• Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    Groceries from Save A Lot | RiteAid

     How is it possible we are already halfway through September, this month is FLYING!?   I was super excited to score some 93% lean ground beef marked down to $2 a pound when it was originally almost $5 a pound.  The downside is I went over my grocery budget for this week, thankfully last week I was under so I have some flexiblity for this week.  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:

    • $31.61 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 3 packs of 93% lean ground beef (marked down to $2 a pound), 1 pack Eye of Round Steaks (marked down), 1 pack fresh Ground Hamburger Patties (marked down), 1 gallon Milk, 1 container Whipped Topping, 2 Breakfast Doubles Cottage Cheese with Strawberries (marked down to 50 cents), 2 Breakfast Doubles Cottage Cheese with Peaches (marked down to 50 cents), 1 container low fat Cottage Cheese (marked down to $1.25), 1 bag Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, 1 package Grissom Hamburger Buns (sale), 8 Lunchable Variety Packs (marked down to 50 cents), 2 loafs Grissom Sandwich Bread, and 2 packs Oscar Mayer Rotisserie Chicken Breast (marked down to 50 cents).  I spent a little more than I planned in the store but all the beef products that I picked up on this trip were marked down to $1 to $2 per pound.  Hopefully the meat from this trip will last us at least 2 to 3 weeks.

    Groceries from Big Lots

    Big Lots Groceries:

    • $10.40 at Big Lots for 6 large cans Whole Kernel Corn (clearance), 1 large bag Disney’s Cars Pretzel Snack Bag (35 count), 1 container Blue Diamond Breeze Almond Coconut Milk, and 1 container Blue Diamond Breeze Vanilla Almond Coconut Milk.   I am still trying to figure out what foods are diary free, peanut free, and egg free, yet fun and healthy since we have a little one in our household who is not eating those items.  Thankfully she LOVES the soy, almond, and coconut milk substitutes!

    Groceries from Walmart

    Walmart Groceries:

    • $13.16 at Walmart for 1 large bag Chicken Breasts (5 pounds), 1 bunch fresh Bananas, 1 loaf Everything French Bread (clearance).   Stocked up on 5 pounds of chicken breasts (the thighs and dark meat doesn’t agree with one family member so chicken breast are the only pieces we buy), bananas (one of the girls woke up in the middle of the night with a charlie horse cramp so we decided to pick up a bundle of bananas) and the clearance french bread is a great add on to a meal or can be frozen for later.

    This week I spent $55.17  on groceries.   I went over on the budget this week.  It was going pretty good until I went by the store for milk and encountered some amazing meat deals.  Thankfully I went under budget last week so I was able to cover the overage for this week.   Some of the items that I picked up this week will last us for a few weeks which will help with next weeks grocery trips.   Hopefully next week we can come under budget and September will be a better month for us!

    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.

  • Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    I apologize it has been so long since I have posted my $40 for 4 grocery update!  It has been a fun, amazing, wild, memorable several months with a trip to India, Charleston, Disney, Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, family staying with us on and off for a month as well as many other wonderful activities! I have been doing my best to stay within budget but having you alongside of me and reading my regular post definitely keeps me more accountable because I have blown the budget several times since I last posted!   Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Save A Lot | RiteAid and Ingles

    Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:

    • $4.87 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 1 gallon Milk and 1 bag Brown Sugar (ran out of milk and used the rest of my brown sugar for the homeless dinner our Community Group hosted on Monday evening so had to restock these items)

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $11.79 at Ingles for 2 loaves Bread,  1 gallon Milk, 1 Yellow Sweet Onion, 1 container Pina Colada Yogurt (on clearance & so delicious I almost didn’t share it), 1 bag Fresh Green Beans (clearance $0.99), 1 bag Fresh Cauliflower, Broccoli, and Carrots (clearance $0.99), 1 container Mushrooms (clearance $0.99), 1 container Dill Veggie Dip (clearance $0.99), and 1 package Wholly Avocado Dip (clearance $0.99).  Everything was marked down, on sale, or on clearance at Ingles.

    Groceries from Ingles and Save A Lot | RiteAid

    Ingles Groceries:

    • $7.77 at Ingles for 1 container of Dill Seasoning, 1 loaf French Bread, 1 container Peach Yogurt  (on clearance), 1 container Fresh Pink Lemonade (clearance $0.99), 1 container Veggie Dip (clearance $0.99), and 1 container fresh Chicken Salad  (on clearance) Everything was marked down, on sale, or on clearance at Ingles.
    • Save A Lot | RiteAid Groceries:$17.33 at Save A Lot | RiteAid for 1 package Flour Tortillas, 2 multi-packs Trident Gum (clearance $0.74), 2 Ham & Cheddar Lunchables, 1 bag Chicken Breasts, 6 packs Sandwich Creme Cookies (clearance $0.69), 1 pack Powdered Donuts (clearance $0.84), bags of Cheddar Cheese Balls, and 1 Watermelon.

    I was able to get a few great items this week. Thankfully, I was able to make it by the store and pick up some items that we’ll need over the next couple of weeks even if a couple of unexpected items got added to the list.  Thanks for helping keep me on track even in the midst of this busy season!  I don’t anticipate life slowing down too much though since the girls will be getting out of school next week and we have a lot of exciting adventures planned for their summer break.

