Coupons
CONGRATULATIONS to Our 5 “Money Saving Mom’s Budget” Book Winners!
The names have been drawn for the giveaway!
CONGRATULATIONS to
Melissa Donovan
Bonnie
Brooke Butcher
Lisa Smith
Angela W
for winning a copy of
Money Saving Mom’s Budget by Crystal Paine!
Thanks for making a comment in honor of our Giveaway!
An email has been sent to you with more information*
Enjoy Reading Your Next Book!
Don’t forget to enter our next Giveaway (the next giveaway will be announced later this morning)!
*Giveaway must be claimed within 5 business days of the prize being announced. Failure to claim the prize within the allotted time frame means you forfeit the prize.
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of February 1 – 7, 2012
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. It is a great time to stock up on some Save A Lot deals. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Boston Round Roast – $2.99 lb
London Broil – $3.49 lb
Beef Sirloin Tips – $2.99 lb
Family Pack Cube Steak – $3.49 lb
Family Pack Stew Meat – $2.99 lb
Family Pack Chicken Wings – $1.59 lb
Butterball Turkey Bacon (6 oz) – $1.00
$0.55/1 coupon from insert 1/14 Smart Source (Expires 2/26/12)
$0.45 each after couponBoston Butt Roast – $1.69 lb
Family Pack Chicken Drumsticks or Thigh – $0.99 lb
Chicken Leg Quarters (10 pounds) – $6.89
Carolina Ground Turkey (12 oz) – $1.00
Gwaltney Pork Sausage (12 oz) – $1.00
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Oscar Mayer Wieners (16 oz) – $1.00
Oscar Mayer Bologna (12 oz) – $1.00
Oscar Mayer Lunchables (4 oz) – $1.00
Banquet Dinners, Assorted Varieties – $1.00
Pillsbury Grand Biscuits (16 oz) – $1.00
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 11/20 Smart Source (Expires 2/11/12)
Use $0.40/2 coupon from insert 12/11 Smart Source (3/3/12)
Use $0.30/2 coupon from insert 11/20 Smart Source (Expires 2/11/12)
Use $0.30/2 coupon from insert 12/11 Smart Source (Expires 3/3/12)
Use $0.30/2 coupon from insert 1/8 General Mills (Expires 3/31/12)
Use $0.30/2 coupon from insert 11/13 General Mills (Expires 2/4/12)
Use $0.30/2 coupon from insert 12/4 Smart Source (Expires 2/25/12)
Use $0.40/3 coupon from insert 11/20 Smart Source (Expires 2/11/12)
Use $0.40/3 coupon from insert 12/4 Smart Source (Expires 2/15/12)
Use $0.40/3 coupon from insert 12/11 Smart Source (Expires 3/3/12)
As low as $0.67 each after couponBuyers Best Crinkle Cut French Fries (32 oz) – $1.00
Save A Lot Today Chicken Strips or Meatballs (7 to 9 oz) – $1.00
Banquet Brown ‘n Serve Sausage Links, Maple or Original (6 oz) – $1.00
Budding Deli Cuts (Ham, Chicken, Turkey, Roast Beef) 3 to 4 oz – $1.00
Hormel Pepperoni or Hard Salami (3.5 oz) – $1.00
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 1/15 Smart Source (Expires 3/15/12)
Use $0.55/2 printable coupon from Hormel
As low as $0.50 each after couponHinsdalel Corn Dogs (3 count) – $1.00
Fisher Boy Fish Sticks (6 oz) – $1.00
Fisher Boy Shrimp Poppers (4 oz) – $1.00
Tortino’s Pizza Rolls, Pepperoni or Cheese (15 count) – $1.00
Tony’s Crispy Crust Pizza, Pepperoni or Supreme (9 to 10 oz) – $1.00
Produce
Oranges (4 pounds) – $2.99
Potatoes (10 pounds) – $2.99
Mini Carrots – $1.00
Head Lettuce – $1.00
Tomatoes (3 pack) – $1.00
Russet Potatoes (5 pounds) – $1.99
Onions (3 pounds) – $1.29
Red or Yellow Peppers – $1.00
Avocados – $1.00
Yellow Onions (3 pounds) – $1.00
Grocery
Betty Crocker Hamburger or Chicken Helper, Assorted Varieties – $1.00
Sundia Fruit Cups, Assorted Varieties (8 oz) – $1.00
Chef Boyardee Canned Pasta, Assorted Varieties (14 to 15 oz) – $1.00
Use $0.50/4 coupon from 1/1 Smart Source (2/5/12)
$0.88 each after couponDiane’s Garden Tomatoes, Whole, Petite or Crushed (28 oz) – $1.00
Nissan Souper Meals, Assorted Varieties (4.3 oz) – $1.00
Hormel Micro Cups, Assorted Varieties (7.5 oz) – $1.00
