Saturday Shopping - $14.90

I shopped this morning and spent $14.90. After my horrible spending this week I decided I needed to be very conservative.

I bought:
4 packages of ravioli (natural/preservative free)- clearance price $1.79 each
Organic mint - clearance price $.99
Bag of romaine - clearance price $.79
Pre-made formula - $5.59 ($5.00 coupon) = $.59
Bag of iceberg mix salad - clearance price $.89
Bananas - $.64/lb
Can of garbanzo beans - clearance price $.49
3 loaves of Vita-Bee bread - clearance price $.99

We have lots of fruit and veggies and plenty in the pantry & freezer.

Here's what my pantry looks like after all my shopping this week. And you can't even see the cases of macaroni and baby mum-mums stacked on the floor on the right hand side.



Katie

Saturday Shopping - $54.67!

I shopped way more than I intended do. Darn! Now we just won't have gas money - gah!
I'm having a heck of a time sticking to $100 a week for my allowance.

Anyway, I spent $54.67 and this is what I got:


At Safeway:
5 boxes Kix - $1.99 each with store coupon($1/2 and $1.50/3 MC) = $1.49 ea.
2# brick of cheddar - $4.99
2# shredded cheddar - $4.99
16 ct. string cheese - $3.99 with store coupon ($.50 MC) = $3.49
bananas - $.69/lb
nectarines - $.99/lb
2# organic carrots - $1.00 each

At QFC:
Creamer - $2.50 sale price ($.50 MC) = $2.00
Yami Yogurt 6 pack - $1.69 clearance price
3 Turkey lunchmeat - $1.49 clearance price ($.75/2) = $1.25 each

At this point I should have just been done shopping, but I really wanted to get grapes and pears at Fred Meyer. That would have probably been OK, but then I had to just check out the clearance bins . . .

At Fred Meyer:
Pears - $.88/lb
Grapes - $.98/lb
Green Onion - $.44/bunch
Spinach - $.78/bunch
Yellow Onion - $.59/lb (Noticed the 3# bag of 'bargain onions' cost $2.29 - Hmmm)

Then the clearance items -
2 boxes of Rice Chex - $1.89 clearance price ($1.00/2 MC) = $1.39 each
FM brand Raisin Bran - $.99 clearance price
10# unbleached flour - $2.79 clearance price
Taco Shells - $.79 clearance price ($.50 MC) = $.29
2 loaves Vita-Bee bread - $.99 clearance price each
FM brand green beans - $.29 clearance price
FM brand cream of mushroom - $.49 clearance price
FM brand cream of chicken - $.29 clearance price

Finally I bought 5 bottles of formula for $.59 each after $5 coupons from a friend.

It just adds up!

Katie

Top Foods Trip $19.91

I had a coupon for $5/$25 at Top Foods this week so I headed over for a small trip. We are so desperately low on groceries I was pleased to find reasonable prices on some basics we usually pick up other places.

I mentioned earlier this week that I didn't want to grocery shop until Saturday, but I just couldn't hold out! I had several things to return to Target so I didn't have to 'draw' my grocery allowance early either.

As I checked out my total was $24.91 but I there weren't any candy bars or packs of gum in the aisle I could toss in. The cashier graciously suggested I make a "round up" donation to the charity of the month, Seattle Children's Hospital, which made my total $25 even and with $5 off, just $20. Yahoo!

Here's my haul along with DD#3:

Everything was 20% off with my $5/$25 coupon, so here's what I paid:
Mac & Cheese - $.50 sale price (20%) = $.40/box
Spinach - $1.00 sale price (20%) = $.80/bunch
Celery - $.69/lb sale price (20%) = $.55/lb
Cantaloupe - $.39/lb sale price (20%) = $.31/lb
Plums - $1.49/lb sale price (20%) = $1.19/lb
Olives - $.99 (20%) = $.79 each
Eggs - $1.19 sale price (20%) = $.95 dozen
Organic Milk - $5.49 (20%) = $4.39 gallon
Chicken Drumsticks - $.99/lb (20%) = $.79/lb
Salad Dressing - $.99 sale price (20%) = $.79 each
Bananas - $.69/lb (20%) = $.55/lb

I'm desperate for cheese so I might still head to a grocery store again this week. QFC has 2# if cheddar for $4.99 which is as good as I've seen in a long time.