    This week I spent $41.76  on groceries.  I was bummed that I went over on my budgeted amount for the week again but thankful I was only $1.76 over!  I would have made it but I was asked to provide snacks for the girls field day so it was extra items I wasn’t planning on for the week that helped me slide past my goal.  I was happy to find a few items marked down on clearance and provide snacks (watermelon, cookies, and cheese balls) for 20 students while staying pretty close to my budgeted amount.  I hope that next week 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 June 1– 7, 2011

    The Save A Lot weekly ad deals are listed below for your convenience.   There are a lot of great deals this week at Save A Lot for $1.00, here is a delicious homemade Veggie Beef Soup recipe Blessings Multiplied – Recipe:  Veggie Beef Soup. You could pick up the vegetables and other ingredients on sale at Save A Lot this week!  Sign up for the Smart Shopper Club, by doing so you will get a $5.00 off of $25.00 coupon!

    Meats and Seafood

    Eckrich Hot Dogs or Bologna (16 oz) – $1.00

    Carolina Ground Turkey (16 oz ) – $1.00

    Butterball Turkey Bacon (6 oz) – $1.00
    Use $0.65/1 coupon from insert 5/22 Red Plum (Expires 7/10/11)
    $0.35 each after coupon

    Gwaltney Pork Sausage (12 oz) – $1.00

    Fresh Pork Tenderloin – $3.88 per lb

    Boneless Chicken Breast – $1.88 per lb

    Chicken Drumsticks or Thighs – $0.88 per lb

    Half Boneless Pork Loin Roast – $2.49 per lb

    80% Lean Ground Chuck – $2.88 per lb

    Simmons Buffalo or BBQ Boneless Wings (32 oz)  – $6.59

    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 Lunchables – $1.00

    Reser’s Assorted Salads & Coleslaw – $1.00
    Use $1.00/1 printable coupon from Coupon Web
    Free after each coupon

    Minute Maid Lemonade or Fruit Punch – $1.00

    Tony’s Crispy Crust Pizza – $1.00
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 7/31/11)
    Use $1.00/5 coupon from insert 4/17 Smart Source (Expires 7/9/11)
    Use $1.00/5 coupon from insert 3/20 Smart Source (Expires 6/11/11)
    Use $0.50/4 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 8/13/11)
    As low as $0.67 each after coupon

    Totino’s Pizza Rolls – $1.00
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 7/31/11)
    Use $0.50/4 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 8/13/11)
    As low as $0.66 each after coupon

    Banquet Dinners – $1.00

    Fisher Boy Fish Sticks – $1.00
    Use $0.75/1 printable coupon from Fisher Boy
    $0.25 each after coupon

    T. J. Farms Sweet Potato Fries – $1.00

    Party Treats Ice Cream Sandwiches (4 count) – $1.00

    Tombstone Brick Oven Pizza – $2.49

    Curly’s BBQ Pulled Pork or Beef – $3.99

    Crisp Frozen Lemonade – $1.19

    World’s Fair Sundae Cups – $2.49

    Household

    Poly Steel Sandwich Zipper Bags (50 count) – $1.00

    Joy Dish Liquid – $1.00

    Bounty Basic Paper Towels (6 count) – $5.99
    Use $2.00/2 coupon from insert 4/10 Red Plum (Expires 6/30/11)
    Use $1.00/1 coupon from insert 4/10 Red Plum (Expires 6/30/11)
    As low as $4.99 each after coupon

    Produce

    Iceberg Lettuce – $1.00

    Fresh Tomatoes (3 pack) – $1.00

    Baby Carrots (16 oz) – $1.00

    Seedless Watermelon – $3.99

    Fresh Strawberries – $1.99

    Valencia Oranges (3 lb) – $1.99

    Vidalia Onions (4 lb) – $1.99

    Grocery

    Pringles (Original and Sour Cream & Onion) – $1.00
    Use $1.00/2 coupon from insert 5/22 Red Plum (Expires 6/30/11)
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/1 Proctor & Gamble (Expires 6/30/11)
    As low as $0.50 each after coupon

    Knorr Side Dishes – $1.00
    Use $0.50/2 coupon from insert 5/22 Red Plum (Expires 6/19/11)
    $0.75 each after coupon

    Hamburger Helper Dinner – $1.00
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/22 Smart Source (Expires 7/16/11)
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/1 Smart Source (Expires 6/25/11)
    Use $0.75/3 coupon from insert 4/17 Smart Source (Expires 6/11/11)
    Use $0.75/3 coupon from insert 5/1 Smart Source (Expires 6/25/11)
    As low as $0.67 each after coupon

    Save A Lot Apple Juice (64 oz) – $1.00

    Sundia Fruit Cups (8 oz) – $1.00

    Red Gold Ketchup (40 oz) – $1.00
    Use $0.50/2 printable coupon from Red Gold
    $0.75 each after coupon

    Woeber’s Mustard (24 oz) – $1.00

    Kurtz Sweet Relish – $1.00

    Shasta Soda (4 pack) – $1.00

    Deer Park Spring Water (3 liter) – $1.00

    Crunch & Munch Butter Toffee – $1.00

    Dippables – $1.00

    Mantia’s Pasta Sauce – $1.00

    Shelby’s Grove Sliced Peaches – $1.00

    J Higgs Pretzels – $1.00

    Chicken of the Sea Chunk White Tuna – $1.00

    Allure Zero Calorie Sweetener – $1.00

    Jade Dragon Soy Sauce – $1.00

    Kellogg’s Cereal – $1.88
    Use $1.00/2 printable coupon from Kellogg’s
    Use $1.00/3 printable coupon from Kellogg’s
    Use $1.00/3 coupon from insert 5/15 Red Plum (Expires 6/26/11)
    As low as $1.38 each after coupon

    Hawaiian Punch (1 gallon) – $1.88

    Baumann’s Best Barbeque Sauce – $1.19

    Cowboy Billy’s Baked Beans – $0.79

    Bakery

    Mini Cupcakes (12 count) – $2.49

    Bundt Cake – $5.99

    Bakery Fresh Cherry or Apple Pie – $2.99

    Sliced Loaf Cake – $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.