OCTOBER challenge: Living Off Of Your Stockpile. WINNERS declared!

[cody82414]

Is anyone up for an OCTOBER challenge to live off of your stockpile and spend as little out of pocket as you can?


These are the guidelines:
*** We are going to do a one month challenge contest by living off your stockpile and only buying the bare necessities each week.
Post your weekly results here.
*** I will do my best to chime in with our family's "living off stockpile" issues/results/recipes/receipts.
Anyone else up for the challenge?

Exceptions:
1. Rolling RR, Catalinas, ECBs, existing gift cards, rebate funds that come in during the month.
2. Finding Items for FREE.
3. Finding items for less than $.10 on the dollar.

Can you do it?
FAQ

Q. What about fresh fruit, veggies, milk, eggs and bread?
A. Buy all your necessities each week to go with what you have in your pantry/freezer. This is all about cleaning out your stockpile. Here is an example: Say your usual weekly food budget is $150, and you would like to spend only $50 per week on the bare minimum, like veggies, fruit and milk. You would be saving $100 a week for the month.

Q. Can we roll ECBs, RR, and Catalinas?
A. Of course! Only the out of pocket expenses count as what you have spent for the week. Here is an example: We have $40 in ECBs and $12 in Catalinas. If I go to the store and use my ECBs, only the amount of money I spent on items after coupons and ECBs would count toward my weekly expeditures.

Q. What does $.10 on the dollar items mean?
A. We can't resist a sale can we? Of course not, that's probably why we have stockpiles in the first place! Example, So if your local grocer is having a sale on an item that is normal $4.00 and with a sale price and coupon discount you can get the item for $.40 or less, than it doesn't count towards your weekly expeditures.

Q. How is the winner of the stockpile challenge figured?
A. The winner of the stockpile challenge is the person that spends the least amount of out of pocket expenses for the month. Each week anyone participating will post their weekly out of pocket amount. I will keep an accurate count in the original post. At the end of the month, the person with the least amount of money spent for the month will win.

We don't want you to starve! Complete nutrition is a must, especially for small children. This is going to be fun, and hopefully we will all learn some valuable information about ourselves about sustainability and ingenuity.

Q. What about gift money? Or Rebate checks that come in during the month?
A. Simply speaking, my goal is to not spend money out of pocket.
Of course we all have "standard" expenses, such as mortgage/rent, car payments, insurance, utilities, medications, etc.
It's all 'other' money's: including food - which I feel includes dining out, hba, household items, entertainment, et al.

What I do not expect is those involved to stay home all month, with the lights off, eating cold cereal and milk (although I enjoy cereal ). Just challenge yourself and those in your family to participate, and we will share our experiences and ideas here.

Q. My state taxes food. Does tax count into our oop?
A. Yes. Tax is part of our oop (unfortunately, for some of us)

Q. Do perscriptions count?
A. GOSH NO!!! PLEASE don't forego your medications or those for your lo's just to not spend money. No. Perscriptions/meds do not count.

Q. Do birthday presents count and our traditional take the birthday person to their favorite resturant count?
A. As far as birthday gifts/celebrations, we have been counting these events. Simply trying to dine at restaurants we have gc's for and/or B1G1 meals, %'s off, etc. And as far as gifts, we Mom's often times use our gc's and rebate money for gifts for our kids

Just keep in mind that we are trying to live from your stockpile and not to spend oop.
So please celebrate! By all means!! You may just have to do things a bit differently,
***make the cake versus purchasing a Baskin-Robbins or DQ ice cream cake
***home made cards
***host a party at home
***con your IL's to taking your family out for dinner (on them)



It's a contest, so we need prizes!!!!
This month the runner-up will get:
a potluck from W0Wme!!!
The first place winner will receive:
(It's a surprisefrom thickbluebug)
So???? Are you in?

Members currently involved in the challenge:
Name --- Totals So Far through post 1494 --- Personal Goals
red denotes money spent, green denotes a profit

