saturday: Enchilada Casserole (12.68)
Sunday: Autumn Tomato & Vegetable Soup ($11.50)
Monday: Spanish Chicken & Chorizo Casserole (11.80)
Tuesday: Pizza & Cupcakes (Karen's birthday)
Wednesday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread ($10.20)
Thursday: Grandma's Tuna Casserole ($4.00)
Not counting Karen's birthday meal, the average price of dinner at the Broussard residence last week was $9.70 to feed four of us (not counting Karen's vegan meals). That tuna casserole brought it down under $10 per meal, and the kids like it, so I think I'm going to try to work it into the menu every other week if I can. I'm going to change the recipe to add in some vegetables, but it'll still cost less than $5 even then, so I think it's an excellent bargain.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Shopping Day: 27 April, 2012
Costco: $38.64
IGA: $24.03
Supabarn: $18.87
Aldi: $92.30
Woolworths: $42.52
Reject Shop: $10.00
Coles: $85.98
Total: $312.34
With 7 stores to shop, with Tom, I split this week's expedition over two days. Costco, IGA and Supabarn on Thursday, Coles, Woolies, and Aldi on Friday (plus a quick dash into the Reject Shop for Karen's Saturday Night Treat of salt and vinegar chips.
I went to Costco for the massive jars of Skippy peanut butter for James, saving over 25% over the Coles brand he usually gets. I also grabbed some 3 kg bags of sugar (only saves me about 10 cents per bag compared to Woolies, but since I was out there anyway, I grabbed them), and a 4-pack of canned chili for quick lunches (at $2.75 a can, it's cheaper than regular price, but not as good as the ones I got for $2 a can on sale). My impulse purchase was a dozen cans of diced tomatoes for $7.29. I'd planned to buy them at Coles for $9.48, so I saved $2.19, so I'm hoping they're as good or better in terms of quality.
Then at the IGA I grabbed some items I saw advertised in their weekly sales insert. 4 small jars of Kraft peanut butter for Karen (I wasn't sure at first, but after checking my price book, $2.59 for a 375 g jar was a 30% savings over the cost of the larger jars, even when they're on sale for $5), and two boxes of Twinings tea bags (100 count) for $5.99 when I'm normally paying over $10, and feeling lucky when I can get them on sale for $6.99.
And at Supabarn I grabbed another kilo of those chorizo sausages for $10, two 2 kg bags of brushed potatoes for $1 each, and some apples and mandarins for $2.49 per kg. Oh, and my totally-NOT-on-sale treat of sugar-free Kopiko coffee drops that have become one of my weekly indulgences.
On Friday I started with an Aldi shop, then hit Woolworths to load up on canned beans (borlotti and lentils, 89 cent a can) and Coke (4 2 litre bottles for $10, which is about as good as it gets, so I bought 8 and hid 4 of them from Karen in hopes of stretching them out over 2 weeks). Then to the Reject Shop to get Karen's chips, and this is where I blew the $300 limit. I got her two bags (hid one for next week, but she's got a lot of stressful work shit on this weekend, so I might give them to her if she really needs a fix) and bought the last 4 cans of Dublin Dr. Pepper they had on the shelves.
At that point I was still within the budget, but I forgot to add the extra purchases into my shopping list app. Then I went to Coles, and the only big bargains I got were 4 cans of Heinz tomato soup for $1 each, and packets of San Remo La Pasta side dishes for 85 cents each. I'd budgeted for 10, but when I saw that I was under budget, I added 6 more. But 1) I hadn't added in the extra bag of chips and the Dr. Peppers, and 2) my shopping list app was calculating the cost of 5 loaves of bread as $1 instead of $1 each.
So due to technical error (mine, not the app's), forgetfulness, and "bargain fever", I blew out the budget by $12.
Looking back over the last 7 weeks of shopping totals, that means if I want to do as well this month as I did last month, I need to spend $168.48 or less next week.
IGA: $24.03
Supabarn: $18.87
Aldi: $92.30
Woolworths: $42.52
Reject Shop: $10.00
Coles: $85.98
Total: $312.34
With 7 stores to shop, with Tom, I split this week's expedition over two days. Costco, IGA and Supabarn on Thursday, Coles, Woolies, and Aldi on Friday (plus a quick dash into the Reject Shop for Karen's Saturday Night Treat of salt and vinegar chips.
I went to Costco for the massive jars of Skippy peanut butter for James, saving over 25% over the Coles brand he usually gets. I also grabbed some 3 kg bags of sugar (only saves me about 10 cents per bag compared to Woolies, but since I was out there anyway, I grabbed them), and a 4-pack of canned chili for quick lunches (at $2.75 a can, it's cheaper than regular price, but not as good as the ones I got for $2 a can on sale). My impulse purchase was a dozen cans of diced tomatoes for $7.29. I'd planned to buy them at Coles for $9.48, so I saved $2.19, so I'm hoping they're as good or better in terms of quality.
