Groceries This Week...

Ahh, grocery time already! In shopping this week, I grabbed up some more baking supplies. SOMEDAY those supplies will take over the expenses of the other pre-made items (or lots of them anyways!).

This weekend, and next week we have 3 birthdays in this house! My oldest son will be 9 and my youngest will be 2! My hubby will also be having a birthday. As well as MY mother and my hubby's mother! So there will be LOTS of partying the next 2 weeks. So, I had to buy a tub of ice cream ($5.99), I wanted to MAKE it with our DELISH recipe, but the 2 different milks would have been $9-10. So I went cheaper! :S

I also am making the cakes, so I had to get supplies to make the cakes. I actually had a "baking day" yesterday with my sister, in which I baked NOTHING! I put together a few mixes that are ready to bake! So, instead of $1.-$1.25 for a cake mix, I probably have $.40 in one cake mix? It could be lower than that, with out wanting to figure too low. Look HERE for a great yellow cake mix recipe, that upfront you will have to buy dry milk, but you only use 1/2 cup each time, so you could get LOTS of uses out of one box!

Back to groceries! So here is what I got this week for $74. (56 items) at Aldi's & Meijer:



There is a lot in this picture! I have a huge pack of toilet paper ($5.49), ice cream ($5.99), dry milk ($5.99), 6 milks ($2.29 ea.), 3 soy milk ($2.94 ea), I bought some stock-up items that I didn't really need, but want to be building my pantry with my basic supplies, such as oil and cocoa. I also picked up other items that were a good price but didn't really NEED at this time. But with these items, you can throw them in your freezer or pantry and have them stocked up "just in case". These items you won't have to pay for later at full price! For me, this week that was hot dogs (my family only likes these grilled or over the fire!), boxed potatoes (for some reason hubby LOVES these and they were free with coupon), chex mix (also a free item), olives, refried beans (which I hope to make these on my own someday soon!), butter, margarine...

So, for next week, which will be my last shopping day of the week, I have $62. to spend on groceries. Then the following week, I am going to do another "supply" run to our bulk supply store.

How are you doing on your groceries? I hope you are achieving the goals that you have for your family! Can I help in any way? Now, it's time to go clean! :)

Groceries This Week

I was not excited with the deals this week, and when there are weeks with not so great deals, I stock up on things I don't normally buy. This week, my "extra" purchases were a gallon of Olive Oil and wheat flour. I also grabbed an extra thing of butter to throw in the freezer.

My total this week, was exactly $50.


Not many meals? Well, besides trying to make more from Scratch, I have good grocery deals stocked up. So, say there is a good deal on ketchup, instead of buying one, I may buy 2 or 3 (or more!). Like right now, for instance, I have about 25 boxes of cereal in my cupboard. Because we NEED 25 boxes? Not exactly. But I got MOST of those boxes for right around $1. Considering some of those boxes are too big to stand up in my cupboards, I'd say that is pretty good. What is also good is, that I won't have to pay full price for cereal!

If you shop the deals and use your coupons WITH the good deals, in stores that double and triple coupons, you can end up saving a lot of money.

So far this month, I have spent a total of $136. on groceries. That means I have $139. left to spend for the month.

How have you done this month?

Groceries This Week

OK, I haven't done this in a LONG time, mostly because I feel silly taking pictures of my groceries. BUT... I am doing it again, at least for a little while, because I have had some inquiries to how we spend around $70 a week on groceries for 6 people...

For one thing, check my posts on Money Saving. Also, this post on how I organize my coupons then go grocery shopping...

Well, there is a bulk food place about 25 minutes from my house. I have in the past only gone there about 2-3 times a year. But I can see myself going a little more now that I am making more from scratch... The prices aren't AWESOME, but they are good. I MOSTLY shop there because baking items don't have many coupons (if ANY), and the prices usually run about what they would in a store with a good sale.

SO here is my shopping trip to the Bulk Food store. We spent $28. on flour (25 lbs!), oats, flax, 2 boxes of cereal, bananas, yeast, 4 small loaf pans, cheese (some is gone from the pic, hubby and boys ripped into it!), and milk chocolate chips.



Next shopping trip, was Meijer. This is my usual shopping spot. Not because the EVERYDAY prices are great, because to be honest, they aren't. But the sales, combined with doubled coupons are what I am looking for. It helps me get things like cereals down below $1 per box, and free tomato sauce, free coffee mate creamer & something we NEVER buy, Lunchables (FREE!)! I spent $58. for everything pictured here. Plus I got back a few dollars in Catalinas (the print out coupons from the register) for our next trip.


Not bad, with organic veggies (except for the free Dole salad), Soy Milk, Milk, 12 boxes of cereal, olive oil & more...

