As some of my friends know I am a sucker for any kind of spreadsheet or document program. So here is the Food, Gas, Treats spreadsheet for this experiment!
Click Here!
This should open in a new window. This is so it's easier for me to track the totals for the month of these items. :)
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Monday, May 21, 2007
the daily spend 5 -18 to 5 - 21
First off I'd like to say there is a whole Lowe's Hardware saga that involves 4 receipts and too many explanations so there will just be a total that comprises all of the receipts. Second yay us for the cool "not losing our heads with the car handling crisis of 2007". Seriously, yay. Onto the spending...
5/18/07
Publix:
Potato chips $2
Hamburger buns $1
(2) OJ $4
Heavy Whipping Cream $3 (we're making some ice cream!!!)
Cheddar cheese $2
Ground beef $4
total = $15.44
Lowe's:
total = $27.67
+ untold amounts of gas for 2 trips + blood, sweat & tears for what eventually amounted to nothing. blegh. At least we have 2 ramps for the pickup truck in case we ever actually need them. *sigh
Chevron:
Gas $20.01
5/19/07
Dairy Queen @ the mall:
Smoothie $4.25
Again for the Edemame but damn. If there is one thing this challenge is doing for me it's making "small" purchases extremely difficult for me. And that's a good thing. This was a purchase that could have been avoided if I had been more diligent about making sure that a grandparent outing did not go too long. Eating lunch at 2:30pm is fine for adults but not so nice for toddlers.
5/20/07
Publix: (is it any surprise that Edemame recognizes this logo??)
(2) Seltzer $1
Peanuts $2
Tomatoes $2
Garlic .30
Cucumbers $1
Milk $3.50
(2) Bread $6.60 (Damnit. This bread was supposed to be 2 for $5 and I missed it at the cash register. This is the kind of thing that pisses me off to no end. And the kind of thing I wouldn't have cared about last year because I wouldn't know due to never looking at my receipts. Gah.)
Broccoli $1.25
Zucchini $1.25
Corn $2
Chicken (whole) $5
(4) Publix brand soft drinks $1 (I thought I'd try them out!)
Ground beef $4.25
Eggs $2.25
total = $34.66
5/21/07
Costco:
Blueberries $5
Blackberries $6.50
Diapers $25
total = $38.44
Costco:
Gas $31.12 (only $2.91 per gallon!)
The Neighborhood Coffee Shop:
Steamed milk w/Vanilla $3
Ok, here's an oddity. I got the above drink for E when we stopped in to get espresso for the house. (Sorry Ronin they were out.) The reason this drink is one dollar more than the Caribou drink seen in a previous post? The tip. At an anonymous big chain store I am not likely to plunk down any money for tip. Frankly if they are pleasant to me at ALL I am just counting myself lucky and I don't feel obligated to give them 20% of my $2. Now that is not the case at my neighborhood place. They know me, they know Edemame. They call us by name when we go in there and we know their names too. I hesitated when I added the tip on for our $2 milk today. Not because I don't think they deserve it but because I'm focusing so hard on where every $1 goes. I try hard to patronize the locals because they are fighting so hard for existence but sometimes it is harder to part with that extra $1 or so. It's a tough call but one that I felt ok about today.
5/18/07
Publix:
Potato chips $2
Hamburger buns $1
(2) OJ $4
Heavy Whipping Cream $3 (we're making some ice cream!!!)
Cheddar cheese $2
Ground beef $4
total = $15.44
Lowe's:
total = $27.67
+ untold amounts of gas for 2 trips + blood, sweat & tears for what eventually amounted to nothing. blegh. At least we have 2 ramps for the pickup truck in case we ever actually need them. *sigh
Chevron:
Gas $20.01
5/19/07
Dairy Queen @ the mall:
Smoothie $4.25
Again for the Edemame but damn. If there is one thing this challenge is doing for me it's making "small" purchases extremely difficult for me. And that's a good thing. This was a purchase that could have been avoided if I had been more diligent about making sure that a grandparent outing did not go too long. Eating lunch at 2:30pm is fine for adults but not so nice for toddlers.
5/20/07
Publix: (is it any surprise that Edemame recognizes this logo??)
