Author Topic: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!  (Read 11682 times)

Zikoris

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Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« on: February 19, 2015, 12:55:45 PM »
Same as last year. Let's figure out where our grocery dollars are going for a month!

My categories last year were:
Produce
"Dairy" (vegan)
Baking
"Meat"/Tofu/Lentils
Nuts
Grains
Canned
Condiments
Non-food (toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc)

I'm also keeping a meal plan list of everything we eat for the month.

Thought I'd post a week early so people have time to make spreadsheets or figure out how they want to track!

NotJen

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2015, 01:26:54 PM »
I'm in!  I've been wanting to do this, and see how my purchases compare to others. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town for at least 8 days in March, which will skew the numbers, but I think it will still be helpful.

NYCWife

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2015, 01:27:08 PM »
This sounds intriguing and fits well with the area of savings we are currently focused on: groceries. @Drakmon (my husband), you interested?

Took your idea, Zikoris, and created a Google spreadsheet to track different food categories, then graph the results by week. Here's the link, which anyone should be able to download and then customize to your own food categories.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gN9O-QdFGZ-MHYDEXmKwDl6q3xtmmwozzNXmLwSZfxs/edit?usp=sharing



Drakmon

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2015, 01:57:30 PM »
We spreadsheet ALL THE THINGS in this family!

netskyblue

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2015, 01:59:59 PM »
I'm IN!  2 months and counting of categorizing!

Zikoris

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2015, 10:21:15 AM »
This sounds intriguing and fits well with the area of savings we are currently focused on: groceries. @Drakmon (my husband), you interested?

Took your idea, Zikoris, and created a Google spreadsheet to track different food categories, then graph the results by week. Here's the link, which anyone should be able to download and then customize to your own food categories.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gN9O-QdFGZ-MHYDEXmKwDl6q3xtmmwozzNXmLwSZfxs/edit?usp=sharing

Cool! I like to go a little more detailed and break down the categories into exactly what I bought, but this is great for anyone wanting a general view.

RunHappy

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2015, 10:30:31 AM »
Sounds like a great idea!  I need to start doing this. 

GardenFun

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2015, 12:37:00 PM »
I'm in too!  Been doing this for the last 2 months and it has been extremely interesting. 

Retired To Win

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #8 on: February 25, 2015, 05:46:01 PM »
Sorry, guys, but I don't get it.

What difference does it make what portion of my grocery spending goes to dairy products versus what portion goes to vegetables?  The pertinent budget line is groceries.  Isn't the overall amount spent on groceries per whatever time period what really shows you how frugal -- or not -- you are being?

Not trying to be a wise ass.  I'm just not seeing the point.

NotJen

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #9 on: February 25, 2015, 06:09:44 PM »
Sorry, guys, but I don't get it.

What difference does it make what portion of my grocery spending goes to dairy products versus what portion goes to vegetables?  The pertinent budget line is groceries.  Isn't the overall amount spent on groceries per whatever time period what really shows you how frugal -- or not -- you are being?

Not trying to be a wise ass.  I'm just not seeing the point.
My spreadsheet will be more of a price book, where I break out in detail what I buy, so I can get an idea of what a good deal is on the things I normally pick up at the store.  Like this week, I got oatmeal at 50% off, and now that I know that I shouldn't pay more than that.

But on a higher level, I think it will be interesting to see how much I spend in certain categories compared to other people.  I know that I spend a lot on vegetables and meat, but not much on dairy or bread.  But maybe I'm wrong, and this experiment will show me.  I also will be tracking convenience foods bought at the grocery, and non-grocery items, which I normally don't separate.  My grocery spending seems so out of line with everyone else, I am REALLY curious what I'm doing differently (is it the produce/meat, or something else?).

Zikoris

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2015, 06:31:40 PM »
Sorry, guys, but I don't get it.

What difference does it make what portion of my grocery spending goes to dairy products versus what portion goes to vegetables?  The pertinent budget line is groceries.  Isn't the overall amount spent on groceries per whatever time period what really shows you how frugal -- or not -- you are being?

Not trying to be a wise ass.  I'm just not seeing the point.

