The Grocery Challenge begins today! July 13, 2009
Posted by dailysavingsfromallyou in Uncategorized.trackback
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for the challenge! Later today, you should all be receiving your first official email about the challenge. Check back here after you receive it to read tips from your fellow savers! And if you still have questions, you can continue to email them to grocerychallenge@allyou.com. Good luck!
Wooo Hooo! Going grocery shopping today and saving loads!
I’m excited to start!! Can’t wait for the e-mail later. Let the fun begin!
Where can we download the Spending Log today? There’s no longer a link from the grocery challenge main page.
Hi Echo,
Sorry about that! The link is back up on the main page, but here it is for you: http://www.allyou.com/static/pdf/spending-log.pdf
Good luck!
Ok, so part of saving money on groceries is getting what freebies you can, right? So in that spirit, I would like to share that today is Mocha Free Mondays at McDonalds. Check it out here: http://www2.mcdonalds.com/mccafe/. I do miss my iced lattes since our new budget limits luxuries (Dave Ramsey, anyone?). Treat yourself, and enjoy!:)
Dave would definitely approve of taking part in the challenge and FREE mocha.
I did this today, so yummy!
On another money-saving note, CVS is having a lot of freebies this week! The biggest one that I am so proud of is a 6″x8″ photo book – free after ECBs. You should definitely go check it out! (I know that it isn’t food, but it is totally awesome!)
CVS has some definite great deals, love the freebies plus the extra bucks. I also work for CVS which intitles me to a 20 to 30 percent discount!!
I love Dave Ramsey’s teachings. He just spoke at my church a few months ago and my family learned so much. And I love freebies. Thanks for sharing!
Just an FYI – and maybe this isn’t true at every McD’s – the free mocha is about 3oz at the McD’s I visited. It’s TINY!
I’m stopping by Target and Publix (for WIC) today. Target will be for the Kellogg’s Rebate. So I guess that amount will go towards our weekly total. But I’m sure everything will balance out over the month!
I wrote up my menu plan for the week and have a few recipe links too:
http://spiffyspotlights.blogspot.com/2009/07/meal-planning-monday-week-1.html
So excited about this challenge. Everyone’s on board at my house ..you can read about how I’m meeting the challenge and post your own prograss at http://poor-mom.blogspot.com
Wanted to add, worked up a spreadsheet to help keep track of what we’ve eaten & how much it amounts to each day. There are six of us, so this is the easiest way for me to remember. lol. Here’s the link to our spreadsheet and my blog entry about the challenge:
Spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=tQ0Dwa_tYoJyWZTvq0FJM-w&hl=en
Blog: http://www.echoleigh.com/blog/?p=2425
I wish I had a super target around here! No such luck! However I am determined to only buy my produce at the farmers market and use what I grow. Good luck everyone!
Remember that Wal-Mart will match competitor’s pricing. Hope this helps!
I am having a hard time figuring out what counts toward my weekly total and what doesn’t. I know that petfood does not count, but what about cleaning products, plastic and paper to store foods in, toilettries and the like. Can we read about this anywhere other than in the question/answers on the blog? That is too time consuming for me if I also have to figure out how to cut my bill.
Thanks
I don’t know where else it says it but the Q/A, but the rules state food only (eating in or going out). No household supplies, pet foods, toiletries, wraps/paper, etc. Hope that helps! Good luck!
HBA (bath and cleaning products) do not count towards your total. I am not sure about the pet food, but I would guess that this does not go towards your total .
Follow these guidelines:
* During the contest, groceries that you purchase count toward your weekly total. However, feel free to grow, barter or use stockpiled food to supplement your meals. Creativity and ingenuity count!
* If you eat at a restaurant or buy takeout, the cost must go toward the week’s total.
* Household supplies and toiletries do not count toward each weeks total.
* Keep track of your money using the optional Spending Log.
* Save receipts–you will be required to submit them if you are a finalist.
* Post your strategies on our Grocery Challenge blog, and be sure to tell us your money-saving tips
Also, I think it was mentioned that children under 1 do not count. I think this is because formula and baby food is so darn expensive.
Here is a link to the guidelines. http://www.allyou.com/general/grocery-challenge-sign-up-00400000050246/?xid=300×100CIB-grocerychallenge
I have been using coupons ever since I can remember. It saves me so much money. I noticed a huge savings on my grocery and household items since I started using Savings Angel: Click HERE to cut your grocery bill in HALF! 30 days FREE! I was very skeptical about the $20 fee each month, but in my first shopping trip I saved over $80!!! I am very excited about this All You Grocery Challenge. I have started a blog to keep track of my great deals. http://daisybdeals.blogspot.com/
Let the fun begin!!!
Check out thegrocerygame.com Its cheaper!!!!
I tried the grocery game first. It was $10 for the first store list and $5 each additional store list. I only had the option for 2 stores in my area. Walgreens and Schnucks. It was $15 for both stores. Through Savings Angel I have access to 6 lists, Walgreens, Schnucks, Dierbergs, Shop N Save, Target and CVS. The stores are different for each area. But Clearly Savings Angel is a much better deal. I actually get paid now the use the site because I have had a few friends sign up under me. Give it a try you won’t be sorry. When you first sign up you get your second month for FREE!!!! http://savingsangel.com/amember/go.php?r=22513&i=l8
Why would you pay for that information though? I use http://www.moneysavingmom.com, http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com, several local blogs as well as http://www.hotcouponworld.com, http://www.afullcup.com, http://www.slickdeals.net and southern savers (I think it’s http://www.southernsavers.com)
I don’t have a credit card or a debit card that i’m willing to use to pay for anything online like that. I do not buy coupons or anything like that…and I regularly save a MINIMUM of 50% off my bill. Normally I save between 50% and 80% off each grocery bill and end up paying only 30 bucks ish. There are my super saver days when I go to the store and spent 8.00 and walk out with 100.00 worth of groceries but on average I typically walk out with 75.00-80.00 worth of groceries and have only paid 30.00 and i get all kinds of fun foods as well as healthy ones!!! and at the end of the month I don’t have to pay someone else another 20 or 30 bucks!!!!!
Well like I said I don’t pay for it anymore. I get payed $10 each month to use the Savings angel site. So That’s $120 each year I can use for groceries!!!! Plus I like the fact it is all in one location.
Yeah! Let the challenge begin. I’m so excited to share some saving tips and learn some great ones too!!
We had lots of sloppy joes (made with lean ground beef) left over from our July 4 party. We froze the leftovers in meal-size portions in plastic storage bags. For dinner last night, we thawed a bag and used it for nachos, along with reduced fat cheddar cheese and lowfat sour cream. They were great!
Hello,
I am so happy to be a part of this. I think that I wont have to buy anything for the first two weeks.
My freezer/ fridge are both full.