Katie

Weekend Shopping & Monday Menu Plan

This week's shopping was $35.00. It was a little bit from Albertson's & Amazon Fresh, then yesterday at QFC & Fred Meyer. I got celery $1.89 & an onion $.79 from Amazon fresh. More than I like to pay, but I wanted to get some soup made and didn't want to wait 4 days until my planned weekend shopping. I also went to Albertson's mid-week for a quick pickup of: milk $5.89 ($3.99 coupon from cereal purchase 2 weeks ago) = $1.89 sirloin steak $8.01 ($2.00 clearance sticker) = $6.01 for 2.68 lbs formula $5.79 ($5.00 coupon) = $.79 candy bars = $.33 clearance I also had $8 off from coupons generated last week with specific purchases. These are the QFC & Fred Meyer groceries: Sugar - $2.49 ($.55 MC) = $1.94 Butter - FREE coupon Rosemary spice - $2.34 50% off sale ($.75 MC) = $1.59 Cheese - FREE coupon Whole Beans frozen - FREE coupon OJ - $.99 Peanut Butter - $1 each Eggs - $1.67 each 18-pack Frozen veggies - $.50 each Creamer - $2.50 sale ($.50 MC) = $2.00 Formula - $5.49 ($5.00 coupon) = $.49 Romaine - $1.25 Onions - $.48/lb Couscous - FREE coupon Hershey candy - FREE coupon (found in the coupon trade bin!) bananas - $.64/lb Cottage Cheese - $1.34 Baby Puffs - $1.67 (B1G1 coupon) = $1.67 each I actually was overcharged for the romaine. It was supposed to be $1, but the avocado code got entered by mistake. I looked at the line at the customer service counter and decided I'd rather lose the quarter than the 15 minutes and left. The menu this week is brief: Sunday - chicken enchilada casserole (we were supposed to have this last week, but made sausage gravy one night instead since a friend share biscuits with us) Monday - Stew & salad Tuesday - Baked Pasta & salad Wednesday - Mac'n'cheese pie Thursday - freezer meal (tbd) Friday & Sat - out of town Lunches will be leftovers and french toast one day - we have tons of leftovers from all the big meals I've been making and they are taking up room in the freezer! I was hoping to unplug the freezer before we leave town Friday morning, but I don't think I'll manage. Oh well. Maybe by the 1st of May! Katie

Weekend Shopping - $24.11

Today I spent $24.11 on the groceries pictured below. I also have vouchers for $3 to spend in the next two weeks at Albertsons so it's like these only cost $21.11.

Here's what I bought:

Teriyaki sauce - $1
Shortening - $4.79 (OUCH!)
Pasta - $1 each with $1 Voucher printed = $.66 each
Dressing - $2.99 ($1 MC) with $1 Voucher printed = $.99
Organic Milk - $5.79 ($3.99 coupon for milk from last week) = $1.80
Squeezable yogurt - $2.00 each with $1 Voucher printed = $1.50 each box of 8
Formula - $5.89 ($5 coupon) = $.89
Dole lettuce - $1.50 ($.75 MC) = $.75
Bananas - $1.93 ($.69 free 1 lb coupon) = $1.24
Cucumber - $.79
Romaine - $.89!!!
Tomatoes - $1/lb
Onion - $.69/lb
Crackers - $1.29

Overall I was pleased with what I got today, but I didn't find any great deals in the clearance sections and I wasn't able to buy much in the way of produce. We're running low on my canned fruit so I need to start buying more fresh fruit for breakfasts. Maybe next week!

I also got a good deal on diapers at Albertsons. Their large boxes of Huggies diapers are on sale for $19.99 with a $5 voucher printing at checkout. There are also $3 off Manufacturer's Coupons available at coupons.com. I used one today and got a box of 80 diapers for only $11.99.

Katie

This Week's Shopping - $19.78!!!

Whoo! I actually kept the groceries under $20!

Here's what I got:
3 packages of feta cheese - $1.00 each (DH asked for a dinner that requires feta for his birthday) pepperoni - $1.00 (for girls' whole wheat english muffin pizza lunches)
2# cheese - $3.50
liquid formula - $.59
baby food - $.45 (clearance)
10# carrots - $5.29 (need for meal swap)
apples - $.59/lb
bread - $.99
cantaloupe - $.39/lb
Not pictured: $.49 lunch meat

Katie

This Week's Shopping - $22.10

I tell you what, $20 just doesn't stretch very far! My goal during Pantry Challenge 2011! is to spend only $20 per week on the basic grocery necessities, primarily dairy & produce. This week I had to buy cheese, milk, and coffee which are all, unfortunately, higher priced items.

I spent a bit over $20 but could have said no to DD2 adding a third huge Bosc pear to her produce bag and to the markdown yogurt because we still had a few at home in the fridge.

Here's what I got for $22.10:
2 gallons of organic milk - clearance priced $2.49 and $2.79. Yahoo!
Coffee - $6.49
2# cheese - $4.49
Yogurt - markdown to $.19
6 pears - $.88/lb
whole wheat buns - clearance $.79
4 roma tomatoes - $.98/lb

When DD1 was born and DH and I were committed to my staying home I only spent $20 a week on groceries on a regular basis. I worked at a restaurant about 3 times a month and often was able to bring home food that would be thrown out, and my parents helped out a lot by providing vast quantities of meat whenever they came to visit.

Things have definitely changed in 5 years, especially since we switched to organic milk and DH started drinking coffee. This week's shopping trip was a challenge and a good reminder of how far we've come, thanks to God's provision.

Katie

Weekend Grocery Shopping $25.85

I didn't have a lot of time to shop this weekend so none of the deals were totally awesome, but I did have a balance in my "wallet" at Top Foods so I actually only spent about $20.

