Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4
Another week (actually 2 weeks in 1) of doing Groceries $40 for 4. It was a busy week of catching up after being away and since I had been traveling I did two weeks worth of grocery shopping this week. It felt great saving some of the grocery shopping cash since I was doing two weeks worth of shopping while stocking up on some items for our pantry. I mainly stocked up on diary items and fresh strawberries (we ate some, flash froze whole strawberries, and made some amazing Strawberry Jelly) this week. Below are my grocery shopping adventures for the week!
Groceries from Bi-Lo:
- $8.86 at Bi-Lo for 3 Gallons of Milk (each with a $1 or 2 – $1 Coupons on them), 2 packs of Cheese, and 2 packs of Yogurt. Plus I used a $5.00 Coupon Off a $10.00 Diary Purchase.
Freshly picked strawberries! Groceries from Hunter’s Farm and :
- $8.50 at Hunter’s Farm for a gallon of Strawberries. We picked the strawberries ourselves at Hunter’s Farm in Easley, SC, we definitely got our money’s worth on these with two little ones helping pick and eating a few strawberries in between picking!
- $8.00 at Sandy Flat for a gallon of Strawberries. My sweet friend, Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things In Life, picked these up for me already since she is closer to Taylors picked so we could make some delicious Strawberry Jelly!
Groceries at CVS - restocking our soda for the next time with family and friends! Groceries from CVS:
- $1.78 at CVS for 2 – 2 liters of Mountain Dew.
Groceries from Bi-Lo Groceries from Bi-Lo:
- $17.23 at Bi-Lo for 2 gallons of Milk, 1 carton of Eggs, 1 Whipped Topping, 2 packs Danimals Yogurt, 2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup, 2 cans Shredded Chicken, 3 bags Shredded Cheese, 1 box of Lipton Tea Mix packs, 1 box of Propel packs, 1 box of Snapple packs, 1 box Elbow Macaroni Noodles, 1 bag of Sucralose Sugar, 2 boxes of Laci Le Tea packs, and pack of 3 fresh Zucchini.
I am excited to be back doing our Groceries $40 for 4 budget again. This week (2 weeks in one) we spent $44.37 on groceries so it was a pretty good week considering it was two weeks worth of groceries. It was still hard to go $4 over the $40 amount but we need a few items for our fridge and pantry. I was able to stock up on a few extra items this week, including some diary goods and I froze a couple more gallons of milk since they are discounted.
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.
Fresh & Healthy: Downtown Farmer’s Market (Saturdays) Fresh Produce & More!
It is the beginning of produce harvest for a lot of local farmers which means the Farmer’s Market is opening. Many local communities will host Downtown Farmer’s Markets to help connect the farmers with the local people who want to purchase fresh fruits and veggies for their family.
Families in the Greenville area who are looking for some fresh in-season vegetables, fruit, local honey, gourmet foods, seafood, fresh flowers, diary products, coffee, nuts, baked goods, handmade crafts, woodworking and a wide variety of other goodies from more than 50 vendors can come to downtown Greenville on Saturday mornings starting May 7th through October 29th.
Downtown Greenville Farmer’s Market Details:- What / Where – Downtown Greenville’s Saturday Market (Main Street at McBee Avenue, Greenville, SC 29601 )
- When – Saturdays from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM ( May 7 to October 29)
- Cost – Free Admission (the only cost is for the items you purchase from the local farmers / vendors)
- For More Information / Activities – Saturday Market Live / 864-467-4494
Downtown Greenville has music and special events during the Saturday Farmer’s Market. Please go to their events section for more information on upcoming musicians, cooking demonstrations, and special events.
Easley just started a Downtown Farmer’s Market a few years ago. It is smaller than the one in Downtown Greenville but for a small community it has a lot of amazing produce to offer. Each year it has grown bigger with more vendors offering their fresh produce and goods to the local community.