Today menu:
Egg and cheese sandwich for my DH ( I got the muffins a while ago from publix when they were B1G1)
Nothing for me. I just dont like eating breakfast. But while I was out I stopped by Mcdonlads and got my free Mocha.
I also stopped by publix and got 4 Murell pasta, B1G1 for $1.29 and I used 2 $1/2 coupons. I paid $0.58.
Dinner: We will have hotdogs ( Got a lot a while ago from publix, they were B1G1 for $4.99 and I used 2 $1 Internet coupons)
The buns were from publix as well (2 packs/$1)
Corn on the cobb ( I really got this cheap a week ago from Target. I got like 60 ears of corn. They were 10/$1)
Diet coke for me ( From CVS a while ago, it was free afer coupons and ECBs)
Milk for my DH ( I got like 7 gallons of soy milk from publix) They were 2/$5 but I had a lot of $2 coupons. So I paid $0.50 for each half gallon. It is the only milk DH would drink.
Dessert would be Starbucks Ice cream ( free from Publix two weeks ago) they were B1G1 for $3.79 and we had $2 coupons.
Don’t you just love shopping at Publix??? I never shopped there because they are priced so high compared to other grocery stores. Now that I am using coupons, I don’t shop anywhere else!
I got the corn on sale for 10/$1 also, but our Target doesn’t have the grocery department, so I went to Wal-Mart where they match competitor’s pricing. Unfortunately, we bought 40 ears of corn and ate most of them in the first week. We didn’t have much left to freeze!
I have the list and am prepared to go to Walmart with my coupons, sale bills and pantry list! I cannot wait!
So my total fro today would be $0.58? Or just $0.00 since we wont eat it today?
The pasta will last me at least 4 months.
Hi! I was so excited to start this challenge today. I already have plenty in my pantry so doing good so far lol! Also, I’m keeping track of what my family eats as well. Echo, I may have to use your chart. Thanks for sharing
Well- the challenge starts today- and it has truly become a challenge for me! My in-laws called and said they’d be here this week (either tonight or tomorrow night) for a few days. That certainly throws a kink into the plans but I fully intend to not spend a penny more than if they weren’t coming. Good luck to everyone!
Check out budget101.com- there are some really good ideas on there!
I have been using coupons and stocking up when items are on sale for one year now. I have seen a huge difference. This is the one area of our budget that I can work to lower. I have cut our grocery budge in half and we are swimming in food. One way I help combat the urge to eat out is my cooking ahead items and keeping them in the freezer so they are ready when I had a hectic day. Tomorrow I am having a baking day. Check out what’s on the schedule http://savinitup.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-baking-day.html
My number one tip which I know a lot of families is to plan my menu for the week. You can check out my menu here http://savinitup.blogspot.com/2009/07/menu-plan-monday_12.html
I’ve been looking forward to this challenge. I am actually challenging myself to come in under the ALL YOU challenge! Good Luck ladies :O)
On track ! There are only 3 of us this week so my budget was $75, but I only spent $58.72 ! Our local grpcery store sent out coupons for the month and one of them was for a free loaf of bread and they were out of that brand. The store manager said I could pick another kind and keep my original coupon !
I bought a big chicken and roasted it with vegetables and after we ate some, I picked the remaining meat off the bones and that will be the base for the rest of our meals this week. I also made stock from the bones ! So excited for this challenge !
I just got my official day one email
I’ve been working on my 4 week menu today-its time consuming to make a whole month in advance but this is my number one way of keeping my budget down! Also to Tracy-I used to be a SA 
The fee got too high for me but I loved using it and the community on there was awesome!
I am suprised you didn’t stay with Savings Angel. I can’t imagine shopping without them, I save at least $100 each week! I actually do not pay for my membership anymore. I actually get paid now to use the site because I have some friends that have signed up under me. I used to make menus each week and shop acording to my menu. Now I do the opposite I check the Savings Angel site to see what the good deals are and then plan my menu according to what is on sale. Good luck to you!
I’ve been a “strategic shopper” for about a year now. I subscribe, for FREE, to couponmom.com to get my store’s best deal list, print out the list, clip my coupons and save, save, save! I’ve seen other sites where they charge you to get lists, but why pay, when you can get those lists for free? Couponmom.com also has all kinds of FREE info to help you on your saving adventure! What do you do with all the stockpiled food you have? Go to vocalpoint.com/dinnertool and you can type in an ingredient and you will get recipes for that includes that ingredient. This website also has features like, meal planning, shopping list and links to instant coupons. To get ready for the All You Grocery Challenge, I have been staying within the budget guidelines for the past few weeks, so it can be done!
Happy savings everyone!!!
Thanks for the info. I use southernsavers.com. They post deals from several stores like Publix, Ingles, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, and RiteAid. Totally free, like yours! Good luck! This is going to be so much fun!
Yes there are FREE sites out there, But I have found Savings Angel is much more organized and easier to navigate. I was very skeptical about paying for a site to save money. I saved $80 my first week! I actually get paid to use Savings Angel because I have had a few friends sign up under me. To me that’s better than free! Thanks for the link to vocal point! I will have to go check that out I have so much food stockpiled I need some new ideas.
Here are some coupons I found today.
http://www.campbellkitchen.com/SavingsCenter.aspx (for a coupon)
Did you know you can use Grocery Coupons from other grocery stores at WEIS?….
Also, if the product rings up wrong on your receipt, you can receive the product free from Customer Service. They will refund your money!!!!
http://www.wish-bone.com/Home.aspx (for a coupon)
http://www.suredeodorant.com/ (coupon)
http://www.countrycrock.com (coupon)
http://www.heinzvinegar.com (coupon)
I am so excited for this! I keep my fridge and pantry stocked pretty well, so the only things I foresee getting anytime soon are milk, cream, and veggies. Good luck to everyone!
Here is my meal plan for week#1:
http://everchanging6012.blogspot.com/
Yay! I’m so excited! I did my grocery shopping this morning and spent $47.18! I don’t have a huge stockpile… just some stuff in the freezer that I have to use up because it’s been in there about 2 months. Other than that, I’m going on pantry staples and good menus with a little help from our garden. I left room in the budget to go out and get more milk and bread, as well as some ground turkey I’ll need for later in the week, but I knew I wouldn’t get the best price on that at the store I went to today.
I have an entire blog dedicated to helping use up leftovers in new ways if you need any help in stretching your meals. You will find it at: http://notjustleftovers.blogspot.com . If you have a specific item that you need help using, just leave me a comment – I’m always on the lookout for new topics! We never have boring leftovers here!
Does anyone know if we are supposed to be keeping track of exactly what everyone eats during these four weeks? I do a weekly menu plan on my other blog, but only for dinners. I don’t know if I need to keep track of all the meals for All You or not.
Have fun, everyone – this is going to be great!!!