What I got:

Big can of formula ($7.00 instead of $20)

5 apples

5 oranges

8 bananas

2 heads of lettuce

cucumber

1 pound of ground turkey ($.99)

2 packages of turkey hotdogs

syrup

3 dozen eggs

I'll post my month'o'meals tomorrow as that's the offical start to Pantry Challenge 2011!

Do you like how I bold that? I like the extra emphasis, like it's as exciting an event to you readers as it is to me. If you decide to challenge yourself, too, I'd love to hear about what you find in your pantry and what kind of crazy meals you come up.

Be back tomorrow,

Katie

Top Foods - $20 Shopping Trip

I went to TOP early this morning to use the $5/25 coupon from Sunday's paper. Amazingly my total was exactly $25! Isn't that weird? After the $5 coupon I paid $20 and was on my way!

Sometimes I get crazy good deals, but most of the time my shopping trips look like this with mostly sale items and maybe a clearance deal. I spend around $20 each at two or three stores usually totalling between $50 and $60 per week.

Price breakdown (20% means the $5/25 coupon):

4.5# Pears - $1/lb sale price (20% $.20/lb) = $.80/lb

3# Bananas - $.59/lb regular price (20% $.12/lb) = $.47/lb

Lemon - $.34 sale price (20% $.07) = $.27

4 bags shredded parmesan - $1.25 sale price (20% $.25) = $1.00 each bag

3# bag gala apples - $2.49 sale price (20% $.50) = $1.99

3 cans olives - $.99 regular price (20% $.20) = $.79 each

Stash tea - $2.46 clearance price (MC $.50 & 20% $.39) = $1.57

100 black tea - $1.99 regular price (20% $.40) = $1.59

6 cans tuna - $.67 sale price (20% $.13) = $.54 each

When I have a coupon like this I'll consider buying things at regular price because the coupon makes an automatic 20% discount and it's like I bought it on sale. Today I bought tea and olives because I needed $5 more to reach $25 - I needed both, but would normally have waited for a sale. I was delighted to find the generic TOP items were really cheap and even cheaper with the 20% coupon.

I also have a $7 off $50 coupon at Albertsons that I'm trying to decide if I should use. I could spend $50 including diapers because they are having a good meat sale this week (chicken breast and pork loin for $1.99), but don't know if I want to start off the month using that much of my grocery budget. I'll keep you posted!

Katie

Weekend Shopping - Check Your Receipt!

I had fun shopping this weekend. I haven't had a big shopping trip at Fred Meyer in a long time, and I enjoyed walking the familiar aisles of my favorite grocery store again! I spent $25.11.

Coffeemate - $2.00 sale (1.00 MC) = $1.00
FM preserves - coupon for $1.00 each
Formula - $3.99 sale ($5.00 MC check) = FREE + $1.01 Overage
Tea - $1.19 regular price
Darigold flavored milk - $1.00 sale ($1.00/2 MC) = $.50 each
Yogurt cups - $.30/ ea sale
String cheese - $2.50 sale ($1.00 MC) = $1.50
2# White cheddar cheese - $3.99 coupon
Campbell's healthy soup - $1.00 sale ($1.00/3 MC) = $.66 each
Yogurt Danimals - $1.29 clearance ($1.00/2MC) = $.79/4 pack
Tomato - $.98/lb sale
Organic Apples/Pears - $.78/lb sale
Tortellini - $1.99 clearance



I went to QFC specifically to buy formula they had on clearance and ended up with a bunch of other stuff. I spent $20.05.


Powder Formula - $13.29 clearance ($5.00 MC check) = $8.29
Liquid Formula - $4.49 clearance ($5.00 MC check) = FREE + $.51 overage
Oatmeal - $1.50 sale
Food Should Tast Good chips - $2.00 sale ($1.00 MC) = $1.00
Organic NF milk - $2.89 clearance
Oscar Meyer turkey breast - $1.99 clearance ($1.00 MC) = $.99
Snickers - $.50 sale (B1G1 MC) = $.25/ea

I generally review my receipt before I leave the store but have gotten a little lazy about it recently. I had picked up a sugar-free jam at Fred Meyer that I wasn't sure would qualify for the $1.00 coupon, and sure enough, when I checked the receipt, the discount hadn't been taken off. So I waited in line at customer service hoping for the discount, but alas, the sugar free jam wasn't included on the coupon even though it didn't say 'selected varieties' or anything like that. Oh well. So I returned it.

At QFC I also checked my receipt and I'm glad I did because I was charged for 4 gallons of milk instead of 3. Again, I waited in line at customer service to get refunded.

Because both of my shopping trips had errors in the checking process, I'm recommitted to reveiwing my reciept before leaving. It won't work for me to check it when I get home or even when I'm in the car because there's no way I'm getting four kids out of the car for my $2.00 or whatever. So my new plan, and I encourage you to do this to, is to just leave the chekcout line and step to the side to look your recipt over before heading to the car. You might be surprised at what you find.

