Less Than $20 for the Week

So I haven’t posted my weekly totals in a bit, but I can assure you that I have been keeping up with my challenge of only spending $50 per week on groceries. If fact, I have averaged less than $40 per week since January! That means I am saving more than $75 per week compared to what I used to pay for my weekly groceries just a couple years ago. Plus, we have NEVER had this much food in our house. I can’t fit a single thing more into my fridge freezer or deep freeze unit. They are both full of milk, cheese, meats, breads, French fries, frozen vegetables and so much more! It just goes to show that you can save on REAL food items with coupons. I also continue to donate food and other items on a regular basis.

So, here is just an example of what $20 can buy with coupons (this week’s shopping totals):

Total before sales and coupons: $470.82
Total paid, including tax: $18.52 (no joke! – no gift cards used)

Here is what I purchased:

2 ½ lbs. bottom round beef roast
4 ½ lbs. chicken thighs
7 oz. pack pepperoni
4 packs Nathan’s hot dogs
2 bags Alexia sweet potato fries (the spicy ones are delicious… not too spicy!)
8 Kraft Fresh Takes cheese and breadcrumb mix
22 Voskos Greek yogurts
3 (6 packs each) Jell-O pudding
12 half gallons Smart Balance milk (this milk freezes wonderfully)
5 ½ lbs. bananas
5 lbs. potatoes
1 lb. strawberries
7 lbs. organic carrots (www.ebfarm.com for $.75/1 coupons!)
2 Gold Peak bottled tea
12 boxes Mueller’s pasta
2 packs Fig Newtons
4 packs Chips Ahoy cookies
1 (12 pack) La Croix sparkling water
20 packs Carefree (special ordered)
1 pack Depends underwear (will be donated)
5 (5 ct. each) Zyrtec
4 (5 ct. each) Allegra
1 Act mouthwash
1 box natural pain reliever
4 Olay bodywash
4 packs Olay facial cleansing clothes
16 Softsoap hand soap (no shelf clearing)
6 bags dog treats
6 bags cat treats

Plus, with the Olay products I purchased this week, I hit the $50 mark for the P&G mail in rebate, so I’ll be getting $15 back in a few weeks(http://www.pgbestinbeauty.com/BOBrebate.pdf)! I will calculate the $15 savings when I receive the rebate in the mail.

Note: My camera isn't currently working, so I was unable to take a picture of my purchases this time. Sorry.

Two Weeks of Groceries... LOTS of Produce!

I’ve been so busy the past couple of weeks that I haven’t had time to put together a picture and post my weekly totals. Unfortunately the phone I was using to take the photos is no longer working, so I don’t have a picture to post this time. Since I’m a little behind on posting, I’ll include both this week’s and last week’s totals together in one post. My total savings isn’t as high as usual, but I purchased a TON of fresh produce… so I’m still happy! My husband wants me to start juicing vegetable and fruit for him to drink at breakfast (trying to up his veggie intake), so we are going through a lot of produce. I am so thankful for coupons!

Total (for two weeks) before sales and coupons: $532.76

Total paid (for two weeks), including tax: $78.68 (I averaged less than $40 each week!)

Here is what I purchased:

4 bag family size Tostitos chips

4 Stax potato chips

2 bags Kettle Brand chips

1 large salsa

1 can artichokes

18 (6 oz. each) can almonds (purchased at multiple stores – no shelf clearing)

3 (6 ct. each) Snapple

12 (2 ct. each) Beechnut Stage 4 meals (chicken soup and macaroni - all will be donated)

1 (10 ct.) pack flour tortillas

28 packs M&M Easter candies (purchased at multiple stores – they were stocked!)

3 Fresh Takes cheese and breadcrumb mix

6 Cooking Cream

1 Philadelphia chocolate spread

2 (8 oz. each) Land O Lakes butter and olive oil spreads

6 (1 lb. each) Land O Lakes stick butter (only $1.75 per pound)

10 (6 ct. each) Kraft Milk Bite granola bars (rain check used)

2 (4 ct. each) fruit smoothies

12 (8 oz each) Kraft cheese (no shelf clearing)

4 Stouffers premade dinners

10 lbs. chicken breasts

6 lbs. whole chicken

1 ¼ lbs. boneless pork chops

18 lbs. carrots (that is not a typo – I really did buy eighteen pounds of carrots)

2 lbs. strawberries

8 ½ lbs. bananas (wow, that’s a lot of bananas… where did they all go?)

