I
did it! I stayed within my grocery
budget. It was a challenge, but I did it.
My
non food budget came in at $25.06 for cat food, cat litter, dish soap,
toiletries and furniture polish. I try
to keep it under $25.00, so not too bad.
This
is what I bought last month. The items in red are my stock up items:
|
Groceries
|
|
$$$
|
|
|
Onions
|
|
1.74
|
|
|
Sweet
relish
|
|
1.00
|
Dollar
Store
|
|
Pepperoni
(2)
|
|
2.00
|
Dollar
Store
|
|
Sauce
packets (16)
|
|
4.00
|
Sale
|
|
Ramen
(48)
|
|
6.00
|
Sale
|
|
Flour
tortillas (4)
|
|
3.00
|
Sale
|
|
Eggs
- 1 doz.
|
|
1.00
|
Sale
|
|
Cake
mix (2)
|
|
1.50
|
Sale
|
|
Brownie
mix (2)
|
|
1.50
|
Sale
|
|
Frosting
(2)
|
|
3.00
|
Sale
|
|
Chicken
thighs
|
|
1.77
|
Markdown
|
|
Chicken
thighs
|
|
1.17
|
Markdown
|
|
Ground
beef
|
|
2.04
|
Markdown
|
|
Ground
beef
|
|
2.68
|
Markdown
|
|
Juice
- frozen concentrate
|
|
3.00
|
Store
Promotion
|
|
Tuna
(6)
|
|
2.75
|
Sale
|
|
Salad
dressing (2)
|
|
1.98
|
Markdown
|
|
Veggie
dip (3)
|
|
2.57
|
Markdown
|
|
Cheese
(3)
|
|
5.00
|
Store
Coupon
|
|
Lettuce
(2)
|
|
1.76
|
|
|
Mushrooms
|
|
1.79
|
Sale
|
|
Carrots
|
|
1.29
|
|
|
Celery
|
|
0.30
|
|
|
Green
onions
|
|
0.50
|
Sale
|
|
Eggs -
1 doz.
|
|
0.99
|
Store
Coupon
|
|
Black
beans
|
|
1.59
|
|
|
Hot dog
buns
|
|
0.99
|
|
|
Broccoli
|
|
1.44
|
|
|
Bell
pepper
|
|
0.59
|
|
|
Red
beans
|
|
0.99
|
Sale
|
|
Baking
powder
|
|
1.00
|
Dollar
Store
|
|
Maraschino
cherries
|
|
1.00
|
Dollar
Store
|
|
Jalapenos
|
|
1.00
|
Dollar
Store
|
|
Green
olives
|
|
1.00
|
Dollar
Store
|
|
Graham
cracker crusts
|
|
2.00
|
Dollar
Store
|
|
Marshmallow
crème
|
|
1.00
|
Dollar
Store
|
|
Cereal
(3)
|
|
4.14
|
Sale/Coupon
|
|
Cereal
|
|
1.99
|
Sale
|
|
Eggs -
1 doz. (2)
|
|
1.78
|
Sale
|
|
Spaghetti
sauce (6)
|
|
4.62
|
Sale
|
|
Sausage
links (6)
|
|
4.62
|
Sale
|
|
Bagels
|
|
0.99
|
Markdown
|
|
Ground
beef
|
|
2.29
|
Markdown
|
|
Pot
roast - 3#
|
|
9.00
|
Sale
|
|
Juice
(2)
|
|
2.00
|
Sale
|
|
Soup
(4)
|
|
2.00
|
Store
Coupon
|
|
Green
beans (4)
|
|
1.96
|
Sale
|
|
Corn
(2)
|
|
0.98
|
Sale
|
|
Tortilla
chips
|
|
0.60
|
Store
Coupon
|
|
Milk
- 1/2 gal
|
|
1.25
|
Store
Coupon
|
|
Romaine
|
|
0.99
|
Sale
|
|
Cole
slaw mix
|
|
0.98
|
|
|
Spinach
|
|
1.59
|
Store
Coupon
|
|
Customer
appreciation coupon
|
|
(1.00)
|
Store
Coupon
|
|
Customer
appreciation coupon
|
|
(1.50)
|
Store
Coupon
|
|
Broccoli
|
|
0.99
|
Sale
|
|
Peas
|
|
0.99
|
Sale
|
|
Peas
& carrots
|
|
0.99
|
Sale
|
|
Flour -
5# (2)
|
|
3.36
|
|
|
Sugar
|
|
1.66
|
|
|
Steak
|
|
2.49
|
Sale
|
|
Ice
cream (2)
|
|
4.19
|
Sale
|
|
Milk
- 1 gal
|
|
2.19
|
|
|
Croissants
|
|
0.99
|
Markdown
|
|
Potatoes
- 10#
|
|
0.99
|
Sale
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$ 125.05
|
|
$125.05 ÷ 31 days ÷3 people = $1.34 per
person per day!
Okay
so I actually did go over by a nickel, but I don't care. Close enough! J It feels really good
to have managed to get so much for so little.
And a lot of what I bought we'll be using in the months ahead.
So
how did you save money on groceries last month?
Share some of your tricks with us about how you do it.
Whoo-Hoo! High Five to you! You got some really good deals and you managed to do some stocking up and still stay within your budget- You Rock! ;)
ReplyDeleteThe problem I have with my budget is with household items. It seems like we run out of everything at the same time so I end up dropping a chunk just on things like toilet paper, toiletries, cleaners, laundry supplies, kitchen and dish supplies, etc. Maybe because we are a household of 4 with 2 little kids and lots of messes? Maybe I just don't get the right items at the right stores? I don't know, but I would like to really take some time and try to trim that part of our spending down.
I have been holding out on getting certain meat, like ground beef, until a really good sale hits one of the local stores. I found that this week there is a sale, not a super-duper deal, but better than anywhere else I have seen so I am going to stock up. That is usually one way I trim down on grocery spending- just wait it out for a good sale. Sometimes I have to wait a while, but I do eventually find some good deals.
I also bought a big pumpkin (after Halloween when they are dirt cheap) and I am going to bake that- add it into foods I cook and make pumpkin bread, pie, etc. I find that a lot of places want to get rid of pumpkins after Halloween is over so you can sometimes make a deal and get a bunch for next to nothing, cook them up in the oven and freeze the cooked pumpkin mash in containers. Great way to get some more good food into the kiddos! :)
I'm hoping to get canned pumpkin on a good sale and stock up this year. I did get 5# bags of flour yesterday and 2# bags of brown sugar for $1.50 each. They were out of wheat flour so I got a rain check.
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