Awesome Kroger Shoppin'

I HAVE 3 or 4 POSTS FROM THE PAST WEEK, waiting for me to finish my thought and spell check. Keep your eye out for them. In the meantime...



For the past 2 years I've been torn between organic and budget so I've decided for now that our budget is priority until we get to a point that we can afford organic. It was just too overwhelming.

So the last month I have used www.couponmom. for grocery shopping, when I can get stuff that is actually not too unhealthy, and I only go for things that I have a coupon for AND are on sale at the same time. It's easy. Just get the Sunday paper and keep all of the coupon sections. I paperclip all the fliers from that week together and put a post it on the front with the date. Then they are all in a pretty IKEA magazine vertical holder on my kitchen shelf. When a sale calls for a coupon, I go find it and clip.
ANYWAY. Yesterday I went to Kroger with all of my Coupon Mom sales, AND they were in the middle of doing their markdowns on bread,milk and meat.

So, here's what I got:

10 loaves of 100% whole wheat bread $.50 ea
2 pkg wheat buns $.50 ea
3 avocados
12 half gallons of milk $.50 each (freezes well)
1 lb butter
Toilet paper (coupon, not sale but you gotta have it)
2 pkg eatsmart cauliflower (FREE after sale + 2 coupons)
2pkg biscuits ( $.25 after cpn)
2 large jars of planers peanuts (cpn + sale)
20 ears of corn ($1 for 10)
4pkg Hebrew National franks (buy 1 get 1 free AND 2 $1 off cpns)
1 large pkg pork chops (discount)
1 pkg 4 pork steaks(discount)
1 4 lb roast(discount)
3 pks of steaks(discount)
12 pkg chicken breasts (3-4 breast each, bnls sknls $1.99 lb)
2 V8 Splash (cnp + sale)
4 cans tuna (sale)
3 large jars of apple jelly (all my kids like)
3pks gourmet sausage links (discount)
4pks Jello pudding mix (sale)
10 cans Van Camps Pork and beans ($.13 a can after sale + coupon)
3 jars peanut butter (cpn + sale)
1 ladies speed stick (FREE with sale + cpn)
5 Karma Bars (DH breakfast on the train)

TOTAL $123.76!!!

My standing freezer is now full with enough bread and milk for 3 months and enough meat for much longer, at least 6 months (we eat vegetarian often)!! Maybe by the time we run out we will be on track with our savings and able to go organic again!!

(((dancing around the room)))

Tackling my Budgetting

You know, I'm so sick of and articles and suggestions on being frugal that all center around getting rid of your daily Starbucks (roll eyes). Really, haven't most people who are trying to spend carefully already done that? I need some hard core serious steps to savings, so I've begun my search.

I'm starting with the book Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy. My sister recommended it to me a few months ago, but cheapo me does not buy books. And for some reason I subconsciously avoid libraries. (I'm working on that, too. Free books and videos ARE a good thing). Well, at my mother's house yesterday morning I saw it in her shelf and almost danced the running man (well, generation X doesn't DO a jig...). So I grabs it with a promise to return it quickly, and had the book read in it's entirety by 1 am this morning. Do you see why I had to give up books for 4 years? I'm dangerous like a coke addict, but that's for another post.

Jonni gives some good information and it was a relief to see some real nitty gritty. She does dedicate some space to the whole Coffee thing, but I guess some people really DO need to hear that again. Some of her suggestions are a little out of my league but all in all I felt challenged and have some notes for improvements in our budgeting tactics.

I especially like some of her recipes and cleaning suggestions. I already do a good bit on that count but she had more information that I had seen so far. I can't wait to try her 'Homemade Grapenuts' and 'Huevos Rancheros'. I'm not sure that I will go so far as to make my own toothpaste. I personally find it easier to use cloth wipes with my cloth diapers than to bother with making my own disposable wipes. But not everyone is into that.

So, bottom line it was an easy read with some good information. Go check it out!