It's a very interesting exercise to see where your grocery money is going. It can also help you pinpoint areas for improvement. Last year when we did this a LOT of people had some pretty big wake up calls for the amounts they were spending on things like junk food, coffee, alcohol, gourmet items, and other things that were classified under groceries. Some people also had wake up calls from the food journal aspect of the challenge.

If you don't think it's personally valuable to you, by all means, don't do it! It's definitely a ton of work.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2015, 06:29:56 AM »
If you note the store you bought at, you can also see if one place is consistently better/worse than others for certain items.  I have three local grocery stores (plus Costco only 100 km away) and I know what to buy where.  I fit grocery shopping around other activities (i.e. I don't go just to grocery shop, I go for X and add in the grocery shopping while I am in town).

It is also a good way to track price increases and see if one category is getting expensive relative to the others.

MustacheMom

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2015, 06:55:12 AM »
I am definitely in for this challenge! 

pancakes

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #13 on: March 01, 2015, 07:04:04 AM »
I'm in. We itemise everything in a spreadsheet separately anyway but I don't break down my grocery spend that much.


I do find it helpful to break things down as it makes it much easier to see how we could adjust our meal planning to create lower cost grocery trips.

Zikoris

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #14 on: March 02, 2015, 04:54:46 PM »
So far, we're up to "cooking oil". That's all. No plans to buy anything for the next few days at least. My percentages are going to look really weird for week 1.

forkneedlepen

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #15 on: March 02, 2015, 05:52:48 PM »
I'm in! I actually already do this, but I'll be interested in how our percentages compare to other households.

netskyblue

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #16 on: March 04, 2015, 09:49:23 AM »
Sorry, guys, but I don't get it.

What difference does it make what portion of my grocery spending goes to dairy products versus what portion goes to vegetables?  The pertinent budget line is groceries.  Isn't the overall amount spent on groceries per whatever time period what really shows you how frugal -- or not -- you are being?

Not trying to be a wise ass.  I'm just not seeing the point.

Percentage isn't the thing I'm looking to track, its the dollars and quantities.  If I see I use X# of deodorants a year, and spent $Y for that many, I can next year shop online, or take advantage of a great deal locally, and buy a year's supply of deodorant at once, for a better price.

(Or mascara, or toothpaste, or bread flour, or toilet paper, or whatever other non perishables I could be getting for less).

Cornelia

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #17 on: March 04, 2015, 11:01:01 AM »
This sounds pretty interesting, I'm in. I have a feeling my dairy category will be the highest.. we'll see!

4alpacas

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #18 on: March 04, 2015, 11:11:21 AM »
I did this last year, and it helped me get my grocery budget under $300/month.  I'm in!

Last year, I kept track of everything I bought and categorized the purchases.  I also kept track of everything that we ate during the month.  I was accidentally stockpiling certain items that I wasn't using (like cans of black beans). 

tlars699

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #19 on: March 04, 2015, 11:23:26 AM »
I did this last year, and it helped me get my grocery budget under $300/month.  I'm in!

Last year, I kept track of everything I bought and categorized the purchases.  I also kept track of everything that we ate during the month.  I was accidentally stockpiling certain items that I wasn't using (like cans of black beans).

Why is it always black beans? They're so tasty- we should use them more.

Black beans (refried) + pesto + tomato pieces= Pizza sauce. So yummy.

4alpacas

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #20 on: March 04, 2015, 11:58:22 AM »
I did this last year, and it helped me get my grocery budget under $300/month.  I'm in!

Last year, I kept track of everything I bought and categorized the purchases.  I also kept track of everything that we ate during the month.  I was accidentally stockpiling certain items that I wasn't using (like cans of black beans).

Why is it always black beans? They're so tasty- we should use them more.

Black beans (refried) + pesto + tomato pieces= Pizza sauce. So yummy.
We eat a LOT of black beans.  But we were buying even more!  Right now, I have at least 10 cans of black beans in my kitchen. 

I also acquire cans of tomatoes--crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, etc.  I don't know why! 

Last year I also struggled with food waste (buying too much produce), but I've got that under control now. 

NotJen

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #21 on: March 07, 2015, 10:21:48 AM »
Here are my results for Week 1.  This is turning out to be a bad month for this experiment for me, since I had the flu this week.  Sunday-Tuesday, I pretty much only ate oatmeal, yogurt, and a $20 delivery pizza for my meals.  Starting Wednesday, the groceries below contributed to 2 dinners for me + BF, two lunches for me, and some snacks.

