Well, we called for August to be our least expensive month of this year, and I'm pretty sure that it will be tough to beat over the next four months.
We only spent $763 in the month of August.
Here's the breakdown...
Fuel: We spent $60 on gasoline for the little blue car. That's just for our weekly grocery run into town.
Groceries: Finally, a reasonable month in this category. We spent $469 on groceries for the month. After three very expensive grocery months averaging over $650 each, we are finally starting to catch up. September should be less than $400 as we use up things in preparation for our departure.
Miscellaneous: Pretty much exactly as expected at $234.30. Car insurance of $81.71, internet of $118.65, and I bought some oil and filter to do an oil change on the little blue car before we leave here. Oh, and some bug and tar remover. The front bumper is covered in grasshopper guts!
So, only $763 for the month.
Actually, we spent a lot more than that. We bought new hiking boots for Kevin, and about $700 worth of airfare for getting to and around Mexico in November. But that money won't be paid out until this month so it will show up on our September expenses. So September will be quite a bit higher than normal, but it will mean that most of our upcoming winter traveling will be all bought and paid for. Only still shopping for a cheap flight from Seattle to San Francisco.
Thanks for doing your shopping through our links to Amazon.com. We earned $86.22 last month because of it!
So I'm looking at the numbers and our grocery expenses are higher this year compared to last year. Part of that is related to both of us now eating gluten free, plus Ruth has started with lactose free milk and that's quite a bit more expensive. But we also think that things are getting a lot more expensive here, especially fruits and veggies. We're kind of curious. How much do you spend on groceries for a month?
Good for you! Love those way-under budget months! I just finished mine for the month and was under budget as well. Our budget is different than yours however. I just ordered something from your site on the Amazon link and was surprised it still went to my Prime account. I have hesitated in using links because I automatically thought it would not use my account. So if I can earn a few cents for you while getting my stuff off of Amazon, why not?
ReplyDeleteWhy not, exactly. Thanks Randy!
DeleteWhen we were down for much of August in the US, we spent a total of $260 on Groceries. That doesn't include the two magnum's of wine ($6 each) and two 24 packs of coolers (also $6 each).
ReplyDeleteUp here in Canada, we spend at least on average $500 a month, some months more.
We also eat LOTS of bread (growing teenager) and pasta as well as fruit (which is really expensive) and veggies.
But I clip coupons, use my superstore points and cut alot of corners.
I think in Canada it is hard to eat properly for anything under $400 a month for two people these days, so $500 isn't a huge step up especially when you have a growing teenage boy.
DeleteI always look at the flyers before I go shopping and try to buy whatever is on sale and then plan our meals around that. If it is a really good sale then I will buy more to use later depending on the item. I also prepare meals like casseroles or one pot meals with smaller amounts of meat but lots of veggies to make them go further.
We spend $450/mos for two adults including all over counter meds/cleaners/personal productions. It is getting tougher and it seems we only buy meat when on sale or when huge amounts of it go on sale. Produce is more expensive but this month we managed to buy some local produce at cheaper rates. It is a crime what we pay in Canada for groceries. Even something like no name pop (garbage I know but hubby is addicted) used to be available all the time for 99 cents for a 2 litre. Now you rarely see it below $1.25.
ReplyDeleteSo we are pretty much on line with you for groceries, which also includes cleaners and personal care items. We also buy our meat in family packs, especially when it is on sale and then break it up into two serving size packs and freeze. It is definitely and exercise in frugality to keep the costs down on food but still eat healthy, especially when you have to buy specialized food for certain diets (gluten free being ours).
DeleteYou certainly can get a dollar to go a long way, be it Canadian or U.S.! :c)
ReplyDeleteWe try as much as we can Paul and Marti!
DeleteYou don't even want to know!! I track it on and off, mainly because it's too depressing. For a family of four (2 adults and 2 children ages 8 and 4) we run anywhere from $900-1200/month. No joke. We eat really healthy for the most part and that cost more. Often there's grass fed beef or organic meat in there - double the price usually. Fruits and veggies have gone up but they're still cheaper than boxed food. Having been the main shopper in the house for the past 8 years, I see the increase almost monthly at the grocery store on some products - they never seem to come back down either!
ReplyDeleteWell when you consider that we eat for about $450-$500 a month now that we are stocked up on staple food items you really aren't far off for a family of 4. It's no wonder that most families these days have to have two working adults in order to pay all the bills.
DeleteOur biggest expense in Mexico is gas. It's the same as in the U.S. now at around $3.60 a gallon. However, we manage to keep our utilities way below any average. $300 a month on groceries, alcohol and misc. You can't beat Mexico for good food prices and internet.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on that Chris but we even noticed that food prices in Mexico have gone up as well. We love that you can get great produce at the local markets at fantastic prices, unlike the markets here in Canada where you normally pay an arm and a leg for them.
DeleteSo what was the secret to reducing your grocery expenses this month?
ReplyDeleteWhen we started this job in May we had to start from scratch which meant having to buy all our staple food items, spices, any canned goods, plus all the regular groceries like meat and produce. In June and July we had a number of visitors to feed one of which was our daughter Lindsey and our two grandchildren who stayed for two weeks. August was more of a regular kind of month for us as it was just the two of us and September should be lower as we will be eating any food that we have at the moment and just buying what we need when we need it because at the end of the month everything will be closed up until we return next May so we don't want any perishable foods left.
DeleteOur groceries for August was $330. but usually about $450. a month.
ReplyDeleteSo we are pretty much in the same ball park as you for food costs.
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