Well the day has arrived. I have been trying to cut my budget down for the last two weeks. No success. It is just my Husband and I. I do have a Disable daughter but she is on a feeding tube. So I am not counting her in this challenge. I hope there are a lot of ideas out there. I need it. I and my Husband have been spoiled way to long and now that we are having some hard times . I saw this challenge and told my Husband I would be doing it. I will try my best to only spend my $50:00 a week.
Thanks for the opportunity to do this. I am enjoying the challenge.
I am super excited about the grocery challenge!! I am rather new to using coupons, but that will be my number one tactic. I have been using the southernsavers.com website to help me out. They post different grocery stores with the coupon matches and also have the coupon prints. It’s really great, and I wish that I had found it sooner. I have been spending the same amount of money, but we have so much food now! We are eating a lot better and healthier now that I have figured out this coupon thing. I hope to learn another thing or two through this experience. Good luck to everyone! This is going to be so much fun!!!
Does food bought on WIC count towards our total? No money comes out of my pocket, but it terms of the contest it does increase our grocery supply. I couldn’t find anything in the rules.
I hope the links works…it should answer your question (in more detail, if needed) about WIC.
But just in case the link does not work, WIC does not count toward your weekly total. Yay! I use WIC too and it’s been a big help for my family.
Oops…here’s the link:
http://allyougrocerychallenge.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/grocery-challenge-rules-qa/
I have always been a “penny pincher” but also love to eat healthy. I have been able to eat healthy on a budget by gardening, couponing and sale shopping. I pride myself on what I feed my family and am super excited about this challenge. I haven’t spent a dime yet this week, but here’s my meals for the day:
Breakfast: English muffin toast with light butter and homemade strawberry jam (given to me by a friend), banana.
Lunch: Varied a little but between family members ~ sandwiches with light mayo, marinated veggie salad (mostly veggies from our garden), leftover stir fry, yogurt, granola, fruit and iced tea. Lunches usually vary because we pack our lunches and it’s the meal we get to “pick our own” foods. Funny: bartered for the tomatoes by offering to water the plants on the neighbor’s porch while they’re on vacation
Dinner: Spinach/artichoke chicken breasts, tossed salad and applesauce.
Snack: popcorn
We either drink water or homemade iced tea and rarely have any soft drinks in the house (unless hosting a party, etc).
So far ~ so good!
I am excited! I don’t have to go grocery shopping until Friday, so we’re eating what I have on hand from last week’s grocery trip and whatever’s in our pantry and freezer. Tonight I am making huevos rancheros, one of my family’s favorite ways of using beans. We buy our beans in 10-lb. bags from a local discount store. I just used up the last of them, though, so I’ll have to shop for more beans soon! I usually cook up about a pound of beans in the slow cooker early in the week, then use them throughout the week in various ways. It cuts down on cooking time throughout the week, and having the cooked beans in the refrigerator reminds me to actually use them instead of letting them linger in the closet for weeks on end.
Diane’s Non-Authentic Huevos Rancheros:
4 corn tortillas, brushed with oil (and sprinkled with salt if desired)
2 cups cooked beans
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder or 1/2 chipotle chili, crushed
1 tsp. cumin
4 eggs
salt, if desired
cheese, if desired
Bake the tortillas at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until crispy, turning once.
Meanwhile, heat the beans, tomatoes and spices in a saute pan over medium heat until simmering. Mash the beans with the back of a fork or a potato masher until desired consistency. Break eggs into bean mixture and cover. Cook until eggs are done. Sprinkle with cheese, and serve over crispy tortillas. Yum!
Yummy! diane-do you use black beans or does it matter?
I’m excited about challenging myself and my family over the next 4 weeks to trim our budget from it’s current $85 per week for a family of 4 (which includes household, cleaning and toiletry items). We’ll be having Hawaiian meatballs over rice with vegetables tonight for dinner-YUM! All from our vegetable garden and stockpile too! Check out my blog about my experience with the ‘All You’ grocery challenge by clicking on my name. I figure we all win by saving money and becoming more creative with meal planning by entering this challenge. Good luck everyone!
I am stocked! I have a pantry, an extra freezer full of stuff. My husband hunts, therefore, I have plenty of deer meet for 5 families.
I have been growing a garden for the first time and the cucumbers are starting to come and so is my tomatoes. i should have corn , soon.
I’m so excited about this challenge. I’ve been using the Grocery Game service for over a year and it has CHANGED MY LIFE! I am very well stocked so the hardest for me will be keeping my menu interesting and keeping my husband from eating out at work! I can do this!
For those of you in the Greater Cincinnati Area- check out a great blog (unfortunately it is not mine)- http://www.mommysnacks.net. A great mama in Cincinnati posts the best deals around town and it’s free. Also, check SweetiesSwag.com for great freebies. Good luck everyone!
Well…I’m excitied. I already have all my food for this week. I had to buy a few things the other day, but a lot of my items, I already had on hand. I stocked up on hamburger and hot dog buns a couple weeks ago because they were on sale for the fourth of July and I just put them in my freezer so they wouldn’t go bad.
Tips I have to share:
1. Get orgainzed and stay that way as much as possible…
To stay organized, I make a budget and stick to it, I plan out a menu, and I keep track of what I have at home, as well as, how much I have spent. I carry a little note book in my purse where I keep a running total of how much I’ve spent on food, household items, gas, and other stuff.
2. Plan your meals…
I make a menu for the entire month about a week before the month starts. Then when I go grocery shopping I know excatly what I need.
3. Buy some food items in bulk and, freeze when you get home…
My family only constist of three people (my husband, me, and a 2 1/2 year old), but I still buy my meats and a few other items in bulk. When I get home, I just sepearte the meat out in the amounts that are needed based off my menu and freeze it untill I’m ready to use them.
I love having HEB close.
They always have great deals where you get free stuff when you buy things you would normally buy anyway.
For example:
Buy 4 Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Entrées get:
* H-E-B Yogurt 4 pk., 4 oz. assorted varieties
* H-E-B Premium Tea 20 ct. assorted varieties
* Nestlé Candy 8 pk. assorted varieties
* Fresh Express Green & Crisp Garden Salad 12 oz.
That definitely puts a dent in your bill.
I bought a great cookbook for busy and frugal people called, “Cheap, Fast, Good” by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross. They provide great recipies as well as shopping tips and techniques for stretching your grocery dollars. I found myself in my local grocery store looking for the absolute cheapest cuts of meat so I could put into practice some of the suggestions I just read about in this book. I too have a hunter/fisherman husband and an overabundant garden, so spending should not be an issue, however eating out is one of my concerns. We are thinking of a vacation later this month, so I would love suggestions for frugality while away from my own kitchen.
i am going to try to plan out my meals and budget my money!!
Stale bread? I give it a few whirs in the food processor and make bread crumbs (add a few spices and keep in the freezer) or cook up a batch of french toast that I freeze and the kids just pop them in the toaster like Pop-Tarts! I feel much better knowing I made it and what went into it.