Downtown Easley Farmer’s Market Details:
- What / Where – Downtown Easley Farmer’s Market (205 North 1st Street, Easley, SC 29640)
- When – Saturdays from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM (April 9th to End of Season)
- Cost – Free Admission (the only cost is for the items you purchase from the local farmers / vendors)
- For More Information / Activities – Easley Farmers Market / 864-855-7900
2011 Special Calendar of Events – Easley’s Farmers Market:
- May 7 – Smoke House & Sparky
- May 14 – Parent Magazine & Fun Kid Activities
- May 21 – SunLit Moon Entertainment
- June 11 – Parent Magazine & Fun Kid Activities
- July 2 – 2nd Annual Pie Baking Contest & July 4th Celebration.
- July 23 – Square Root Entertainment
- More activities being scheduled check back often
Photo by Natalie Maynor & Swami Stream
Recipe: Ashley’s Strawberry Jam
Freshly picked strawberries, ready to make into jelly! After our family went on a Strawberry picking adventure this past weekend I got together with a good friend, Ashley from Reflecting On The Simple Things in Life on Monday morning and made some of her amazing Strawberry Jelly. The gallon of strawberries we used for the jelly was from Sandy Flats Farm in Taylors, SC. We had a lot of fun catching up while making strawberry jelly. Thankful for friendships and time together making delicious goodies for our families and to share with others. The recipe for the Strawberry Jam is one Ashley generously shared with me. We made 23 jars of Strawberry Jelly in a couple hours. Our cost for the strawberries was $8.00 for a gallon. I went ahead and bought a set of jars since I didn’t have enough, Ashley had the sugar and pectin on hand. If you go to Yard Sales you should be able to pick up more jam jars for a better price.
Ashley’s Strawberry Jam:- Two pounds of fresh strawberries
- 4 1/2 cups of white sugar
- 1 box of Sure Jell premium fruit pectin
- 6 canning jars
Wash and drain strawberries. Remove stems from strawberries and slice. Blend sliced strawberries in blender or food processor. Measure 3 3/4 cups of crushed strawberries and 4 1/2 cups of white sugar. Make sure to measure out the sugar ahead of time because you don’t want to stop in the middle of making the jelly and have to measure it out. The jelly can easily burn.Stir 1 box of fruit pectin and 3 3/4 cups of crushed strawberries into a large sauce pot on high heat. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of butter to help reduce the foaming if you’d like. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that doesn’t stop when stirred. Stir in sugar quickly. Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly one minute. Remove from heat. Pour quickly into clean jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Cover with lids and screw bands on tightly. My Mom would always finish with putting them into a pressure cooker to seal the lids. I was always scared of pressure cookers because I thought they would blow up on me so she told me that most of the time the jelly is so hot that it will seal the lid on its own within 30 minutes. But to be safe, in case it doesn’t seal, always store the jelly in the freezer. Majority of the time all my jars have sealed but I still store the jelly in the freezer, just in case. This recipe makes about 6 cups of strawberry jelly.
Jars of fresh Strawberry Jam I made this week, there are a couple not in the picture because I already gave one away to our neighbor and opened another one to eat! Fresh & Healthy: Flash Freezing Fresh Strawberries
Our family went Strawberry picking recently so we have been busy making strawberry goodies. The day we picked the strawberries we separated them out into containers for the ones we wanted to eat immediately and ones we wanted to freeze to eat later. We chose to flash freeze our strawberries whole.
How to Flash Freeze Fresh Strawberries:
- Rinse the Fresh Strawberries with cool water
- Place on wax paper in a pan
- Cut off the stems of the strawberries
- Put the strawberries on the pan evenly spaced so they are not touching each other
- Put the pan in the freezer until the strawberries are completely frozen (usually takes several hours for them to freeze completely)
- Once the strawberries are frozen put them into freezer bags (I usually put them into Quart or Gallon, 2 cups or more at a time)
When you flash freeze the strawberries they will not stick together when you take them out. You can take as many or as little strawberries as you like throughout the year. Here are some of the pictures of the process below:
Rinse the fresh strawberries! 
Line the pan with wax paper. 