(2) Seltzer $1
Peanuts $2
Tomatoes $2
Garlic .30
Cucumbers $1
Milk $3.50
(2) Bread $6.60 (Damnit. This bread was supposed to be 2 for $5 and I missed it at the cash register. This is the kind of thing that pisses me off to no end. And the kind of thing I wouldn't have cared about last year because I wouldn't know due to never looking at my receipts. Gah.)
Broccoli $1.25
Zucchini $1.25
Corn $2
Chicken (whole) $5
(4) Publix brand soft drinks $1 (I thought I'd try them out!)
Ground beef $4.25
Eggs $2.25
total = $34.66
5/21/07
Costco:
Blueberries $5
Blackberries $6.50
Diapers $25
total = $38.44
Costco:
Gas $31.12 (only $2.91 per gallon!)
The Neighborhood Coffee Shop:
Steamed milk w/Vanilla $3
Ok, here's an oddity. I got the above drink for E when we stopped in to get espresso for the house. (Sorry Ronin they were out.) The reason this drink is one dollar more than the Caribou drink seen in a previous post? The tip. At an anonymous big chain store I am not likely to plunk down any money for tip. Frankly if they are pleasant to me at ALL I am just counting myself lucky and I don't feel obligated to give them 20% of my $2. Now that is not the case at my neighborhood place. They know me, they know Edemame. They call us by name when we go in there and we know their names too. I hesitated when I added the tip on for our $2 milk today. Not because I don't think they deserve it but because I'm focusing so hard on where every $1 goes. I try hard to patronize the locals because they are fighting so hard for existence but sometimes it is harder to part with that extra $1 or so. It's a tough call but one that I felt ok about today.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
been a long time gone! the daily spend 5-10 - 5-15 edition
Hey guys!
I've been absent the past couple of days, lots of family and personal disruption so I'll get right to the bare bones of it and hopefully get back into the swing of things.
I actually haven't spent much the past few days but here it is for the record:
5-10-07
Citgo:
$12.03 fuel
5-11-07
BJs:
$25.01 fuel
Costco:
64oz of Strawberries
16oz of Blackberries
total = $11.31
We ended up there and the fruit was so good I couldn't pass it up. We have really enjoyed it all this weekend.
Thrift Store:
Pillow .50
total .52
I needed stuffing to fill the dolls I was making and I was pretty happy with myself for finding a pillow at the thrift store for less than a $1 when a bag of polyfil would set me back $1.35. I know it doesn't sound like much but when you add in the fact that the thrift store is within walking distance of my house and I'd have to drive 15 miles to the nearest Michael's to buy a bag, I saved some gas money there. And as you can see above, I need to save that gas money!!
5-13-07
.73 for a QT drink that I got to mix myself. (for the record: 1/2 Fanta Strawberry, 1/2 Squirt + 2 shots of Fountain Vanilla = YUM!) For me this is a ton of fun for almost no cash so Ronin and I agreed that it was OK.
I did end up making 2 dolls for birthday presents for Saturday. It was a LOT of work but it was fun making them and the girls really loved them. For Mother's Day it was hand drawn cards by Edemame for each Grandma and we had done some photo books on QOOP from our Flickr stream earlier in the year for this express purpose. So the cost of the books doesn't count against our experiment since I bought them in February. Though frankly they only cost $5.95 each and BOTH Grandma's cried so I guess you could say they were cheap at any price. ;)
I've been absent the past couple of days, lots of family and personal disruption so I'll get right to the bare bones of it and hopefully get back into the swing of things.
I actually haven't spent much the past few days but here it is for the record:
5-10-07
Citgo:
$12.03 fuel
5-11-07
BJs:
$25.01 fuel
Costco:
64oz of Strawberries
16oz of Blackberries
total = $11.31
We ended up there and the fruit was so good I couldn't pass it up. We have really enjoyed it all this weekend.
Thrift Store:
Pillow .50
total .52
I needed stuffing to fill the dolls I was making and I was pretty happy with myself for finding a pillow at the thrift store for less than a $1 when a bag of polyfil would set me back $1.35. I know it doesn't sound like much but when you add in the fact that the thrift store is within walking distance of my house and I'd have to drive 15 miles to the nearest Michael's to buy a bag, I saved some gas money there. And as you can see above, I need to save that gas money!!