9 lbs. apples

3 lbs. onions

1 lb. asparagus

1 lemon

2 loaves whole wheat bread

2 (10 ct. each) bags small bagels

6 glazed donuts

9 CoverGirl products - nail clippers and files

4 Sundown vitamins

1 Pediacare child pain reliever/ fever reducer

6 Lady Speed Stick deodorant (submitted for $5 MIR)

5 bags (3.5 - 4 lbs. each) dog food

6 (5 oz. each) dog treats

Saved More Than 92% on Real Food!

What an amazing week for couponing! There were so many great coupons available… I just can’t believe how much milk and produce I was able to purchase and I still spent less than half of my weekly budget! I used 5 of the Facebook coupons for a free gallon of milk wyb 3 breakfast items (3 Facebook accounts and 3 computers – should have been able to print 6 coupons, but only got 5 for some reason). We were down to only one more half gallon of the Smart Balance milk from several weeks ago (I froze the milk), so the free milk coupons came just in time! I also used the Publix produce coupon on my bananas, strawberries, mushrooms and asparagus. Who can say no to cheap produce?!

Total before sales and coupons: $312.20

Total paid, including tax: $22.70 ($14 of which was the Zyrtec, so only $8.70 for everything else!)

Here is what I purchased:

5 gallons milk

12 Voskos Greek yogurt

8 Fresh Takes

4 Milk Bites granolas (my boys LOVE these already… I’m going to have to buy more!)

4 chocolate Indulgence cream cheese

2 lbs. strawberries

6 ½ lbs. bananas (“nanas” are my 2 yr. old’s favorite fruit)

1 lb. mushrooms

1 lb. asparagus

8 Pillsbury toaster strudels (we were down to one box, so my husband was very excited to see I bought more)

4 Stouffer’s dinners

6 Bird’s Eye Voila meals (had the Chicken Alfredo one for dinner tonight and it was delicious! Yes, it was a pre-made meal, but most families would have gone to McDonald’s after the kind of busy day we had. Instead, we ate a meal at home. It was far more cost effective and I think the meal was actually pretty healthy with the addition of fresh lettuce from my garden and some strawberries. There are just days when I don’t have time to fix a home cooked meal and it is so nice to have a back-up plan that doesn’t involve the drive-thru.)

2 Welch’s all natural grape spread

4 Pepperidge Farm goldfish

1 Beech Nut crackers (used free product coupon)

1 (48 oz.) canola oil

2 Lipton Teas

1 Knorr beef stock

2 loaves whole wheat bread

3 Sundown vitamins

6 Band Aid packs, trial size

2 (40 ct. each) Zyrtec (husband has to have this for his allergies)

26 cans Science Diet canned dog food

Cereal!

I was so excited to see the sale and coupons on the Frosted Mini Wheats cereal! It is our favorite cereal and I don't think it's been at such a low price in almost a year. I know seventeen boxes may seem a little excessive, but we have already finished one box... and it's only been one week. I was also able to purchase a lot of produce this week. The vanilla yogurt with fresh chopped strawberries and the granola that I purchased last week make a yummy dessert. Now all I need is some milk for all that cereal! How did your week go?