Day one is off to a great start. As I have been stockpiling for a while, I have full freezers and a full pantry. By doing an inventory and getting my family on board, I have solved the problem I frequently have – that is, the older members of my family use my stockpile at all hours of the day and night with no regard for actual meals. Now, everyone agrees that they will eat the foods designated as snacks for snacks, and not demolish everything else. We have tried to eliminate sodas from our house, and make homemade tea and lemonade/limeade instead. Awhile back I got a good deal on Del Monte fruits in a jar. We saved the jars and refrigerate the teas and lemonade in the jars so that eveyone can easily serve themselves when thirsty. I also have lots of mint and usually fresh strawberries on hand to flavor the drinks.
With that said, today’s menu was as follows:
Breakfast: Pancakes made with Fiber One, pineapple juice, plums, and turkey bacon.
Lunch: Tuna sandwiches on whole wheat with lettuce and tomatoes. Cucumbers with hummus.
Dinner: Teriyaki steak, Brussels sprouts, tossed salad, baked potatoes.
Snacks: Greek yogurt, Georgia peaches, sea salt and pepper cashews, popcorn.
Dessert: Blueberry cobbler made with oats and walnuts.
Wow, I really like your single serving jar idea – and what a great way to recycle!
I am surprised I have not seen anyone mention refundcents.com. I have been a member for many years and love it! I am VERY excited to be in this contest. I don’t think I have ever spent over $100/week on my family of four except when my husband gets on his eating out kicks which he does every so many months. I am SO frugal, $100/week for groceries sounds VERY expensive. I started out with the FREE McDonald’s Mocha this morning. Dinner was all from my HUGE stockpile, but it was not very heallthy. I think that may be my one downfall. We had sloppy joes served on leftover hotdog buns, string cheese and potatoe chips. We also had green grapes after dinner, but will grapes actually conteract the chips? Probably not…
Tip of the day: Never EVER buy bagged salad. I decided a while ago that from now on, I will only get a head of lettuce. Cheaper, More for my $1.49 ( usually around 4 to 5 servings for both my DH and I ), and it lasts longer. I got one last tuesday and it is still fresh as I got it the first day.
I thought this too but last week at Winn-Dixie the bagged Romaine was cheaper then the head by itself.
I ended up having to run by Walmart today to grab juice and canned pineapples to use on our chicken-pineapple kabobs for dinner tonight. I forgot them when I went Krogering Saturday! OOPS! Walmart doesn ‘t double coupons, but it was cheaper than a special trip to Kroger. I spent $4.95 today…. Maybe because I snuck in a Diet Mt. Dew to help me make it through the afternoon at work!
That’s going to be a tough one for me…. Not stopping for Diet Dews during work days. Although I did get a Buy 1 – Get 1 FREE cap today! That’s got to count for something!
I love a challenge! I have been couponing for a while now – matching them with the sales and getting alot of stuff really for pennies or free. Our meals are matched with this, so $25 per person is not a problem. We have our own eggs, meat, and a garden which is just now starting to produce. No purchases today. Ate pinto beans (from yesterday) cause they are better the next day, onions from our garden, sun dried tomato Italian bread (clearanced at walmart), pork loin (purchased on sale previously), fresh tomatoes, cole slaw (with Kraft dressing that was free onsale after coupon), and fresh green beans. I have an opportunity to get a fresh bushel of peaches for $28 so that is where our money is going so I can get them canned for later in the year. Homemade peach cobbler is great in the winter! Makes you remember that Spring is not so far away.
Tip of the day: Buy an extra when items go on sale. You save far more than waiting till the last minute and picking up a must have.
Example: I didn’t pay attention to the dog food and ran out. The closest grocery is 27 miles anyway from our home. We ran to the local market 3 miles from us. Paid $19 for 40 lbs and could have paid $11.99 for 50 lbs. That won’t happen again!
I haven’t even posted on my blog site but I will
Mondays are so hard for me. I haven’t slept but 7 hours since Friday and I’ve got the twitches. I made a small trip to Walmart to do our “start from scratch” version of the challenge. I got some great staples and we had a great shrimp and tomato pasta. Tomorrow will be ground turkey of some sort or maybe veggie/sausage pitas. We’ll see. I only got to do a small amount of shopping today (although the way we’re modifying the challenge to challenge ourselves more, we did a lot of “theoretical” shopping so we have about $50 left for the week and we’re including HBA. I will get our menu plans up tomorrow when I can see straight. I’m grumpy but still really excited to challenge myself 
The Challenge has most definately started tody. The biggest challenge for me over the next four weeks I think will be not buying any snack foods at work since I go in so early usually by 5:30 am. I am not a breakfast person myself and my lunch hour is usally around 9am. This challenge will definately keep me on my toes and since I have to write down all food expenses I will be thinking twice before I spend money on food and drinks at work. Unfortunately I forgot to buy a couple items while at Winco last week so that will be a quick stop this evening.
Does anyone else doing this challenge live in California have any info on what else to do besides the standard clipping and discount stores which saves me a bundle already but I could really save more.
Good Luck to all you challengers!!
The sun is shining the tank is clean…. and the race has begun.
This month should be a learning experience for all of us.My husband goes out to eat every day for lunch but I still think we can make this work. He is off work this week so that makes things a little easier.This SATurday my husband and I are teaching a couponing class at our local library and I will be sharing with them what I learn from all who post here this week.
I bought a sports drink tonight but I used a credit at CVS. I got thirsty making all 5 of my FREE photo books. Christmas presents for the grandparents. We will be cleaning out I mean eating our stock pile in our freezer this month. My goal is to come under budget. Tomorrow is my shopping day because I have a $5 off $30 coupon at Winn-Dixie. I will let you know tomorrow how the trip went– Happy saving my Frugal Buddies
I’m excited about the challenge and can’t wait to see how much I save. I’ve been a couponer for a while now and it’s a great way for a stay-at-home mom like myself to contribute to the finances of the family. My tip to pass on: now is a great time for u-pick, at least here in the South. Go pick some blueberries, peaches, or cherries, save some money, and have a fun family activity at the same time! U-pick places don’t usually care if you eat some while you’re picking, so even my two toddlers are kept busy!
One of my favorite ‘leftover user upper’ meals is Frittata:
4 eggs
1 c milk
Leftover meat – ham, breakfast sausage and smoked sausage work best
Leftover veggies – asparagus, broccoli and well-drained spinach work best
Chopped green onion
Shredded cheese
2 cups leftover bread cubes – I use the ‘heels’ of bread that are saved in the freezer or the extra hot dog or hamburger buns, even stale cornbread or biscuits
Salt & Pepper to taste
Whatever herbs you like – I use tarragon and sage
Mix it all in a large bowl, save 1/2 the cheese to put on top, grease a casserole dish, dump it in, top with cheese, bake 1 hour on 350. I didn’t add measurements for the meat, veggies or cheese since you are using up what you have, but the egg/milk/bread measurements are the important ones. Makes 4 servings.
