Over budget for the year, aargh! (Wednesday Weekly Shopping)
This week, I overspent my budget of $80 per week so much that I ended up going over budget for the whole year so far!
This didn't happen last year, because I did a Clean Out Your Cupboard Challenge right at the beginning of the year. Since I was only buying milk and a few vegetables while getting the rest of my food from the pantry and freezer, I had very low grocery bills. That low average propelled me through the rest of the year.
But this week, I bought kosher meat - always a big purchase - which made me go over budget for the week, and also for the year. And there were some great cereal deals at Publix, CVS, and Walgreens, so I stocked up.
I'm sure I'll have a few easy weeks coming up, so I'll get that average back down below budget soon!
Here's what I got this week:
Overall, this week I spent $111.63 for items which retail for $203.68, or a 45% savings based on the retail value of the products at the stores where they were purchased. (But don't compare percentages!)
For the year (4 weeks), I spent $330.55 for items which retailed for $654.25, and saved $323.70, or a 49% savings. That's an average of $82.64 spent each week for a family of five (husband, wife, and daughters ages 14, 11, and 6), including lots of fresh produce, dairy items, and kosher meat.
In 2011, I spent $4017.13 for items which retailed for $7344.08, saving 45% and spending an average of $77.25 per week for the year.
How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. The aim is not to brag, but to inspire! Please link up directly to your post, not to the blog itself. I'd appreciate it if you put a link to Wednesday Weekly Shopping in your post as well. If you don't have a blog, please leave a comment!
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For more great shopping deals and trips, please check out the bloggers listed in my Linkup Parties page under Shopping Deals Linkups. There are lots of great ideas on each blog and I'm sure you'll find inspiration for you to save even more!
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4 comments:
I always feel "guilty" those weeks I spent more than I wanted to but I notice the weeks following I am always way under budget so it evens out :) still a great shopping week for you!
I also overspent this week...big time. But, but, but there were just so many great deals on meat, produce and more that I could not pass them up. This is the good thing about keeping track though, because you can check to make sure that you are on target with your yearly budget.
I was over budget this week too! Gotta get back on the wagon. :)
I am over budget for the year so far too, but you know it will even out :) I bought all the stuff to make my own cleaning supplies so I am not too concerned because I know I am set for about a year.
Everyone is right, keeping track will help make sure you reach your yearly target. Keep up the great work!
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