Katie

Monday Menu Plan & Weekend Shopping

Major Shopping to do and only $45 left in the budget. Did I manage?

For the Meal Swap tonight I decided to make sweet & sour chicken. I had a huge jug of sweet & sour sauce and chicken was on sale so I found a recipe. I had some of the ingredients, but I had to buy the chicken, bell peppers, pineapple, onions, and soy sauce. Check out tomorrow's post for the recipe and the meal preparation.

I also am trying to plan for camping the first week of August where I have to provide dinner for 10 adults and 5 kids on two nights. I am making a taco bar one night and beef stew the other night. So I also was watching for ingredients for those meals.

Dinners this week:
Monday - Sweet & sour chicken
Tuesday - Potato Soup (need to use that milk in my freezer)
Wednesday - baked pasta (with white cheddar - a big hit last week!)
Thursday - beef stroganoff (using more milk)
Friday - BBQ
Saturday - leftovers before we leave for camping

Lunches this week:
Monday - Quesadillas
Tuesday - grilled cheese
Wednesday - Mac & Cheese
Thursday - pb & j
Friday - chicken nuggets
Saturday - leftovers before we leave for camping

Here's my haul for the weekend shopping. Altogether I spent $50.51 so I didn't quite make it with my $45 left for the month. Close enough! I actually returned a clothing purchase before my Fred Meyer shopping, as well, so I could use a store credit toward the groceries.



Here's what I bought:
2 english cucumbers - $.50 each on sale
8 bell peppers - $.50 each on sale (for meal swap)
green onions - $.50
red & green grapes - $.99/lb
bananas - $.59.lb
5# bag of onions - $4.79! (Seriously irritated at this price! Ridiculous!)
pint whipping cream - $2.29 (50% off clearance) = $1.15
YoPlus yogurt - $2.29 sale ($.50 store coupon) ($1.00 MC) = $.79
Yoplain Delights yogurt - $2.29 sale ($.50 store coupon) ($1.00 MC) = $.79
Yoplait Fiber One yogurt - $2.29 sale ($.50 store coupon) ($1.00 MC) = $.79
Toradoes - $2.99 (50% off clearance)($1.00 MC) = $.50
2 packages 3+# Chicken Breast - $3.49/lb BOGO
Angel Food cake mix - $2.19
2 - 2# bricks cheddar - $3.49 each
BallPark Jumbo Franks - $1.29 clearance ($.75 MC) = $.54
English muffins - $.49 clearance
2 Sour Cream - $1.50 (BOGO MC) = $.75 each
Sour Cream - $1.50 ($.40 MC) = $1.10
Gallon Fat Free Milk - $1.99 sale ($1.00 markdown) = $.99
Gallon Whole Milk - $1.99 sale ($1.00 markdown) = $.99
3-20oz cans pineapple - $1.00 each
2-GoGurt - $2.00 sale ($1.00 markdown)($.75/2 MC) = $.63 each
Darigold creamer - $1.99 sale ($.50 MC) = $1.50
Jug Soy Sauce - $5.79 (25% off sale) = $4.34

In retrospect I should have bought a much smaller amount of soy sauce and skipped the angel food cake mix and whipping cream. Then I'd have stayed within my $45.

Heading into August I still need to buy a few things for the camping trip like tortillas, olives, & salsa, but overall I feel like I'm in pretty good shape for what's coming up!

Katie

Tuesday Grocery Shopping $41.63

I did a little shopping yesterday so I could snag some good deals that were ending and to use the Albertson's double coupons from the Sunday paper. I ended up getting more than I thought . . .



Gallon Organic 2% milk - $4.99
Gallon non-fat milk - $2.39 ($1.00 Markdown) = $1.39
Hot dog buns & hamburger buns - $1.00 - not a great deal, but I needed them.
2# bags of carrots - $1.00 each
Roma tomatoes - $.58/lb
Yogurt cups - $.30/each (Buy 7, Get 3 Free coupon) = $.21 each
Dozen eggs - $.99
Pimento stuffed olives - $3.99
Hillshire Farms smoked chicken sausage - $1.99 each markdown (for stir-fry meal swap soon)
Fletcher's breakfast sausage links - $1.99 each (out of breakfat meat)
Baby Food clearance $.25 each (I picked out the 3 packages dated 2011 or later so I can use them for #4 due in September)

Kellogg's Deal
Buy 8 get $8.00 off
Nutrigrain Bar $3.99, on sale $2.50 ($1.00 deal)($.75 MC doubled) = FREE
Poptarts $3.89, on sale $2.50 ($1.00 deal)($1.00/2 MC doubled)= $.50 each
Rice Krispies $4.69, on sale $2.50 (1.00 deal)($1.25/3 MC) = 1.08 each
Raisin Bran $4.59, on sale $2.50 ($1.00 deal)($1.00/2 MC doubled) = $.50 each

Not pictured: hand of bananas $.59/lb, 2 cucumbers $.50 each, markdown dozen doughnuts $1.99.