I’ve decided to blog about what we eat and buy each day. This is the best way for me to stay organized for this challenge.
This week is going to be pretty easy for me, because I have a lot of stock piled food in freezer and pantry to be used up.
Yesterday: Breakfast- Eggo Waffles
Lunch- Leftover Cavatini
Dinner- Chicken & Zucchini Pasta & homemade Fry Bread
with White Peaches for desert
Today: Breakfast – Cereal & Yogurt
Lunch- Leftover Chicken & Zucchini Pasta & homemade fry bread with Bing Cherries for desert
Dinner- Chicken Leg Quarters on the grill, Green Beans & Apple Crisp for desert
Can’t wait to get the Dillons Ad. I’ve heard they are having a Mega 10 sale. One of the best ways to save some serious cash on groceries when you combine with coupons.
I’m excited to use up some of the things I have stock piled. As a single person, I really enjoy the social aspect of dining out with friends. The local park is having some free concerts. I plan on organizing some potluck picnics so that I can enjoy company, cut expenses and have some variety. I also have some food stashed at work — a flatbread melt in the freezer, some snack bars & some fresh fruit. This way I am less likely to buy the $9-12 lunch or something from the vending machine.
[...] From Vicki: [...]
Good luck everyone!!! Didn’t need to shop yesterday, but ran down to pick up some of the Jone’s Soda (which is buy1get1 through today at my Kroger’s (Fry’s) ) and used buy1get1 coupons from Jone’s soda making it all free! I picked up 8 4pks for free and then 2 packages of beef ribs $3.99lb. Used 2 $2 off any rib coupons. So total for all was $3.47 ($1.15 was tax) so really a total of $2.32.
My main shopping will start tomorrow when ad changes and the megasale at Krogers starts (buy 10 get $5 off). Several of the items are money makers with coupons or extremely cheap. This will be a stock up time for me which will make this a lot more difficult, but I will just have to be more inventive with coupons and cats.
I see a lot of people use paid services for grocery ideas and such. A few of my friends use these and have shown me what they get. Personally, I don’t like them as much as I do the regular free forums where people post different scenerios of how they saved money. It is the easiest way to learn how to coupon if you are new. Just can’t seem to justify spending that much to have someone do the work for me.
Coupon mom is a great free site for listing grocery stores and the coupon match ups for the week. Also, Hot Coupon World gives you a list of most printables, and you can usually find out about catalina deals that are going on at the moment.
Just one question, does anyone know if tax counts? Most places do not charge tax on food, but our town has a 3% tax on edibles and I know that some others have an even higher tax rate. Just need to know whether this will count towards our totals. Thanks!!
Hey everyone! Having a GREAT time reading your posts and suggestions. I keep a savings blog/fan page on facebook called Serious Super Savers. GREAT information about coupons, savings, freebies, etc. I also wrote an ebook with information on how to save $$$, without spending any to join sites, like grocery game, etc. Essentially, I wrote about what I do to save at least 50% everytime I buy groceries. Might help you out if you need new ideas to save more money for the challenge.
Here is a link: http://Www.threecupcakes.com/supersaver.html
Good luck everyone!
Like Vicki, (reply #40), I store my stale bread in the freezer (mostly crusts, since no one eats them) and use them to make bread crumbs. I used this trick tonight when making oven fried chicken (a favorite at my house!) I love using something that would usually get thrown away. Also, using chicken leg quarters is great because they’re usually so inexpensive at my local grocery store.
Oven Fried Chicken:
3 pounds chicken leg quarters (or whatever chicken parts you like)
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
2 Tbsp. milk
3 tsp. cajun seasoning, divided
1 c. bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Separate drumsticks from thighs of the chicken leg quarters. Rinse well and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pan by lining a jelly roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet with foil. Put a cooling rack over the lined pan; spray with cooking spray or brush with a little oil. In a pie plate or shallow dish, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, milk and 1 tsp. cajun seasoning. In another dish, mix the bread crumbs, remaining 2 tsp. seasoning and 1 Tbsp. oil with a fork. (You can also do this step in the food processor, especially if you’ve processed stale bread for the crumbs.) Dip each chicken piece in milk mixture, then dredge in bread crumb mixture and set on prepared rack/pan. Bake for about 1 hour at 400 degrees, or until chicken temperature reaches 180 degrees.
It’s so much fun to read everyone’s comments and tips, as well as feeling like part of a community while doing this challenge. Today’s menu utilized three strategies that I enjoy.
1. Think ethnic. Ethnic foods are frequently low-cost and add variety to your meals.
2. Utlize the slow cooker for dried beans.
3. Prepare double portions whenever possible.
Today’s dinner began with Target’s corn special last week. At 10 ears for a dollar, I couldn’t pass it up. I cooked an extra ten ears, then scraped them off of the cob after dinner. Half went on a baking sheet into the freezer, then into a zip top bag when frozen. The other half I stored in the fridge until the next day.
After cutting up the corn, I rinsed and drained two pounds of black beans. The beans went into the slow cooker on low, until the next afternoon. I did not season them, as they were just to be a base for other dishes.
The next afternoon I made a soup with the corn, half of the black beans, chipotle peppers, and turkey sausage. The soup went into the freezer for later use.
The remaining pound of black beans were the side for tonight’s Cuban dinner:
Roast Chicken marinated in Mojo sauce
Black beans with brown rice
Sweet Plantains
Spinach
To season the beans, I made a sofrito: sauteed chopped Vidalia onion, bell peppers, parsley, garlic, and two tablespoons of olive oil. These are then added to the beans along with salt and pepper, then simmered to taste.
I also made two roast chickens, and am now simmering the carcasses with onions, carrots, and celery to make a stock. After refrigerating overnight, I will use the stock and a little of the leftover chicken to make chicken soup with noodles and matzo balls – my youngest son’s favorite!
Happy eating till tomorrow…
I do my shopping tomorrow, usually Monday but I worked both Monday and Tuesday. I am planning to continue to stock up on sale items – probably not what I will be eating this week but it keeps my options open when I have a nice full pantry. I packed a salad both days I worked, greens were from my sisters garden and I had lots of goodies to add to make it more interesting. Dinner tomorrow will be a chicken pot pie, using the chicken that was left over from Sunday. I always add lots of frozen and fresh veggies to make it extra healthy. I always buy organic when it is available, so this will be an extra challenge to keep under the budget and still get organic. I have some nice green beans ready in the garden in the next few days so a yummy creamed grean beans and potatoes is one of our favorites and I can eliminate meat at that meal. Great fun!! Keep up the notes with ideas.
I went and got 3 gallons of milk for $.24 cents a gallon!! You can read about it more on my blog http://5on125.blogspot.com/ or you can check out my other deals on http://iloveagooddeal.blogspot.com/
Hey everyone! Looking forward to sharing some great tips on the food saving scene!