Then at the IGA I grabbed some items I saw advertised in their weekly sales insert. 4 small jars of Kraft peanut butter for Karen (I wasn't sure at first, but after checking my price book, $2.59 for a 375 g jar was a 30% savings over the cost of the larger jars, even when they're on sale for $5), and two boxes of Twinings tea bags (100 count) for $5.99 when I'm normally paying over $10, and feeling lucky when I can get them on sale for $6.99.
And at Supabarn I grabbed another kilo of those chorizo sausages for $10, two 2 kg bags of brushed potatoes for $1 each, and some apples and mandarins for $2.49 per kg. Oh, and my totally-NOT-on-sale treat of sugar-free Kopiko coffee drops that have become one of my weekly indulgences.
On Friday I started with an Aldi shop, then hit Woolworths to load up on canned beans (borlotti and lentils, 89 cent a can) and Coke (4 2 litre bottles for $10, which is about as good as it gets, so I bought 8 and hid 4 of them from Karen in hopes of stretching them out over 2 weeks). Then to the Reject Shop to get Karen's chips, and this is where I blew the $300 limit. I got her two bags (hid one for next week, but she's got a lot of stressful work shit on this weekend, so I might give them to her if she really needs a fix) and bought the last 4 cans of Dublin Dr. Pepper they had on the shelves.
At that point I was still within the budget, but I forgot to add the extra purchases into my shopping list app. Then I went to Coles, and the only big bargains I got were 4 cans of Heinz tomato soup for $1 each, and packets of San Remo La Pasta side dishes for 85 cents each. I'd budgeted for 10, but when I saw that I was under budget, I added 6 more. But 1) I hadn't added in the extra bag of chips and the Dr. Peppers, and 2) my shopping list app was calculating the cost of 5 loaves of bread as $1 instead of $1 each.
So due to technical error (mine, not the app's), forgetfulness, and "bargain fever", I blew out the budget by $12.
Looking back over the last 7 weeks of shopping totals, that means if I want to do as well this month as I did last month, I need to spend $168.48 or less next week.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Savings This Week, 20 April 2012
After spending $304.57 on groceries this week, I've worked out that I saved $127.58 when compared to the cost of ordering it and having it delivered from Coles.
I've also worked out that in the six weeks since I started this little project on 18 March, I've spent a total of $1659.08 on groceries, spending an average of $276.51 per week. The last couple of weeks have been over that average, so I'm going to try to get under it this week, and then go for my minimal ($200-ish) shop the week after that.
I've also worked out that in the six weeks since I started this little project on 18 March, I've spent a total of $1659.08 on groceries, spending an average of $276.51 per week. The last couple of weeks have been over that average, so I'm going to try to get under it this week, and then go for my minimal ($200-ish) shop the week after that.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Shopping Day, 20 April
Costco: $44.05
IGA: $12.00
Supabarn: $18.88
Woolworths: $27.01
Aldi: $104.41
Coles: $94.22
Reject Shop: $4.00
Total $304.57
I ended up going a little bit over my $300 budget this week, partly because Karen added several items at the last minute, and partly because I didn't cut out a few of my multi-buys to bring the total back under the limit. At the end of the day, I'm happy with what I did.
Shopping day actually happened over two days this week, because the kids are on school holidays and I didn't want to try to cram it all in on Friday. So I went out to Costco on Thursday, just to score a few bargains offered by their larger sizes and lower prices. The best thing was a big five-pound bag of shredded cheese, which I've split up into 300g sizes and popped into the freezer. That ought to last us a couple of months, and I scored it for $11. I also got a big-ass bag (1 kg, I think, for $8) of corn chips that I'm hoping will last a while.
Then today I started at the IGA, grabbing a dozen cans of soup for $1 each (cream of chicken, cream of celery, etc. that I use in different casserole recipes). From there to Supabarn to get 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) of chorizo sausages for $15 ($10/kg, compared to $14/kg that I normally pay at Aldi). Then to Woolworths to score a dozen packs of rice crackers (Karen loves 'em) for $1.16 each (half price). Then to Aldi, which is now competing with Coles as my main grocery store. No big bargains at Aldi, just the usual lower prices. And at Coles this week I scored more Campbell's stock (beef, chicken and veggie) for $2/liter.
That was an impulse purchase, and I nearly didn't go for it because when I buy the big ones, I end up wasting a lot. A lot of recipes call for one or two cups, and then I the rest ends up at the back of the fridge and finally re-discovered and dumped. This time I'm going to try using what I need for the recipe, then freezing the rest for later.
My stockpile shelves in the garage are pretty full, and I've got two weeks until the week I try to do a minimal shop and feed us from the stockpile. I noticed that when I started all this 6 weeks ago I thought I might get by with a $50-100 shop those weeks, and the one I've done so far came in at a little over $200. That's a nice kick in the balls from reality, but if I can do it for $200 or less this time, I'll be happy enough with that.
IGA: $12.00
Supabarn: $18.88
Woolworths: $27.01
Aldi: $104.41
Coles: $94.22
Reject Shop: $4.00
Total $304.57
I ended up going a little bit over my $300 budget this week, partly because Karen added several items at the last minute, and partly because I didn't cut out a few of my multi-buys to bring the total back under the limit. At the end of the day, I'm happy with what I did.
