This Week's Grocery Shopping.

When trying to stick to my $50 per week grocery budget I have to say it was not easy.  I managed to spend less than my average weekly shopping trip but more than my goal. I spent $90.  I figure as long as I stick to my goal and spend less than my previous average, I'm making some sort of progress right? LOL.

I used about $15 in coupons and made sure to buy the cheapest version of the items I needed.  The meals I had planned include:

1.Homemade pizza. I have a left over frozen dough ball in freezer from a previous week and only had to buy Great Value Brand Sauce for $1.00 and Cheese for under $3.00

2. Spaghetti. (I had noodles stocked up from Target's Market Pantry Pasta Sale I bought weeks prior for 3/$2.  I only had to buy a jar of Ragu.

3. Chicken Patty & Tater Tots. I already had a few frozen Chicken Patties, I bought a bag of Tater Tots for $2.00 and a Pack of Schmidt's  Potato Rolls.

4. Creole Pork Chops. I already had the rice, but I had to buy Worcestershire sauce for under $2, 4 Thick Pork Chops for around $5 and a Can of Tomato Sauce for less than $1.00.

5. & 6 Beef Vegetable Soup. I needed about 5 different canned veggies, bag of carrots, Potatoes, Celery, Beef Broth, Beef Cubes - Let's Just say this took up a bigger part of my budget with all that goes into making it but the good news is that it makes so much that we can have it for dinner two nights in a row AND Freeze some for the next week to have for dinner as well!

7. Hot Dogs & Macaroni & Cheese, I bought Macaroni & Cheese for less than $1.00 and already had the Hot dogs in the freezer from a previous week. (SEE how the freezer can really SAVE you money!)

The rest of my bill was for lunches where I bought deli meat, salad, cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, rolls, Fruit, bread and some juice, water and soda. 

I will say I didn't buy much of anything I wasn't certain I would use.  And I kept it minimal with the snacks for the kids. They don't need too many choices at once anyway!
Keeping my fingers crossed I can do as good or better shopping for groceries next week : )

Grocery Shopping Challenge: $50 a Week!!

It seems like every time I go grocery shopping I spend at least $75 per trip. Even using coupons!!! Sometimes I feel like I haven't even really bought much of anything to have spent that kind of money!  I will say that now, that my kids are starting back to school it will be much easier to stick to a certain budget when I can shop ALONE!!  If you have little ones you know what I mean, when they pick a special snack or food item that they think they just cannot live without! LOL

So I have decided to take part in a Grocery Challenge.  Maybe this will only last a week or two but I'm ready to give it a try.  I have read on many money saving sites that there are a lot of households attempting this challenge and I am super motivated to find a smaller food budget that will work for my family of four.  I will post my shopping trips on here and let you know how I do, if I go over or under budget, how many coupons I've used or left out and where I have purchased my items. 

This is going to include a lot of planning on my part for sure, and discipline!!  Sometimes your favorite picks are not always on sale! Also I will have to make an effort to distinguish what it is that we absolutely need now. For example a gallon of milk versus say a box of cookies when we already have other snacks at home to choose from.

I will also have to plan meals more efficiently and choose recipes that do not include several ingredients.  Hopefully this will get easier as I go!  Will you be attempting to Challenge your grocery budget? 

Here are some ways I plan on making it easier to stick to a tight budget:
1. Shopping at Aldi and Save A Lot
2. Sticking to store brand when they are available
3. Using coupons
4. Paying extra attention to store ads and double coupons at Martins
5. Taking my $50 (in cash) with me so that I do not go over budget!

Save $5.00 on your Next Oil Change at Jiffy Lube!!!

Every so often you must take your car in for an oil change.  This weekend my husband's car was due and before he walked out the door I handed him this coupon for $5.00 off your oil change.  Every little bit helps : )   This coupon comes directly from the jiffy lube site and our local Waynesboro Jiffy Lube has accepted them every time!!

So the next time your car is due for an oil change, be sure to print this coupon out and bring it with you to save!!

Just Freeze It!!

Im always looking for a way to save and my family and I love baked goods, donuts, rolls etc. There is rarely a sale or coupon on these goodies but you can absolutely find them on the "mark down" rack.  These rolls I have in the pictures were found on the clearance rack in Walmart. You may think they are probably no good since they are usually being sold on their sell by date. You also may not see your family eating them right away.   This is not a problem if you pop them in the freezer and take them out as you need. A few seconds in the microwave or an hour on the counter and they are perfect!
My experience has always been a good one as long as of course you check for mold before you purchase and don't leave them in the freezer for over a month or so.
This same strategy can be of use for leftovers. For example I made a french dip in my crock pot yesterday and we were only able to finish half of it. Well no one really wanted to eat them for leftovers right away so I found a plastic container and put it in the freezer for next week!! This not only saves me money but the time to think of and cook up another meal next week. I hope you will try these ideas too and save you and your family time AND Money!!

