As an extension of yesterday's check-in, I'll pick up where we left off with our menu over the past week or so. We have deviated from the plan a bit, which is why I do menu planning the way I do -- to allow for flexibility!
{Wednesday}
B: Muffins, yogurt, cereal
L: PBJ for Dan, ham & cheese for Bob, and a lunchables type pack for Ash & Eli with chips and juice.
S: Animal crackers from the bread store -- free!
D: Breakfast for dinner - eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, cheese, english muffins and chocolate milk
Late night snack: Cinnamon bread toast, cucumbers & ranch for Bob
{Thursday}
B: Cereal (yogurt for Elijah)
L: Ham & cheese sandwiches with strawberries & popcorn
S: Grapes
D: Chicken lettuce wraps, potstickers & crispy zucchini fries
S: Cinnamon toast
{Friday}
B: Cinnamon toast & cereal for the kids, plus a yogurt for Elijah. Hard boiled eggs for Bob.
L: Mac & cheese, strawberries & chips for kids. Strawberry/banana smoothie for me.
S: Marshmallows, chocolate chip cookies from the store for free.
D: BBQ pizzas - one pepperoni and one zucchini basil.
{Saturday}
B: Cereal (and grapes for Elijah)
L: Left over zucchini pizza for D & E, peanut butter sandwich for Ashlyn with snack mix
Egg & ham sandwiches (Bob and I)
S: Grapes & apple slices
D: Beef & broccoli with rice (used the asian salad dressing as a marinade, out of teriyaki/soy)
S: Bob - macaroni & milk (his weird occasional snack/lunch)
Carrot/zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting
{Sunday}
B: Cereal & toast for kids, breakfast in bed for me! Egg, toast, ham & cake.
L: Picnic! PBJs, cantalope, pretzel thins, water & juice boxes
S: Ice cream ($11)
D: Chili (went with chili in the crock pot instead of the mexi pasta meal I was going to try)
S: Cake
{Monday}
B: Cereal (seriously.... it never gets old)
L: Cheese slices, pepperoni, pickles & chips
Ham & cheese for Bob, last english muffin and breakfast leftovers for me.
S: Marshmallows
D: Chicken pasta bake, mozzarella cheese & green beans (another deviation from our menu plan, but we had all the ingredients to throw together and the kids all had seconds and Dannon even had THIRDS!)
S: Finished off the carrot/zucchini cake.
The fridge/freezer/pantry is down to pretty slim pickins and we've got a few days to go until payday. I had planned on doing another breakfast for dinner meal, but we've eaten eggs along the way and I don't think there are enough left for a meal for all of us. Trust me, I'm not complaining. I got breakfast in bed out of the deal! I may do hardboiled eggs with the remainders and possibly potato salad or egg salad sandwiches. We definitely have enough of the chicken pasta bake leftover for lunch, so sandwiches for dinner one evening are a definite possibility.
Another good by-product of this challenge is that not having a TON of food choices in the house is helping us to really use what we have without making much waste or throwing things out. I like that!
Stay tuned for at least one more post on this grocery challenge subject, I'll do a wrap up/recap on Friday or shortly thereafter.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
{Another} Grocery Challenge Check-In
So.... As we have progressed through the first week of this challenge I have made a few discoveries:
A) I focused A LOT more on dinners and not quite enough on breakfast, lunch and snacks.
B) I am going to be well over my $100 goal, even though I feel like we've made good use out of our purchases and continue to be smart about what we're buying.
C) I am caught in a vicious cycle! It is good for our well-being to get out of the house each day, but I have a tendency to spend money when we're out. Our daily "field trips" need to be more about going to the park/library/free events and less about using that time to run to the store... BUT... going to the park with three kids by myself isn't always good for MY well-being (or more specifically, my patience and sanity) ... AND ... when you take kids into the store after lunch you can bribe them with free cookies from the bakery. (Kids like cookies and my budget likes free snacks!) Finding a balance that works for us is a never ending challenge!