Shopping day actually happened over two days this week, because the kids are on school holidays and I didn't want to try to cram it all in on Friday. So I went out to Costco on Thursday, just to score a few bargains offered by their larger sizes and lower prices. The best thing was a big five-pound bag of shredded cheese, which I've split up into 300g sizes and popped into the freezer. That ought to last us a couple of months, and I scored it for $11. I also got a big-ass bag (1 kg, I think, for $8) of corn chips that I'm hoping will last a while.
Then today I started at the IGA, grabbing a dozen cans of soup for $1 each (cream of chicken, cream of celery, etc. that I use in different casserole recipes). From there to Supabarn to get 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) of chorizo sausages for $15 ($10/kg, compared to $14/kg that I normally pay at Aldi). Then to Woolworths to score a dozen packs of rice crackers (Karen loves 'em) for $1.16 each (half price). Then to Aldi, which is now competing with Coles as my main grocery store. No big bargains at Aldi, just the usual lower prices. And at Coles this week I scored more Campbell's stock (beef, chicken and veggie) for $2/liter.
That was an impulse purchase, and I nearly didn't go for it because when I buy the big ones, I end up wasting a lot. A lot of recipes call for one or two cups, and then I the rest ends up at the back of the fridge and finally re-discovered and dumped. This time I'm going to try using what I need for the recipe, then freezing the rest for later.
My stockpile shelves in the garage are pretty full, and I've got two weeks until the week I try to do a minimal shop and feed us from the stockpile. I noticed that when I started all this 6 weeks ago I thought I might get by with a $50-100 shop those weeks, and the one I've done so far came in at a little over $200. That's a nice kick in the balls from reality, but if I can do it for $200 or less this time, I'll be happy enough with that.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Shopping Day, 13 April
I'm a little under my max budget limit, but there are still a few things I want to buy. When I'm done, I should be right at the limit.
Aldi: $110.91
Woolworths: $80.37
Reject Shop: $11.00
Coles: $79.28
Total: $284.56
The sale items I grabbed this week came mostly from Woolies, including 4 jars of their new store brand salsa, 8 cans of their refried beans, and 10 packets of their taco seasoning. They pulled a smooth little trick, advertising Old El Paso for half price, then running their new store brand items, also at half price, and cheaper than the OEP stuff. So I loaded up more than I'd planned, while still being within budget.
My other unexpected purchase this week was a half dozen cans of Dr. Pepper. Dublin Dr. Pepper, with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, which I haven't had since I left Texas. They've been available here through mail order, but buying soft drinks on the internet has always seemed a little extravagant, and I've never done it. But the Reject Shop is selling them, and I'm hoping I can buy more. I've read that the Dublin bottling plant isn't making any more, so this might not last long, but I'm going to enjoy them while I can get them.
The problem, of course, is that drinking Dr. Pepper doesn't really fit in with my weight loss plans, so I'm going to have to work out some sort of reward system, I think.
Aldi: $110.91
Woolworths: $80.37
Reject Shop: $11.00
Coles: $79.28
Total: $284.56
The sale items I grabbed this week came mostly from Woolies, including 4 jars of their new store brand salsa, 8 cans of their refried beans, and 10 packets of their taco seasoning. They pulled a smooth little trick, advertising Old El Paso for half price, then running their new store brand items, also at half price, and cheaper than the OEP stuff. So I loaded up more than I'd planned, while still being within budget.
My other unexpected purchase this week was a half dozen cans of Dr. Pepper. Dublin Dr. Pepper, with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, which I haven't had since I left Texas. They've been available here through mail order, but buying soft drinks on the internet has always seemed a little extravagant, and I've never done it. But the Reject Shop is selling them, and I'm hoping I can buy more. I've read that the Dublin bottling plant isn't making any more, so this might not last long, but I'm going to enjoy them while I can get them.
The problem, of course, is that drinking Dr. Pepper doesn't really fit in with my weight loss plans, so I'm going to have to work out some sort of reward system, I think.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Weekly Menu Plan
Friday: Burgers & Chips ($8.00)
Saturday: Nachos ($11.20)
Sunday: Chicken & Tomato Braise w/Rice ($6.80)
Monday: Fish Stew ($7.00)
Tuesday: Chicken Nuggets & Hash Brown Casserole ($11.00)
Wednesday: Spaghetti ($7.10)
Thursday: Sausage & Potato Casserole ($11.80)
Wow, that comes to $62.90 for dinner all week (out of a $300 weekly shopping total). Although that mainly just covers dinners for the three kids, because Karen and I will eat different meals. Because we're special like that.
Saturday: Nachos ($11.20)
Sunday: Chicken & Tomato Braise w/Rice ($6.80)
Monday: Fish Stew ($7.00)
Tuesday: Chicken Nuggets & Hash Brown Casserole ($11.00)
Wednesday: Spaghetti ($7.10)
Thursday: Sausage & Potato Casserole ($11.80)
Wow, that comes to $62.90 for dinner all week (out of a $300 weekly shopping total). Although that mainly just covers dinners for the three kids, because Karen and I will eat different meals. Because we're special like that.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Shopping Day, 5 April
Shopping day came early this week because all the shops are closed tomorrow for Good Friday.
