I do not have time today to post all my individual groceries for the week but here is the total for week 3: $75.00
Yep, I know, not exactly $50.00 like my goal but I have come to the conclusion that taking carbohydrates out of your diet can be real expensive, especially if you replace them with fruits and veggies! However, I am still going to strive to meet my goal every week, that is the goal isn't it?
I never posted how much dh and I put into our house fund for the month of february. We started the month out at 39% of our goal and ended with 39.5%. So we didn't move up too much, however, I am still happy that we were able to stash some away for savings. Dh and I got married a year ago last Saturday, and we did not take a honeymoon, however, now we are able to, and will be going to Kaui in April, how fun! The best part of the trip is....that its paid for in cash, yes ma'am that is how we do things around here! So, although we didn't save as much for our home as we would have liked to in February, it's nice to know that we can have the opportunity to go on vacation and have it paid for in full.
Okay onto the money saving challenge:
-Used my target bag once again and saved 5cents ( I can never go a week without going to Target, it's my favorite store were we live now)
-Received free magazine with coupons in it from the mail and received free coupons in the mail
-Made dh's lunch
-Avoided the drive through successfully (I have been doing this since the new year started, this is a really great victory for me, so much money was being wasted)
-Bought two shirts for 75% off
-Hung most of my clothes to dry ( I can't wait for the summer, I love drying my clothes outside)
-Continue to browse the internet with dh looking at homes in our area, this helps us keep reaching for our goal
That is all I can think of for right now, dh and I are going out of town for the weekend and I am excited to pack some food and snacks to save money!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Money Saving Challenge- and the numbers are in
I just got home from the grocery stores, here is how I did this week:
1) Target- $2.50 ( 2 liter of cherry 7-up and I small bottle of creamer)
2) Fredmeyer- $23.23 (3 bananas, 1 cantaloup, 1 red onion, 2 small yellow onions, 1 large cabbage, 1 jar of jalapeno peppers for dh, 1 bag of small tostadas, small amount of nutrional yeast, 1 cups of almonds, 1/4 cups of shredded almonds, 2 dozen eggs, and 4 double rolls fredmeyer brand toilet paper)
3)Costco- $19.00 ( 2 pounds of organic coffee, 1 rotisserie chicken, 2 pounds of pesticide free tomatoes)
4) Trader Joes- $16.15 (2 pounds of turkey bacon, 1 jar of almond butter, and 6 count brown rice tortillas)
5) Pcc- $13.46 ( 1.2 pounds of grass fed beef, and 5 pounds of clementines)
Total for the week =$74.86.... ouch
Analysis:
Coming home and automatically updating my blog is really helping me see numbers and how much I really spent and what I spent it on. I am going to keep doing this to hold myself accountable for this month and every month afterwards. Although I do feel bad about going over once again my $50.00 goal for the week, I am not going to give up but keep trying to meet this goal anyways each week.
Just from posting last week, and watching some of my organic bananas not get eaten (dh does not eat them) I feel much better this week for all getting three bananas, less waste equals more money in our house fund!
I am working on my produce waste, that is one of my goals for sure and something that I need to be constantly aware since produce goes bad so quickly.
Coffee- this is the best coffee I have ever had in my life, and dh and I have been drinking some every morning ( I never drink a lot) so it is a treat to us, and helps keep us away from spending a ridiculous amount of money for one cup of coffee at starbucks!
I bought the almond butter to make almond butter chocolate balls (think peanut butter balls) and therefore did not buy any chocolate or candy which is a victory for me.
The cabbage is our salad for the week, I am going to add in the big red onion and one package of turkey bacon and fry it, I am sure it will be delicious and it will last many meals.
The tomatoes are to eat plain and to go in our cabbage salad.
The clementines I have absolutely loved lately, and I eat them every morning for breakfast, and throughout the day for a snack.
The grassfed beef is to use on the brown rice tortillas to make tacos! yum! (we are trying to go flourless, I don't eat flour products anymore, dh is getting there)
The rotisserie chicken is food for the next couple of days and it is sooooo good! (and only $5.00 at costco)
That is my plan for right now, I will use the tostada shells and make homemade beans and it will last us many meals. I am confused yet again why my grocery bill is so sticking high for the amount of food I got. I know that I am not using coupons ( I did on the eggs) because almost everything I buy is either produce or meat. Yes, grassfed beef is expensive but we don't eat very much of it.
I am going to keep trying to lower my bill, but keep eating healthy. That is my goal.
Other things I did this week to save money:
1) used my target bag and saved 5 cents (twice)
2) got a valance for my kitchen window at target for 75% off, yeah! I was so happy about this.
3) Packed dh's lunch for work.
