Back on The Budget!

I am back on the $25 Grocery Challenge for the month of October.

You remember how it works, right? You get a budget of $25 for groceries only per person living in your household for the whole month. So I get a food budget of $100 for the month. Can it be done? Yes! with coupons it can!

My last Challenge was in July and I almost made it under $100 for our family. Maybe I will this time . . . but even if I don't, I know that I will have saved a bundle on my grocery bills.

I have already been shopping for October. And if I budget $25 per week, I have blown it! I went to Publix, Kroger, and Food Lion and . . .

Food Lion - 12 Bags of Viola! complete meals = cost $81.04 - after sales $41.04 - actual oop $3.04

Kroger - 20 4-packs of Cottonelle toilet paper, 2 bottles of Osteo Bi-flex $.87; 4 Glade airfresheners $1.16 = cost $69.11 - after sales $52.11 - actual oop $2.03

Publix - lots of food, including rice and pasta sides, granola bars, cheerios, and coffee = cost $332.59 - after sales $185.30 - actual oop $69.32

Total spent = $74.39
less $1.16 and $15.72 for items I purchased for others
= true oop of $57.51
But only $55.48 counts towards my Grocery Challenge

The numbers:
Amount budgeted for October - $100
Amount spent in October - $55.48
Amount remaining in October - $44.52

Yikes! Will I make it under $100?! I may have to make it a $150 budget - what do you think?