Actual Grocery Buys 8/14/08

Walmart
Sugar Free Cherry Drink mix 1.50*2= $3
Chk Buillion- 1.82
Italian Salad dressing mix - 3.58
Gatorade- 4.98
enchilada Sauce- 1.98
Canned diced tomatoes- 1.08 *2= 2.16
Fiber one cereal- 3.98 - $1 off coupon
distilled water for baby formula- 3*.68= 2.04
Garment Rack- 9.98
drying rack- 9.98
ironing board- 8.88

total with tax- 55.81

Kroger
q-tips- 4.19
ground beef- 8.36
Luna Bars- $1 *2=$2
Kashi roll bars .79 *4= 3.16
cliff z bars .69*6 - $2 in coupon= 2.54
JAy rob protein powder 1.99* 2= 3.98
watermelon- 5.99
bananas- 1.55
frozen corn- 1.00
shredded lettuce $1 *2 = $2
tomatoes- 1.14
cucmbers- 1.98
smoked sausage- 2.50
frozen chicken breasts- 4.99 for 2.5 lbs * 3= 14.97
ground turkey- 1
wonderbuns- 1*4=4
Lil Debbies nuttybuddy- 1- .25 coupon that was double- total price .50*2 = 1
Lil debbies snow caps - same but 1.19= 1.40
total- 72.10

total shopping for week- $127.91
total coupon savings to go into savings account= $5

Ok I didnt do as well as I thought I would. But it was a real eye opener to see how much I really spend compared to how much I think I spend and I forgot a few things that I needed- canned drinks to sell at the yardsale we are having on saturday and carrot chips, yard sale stickers and darn it I just remembered I forgot the lemons for the hummus. Oh well, I need to go get WIC tomorrow anyway so I will just get the rest then. And while I did go over budget- and I will prolly spend another $10 or so, I got a lot of meat that will not be used this week. I purchased ground beef instead of the premade patties because there was a pkg marked down because it was going out of date tomorrow. I also bought more chicken then I planned because the frozen was on sale too not just fresh and that is way easier for me than the fresh that I have to divide and freeze/cook by the expiration date. I also got an ironing board because ours bit the dust when we moved. I am definitly going to have to try better next week.
Check back to see the meals and recipes that get made this week!

August 14th-20th Grocery List and Meal Plan

I am starting my new job on Monday, after being off for the last 3 months with my new baby boy so I need some really easy meals to save us from eating out when it seems like to much work to cook and clean up (worst part in my book). But eating out is neither healthy nor good for ones pocket book. I did some browsing of some of my favorite sites for ideas and recipes and also looked at the sale ads for this week. Then I looked in my pantry and my coupons and this was what I came up with. Check back each day to see pictures and recipes of what we actually ate.
Breakfasts- baked oatmeal, cereal, pancakes, sausages,
scrambled eggs, fruit, toast
lunches- leftovers, fruit, veggies, sandwiches (I got a really good deal on ham a couple weeks ago-Land o Lakes premium ham- on sale + double .55 coupon at Kroger = $2 for a 2lb pk) with me starting work next week at a new job for that week I will need to take foods that don't need refridge or heating till I figure out how things work.
Dinners- much more planned out
Thursday- grilled chicken breasts, boxed scalloped potatoes, frozen broccoli, watermelon
Friday- taco salad, fruit, home made chocolate pudding
Saturday- chicken enchiladas, refried beans, salad
Sunday- hamburgers, watermelon, home made hummus w/veggies/crackers, Italian pasta salad
Monday- Loyds Barbecue sandwiches, leftover sides
Tuesday-corn chowder, fresh baked bread, salad
Wednesday-grilled smoked sausages, baked sweet potatoes, frozen cauliflower, leftover bread (husband requested this meal)

My grocery list for this week
Kroger
Kroger Value Ground Beef Patties- $4.99 for 12
Wonder Buns- $1 each for hamburger and hot dogs- I will buy 3 pks of hamburger buns and 1 pkg of hot dog buns- $4
Skinless boneless Chicken breasts- $1.97 lb- 5 lbs = $9.85
hormel little sizzlers sausages - $1
lettuce shredds- $1- I will buy 2 pks- $2
honey suckle frozen ground turkey $1 lb- 2 pks for freezer -$2
tomatoes- .88 lb- 3 lbs or so 2.64
smoked sausage- $2.50

Walmart
Chicken bouillon cubes- $2
frozen corn- $1
lemons- $2
watermelon- $5
bananas- $2
Gatorade drinks for husband- $5
taco seasoning- $1
sliced carrots- $2
cucumbers -$2

Nonfood Items
Q-tips - $2
clothes drying rack- ????
clothes pins- ????

Total budget for this week- $70

This plan may change because I ordered some coupons from The Coupon Master and The Coupon Clippers and they should get here tomorrow...... but my coupon adventures will have to be discussed tomorrow- that reminds me I need to organize my coupons better.

Introductions

My name is Renee and I am on a quest to create cheap healthy good meals for my family. For the last few years I have been researching ways to be more frugal and the best area of my life I have found to save money has been in the eating category. But I am horribly inconsistent, some weeks I plan a menu, cut coupons, research deals and stick to a budget. Other weeks I run willy nilly through the grocery store carelessly throwing whatever foods sound good or look good into my cart. To help me with my consistency issues I am starting this blog. Each week I am going to post my shopping list, what I actually bought and how much I ended up spending. Then I will post pictures of all of my family's meals.