Grocery Challenge - Part 3

My grocery challenge in going pretty well, I think.  Last week was the hardest so far, because of the birthday party.  I did go a little over what I planned on spending, in part due to taking advantage of some sales on meat last Wednesday.  That, however, has made a big difference in our spending for this week.

So far this week, I've spent about $33 or so.  I spent $26 at Aldi stocking up on produce, milk and eggs.  I also spent $7 at Dillon's buying a few things I forgot at Aldi.  We have plenty of meat for the week as well as fruits and veggies, eggs and breakfast supplies.

I am leaving on Thursday evening to go to a retreat with our church.  Hopefully, the boys will not eat pizza too often while I'm gone. :)

Grocery Shopping Challenge - part 2

Well, although I whole heartedly want to be successful with this grocery shopping challenge, I failed to take into account that yesterday was my toddler's 2nd birthday.  Ouch.  The groceries I purchased last week sufficed for our family, but I hadn't thought about my parents and siblings coming for the holiday weekend for the birthday celebration.  Nor had I decided what to do about Harrison's party cake and/or decorations.

I figured I would try as best I could to use what I had on hand and purchase as little as possible.  My mom and her husband came Saturday morning.  The rest of the crew showed up Saturday afternoon and evening.  My mom purchased most of the groceries for Saturday evening's meal in honor of my birthday, which was a few weeks ago.  That was a life/money-saver.  Thanks, Mom!!

Everyone was here Sunday and the menu for the day looked like this:

Breakfast - eggs and toast, juice and coffee
Late Lunch around 2:00 - grilled porkchops, baked potatoes, baked beans, salad
Dinner - leftover buffet

I did have to buy some groceries.  Here's what we got.  I didn't have a meal plan or a good list, so I tried to do it in my head while I went.  Not a good idea.  I got everything at Dillon's and purchased the Kroger brand when I could.  This is food for the weekend and next week.  I know I'll have to go back for milk, bread, eggs and butter at some point.

Milk - 2.59

1# hamburger - 1.53  (saved $1 w/Plus card)

Pork chops - 7.52 (buy 1 get 1 free, saved $6.92 w/card)

Pork loin - $7.44 (saved $3.74 w/card)

Ramen noodles - $1

Mac n cheese - 2 @ .39

Saltines - .88

Sour Cream - 1.16

Fruit loops - .99

Peas - .63

Elbow macaroni - .78

Baked beans - 1.59  (saved .06 w/card)

Crisco - 2.55

Grean beans - .63

Peanut butter - 1.29

Powdered sugar - 1.75

Mustard - .89  (saved .10 w/card)

Dried pinto beans - 2.19

Hotdog buns - .88

Hamburger buns - .88

Eggs - 1.59

Total w/tax - $41.06

I also made a last minute trip to Wal-Mart before the party for a few party things, Wilton food coloring and candy to finish decorating the cake.  That total was around $18

So, the total for the weekend and hopefully most of next week is right at $60.  Still not too bad, considering I've fed more than just our family and had a birthday party.

Taking The Challenge

Owlhaven has become one of my favorite blogs. Mary is taking the month of September to focus on spending as little as possible. Her family includes 9 adopted children from all over the world and she is going to try to spend only $75 each week for groceries. Of course, she's challenged the rest of us to step up and join her.

I've been trying to curtail the grocery budget for a while now, anyway, so I thought this might be fun. I've actually been doing pretty well the past few weeks, but I'm going to try to do even a little better for the next month.

Before we moved, I was in a habit of grocery shopping on Fridays, which I like. However, our routine is different now that we are in the new house and homeschooling. We've also taken on a different approach to budgeting, so the Friday thing just isn't going to work for now. That's ok.

We've decided to alot X amount of dollars per pay period for each of our expenditures, which includes groceries. We'll be paying with cash only. No debit cards. It's incredible the psychological effect cash has vs. the debit card, even though I know the "cash" is coming right out of my checking account when I use the card. I'm completely stingy with the greenbacks.

Doug got paid today, so I went grocery shopping for the week. Honestly, I wanted to spend less than $50. I didn't make it, but only overspent by about $8. That's still not bad and much better than what we've spent in the past. Here's what I got from Food 4 Less (I really hate the multi-store approach):

Not pictured: a gallon of milk

Gallon of milk - 2.78

Trix yogurt - 2.58 (I HATE this yogurt, but the kids go nuts for it. I'm thinking of making my own. We'll see.)

Coffee Creamer - 2.06 (I know I could live without it, but I really want to enjoy my new deck & need the creamer for the great coffee I'm going to have on these great mornings)

Honey Buns - 1.28 (Another splurge. Should've left these at the store)

Smart Chicken Breasts - 5.07 (Could've bought cheaper, but really would prefer organic. This is my compromise)

Cheerios - 2.68

Coffee - 2.98

Mushroom Soup - 1.24

Chicken broth - 2.87

Hot Dog Buns - .76

Apple Juice - 1.16

Green Beans - 2 @ .48

Sliced pineapple - .98

Alfredo Sauce - 2.98 (Jackson won't eat the red sauce.....what's a mom to do?)

