NOVEMBER challenge: Living Off Of Your Stockpile. ONLY 9 days remain!

[cody82414]

Is anyone up for a November 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 –
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 or stockpile sales 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.

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.

Q. What does $.10 on the dollar items mean?
A. We can't resist a sale can we? Of course not, that is probably why we have stockpiles in the first place! So if you find an item(s), using the current sale price (not the original price), and using your existing resources (coupons, store discounts, gift cards, OYNO Catalinas, et al) and you can purchase that item for 10% or less, than it would not count towards your total out of pocket expenditures. Just to clarify, you would use the current price. You would not use the original price, or a particular store’s inflated price to drive up the ‘before discount’ total.
Let’s try to play on an even playing field, this is a friendly, personal challenge and accountability thread.

Examples:
10, Sobe waters @ 1.00 (sale price)
Using 10, .50/1 coupons.

If your store doubles you would have the result of:
10 x $1.00 = $10.00 + tax
-10 x .50 doubled, or $-10.00 = 0.00 + tax
The tax would (hopefully) be less than 10%, so this transaction would not count towards your oop.

Same transaction at a store that does not double.
10 x $1.00 = $10.00 + tax
-10 x .50 x10 or $5.00 = $5.00 + tax
This transaction would count towards your oop as the total is 50%


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 or the greatest profit 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 and our spending patterns.

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 groceries, fast food, hba, household items, entertainment, et al that would make up your out of pocket expenses.

What I do not expect is those involved to stay home all month, with the lights off, eating dry, cold cereal (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 loved one's. No. Perscriptions/meds do not count.


It's a contest, so we need prizes!!!!
This month the runner-up will get a potluck envie from W0Wme!

The first place winner will receive a bigger potluck envie from me!
And the satisfaction that you proved to yourself that you are awesome at what you do!

So???? Are you in?

Members currently involved in the challenge:
Name --- Totals So Far through post 895 --- Personal Goals
red denotes money spent, green denotes a profit

cody82414 $8.54 $0.00 oop is my goal. I have 1,2,3,4,5,6 (six) in my family
MoneySavinDiva $136.72 goal --> $200
saving-in-va withdrawn
Domestic_Gal $230.46 I am going to set my budget at $250. for the month
Mommy22girls $41.41
vickib50 $33.11 $50 for the month
justagirlnamedStormy $60 for the month
to1drland $130.90 gonna shoot for $200 this month
phinphana $210.20 I am in again $150 /month - Me with my 3 boys.
latte im going to shoot for 350$ for 2 adults, a 10 year old, an 8 year old, an almost 2 year old, 5 cats and 1 dog. and for a week in november, my best friend will be here from nov 14-nov 21 so i will have an extra person for a week
kandpsmom $175.41 I'm in for $200 for grocery/hba for our family of 4.
jeweltea $152.10 I am in for $150. again
momof4inmi $28.00 I am going to set our goal for $250.
LovesDivine I will shoot for $150. next month
pkchicken $115.31 Goal $100.00 oop and getting closer to the bottom of the chest freezer!
grainne15 $326.18 $200. for the month
couponsmakecents $12.45 I am in and trying for $15
cdarrow26 $31.84 I'm in for $100 for the month, including all groceries, pet stuff, HBA, and eating out.
irishsaver $157.17 $300.00 budget for 4 plus 2 dogs.
Lee0808 $331.79 I'm going to shoot for #365 for the entire month.
lamezquita0308 $10.65 I am going to shoot for $350 for the month
turtlegirl115 $250 for the month.
nateNnatsmommy $201.97 $150 for the month
jenrose $179.40 less than $200
saving-n-va $250 for grocery budget.
loveebella $70.52 I am in for 200 for the month of November for me and my 3, Dh and 2 DS's.
famousamos30 $87.68 I would love to get under $100 for the month
nwonder $35.40 $200 or less for the month
hfawn $54.86 My goal will be $200 for the month
frugalicious08 $300 for the month
cjpsmom $101.35 put me down for $175 (gives me a little chushion for the bake sales) for my family of 3 and one stupid dog.
momto5az $191.16 $300. for the month. we are a family of 7.
chiquitaberlinda $103.08 There are four of us but one is a four month old so she doesn't need groceries. Put us down for $100 including dog food.
kittensqueak .06 I'll stick with my $50. for the month
gabrielli $202.91 $125 for the month
loladooder99 (withdrawn) I am shooting for $50 dollars for a famly of 3
TonyBreandthe4 $5.53 Our budget will be $300 for the month of november- Family of 6, two adults, 5,3,2 yr old boys (read: constantly eating) and 1 yr old princess. 2 dogs.
neglectarino $37.00 I'm good for $100/month ($20/week) for the groceries
valorie160 $342.22 Goal: $350.
flyingv $30.12 My goal is $200 for a family of four; 2 adults, a 6 year old and a 2 year old
Weinergirl $267.21 $350 for the month
hopeless add me for $300 for the month
zansammommy $64.47 We are a family of four. I am setting our budget at $350.
frugalitymom$30.00 I am in for no more than $60.00.
tambro $18.58 You can count me in for $450.this month!
kremsh $1.17 I'll set my spending at $150 this month to give me a cushion for Thanksgiving
thickbluebug $1364.86
Elle-TN $93.96
nova My goal is $200 for our family of 4, plus one dog
Zwella Ingrid $170.00


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

[cody82414]

Me!!!

Note a few changes and examples in the 10% rule explanation section

[MoneySavinDiva]

MEEEEE!!!!!

goal --> $200

[saving-n-va]

I'm in - maybe, but I don't know what my goal is yet. November is a stock up month for us and a "giving" month, so I'll have to budget more for donation items. I know I'm going to need to allow some for grocery gift cards for the donation baskets. And I may have to spend part of the month up north at my folks house helping take care of dad....so.......hmmm.....not sure what to do.

The October challenge has been great for our budget and the stockpile hasn't suffered hardly at all. Although I did have to open a box of Electrasol the other day - oh the horror...I only have 17 boxes left.

[Domestic Gal]

I am in again after taking October off and spending close to $400!!!! I need to be in again.
Have not decided yet on how much since there will be great baking sales in November and I want to stock up on as much stuff as I can.

[mommy22girls]

I would like to try. I am going to set a goal of $300 but that includes things like diapers and formula if they are bought during grocery times. I hope I can do this.

[cody82414]

Originally Posted by saving-n-va The October challenge has been great for our budget and the stockpile hasn't suffered hardly at all. Although I did have to open a box of Electrasol the other day - oh the horror...I only have 17 boxes left.

priceless!!

Originally Posted by Domestic Gal I am in again after taking October off and spending close to $400!!!! I need to be in again. Have not decided yet on how much since there will be great baking sales in November and I want to stock up on as much stuff as I can.

uh-huh. the baking sales are "IT"

[vickib50]

I'm in for $50 for the month. I live alone, but, feed 8-10 cats every day. I'm really going to bear down hard to do $50 for the month of November. That includes all groceries, HBA, paper, cat stuff, everything you would normally buy in a grocery or drug store.

[saving-n-va]

Originally Posted by cody82414 uh-huh. the baking sales are "IT"

Ohhh...baking sales. Somehow I missed out on the baking items last year. No telling where my brain was. I sure hope sugar goes on sale somewhere soon..I just opened a 2 lb box of regular sugar and thats ALL I have left.

[justagirlnamedStormy]

I'm in. I think my goal will be $15 a wk, for a total of $60 for the month. I don't have too much of a food stockpile yet, but my pantry needs to be cleaned out. Its just me, so $60 for the month should be pretty doable.