Aldi: $78.68
Coles: $88.03
Woolworths: $43.05
Total: $209.76
My original plan this week was to buy as little as necessary, but that was quickly vetoed by the rest of the family. They figure they can't fully enjoy their four-day weekend without some treats, and my vote doesn't count. But to be honest, even with their junk food, the total could've been a lot lower if I hadn't stocked up on a few sale items.
I've been thinking that once a month, I'd try to do a very minimal shop. But today I started thinking that, with the stuff we buy on a regular basis, it makes sense to buy it when it's on sale, and that means hitting the sale items every week.
I'm also starting to think that when I find a really good deal, I need to buy more items. The $1 pasta sauces I grabbed a few weeks ago were an excellent bargain. Sure, somebody's running pasta sauce on sale every week, but I haven't seen it at $1 since then. And at the time, buying nine jars seemed like a lot, but three weeks later, we've used half of them.
So the key is to make sure it's really a good deal (by checking my price book to see that it not only beats the regular price, but it's a good sale price, too)
As it turned out, this I could get potato chips at Woolworths for $1.50 a bag if I bought four of them. So I did. And Aldi three 12-packs of "Fake Zero" available, so I bought them all. They also had the sugar-free chocolate chip cookies, so I bought eight packets of those. And Coles had big jars of Kraft peanut butter on sale for $6 and 100 pks of Earl Grey tea bags for $7, so I bought two of each. Oh, and fat-free salad dressing for $2, so I grabbed three bottles. Five bucks here, seven bucks there, and by the time I was done, I'd spent an extra $50.
Still, I'm $90 under my usual $300 a week, and at $1071 in four weeks, I figure I've saved about $300, or nearly 25%, in a month.
Now I just need to figure out a way to make sure that the next $300 I save is actually sitting there in the bank a month from now. I haven't checked, but I'm pretty confident that the $300 I saved this time has already been spent (by those who shall remain nameless) on other things.
Aldi: $78.68
Coles: $88.03
Woolworths: $43.05
Total: $209.76
My original plan this week was to buy as little as necessary, but that was quickly vetoed by the rest of the family. They figure they can't fully enjoy their four-day weekend without some treats, and my vote doesn't count. But to be honest, even with their junk food, the total could've been a lot lower if I hadn't stocked up on a few sale items.
I've been thinking that once a month, I'd try to do a very minimal shop. But today I started thinking that, with the stuff we buy on a regular basis, it makes sense to buy it when it's on sale, and that means hitting the sale items every week.
I'm also starting to think that when I find a really good deal, I need to buy more items. The $1 pasta sauces I grabbed a few weeks ago were an excellent bargain. Sure, somebody's running pasta sauce on sale every week, but I haven't seen it at $1 since then. And at the time, buying nine jars seemed like a lot, but three weeks later, we've used half of them.
So the key is to make sure it's really a good deal (by checking my price book to see that it not only beats the regular price, but it's a good sale price, too)
As it turned out, this I could get potato chips at Woolworths for $1.50 a bag if I bought four of them. So I did. And Aldi three 12-packs of "Fake Zero" available, so I bought them all. They also had the sugar-free chocolate chip cookies, so I bought eight packets of those. And Coles had big jars of Kraft peanut butter on sale for $6 and 100 pks of Earl Grey tea bags for $7, so I bought two of each. Oh, and fat-free salad dressing for $2, so I grabbed three bottles. Five bucks here, seven bucks there, and by the time I was done, I'd spent an extra $50.
Still, I'm $90 under my usual $300 a week, and at $1071 in four weeks, I figure I've saved about $300, or nearly 25%, in a month.
Now I just need to figure out a way to make sure that the next $300 I save is actually sitting there in the bank a month from now. I haven't checked, but I'm pretty confident that the $300 I saved this time has already been spent (by those who shall remain nameless) on other things.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Dollar Store Bargains? Sure, If Know What You're Doing
Forbes has an article called Are Dollar Stores Really a Bargain? that's worth a quick read. In a nutshell, it says that the best deals are usually on paper products (paper plates, napkins, etc.), seasonal items (Karen always grabs a lot of cheap wrapping paper and cards right after Xmas), kitchen ware, kids' coloring books, and things like paintbrushes, tape, etc. Items to avoid (usually due to quality issues) include electronics, clothes, medication and vitamins, power cords, and toothpaste.
I think the two most important things when shopping in dollar stores are:
1) know whether the price is really lower than elsewhere ("price book" data comes in really handy here)
2) take the quality into account;
The hard part (for me at least) is that most of the dollar stores around here don't have websites or put out any info (either online or on paper) about their prices and sales. To check for bargains, I have to go into the stores and have a look around. Occasionally, I do that, but not on any sort of regular basis. So even if there are bargains to be found, I'm missing them because I'm not there.