I am trying to focus on what I am learning as I complete this challenge, and not feel like I have failed because I have gone over my grocery budget goal. This process is giving me a clear picture of what we consume regularily, example: We drink this many gallons of milk over this time period. Same with loaves of bread, boxes of cereal, etc. When I have a better idea of how long these products last for our normal consumption, I have a better idea of what our final grocery budget will end up being, and how much to stock up on to get us through each pay period. I hope to build enough of a stockpile to meet our needs between sale cycles without spending a lot of money out of pocket while we are continuing to pay off some debts and find an even keel, financially speaking.
Here is the breakdown on the additional trips to the store we have made over the course of the last week:
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Chocolate Cheerios - $1.17 (on sale 3/$5 used $1/2 coupon)
Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch - $1.17 (same as above)
Safeway sugar - $2.34
Jif peanut butter - $2.99
Paper towels - $0.79
Gallon of milk - $2.59
Pizza dough from deli area - 2/$3.00
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A) I focused A LOT more on dinners and not quite enough on breakfast, lunch and snacks.
B) I am going to be well over my $100 goal, even though I feel like we've made good use out of our purchases and continue to be smart about what we're buying.
C) I am caught in a vicious cycle! It is good for our well-being to get out of the house each day, but I have a tendency to spend money when we're out. Our daily "field trips" need to be more about going to the park/library/free events and less about using that time to run to the store... BUT... going to the park with three kids by myself isn't always good for MY well-being (or more specifically, my patience and sanity) ... AND ... when you take kids into the store after lunch you can bribe them with free cookies from the bakery. (Kids like cookies and my budget likes free snacks!) Finding a balance that works for us is a never ending challenge!
I am trying to focus on what I am learning as I complete this challenge, and not feel like I have failed because I have gone over my grocery budget goal. This process is giving me a clear picture of what we consume regularily, example: We drink this many gallons of milk over this time period. Same with loaves of bread, boxes of cereal, etc. When I have a better idea of how long these products last for our normal consumption, I have a better idea of what our final grocery budget will end up being, and how much to stock up on to get us through each pay period. I hope to build enough of a stockpile to meet our needs between sale cycles without spending a lot of money out of pocket while we are continuing to pay off some debts and find an even keel, financially speaking.
Here is the breakdown on the additional trips to the store we have made over the course of the last week:
{7/24 Franz Bakery Outlet: $5.50 & Safeway: $6.31}
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Bakery Outlet:
Two loaves of whole wheat white bread - $2.00
1 package english muffins - $1.00
1 loaf cinnamon bread - $2.50
(not pictured 3 small snack sized bags of animal cookies given to the kids for free!)
Safeway:
2 ltr 7UP Ten - $0.54 (+ .05 Oregon bottle deposit)
2 ltr A&W Ten - $0.54 (+ dep) These were on sale with my Just For U specials but they were a CA deal and not an OR deal. I was confused so the cashier took $1.25 off the normal price of $1.99. My special offer would have made them 75 cents each. Sometimes you are on the winning side of a price difference, and sometimes you're on the losing side. In my opinion, when its just a few cents one way or another its not worth it to go in to the customer service desk.
Coffee creamer - $2.54 (used a 75 cent manu coupon)
Gallon of milk - $2.59
{7/25 Target - $16.40 - $10 swagbucks gift card = $6.40 OOP}
Popcorn from the snack bar - $1.43 (used a 10% off savings from the Cartwheel app)
Baby carrots - $0.69 (used a $1 off mobile coupon)
Strawberries - $0.89 (used 5% savings from cartwheel app & $1 off mobile coupon)
1 box elbow noodles & 2 jars of sauce - $1.00 for all 3! (used $1 off mobile coupon wyb one sauce & one pasta, pasta had a peelie coupon for $1 off wyb two sauces.)
