This year (2009), I'm challenging myself to try even harder to be a better steward with my finances. I just returned from a trip to Publix where I managed to save $44.03. The total price for feeding my family of 5 (okay, we are only 4 this week) is $83.62.
Some of my best buys were:
* Fiber One cereal B1G1 and a coupon for $1 off 2 = 2 boxes at $1.65 each
* Special K cereal (a favorite among my kids) B1G1 and a coupon for $1 off 2 = 2 boxes for $1.50 each
* 10 Dannon Light and Fit yogurts sale 10/$4 with a coupon for $1 off 10 = $.30 each
I also scored on blueberries, organic salad greens and ground turkey. The key is to follow the sales ad and make my weekly menu from there. Also, by purchasing things that I know we'll eat when they are on-sale, I'm never in a crunch for something. I've never paid full price for toilet paper, tampons, diapers (when we used them) or most toiletry items (except the kids' California Baby - I can't ever find coupons for it!)
I even splurged this week purchasing some Aquafina wild berry flavored water. Kicking the soda habit has been hard, but I'm finding that a fizzy water helps when I am ready to crack. I also had the deli make me a nice sub for lunch, seeing how I got busy and forgot to eat breakfast. And I rewarded the fantastic behavior my kids displayed at the store with a yummy 4-pack of Yo Baby Yogurt drink. I always allow them to pick a healthy treat when we are all done shopping IF I haven't had to get to 3 with them. I've been rather successful with 1-2-3 Magic, but I've put my own positive spin on it. This week was yogurt smoothies, 2 weeks ago was mangoes.
Incidentally, this is my first grocery shopping in the new year. I plan to put a widget on the bottom of the screen that keeps a running tracker of how much I spend on groceries, save on groceries and spend eating out. Eating out is a huge problem for me. Not so much eating meals, but being out and grabbing an iced coffee or a bottle of water from the check-out.
Amazing how now that I eat healthier, I'm actually spending less money? Am I the only one seeing a decrease in my grocery bill since cutting out junk?
1 comment:
Hi Mary,
I wanted to say thanks for the comment. I'm also hoping you'll weigh in with your opinion on my latest post.
Your grocery post is inspiring. I started clipping coupons like a wild woman and realized I was buying a lot of junk. It's hard not to when you can get it for free... My new goal is to stock my freezer with lots of made from scratch deliciousness... Then I can cook less frequently, and buy the good stuff when it's on sale. Thanks for the tip on meal planning from the sale ad. Great idea!
Rachel
thetrystingplace.blogspot.com
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