5-13-07
.73 for a QT drink that I got to mix myself. (for the record: 1/2 Fanta Strawberry, 1/2 Squirt + 2 shots of Fountain Vanilla = YUM!) For me this is a ton of fun for almost no cash so Ronin and I agreed that it was OK.
I did end up making 2 dolls for birthday presents for Saturday. It was a LOT of work but it was fun making them and the girls really loved them. For Mother's Day it was hand drawn cards by Edemame for each Grandma and we had done some photo books on QOOP from our Flickr stream earlier in the year for this express purpose. So the cost of the books doesn't count against our experiment since I bought them in February. Though frankly they only cost $5.95 each and BOTH Grandma's cried so I guess you could say they were cheap at any price. ;)
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
the daily spend 5-8-07
I'm running out of cutesy things to call the daily spend...oooh that's what I'll call it! Ok! Only one tiny item today and some might say it was unnecessary but I say, YOU take a toddler to a coffee shop so you can talk to your good friend who just graduated from law school so you haven't seen her in 6 months and try to tell the toddler that she can't have any "coffee" and see how well THAT goes over. whew. It was a nice treat for her since we have cut the weekly coffee binges down to never. All that to say:
Caribou Coffee:
$2.21
How was YOUR day?
Caribou Coffee:
$2.21
How was YOUR day?
Monday, May 7, 2007
5-7-07 bought
I know it's early in the day to have bought something but there it is. :)
Gas : $20
Butter : $4.27 (Yes I know I paid $1 more than I could have if I had gone to Publix but I bought it at the Farmers Market around the block.)
I have been cleaning out our house with the help of Ronin. It's been a dusty mess of a clean out but I am feeling good about it. I think once we get a little further in we'll see some progress on the decorating front. Instead of the cleaning out from under front. Yay! Part of this whole process for me is pulling out what I don't use and making sure I have enough of what I do use. This can be tough when you save every damn thing. My pack rat tendencies are getting better but they are still there. Sometimes it takes two or three purges for me to get rid of something but I usually do it. And if it stays then I obviously really wanted it.
Off to bake cookies! Yum!
Gas : $20
Butter : $4.27 (Yes I know I paid $1 more than I could have if I had gone to Publix but I bought it at the Farmers Market around the block.)
I have been cleaning out our house with the help of Ronin. It's been a dusty mess of a clean out but I am feeling good about it. I think once we get a little further in we'll see some progress on the decorating front. Instead of the cleaning out from under front. Yay! Part of this whole process for me is pulling out what I don't use and making sure I have enough of what I do use. This can be tough when you save every damn thing. My pack rat tendencies are getting better but they are still there. Sometimes it takes two or three purges for me to get rid of something but I usually do it. And if it stays then I obviously really wanted it.
Off to bake cookies! Yum!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
05-02-2007 Groceries
Well I went to 2 different stores, Whole Foods & Publix. It's interesting to me that there is a financial component to eating well. Or at least eating organically. I had to choose today between 2 gallons of milk or 1 gallon of organic milk for the same price. Sadly I went financial and bought the 2 gallons which of course were not organic.
I did buy a muffin at Whole Foods which technically I probably shouldn't have bought. I excuse myself by saying that I bought it for Budget Edemame (who did eat most of it) but really I should not be buying expensive ($1.69) muffins when I could just as easily make them at home for a fraction of the price and then she gets to make them WITH me. So.
I'm not sure what my "punishment" is for stuff like that, other than to tell you guys so that if I continue at least I have the open shame of admitting it to others. Let's go to the lists!
Whole Foods:
2 Greek Yogurts $4
Muffin $2
Grapefruit (3) $2.25
2 Dr. Bronner's Soap $16
total = $25
I only went to Whole Foods to get the soap. The yogurt was not on my list though the grapefruit was on my Publix list. So $6 is a bit wayward. I need to get in and get out. If it's not on the list DO NOT BUY IT.