Total before sales and coupons: $465.91
Total paid, including tax: $55.13

17 Frosted Mini Wheats
2 Honey Bunches of Oats
1 Krave, cereal (excited to try this new cereal)
1 Fruit Loops
1 Apple Jacks
1 Quaker oatmeal (wasn't on sale, but my little ones LOVE oatmeal with strawberries)
1 grits
1 loaf italian bread
4 mac and cheese
2 bags marshmallows (won't be cold enough for campfires much longer, so we have to make them special with roasted marshmallows, right?!)
6 Kettle Brand chips
8 Uncle Ben's rice
2 cream of mushroom soup
6 (28 oz.) Hunts diced tomatoes (will use these larger cans to make homemade marinara sauce)
5 (6 0z.) Hunts tomato paste
1 Hurst bean soup
1 (5 pack) Ramen noodles (not part of my shopping list, but my boys asked very nicely if they could please have "Oodle Noodles", as they call them)
12 cans Green Giant vegetables
1 honey bear
4 Enfamil (will be donated)
15 Sundown vitamins (B6 and Folic Acid - purchased at multiple stores on multiple shopping trips. NO shelf clearing - one store had over 25 bottles of the B6 on the shelf.)
6 Cover Girl nail clippers (no matter how many nail clippers I buy, they always seem to vanish... I think they run away with our socks!)
4 Cover Girl nail files
6 (5 lb.) Science Diet dog food
6 Science Diet dog treats
2 energy star light bulb (on clearance - two lights in our house had just gone out, so the timing couldn't have been better for these to clearance... plus I had a coupon!)
2 pkgs. seeds, green beans
5 lbs. strawberries (I love this time of year when the local strawberries are so cheap)
3 lbs. apples
3 lbs. oranges
1 lb. asparagus
6 (4 ct.) Yoplait kid's yogurt
2 Kraft sliced cheese
3 dozen eggs (free after coupon wyb Kellogg's cereal)
1 ricotta
4 Hot Pockets Snackers
11 lbs. chicken quarters (this will make several meals - BBQ chicken, fried chicken, chicken soup, chicken salad and maybe even a chicken casserole)

Pasta, Cheese, Produce, Formula and Much More!

Bought a lot of pasta and cheese this week, as well as a fair amount of produce. Just goes to show that you really can save on FOOD using coupons. Even some organic foods can be a part of my budget now! The Viva Italia sale at Publix isn’t as good as it was last year, but I am still finding some good deals. The BOGO lasagna noodles are probably my favorite. I think I will pick up a couple more boxes before the sale ends. Wait, maybe the cheese is my favorite deal… yeah, the cheese at $1.50 per lb. is pretty great!

Total before sales and coupons: $291.50

Total paid, including tax: $43.77

Here is what I purchased:

4 Muir Glen organic tomato paste

8 Muir Glen organic diced tomatoes

4 boxes macaroni and cheese (2 boxes already eaten)

1 (8 ct.) hot dog buns (some eaten)

1 (8 ct.) hamburger buns (most eaten)

2 cans kidney beans

1 pkg. chili seasoning

1 lg. can corned beef and hash

12 Kettle Brand chips

6 Mueller’s penne pasta

4 Mueller’s angel hair pasta

2 Mueller’s lasagna

2 Bear Naked granola

1 loaf whole wheat bread (over half already used to make the many PB&J’s my 2 yr. old requested)

6 Enfamil formula, concentrate (will be donated)

12 (8 oz.) Kraft cheese

1 (8 oz.) Walmart brand cheddar cheese (needed this earlier in the week, before the sale at Publix started… I paid full price for this bag – so sad)

4 (4 ct.) Yoplait kid’s yogurt

1 Kraft Parmesan cheese

10 Tyson Any’tizers chicken wings

4 Acai berry organic juice

4 ½ lbs. bananas ($.39 a lb – my boys have already eaten all of them!)

2 lbs. strawberries

½ lb. mushroom (already eaten)

1 lb. asparagus

2 Method dish soap

2 (32 ct.) Finish dishwasher detergent

6 Sominex

8 Tampa Bay Times newspapers (had the $5 off $30 Publix coupon – newspapers already recycled)

$36.13 for the Week - Saved 86%

Kind of a slow week for shopping. My plan was to really stock up on some ground beef from Sweetbays (I had a raincheck) and purchase at least one of the spiral cut hams (priced at only $.99 lb.). That made up the majority of my expenses this past week, too, since I had a $10 Publix gift card to cover my groceries there. The gift card was from last week’s deal – spend $100, receive a $10 gift card. I didn’t calculate the gift card into last weeks total, so it counts this week like any other coupon. I actually still have $1.44 left on the card! I also picked up a few things at Walmart that we were running low on. I was actually down to only 4 more loads worth of dishwasher detergent! I bought some… no sale, no coupon. It was horrible – I really hope there is a good sale soon, because I just don’t think I can bring myself to pay full price again. I might just wash all the dishes by hand… okay, maybe not. :)