3/1-3/7
Produce27.01
Meat/Eggs14.13
Dairy0.00
Grains/Bread0.00
Nuts0.00
Oil0.00
Canned0.73
Condiments/Spices1.79
Coffee/Tea0.00
Junk Food0.00
Non-Food2.50
Tax4.15
TOTAL$50.31

Zikoris

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #22 on: March 07, 2015, 12:16:50 PM »
We made it through week 1 in one piece, and as expected, the percentages are definitely looking weird :)

Total spent: $82.56 (2 people)

Dairy - 24% (LOTS of soy milk)
"Meat" - 24% (veggie burgers and "chicken" breasts)
Produce - 19% (Cauliflower, green onions, green peppers, broccoli, avocados, celery, bananas)
Baking - 9% (cooking oil and shortening)
Non-food - 8% (dish sponges)
Nuts/seeds - 7% (almond butter)
Condiments - 3% (soya sauce)
Canned - 3% (pumpkin)
Grains - 2% (spaghettini)

It was a REALLY high week, but a lot of the stuff will last for several weeks or even next month, so we'll see how it goes from here on.

Dimitri

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #23 on: March 07, 2015, 08:26:54 PM »
I've been keeping track of my spending for years now.  I use a simple account book (Orange Page Mook - http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/kana/978-4-87303-952-7.html) - but you can do the same thing on a spreadsheet.  I track monthly in a few relatively broad categories.  For February 2015 (2 adults):

Meat - $17.74
Dairy - $53.19 (about half of this was yogurt)
Vegetables - $21.42
Fruits - $32.37
Liquid - $9.00 (this month mostly tea but coffee and alcohol would go here too)
Other - $55.24 (everything from Thai Chili Sauce to Nutella and Bulgur Wheat)
Dining out - $16.20

2014 average monthly spend was $238.29.  When something is on offer I'll stock up so the spend doesn't necessarily correlate perfectly to what is consumed in the course of a month.

I'll post results for March if I can remember to do so.

pancakes

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #24 on: March 07, 2015, 11:46:32 PM »
First week for us went like this:
Alcohol: $43.99 - 22%
Dining out: $38.90 - 19%
Cafe: $30.10 - 15%
Fruit and vegetables: $23.65 - 12%
Luxury foods (chocolate, ice cream, soda water, etc): $19.26 - 9%
Meat: $14.50 - 7%
Lunches: $8.50 - 4%
Dairy: $7.49 - 4%
Cat: $7.20 - 4%
Non-food (storage): $5.59 - 3%
Tinned goods: $4.45 - 2%
Dry goods: $0.97 - <1%
Total: $204.60

There are obviously a few glaringly obvious places we can work on but compared to 6 months ago we are smashing it, even compared to Jan this year when we spent $140 on alcohol, $80 at cafes and $26 on cheese in just the first week!

I'm surprised to see everything added up to over $200 though as our official grocery shop was well under $100. All the little add-ins tally up quickly.

Also for reference this is in Australia for 2 people and a cat.
« Last Edit: March 07, 2015, 11:49:19 PM by pancakes »

NotJen

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #25 on: March 11, 2015, 11:02:15 AM »
Posting this week early since I'm headed out of town Friday, and won't be doing any more grocery shopping before then.  This week's purchases (supported by leftovers and pantry) went towards 2 dinners for me+BF, 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners, and snacks for me.

I expect that my next grocery shop will be a big one, as I ran out of several key ingredients this week (sunflower seeds, almonds, balsamic vinegar, beer, and probably some others I'm forgetting).