Wylwood Cut Green Beans or Whole Kernel Corn (28 to 29 oz) – $1.00
Progresso Vegetable Classic Soups, Assorted Varieties (19 oz) – $1.00
Use $1.00/4 coupon from insert 12/11 Smart Source (Expires 2/4/12)
Use $1.00/4 coupon from insert 1/8 Smart Source (Expires 3/3/12)
$0.75 each after couponLay’s Stax, Assorted Varieties (5.5 to 5.75 oz) – $1.00
Bud’s Best Bite Size Cookies, Assorted Varieties (6 oz) – $1.00
Knorr Sides, Assorted Varieties (4 to 7 oz) – $1.00
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 1/29 Red Plum (Expires 2/26/12)
Use $0.50/2 coupon from insert 1/29 Red Plum (Expires 2/26/12)
As low as $0.67 each after couponChicken of the Sea White Tuna (5 oz) – $1.00
Kraft Mac & Cheese, Assorted Varieties – $1.00
Hawaiian Punch, Assorted Varieties (32 oz) – $1.00
Malt O Meal Cereal (10 to 12 oz) – $1.00
Use $1.00/3 printable coupon from Malt O Meal
$0.67 each after couponBetty Crocker Flavored Mashed Potatoes (4 to 6 oz) – $1.00
Kool Aid Bursts (40.5 oz) – $1.00
Red Gold Ketchup (36 oz) – $1.00
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
FREE 16 oz Hot Beverage at Pilot & Flying J Travel Centers
Pilot Travel Centers has a coupon you can print on their Facebook Page for a Free 1 o6z Hot Beverage at Pilot and Flying J Centers .
- Go to Pilot Travel Centers Facebook Page
- Like their Facebook Page
- Click on the Coupon Section
- Print the Free 16 oz Hot Beverage Coupon (the “print” button is a link directly beneath the coupon)
- The coupon is good through March 31, 2012 .
If you are traveling soon or have a Pilot or Flying J Travel Center nearby this is a great deal. We used a couple of their coupons last month when we were traveling.
Organized Chaos: Lunch Box Items
I found a great spot for lunch box items in our kitchen!
Since the majority of our family packs a lunch for school and work nearly everyday of the week it is important that the items for packing lunches are accessible as well as our time spent putting them together is used efficiently. As I was brainstorming the different ways to make the lunch packing task more streamlined for our family I came up with a solution that has been really successful for our family. I found a perfect location for all the non-perishable lunch box items in our kitchen and before long had a lunch box making system that has worked really well.
Even though these drawers are organized in our kitchen the kids do not get something from each drawer every day. The idea is to keep a small stockpile of items necessary for lunches handy so when I need something to put in their lunch I can get to it easily. I purchase items for the drawers only when they go on sale so it stays within family’s grocery budget.
The majority of the week they get fresh fruits & vegetables, water bottles, and no dessert. I do however try to give them one snack item every day in their lunch whether it be a granola bar or pretzels or something similar in their lunches. Every day I make a lunch I use these drawers for something whether it is to grab a sandwich container, lunch bag, granola bar or another item!
Below are the labels I have for the drawers as well as pictures to show you what I put in them:
- Granola Bars / Snacks
- Sandwich Containers / Bags
- Cookies / Desserts
- Fruit Snacks
- Drinks
- Miscellaneous Snacks
Granola Bar & Snack Drawer
I put all the sandwich containers and brown bags into the container drawer. Even the two new ones I picked up fit well, we had the perfect number of sandwich containers for the drawer!
Toy Story brown lunch bags (picked up at the Dollar Tree) are fun to occasionally use for your kids lunch plus they fit nicely beside the sandwich containers in the drawer.
Sandwich Containers & Bags Drawer
Cookies & Desserts Drawer
Placed the fruit in the drawer (applesauce, raisins, cup of fruit).