I think the two most important things when shopping in dollar stores are:
1) know whether the price is really lower than elsewhere ("price book" data comes in really handy here)
2) take the quality into account;
The hard part (for me at least) is that most of the dollar stores around here don't have websites or put out any info (either online or on paper) about their prices and sales. To check for bargains, I have to go into the stores and have a look around. Occasionally, I do that, but not on any sort of regular basis. So even if there are bargains to be found, I'm missing them because I'm not there.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Weekly Meal Plan With Meal Cost Breakdown
I've been posting our weekly meal plans on my other blog, but I should probably start posting them here as well. Since I shop on Friday, our menu plans run from Friday through to the next Thursday, and this week it looks like this:
Friday: Hamburgers & Chips [large burger patty, big salad]
Saturday: Tacos [chicken breast, beans, salad]
Sunday: Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya [jambalaya, salad]
Monday: Tuna Patties, Pasta, and Green Beans
Tuesday: Meatball Soup, Garlic Bread
Wednesday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread
Thursday: Tater Tot Casserole
And tonight I worked out the cost of each meal, and the cost per serving. It's a little tricky because I'm on a low-carb diet and don't always eat the same meals I cook for the boys, but I'm figuring in my costs, too.
The hamburger and chips meal was the least expensive so far. A half pound of ground beef ($3), 3 hamburger buns ($1) (I bought a half dozen, the others are in the freezer for next week), a half a bag of frozen oven fries ($1), some salad ($1.50), and Coke ($1) cost a total of $8, so that works out to $2 each.
The tacos were more expensive (but only because I had a grilled chicken breast instead), with another half pound of ground beef ($3) and a taco meal kit ($4), salad, cheese, sour cream, etc. ($2), Coke ($1), plus I had a half a can of beans ($0.40) and a chicken breast ($2.50) for a total of $12.90, or $3.23 each.
And the chicken and sausage jambalaya was in the middle, with a cup of basmati rice ($1), a chicken breast ($2.50), a couple of links of sausage ($3.50), a can of diced tomatoes ($0.80), 2 cups of chicken stock ($1), Coke ($1) and some salad for me ($1) for a total of $11.80, or $2.95 each.
That's three dinners for roughly $32.70, and I'm pretty happy with that. I'm a little bit surprised at how cheap the burgers are, especially since grabbing McDonalds instead would set us back between $35 and $40. And while the oven-baked chips don't compare to hot, deep-fried, salty, golden French Fries, the kids agree that my burgers beat Maccas' any day of the week.
So far the kids have enjoyed all the meals on the menu. Friday night is almost always Burger Night, except on the rare occasion that it's Pizza Night (sometimes homemade, but usually take-out), and they really enjoy it. It's how we start our weekend.
And Saturday night is almost always Mexican Night, but rarely tacos. Usually we do nachos or, if I'm working I'll fix up some enchiladas that Karen can throw in the oven for half an hour. Lately, I've been trying some different Mexican-inspired casseroles (some of which have been better received than others), but because we have tacos so rarely, the kids think of them as a treat, and thoroughly enjoyed them.
The jambalaya was a recipe that I've had for a while, but haven't cooked in a long time. In fact, I didn't remember ever cooking it, but both Jack and James insisted that I have, so I'll take their word for it. Everybody enjoyed it, and there were complaints about the absence of left-overs, so I might have to add more rice next time.
So hey, I'm three for three, and I'm doing it on the cheap!
Friday: Hamburgers & Chips [large burger patty, big salad]
Saturday: Tacos [chicken breast, beans, salad]
Sunday: Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya [jambalaya, salad]
Monday: Tuna Patties, Pasta, and Green Beans
Tuesday: Meatball Soup, Garlic Bread
Wednesday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread
Thursday: Tater Tot Casserole
And tonight I worked out the cost of each meal, and the cost per serving. It's a little tricky because I'm on a low-carb diet and don't always eat the same meals I cook for the boys, but I'm figuring in my costs, too.
The hamburger and chips meal was the least expensive so far. A half pound of ground beef ($3), 3 hamburger buns ($1) (I bought a half dozen, the others are in the freezer for next week), a half a bag of frozen oven fries ($1), some salad ($1.50), and Coke ($1) cost a total of $8, so that works out to $2 each.
The tacos were more expensive (but only because I had a grilled chicken breast instead), with another half pound of ground beef ($3) and a taco meal kit ($4), salad, cheese, sour cream, etc. ($2), Coke ($1), plus I had a half a can of beans ($0.40) and a chicken breast ($2.50) for a total of $12.90, or $3.23 each.
And the chicken and sausage jambalaya was in the middle, with a cup of basmati rice ($1), a chicken breast ($2.50), a couple of links of sausage ($3.50), a can of diced tomatoes ($0.80), 2 cups of chicken stock ($1), Coke ($1) and some salad for me ($1) for a total of $11.80, or $2.95 each.
That's three dinners for roughly $32.70, and I'm pretty happy with that. I'm a little bit surprised at how cheap the burgers are, especially since grabbing McDonalds instead would set us back between $35 and $40. And while the oven-baked chips don't compare to hot, deep-fried, salty, golden French Fries, the kids agree that my burgers beat Maccas' any day of the week.
