All You Grocery Challenge Week in Review

Sunday - Day 14

Today was one of those lazy Sundays where no one really wanted to do much, including me. LOL. At least we only spent $1.25 today. When hubby went to get a paper, he took the little princess with him, and they ended up getting 5 of those 25 cent granola bars (my daughter calls them 'bars'. lol).

For breakfast we had cereal and the little man had oatmeal. We also had yummy strawberries. For lunch we had grilled cheese sandwiches and canned pineapple chunks. Dinner was breaded pork chops, corn and scalloped potatoes. I also made a chocolate cake which was supposed to be for my mom's birthday Tuesday, but somehow I got persuaded to get out frozen strawberries and whipped topping, and we ate some of it. Oh well. I guess I will just have to make another one tomorrow night when I get home.


A Week in Review

This is our second week of participating in the All You Grocery Challenge and we are still doing pretty well. I had been hoping to only spend $50 this week on groceries, but my local store had some really good deals this week and I ended up spending a little over $50 in one day (but that was 3 different stores). I also needed to get some more meat and a few other things later in the week and ended up spending a little over $10 on that trip.

So, I didn't make my goal budget, but I was still well under the All You budget. Here's a chart and graph showing my week 2 spending:

As you can see we spent $74.13 out of the budgeted $125.00, and had $50.87 that we could have spent if we wanted to. My goal for this next week is again $50. I need to buy some chicken this week, so I am hoping to still be able to stay under this amount. It may be difficult because I will be going back to work this week and hubby will be preparing the meals during the weekdays. We shall see.

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup

Saturday- Day 6

Breakfast:
Dry cereal. Still have a lot of it, so we need to eat it up. We still do not have oatmeal because Aldi's is out of it for a while. I asked and was told it was discontinued for a while. So, I think tomorrow we will just have regular oatmeal (quick oats) with some strawberries or blueberries in it and maybe a splash of sugar if the berries are tart.


Lunch:
Went to a wedding at 1 o'clock. Afterwards was an informal reception where they had deli meats, fruits and salads. It was very yummy. The little kids ate lots of fruits, though they hardly touched their sandwiches.


Dinner:
We were munching all afternoon, so we didn't have an actual dinner. We just snacked on fruit and other leftovers from the party.



Aldi's Trip

After the reception, we stopped by Aldi's since it was on our way home. My intention was to get some more oatmeal for the little kids, but they ended up still not having any. I ended up getting quite a bit of stuff:

• 2 one pound containers of strawberries $1.45 each
• a pint of blueberries $1.49
• 2 pounds of grapes $2.99
• 4 large bananas @ $.39 a pound = $.71
• 2 boxes of popcorn 6ct for $1.49 each
• a gallon of skim milk $1.75
• 2 tubs of Tastes like Butter $.99 each
• 1 pound of sliced ham $3.49
• box of garbage bags $2.49+$.20 tax (not included in food total)

So I spent $20.98 minus the bags ($2.69), for a total of $18.09 added to our grocery budget for the week.

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup

Friday - Day 5

Breakfast:
Cinnamon toast on homemade bread with apple slices.


Lunch:
Canned spaghetti and meatballs with canned pears. We need to run to the store this weekend and grab some more fresh fruit. We only have bananas left and they are starting to get to the point where they would make a good bread.

Dinner:

My husband and I are going out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We will probably end up at Olive Garden since I have a $4 coupon off 2 dinners. We will also drink water (we usually do) to keep the price down. We should be able to get out of there for less than $30. I will update this later with the actual cost. The kids are probably going to have mac n cheese, hot dogs made in the toaster oven, and canned pears. Grandma is coming over to watch them and I want something easy for her to make.

Update: I was wrong. It was more than $30. LOL. We did have a really good time eating out together, alone! It is always so weird to go anywhere together without the kids. Most of the time when I go somewhere, I have at least one of them with me. So, we ended up spending $38.02 which isn't too bad considering hubby got 2 beers. So I will be adding this amount to my weekly grocery budget.

All You Grocery Challenge Daily Roundup

Thursday - Day 4

Breakfast:
Cereal again. We have a lot of cereal that I got CHEAP! So, we ate that. We still haven't gotten to the store yet to pick up oatmeal at Aldi's. I am hoping to get there sometime this weekend. We had blueberries with our breakfast.


Lunch:

Ham and cheese sandwiches on homemade bread with a banana.

Dinner:

Tonight was leftover night, since we had a bunch of food in the fridge. I hate when leftovers go bad. No reason not to get them eaten up. So, the little kids and hubby ate leftover mac n cheese with broccoli, my older son and I had leftover pizza. We had jello with fruit cocktail in it for dessert.

Aldi's and Target Trip 7/7

We had to go to Aldi's tonight and then we headed over to Target to get a few things. They were out of the oatmeal for the kids at Aldi's, so we will stop in quickly the next time we go to work on the garden.

Here is what we got at Aldi's:

• 3 loaves of white bread $.79 each. I have started making my own sandwich bread, so these loaves are for those times when I don't have time (or energy lol) to make more of the homemade.
  