Cut off the strawberry stems, place on wax paper & stick in the freezer! 
Layers of Flash Frozen Strawberries! 
Bags of Flash Frozen Strawberries - measured and dated for future meals! Family Outings: Strawberry Picking
We went Strawberry picking this past weekend and had a blast! The entire family was picking so we had our gallon done in no time. We stopped by Hunter’s Farm in Easley, South Carolina. The strawberries were $8.50 a gallon if you pick your own and bring your own container. Here are a few pictures from our adventure Strawberry Picking:
Karlie and Brina picking fresh strawberries at Hunter's Farm! 
Brina with a handful of strawberries! 
Karlie with a handful of strawberries! 
Brina showing off her strawberries! 
Karlie showing off her goodies! 
Brina enjoying her time picking up strawberries! Gallon full of fresh strawberries! 
Fresh Strawberries!!! Save A Lot: Deals for the week of May 4 – 10, 2011
The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience. Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!
Meats and Seafood
Fresh Bone-In Split Chicken Breast – $0.99 per pound
Pork Spare Ribs – $1.79 per pound
Sugardale Bratwurst (14 oz) – $1.99
Bone-In Assorted Pork Chops – $2.49 per pound
Sugardale Super Dogs – $3.99
Hillshire Farms Sausage – $1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from Hillshire Farms
$0.99 each after couponHolten Beef Patties – $3.99
Hillshire Farms Lit’ Smokies – $2.59
Use $1/1 coupon from Hillshire Farms
$1.59 each after couponPick 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
Fudgsicles or Popsicles – $1.00
Borden Singles or Grilled Cheese Melts (12 oz) – $1.50
Wylwood Mini Corn on the Cob – $1.69
World’s Fair Ice Cream (1 gallon) – $4.99
World’s Fair Round Top Sundae Cones – $2.49
Crisp Premium Orange Juice – $2.69
Take & Bake Pepperoni or Supreme Pizza – $5.99
Take & Bake Cheese Pizza – $5.49
Stouffer’s Party Size Lasagna (90 oz) – $8.99
Use $1/1 coupon from Nestle Family
$7.99 after each couponHousehold
Colortex Bath Tissue (12 double rolls) – $2.99
Wrightware Foam Plates (100 count) – $2.00
Solo Plastic Cups – $0.99
Wrightware Napkins – $1.55
Kindle Charcoal Lighter Fluid – $2.49
Royal Oak Charcoal (8.3 pounds) – $2.99
Produce
Fresh Strawberries (1 pound) – $1.50
Extra Large Green Peppers – $0.33 each
Grocery
Gatorade (1/2 gallon) – $1.69
Cowboy Billy’s Pork & Beans (16 oz) – $0.50
Senora Verde Tortilla Chips – $1.29
Senora Verde Mild or Medium Salsa – $1.49
Senora Verde Taco Dinner Kit – $1.99
Senora Verde Refried Beans – $0.79
El Monterey Steak & Cheese Taquitos – $2.99
Kurtz Yellow Mustard – $0.69
On the Side Pasta Salad – $0.99
Kurtz BBQ Sauce – $0.99
Portmann’s Real Mayonnaise – $2.29
Kurtz Ketchup – $0.87
Kurtz Sweet Relish – $1.29
Save A Lot Brand Soda (12 Pack) – $2.29
Crystal 2 0 Drinking Water (24 pack) – $2.49
Frosty Flakes, Circus O’s or Captain Choco’s Cereal – $2.99
Toast Em Strawberry or Brown Sugar – $0.99
Malt O Meal Cereal – $0.99
Ralston Crisp Crunch Cereal – $1.99
Ralston Essentially You with Red Berries Cereal – $2.49
Pebbles Cereal – $1.79
Velveeta Cheesy Potatoes – $1.99
Kraft Homestyle Mac & Cheese – $1.99
Use $1/1 coupon from insert 4/17 Smart Source (Expires 5/17/11)
$0.99 each after couponBakery
Bakery Fresh Cherry or Apple Pies – $2.99
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.