So far the kids have enjoyed all the meals on the menu. Friday night is almost always Burger Night, except on the rare occasion that it's Pizza Night (sometimes homemade, but usually take-out), and they really enjoy it. It's how we start our weekend.
And Saturday night is almost always Mexican Night, but rarely tacos. Usually we do nachos or, if I'm working I'll fix up some enchiladas that Karen can throw in the oven for half an hour. Lately, I've been trying some different Mexican-inspired casseroles (some of which have been better received than others), but because we have tacos so rarely, the kids think of them as a treat, and thoroughly enjoyed them.
The jambalaya was a recipe that I've had for a while, but haven't cooked in a long time. In fact, I didn't remember ever cooking it, but both Jack and James insisted that I have, so I'll take their word for it. Everybody enjoyed it, and there were complaints about the absence of left-overs, so I might have to add more rice next time.
So hey, I'm three for three, and I'm doing it on the cheap!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Shopping Day, 30 March
I went over-budget a little bit this week, but I bought a lot of groceries.
IGA: $19.83
Aldi (1): $111.51
Woolworths: $86.21
Coles: $71.31
Reject Shop: $12.00
Aldi (2): $11.85
Total: $312.71
Some of the bargains I bought:
IGA: $19.83
Aldi (1): $111.51
Woolworths: $86.21
Coles: $71.31
Reject Shop: $12.00
Aldi (2): $11.85
Total: $312.71
Some of the bargains I bought:
- 2 kg of chicken breasts (spent $16, saved $4.20)
- 2 jars of kalamata olives (spent $10, saved $3.60)
- 19 cans of beans (spent $15, saved $8.90)
- 4 x 2L bottles of Coke (spent $10, saved $6)
- 2 jars of jam (spent $6, saved $3.15)
- 2 boxes of Kleenex (spent $5, saved $1)
- 10 x 500ml boxes of chicken, beef, and veggie stock (spent $10, saved $11)
- 7 x family-size packet pasta (spent $7, saved $7)
All up I bought $389.88 worth of groceries for $312.71, for a savings of $77.16. Four hours of shopping works out to $19.29 an hour.
Now the pantry's full, the extra shelves out in the garage are full, and I've got food groceries in the laundry cupboard, too. Now I need to work on a menu plan for next week that mostly uses what we've already got. Lots of beans. I think I'll make a big pot of chili.
Shopping Day, 23 March
Bargains were to be found, and everything went much more smoothly this time. Instead of 5 hours, I hit three stores (Aldi, Woolworths, and Coles) in half that time. And that includes coming home after each store (we're only 5 minutes from town), unloading and putting everything away, then taking off again.
The grand total was $244. 48, well below the usual $300-400, and about $55 cheaper than if I'd just ordered everything to be delivered from Coles. So one way to look at it is that I paid myself $22 an hour to do the grocery shopping.
Some of the savings came from just buying at the store that was a little bit cheaper, but most of it came from a few good deals. The big 5 kg (11 lb) box of laundry detergent saved about $6, Karen's tea and Coke were both on sale for $7 instead of $10 each, and the big bottle of Italian Herbs from Costco saved me around $8.
The other thing that helped keep the overall cost down was that I didn't have to buy much meat, because I planned the meals this week to use of what I've already got in the freezer. Next week, I'll have to buy more meat, but hopefully I can still keep the total down by choosing meals that use things from the increasingly-well-stocked pantry.
The grand total was $244. 48, well below the usual $300-400, and about $55 cheaper than if I'd just ordered everything to be delivered from Coles. So one way to look at it is that I paid myself $22 an hour to do the grocery shopping.
Some of the savings came from just buying at the store that was a little bit cheaper, but most of it came from a few good deals. The big 5 kg (11 lb) box of laundry detergent saved about $6, Karen's tea and Coke were both on sale for $7 instead of $10 each, and the big bottle of Italian Herbs from Costco saved me around $8.
The other thing that helped keep the overall cost down was that I didn't have to buy much meat, because I planned the meals this week to use of what I've already got in the freezer. Next week, I'll have to buy more meat, but hopefully I can still keep the total down by choosing meals that use things from the increasingly-well-stocked pantry.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Sale Items Go Quick!
I learned a lesson today about really good deals on sale items. They don't last long. When the catalog comes out on Tuesday showing the things that go on sale Wednesday, you apparently have to be there when the store opens that morning if you want to get the big sale items. Wednesday night after work (11pm) doesn't get the job done. You snooze, you lose. Or something like that. The idea of being there when they open the doors at 7 am doesn't seem too damned appealing. I'm not that much of a morning person. But I have to admit, I'm tempted to do it just to see who's in there grabbing all the stuff on sale.
I tried again this morning at another store, just to see if they might've restocked overnight, but apparently they didn't. But since I was out and about anyway, I went out to Costco to check out the prices there, to compare with the ones already in my price book. There are definitely some good deals there, but it's easy to get suckered, too. I took lots of pictures of prices, entered them in when I got home, let the spreadsheet work out the unit pricing, and I suspect I'll be going out there once a month or so for bulk purchases of laundry powder, canned goods, tissues, etc. Today all I bought was a large bottle of Italian herbs and a big bag of grated Mexican cheese. Grand total - $16.08.