Publix:
Laughing Cow cheese $3
Chedder cheese $3
mushrooms $2
roast beef $5.50
zucchini $1.50
carrots $1.50
eggs $2
romaine lettuce $3
(2) milk $5
sugar $2.50
celery $1.50
drinks $10 (We went back on the soda. As a friend says, "hey at least it's not crack")
grapes $8 (DAMN!!! I didn't even look at this one until I was typing this. That is hella costly. Smaller bag of grapes next time. 2.34lbs @ 2.99 per, sheesh.)
snow peas $2.50
(2) juice $4
cauliflower $1.50
(3) jello $2.50
(2 pkgs) chicken $5.50
total = $66.01
Everything I bought was on my list except for the drinks. I got the juice because I like it when they do the Adam & Eve or Northlands 100% cranberry juices 2 for 1. Then I stock up. The Ronin can attest that we never run out of "red juice" as Edemame likes to call it. The grapes were a shock but not until I got home. I need to be careful of grabbing things and NOT WEIGHING them before I decide which bag I'm getting. That may very well be a good price for grapes but I don't want to spend my frugal grocery money on grapes when I could get 2 things for $4 with that money. I could have gotten lemons or oranges or tomatoes, (none of these things looked good today at the store but the point remains) or just spent 4 less dollars. So lesson for next time. :)
I did buy a muffin at Whole Foods which technically I probably shouldn't have bought. I excuse myself by saying that I bought it for Budget Edemame (who did eat most of it) but really I should not be buying expensive ($1.69) muffins when I could just as easily make them at home for a fraction of the price and then she gets to make them WITH me. So.
I'm not sure what my "punishment" is for stuff like that, other than to tell you guys so that if I continue at least I have the open shame of admitting it to others. Let's go to the lists!
Whole Foods:
2 Greek Yogurts $4
Muffin $2
Grapefruit (3) $2.25
2 Dr. Bronner's Soap $16
total = $25
I only went to Whole Foods to get the soap. The yogurt was not on my list though the grapefruit was on my Publix list. So $6 is a bit wayward. I need to get in and get out. If it's not on the list DO NOT BUY IT.
Publix:
Laughing Cow cheese $3
Chedder cheese $3
mushrooms $2
roast beef $5.50
zucchini $1.50
carrots $1.50
eggs $2
romaine lettuce $3
(2) milk $5
sugar $2.50
celery $1.50
drinks $10 (We went back on the soda. As a friend says, "hey at least it's not crack")
grapes $8 (DAMN!!! I didn't even look at this one until I was typing this. That is hella costly. Smaller bag of grapes next time. 2.34lbs @ 2.99 per, sheesh.)
snow peas $2.50
(2) juice $4
cauliflower $1.50
(3) jello $2.50
(2 pkgs) chicken $5.50
total = $66.01
Everything I bought was on my list except for the drinks. I got the juice because I like it when they do the Adam & Eve or Northlands 100% cranberry juices 2 for 1. Then I stock up. The Ronin can attest that we never run out of "red juice" as Edemame likes to call it. The grapes were a shock but not until I got home. I need to be careful of grabbing things and NOT WEIGHING them before I decide which bag I'm getting. That may very well be a good price for grapes but I don't want to spend my frugal grocery money on grapes when I could get 2 things for $4 with that money. I could have gotten lemons or oranges or tomatoes, (none of these things looked good today at the store but the point remains) or just spent 4 less dollars. So lesson for next time. :)
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
5-01-07 boughten things...
Gas $31.06 (OMG. That's only 3/4 of a tank.)
$1 - juice box for my kid (the adorable Budget Edemame) at a (shudder) McDonald's so that she had a drink and we could use the bathroom without me feeling guilty. Damn if they haven't jacked all the prices up in there. A bottle of water was $1.35???? jeez.
So far so good. Any advice on avoiding the juice buying in the future? I am going to stock a small cooler in the car with stuff and I always appreciate tips. Goldfish and water are obvious. Anything you love that's shelf stable and not full of disgusting chemicals?
$1 - juice box for my kid (the adorable Budget Edemame) at a (shudder) McDonald's so that she had a drink and we could use the bathroom without me feeling guilty. Damn if they haven't jacked all the prices up in there. A bottle of water was $1.35???? jeez.
So far so good. Any advice on avoiding the juice buying in the future? I am going to stock a small cooler in the car with stuff and I always appreciate tips. Goldfish and water are obvious. Anything you love that's shelf stable and not full of disgusting chemicals?
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