So, this week, because of my "Bulk Store" trip, my weekly spending is $86.

Now, since my budget this month is $275., which comes our to about $68. per week, I will now have to watch my next weeks purchases, to keep on track. That shouldn't be a problem since I actually bought a LOT in bulk (FLOUR!). I go through about 5 lbs of flour a week, so that trip will save me money for the next 5 weeks! Also, I should NOT have to buy ANY cereal for about a month! So, take that off of the bottom line too.

But, if it all comes down to starving your family or spending over your monthly budget. DON'T starve your family!

Also, the first month you make your family a food budget, start at something DO-ABLE. Like if you spend $200 a week, start at $175 a week for your budget. And as you get better at spotting deals and using your coupons with good sales, then you will DO better! Then the following weeks, slowly move your budget down...

I am planning on my budget going down this summer, because of all of the fresh fruits and veggies. If you don't have a garden of your own, try growing something like a tomato plant in a pot or in your flower garden. Or offer to help a family member or friend with their garden, and you can share in it's harvest! If you have the time, a little SHARED manual labor can really go a long way!

Anyone CAN change their budget in a good way, it DOES take time and effort though. To some people, it isn't worth the time, and that's OK if you can afford it. But I was shopping with no coupons( or an occasional one or two) at Wal-Mart and Aldi's. I was buying all generics, and NO organic foods. I was spending $200. or so each week, and that is when I had a family of 5. I WANTED something better for my family. I WANTED to be able to buy a better product for our money. And I DID actually HAVE the time to spend each week figuring out the "deals". So, I did it, and I will never look back...

If you DO have any questions about shopping or saving money on your groceries, don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure you will get answers from several people! In the end, figure out what works the best for YOU and your family. Then work at getting BETTER AT IT!

Groceries This Week

Boy was I excited about groceries this week! I know, I'm a geek right? But, when you can get such great deals on groceries and save SO MUCH MONEY, it is FUN!

To recap, I have 6 people in my family, one being a baby who still needs diapers! I spend $70 a week in groceries. Which some weeks it is a real challenge, some weeks it is SO easy. This is one of those weeks, thanks to Meijer.

Here is what I got at Meijer:

At Meijer, I spent $42. !!! That was for 75 items, so that is $.56 and item. Not to bad considering soy milk if $3 a half gallon and I got 4! I also got a catalina for a free milk (from buying the General Mills cereals).

Here is what I got at Kroger this week:

I spend $24. there, and got a $1 catalina back. Not too bad...

And here is what I got at CVS:

Well, add 2 gallons of milk in the pic and that is what I got. I actually paid NOTHING out of pocket after ECB's. I needed some eye liner and my hubby uses the Tom's of Maine toothpaste! I actually need to get one more gallon of milk and I get a free one (there is a deal where you buy 5 milk and you get one free!).

So, all in all, I spent $66. on groceries this week. Not bad! I couldn't even fit everything into one pic like I usually do, that's great!

How did YOU do this week?

Groceries This Week

I am finally getting my groceries posted this week... Last week was so crazy, I didn't even bother! So, here we go...

I got all of these groceries for $48.98!

I shopped at Kroger and Meijer. At Kroger I spent 20.79 for 27 items and SAVED $36.54! AT Meijer, I spent $28.19 for 59 items and save $55.32! That is a total of 86 items, that is $.56 an item! And a total savings of $91.84.

AT CVS, I was able to get this, for $2.94, in the end earning $4 MORE extra bucks then I spent:

This is what we got at Walgreen's:

We had 2 transactions and spent a total of $5.58 and made $7 RR. Saving $29.54!

So, in all we spent $15 below our normal $70 budget to feed our family of 6! Not bad at all considering I took all 4 boys with me AGAIN shopping to 4 stores... I need to learn my lesson.

So, how did YOU do this week???

To see how I am able to save money on our groceries and feed my family of 6 for (less then!) $70 a week, go HERE. Any questions, just ask!

Groceries This Week

I guess you could say I am consistent! Because I spent almost right at $70 for all of this:

At Meijer, I spent $29.xx

At Kroger, I spent $32.xx

And at CVS, I spent $9.xx

Not bad, considering I broke my own rule: Never take anyone with you... I took my 4 boys shopping with me today. But we avoided all of the extras because I packed them things to eat from home. I also had the pleasure of being accompanied by my mom and sister, so big day shopping!

Remember, we are feeding 6 and our budget is $70. To see how we do this, go HERE.

How did YOU do this week?