I tried again this morning at another store, just to see if they might've restocked overnight, but apparently they didn't. But since I was out and about anyway, I went out to Costco to check out the prices there, to compare with the ones already in my price book. There are definitely some good deals there, but it's easy to get suckered, too. I took lots of pictures of prices, entered them in when I got home, let the spreadsheet work out the unit pricing, and I suspect I'll be going out there once a month or so for bulk purchases of laundry powder, canned goods, tissues, etc. Today all I bought was a large bottle of Italian herbs and a big bag of grated Mexican cheese. Grand total - $16.08.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
My Price Book
I've read for years that one of the tricks to buying things on sale is to know if it's actually a good deal or not, and that one way to do that is to maintain a price book. A price book is just a list of the things you buy, the prices you paid, when and where. The first ones I read about involved using a notebook, one item per page, and keeping a sort of shopping diary. These days, it seems people are using spreadsheets. So that's what I've done, using a Google Docs spreadsheet. Wil's Price Book
Using my receipts from last week's shopping, plus a few others I found laying around (mostly in the bottoms of shopping bags), I've got a list of prices for 140 different items. No real surprises at this point, except that eggs went up at Aldi and I didn't notice. But it's already been useful to be able to check prices to see if this weeks "sales" are really bargains or not.
At this point, I think I'll stick to using a Google Doc spreadsheet, which I can access on my iPod. There's also an iOS app called Best Price Book that might be worth a try, but I'm not sure it's worth it (both in terms of the price, and the time and effort it would take to fill in the data). I've installed the trial version, but I might wait a while before I make a decision about upgrading to the full version.
At this point, I think I'll stick to using a Google Doc spreadsheet, which I can access on my iPod. There's also an iOS app called Best Price Book that might be worth a try, but I'm not sure it's worth it (both in terms of the price, and the time and effort it would take to fill in the data). I've installed the trial version, but I might wait a while before I make a decision about upgrading to the full version.
Grocery Points Reward Programs
The weather was awesome this weekend, so I didn't spend a lot of time sitting here at the computer. But I still managed to get a few things done to help with the new plan.
I joined the customer loyalty programs at Woolworths and Supabarn, so I'll start earning points when I shop there, just like I do with FlyBuys at Coles.
I earn 2 FlyBuys Points per $5 spent at Coles, plus 1 FlyBuys Point per $5 when I pay with my NAB credit card. It takes 2500 FlyBuys Points to get a $20 gift card.
I earn 1 SupaBarn Point for every $1 I spend on grocery, frozen food, dairy, and variety items. I earn 2 SupaBarn Points for every $1 I spend on meat, produce, deli, seafood, or store bakery items. It takes 2000 points to get a $20 gift card. (Plus I'll earn 1 FlyBuys Point for every $5 when I pay with my NAB credit card.)
I earn 1 Everyday Rewards Point for every $1 over $30 I spend at Woolworths (plus I'll earn 1 FlyBuys Point for every $5 when I pay with my NAB credit card). It takes 750 Everyday Rewards Points to get a $5 gift card, or 3000 Points to get a $20 gift card.
So none of them are going to mean big savings, but it might mean a couple of gift cards throughout the year. I think I earned around 32 FlyBuys Points at Coles last week (plus 16 more for paying with my NAB card, for a total of 48 Points). I earned 47 SupaBarn Points (they print it on the receipt), and I would've earned 44 Everyday Rewards Points if I'd been a member.
If I spend roughly the same amount each week, at each shop, that works out (roughly) to a $20 SupaBarn gift card every 10 months, a $5 Woolworths gift card every 4 months, and a $20 Coles gift card once a year. In reality, we earn a lot more FlyBuys because we earn every time we use our credit card, plus when we shop at Coles, KMart, Target, 1st Choice Liquor, and at the Shell station. Over the years (online records go back to 2001, but we've been members since 1995), we've averaged a $100 gift card every year, and $300-350 the last couple of years.
I joined the customer loyalty programs at Woolworths and Supabarn, so I'll start earning points when I shop there, just like I do with FlyBuys at Coles.
I earn 2 FlyBuys Points per $5 spent at Coles, plus 1 FlyBuys Point per $5 when I pay with my NAB credit card. It takes 2500 FlyBuys Points to get a $20 gift card.
I earn 1 SupaBarn Point for every $1 I spend on grocery, frozen food, dairy, and variety items. I earn 2 SupaBarn Points for every $1 I spend on meat, produce, deli, seafood, or store bakery items. It takes 2000 points to get a $20 gift card. (Plus I'll earn 1 FlyBuys Point for every $5 when I pay with my NAB credit card.)
I earn 1 Everyday Rewards Point for every $1 over $30 I spend at Woolworths (plus I'll earn 1 FlyBuys Point for every $5 when I pay with my NAB credit card). It takes 750 Everyday Rewards Points to get a $5 gift card, or 3000 Points to get a $20 gift card.
