We were on the road again this week, it really has been a summer full of adventures and road trips.  I didn’t take a lot of time to use coupons since time was tight but was able to score a cluster of clearance items.   The bad news is I went over budget this week, the good news is the freezer is restocked with meat, vegetables, and fruit!   Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

Ingles Groceries:

• $50.34 at Ingles for 5 containers of Strawberries (on clearance for $0.99), 5 containers of Blueberries (on clearance for $0.99), 8 packages of Ground Hamburger (93% lean on clearance), 1 package of Lobster (on clearance), 1 package of Alaskan Salmon (on clearance), 2 heads of Cauliflower (on clearance), 2 bags of Brussel Sprouts (on clearance), 1 bag of Bananas (7 pounds on clearance), 2 bags of Apples (on clearance), 2 containers of Carmel Dip (on clearance), and 3 bottles of fruit drinks (on clearance).

BiLo Groceries:

• $23.87 at BiLo for 1 gallon of Skim Milk, 1 bag of Potatoes (on clearance), 2 bags of Purple Grapes (on clearance), 1 bag of Green Grapes (on clearance), 1 bag of Tomatoes (on clearance), 1 bag of Grapefruit (on clearance), 1 bag of Onions (on clearance), 1 bag of Summer Squash (on clearance), 1 package of Catfish (on clearance), 1 package of Perch (on clearance) and 1 gallon of 2% Milk.

Walgreen Groceries:

• $2.25 at Walgreen’s for 2 Hamburger Helpers and 1 Tuna Helper.

CVS Groceries:

• $1.78 at CVS for 2 two liters of Mountain Dew.

Dollar Tree Groceries:

• $1.01 at Dollar Tree for 1 loaf of Nature’s Own Bread

Walmart Groceries:

• $2.76 at Walmart for 1 loaf of French Bread (on clearance) and 1 loaf Cheese Bread (on clearance).

This week I spent $82.01 on groceries.  Even though I was over my budgeted amount for the week  I was able to stock up on several items on clearance and bread items to use as we traveled.  I really hope to have a better week for my next update.  I am happy to stock up but need bumped on the head for going over the budget this week.  We were out of town for a part of this grocery week so it was a little different from our usual events.

It is my goal to give you regular updates on this budget section so you can celebrate the good weeks with me and thump me on the bad weeks!  As always you are welcomed to join the journey with me.  I would love to hear your story and how you are doing too.  The purpose of our family doing this it to watch our grocery spending while allowing us to feed our family, enjoy life, share with others, and yet stay on track with our budget.

Living on a Budget is a series of ways our family uses a budget to help keep us accountable with our finances.  Life doesn’t always go as planned.  We have used some of the ideas I will be sharing for years while others are ones we are just starting to implement as we continue finding ways to be creative and have fun with what we have been given.  Having a plan in place allows us the freedom to be smart with what we have been given, get more creative when it is a tight (week, month, year or a season) and when necessary live a much more simplified life.  A budget helps us stay on track so we have more opportunities to enjoy the many blessings we have been given as well as share what we have with others.  There is so much more to life than having all the stuff.  We may not have the newest or greatest items in our house, we drive used cars, and wear hand-me-down clothing…..however, if our family is taken care of and have love for each other and others we have more than all the riches in the world.