4) Checked out free movies from the library (free entertainment)
5) Remain papertowel free (only use cloth)
6) Started my list for things I will be looking for at garage sales when the season starts again! (I can't wait, I love garage sales!)
Other things I can still do this week to save money:
1) Get my coupons organized and go get some deals that are going on right now, I need to motivate myself to do this! I love saving money but am still tired of coupons. I will repost if I end up doing this!
2) Continue eating what I have in my kitchen/fridge/pantry.
That is it for right now, this is one long post :)
1) Target- $2.50 ( 2 liter of cherry 7-up and I small bottle of creamer)
2) Fredmeyer- $23.23 (3 bananas, 1 cantaloup, 1 red onion, 2 small yellow onions, 1 large cabbage, 1 jar of jalapeno peppers for dh, 1 bag of small tostadas, small amount of nutrional yeast, 1 cups of almonds, 1/4 cups of shredded almonds, 2 dozen eggs, and 4 double rolls fredmeyer brand toilet paper)
3)Costco- $19.00 ( 2 pounds of organic coffee, 1 rotisserie chicken, 2 pounds of pesticide free tomatoes)
4) Trader Joes- $16.15 (2 pounds of turkey bacon, 1 jar of almond butter, and 6 count brown rice tortillas)
5) Pcc- $13.46 ( 1.2 pounds of grass fed beef, and 5 pounds of clementines)
Total for the week =$74.86.... ouch
Analysis:
Coming home and automatically updating my blog is really helping me see numbers and how much I really spent and what I spent it on. I am going to keep doing this to hold myself accountable for this month and every month afterwards. Although I do feel bad about going over once again my $50.00 goal for the week, I am not going to give up but keep trying to meet this goal anyways each week.
Just from posting last week, and watching some of my organic bananas not get eaten (dh does not eat them) I feel much better this week for all getting three bananas, less waste equals more money in our house fund!
I am working on my produce waste, that is one of my goals for sure and something that I need to be constantly aware since produce goes bad so quickly.
Coffee- this is the best coffee I have ever had in my life, and dh and I have been drinking some every morning ( I never drink a lot) so it is a treat to us, and helps keep us away from spending a ridiculous amount of money for one cup of coffee at starbucks!
I bought the almond butter to make almond butter chocolate balls (think peanut butter balls) and therefore did not buy any chocolate or candy which is a victory for me.
The cabbage is our salad for the week, I am going to add in the big red onion and one package of turkey bacon and fry it, I am sure it will be delicious and it will last many meals.
The tomatoes are to eat plain and to go in our cabbage salad.
The clementines I have absolutely loved lately, and I eat them every morning for breakfast, and throughout the day for a snack.
The grassfed beef is to use on the brown rice tortillas to make tacos! yum! (we are trying to go flourless, I don't eat flour products anymore, dh is getting there)
The rotisserie chicken is food for the next couple of days and it is sooooo good! (and only $5.00 at costco)
That is my plan for right now, I will use the tostada shells and make homemade beans and it will last us many meals. I am confused yet again why my grocery bill is so sticking high for the amount of food I got. I know that I am not using coupons ( I did on the eggs) because almost everything I buy is either produce or meat. Yes, grassfed beef is expensive but we don't eat very much of it.
I am going to keep trying to lower my bill, but keep eating healthy. That is my goal.
Other things I did this week to save money:
1) used my target bag and saved 5 cents (twice)
2) got a valance for my kitchen window at target for 75% off, yeah! I was so happy about this.
3) Packed dh's lunch for work.
4) Checked out free movies from the library (free entertainment)
5) Remain papertowel free (only use cloth)
6) Started my list for things I will be looking for at garage sales when the season starts again! (I can't wait, I love garage sales!)
Other things I can still do this week to save money:
1) Get my coupons organized and go get some deals that are going on right now, I need to motivate myself to do this! I love saving money but am still tired of coupons. I will repost if I end up doing this!
2) Continue eating what I have in my kitchen/fridge/pantry.
That is it for right now, this is one long post :)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Money Saving Challenge- update
So I just got back from the stores and I am sad to say I did not do too well :(
I managed to spend:
1) $12.00 at QFC on 6 things of Free Range Chicken Broth and 4 cans of tuna
2) $8.38 at Walgreens on 1 hair dye and 6 rolls of charmin toilet paper (tax was .90! gosh) (used two coupons on the hair dye, my favorite hairdye and got it for $3.99 after coupons)
3)$19.00 at Trader Joe's: on seriously what?? 5 bananas, 4 tiny cucumbers, 1 cointainer of yogurt, 160zs of organic olive oil, and 1 small box of seedless clementines, that's it...geez...it only gets worse
4) $18.20 at Costco on salad, tomatoes, 1 pineapple, and 2 loaves of Dave's Killer Bread (organic, flourless)
And the budget sadness continues--
5) $6.50 at Target on 2 2liters of dr.pepper, 1 box of cinnamon toast crunch, and 1 bag of peanut m+ms
Okay so that is a lot more than I wanted to spend, total for the week = $64.08 ouch! and I am still not done, I have to get some eggs and some tostada shells, so yep pretty much feel like I failed, I don't know why it is so dang expensive to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, I didn't even buy any meat, cheese, milk or chips... so here's to next week praying and hoping to spend less
Some other things I do to save money:
1) I bought a target reusable bag so I get 5cents off of my purchase (yeah since I got there all the time!)