Great KMart Trip

As of Saturday night, when I last checked there was pretty much no one with coupon match-ups for KMart Super Doubles. So I went to church early today, had to stay after, then hubby picked me up and we headed straight for KMart (about 35 minutes away). I pulled coupons in the car while hubby drove. I know. I was TOTALLY unprepared. Worst of all, we had to hurry because we were having people over to our house 2 and a half hours from then.

I know, I'm such a nerd.

Any how, we got there... yes, all 6 of us. Including 3 little boys. Which doesn't make concentrating for deals very easy. But, I guess I was up to the challenge. I started off thinking I was going to go home with like cat treats or something. Coupons aren't what they were last time I went! But found the clearance and grabbed a few things. Then I hit a few more spots and found some more good things.

Here is what I got:

Yes, that is 6 packages of Chinet plates, 4 Oust, 2 St Ives 1 Dove deodorant, and 2 Clearasil. My oop was for tax ONLY. And it was $1.20. I see now that there was a $5 off $50 Kmart q, but I didn't thing you could use those... The cashier was also telling me there was a lady that came through someone else's line that had 40 coupons. I told her I didn't think that you could have any more then 10 per customer. She looked at me and said, "no, I don't think so...".

So, anyways, $1.20, and I SAVED $44.58!!! That is not counting how much each of the clearanced items were before...

Hope you all have good buys at KMart too. You will probably do better if you are prepared!!! Have a great week!

Groceries this Week

I kinda liked not having to take pictures of my groceries, for the last few weeks. But, I will continue to take pics just to annoy my hubby... JUST KIDDING! Although he does think it is awfully silly that he finds pictures of our groceries on the camera. Well, to be honest it IS kind of silly. But, I do it for the record, and I do it to (hopefully) encourage you too.

So without further ado...

This is what $70 bought us this week (and it was $70 almost on the dot):

For the things you maybe can't see... there is 2- 24 pkgs of water, 6 milk, 3 soy milk, 3 boxes of cereal, 3 sugar, 2 cans of coffee, 2 canelope, 1 Bisquick, 2 crackers, 2 hand soaps, 2 pkgs of marked down doughnuts, 2 pkgs of lunchmeat, 2 boxes of trash bags, 2 salad dressings, 6 yogurts, 2 boxes of dried cranberries, 4 canisters of country time lemonade, 2 canisters of kool-aide, 20 packets of kool-aide, 2 barbecue sauce, 2 Chex mix, 2 Chips Ahoy (saving up for camping and for birthday at the end of June), 1 ice cream, 2 bags of chopped walnuts, 4 Sobe waters, 1 bag lettuce, 2 Mrs Dash, 1 bunch bananas, 4 boxes of crystal light, 1 bag chocolate chips, 1 box vanilla wafers, 1 large bottle olive oil...

Not a whole lot for meals, but I think I am pretty stocked on meat and things right now... I just needed to get some good deals on things for camping and birthday. Plus there is quite a bit for baking and cooking. Gotta stock up on that stuff too!

Remember, we are feeding 6 mouths (2 adults, 4 ravenous little boys). To see what I do to accomplish feeding our family well, with food stocked in the pantry, go HERE.

So, how did YOU do this week?

Groceries this Week

My goodness, it has been a long week! Thank you to all of you for your prayers for my husband (knee surgery). He is still in quite a bit of pain, BUT it is getting better. And last night, he only got up once! So we both got better sleep!





Today, I did my shopping, and felt SO out of it. I wasn't as prepared as I like to be, because I valued sleep over preparation. I am a woman who NEEDS the beauty sleep! But, I did alright:

I got all of this for $77.

If you can't see it, there are 7 gallons of milk, 3 half gallons of soy milk, 2 boxes of Capri Sun (for the boys camping this weekend), 10 boxes of cereal, a large bottle of Olive oil, 10 lbs of potatoes, 4 lbs of hamburger, 2 lt of root beer, bananas, pretzels, 2 bags of lettuce, 1 bottle Log Cabin Syrup (free), 1 box Kashi waffles (free), Country Bob's All purpose sauce (free), 1 bottle ketchup, 6 jars of peanut butter, tomatoes, 4 cans veggies, 2 miracle whip, large container yogurt, 2 pkgs Aunt Millie's buns, 2 Aunt Millie's Bread, 6 pkg hot dogs, sobe water, 2 Bayer Quik Aspirin, 1 St. Ives face scrub, 1 Bisquick, and 1 bag of doughnuts (a splurge for the hubby).

With all of this food, we feed 6 people in our family. Which includes 1 hungry hubby and 4 growing little boys. We also have enough that we donate food every month to a local food bank. To see how we can do this, go HERE.

How did YOU do on groceries this week?

Groceries This Week

Today I went shopping, and I usually get to enjoy the company of my sister, Katie. But today, I also had a friend along with me. So, it was a nice trip today, even though the deals weren't that great, and coupon match-ups were nearly non-existent. Oh well, I think we still did pretty good.