3/1-3/73/8-3/14
Produce27.0122.48
Meat/Eggs14.133.00
Dairy0.001.09
Grains/Bread/Rice0.000.00
Nuts0.000.00
Oil0.003.79
Canned0.730.00
Condiments/Spices1.797.92
Coffee/Tea0.001.50
Junk Food0.000.00
Non-Food2.500.00
Tax4.153.58
TOTAL$50.31$43.36

kdevari

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #26 on: March 13, 2015, 07:06:11 AM »
I started doing this in the middle of 2014 to try and figure out where our grocery budget was going and what I could do to buy healthier. I have a page for each grocery store I shop at and a totals page at the end. Each page has a list of what I bought on what date and how much it cost. Doing it this way I can see how long between purchases of specific items. I also see how cheap I can get each product for and aim to keep the cost the same or less.  Each item is categorized as either Meat, Dairy, Veggie, Fruit, Snacks, and Ingredients (flour, sugar, spices, etc). On the totals page I can see how much I spend on each category. My goal is to spend more on fruit and veggies. As it is I spend the most on meat and dairy.
I highly recommend doing this. I am much less likely to buy snacks if I have to see the category and cost in my spreadsheet.

GardenFun

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #27 on: March 13, 2015, 07:11:36 AM »
My goal is to spend more on fruit and veggies. As it is I spend the most on meat and dairy.
I highly recommend doing this. I am much less likely to buy snacks if I have to see the category and cost in my spreadsheet.

Same here.  Dairy has been the biggest surprise so far.  So much cheese!  The processed food category (chips, crackers, etc.) was one of our sneaky areas that ended up being more than expected.  We are also trying to increase fruit and veggies - which has helped reduce processed food consumption. 
 

Zikoris

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #28 on: March 13, 2015, 08:12:41 PM »
Our second week results are in.

We spent $39.61, and bought: 9-grain mix, dish soap, yeast, corn flakes, turmeric, udon noodles, veggie ground round, broccoli, green onions, cauliflower, green pepper, carrots, and bananas.

Our percentages month-to-date look like:

25% - "Meat"/Tofu
20% - Produce
16% - "Dairy"
11% - Grains
10% - Baking
8% - Non-food
5% - Nuts/seeds
4% - Condiments
2% - Canned

Still a bit skewed towards "meat" and "dairy" since we stocked up last week and this week, but it should drop to a more normal percent by next week.

We're up to $122.17 in "value" so far, though actually only paid $120.17 due to cashing in $20 of rewards so far.

Cornelia

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #29 on: March 14, 2015, 05:56:01 PM »
Halfway through the month and we've spent 377.58$.

I had an opportunity to tag along on a Costco run, and stocked up on baking supplies/nuts, hence why that category is so high. Dairy is also high because I bought a giant wedge of parm. cheese at Costco too. These will last me 4 months or so..

Dairy:        19.5%
Meat/Eggs: 17.6%
Bread:        6.45 %
Fruits/Veg: 17% (CSA $ not included yet)
Oil/Fat:        2%
Baking/Nuts: 22.3 %
Condiments: 6.6 %
Non-Food:    1.4 %
Drinks:         0
Canned:       0
Junk Food:   6.8 %
Tax:            0.4%

Coupons/Discounts used: 3.32$

*Canadian family of 4

pancakes

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #30 on: March 15, 2015, 07:28:36 AM »
First week for us went like this:
Alcohol: $43.99 - 22%
Dining out: $38.90 - 19%
Cafe: $30.10 - 15%
Fruit and vegetables: $23.65 - 12%
Luxury foods (chocolate, ice cream, soda water, etc): $19.26 - 9%
Meat: $14.50 - 7%
Lunches: $8.50 - 4%
Dairy: $7.49 - 4%
Cat: $7.20 - 4%
Non-food (storage): $5.59 - 3%
Tinned goods: $4.45 - 2%
Dry goods: $0.97 - <1%
Total: $204.60

Week 2: I've merged the dry goods, tinned goods categories into a 'pantry' category that also includes things like spices, condiments, etc.

Dining out: $43.10   19%
Alcohol:    $39.95   17%
Lunch:   $33.40   14%
Dairy:   $23.74   10%
Fruit & Veg: $21.49   9%
Non-food:   $18.45   8%
Pantry:   $18.41   8%
Cafe:   $17.60   8%
Meat:   $14.45   6%
Luxury foods: $2.23   1%
Total: $232.82

In my mind I thought we had done better this week than last. We slipped up one night, got take away instead of cooking what we had planned and because we had also planned to take leftovers for lunch the next day ended up also buying lunches, doh!