All this cost $41.63, but I had a gift card for $23.92 making it only $17.71 out of pocket.

Katie

Grocery Outlet Trip - $15.09

I was in Portland all weekend for a getaway without my kids and I was able to do a little shopping including a trip to Grocery Outlet. Here's what I purchased using a $5/$25 coupon which works out to 20% off. I listed the prices after the 20% discount. I also got a few non-food items that aren't pictured & those got my total up just over $25 so I could use the coupon. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many things I had on my "should buy soon" list here.



Crisco Spray $1.59 (almost out)
Mayo $.79 (right at pull date so I'll use it right away)
Ocean Spray juice $.79 each (for camping)
Generic Ritz crackers $.79 (for camping)
Applesauce $.79 each (for camping)
Sparkling Grape Juice $1.20 each
Can of coffee $3.20 (almost out)
Del Monte fruit cups $.79 each (for camping)
Imitation vanilla $.79 (almost out)


Menu Plan:
Monday lunch - nachos & applesauce
Monday dinner - french toast & bacon
Tuesday lunch - mac & cheese with grapes
Tuesday dinner - pork chops, cheesy broccoli rice (this one keeps getting put off), salad
Wednesday lunch - grilled cheese & applesauce
Wednesday dinner - hamburgers, salad
Thursday, Fri, Sat - out of town with girls - leaving food for DH
Sunday lunch - chicken nuggets
Sunday dinner - chicken or pork with rice pilaf, salad


Katie

Safeway Shopping - $24.91

I didn't need much this week, just milk & produce, so I went to Safeway for their great coupon deals. I ended up finding some great clearance items. I will still need to pick up some additional fruit & fresh veggies for the week. Here's what I bought for $24.91:



Gallon whole milk - $2.39
Gallon fat free milk - clearance $1.19
6 bottle Wishbone dressing - $.99 each in-ad coupon
2# Tillamook white cheddar - $3.99 in-ad coupon
2# Tillamook pepper jack - $3.99 in-ad coupon
Jack Daniels BBQ sauce - sale price $.99 ($.75/1) = $.24
1# bacon - clearance $.99
3# Polish sausage - clearance $1.99
3# German sausage - clearance $1.99
Mentos gum - clearance $.75 ($.55/1) = $.20 each
Bananas - $.59/lb

The Wishbone dressing was limit 3 so I made 2 separate transactions. Each transaction had to be at least $10 so I planned accordingly. I was disappointed that the cashier would only take 1 of my printed Jack Daniels coupons. She said it was store policy and was really nice about it so I didn't insist and just asked her to remove the 2nd bottle I'd planned to purchase. If I'd known about that rule ahead of time I'd have included one bottle in each transaction! Oh well.

Katie

P.S. Menu Plan:
Sunday - BBQ,
Monday - Russian Chicken,
Tuesday - Pork Chops,
Wednesday Beef Stir Fry,
Thursday - Date night? Or Corn Chowder,
Friday - Dinner Out,
Saturday - Frozen Pizza,
Sunday - Beefy Enchilada Casserole.

How I Grocery Shop - Put it all Together

Now that the "How I Grocery Shop" series is concluded I wanted to show you an example of all the pieces together including my random, organization thoughts.

I usually grocery shop in the wee hours on Saturday morning, but I was hosting a baby shower this particular Saturday and knew the shopping would be delayed until Sunday sometime. I did, however, need to pick up some balloons for the shower so I dashed down to Fred Meyer and of course, did quick run by the clearance bins. Here's what I found:


Nice 'n Soft TP - clearance $2.49
MD TP - clearance $2.49
Hamburger buns - clearance $.79 (note to self - eat pulled pork from freezer)
Bread - clearance $.79

On Saturday my priority was eating stuff out of the freezer (as ever) so I'd have room to freeze berries before I made jam mid-July. My aunt found me a used canner at a garage sale but I won't see her until the weekend of July 10th so I planned to save berries until then.
So Saturday night DH and I watched a movie and I made my menu plan and grocery list.

Menu Plan Dinners:
Sunday -Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Monday - Beef Fajitas (need to use an old bell pepper)
Tuesday - Ham/Potato soup (freezer meal) & garden salad
Wednesday - Spanish Rice w/Ground Beef (freezer meal) & garden salad
Thursday - Garlic Chicken in White Wine Sauce (freezer meal), macaronda, & salad
Friday - Pork Chops, Cheesy Broccoli Rice, Salad
Saturday - Beefy Enchilada Casserole, spanish rice (leftover?), & salad
Sunday - July 4th BBQ
Monday - Russian Chicken, rice, salad
Tuesday - Beef Stir Fry

Grocery List

Must Buy: Whipping Cream for promised Strawberry Shortcake

Should Buy/Getting Low:
Cooking spray
Vegetable oil
Potatoes
Milk - both whole & nonfat
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Bananas
Other fruit -whatever's on sale
Cream cheese
Toilet paper - Got this one!!!
AA Batteries
Olives - both green and black
Pork loin