• 2 packages of 40ct paper plates $.99 each. These are to be placed in the basement and only used on certain occasions.
  
• 3 pack of green peppers $1.99. I will be chopping these up tonight or tomorrow and putting in freezer for future use.
  
• Tastes Like Butter $.99. We were out of the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, and I don't have a coupon for any other tub butter, so I decided to try this. My mom says it is pretty good, so I have to believe we will like it.
  
• 6ct of popcorn $1.49. This is a really good price. I usually pay $.99 for 3 on sale at Tops.
  
• 1 pound of ham $3.49, to make panninis with later this week.
  
• garbage bags $2.49
• 2 jars of strawberry spread $1.99. We thought we would try these since they are considerably cheaper than other spreads/jellies without high fructose corn syrup.
  
• bag of onions $1.99
• 2 packs of white American cheese slices $1.49 each
• 1 package of sponges with green scrubby on one side - 2ct $.99
• jar of salsa $1.49
• 1 lemon $.39
• box of animal crackers $1.29. This was bought only because my 3 year old daughter begged and pleaded with me. I would rather buy her animal crackers than candy or goodies.
  
• Canola oil $2.49. I buy this instead of vegetable because it is better for us.
  

Amount Spent: $30.84
Amount saved by shopping at Aldi's:at least $13

We then headed over to Target to use a bunch of Kashi manufacture coupons along with Target coupons. Of course, none of them rang up right, so the poor cashier had to ring each one in by hand. What a pain, but it saved me a lot of money. lol. If you would like to print the Kashi coupons (they expire on the 14th) click here to go to a Target coupon generator.

The picture below shows what I got at Target, except for the gift for my daughter and 1 box of Kashi bars (my husband broke into those on the way home lol).

Here's what I bought at target and the coupons I used:

• 3 boxes of Kashi Waffles at $2.54 each = $7.62. Used 3 $1.50 manufacture coupons, along with 3 $.25 off Target coupons to make these 3/2.37 or $.79 each
• 1 box of Kashi Waffles at $2.54. Used $1.50 manufacture coupon alone (because I was a bonehead and only printed 3 target coupons instead of four - but I wanted to use it anyway because it is still a pretty good deal and the coupon expires soon), making this box $1.04
• 2 boxes of Kashi cereal bars on sale for $2.50 each = $5. Used 2 $1.50 manufacture coupons plus $1 off 2 Target coupons to make these 2/$1 or $.50 each
• 2 boxes of Kashi TLC bars on sale for $2.50. I only had one manufacture coupon (I was bummed) which was $1.50 plus I used a $1 off 2 coupon to make them 2/$2.50 or $1.25 each
• Hanes 5 pack of ankle socks $5. At $1 per pair of socks, this seemed like a good deal and I desperately needed socks. The monster in the dryer has been eating mine lately. I got the ones with the pink on the toes so that my husband does not try to wear them when he runs out of clean socks. LOL
• 2 boxes of Kashi cereal $2.66 each. Had a Target coupon for Buy One Get One Free (I thought I had a manufacture coupon for the cereal also but couldn't find it - C'est la vie) which made them 2/$2.66 or $1.33 each
  
• Princess coloring table. Originally $12.98, on clearance for $9.08. This is for her birthday next month and will be deducted from her amount, making the balance about $76.
• Degree Fine Fragrance deodorant $3.64. I used a $1.25 manufacture coupon and a $1 target coupon to make this $1.39.
  
• Degree Fine Fragrance spray $3.64. I used a $1.25 manufacture coupon ans a $1 Target coupon to make this $1.39 (I bought Sexy Intrigue and it is awesome smelling!)
• Target brand antacid (generic Tums) Originally $2.29, on clearance for $1.60
  

Originally Amount:$57.19
Amount Saved: $29.02

Amount Paid: $28.17 (saved 50.7%)

If you don't include the socks and the gift (neither are part of my grocery budget), then the I saved more like 64% on this shopping trip for food and HBA. All in all, I think I got some pretty good deals, especially considering the amount of Kashi products I was able to get cheap.

As a side note, I just wanted to pass along to you that Target is having a clearance on a lot of their toys right now, and I only see them having better clearance prices. Most are at about 30%, but if this year is anything like last year, there will be even better toy clearance prices within the next month or so. This is the time of the year where they want to get rid of last year's toys, to make room for the new toys for Christmas. So, if you have a little extra money, this would be a great way to get some gifts for the kids.

Also, if you are looking for patio furniture, they have them marked down 75% off!!

All You Grocery Challenge

Looking for a way to challenge yourself to spend less money on groceries? All You magazine is running a Grocery Challenge that begins July 13 and runs for 4 weeks. The challenge is to only spend $25 per person a week. This would be $125 for a family of five. The nice part is you can use food from your stockpile or your garden, or even food that you barter for. As long as you aren't spending money on it, it doesn't count. All You will pick 10 finalists and the winner receives a $1000 grocery card and a year's supply of Knorr's side dishes, plus a chance to appear in All You magazine.

