Always being the eternal optimist, I had high hopes that I would be able to follow my own guide, Bulk Savings!?, diligently to produce those thrifty outcomes I so desired. We all know the saying: best laid plans. Feel free to read Bulk Savings!? to get the whole picture before reading this month in review, but if you are pressed for time I have included the goal highlights below and the actual outcomes. Time Management is key! 😉
Goal: Dinners and Leftovers for Lunch-35% of total: The first thing I do with bulk meat purchases is break it down into meal portions and freeze. I label them so I know how I have proportioned them when I go to plan my meals. From the amount purchased on this bulk trip I should be able to get 42 dinners and leftover lunches which comes out to approximately $2.50 a meal. That’s a Slam Dunk!
Outcome:
I actually got 50 dinners and leftover lunches from this bulk shopping trip (pays not to be a big eater 😉 ). I also have 6 packages of frozen meat for an additional 12 dinners/lunches. I was very pleased with this outcome. 🙂
Goal: Breakfasts-20% of total: The breakdown here is as follows: I eat only fresh fruit for breakfast; my son eats cereal (and some fresh fruit); my husband has a granola bar. We both have coffee. I didn’t break the coffee purchase down, but if I do a rough estimate of cost it comes to approximately .15 per serving-no brainer that is cheaper than buying one at the local coffee shop, even when you add in your own creamer. Out of the potential 186 breakfasts I should be able to get out of this bulk shopping trip, that amounts to $1.00 per serving! Touchdown!
Outcome:
Of the potential 186 breakfasts, 150 were consumed with the remaining 56 carrying over to the next month. 🙂
Goal: Snacks-15% of total: My 9 year old loves to snack! I already know for sure bulk shopping his favorites amount to savings right off the bat! How much? 159 snacks at .30 a snack! Goal!
Outcome:
Caveat, though I labeled this as an epic fail, the failure actually came because my son consumed all of his portion of the snacks-100 or so, halfway into the month. 😯
35 of the adult snacks still remain and have been carried over to the next month. 🙂
Goal: Miscellaneous-30% of total: The remaining 30% comes in the form of supporting characters to meals, snacks, well being—dealing with your wife (the gin purchase), etc. I didn’t break this down into a per serving cost analysis because it depends on a lot of factors such as how much ketchup you use with your french fries and the like. I can say however, the 3 bottles of ketchup I bought will last well beyond this bulk savings challenge, the gin probably not so much!
Outcome:
All I have to report on this is that the bottle of gin is full and unopened! 😀
Goal: Wrap Up-Throughout the month I will make trips to the grocery store for fresh fruit, perishables and dinner accompaniments. My goal over the next 30 day challenge is to keep those amounts down to $200 dollars or so for a total budget of $500 for groceries. Stay tuned and wish me luck! 😎
Outcome:
Ok, here is where it gets real—realer! My actual grocery tally for the month was: $938.79—approximately 47% over forecast target. The silver lining here is I have carry over groceries from the successful categories so I am ahead for the next month (that’s the eternal optimist talking 😛 ).
There were some wins and losses following the bulk savings guide but all and all I think it serves the bigger purpose of always being adaptable and to keep striving until we reach GOAL—in all categories!
Kimberly
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