Finding Coupons at Walmart While You Shop!!

 

 

About a week or so ago I made a quick run to Waynesboro Walmart.  When I say quick trip I mean no coupons in hand and no list except for a couple of items on my mind to grab.  Well I was pleasantly surprised when I found coupons in the isles!!  These "Peelies" were mostly in the pasta isle , all over the hamburger helpers and some of them were also on the Kraft Easy Mac making for a FREE Capri Sun 10pk. This is an awesome deal cause for $3.98 I bought 4 easy mac cups and 1, 10pk Capri Sun for my kids. Believe me, they will NOT go to waste!  And these were items I was already in search of anyway. It was like the coupon fairy granted my coupon wish! LOL 

In my pic above you can also see that I found a  Helper Deal.  This was a $.75 cents off of 1 double pack of chicken Helper. I do not usually buy any of the helpers but for the price and the deal, I thought it was worth trying the rice variety and it turned out good!

 

I went back to Walmart  this past Saturday and found some "Peelie" coupons on the Lunchables!  They were for $1 off when you buy 2,  I didn't get any but thought it was worth mentioning since they are also coupons found at Walmart!

 

Good luck on your next trip, and be sure to keep your eyes "Peeled" for "Peelies"!!!

End Of Season Clearance at Target!!!





As always, clearance comes in the waves of the seasons and this years summer clearance at our Chambersburg Target is just as expected!   First my Mom and I hit the toy section. It seems that every July Target puts a load of toys on clearance! I don't mean just an isle, I mean throughout each isle of the toys!  Not EVERY toy is on clearance but there are A LOT in each isle and I was able to scarf up some toys for upcoming birthdays and even Christmas!!  I know that sounds crazy, but if you don't have to pay full price for an item it's waay worth it!  (And also less stressful come Christmas time.)

The Outdoor section had up to 70% off as well. I was able to grab an outdoor umbrella for only $21.00, That was regularly $70.00!!  They also had outdoor seating, cushions and garden supplies on sale as well. I have had my eye on the kids outdoor chairs, waiting for their markdown, but they are still full price. I think I may go back periodically to check and see if they are ever marked down : )

Also, the grocery section periodically puts items on clearance, especially in the endcaps that face the drink/water wall shelves.  In this area I found cookie mix on sale for only .98 cents!  LOVE IT!
If you have never bought food on clearance you may wonder about the expiration and think that it must be bad, but my experience is that none of them are usually ever expired or even close the their expiration date. But of course always be safe and check it out before purchasing!!

Until Next time.....

Good Luck on YOUR next Clearance Extravaganza!!

Save On Kids Cups!

 

 

 

I like to give my kids juice boxes, Capri Suns or a cup with a lid to help reduce spills.  To cut down the cost of all of these I like to Save our juice boxes for when we are gone for the day for shopping OR especially when running through the drive thru, Subway etc.  You can really cut down the cost when you bring your own kids drinks!  The Great Value Brand of juice pouches are only $1.97 for a 10 pk. That is 10 times less than the cost of a kid's drink at a fast food restaurant!

 

If you are going out to eat at a "sit down" restaurant I do not recommend bringing your own drink rather, bring the drink cup home!  The middle cup in the picture above shows one of the many cups we have at home now from when we do go out to eat a sit down dinner with the kids.  While you will be spending initially on the kids drink, you can take advantage of a nice cup that will clean up nicely multiple times in the top rack of your dishwasher. Trust me I have loads of them gathered up from the past couple of years and when they start to bend, break or wear out just throw them out.  You have more that received your money's worth out of these cups.  And they are much cheaper than buying 2 and 3pks of kids cups at the store. 

Also, the heart cup on the left in the picture above is a Walmart Seasonal cup. They usually sell for about 97cents at full price during whatever holiday is upon us. We have had Christmas and Halloween cups as well.  My kids do not mind using them all year round and I love to buy them at the end of the season they are being sold at.  For example the day after Valentine's day I bought this cup and a few more, for 50% off!!  Be sure to then head over to the dollar tree and get a pack of disposable straws for at least .97 cents less than those at Walmart and Target.

 

Last, there is a couple Disney/Marvel themed cups to the right in the picture above and those are cups that you can find in Walmart's Party Isle.  They are usually 97cents depending on how new they are to the isle and will also go on clearance. I love these cups for a quick snack cup for the kids. They like to eat dry cereal as a snack and their hands can fit in the top of the cup easily without their snack spilling out on the floor.

 

So the next time you are pouring a drink for your kiddo, keep some of these tips in mind!