Yesterday, we had homemade pancakes and blueberries for breakfast. Then, Mac n Cheese, turkey hot dogs and peas for lunch (fav of my 3 boys). We had 2 extra people over for lunch; my friend and her family is moving this week and needed to do laundry. For dinner we had homemade chicken pot pie (yes- the whole thing was from scratch) and asparagus on the side.
Total spending Monday- $0.00- Off to a good start!
Tuesdays menu- For breakfast, my boys had Raisin Bran. I got it on sale a couple weeks ago for $0.75 per box. They love that stuff! I had a Slim Fast Shake with flax seed and mixed berries mixed in; yummy! Today we had LOTS of people over! We did some homeschooling stuff, and had a variety of things for lunch. My contribution was PB & J on grahgm crackers and apples. Then, for dinner, I had a surprise guest and her three children. We made spaghetti and homemade meatballs. Another friend of mine just had a baby and it was my turn to provide a “Welcome Baby” meal! I delivered a delicious chicken casserole. My fridge still looks good, not needing anything yet. I will be pouring overr this weeks ads soon though.
Today’s total- $0.00- Hooray.
By the way, does my 9mo old daughter count as a person or not?
Kate
Hello everyone. I’m really excited about this challenge – and anxious to hear everyone’s creative ideas. We’ve made it through the first few days on track and are looking forward to the end of the week.
The best part of this challenge is that my 3 children are excited and want to help. They want to cut coupons and help plan meals! Love it! We are picking blueberries tomorrow and plan on baking muffins and desserts for later in the week.
Today we had an extra bonus when we got the first cucumbers from our garden and made a tomato & cucumber salad dressed up with a homemade vinaigrette and some feta. Later on for a snack, we used the cucumbers to sample all the Tribe Humus we got last week at 90cents each!
Good luck to everyone and keep up the good work!
Kim
Here’s another source for saving/planning your menus. Anybody near a Meijer store can add to their savings by going to Meijer.com and scroll down the page until you get to Meijer Mealbox. After clicking on this link, you can click on recipes which will also tell you if some of the ingredients are on sale and if there is a store coupon available! You can use the store coupon along with the manuf. coupon to increase your savings! Now that’s what I call “strategic shopping”!
Happy savings everyone!
I do not have much stocked up, wish I had thought of that, but I do have some stuff and decided that until it is gone No Shopping. So we have had Pb and J’s, leftover sloppy joe mix from the freezer on leftover buns from my parents 4th of July party, tonight is quesadillas (I tend to over buy cheese when it is on sale..prob my only stockpiled item) on whole grain tortillas. We only eat out when my husbands parents take us so that isn’t a prob. for us. I look forward to this challenge even tho I don’t usually ever spend more than $20 per person. There are 3 of us. I am excited to see how long I can go without buying anything. My parents have a farm so we get some meat, and veggies from them (they don’t live close so we can’t get it until they come to visit). Should be fun.
Good luck to everyone!!
Han
Hi Everyone! I am having soo much fun with this. I wanted to share my run to Fry’s (Krogers) today in hopes that you might get a sense of how much you can save (and even get paid to take food out of their stores) during Mega Sales.
Mega Sales are usually store sales where you buy so many items and they give you a certain amount off. Krogers megasale is buy 10 get $5 off through the 26th of this month. This is how it worked for me today. I purchased:
40 Dixie Plates (45ct) & Bowls $1.99 used .50/1qs doubled
20 Welch’s Grape Jelly $1.99 used .55/1qs doubled
20 Kraft Cheese (8oz) $1.89 used .50/1qs doubled
28 1 liter Glacier Water .99 used $1/2 qs
14 Sunny D’s $1.39 used .55/1qs doubled
5 Dixie Napkins 200ct used .50/1qs doubled
21 Playtex Gloves $1.00 used $1/1qs
2 Purina Dog Food $3.50 used $3.50qs
2 Lady Speed Sticks $1.50 used $1.50qs
2 Soft Soaps $1.50 used $1.00qs
5 Kleenix $1.49 used .50/3 and .50/2qs doubled
2 packages Beef Ribs used 2 $2off any ribs
9 Kraft Salad Dressing $1.50 used $1.50/1 tearpad qs
4 Kraft BBQ Sauce $1.09 used .50/1 doubled
Total after coupons was: $114.40
But because I got 170 of their sale items, I received 17 $5 discounts so $85 dollars off of that total. Total after discount: $29.40.
So lets just figure one item: Playtex Gloves $1.00 – $1.00q = 0, then for every ten I purchased I received an additional $5 off my grocery bill. In my case, by buying the gloves I got $10.50 off the rest of my groceries. The same went for Kraft dressing and Purina, Sunny D paid me .11 to take each one out of the store. It can take alot of time, but it is soo worth it when you can start saving this much.
Now just have to figure out how much my actual food cost (not including paper goods and soaps) was. Hmmm, any ideas how I would do that?
I wish we had one of those stores here. I am impressed.
Enjoying reading all these comments and recipes etc. I am a member of Hot Coupon World and have to say no site beats it! You dont’ have to pay for good information.
Yesterday I spent nothing because we have a stocked freezer and pantry.
Today I did shop but needed very little in food items. I spent $10 after coupons and bought:
5 Sparkling waters (1 liter)
2 Thomas’ Bagels
2 Thomas’ English Muffins
1 Digiorno Flat Bread for my lunch MMMM (and it was free)
4 Banquet meals for the kids’ lunches
4 16 oz coffeemates
2-5lb bags of russet potatoes
Tonight we’re having sloppy joes but made with pork instead of beef and homemade fries and green beans from the garden! Everything but the potatoes for the fries and the green beans we just picked I had already in stock.
You guys are so positive! I personally was shocked when I started this challange. I normally keep my grocery shopping from 350-450 a month. I thought this was going to be so easy. So I meal planned for three weeks and on Monday I went and shopped for this week. I spent a total of 61.22 on food. That leaves me only 38.78 for the rest of the week and I have two kids home will me all day. I normally take them out to lunch 2-3 times a week. Mc D’s or Subway… There is no way I can afford to do that and have extra money for last min shopping this week. This is definately a challange for us. Now it is Weds and the ads have come out and there are so many things I have coupons for but I am afraid to spend it this early in the week.
Is anyone else feeling this way?