We are now at $437.42 for the month. (Two adults in Australia)

kathrynd

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #31 on: March 15, 2015, 08:04:46 AM »
Halfway through the month and we've spent 108.83




Dairy:        17.7%.................19.25
Meat/Eggs: 30.6%................33.37
Bread:        4.8 %..................5.31
Fruits/Veg: 28.5%............... .31.11
Oil/Fat:        2%.....................2.25
Baking/Nuts: 4.5 %.................4.95
Condiments: 1.8 %................1.99
Non-Food:    5.9 %.................6.49
Drinks:         0
Canned:       2%......................2.23
Junk Food:   1.7 % ...............1.88


*Australian family of 2

pancakes

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #32 on: March 15, 2015, 08:22:58 AM »
I'm seriously impressed kathrynd! Even if I cut out my obvious splurges (coffee, eating out, alcohol) I'm still well over $200 for the month so far.

kathrynd

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #33 on: March 15, 2015, 09:00:38 AM »
I'm seriously impressed kathrynd! Even if I cut out my obvious splurges (coffee, eating out, alcohol) I'm still well over $200 for the month so far.

thanks :)
lots of reduced food in there

4alpacas

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #34 on: March 18, 2015, 04:29:32 PM »
Produce                          $6.60               8%
Grains/Beans/Bread       $10.19             12%
Meat
Dairy                               $12.26              14%
Beverages                       $5.88                  7%
Desserts                       
Convenience Foods/Snacks $9.94               12%        ***This is the area I'm trying to cut back on***
Paper Products
Nuts                                   $20.44               24%
Delivery Fees                     $7                       8%
Protein                               $4.95                  6%
Tax                                     $0.51
Baking                                $7.84                  9%
Personal Care
Household
Total                                   $85.61

kathrynd

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #35 on: March 20, 2015, 10:32:07 PM »
Halfway through the month and we've spent 108.83




Dairy:        17.7%.................19.25
Meat/Eggs: 30.6%................33.37
Bread:        4.8 %..................5.31
Fruits/Veg: 28.5%............... .31.11
Oil/Fat:        2%.....................2.25
Baking/Nuts: 4.5 %.................4.95
Condiments: 1.8 %................1.99
Non-Food:    5.9 %.................6.49
Drinks:         0
Canned:       2%......................2.23
Junk Food:   1.7 % ...............1.88


*Australian family of 2


Just finished the shopping for the week
..grand total for the month so far (including eating out and alcohol..which equals $0) is $184.52

just to show what we bought...

5kg potatoes- $6.99
500g margarine  @$.99 x 2= $1.98
3L milk- $3.00
lettuce-$.99
250g strawberries- $3.99
avocado-$1.99
 .75kg bananas- $1.40
2kg sweet potatoes-$3.89
500g mushrooms(reduced)-2.99
crumpets- $1.19
700gr bread 4@ $.85= $3.40
avocado=$1.99
1 kg carrots-$1.69
1kg margarine- $1.59
1.5 kg whole chicken- $5.49
2.096 kg ground beef- $12.56
3L milk- $2.99
750g corn flakes- $2.69
100g rice crackers 2@ $0.89 = $1.78
320g cranberry chutney =$2.69
500g ginger marmalade= $1.45
425g baked beans 2 @ $0.69 = $1.38
corn starch- $1.39
sesame snaps- $1.49
1L UHT milk-$0.95
250g strawberries- $3.49
« Last Edit: March 20, 2015, 10:33:59 PM by kathrynd »

NotJen

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #36 on: March 21, 2015, 05:10:32 PM »
Well, I was out of town most of the 3rd week of the month, and only made one quick stop at the store to get work snacks for two days (apples, banana, carrots) and a convenience lunch (pre-made salad) for one day.  But tomorrow I stock up for a full week!