Fruit Snack Drawer
Placed lunch box drinks (with exception to their water bottles) in this drawer (Chocolate Milk, Gatorade, Juice Bags, Juice Bottles, etc…).
Drink Drawer
Miscellaneous Snacks Drawer (includes items like pudding or jello cups, teddy grahams, pretzels or other bagged snack item)
The last several months we have been using this system and it has been very beneficial for the entire family. Plus if the kids want a snack they can grab a granola bar from the drawer instead of digging through the pantry trying to find a snack. I do try to keep the drawers stocked and rotate (the newer items go in back so the older items get eaten first) the products in the drawers.
My best piece of advice is that you find a system that works well for you, if what you are doing is not going smoothly or you want to find a better way to do it try something different and you may be surprised at how more efficient it is for your family. I already had the items on hand all I did was pick up the two containers on clearance around the beginning of the school year. I would love to hear your tips on keeping all your lunch box items organized and accessible.
- Granola Bars / Snacks
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
Our family was at a Conference (or preparing for the Conference) for the majority of the week. I didn’t have time to really do a regular grocery shopping run and we tried eating up items that we had in the fridge already but I did pick up a couple of items for a get together early in the week. It’s a very “quiet” week in terms of grocery shopping for our family. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Walmart
Walmart Groceries:
- $3.66 at Walmart for 1 bag Toastidos Chips and 1 bag Potato Chips for a couple events that we had earlier in the week.
This week I spent $3.66 on groceries. I was way under on my budgeted amount for the week because of the busy week with the conference and traveling so thankfully I have a little extra to use towards next weeks groceries. The only thing I purchased was for an event we had this week. I hope that next week is better week, back to normal, and we can come under budget!
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.
Save A Lot: Deals for the week of January 25 – 31, 2012
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. It is a great time to stock up on some Save A Lot deals. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Port Side Polluck Fillets (16 oz) – $2.99
Port Side Salmon Fillets (16 oz) – $4.99
Curly’s, BBQ Beef or Pork (18 oz) – $3.99
Pick 5 for $19.99 promo on going: Pick any 5 specially marked packages of your favorite cuts of fresh, frozen or smoked meats and pay just $19.99 (about $2 per pound).
Fridge and Freezer
Mr. P’s Pizza, Pepperoni or Supreme (6.5 oz) – $0.79
Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt (4 pack, 24 oz) – $1.79
Take ‘n Bake Pizza, Supreme or Pepperoni (33 to 36 oz) – $5.99
Take ‘n Bake Cheese Pizza (33 oz) – $5.49
Save A Lot Today Pizza Rolls (7.5 oz) – $0.99
Mantia’s French Bread Pizza (11 oz) – $1.99
Morning Delight Buttermilk Waffles (12.3 oz) – $1.69
Snack-A-Tizers Cream Cheese Jalapenos (8 oz) – $2.39
Household
Wrightware Foam Plates (100 count) – $2.49
Grocery
Chex Mix Snack Mix (5.5 oz) – $0.99
Use $0.60/1 printable coupon from Eat Better America
Use $0.50/2 coupon from insert 1/8 General Mills (Expires 3/3/12)
Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 1/8 General Mills (Expires 3/3/12)
As low as $0.39 each after couponBetty Crocker Fruit Snacks and Fruit Roll Ups (4 to 5 oz) – $1.99
Use $0.50/2 coupon from insert 1/8 General Mills (Expires 3/3/12)
Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 1/8 General Mills (Expires 3/3/12)
As low as $1.49 each after couponKeebler Town House or Club Crackers (11 to 16 oz) – $2.49
JJ’s Pies, Cherry, Apple or Chocolate (4 oz) – $0.50
Del Monte Spaghetti Sauce, Assorted Variety (26.5 oz) – $0.99
Budget Gourmet, Fettuccine Alfredo or Mac n Cheese (7.5 oz) – $0.69
V8 Vegetable Juice, Regular or Low Sodium (64 oz) – $2.99
Use $2.00/3 printable coupon from V8 Juice
Use $1.00/2 printable coupon from Campbell’s Kitchen
Use $0.75/2 coupon from insert 1/1 Smart Source (2/12/12)
Use $0.50/2 coupon from insert 1/1 Smart Source (2/12/12)
As low as $2.33 each after couponSweet Bunz Big Honey Bun (7.5 oz) – $0.88
Sun-Maid Raisin English Muffin (15 oz) – $1.49
J Higgs Potato Chips, Assorted Varieties (8 oz) – $1.29
J Higgs Pretzels (12 oz) – $1.19
J Higgs Tortilla Chips (11 oz) $1.49
Senora Verde Salsa (16 oz) – $1.49
J Higgs Cheese Bit Crackers (9 oz) – $1.69
Ginger Evans Pudding Cups (14 oz) – $0.89
Mantia Spaghetti (16 oz) – $0.99
Mantia’s Pizza Crust Mix (6.5 oz) – $0.49
