• Living on a Budget: Groceries $40 for 4

    It has been a wild week with everything going on and I have been a little more distracted.  I know this past weekend I picked up a few items at the grocery store but I cannot remember what they were or how much I paid…….can you tell what type of week it was!?  Here is my weekly update on our Groceries $40 for 4.

    Groceries from Publix and Walgreens

    Publix Groceries:

    • $7.43 at Publix for 1 box Maztos (on clearance), 1 bag Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins, 1 box Melba Toast, and 1 bag Rice & Lentils (on clearance).

    Walgreens Groceries:

    • $2.84 for 2 gallons Milk (on sale for $2.79 each and used a Register Reward)

    We were able to get a few items this week.  I almost didn’t post this week with everything going on but figured it keeps me more accountable when I share my weekly grocery budget especially during the busier times.  Thanks for helping keep me on track!

    This week I spent $10.27 on groceries.  I was under on my budgeted amount for the week, yay!  I was happy to find milk on sale.  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.

  • Walgreens: Spent $2 and Got $6 Back

    Groceries, Household Items, & Other Goodies from Walgreens

    I ran by Walgreens on the way home from an appointment this week to use up a couple coupons that were about ready to expire.  I spent $2.06 including tax at Walgreens this week for grocery, household, health and beauty purchases and received $6 Register Rewards back from that visit to use towards my next purchase at Walgreens.

    Here is what I got this week:

    • 4 – Nice Baking Soda for $2.00 ($0.50 each after coupon)
    • 2 – Dove Deodorants for $3.99 (received $3 Register Rewards.  Also, I was able to get 2 because there was a BONUS pack that included 2 full size deodorants in it making it an even better deal. Yay!)
    • 1 – Revlon TopSpeed Nail Polish for $3.99 (received $3 in Register Rewards back.)
    • 9 –  Snowman Tumbler Cups for $1.49 ($0.16 each after coupon)
    • 2 – Nice Wax Paper (75 feet) for $1.98 ($0.99 each after coupon)
    • 1 – Reynolds Aluminum Foil (20 feet) for $0.99 (each after coupon)
    • 4 – Wexford Tape (450 inches) for $2.38 ($0.59 each after coupon)
    • 3 – Nestle Chewy Spree Candy for $0.75 ($0.25 each after coupon)
    • 2 – Red Sharpie Markers for $0.58 ($0.29 each after coupon)
    • 2 – Green Sharpie Markers for $0.58 ($0.29 each after coupon)

    The total was over $36 with tax before using discounts & coupons.  Here are the coupons I used on the items.

    • Nice Baking Soda Coupons
    • Snowman Tumbler Coupons
    • Nice Wax Paper Coupons
    • Reynolds Aluminum Foil Coupons
    • Wexford Tape Coupons
    • Nestle Chewy Spree Candy Coupons
    • Sharpie Markers Coupons
    • Used $17 Register Rewards

    I received $6 Register Rewards back today:

    • $3.00 Register Rewards for Dove Product
    • $3.00 Register Rewards for Revlon Product

    Walgreen’s Register Rewards will expire two weeks from the date they are printed so you will need to make sure to use them before their expiration date.  I always keep the ones that are expiring the soonest on top of the stack to make sure to use them first.

    Another important fact regarding Walgreen’s Register Rewards you will need to know if you haven’t used them before is you can only use 1 coupon per item.  If you use a manufacturer’s coupon for every item you are purchasing you will not be able to use any Register Reward for that transaction.   If you do have a coupon for each item then check Walgreen’s weekly ad because they will have items on sale each week for pennies up to $1 that you can use as “filler” items but they won’t raise your total too much.  Once you get started using coupons and rewards you may discover, like I did, how to purchase many of your health and beauty items for nothing or very little.  Since using coupons and reward programs I rarely pay full price for any of our health and beauty items plus I usually have extra to share with guests visiting us or to give away.

    For those of you who shop regularly at Walgreens I encourage you to share how you were able to save this week!  Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household.  In your comment please feel free to share how you saved at Walgreens (links to your blog article on how you saved are welcomed as well).