3/1-3/73/8-3/143/15-3/21
Produce27.0122.482.95
Meat/Eggs14.133.000.00
Dairy0.001.090.00
Grains/Bread0.000.000.00
Nuts0.000.000.00
Oil   0.003.790.00
Canned0.730.000.00
Condiments/Spices1.797.920.00
Coffee/Tea0.001.500.00
Junk/Convenience0.000.006.95
Non-Food2.500.000.00
Tax4.153.580.89
TOTAL$50.31$43.36$10.79

Zikoris

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #37 on: March 21, 2015, 06:44:41 PM »
Another week done! This week we spent $52.30 our percentages to date, plus this week's purchases in each category:

25% - Produce (green onions, broccoli, onions, frozen blueberries, frozen peas, apples, zucchini, avocados, red cabbage, bananas)
22% - "Meat"/Tofu (Tofu puffs, firm tofu, hummus)
14% - "Dairy" (Daiya vegan cheese)
12% - Grains (rice noodles, pot sticker wrappers, oats, rotini)
11% - Baking (flour)
7% - Non-food (foil)
4% - Condiments (kung pao sauce)
3% - Nuts
2% - Canned (coconut milk)

pancakes

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #38 on: March 22, 2015, 12:56:08 AM »
Week 3:

Dining out   $50.80   27%
Alcohol        $27.20   14%
Cafe            $24.50   13%
Pantry         $21.83   12%
Fruit & Veg$18.21   10%
Lunch         $17.90   10%
Dairy          $10.22   5%
Meat           $8.80   5%
Luxury        $8.70   5%
Total   $188.16      

Week 1: $204.60
Week 2: $232.82
Week 3: $188.16
Total: $627.58 

Compared to many here we are haemorrhaging cash but our spend in January was over $1250, Feb we were just over $900 so our progress has been good. I'd love to be under $800 for the month but we will cut it close.

GardenFun

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #39 on: March 23, 2015, 05:08:50 PM »
Trying really hard to average $600/mo for January-March, but DH and the boys are doing their best to derail my plans!  It's going to be close...

So far the biggest win have been a month to month reduction in the chip, crackers, processed food category. 

kathrynd

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #40 on: March 27, 2015, 06:05:14 AM »
Halfway through the month and we've spent 108.83




Dairy:        17.7%.................19.25
Meat/Eggs: 30.6%................33.37
Bread:        4.8 %..................5.31
Fruits/Veg: 28.5%............... .31.11
Oil/Fat:        2%.....................2.25
Baking/Nuts: 4.5 %.................4.95
Condiments: 1.8 %................1.99
Non-Food:    5.9 %.................6.49
Drinks:         0
Canned:       2%......................2.23
Junk Food:   1.7 % ...............1.88


*Australian family of 2


Just finished the shopping for the week
..grand total for the month so far (including eating out and alcohol..which equals $0) is $184.52

just to show what we bought...

5kg potatoes- $6.99
500g margarine  @$.99 x 2= $1.98
3L milk- $3.00
lettuce-$.99
250g strawberries- $3.99
avocado-$1.99
 .75kg bananas- $1.40
2kg sweet potatoes-$3.89
500g mushrooms(reduced)-2.99
crumpets- $1.19
700gr bread 4@ $.85= $3.40
avocado=$1.99
1 kg carrots-$1.69
1kg margarine- $1.59
1.5 kg whole chicken- $5.49
2.096 kg ground beef- $12.56
3L milk- $2.99
750g corn flakes- $2.69
100g rice crackers 2@ $0.89 = $1.78
320g cranberry chutney =$2.69
500g ginger marmalade= $1.45
425g baked beans 2 @ $0.69 = $1.38
corn starch- $1.39
sesame snaps- $1.49
1L UHT milk-$0.95
250g strawberries- $3.49


: $34.85  this trip + $184.52= $219.37 for the month. (averaged out is $50.62 week for 2 people)
This also includes our $0.00 for eating out and alcohol.


This is what we bought this week
 
3L milk- $3.00
2L strawberry milk $5.99 (reduced)- $3.99
600 ml cream- $2.30
500g salt- $0.89
500g icing sugar- $1.54
200g tzatziki dip $2.79 (reduced)-$0.99
1 kg basa fish fillets- $6.98
1 kg puff pastry sheets- $2.70
250g strawberries- $2.99
125g x 2 raspberries $6.98 (reduced)-$6.00
mango-$2.49
18g ground cinnamon- $0.99
 
We still have so much food left over.

Zikoris

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #41 on: March 27, 2015, 09:34:26 AM »
Looks like we might not do any more grocery shopping this month beyond grabbing a head of broccoli, not for money-saving purposes but because I'll be working 3 hours of overtime a day for the next couple of weeks and want to maximize my free time. I'm SO glad we keep all our supplies well stocked and can skip grocery shopping when we want to.

pancakes

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #42 on: March 29, 2015, 01:15:32 AM »
We've finished for the month.