It's always nice when there is so little on the "must buy" list as I'm planning so many freezer meals and we have been getting such great lettuce from the garden. Basically I get to just shop the good deals! So I made a list for each of the ads (including Fred Meyer's new ad) and had short lists (4-7 items each) for Fred Meyer, QFC, Top, and Safeway. I prioritized like this: QFC (whipping cream on sale), Safeway (waiting for cream cheese at $1 for 3 weeks!), Top (great 77Cent sale this week), and Fred Meyer. Albertson's just wasn't anything spectacular and unless they had double coupons I didn't plan to go.
Sunday I had sick kiddo and didn't make it to church. DH picked up some bread for us. Usually we select one or two items. I don't know how DH ended up with all this, but here's a picture and the list: A double pack of ciabatta long loaves, 2 loaves of wheat bread, a package of bagels, a dozen croissants and 36, yes 36, white dinner rolls. Hmm.



I saw all of this bread in the car as I was getting ready to leave for grocery shopping. I did a quick evaluation and figured we'd be eating bagels, croissants, and french toast for breakfast. Thank goodness cream cheese was on sale! We'd also have lots of sandwiches for lunch on the rolls. Again, yay for lunch meat in the freezer! The loaves of bread would keep in the freezer - good bye berry freezing plans.
Now it was time to shop! I decided to go to Albertson's after all when I saw their double coupon in the Sunday paper. I can always a good deal with those. I also went to Safeway, QFC, and even stopped at Walgreen's for a couple items. I was exhausted by the time I got home and didn't even want to think about Top or Fred Meyer. That's what usually happens and why I prioritize where I need to go. Overall I shopped about 2 hours and spent $42.52. $21.33 of that was on gift cards so I only spent $21.19 out of pocket. And I also have a mail-in rebate to send for $3 and a $3 Walgreen's Reward to spend in the next couple of weeks.


Here are the details - grocery sales are still on through Tuesday night.

Albertson's:
2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch -sale $2.49 ($4.00/4 store deal)($1.00/2 MC doubled) = $.49 each
2 boxes of Cheerios - sale $2.49 ($4.00/4 store deal)($1.00/2 MC doubled) = $.49 each
S'Mores Deal - Hershey's, marshmallows & graham crackers on sale totalling $6.49 ($2.00/all store deal) ($1.00/all 3 MC in-store) = $3.49 for all 3
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce - sale $1.00 ($1.00/2 MC doubled) = FREE
Vegetable Oil 1 gallon - sale $6.79 (much cheaper than the $10 at cash'n'carry!)
Turkey & Ham lunchmeat - clearance $0.99 each
Bananas $.59/lb
Gillette Hairspray - clearance $1.00 ($1.00 MC) = FREE
I have a gift card for Albertson's so I decided to get the bananas here as well as go ahead and splurge on the bulk purchase of vegetable oil. I bought the last gallon sometime last summer so I figure this jug will last another year or so. Also the clearance lunch meat and free hairspray made me really glad I came.

Safeway:
Caesar dressing - sale price $1.49 (1.00 MC) = $.49
Cream Cheese - sale price $.99
Grapes - $.99/lb
Cucumbers - $0.50 each
Coffeemate powder tubes - $1.29 (50% off clearance)($.50 MC) = $.14
Walgreens:
Finesse conditioner - $3.99 (BOGO Sale)($1.00 MC)($3.00 MIR) = Both for price of stamp $.44
Blistex 3 pack - $2.99 ($3.00 coupon for next Walgreen's trip) = FREE
2 pears - $.50 each (weird to find pears at Walgreens, but pears haven't been on sale for awhile and I thought $.50 would be close to $1/lb.)

QFC:
Cottage Cheese - sale price $1.00
Whipping Cream - sale price $1.00
Dozen Eggs - sale price $1.00
Fresh Mozarella - clearance price $2.69 ($1.00 MC) = $1.69 (this is a total yummy treat for me)
Tomatoes - sale price $1.00/lb (cheaper at Top, but I wanted a couple to go with the mozzarella)

Top:
Top is really having an excellent sale this week, especially with the $1.00 off deparment coupons inside the ad. I will probably try to make it over there still for the $.77/lb tomatoes and 3/$1 kiwi with the $1 produce coupon. I will also try to use the $1 grocery coupon with the $3.77 block of cheese and possibly Zararin's rice.

Fred Meyer:
I will probably skip FM entirely. They have a great deal on Ben & Jerry's and I have an MC, but it's an extra and pregnancy + ice cream is not good for me. I seriously ate two whole 1.5 quart cartons by myself in about 5 days last week. So we can skip the Ben & Jerry's. I got BBQ sauce at Albertson's and enough other fruit that I don't need the $.88 peaches.

So that's about it - my week in shopping. Oh - it turns out DD's won't eat mini-sandwiches on the white dinner rolls so I'm thinking I'll give them a try as french toast next (thanks for the idea, Ruth!).