Toilet paper - 4.78

Hot Dogs - .98 (Doug's choice for lunch. He doesn't seem to care about the nitrites...ugh)

Broccoli crowns - 4.11

Peaches - 2.21

Grapes - 2.12

Spinach - 1.98

Bag of onions - 1.38

Celery - .98

5# bulk carrots - 3.25

Baby carrots - 2.28 (Seems redundant, but the kids LOVE the baby carrots)

Raisins - 1.58

TOTAL WITH TAX - $58.33

I went over the $50 goal, but considering I got a few extras I'm ok with that. I could've been under $50 if I'd left the coffee & creamer, yogurt, honey buns and made Jackson suffer with no alfredo. A few of these things will probably last into next week, so maybe I can make up for it then.

Food & Fun Friday

I realized this morning as I was catching up on my blog list and finding great new ones, that I had forgotten my Food & Fun Friday post. I have a good excuse, though. We definately had a fun Friday, as we were going full-speed from the time we opened our eyes.

We had great friends from out of town spend the night Thursday night. Carter had gone camping with his Nana in Branson, after we spent the afternoon in Silver Dollar City with said friends. So, Friday morning we woke with company, but minus Carter. When the friends left mid-morning, the remaining boys and I headed back to Branson to reclaim our Carter.

We ended up going back to Silver Dollar City with Nana. We spent the entire afternoon riding and eating (which completes the Food & Fun theme for the day - lol) before we headed back to Nana's camper. Doug drove down after he was off work and played a round of putt putt with the kids after dinner.

However, our plans to reclaim Carter were blundered when both older boys wanted to camp instead of come home with mom and dad. So, Harrison came home with us and we will hopefully reclaim Jackson and Carter this afternoon. I'm thinking that after today, Nana will see to it that I have my sons back.

So, we had a Friday full of fun and lots of good food!

The menu plan for next week looks very similar to last week's plan. Because Doug showed up at the beginning of last week with several steaks that I wasn't planning on, we grilled those and ate leftovers a few times. Most of the groceries I bought for last week are still in the fridge or pantry. I'll just have to restock the milk, bread, eggs and butter.

Grocery Shopping Success!

Well, I did it! I'm really excited that I set out with a very specific plan and accomplished my goal. the kids behavior in the store was a little less than desirable, but the bill was well under budget. The grand total was $40.66. This includes three meals a day for a week plus snacks and a couple extras that weren't on my list. Yea!

I did go to two different stores, but I still completed the entire trip and made it back home in about an hour.

At the bread store I got:

Syrup - 1.89

100% whole wheat bread - 1.00

Whole wheat English muffins - .75

French bread - 1.00

Bread Store Total = $4.81

At Aldi I got:

Boneless-skinless chicken breasts - 5.49

Bag of carrots - .99

2 cucumbers - .98

Apple juice - 1.39

Blueberries - .99

2 pkg broccoli crowns - 1.98

3# bag of apples - 2.99

Red seedless grapes - 2.98

Bing cherries - 1.49

Instant mashed potatoes - .87

Cereal - 1.69

Salmon - 3.99

Milk - 2.22

Kitchen trash bags - 6.29

Aldi Total = $35.85

I have to say that it was a little difficult to stick to the list. I added a few things because I forgot to put them on the list. I feel really good about it. A week of meals for under $50 is great for us!

Food & Fun Friday

Most of the blogs I've been reading regarding grocery shopping do their planning and shopping on Mondays at the beginning of the week. That doesn't work so well for me. I want a stocked fridge for the weekend, which is when I like to cook for friends or just have special meals for us. Monday is the beginning of our homeschool week and I want to be disciplined enough to get right to the school schedule without worrying about the menu or groceries. So, I've designated Friday as our menu planning and shopping day. I'm calling it 'Food & Fun Friday' because I hope to be able to shop in the morning and do something fun with the kids in the afternoon. We'll see how it goes.

Today we are not going to worry about the fun activity because we've been very busy all week and everyone here just needs a rest. The activities will be more applicable when our homeschool schedule officially begins.

My grocery project over the next two weeks is to use up everything I possibly can from the pantry. We are moving at the end of the month and I don't want to pack and move food if I don't have to.

Here's the meal plan for the next week.

1. B - rice

L - PB& J

D - spaghetti w/zucchini from the garden and garlic bread

2. B - pancakes and eggs

L - beef roast w/carrots and mashed potatoes

D - leftovers

3. B - Oatmeal

L - Baked chicken w/zucchini and rice

D - Ramen noodles

4. B - Malt O Meal

L - Carrots & Apples w/peanut butter

D - Smothered burgers w/mashed potatoes & broccoli

5. B - Eggs & cereal

L - Ramen noodles

D - Salmon & grilled veggies

6. B - Rice

L - Grilled cheese & apples

D - Leftovers

7. B - Oatmeal

L - PB & J

D - Chicken strips and tater tots

Snacks: grapes, bananas, home-made Kool-Aid popsicles

I'm headed out to shop now. I'm hoping to spend less than $50. I'll let you know how it goes.