Week 4 + remainder of the month:

Alcohol_____$90.99   24%
Lunch______$60.50   16%
Dining out__ $50.90   14%
Fruit & Veg__$47.53   13%
Pantry______$45.60   12%
Cafe_______ $33.00   9%
Dairy_______$19.38   5%
Meat_______ $10.32   3%
Cat________ $7.98    2%
Luxury______$7.19    2%
Non-food____$2.39    1%
Total   $375.78   


Week 1: $204.60
Week 2: $232.82
Week 3: $188.16
Week 4 (+3 days): $375.78
Total: $1001.36 

So much for being under $800

We went to a few social outings since my last update and those add up quickly. I'm disappointed but it doesn't take a genius to work our where our spend is going and that it would be very easy to cut back if we were serious about it. As I get towards the end of the month I always find myself spending a extra on luxuries if I know we are still on track to reach our savings goal and this past week was most definitely an example of that.

In the next few months we are looking to move into more expensive living arrangements and will be looking to find an extra $80/week or so. Having now done this challenge, I can see several areas where we can easily pick this up from. 

kathrynd

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #43 on: March 29, 2015, 05:36:49 AM »
Halfway through the month and we've spent 108.83




Dairy:        17.7%.................19.25
Meat/Eggs: 30.6%................33.37
Bread:        4.8 %..................5.31
Fruits/Veg: 28.5%............... .31.11
Oil/Fat:        2%.....................2.25
Baking/Nuts: 4.5 %.................4.95
Condiments: 1.8 %................1.99
Non-Food:    5.9 %.................6.49
Drinks:         0
Canned:       2%......................2.23
Junk Food:   1.7 % ...............1.88


*Australian family of 2


Just finished the shopping for the week
..grand total for the month so far (including eating out and alcohol..which equals $0) is $184.52

just to show what we bought...

5kg potatoes- $6.99
500g margarine  @$.99 x 2= $1.98
3L milk- $3.00
lettuce-$.99
250g strawberries- $3.99
avocado-$1.99
 .75kg bananas- $1.40
2kg sweet potatoes-$3.89
500g mushrooms(reduced)-2.99
crumpets- $1.19
700gr bread 4@ $.85= $3.40
avocado=$1.99
1 kg carrots-$1.69
1kg margarine- $1.59
1.5 kg whole chicken- $5.49
2.096 kg ground beef- $12.56
3L milk- $2.99
750g corn flakes- $2.69
100g rice crackers 2@ $0.89 = $1.78
320g cranberry chutney =$2.69
500g ginger marmalade= $1.45
425g baked beans 2 @ $0.69 = $1.38
corn starch- $1.39
sesame snaps- $1.49
1L UHT milk-$0.95
250g strawberries- $3.49


: $34.85  this trip + $184.52= $219.37 for the month. (averaged out is $50.62 week for 2 people)
This also includes our $0.00 for eating out and alcohol.


This is what we bought this week
 
3L milk- $3.00
2L strawberry milk $5.99 (reduced)- $3.99
600 ml cream- $2.30
500g salt- $0.89
500g icing sugar- $1.54
200g tzatziki dip $2.79 (reduced)-$0.99
1 kg basa fish fillets- $6.98
1 kg puff pastry sheets- $2.70
250g strawberries- $2.99
125g x 2 raspberries $6.98 (reduced)-$6.00
mango-$2.49
18g ground cinnamon- $0.99
 
We still have so much food left over.

Decided to take the time to figure out the percentages, from the first half of the month to the last of the month.
So here we go...

219.37 for the month


Dairy:        17.7%.................19.25+17.22=36.47..............16.6%
Meat/Eggs: 30.6%................33.37+25.03=58.40..............26.6%
Bread:        4.8 %..................5.31+7.28=12.59..................5.7%
Fruits/Veg: 28.5%............... .31.11+40.89=72.00.............32.8%
Oil/Fat:        2%.....................2.25+3.57=5.82...................2.6%
Baking/Nuts: 4.5 %.................4.95+7.51=12.46.................5.6%
Condiments: 1.8 %................1.99+4.14=6.13....................2.7%
Non-Food:    5.9 %.................6.49...................................2.9%
Drinks:         0
Canned:       2%......................2.23+1.38=3.61...................1.6%
Junk Food:   1.7 % ...............1.88+3.27=5.15......................2.3%


*Australian family of 2 adults

NotJen

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #44 on: March 30, 2015, 11:55:11 AM »
I am SO bummed - I just looked at my grocery bill from yesterday, and saw I was double-charged for an item (convenience item for dinner for BF after we drove home from an out-of-town trip).  I'm going to stop by and see if they will credit me back, even though I have no proof.