Katie

Fred Meyer Shopping $24.51

I was at Fred Meyer (FM) yesterday to pick up bananas & strawberries. Of course I ended up finding many more deals.




Here's what I got:

Post Cereal - sale price $1.50 each ($1.00/2 MC) = $1.00 each
2# strawberries - sale price $2.50
bananas - regular price $.59/lb = 1.38
sour cream - sale price $1.00
2# Bandon Cheese - store coupon $3.99 (I grew up 20 minutes from Bandon - it's owned by Tillamook and is virtually the same cheese - Yum!)
3# butter - store coupon 3/$5
Nalley pickles - $2.50 sale price ($.75 MC) = $1.75 (cheaper than the FM brand on sale for $2)
Duncan Hines Frosting - store clearance $.89

In total I spent $24.51. It's not my best shopping trip, but considering cheese, butter, & cereal I thought $24 was pretty good.

Katie

P.S. FM also has Breyer's ice cream and Klondike bars for $2 with a store coupon. I am so going back this week for Breyer's with a $.75/1 coupon to get it for $1.25.

How I Grocery Shop - Bulk Buying

One of my favorite ways to save on groceries is to buy in bulk. There are several ways this plays out.


Bulk Size Packages - First, you can buy the bigger, bulk-size packages at the store. In general, but not always, the larger package of goods costs less per unit of measure than the smaller package. This is why Costco is so popular.

For example, earlier this month I bought a 65 oz. jar of marinated artichoke hearts at Costco for $8.65. The same product sold in smaller 16 oz. jars at the grocery store would have run at least $3.00 per jar, even with a good sale. The same quantity (65 oz.) of artichoke hearts would have been $12.00, at best, to buy 4 jars at the grocery store.

An exception to this is if you have a coupon. Usually the smaller package combined with a "cents off" coupon will work out to a lower per unit cost than the large package with the same "cents off" coupon.

Many Packages at a Low Price - This is basically buying lots of a product when it's on sale. The idea behind this type of bulk buying is that if you buy at the low price and stockpile for future use, those future uses will all be at the low price, too.

For example, I purchased 8 boxes of cereal yesterday because it was only $1.00 a box. Did I need 8 boxes of cereal? No. I have a dozen boxes already. However, I did need cereal for the kids as we are only one morning away of being out of Kix and we already are out of Cheerios, Raisin Bran, & Rice Krispies. I didn't want to feed my kids the sugary junk I have on hand and I didn't want to pay $3.79 for a box of Rice Krispies. So I bought 8 boxes of cereal I'll be happy to feed the kids (Honeycomb, Raisin Bran, & Honey Bunches of Oats) and only paid $1.00 for. These will last through most of the summer, just in time for the back-to-school cereal sales.

Stores place limits on their sale priced items just for this reason. They advertise a few loss leaders hoping you'll come in and do the rest of your shopping, too. The store actually loses money on some of those really good prices so they limit how much you can buy. I purchased laundry detergent this week for $1.99 at Fred Meyer with a store coupon. The limit was 2. At that price I would have considered buying more, especially if I'd had manufacturer's coupons to pair with the store coupon. But alas, limit 2, so 2 is what I purchased.

Major Bulk Purchases - Sometimes buying in bulk can save significant sums, especially if you buy really large packages. I recently purchased a 50# bag of oatmeal, a 20# bag of white rice and a 25# bag of brown rice for about $44. I shared the purchase with a couple family members and was left with 20# of oatmeal that only cost $8 and 22# of rice that only cost $12. These staples should last us six months or more and I certainly would have paid more than 40 cent/lb for oatmeal and 55 cents/lb of rice! Other items to consider buying in a major bulk purchase include flour if you make your bread or sugar if you do a lot of baking.

The difficulty of buying in bulk is, of course, coming up with the funds to purchase in bulk ahead of time. I had to allow an extra $100 in the grocery budget this month because I had planned a trip to Costco. The bulk buying adds up, but overall your meals will cost less when your ingredients were purchased previously at a great price.

Katie

A Great Target Visit - $2.98

This groceries were $2.98! I think Target must markdown their groceries for Saturday mornings because there were two endcaps full of clearance items around 9AM. There were lots of good prices, but I had manufacturer's coupons to make them even better.

Smucker's Jam - clearance price $1.22 ($.55 MC) = $.67

Target Basalmic Salad Dressing - clearance price $.67

Dole Mandarin Oranges - clearance price$1.87 ($.75 MC) = $1.12

Uncle Ben's Ready Rice - clearance price $1.04 ($1.00 MC) = $.04

Del Monte Fruit Chillers - clearance price $1.24 ($1.00 MC) = $.24 each

The whole reason I went to Target was to find a low-cost pair of black shoes. Many of my maternity clothes are black and I found a great pair of black/dark gray jeans at the Goodwill for $8 last week so I really needed a pair of shoes. I found a pair I liked that was clearance priced - yay! - for $13.88. When I got to the checkstand, they rang it up for only $4.98! How great is that? Overall an excellent Target visit.