2) I received some great new release movies from the library for free (this always makes me happy, we have one of the best library systems in the country)
3) I made some rags out of a pair of soft cotton pants
4) I received a $10.00 coupon booklet in the mail
5) I did not use very many coupons this week, I used a $3.00 coupon for mascara at target and a 75cents off trident gum at target. I am a little burnt out on coupons so I decided to take a week off!
6) I pack lunch for my husband everyday
That's it for this week!
I managed to spend:
1) $12.00 at QFC on 6 things of Free Range Chicken Broth and 4 cans of tuna
2) $8.38 at Walgreens on 1 hair dye and 6 rolls of charmin toilet paper (tax was .90! gosh) (used two coupons on the hair dye, my favorite hairdye and got it for $3.99 after coupons)
3)$19.00 at Trader Joe's: on seriously what?? 5 bananas, 4 tiny cucumbers, 1 cointainer of yogurt, 160zs of organic olive oil, and 1 small box of seedless clementines, that's it...geez...it only gets worse
4) $18.20 at Costco on salad, tomatoes, 1 pineapple, and 2 loaves of Dave's Killer Bread (organic, flourless)
And the budget sadness continues--
5) $6.50 at Target on 2 2liters of dr.pepper, 1 box of cinnamon toast crunch, and 1 bag of peanut m+ms
Okay so that is a lot more than I wanted to spend, total for the week = $64.08 ouch! and I am still not done, I have to get some eggs and some tostada shells, so yep pretty much feel like I failed, I don't know why it is so dang expensive to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, I didn't even buy any meat, cheese, milk or chips... so here's to next week praying and hoping to spend less
Some other things I do to save money:
1) I bought a target reusable bag so I get 5cents off of my purchase (yeah since I got there all the time!)
2) I received some great new release movies from the library for free (this always makes me happy, we have one of the best library systems in the country)
3) I made some rags out of a pair of soft cotton pants
4) I received a $10.00 coupon booklet in the mail
5) I did not use very many coupons this week, I used a $3.00 coupon for mascara at target and a 75cents off trident gum at target. I am a little burnt out on coupons so I decided to take a week off!
6) I pack lunch for my husband everyday
That's it for this week!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Money Saving Challenge
I am going to start posting a few times a week! Today I have to go to a memorial service :( which saddens me, but life still goes on, and so does money saving challenges!
Because I have already blown my budget by stocking up on some things on got in bulk for amazing prices: 10 pounds of unbleached flour for $4.70, 10 pounds of oatmeal for $4.30, lots of split peas, brown rice, beans (Red and navy) and flax seeds!
I honestly have so much food in my freezer in pantry I do not even know what to do with (I have 4 things of sour cream, 11 bags of cheese, butter, turkey, sausage, blueberries, etc) why? well I have been trying to eat healthier, less carbs, etc but my husband still eats normally, but he hasn't even been eating up the food I bought in a very timely manner, so even though I have all this food I don't want to eat it!
That is pathetic I know when I think of all the children in Africa and how lucky we are to have more than enough food, and my attitude towards this food :(
On to my money saving challenge for this week!
1) keep eating up the food we already have
2) only buy fresh produce and maybe fish
3) get the free after coupon deals at walgreens and target this week (I get so frustrated when I get excited to do some of these deals and they don't workout! It is so frustrating!)
4) be thankful for all the food I do have
That's it, I will post how I do after I go shopping. I have to admit that I get my spinach at Costco because it is the best priced, however Costcos personally tempting for me to spend, I hardly ever just come out with what I intended to buy!
Because I have already blown my budget by stocking up on some things on got in bulk for amazing prices: 10 pounds of unbleached flour for $4.70, 10 pounds of oatmeal for $4.30, lots of split peas, brown rice, beans (Red and navy) and flax seeds!
I honestly have so much food in my freezer in pantry I do not even know what to do with (I have 4 things of sour cream, 11 bags of cheese, butter, turkey, sausage, blueberries, etc) why? well I have been trying to eat healthier, less carbs, etc but my husband still eats normally, but he hasn't even been eating up the food I bought in a very timely manner, so even though I have all this food I don't want to eat it!