I alway thought I did great but it is hard with the kids home for the summer and Mc D’s calling. I am also not wanting to stock up to much with deal and then mess up my budget. I thought about going as long as a could without shopping but then I will miss deals and have nothing when the challage is over. Does not make sense for my family in the long run. Good luck
Dealing with kids and the temptations of fast food is definitely an issue. You may want to check out the websites http://www.thethriftymama.com, and moneysavingmom.com. They post deals on a daily basis, in an easily readable format. This week Baskin Robbins is offering a free soft-serve cone to certain age groups, and there are many deals at Arby’s as well. Many fast food places have e-mail sign-ups that give you something free when you add your name. It’s a good idea to use a secondary e-mail account for these, as you don’t want to be bombarded with junk e-mails. Something I always do for my older kids as well is to do a google search when they plan on going somewhere. I frequently find coupons this way. Another resource is the entertainment book. Usually priced at $35. in my area, at this time of year I saw it for about 7 dollars. There are quite a few coupons in there that do not require purchases, and many, many coupons for fast food places that are buy one get one free. Children themselves can be a problem – wanting more junk food than is good, or ordering stuff that can really add up. It took me a long time to be able to make them understand that they can now only order a certain dollar amount. Not bringing credit cards with you and telling them you only have x amount of dollars can stop those “I want” arguments in the bud. I learned this the very hard way…
I read the coolest thing the other day – it said that when you take kids out to eat that if you tell each child “you get 8.00 to eat on – it has to cover everything and you can keep the change” or 5 or however much that a lot of times the kids will learn to do without soda and expensive stuff.
I don’t allow my 1 year old daughter to drink soda. When we go to resturants I order water for me and her. The servers are usually appalled that she has to drink water and not their nasty sweetened drinks. My daughter is healthier though and my pocket book too!
Hi everyone,
This is my 4th post attempt, the past three seem to have disappeared…am I doing something incorrectly?
Both hubby and I lost our employment, both collecting unemployment compensation, have 6 year old child, hefty mortgage and the usual necessary monthly bills such as power, groceries, water etc.
A money saving tip to everyone is “Magic Jack” for your telephone provider. Purchase it at Radio Shack for 19.99, install to your computer, no monthly phone bill thereafter.
Next, ask for free government coupons for converter boxes for your television (use coupon at Radio Shack) , and, depending on your location you will receive many crystal clear stations. You will need rabbit ears. So, we now have eliminated cable and tele bills.
Our A.C. is set to 81 degrees to reduce power cost and in winter, we use the fireplace.
Wash laundry in cold water using baking soda and white vinegar instead of pricy detergents, then, hang on clothes line instead of using the dryer.
If using a dishwasher, turn off heat cycle and air dry or dry by hand.
Our energy bill went from on average $380.00 monthly to between $169.00-$210.00 monthly.
Now, let’s discuss groceries. Well, we are allocated $75.00 weekly for a family of three, but I declare, we can only afford under $50.oo per week.
My secret:
ask neighbor’s for Sunday coupon section. FREE FREE FREE
save coupons for 3-4 months for future reference.
use internet for comparative shopping of stores.
use coupon.com for printable coupons.
keep shopping ledger.
shop where competitor coupons are accepted.
use BOGO in conjunction with coupons.
buy only what your family normally eats.
buy fresh, cook from scratch, freeze leftovers, buy quality, cook quantity.
my store offers $5.00 off $50.00 purchase, so, stay at $50.00 and use a new $5.00 coupon next week.
Iwe have our vegie garden in huge pots (low maintenance).
buy bread from an outlet such as Entenmanns or Flowers.
follow thru on rebates.
register for free samples with various companies.
use dry bread for homemade croutons, crumbs, stuffing or simply wet under faucet and place in very hot oven for a few minutes resulting in “fresh baked bread”.
lastly, toiletries, olive oil, coffee, wine can be purchased at BJ’S who accepts coupons as well as there own monthly coupons.
Blessing to all!
OK, three days into the challenge and I have not ran out of anything yet which is awesome, but I am not usually a midweek shopper. The ads were delivered today, so I will spend the majority of the evening comparing everything in the ad to the coupons in my coupon box. Time Consuming, but I LOVE it! Last night, we had hamberger helper, Italian green beans and buttered bread for dinner. Yummy! Tonight, we just had spiced luncheon loaf sandwiches, chips and string cheese. Too tired tonight to cook. L-O-N-G day at work… Lora asked earlier if tax counted. I am wondering the same thing, tax here is 9% across the board including food. You people are lucky that do not have tax on food!
I’m three days into this challenge and doing pretty well. I figured I might have a hard time since I’m single and $25 a week didn’t sound like it would go far. Interestingly enough I’ve been keeping a food diary for the last 6 months (I’ve lost 10 lbs!) so the meal planning part shouldn’t be too difficult. I typcially do my grocery shopping on the weekends, so I’ve only been to the store once this week to get eggs (they were on sale for $0.48) and lettuce ($0.99 for beef lettuce wraps). I couldn’t resist purchasing a box of tea on sale for $1.19 (impulse buy…it’s my weakness)
I’ve mostly been eating leftovers and using up groceries from last week. On Tuesday, despite having made chicken salad from some leftover grilled chicken, I forgot to pack my lunch bag and had to buy lunch in downtown Chicago. I panicked since lunch can easily run $7.00 (without a drink) so I went to McDonald’s and ordered 2 items off the dollar menu. This saved me money, but did some serious damage to my calories in the food diary. So far, I’ve spent about $5 on food this week.
I just finished looking at the sales papers, but no great sales this week, so I’ll likely start using some stuff out of my freezer and pantry to whip up meals for next week. This may be the week to purchase alcohol since I’ve got $20 to spare
Quick tip for the night. It was a long day for me, so I planned on having Mediterranean pizza as our main course for dinner. It’s made by Kashi, tastes great, is whole grain, and cost me about 40 cents for a pizza that feeds two generously.
The tip: Utilize e-bay for coupons. A couple of months ago, Publix ran a BOGO Kashi deal. I ordered a bunch of Kashi coupons that don’t expire until Sept. They cost from 30 – 40 cents per coupon, as they are high value $2 – $3. With the coupons, the pizzas and individual entrees are either free or produce overage.
Hi! It’s been great reading everyones comments. Tracey, it’s nice to see your suggestion about buying coupons on e-bay. I did that once to buy jars of baby food when my daughter was littler, and my husband thought it was the funniest thing he had ever heard of being sold on e-bay. But, I saved tons of money. We had a cupboard filled with 336 jars (yes I counted
) of baby food that I ultimately paid $86 for including the price of the coupons. I never had to buy baby food again, plus I had plenty to donate and I even used the Sneaky Chef’s ideas and added some to muffins and some dinners so my family wouldn’t know they were getting healthy foods. I also ended up with 13 boxes of baby rice cereal and oatmeal for 20 cents a box, of which I ended up donating a lot of those too. Anyway, ordering coupons on e-bay can really be a great money saver, even though it may sound silly to some to buy coupons.
Back to the challenge – I bought our groceries for the week on Tuesday and spent a total of $96.15 for our family of four. I decided to start “fresh” with very little left in our freezer and pantry, mostly to make it more challenging for myself. I felt it wouldn’t be a fair challenge if I ran out last week and stocked up on tons of groceries in anticipation of spending less over the next four weeks. So last week we used up most of what was in the freezer and cupboards, saving us money last week as well, and started new this week. So far it hasn’t been too hard. Next week we have some company coming, so that will make things a bit more challenging!
