The Grocery Budget, Week 4

This seemed to be my most challenging week shopping yet. I headed out with only $54 to spend! We were out of milk so we headed to Walmart yesterday and got milk, eggs and a squash for me to cook up for Harper. Oh yeah *ahem* we also got ice cream in a moment of weakness. So with $54 out of our total 2-week budget, I was a bit daunted as I trudged out this afternoon.

Grand total: $49.47!!!!

3 stores this week, and here's how the savings breakdown goes:
Walmart: spent $17.17 (no coupons)

Kroger: spent $20.45
member savings: $23.88
coupon savings: $15.50

Tom Thumb: spent $11.85
member savings: $16.54
coupon savings: $26.82

All told, savings = $82.74 which equals a savings of 63%.

I didn't get a picture of the loot today because me and the child arrived home precisely at her dinner time and she barely allowed me to throw the freezer items in before she was banging on her tray for me to come feed her. Some of my favorite savings today include blueberries for $1 (I got 3 and froze 2 packages. Harper loves them!), free Hershey's chocolate bars (the big kind!), and body wash for $0.79.

I also stocked up on some food to whip up for Harper, though I didn't get as much as I normally would have. But plenty to get me through at least 2-3 weeks.

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was buying 10 items from Kroger that qualified me for $5 immediately off my total: 2 jars of salsa, 2 salad dressings, 2 packages of Fiber One bars, 2 French's mustard, a package of Oscar Meyer hot dogs and a package of frozen steam fresh veggies. Actually, that last one's a lie. They were out of their steam fresh veggies, so I got a package of Pepperidge Farm goldfish for Harper instead for $0.99. Other than the goldfish, I had a coupon for every single item which added up to approximately $7. Each of those 10 items were also already on sale for club members. So not such a bad deal, huh? Sales, coupons and promotions - love it!! You can see how I'd get to $38.88 in savings just from that one store alone very easily.

I guess I should mention something I seem to have neglected to inform about. I am a faithful member of the Grocery Game and have been for almost a year now. It was a hard adjustment for me at first and took me quite a while to wrap my head around what coupons I had, when to use them, how to organize them. Heck, just remembering to buy the paper a day early was daunting back then! But now it doesn't take up so much of my time and almost feels second nature. I subscribe to 3 lists which totals $10/month. A bargain considering the time it saves me by finding the deals and telling me which coupons to use. I've researched other coupon forums before, and maybe some day I will have the guts to venture out on my own. But life right now does not allow the time and energy it would take to research, plan and execute the savings on my own. I have gotten in the habit now of scouring the weekly ads so I can at least start planning menus for a few days.

Our menu this week includes a new easy recipe for Shepherd's Pie that Jon is anxious to try out. I'll let you know how it goes. Next week I have a new corn chowder recipe I'm dying to make.

I'm still interested in what you all are cooking and what your money saving tips and budget "woohoo" moments are. Feel free to share in the comments section.

'Til next week!