That is pathetic I know when I think of all the children in Africa and how lucky we are to have more than enough food, and my attitude towards this food :(
On to my money saving challenge for this week!
1) keep eating up the food we already have
2) only buy fresh produce and maybe fish
3) get the free after coupon deals at walgreens and target this week (I get so frustrated when I get excited to do some of these deals and they don't workout! It is so frustrating!)
4) be thankful for all the food I do have
That's it, I will post how I do after I go shopping. I have to admit that I get my spinach at Costco because it is the best priced, however Costcos personally tempting for me to spend, I hardly ever just come out with what I intended to buy!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Trials of life
I have not posted in a while, mostly because I did some bulk shopping and blew my budget :( but I have plenty of food for atleast a month! I am going to try and do the purex laundry detergent deal at fredmeyer this week!
I need to get back in the grove of blogging, but my husband and I have been dealing with a tragedy for the last couple of days, one of his best friends took his own life. It is truely unbelievable, and I am seeing the unbelievable strength of God shine in his wife!
I need to get back in the grove of blogging, but my husband and I have been dealing with a tragedy for the last couple of days, one of his best friends took his own life. It is truely unbelievable, and I am seeing the unbelievable strength of God shine in his wife!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Money Saving Challenge-Week 2
I am a bit ashamed to admit that this week was kind of a failure :( It was the start of a new month for me, so if you read my previous posts you would know that I am aiming to only spend $150 a month for groceries for my husband and myself.
Unfortunately this week I have spent $80.00 already and I have 3 more to go!! This is hard!! However, I am officially stocked up on cheese and ham deli meat though so that is a good.
I got a steal on kraft cheese this week at Fredmeyer, for 12 bags I ended up only spending $4.00! That is my hot deal of the week!
Next week my challenge is to only spend $20.00, and if I can't accomplish the $150.00 that is my goal for this month, I will be thrilled still coming in under $200.00.
One last thing worth mentioning, my husband and I were able to put $2000.00 more towards our house fund this month, and that is a wonderful feeling, praise the Lord! Happy friday :)
Unfortunately this week I have spent $80.00 already and I have 3 more to go!! This is hard!! However, I am officially stocked up on cheese and ham deli meat though so that is a good.
I got a steal on kraft cheese this week at Fredmeyer, for 12 bags I ended up only spending $4.00! That is my hot deal of the week!
Next week my challenge is to only spend $20.00, and if I can't accomplish the $150.00 that is my goal for this month, I will be thrilled still coming in under $200.00.
One last thing worth mentioning, my husband and I were able to put $2000.00 more towards our house fund this month, and that is a wonderful feeling, praise the Lord! Happy friday :)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Money Saving Challenge Week 1 (update)
(This is a follow up of my previous post) Yesterday I gathered up my coupons and went to town for my weekly shopping. I ended up spending $19.00. So I am aboug $16.00 over my goal for the month, but I am still satisfied with keeping my grocery bill so low!
The state I live in does not allow doubled coupons so I am doing the best I can despite that factor :(
Here are the highlights of my trip: Free after coupons Nivea body wash from Target, Free after coupon bayer aspirin from Rite Aid, and free after coupons Tums from Rite Aid. I was also able to snag a package of deli-cuts from fredmeyer for $1.00 after sales and coupons, and fredmeyer also has grapefruit on sale for 5/$1.
I also stopped by Target and got a sweater and a shirt for my self for 75% off on the clearance rack, and I was also able to get my nephew a christmas toy for next year for 75% off!
I have also been consistenly going for a walk/run everyday outside, so my exercise is also free.
All in all, I am happy with the deals I got this week, and am looking forward to the challenge next month which starts next week for me! Trying to get my grocery bill down to $150.00 for the month, which includes food for myself and my husband! Let's see if I can work some more deals and make this happen!
The state I live in does not allow doubled coupons so I am doing the best I can despite that factor :(
Here are the highlights of my trip: Free after coupons Nivea body wash from Target, Free after coupon bayer aspirin from Rite Aid, and free after coupons Tums from Rite Aid. I was also able to snag a package of deli-cuts from fredmeyer for $1.00 after sales and coupons, and fredmeyer also has grapefruit on sale for 5/$1.
I also stopped by Target and got a sweater and a shirt for my self for 75% off on the clearance rack, and I was also able to get my nephew a christmas toy for next year for 75% off!
I have also been consistenly going for a walk/run everyday outside, so my exercise is also free.
All in all, I am happy with the deals I got this week, and am looking forward to the challenge next month which starts next week for me! Trying to get my grocery bill down to $150.00 for the month, which includes food for myself and my husband! Let's see if I can work some more deals and make this happen!
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