Mantia’s Pizza Sauce (16 oz) – $0.99
Wylwood Stems and Pieces (4 oz) – $0.69
Kaskey’s Chicken Noodle Soup (10.5 oz) – $0.59
Morning Delight Complete Buttermilk Pancake Mix (32 oz) – $1.89
Morning Delight Syrup (24 oz) – $1.79
Bramley’s Honey Bear (12 oz) – $2.89
Ginger Evans Muffin Mix (4.5 oz) – $0.69
Maruchan Ramen Noodles, Chicken or Beef (6 pack) – $0.99
Port Side Sardines – $0.99
Save A Lot Today Cereal, Assorted Varieties (7 oz) – $1.00
Chef’s Finest Croutons (5 oz) – $1.19
McCormick Bacon Bits (4.4 oz) – $1.49
Remember you can use the $5/$25 printable coupon to sweeten these deals! Plus you can earn up to 5 additional $5 off $25 coupons for sharing the coupon with your friends.
For more information about Save A Lot’s coupon policies go here. If you find additional deals or savings please let me know and I will add them to the list.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
I made some progress last week on my goals! Thankful for the opportunity move forward on my goals despite a busy 2012 first quarter. Since I have a conference for part of the week the list will be shorter.
Here is the update on last weeks goals:
Family Goals
Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everydayRead a book to the girls everyday- Have each girl read 1 book to myself or Jake 5 days this week – the girls were sick this week
- Go on my Date Night with Jake (we got free movie tickets so excited to enjoy some time away together) – We gave away our free movie tickets because we had to cancel our Date Night, the kiddos got sick. 🙁 I am hoping to get it rescheduled soon.
Get the girls Birthday Party Details Started
Personal Goals
Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week– I did it again (victory dance). It has helped give me more energy throughout my days too!- Go to bed by 10:30 pm or earlier Monday to Thursday – was bad about this one, it was after 1 am one night
- Finish reading Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk – still working on it
Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).Get my Travel Visa Application Sent
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned and written by MondaySpend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house- Dinner ready by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday) – it was closer to 6 pm a couple of days
Spend time re-organizing and de-cluttering the officeUpdate Family & Friends Contact Information– glad to have this information updated 🙂
Business Goals
Pay all bills that come in the mail this weekWork on ideas for upcoming blog postsSpend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my deskPlan new implementations for blog- Start working on 2011 business taxes – gathered the information and paperwork but nothing more yet
Ministry Goals
Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requestsMeet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – moving forward on this goal
Start working on our personal 2011 taxes
Here are my goals for the upcoming week:
Family Goals
- Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
- Read a book to the girls everyday
- Spend some time with extended family
Personal Goals
- Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
- Read and listen to the next section of Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (our church Community Group is going through this book together).
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
Business Goals
- Attend the Pro Ag Conference
- Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
Ministry Goals
- Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time shopping the sales this week with all the extra stuff going on around here (including sick family members for a couple days), but I was able to go to a couple stores and pick up some stuff. Most of the stuff I stocked up on were items that we can use over the next few weeks. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Ingles and Walgreens
Ingles Groceries:
- $27.93 at Ingles for 1 loaf Laura Lynn Bread, 2 boxes Act II HomePop Popcorn, 2 boxes Act II Light Popcorn, 2 boxes Act II Butter Popcorn, 2 bags Laura Lynn Oyster Crackers, 2 jars Vlasic Dill Relish, 3 bags Laura Lynn Shredded Cheese, 1 container Deans Onion Dip, 2 boxes Yogurt (clearance for 50 cents each), 1 block Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 2 bags English Muffins, 4 tubes Laura Lynn Texas Biscuits, 2 tubes Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, and 2 loaves French Bread. (Everything I bought this week at Ingles was on sale, marked down, or on clearance. I was able to pick up some more cheese on sale, and used some coupons for the items purchased!)