Tension rod for shower curtain - $12.39
I cashed in swagbucks for a $10 egiftcard to Target that I was able to load onto my phone. Stay tuned for more info on Swagbucks!
{7/26 Safeway: $14.05}
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Chocolate Cheerios - $1.17 (on sale 3/$5 used $1/2 coupon)
Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch - $1.17 (same as above)
Safeway sugar - $2.34
Jif peanut butter - $2.99
Paper towels - $0.79
Gallon of milk - $2.59
Pizza dough from deli area - 2/$3.00
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The boys enjoying more free cookies!
{7/28 Fred Meyer: $11.97}
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Nearly out of milk again, I wonder if we are allowed to raise cows in this county...
Fred Meyer half gallons milk/oj - $5 on sale 4/$5 with FM store coupon
Coffee creamer - $2.50 (used FM store coupon)
2 Tillamook yogurts - $0.60 cents each (used a B1G1 free printable = 30 cents each)
Small block of sharp cheddar - $1.88
Colgate toothpaste - Free with ecoupon loaded to card
Store brand nasal spray (for my honey with sinus issues) - $1.99
These little side trips to the stores have brought our grand total so far to right around $140 and I anticipate that there will probably be one more trip this week for incidentals. We're on the home stretch! If I can stick to $75-100 per week on groceries and household needs for the 5 of us I'll definitely be a happy mama!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Grocery Challenge Check-in & Couponing tips/reminders
*First I feel compelled to mention that it is 8:29am on Wednesday morning and not only did the wonderful man in my life bring me my favorite coffee from Starbucks this morning before he left for work (Thanks for the gift card, Mom!) but I was able to take a shower AND the kiddos are all still asleep! This is unheard of! I'm sure I just jinxed this all by writing the words and they will be awake and needy in minutes, but for now I am enjoying the quiet time with my coffee and thoughts.
Last night I had the pleasure of "attending" a couponing web class hosted by Angela of Frugal Living NW. My motivation for participating in the class was the special offer for the Sunday Oregonian subscription, but she mentioned some basic couponing tips that are great reminders for couponers of all experience levels.
The first thing she said that stuck out to me was, "Don't let a coupon burn a hole in your pocket!" It is easy to think, "oh, I have this coupon so I need to use it." Not true. Coupons are only saving you money if A) the coupon is for an item that you need or use regularly and B) using the coupon will make the item less than the full price of the store brand/generic. The best time to use a coupon is when it matches up with a store sale on the item, don't be afraid to save them until that point.
She also touched on store sale cycles and buying enough during the sale to last your family until the item goes on sale again (store sales cycle every 3-6 months depending on the item). When you stock up at rock bottom prices during a sale you give yourself the ability in the future to "shop" from yourself instead of running to the store and possibly paying full price for that item you need. (and how often do you really go into the grocery store and walk out with that one thing you need to complete your recipe and not one of these and one of those and oh, that too?)
The last tip/reminder I wrote down was to be strategic about stockpiling. Stockpiling doesn't have to be crazy. Its about having items on hand that you need and use regularly. If your storage space is limited, only keep on hand the best deals that don't come around as often as others. It doesn't make sense to keep piles and piles of pasta and toothpaste on hand when those sales are available frequently, instead use your space wisely for more costly items like detergents and other household products you use daily.
I'm super thrilled for my Oregonian subscription to start! I paid $39.98 to have two Sunday papers delivered for an entire year! If I did the math right, that breaks down to about 38 cents per paper. The Sunday Oregonian is $2 if purchased at the store. That would add up to over $200 over the course of the year! Our finances are tight right now, but to me, this offer was worth shuffling some money around to cover the up front cost of the subscription in order to see the savings for an entire year.
As far as our grocery challenge goes, I think we're doing well! Here are the details of our meals & snacks over the last few days. What I hope to establish by tracking this and sharing with you is that a tight grocery budget doesn't have to mean pasta or beans every day. When you shop and plan your meals around what is on sale its possible to maintain variety.
