Well, I've let too much time pass now to go back and figure out my savings from 2 and 3 weeks ago, but let's just all agree that I scored, k?
My grocery detailing seems to have gotten off in weeks as well, so from now on I'll just list each week by date.
I do know that I blew our grocery budget by caving in and scoring on the soda deal Tom Thumb had Superbowl weekend. They were purchases I wasn't intending on making and I think I went over by $12 or something. Thankfully we were about $17 under on our gas budget and other places too, so I was saved. And we can enjoy our Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper with (relatively) clean consciences.
Last week's grocery shopping is a bit of a mess to figure out because I began buying clearance stuff for Harper's birthday party and didn't always separate that stuff at checkout. I've also done some massive returning as I've changed my mind a billion times in exactly what I need/want. Once I get it all totaled, I'll share what that cost me to buy for as well.
I have to share one great deal I got last week on Jon's fave cereal, Frosted Mini Wheats. Here's a quick break down of savings buying 4 boxes:
Regular price: $2.99/ea
Sale price: $2.50/ea = $10.00
Store "Super Coupon" for $4.00 off 4 boxes= $6.00
Store coupon printed at checkout a few weeks ago with my receipt: $4.50 off 3 boxes = $1.50
Manufacturers coupon: $1.50 off 2 boxes = $0!!!!!
$11.96 in free money, just by using coupons! He hasn't had his cereal in quite a while because I don't buy it until it goes on sale. Now his Frosted Mini Wheats will taste just a bit sweeter - and longer with 4 boxes to get through!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Sunday, February 01, 2009
The Grocery Budget, Week 5
On a week when I wasn't very inspired by the available coupons and advertised specials, I was pleasantly surprised by the savings.
Jon and I will typically map out our menu for the week based on the fliers and what the grocery stores have on special. The end of the month is usually when a lot of coupons expire, so that also has an influence on what I might buy. This week was very heavy on Superbowl party-type food, which did not lend itself well to dinners for the week, at least not for us. Therefore I did more shopping at Walmart, which makes it hard to determine what savings you actually get if. There was really only 1 must-have item and that was the soda that was on sale at Tom Thumb - oh, how I've been waiting for the Diet Coke to go on sale, I think it's been forever!
Here's how the savings went:
Tom Thumb
spent: $22.24
store savings: $48.21
coupon savings: $21.80
total savings: $70.02 = 76%!!!
Walgreens
spent: $15.01
store specials & coupons: $18.87 = 57%
We haven't mapped out the days yet, but this week we're going to make a homemade corn chowder, which should supply us with enough to freeze for a second time (if we don't eat it for lunches and leftovers!). We're also having BLTs, rice and beans with bacon and some chicken and veggies. All of these hot dishes just as the weather warms up nicely this week - of course!
By the way, the shepherd's pie was a hit last week and has now made it on to our "Favorite Dishes" list. It fed us well that night and gave us each leftovers for 2 additional meals (Jon made 2 batches - 1 veggie, 1 ground beef).
Here's the recipe:
Shepherd's Pie Recipe
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic (we used cream of celery)
3 cups refrigerated mashed potatoes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In heavy skillet cook ground beef and onion until beef is brown and onion is tender, stirring to break up meat, about 10 minutes. Drain well. Stir in vegetables and soup and cook until hot, about 4 minutes. Place in 9 inch pie plate. Spoon mashed potatoes over hot meat mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes until potatoes are golden brown and pie is bubbling. 6 servings
I know there's a few of you reading this and I'd love to hear from you and what you're making for dinners. Trust me when I say that I can't cook - but my husband can! We're always looking for new ideas and inspiration.
Jon and I will typically map out our menu for the week based on the fliers and what the grocery stores have on special. The end of the month is usually when a lot of coupons expire, so that also has an influence on what I might buy. This week was very heavy on Superbowl party-type food, which did not lend itself well to dinners for the week, at least not for us. Therefore I did more shopping at Walmart, which makes it hard to determine what savings you actually get if. There was really only 1 must-have item and that was the soda that was on sale at Tom Thumb - oh, how I've been waiting for the Diet Coke to go on sale, I think it's been forever!
Here's how the savings went:
Tom Thumb
spent: $22.24
store savings: $48.21
coupon savings: $21.80
total savings: $70.02 = 76%!!!
Walgreens
spent: $15.01
store specials & coupons: $18.87 = 57%
We haven't mapped out the days yet, but this week we're going to make a homemade corn chowder, which should supply us with enough to freeze for a second time (if we don't eat it for lunches and leftovers!). We're also having BLTs, rice and beans with bacon and some chicken and veggies. All of these hot dishes just as the weather warms up nicely this week - of course!
By the way, the shepherd's pie was a hit last week and has now made it on to our "Favorite Dishes" list. It fed us well that night and gave us each leftovers for 2 additional meals (Jon made 2 batches - 1 veggie, 1 ground beef).
Here's the recipe:
Shepherd's Pie Recipe
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic (we used cream of celery)
3 cups refrigerated mashed potatoes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In heavy skillet cook ground beef and onion until beef is brown and onion is tender, stirring to break up meat, about 10 minutes. Drain well. Stir in vegetables and soup and cook until hot, about 4 minutes. Place in 9 inch pie plate. Spoon mashed potatoes over hot meat mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes until potatoes are golden brown and pie is bubbling. 6 servings
I know there's a few of you reading this and I'd love to hear from you and what you're making for dinners. Trust me when I say that I can't cook - but my husband can! We're always looking for new ideas and inspiration.
Update: First Month With Our New Budget
Well, we've done it! We've made it a whole month on our new budget, and we're very proud to say we've not overspent at all and in fact have wound up with a surplus every paycheck from not spending as much as we anticipated in all areas. It's a great feeling.
We had 3 paychecks in January which allowed us to make significant headway our first month in the Total Money Makeover. Seeing 2 accounts completely paid off, and my very first credit card balance dwindle away has been fun. In fact, we're only $150 from that one being gone. Oh, you have no idea how much I wanted that one closed on this last payday. Our flesh even crept in for a moment when we saw that amount and more in our tithe. Ha! Sinful creatures, aren't we? Of course we left it as-is and resolved to pay it off in 2 weeks and get a start on our next account.
We're on our way!
We had 3 paychecks in January which allowed us to make significant headway our first month in the Total Money Makeover. Seeing 2 accounts completely paid off, and my very first credit card balance dwindle away has been fun. In fact, we're only $150 from that one being gone. Oh, you have no idea how much I wanted that one closed on this last payday. Our flesh even crept in for a moment when we saw that amount and more in our tithe. Ha! Sinful creatures, aren't we? Of course we left it as-is and resolved to pay it off in 2 weeks and get a start on our next account.
We're on our way!
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