Walgreens Groceries:
- $7.27 at Walgreens for 2 gallons Milk, 1 box South Beach Granola Bars, 4 boxes Mountain Dew (12 packs), (everything was on sale, I used coupons, registered rewards, and I received $5.99 in Register Rewards back to use towards my next purchase.)
This week I spent $35.20 on groceries. Even though I was under on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on some items at the same time. I was thrilled to stock up on bread and diary items as well as other great fridge & pantry items this week. I hope that next week is better week and we can come under budget!
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.
New Coupon: Planters Peanut Butter
Planters Peanut Butter has a new coupon! Use $1.50 off 2 Planters Peanut Butter Coupon right now. The coupon is for a 16 oz jar of Planters Peanut Butter. With the sales at the stores this week the peanut butter a little over $1.00 each!
Publix
Planters Peanut Butter (16 oz) BOGO – $3.69 ($1.84 ea.)
Use $1.50/2 Planters Coupon
$1.09 each after couponWalmart
Planters Peanut Butter (16 oz) – $1.98
Use $1.50/2 Planters Coupon
$1.23 each after couponTarget
Planters Peanut Butter (16 oz) – $1.99
Use $1.50/2 Planters Coupon
$1.24 each after couponIf you don’t need peanut butter right now print out the coupon and hold onto it until the next $1.50 Planters Peanut Butter sale and get the peanut for $0.75 each! Great time to stock up on peanut butter with this coupon. These will come in handy with the school and work lunches.
Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
It was a wild week, our family has a lot of fun adventures coming up so I am trying to stop on top of everything. Hopefully I will be able to share a little bit more about our upcoming plans before long. I was not able to get to the grocery store until late on Friday but thankfully was able to pick up almost everything I needed this week even if I did got a little over budget. Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.
Groceries from Save A Lot | Rite Aid, Walmart, Ingles, and Walgreens
Save A Lot | Rite Aid Groceries:
- $7.90 at Save A Lot | Rite Aid for 2 boxes Blue Bonnet sticks of butter, 2 boxes Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, 1 container Butter Spread (3 lb), and 1 bag Carrots (2 lbs). (All the items were on sale or clearance.)
Walmart Groceries:
- $0.00 at Walmart for 1 bag Whole Wheat Sandwich Rolls (on clearance), 1 bag Everything French Bread (on clearance), 1 bag Chocolate Chips, 1 box Popcorn (8 count), 2 liter Mountain Dew (price matched), and 1 box Idaho Potatoes (free product coupon). (Bought items on sale or clearance and paid with a gift card so the total was zero.)
Ingles Groceries:
- $42.84 at Ingles for 1 jar Peter Pan Natural Peanut Butter, 1 can Tuna Fish, 1 Starkist Tuna Fish, 2 boxes Pop Secret Popcorn, 2 loaves Laura Lynn Bread, 4 bags Laura Lynn Shredded Cheese, 2 blocks Laura Lynn Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 2 Laura Lynn sliced Cheese (16 count each), 2 boxes Breakfast Biscuits / Pancakes (on clearance, 10 count each), 6 containers Fresh Blueberries (on clearance), 3 bags Snow Peas (on clearance), 1 container Cherry Chocolate Covered Pretzels (on clearance), 1 container Roasted Soybeans (on clearance), 2 bottles Bare Naked Fruit Drinks (on clearance), 2 Laura Lynn English Muffins (6 count each) and 2 sweet Yellow Onions. Not pictured 3 bags of chips we purchased to take over to a friends house. (Everything I bought this week at Ingles was on sale, marked down, or on clearance. All the produce was marked down to $0.99 cents, I was able to pick up some more cheese on sale, and used some coupons for the items purchased!)
Walgreens Groceries:
- $0.65 at Walgreens for 2 dozen Eggs, 1 S6 Power Bar, 1bag Domino Sugar (4 lbs), and 1 two liter A&W Root Beer (everything was on sale, I used $9.59 in coupons, and I received $1.89 in Register Rewards back to use towards my next purchase.)
This week I spent $51.39 on groceries. Even though I was over on my budgeted amount for the week I was able to stock up on some items at the same time plus I had a little extra to spend since I had come under budget in previous weeks. I was thrilled to stock up on produce (blueberries) and diary items as well as other great fridge & pantry items this week. I hope that next week is better week and we can come under budget!
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.