{Sunday}
B: cereal (you'll notice we eat a lot of cereal! My 4 year old son, Dannon, prefers to mix as many open boxes of cereal that we have into one bowl every morning. The last few days that has meant Kellog's chocolate krave, cocoa pebbles, vanilla chex and hershey's cookies & creme. I buy whatever cereal I know they will eat and I can get for $1.50 or less per box. Right now its all the good stuff, sometimes its healthier options and they gobble those down too.)
L: PBJ sandwiches (made with my dad's homemade raspberry jam!) with chips/spicy snack mix.
D: Grilled pork chops & potato wedges
(forgot to track the snacks on Sunday)
{Monday}
B: Cinnamon rolls & cereal
S: Apple slices
L: PBJ, chips/spicy snack mix/fruit snacks & juice
S: Pickles & snack mix
D: Steak fajitas
{Tuesday}
B:Muffins & cereal (& hard boiled eggs for Bob)
L: PBJ for Dan, P for Eli, Ham & Cheese for Ash, chips, grapes & juice
S: Peanut butter crackers & marshmallows (things I found in the pantry)
D: Grilled chicken salad with carrots, cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, cheese & crutons
Last night I had the pleasure of "attending" a couponing web class hosted by Angela of Frugal Living NW. My motivation for participating in the class was the special offer for the Sunday Oregonian subscription, but she mentioned some basic couponing tips that are great reminders for couponers of all experience levels.
The first thing she said that stuck out to me was, "Don't let a coupon burn a hole in your pocket!" It is easy to think, "oh, I have this coupon so I need to use it." Not true. Coupons are only saving you money if A) the coupon is for an item that you need or use regularly and B) using the coupon will make the item less than the full price of the store brand/generic. The best time to use a coupon is when it matches up with a store sale on the item, don't be afraid to save them until that point.
She also touched on store sale cycles and buying enough during the sale to last your family until the item goes on sale again (store sales cycle every 3-6 months depending on the item). When you stock up at rock bottom prices during a sale you give yourself the ability in the future to "shop" from yourself instead of running to the store and possibly paying full price for that item you need. (and how often do you really go into the grocery store and walk out with that one thing you need to complete your recipe and not one of these and one of those and oh, that too?)
The last tip/reminder I wrote down was to be strategic about stockpiling. Stockpiling doesn't have to be crazy. Its about having items on hand that you need and use regularly. If your storage space is limited, only keep on hand the best deals that don't come around as often as others. It doesn't make sense to keep piles and piles of pasta and toothpaste on hand when those sales are available frequently, instead use your space wisely for more costly items like detergents and other household products you use daily.
I'm super thrilled for my Oregonian subscription to start! I paid $39.98 to have two Sunday papers delivered for an entire year! If I did the math right, that breaks down to about 38 cents per paper. The Sunday Oregonian is $2 if purchased at the store. That would add up to over $200 over the course of the year! Our finances are tight right now, but to me, this offer was worth shuffling some money around to cover the up front cost of the subscription in order to see the savings for an entire year.
As far as our grocery challenge goes, I think we're doing well! Here are the details of our meals & snacks over the last few days. What I hope to establish by tracking this and sharing with you is that a tight grocery budget doesn't have to mean pasta or beans every day. When you shop and plan your meals around what is on sale its possible to maintain variety.
{Sunday}
B: cereal (you'll notice we eat a lot of cereal! My 4 year old son, Dannon, prefers to mix as many open boxes of cereal that we have into one bowl every morning. The last few days that has meant Kellog's chocolate krave, cocoa pebbles, vanilla chex and hershey's cookies & creme. I buy whatever cereal I know they will eat and I can get for $1.50 or less per box. Right now its all the good stuff, sometimes its healthier options and they gobble those down too.)
