What $100 in Groceries Looks Like to my Family

For all of us that like visuals -- here it is!  This is what $100 in groceries looks like in our household.  Well, $115.85 to be exact.... or.. $111.33 (after my Endorse rewards) to be exactly exact. 

I do a big-ish shopping trip generally once each weekend to make sure we have what we need for the coming week, though I do generally end up running to the store mid week to get milk and those few items that we need to round out our meals (which is why you don't see any milk pictured here!)

This was my shopping trip at Safeway this weekend.  I want to highlight how its possible to save money on groceries without going all "Crazy Couponer" or running from store to store to store.  This was one store, maybe 15-20 minutes of before shopping prep time to check the contents of our fridge/freezer/pantry, and maybe 10 minutes to load savings onto my Just For U account and check to see what the others in blogisphere were saying about Safeway deals this week!

I stock up on items I know we will use when prices are low.  This may not look like a "complete" shopping trip, but that is because I always try to use what I have at home.  Sometimes I buy more meat, sometimes I buy more canned goods... the way I shop is dependent on the sale cycles.

Here is a breakdown of this shopping trip:
3 boxes of honey nut cheerios medley
1 box of peanut butter cinnamon toast crunch
1 box of Safeway brand graham crackers
2 bottles of Safeway brand apple juice
1 47.8oz jar of Safeway brand applesauce
4 boxes of Safeway brand pasta
1 box of Safeway brand fruit snacks (Star Wars, yeah baby!)
2 bags of soup mix (B1G1)
2 boxes of Quaker chewy granola bars
2 boxes of Better Cheddar crackers
1 family size Oreos
2 pouches of McCormick chili seasoning
2 boxes of Capri Sun roarin waters
1 Mrs Butterworth syrup
2 Plum Organic tots pouches
4 4pks of Angel Soft tp
1 box of Kleenex
2 Kraft Fresh Take cheese/seasoning mixes
18 ct eggs
2lb sharp cheddar cheese block
2lb shredded medium cheddar cheese
1 container blue cheese crumbles
1 16oz container sour cream
1 package of Challenge stick butter
3 3pks of Dawn scrubbers
1 package Mom to Mom (Safeway brand) diapers
1 package Monster High erasers (clearance priced for 99 cents)
1 loaf white bread
3.7lbs hamburger
4lb pork shoulder roast
2.6lbs bananas
1 cucumber
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 onion
2 avacados
1 bag baby carrots
5lb box of Cutie oranges
1 bag salad mix
1 bag spinach
1 bottle of Maries salad dressing
1 package tortelloni (clearance priced at $1.99)

My savings breakdown shows the value of shopping sales and using store cards:
Total Saved - $97.95 or 46%!
(Card savings - $62.18, Just for U savings - $20.67, paper coupons - $15.10)

I think this shopping trip shows that you don't need to make couponing a full time job in order to see savings, the smartest way to shop is paying attention to sales and cycles and building your menu around what you are able to pick up at the grocery store and already have on hand.  I know the food we eat isn't always the healthiest, but I try not to buy a lot of processed foods.  There may not be a lot of coupons for produce and whole foods, but they DO exist, and store sales and club card savings can really help you in those areas!  The key is being flexible with your shopping trips and menus.

As always, I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about couponing.  Happy Shopping, go save some money!

Pay Period Review {Feb 1-14}

We interrupt this regularly scheduled review to admit that the budgeting attempts went out the window!  I find that its harder to budget and be responsible when we have more money than we are used to having.  Now that our tax refund has been mostly spent/enjoyed/earmarked for bills, and we have made it past two birthdays and Valentines Day we are actually happy to be back to our normal financial situation.

Pay Period Review { Jan 18-31 }

Budgeting should be a four letter word.

Its a challenge and disappointment, a goal and a curse.  I need to continue to remind myself that this is a work in progress and that even at a minimum, having a budget outlined and tracking our spending is a HUGE step and better than doing nothing at all.