I spent $250 at the grocery store this month (that does not include eating out, pet food, or alcohol purchased at other places -- grocery only).  That's pretty good for me, but I was out of town a lot, and probably have a higher dining-out bill to compensate (will summarize for my journal later this week).  Also, my convenience food was higher as a result of not having the food prep-time I normally would (I bought 4 meals total from the pre-made section of the grocery store in the last three weeks).

3/1-3/73/8-3/143/15-3/213/22-3/283/29-4/4
Produce27.0122.482.9514.9522.03
Meat/Eggs14.133.000.004.791.29
Dairy0.001.090.004.084.24
Grains/Bread0.000.000.000.000.00
Nuts0.000.000.0020.590.79
Oil   0.003.790.000.000.00
Canned0.730.000.003.490.00
Condiments/Spices1.797.920.003.490.00
Coffee/Tea/Beer0.001.500.000.008.99
Junk/Convenience Food0.000.006.9519.4719.26
Non-Food2.500.000.000.005.99
Tax4.153.580.896.385.63
TOTAL$50.31$43.36$10.79$77.24$68.22

Here are my total percentages for the month, sorted from highest to lowest.  Definitely interesting to me.  I'm happy and not surprised that produce is in the top spot, by a lot.  The convenience food is much higher than usual.  Meat is low because I didn't do a stock up from my local meat guy.  Surprised that tax comes in so high, though I shouldn't be.  I didn't need to buy any bread (I keep it in the freezer because I use it infrequently) or oatmeal this month.

36%   Produce
18%   Junk/Convenience Food
  9%   Meat/Eggs
  9%   Nuts
  8%   Tax
  5%   Condiments/Spices
  4%   Coffee/Tea/Beer
  4%   Dairy
  3%   Non-Food
  2%   Canned
  2%   Oil
  0%   Grains/Bread

Zikoris

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #45 on: March 30, 2015, 09:18:39 PM »
And we're done for the month! Final breakdown, 2 people, vegans:

Total spent = $187.43

25% - Produce
23% - Meat/tofu
16% - Dairy
11% - Grains
9% - Baking supply
5% - Nuts
5% - Non-food (cleaning supplies and paper products)
3% - Condiments
2% - Canned

For eating out, we grabbed a takeout order of fries once, stopped at a donuterie for artisan donuts once, and I had one free catered lunch at work. No alcohol since we don't drink. And that's it, we're done for another year!

GardenFun

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Re: Track and categorize all grocery spending for March 2015!
« Reply #46 on: April 07, 2015, 01:22:12 PM »
Didn't hit my $600/month goal but was a drastic improvement over the $750/month average last year.

Monthly Average:  $624

20% - Protein (Meat, Seafood, Nuts)
18% - Dairy
7% - Carbs
8% - Fruit
7% - Vegetables
7% - Processed Foods
3% - Prepared Foods (Subs, Sushi, etc.)
7% - Beverages (Pop, Tea)
7% - Other (Sauces, Spices, Oil)
3% - School Lunches/Milk
14% - Non-food (Personal care, household cleaning)

Main Revelations:
- We eat too much cheese.  Yeah, we're from WI but it's still way too much caloric intake.  Need to eat less.
- We buy too much lunchmeat.  Switched to purchasing hams at $0.99/lb, cubing into 1lb sections.  Saves major money each month.
- Girl Scout cookies were created by the devil and marketed by little cute girls who cry if you don't purchase.  Enough said.
- We eat too many chips.  Switched to having more fruit in the house, cutting our chip purchases by 60%.
- Did a bulk tea purchase in March.  Unsure how long it will last but Harney & Sons makes a very good product!

The accountability of categorizing each food purchase has worked wonders toward healthier eating.