L: PBJ sandwiches (made with my dad's homemade raspberry jam!) with chips/spicy snack mix.
D: Grilled pork chops & potato wedges
(forgot to track the snacks on Sunday)
{Monday}
B: Cinnamon rolls & cereal
S: Apple slices
L: PBJ, chips/spicy snack mix/fruit snacks & juice
S: Pickles & snack mix
D: Steak fajitas
{Tuesday}
B:Muffins & cereal (& hard boiled eggs for Bob)
L: PBJ for Dan, P for Eli, Ham & Cheese for Ash, chips, grapes & juice
S: Peanut butter crackers & marshmallows (things I found in the pantry)
D: Grilled chicken salad with carrots, cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, cheese & crutons
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Grocery Challenge: aka moving is expensive and we still need to eat!
Since my poor, poor blog is often neglected, I haven't written a recent update. Here is the big news:
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I <3 Target mobile coupons! I'm back from my morning of grocery shopping, I took pictures of my purchases from each store and I'm thinking I'll go into detail with a blog post (my poor neglected blog) Anyway, the overall update is that I decided to shoot for $100 over the next two weeks, shopping for our needs on a $50/week budget would have been too limiting because I like to buy value packages of meat, etc. I went to Target, Fred Meyer & Albertsons and spent a total of $92.23 on food items (plus another $7.99 for a much needed broom/dust pan and $5.99 for a 150ct bottle of kid vitamins so we can stop giving them gummy bears, lol!) I will end up slightly over my goal of $100/2 weeks because I know we will need to get a few more gallons of milk, fresh fruit and I've planned on bbq pizzas next weekend and I'll buy the dough from Safeway 2/$3. Might end up closer to $125... but if I can feed our family of 5 breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks for the next 12 days on that amount I'd say that is a huge success!
WE MOVED!
Moving is a chaotic process, and we definitely experienced our share of chaos, but we are now happy residents of Troutdale, Oregon. The best things so far about Oregon? We are just a 3 hour drive away from my parents, the temperatures are significantly cooler than Northern California (we're talking 20-25 degrees cooler!), I don't have to pump my own gas AND we're within a pretty close radius of quite a few shopping options!
Now let me tell you the downside of moving to Oregon: The act of moving is expensive. We went with a 26 foot Penske moving truck and let me tell you, we used every INCH of that truck! Gigantic moving trucks are not cheap, nor is the diesel for a 465 mile trip. Rents are also higher in this area than what we were blessed with in Red Bluff. $365 more a month to be exact, but thankfully we found a great (big) home that will meet and exceed the needs of our family for the next few years until we are able to purchase our own.
Oh, and if the moving expenses weren't enough... the registration on our van expires this month so we're forced to deal with getting the registration transferred and dealt with a lot quicker than we may have done otherwise.
Bob will be getting a cost of living increase, which will definitely help with our higher housing costs but I needed to find a way to decrease some of our other expenses, especially in the here and now while we try to get back on track with our finances and budget. Enter my facebook status post from last night:
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I <3 Target mobile coupons! I'm back from my morning of grocery shopping, I took pictures of my purchases from each store and I'm thinking I'll go into detail with a blog post (my poor neglected blog) Anyway, the overall update is that I decided to shoot for $100 over the next two weeks, shopping for our needs on a $50/week budget would have been too limiting because I like to buy value packages of meat, etc. I went to Target, Fred Meyer & Albertsons and spent a total of $92.23 on food items (plus another $7.99 for a much needed broom/dust pan and $5.99 for a 150ct bottle of kid vitamins so we can stop giving them gummy bears, lol!) I will end up slightly over my goal of $100/2 weeks because I know we will need to get a few more gallons of milk, fresh fruit and I've planned on bbq pizzas next weekend and I'll buy the dough from Safeway 2/$3. Might end up closer to $125... but if I can feed our family of 5 breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks for the next 12 days on that amount I'd say that is a huge success!
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