Our "monkey wrench" during this period and our current pay period has been Ashlyn's birthday and receiving a hefty tax refund.  Some people see having a big influx of money as a good thing.  Personally, it scares the heck outa me!  I can be so impulsive at times that I stress over purchases and how to spend and be responsible at the same time... but more on that to come with the next review!

Ashlyn turned 10 yesterday!  It makes me feel old to be the parent of a ten year old... the fact that I'm on the brink of 30 doesn't phase me, but a 10 year old daughter seems monumental!  I wanted to make sure we celebrated this birthday in a big way, so we invited Ashlyn's best friend from our neighborhood to spend the night with us at the new Holiday Inn Express here in Red Bluff.  We had a great time at our girl's night slumber party/pool party!

All in all, including the cost of the hotel room, pizza, snacks & birthday gifts I think we were able to keep Ashlyn's celebration in the $150 range.  I love being purposeful with gift giving, planning ahead and shopping for deals.  We were able to get an outfit from Justice (Yikes! Expensive!) for Ash to wear to dance rehersals.  It was $30 for a pair of yoga type pants and a cute top, and that was after I used a $25 off $50 purchase reward card that I got for free from a lady on Red Bluff Needs.  Now, had it not been her birthday I probably would have searched the thrift stores for an outfit or two, but birthdays deserve something new!  We also gifted a pair of Monster High Earbuds (free through Amazon when I redeemed some swagbucks, an American Girl book called The Care and Keeping of You that I found at a yardsale last summer, an American Girl craft kit that I got on super clearance at Michaels and an 8x10 print of the fruits of the Spirit with a cool frame also found at Michaels. 

Now, onto the regular scheduled programing:

Groceries/Consumables:
Initially budgeted: $300
Actual spending: $349.87
Hmmm.. Over again.  I need to determine a better way to work within this category.  I think I do pretty well with the grocery part in seeing big savings, but this will be something I focus on continuously.  Using coupons, shopping sales and menu planning is helping us tremendously.  We need to get back to using cloth diapers more frequently, and maybe be a little more selective with the drug store deals I'm doing.  I know the way I shop saves us money in the long run, but I need to do better at keeping the budget in mind WHILE I'm shopping!

Eating Out:
Initially budgeted: $50
Actual spending: $18
It seems like this can't possibly be right.  Did we actually not get pizza, or anything else with the family?  This $18 included $9.11 at Sonic for an afternoon ice cream treat one day, and $8.89 for a late night Mom & Dad McDonalds run.

Gas:
Initially budgeted: $50
Actual spending: $45!
Yep, loving our van (and Safeway's gas reward program) more and more and more!

Spending Money:
Bob's budgeted: $50
Bob's actual spending: $79.81
Bob's spending was mostly eating out while he was working.  This number is crazy to me, I would think he might want some of his spending money to actually spend and buy himself stuff he wants.  Granted, he filed an expense report and will get about $50 back from his per diem allotment when he had to spend the night on the coast for work.  Still... definitely need to work on this area for the budget AND our health.

Hailey's budgeted: $100
Hailey's actual spending: $84.01
I am so proud of myself!  I really thought this would be a bigger challenge, and I'm sure there are times where it will be, but it helps to be aware of this category and be more specific and conscious of my purchases.

We had a lot of "extras" during this period:  $10 at the mobile vet clinic to get Dallas utd on his rabies shot, $45 for Ashlyn's dance costume for the recital coming in June, $55 for Dannon's soccer registration and $40 to some friends of ours.  I was thrilled to be able to raise the $100 for the kid's activities by selling items on Red Bluff Needs and Craigslist. 

Part of my yard sale/thrifting hobby is knowing what I can buy for cheap and resell.  When Ashlyn and I were in Sacramento during the beginning of January I found a like new pair of women's K2 inline skates.  The beauty of owning a smart phone is that I could look up the specifics on the spot. I ended up buying the skates for $8.99 when I realized they retailed for $120+ and successfully sold them on craigslist for $50! That one ten dollar purchase ended up paying Ashlyn's costume fee.  Bring on yard sale season!