Katie

How I Grocery Shop - Grocery Ads & This Week's Shopping

Once I have made my menu plan and the corresponding "must buy" and "should buy soon" shopping lists I have a look at the weekly grocery ads. The ads arrive in Tuesday's mail for the new sales starting Wednesday. The exception is the Fred Meyer ad which comes in the free Friday paper and the Sunday Times.

I go through the weekly ad for each store, looking specifically for the items on my shopping list and also for any really low prices on other items. It takes some time to learn what a "good price" is if you aren't already paying attention.

Keep in mind that just because an item is in the weekly ad doesn't mean it's a good price or even that it's on sale. Also keep in mind that a 10 for $10 sale doesn't mean you have to buy 10 items - you can just buy one for $1. Sometimes stores have a "Buy 10 and save $5" promotion. Typically you don't have to buy 10 of the same items for these either, but you will have to buy any 10 of the participating items to get the $5 off.

This week I made a short list for 4 stores, though it is unusual for me to visit more than 2 each week. Usually I just pick the 2 stores with the best sales and choose to miss out on the other stores' deals. This week I visited 3 stores because of Joanna's birthday party and the quantity of items I must buy immediately.

Generally I have very few "must buy" items and lots of "should buy soon" items. I can take several weeks sometimes to find a price low enough to buy on a "should buy soon" item so I try to give myself plenty of time to find the best price. I want to get the good prices on those "must buy" items this week, so I made time to visit an extra store.

My short lists were for QFC, Safeway, Top and Albertson's. I elected to skip Safeway because while Coffeemate was at a low enough sale price, none of the items on the list for that store were on the "must buy" and only two, the Coffeemate and non-sugar cereal were on the "should buy soon" list. QFC and Albertson's had "must buy" items at low prices and Top had a few produce prices I didn't want to miss. So those were the three for this week's shopping.

Here's what I got at QFC for $13.00 (used a gift card):



10 Yogurt Cups - $.6o BOGO = $.30 each
2 bags Egg Noodles - sale price $1.39 each
32 oz. yogurt - markdown $1.51
Cream Cheese - $1.69
6# bananas - $.59/lb

Here's what I got at Top & Albertson's for $26.81:


5- 2 liter generic sodas - $.69 each sale price (for Joanna's party)
2 cans Black Olives - $1.00 each sale price (for Joanna's party)
1 jar Pimento Olives - $2.29 sale price (for Joanna's party)
2- 2# bricks of cheese - $3.99 each
2 - Oscar Mayer lunch meat - $3.49 regular, markdown to $.99, ($1.00/2) MC = $.49 each
2 - Lunchable Deli Creations - $.299 regular, markdown to $.99, ($1.00/1) twice MC = FREE plus $.01 overage
Bell Peppers - $.69 each sale price (for Joanna's party)
Cucumber - $.79 (for Joanna's party)
Celery - $.89 (for Joanna's party)
Carrots - $.79 (for Joanna's party)
Grapes - $1.38/lb
Kiwi, lemon, limes - $3/1.00
Tomatoes - $.79/lb

There are still a few more things on my "must buy" list for these two weeks of menu plan and Joanna's party. I'll have a look at the ads for the new week to see what kinds of deals I can find.

Katie

Next up: What's a "good price?"

Fred Meyer Shopping

We were out of town for a weekend wedding, but I didn't want to miss the Fred Meyer sale on chicken breast that ended while we were gone. So I took all 3 girls shopping the day we left when I should have been home packing. Worse, I ended up spending $31 instead of the $13 or so I would have spent if I'd only purchased chicken. Somehow I feel like if I make the effort to shop with all 3 kids I should make it a 'worthwhile' shopping trip whereas when I'm all alone I can zip from store to store buying a few things and it's totally fine for me. Hm.

Here's what I bought for $31.47:

2 packages of Foster Farms chicken breasts - $.99/lb = $13.13 (If I have the budget I try to buy the biggest package so I get the sale price on more meat)
Red Baron Pizzas - $4.85, on sale 30% off is $3.39, MC ($1.50) = $1.89 each

Red Baron Slices - $3.99, on sale 30% off is $2.79, MC ($1.00) = $1.79

Lunchmeat 1 lb. - on sale for $3.50, SC ($.50), MC ($.55) = $2.45

2# cheese - $4.49 regular price (we were out)

3 gallons of organic milk - markdown to $1.00 each!

Hot Dog buns - $.50 regular price (kids asked for hot dogs for lunch)

Can of peanuts - $1.00 markdown (snacks for airplane)

2 oranges - $1.34

The big find was the organic milk for $1.00, of course. The dates on these milk were "sell by 6/7" and "use by 6/11." I put one in the fridge that we are already using and I put two in the freezer for later use. I don't like how the milk unfreezes for regular drinking, but it works great for cooking. I'll have to incorporate lots of milk in my menu plan the next few weeks - a treat since I often avoid recipes that use a lot of milk. Organic is so expensive.

I'm making a three week menu plan this time - I hope I can post that later today.

Katie