I have entered the challenge and am hoping to slash our spending for the next month dramatically. I have $200 for the month budgeted for food, but would like to actually spend less if possible. We shall see. So, for the month of July, I will be documenting here how much we spend on groceries, eating out, and even my husband's occasional coffee at the convenience store. Unlike the All You challenge, I will be including household and bath products in my overall grocery budget. The only thing I will not include is diapers. I have 3 packs left, but Rite Aid will be having some rebates this month that I would like to take advantage of when they have the packs on sale for less than $10. Even though I have quite a few Pull-Ups, I have a coupon for $5 off that expires this weekend so I will make sure to take advantage of that also. Thank goodness my little girl decided she wanted to start using the potty. This is saving us so much, since she only wears them at night now!

If you have any suggestions on how I can cut my food budget further, or would like to share how you are cutting your expenses, leave me a comment. And don't forget to go sign up for the Grocery Challenge.

Eating Healthy for Less

Eating frugally does not equal not eating healthy. People have this notion that in order to save money on food, that they will not be able to buy healthy foods. This is just not so. There are several ways to help stretch your grocery dollar without stretching your waistline.

Produce
Buy fruits and vegetables when they are in season. Around here $1 per pound for fruits such as apples, grapes and pears is a very good price. Check local farmer's markets and roadside stands for fresh and local produce. In the winter when produce is not in season, we end up eating a lot of bananas and apples, and sometimes grapes if they are on sale. We also buy a lot of frozen vegetables. Frozen right after they are picked, frozen fruits and vegetables taste delicious and still have the important vitamins in them as fresh produce does. Budget out a certain amount a week to buy produce. We budget $6 a week usually.

You may also want to think about growing your own produce. For the cost of seeds and a little seat equity, you can have wonderful fruits and veggies all summer long! Produce from your own garden tastes so much better than the ones bought at the store. If you end up having too much (we might end up with too much lettuce and beans.. lol), you can give it away to friends and family, or even to your local food pantry.

Meat
Buy lean meat such as ground turkey or boneless skinless chicken breast. Buy meat when you find it for less than $2 a pound. When you get a good sale, you may even want to buy extra and freeze some of it. A trick I use to make my meat last longer is to only use 3/4 of a pound instead of a pound. You won't even know the difference, but your wallet will. Check out weekly store fliers for the best meat sales that week and plan your meals around them. You may even want to consider having one or two days a week where you have a meatless meal. You could have beans and rice or chili without meat, or many other tasty meals.

High Fructose Corn Syrup
Many people are concerned nowadays about this sweetener. I know my family has cut down their consumption of the sweetener dramatically in the last year or so. Read the ingredient list carefully. I will buy something that is sweetened with sugar before I will buy something with HFCS, especially if it something my kids eat a lot of, like jelly. HFCS is so many things: pancake syrup, cereals, some canned fruits (the ones that say heavy syrup), some instant oatmeals, bread, and more.

Convenience Foods
There are some healthy convenience foods out there, you just need to read the ingredients to find them. A lot of the convenience foods I buy are pretty good for you (although I will admit to the occassional chocolate bar or bag of Doritos .. lol). You can find coupons for these things that will reduce how much you pay for them. In our house I have to admit that we keep a stockpile of mac n cheese. Although it isn't the healthiest thing for them, it sure is a lot better than fast food, plus it is something my husband can make. LOL.

Sometimes you need a certain food, but the healthier version is too expensive. This was the case with bread in my family. I started using my breadmaker (that I got for free from freecycle) to make homemade bread with no HFCS and no additives and preservatives. I recently started making sandwich bread, and this recipes makes 3 loaves of amazing bread, ready for peanut butter and jelly or a slices of turkey or ham.

Meal Planning
Meal Planning is crucial when you want to save money and eat healthy too. Look at the sales ads of your nearby grocery stores and plan your meals around the sale items and what you have in the house already. When I meal plan, I try not to have too much pasta each week, since both my husband and I are trying to lose weight. I make sure there is a vegetable or fruit with just about every meal also. Frozen vegetables are usually the mainstay in this house because I can get them for about $1 a bag (16 oz). Every Monday I post my meals for the week on here. This helps me to plan, but also I hope inspires my readers to plan for their week.

Stay Out of the Store!
It's a fact. The more you go to store, the more likely it is that you will spend more money and go over your budget. Try to only go to the store once a week, or even every two weeks. I always get as much milk as I can fit in my fridge (6 gallons - and they will get drank in my house! lol) so that I do not have to run back out to the store anytime soon. Have a list on your fridge where you can write down everything you run out of, or are getting low on, so you can get everything in one trip.

See. You can eat frugally and still eat healthy. You may also want to check out 5 Dollar Dinners for more meal ideas that cost less than $5 for a family of 4. She has an awesome blog and is currently writing a cookbook, so I will be looking for that when it comes out. Did I forget anything? Anything you would like comment on or add to my frugal shopping tips? Please leave it in my comments. Have a frugal and healthy day!