Total before sales and coupons: $263.67

Total paid, including tax: $36.13

2 cans cream of mushroom soup (one not pictured)

1 loaf whole wheat bread (mostly eaten)

1 can Red Gold tomatoes (free product coupon from facebook promotion)

2 packs Valentine M&Ms (special treat for my boys – and only $.14 each after coupon)

1 sour cream

9 ½ lbs. ground beef 80/20 (2 more packages not pictured - 3 lbs. each)

9 ½ lbs. spiral cut ham

4 boxes Tyson Any’tizers chicken wings (will be submitting the receipt for the $10 sporting goods MIR – my 4 yr. old really wants a basketball)

2 (2 ct. each) Barber Food chicken cordon bleu (my husband’s favorite easy meal!)

4 (4 ct. each) Trix yogurt (made with real sugar… NO artificial coloring!)

4 Sambazon organic juice (already drink one - these are delicious)

1 bunch fresh basil (had to make a big pot of homemade marinara sauce and my basil plants just weren’t ready to offer enough leaves)

1 ¾ lbs. yellow onions (forgot to get these in the picture)

8 Breathe Right nasal strips (these are the greatest thing when you have a stuffy nose)

1 dishwasher detergent

2 packs Huggies GoodNites

2 Phazyme

6 Sominex (didn’t just buy because it was a MM – know someone who is very thankful I can get this product for them… free)

3 Beyond One dog food

4 Pedigree puppy food

18 Temptations cat treats (all free – will be donated)

Under $50 for Everything!

Yes, I know I bought cereal last week and we really don’t need anymore, but free is just too good a deal to pass up (there was a HUGE display and I was shopping on the last day of the sale, so no shelf clearing). I will be donating all the Fiber One cereal and the 18 jars of baby food to a local food shelf. Coupons mean that I can purchase enough food to take care of my family and bless others, as well.

There were some other great deals this week, too. The Bird’s Eye veggies were 50% off at Publix - making them roughly $1 each before coupons. I had (11) $.50/1 manufacturer coupons on the Chef’s Favorites variety and (8) $1/2 store coupons on any Bird’s eye, so I only paid about $2.50 for all 16 packages! We also purchased plenty of yummy bacon! We made a big breakfast dinner last night: eggs, bacon, tomato gravy and grits and homemade blueberry muffins! Of course, the bacon was the prized item on the table. Yum Yum!

Total before sales and coupons: $379.72

Total paid, including tax: $47.76

Here is what I purchased:

10 Fiber One cereal

4 Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

20 boxes Barilla pasta

2 Starkist tuna

2 Pepperidge Farm goldfish (my boys convince me that we needed to buy some more)

1 box fruit snacks

2 cans refried beans (1 already used)

18 Beechnut baby food

2 Cascadian Farm granola bars

1 cream of mushroom soup

20 chocolate Valentine candies

2 UP2U gum

4 Dean’s dip

8 oz. cheddar cheese

2 Skinny cow ice cream (already eaten… special treat and they only cost $.22 each!)

12 packs (1 lb. each) Smithfield bacon

4 packs Johnsonville Italian sausage (these are the best Italian sausage!)

16 Bird’s Eye Steamfresh (11 Chef’s Favorites and 5 vegetable)

10 lbs. grapefruit

6 Ocean Spray juice drinks

2 Trop50 orange juices (one already opened, not pictured)

4 Purina One dog food

1 rope bone dog toy

4 bags Kingsford charcoal

2 sponges

2 Breathe Right

1 Vaseline lotion

11 Bic pens (some black, some multi-colored… my boys love the different colored ones)

Note: I didn’t have to buy much for veggies this week, because we have lots fresh broccoli and lettuce in the garden right now. I have a good bit of frozen veggies, too.

Oh, yeah, I also have a $10 Publix gift card from purchasing $100 worth before coupons. The gift card promotion is still going through Wednesday. I may try and get another one. I have not used the $10 gift card yet, so that will be calculated into next weeks totals.