cody82414 $12.09 I have 5 boys and myself, and we're going for 0.00 oop.
W0Wme $10.97 My challenge for this month is going to be $0.00 again.
MoneySavinDiva $121.88 My goal this month is $200.00 again.
Lucky1307 $167.89 I am going to try extra hard to not go over my $100/week.
lamezquita0308 $146.67 My goal is not to go over $100/week.
jenrose $337.04 I will try to stay under $200 for the month.
loveebella $200.26 My goal is going to be $150.00, but that is just for groceries.
ELLE-TN $166.00 I will leave my budget at $100 per week for my family of five (which includes two bottomless pitt teenagers & 1 tween). This would cover all food/HBA/household & cleaning supplie
slw1127 $200.55 My goal is to reduce my groceries from $100 each week to $50.
kittensqueak $29.03 I am going to try to do less than $50 - for groceries
phinphana $195.83 $150 for October I and my 3 boys ( DH,4-yr and 5-month)
to1drland $255.66 I guess it's $200 for the month
nateNnatsmommy $69.51 $126. monthly oop
cdarrow26 withdrawn I am in again at $80 for the month.
couponlover24 My budget 115 dollars a week. Family of 4 and hubby takes his lunch.
kandpsmom $128.76 I am going to set my goal for $150 for the whole month.
cnholland54 $57.35 I'm in for $200 again this month.
rtnrjk My goal is $ 200 a month again.
Lee0808 $401.76 I want to try $80 per week again for groceries and HBA...also including any fast food that I pick up on the fly.
valerie160 $359.39 I'm going to start with a monthly budget of $200 for my fam of 5 (hubby and three kiddos).
grainne15 $249.56 Shooting for $200 for the month for 2 adults, 2 kids (one pre-K and 1 kindergarten) and 4 cats.
saving-n-va $137.31 $100. for the month - groceries, HBA, cleaning supplies
Loves Divine $166.01 $200. this month
ZwellaIngrid I'm going to try again to do $200 including my expenses under 10%.
couponmakescents $66.14 My goal is $50 for the month
msdecaf withdrawn $100 (I'm scared) One adult and one child
sweetsurrender $55.00 I want to stick to around $75/week for groceries, fast food, entertainment and H&B.
coupongirl69 withdrawn my goal will be $307 for the month for 5 people.
cjpsmom $184.21 my goal this month $150 for a family of three and dumb dog.
jeweltea $215.66 I am going to try for $150 for the whole month but this is just for groceries and HBA not eating out. There is DH, me, 3 dogs and 1 cat.
pkchicken $218.02 ok that's my goal $100.00 for the month.
kim_turtle $201.16 I am thinking $250 for the month.
texxie $109.42 We are a family of 4. Myself, DH, DD (8) and DD (2), a pup, two cats and a fish lol my goal is less than 150.00 OOP.
thickbluebug $266.52 oop $0.00
kimberlin There are 3 in our family: me, DH, and teenage DS (AKA bottomless pit) My goal is $25 a week for groceries, and eating out.
jelleladee withdrawn My goal is $100 for the month of October
irishsaver $427.85 $200 for the month
turtlegirl115 withdrawn I would love to keep my grocery/eating out budget to $50 per week for the 3 of us.

* PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I AM OFF ON YOUR TOTAL OOP*

[cody82414]

Yo!!

[W0Wme]

Boo!

Sign me up again! My challenge for this month is going to be $0 again. It has & definitely helps me in many ways.

Also, I will help out and send a potluck envie to the winner as a prize.

Thank you for another challenge Cody

[MoneySavinDiva]

I'm in again. For as long as this challenge goes, I will be a member My goal this month is $200 again, even though I stayed WAY below that this month. I want to start stocking up on baby stuff.

[Lucky1307]

Still hanging my head in shame for this month...so October has to be better right? I am in again and I am still stockpiling this month for that grand goal of no grocery bill in Nov and Dec. Freezers are full so I will be focusing on the canned goods in Oct. I am going to try extra hard to not go over my $100/week. Good luck everyone!

[lamezquita0308]

I am in. This will be the first time i attempt this but i think i can do it. My goal is not to go over $100/week.
Sign me up!!!

[jenrose]

Oooo Ooooo OOooooo. Me Please

I don't think I did too bad in September but I am going to have to stock up on some meat and cheeses this month so it will likely be higher but I think I will try to stay under $200 for the month. *crosses fingers*

[loveebella]

Sign me up again too :)
My goal is going to be 150 ,but that is just for groceries I am not going to count eating out or anything else just groceries. 150 is 50 less than what I usually spend on groceries so I am hoping I have 50 extra bucks in my pocket :)

[ELLE-TN]

I am in again. I seriously need to cut way back since we have no income but I will leave my budget at $100 per week for my family of five (which includes two bottomless pitt teenagers & 1 tween). This would cover all food/HBA/household & cleaning supplies. We have no pets and no bad habits (tobacco or alcohol however, we are junk foodaholics).

[slw1127]

Count me in! My goal is to reduce my groceries from $100 each week to $50.