So none of them are going to mean big savings, but it might mean a couple of gift cards throughout the year. I think I earned around 32 FlyBuys Points at Coles last week (plus 16 more for paying with my NAB card, for a total of 48 Points). I earned 47 SupaBarn Points (they print it on the receipt), and I would've earned 44 Everyday Rewards Points if I'd been a member.
If I spend roughly the same amount each week, at each shop, that works out (roughly) to a $20 SupaBarn gift card every 10 months, a $5 Woolworths gift card every 4 months, and a $20 Coles gift card once a year. In reality, we earn a lot more FlyBuys because we earn every time we use our credit card, plus when we shop at Coles, KMart, Target, 1st Choice Liquor, and at the Shell station. Over the years (online records go back to 2001, but we've been members since 1995), we've averaged a $100 gift card every year, and $300-350 the last couple of years.
Freezer Inventory -- Too Much Meat!
I took a quick inventory of our big freezer because I knew there was a lot of stuff in there that we need to eat. Here's what I found that I know I'm going to cook this week:
And here's all the rest:
- 500g peas, corn, and carrots (2/3 cup on Thursday)
- 750g tater tots (Thursday)
- 800g potato bake (Monday)
- 100g sliced pepperoni (Monday)
- 2 links of chorizo (Tuesday, Wednesday)
- 500g thin sausages (Sunday)
- 2 x 500g beef mince (Wednesday, Thursday)
- 1 kg chuck steak (Tuesday)
And here's all the rest:
- 3 x 500g sliced green beans
- 500g mixed vegetables
- 2 x 1.2kg french fries
- 1 x meat feast pizza
- 3 x beef and cheese pies
- 175g short cut bacon
- 2 x 375g short cut bacon
- 2 x small Spanish marinated minute steaks
- 1/2 Mexican marinated chicken
- 2 x 500g beef mince
- 8 x 200g chicken breasts
- 2 x pork scotch fillet steaks w/tarragon butter
- 1kg Santa Maria marinated sirloin roast
- 3 x beef steaks (unknown cut)
- 1 pkg pork chops (3 or 4? unknown cut)
- 450g organic chicken drumsticks
Those chicken breasts are mostly from my big chicken purchase this week, and I will eat some of them for lunches this week, but the rest of it is just stuff I've bought and then forgotten about. Some of it's been in there for 3, 4 and maybe even 6 months, and it's time to get it out.
The bacon's not a problem because I eat bacon for breakfast almost every morning. This week I've got the chorizo, but next week I'll be back to bacon, so it'll go.
I'll eat the minute steaks for lunch, and also the pork steaks (I've had 'em before, and they're very nice). I might try one of the other steaks, but I don't know what they are, and I think they've been in there for a pretty long time, so I'll probably just use them in a stew or something. Same with the pork chops. Maybe in the slow cooker. The sirloin roast can be a dinner one night next week, and I might have the 1/2 chicken for dinner on Monday. The frozen french fries, green beans, and mixed veggies will be eaten as side dishes over the next couple of weeks.
So that just leaves the chicken legs and the meat pies. I'm not much of a leg man, but I'll come up with something. The meat pies might just have to go, though. The boys tried them, and really don't like the cheese in them, so maybe there's no hope for them. Unless I thaw them, scoop out the meat and cheese mixture, and then sneak it into something. I'll have to think about that one.
But the one thing that's clear is that if I plan the menu right, I won't need to buy meat next week. I might buy some anyway, if there's a good sale on, but if not we should be fine with what we've already got.
My New Money-Saving Shopping Strategy
I put a new grocery shopping plan into action today. I'm trying to get the cost down, because it was really starting to get out of control, to the tune of nearly $400 a week. Shopping online (with Coles) and getting the groceries delivered was easy, but expensive, and when we added in a few extra trips for things we'd forgotten, they didn't deliver, etc., it was really starting to add up.
So first I cut out the delivery and started doing my own shopping again. That doesn't just save the delivery charge, but the in-store prices are usually cheaper than the online prices. The next thing I did was start shopping at Aldi as well as Coles. Then I started doing some online price comparisons and then shopping at Coles, Aldi, and Woolworths. And today I added Supabarn into the mix, too. Four shops in five hours, and I spent $303.
That's a little more than I've been spending lately, but it's because I bought a lot of things that were on sale, so hopefully it'll pay off in the future. I bought 3 12-packs of Fake Zero (that's what we can Aldi's zero-cal cola Coke Zero knock-off), 16 cans of diced tomatoes (80 cents a can at Woolies), 9 jars of pasta sauce (3 for $3 at Supabarn), and that sort of thing. All good bargains (except the Fake Zero, which was regular price, but they've been out for weeks so I thought I'd stock up).
My plan is to keep an eye on the sales at Coles, Woolies, IGA, Supabarn, and Aldi, hit 'em and load up when I can, and build a stockpile. Then one week each month, do as small a shop as possible (I haven't run any numbers yet, but I'm hoping for $50-100) and get the rest from the stockpile.
The other part of the plan involves getting to the point where we're spending around $200 a week, and putting the extra $100 away in savings to pay for a vacation next summer. If we can do it, in 8 months we'd save $3200.
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