Here is what we got for $62.

I spent $.97 at CVS for 3 boxes of cereal, toothpaste, 2 Adidas Deodorants.

I spent $.66 at Walgreens for Bayer Quik Aspirin, and 4 cans of tuna.

I spent $34. at Meijer, and $26. at Kroger. I got 9 boxes of cereal, 3 soy milk, 5 gal. milk, wheat flour, sugar, a large bottle of honey, 2 large containers of Old Fashioned Oats, yogurt, Kashi waffles (free with my coupon from Vocalpoint), 2 packages organic carrots, 1 bread, a bunch of bananas, tomatoes, sour cream, refried beans, another deodorant, strawberries, 3 taco seasonings, organic walnuts, 2 boxed pasta salads, salad, donut holes for the boys (special treat~ they are CRAZY for these, and they were marked down!), and pork chops.

So, how did YOU do this week???

For more on what other people bought this week, go HERE.

Groceries This Week

This week for about $72. I got all of this:

$72 included some vitamin (liquid) I had to get for Koen this week, 2 packs of diapers, a ginormous pack of toilet paper, Tom's of Maine toothpaste (which hubby needs and there is NEVER a coupon for!), among lots of other items!

$70. is my budgeted amount for my family of 6. And the last few weeks I have spent under $70.

This weeks savings was also over $110.! I always like to see that I saved more then I spent! And I had 66 items. That is $1.09 per item. Not bad considering there are 2 packs of diapers, a large pack of TP, Koen's vitamins were $8, etc.

So, how did YOU do this week on groceries??? To see how I figure out the deals and save money each week, go HERE. To see all of the deals and their coupon match-ups, go HERE.

This Weeks Shopping Trip

Just a quick over view of this weeks shopping trip. There weren't any really awesome sales this week. But this week is a good example of what you can do if the sales are great. Basically, we got what we needed and I spent the rest on things that really don't go on sale, but I need anyways. Like this week I bought and over $8. bottle of Olive Oil, because I use it for baking & because it is healthy! I also had to get honey. This is also good for you and I bake with it also. That was almost $8.

So, since I had extra money this week because of the lack of good things to buy, I bought somethings I have put off and will need soon anyways.

So here are my groceries:

I spent right at my $70. budget. And $22 of it was milk and $16 was olive oil and honey! So everything else pictured was bought with under half of my budget money!

Kroger's upcoming sales look pretty good, and so does CVS. So stay tuned for next weeks finds! How did you do on YOUR shopping this week?

CVS This Week

Here is my CVS trip this week, and it was a pretty decent week! So if you are looking to start shopping CVS for their deals, go HERE to find out how to start! CVS really is a great place to save lots of money, if you know how!

This week, I took advantage of the diaper deal, where if you buy $25. worth of specified products (including the diapers and wipes) then you get $10 back in ECBs (Extra Care Bucks, which are basically CVS money!). So packages of diapers were $10. each, the large wipes were $5. each. I got everything in the picture for $12. I usually don't like to pay any more then $2. BUT CVS has been having some off weeks, and I was just "using up " my ECBs.

I talk alot about being frugal on my blog, and CVS is one of the ways that I am able to save my family money. I hardly ever have to pay for personal hygiene items, and we even have some extra to be able to give to our local "Project Help". If you are committed, give CVS a try!

Groceries This Week

I went shopping yesterday, and was a little behind (my) schedule. I had a baby that woke up very early, and then decided to take a nap really early too. So I left later in the day then I normally like to. But, it ended up really well!

Here is what I got:

For a Grand Total of:

$62.!!!

I did shopping at CVS, and spent $2.60 on the following, in 2 transactions:

I saved over $47.

Here is my Kroger shopping trip:

I spent $14.! I got the TP for free, the cough drops for free, the Starkist tuna for free, I got the Wacky Mac for $.16 the lotion for $.06, the organic milk for $.99 and the diapers for $3.99! I saved over $29.!

I also went to Meijer. I don not have a separate picture of Meijer, it is included in the picture at the top of the post. I bought formula & a new cup for the baby boy. I got a 2L of Dr Pepper for free (with a coupon I registered for in the mail), I got 3 cans of dog food for free (with coupons that were in the paper several weeks ago), I got Cascade dishwasher rinse agent for free, plus some other cheap things like the hand soap, the cat treats, the frozen veggies, the bread! I spent $45. at Meijer and saved over $47!

I think that is $123. saved, and $62. spent! With a budget of $70, that works for me!!! I spent about $.83 per item! That's good with diapers, formula, razors, soaps, pads and more!

How did YOU do this week???