Remaining Allocation $372.95
Cushion $1060.96
What We Ate: Cuban black bean soup, cheese and crackers, peaches; Quiche, pasta with garlic and cheese, squash, garlic bread; Stuffed pepper soup, egg salad sandwich, salad; Queso Mexican pizza, cheesy potato rounds; Mike’s birthday: beef stroganoff over wild rice blend, dilled carrots, salad, cheesecake, mulled wine; Beef and noodles, applesauce, mixed vegetables, cheese toast; Stromboli, cheese potato rounds, fried cabbage and onion; Christmas Eve: Cheese ball, lobster and shrimp spread, meatballs in marinara, sausage stuffing balls; Christmas: beef roast and shrimp cocktail, cranberry horseradish sauce, mu’s tossed salad #3, dauphinois potatoes, corn, Christmas bread, fig pudding ; Seafood pasta, apple salad, garlic bread; Baguette sausage pizza, snack items; Leftover smorgasbord; Melt in your mouth chicken, green beans with hollendaise sauce, dauphinois potatoes, salad; Homemade tomato basil soup, open faced turkey sandwich with gravy; New Year’s Eve: Philly cheesesteak sandwich , sweet potato fries
What We Bought:
Giant Eagle: pecan frosting, German chocolate cake $1.50 Both on sale. For a friend’s birthday.
Aldi: butter (6), cheese (4#), half and half, heavy cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, cocoa, bleu cheese, cream cheese (4), celery, frozen corn, frozen peas, frozen mixed veg, bagels, potatoes (20#), cucumber $68.43 Butter, cheese, celery and potatoes were sale items.
Aldi: bay scallops (#), cream of mushroom soup (6) $10.07 Both were sale items.
Aldi: Baguette (2) $3.38
Giant Eagle: hilshire kielbasa (5) $4.95 Plus a $5 credit sale item
Country Fair: Eggs (4) $10.00 Sale item
Food cooperative: molasses (1.33#), sunflower seeds (.27#) $4.22
Bellos: baby Bella mushrooms (2#) bananas $4.30 Sale items
Total Grocery $116.78
Eating Out:
Dinner with Mike and Gail. $38
Mike’s lunch in Cleveland $3.52
Breakfasts with crafty ladies 3.70
51 year anniversary of first date at McDonald’s $12.40
Lunch with mike’s family $17.82
Total Eating Out $75.44
Grand Total $192.22
To Cushion $180.73
New Cushion $1241.69 Or $3.40/day remaining of the budget. This money does not carry over to 2025
YTD Final Numbers 354 days I don’t budget for days we are cruising since food is included
Total Spent $3172.31 $8.96/day $4.48/person/day
Grocery $2273.80 $6.42/day $3.21/person/day
Eating Out $898.51 $2.54/day $1.27/person/day
We ended the year with a sizable cushion, a full freezer, and stocked cupboards. Therefore, although the government numbers say we need $17.80 /day to eat thriftily in 2025, I have decided to keep our budget at $13/day Or $6.50/person/day for 2025. This includes food eaten at home and meals out. Wish me luck.