I had a rough start because I moved over the weekend, but have only spent $65.60 so far out of my $100! I have a question that i haven’t seen yet. Can you carry over? As in, if I only used$75 this week can I have an additional $25 next week?
I read somewhere on the site that you can NOT carry over from one week to the next. I would use the extra to buy staples that you know you will need next week (milk & bread etc) so that you won’t find yourself in a money crunch next week when you are out of everything!
Hope you are enjoying your new place.
Pam
When we started this challange I forgot about the church ice cream social at my mom-in-laws church last night. We spent $14.00 for my family of 5 to eat. Not bad but I will have to cut back somewhere else to stay on budget. Does anyone have good ideas for going out to eat with friends who are not thrifty or social occations when someone wants you to go out? It is hard for us to say no. I did meet my bff at the park with the kids this week for a picnic instead of the pool (3.50 a person no cut rate for kids). I was proud of that little savings.
I just got an email from Arby’s that said they are having a 5 regular roast beef for $5 this weekend. Just in case someone is craving some fast food during the challange, this is a pretty good deal. Only certain areas are participating. http://arbys.fbmta.com/members/ViewMailing.aspx?MailingID=27917291506&StoreCode=1566
I have decided to cut down on the amount of junk food we buy. I have given myself some guidelines for the challenge and i will be posting most of my savings and other information on my blog found here. http://kandksbloggingdays.blogspot.com/
Hello everyone!
My name is Jennifer Georgeson; please call me Jenni! I was born and raised a true Texas girl, and I love my home state! I found the love of my life a few years back, and we were married on Dec. 26, 2006. My husband Matthew and I both graduated from BYU (in Provo, UT) in April 2008, and I had our beautiful baby boy, Micah, a month later.
Right now I’m a work at home mom, trying to get my husband through graduate school with no substantial debt. I have the best job I could ask for; I get to be a mom to three kids at once! In addition to my 14-month-old son I watch a 16-month-old boy and a 4-month-old girl during the day. Life definitely has it’s ups and downs around here, but I love playing with the babies and watching them learn and grow!
I’m excited for this challenge because it’s going to help with me really piece together a lot of different projects I’ve been working on. I’ve been working on using coupons, planning meals, trying new recipes, and budgeting our income, and sometimes it’s overwhelming! I only have so much time to plan menus and cut costs, but every lit bit helps. It’s great to save money and to have a plan, but it’s not the end of the world if I’m not great at everything right now.
My advice to others in this challenge is this: keep your eye on the big picture! Learning to manage money is an excellent goal, but staying happy and sane is also important. Baby steps are where it’s at! If this challenge can help you slash your grocery bill, that’s great. If you’re already an expert couponer, this is a great place to share ideas and make new friends. As for myself, I’m here to enjoy the ride! I hope we all learn new things during this challenge, and I hope it remains a positive experience for everyone involved.
I have always had recipes that I wanted to use but I have always found myself making the same old stuff. Starting this challenge has forced me to think about the stuff we have on hand and how I can use it in different ways without getting tired of eating it. My strategy for this week is to use what I have on hand and only going to the store for everday necessities like milk (with a 1 year old and a 2 year old this has to be on hand) and buns/bread. I have also recently discovered a bakery outlet store not to far from me that helps me save on the cost of bread items which is always helpful. Buying buns and milk at Sams is also a cheap way to go however the closest Sams is 30 minutes away which defeats the purpose of saving unless I am in the neighborhood. I do have to run to the Commissary either later today or tomorrow but I have coupons for everything I need to purchase and will be consulting their list of sale items before going to maximize my savings as much as possible. Stretch dollar stretch!
There are plenty of things you guys can do to cut costs and not just on your grocery bills. We always turn things off that we are not using. But I am pretty sure everyone does that. I can’t stress enough on how important it is to use energy efficient appliances. The newer ones save a lot of energy and a lot of money. You might pay more upfront for a new appliance or heater but your bills will be lower in the end. There are also plenty of programs out there that you might qualify for based on your income. We just had a local program come out and look at our home. At no cost to us, we qualify for a brand new gas furnace, a fridge, a tankless hot water heater, the new lightbulbs (the swirly ones), insulation, as well as a few other things. It’s worth checking programs like that out. No like most people on here, i save money on my groceries by comparing ad’s, using coupons, sending in rebates, and making stuff from scratch when I can. There are so many sites out there dedicated to being frugal. Do a google search for being frugal and coupons. And they are all free. I would never pay money for someone to find the deals for me. You should check out http://www.hotcouponworld.com
Hi All,
I am Amy and my family and I are from VA. I really think this Challenge is a great way for us to focus on are household budgets. My husband and I have been trying to pay off a lot of debt and during the summer I don’t work (I’m a home daycare provider for school teacher’s) and he is self-employed. So, this is going to help us stay on track. We have 3 girls 12, 9, 4 and a son 22 (he lives outside the home) so our budget is 125.00 a week. I love to coupon, but with a busy, busy schedule it is so hard to find the time. I am also a student ( doing my prerequites for the RN program) at our local college. So, between that and the childrens activites I don’t have a lot of time to run from store to store. I do try and ad match at Walmart as much as possible. The biggest money saver I have found is to have a menu planned. I just come up with seven meals and make sure those items are on hand. Some easy (sloppy joes) some more time consuming (meatloaf). By knowing I have all the ingredients on hand it really helps me stay on track. I use to try a schedule the meals for certain days and it never worked. So, I just write them up and check off the ones I use. If it dosen’t get used because we ate leftovers or the children wanted pancakes we just move it to the following week.
So far we are on track this week. I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in over a week before the challenge started, so we were out of some things. I did hit a good sale at Kroger this week (luckily it is across from my school). So we were able to buy some extras that will last us a couple of weeks. My youngest loves Shredded Wheat (she eats it dry).
Good Luck to everyone!!
I’m excited! We generally shop every two weeks and spend about $175 each trip. There are five of us in our family-three children under 9 and 2 adults. We usually shop on every other Tuesday, which is payday. However, with the arrival of my inlaws tonight (2 more adults and two more kids,) we had to do a mid-week fill up of our fridge with some extras. We still only spent $75 and that should get us through their visit plus take off some of what we’d normally buy this coming Tuesday. We shop primarily at PriceRite. They don’t allow coupons, but their prices are rock bottom.
We’ve managed to cut our spending in half since we started there a year and a half ago. We used to spend over $200 every week or ten days. We’re nowhere close to that now, and our $175 includes paper goods and cleaning supplies as well. I do a Health and Beauty stock up at Walmart 2x a month. We’ll see how this challenge goes!
I am really excited about this challenge. I love coupons because they save me money. I always shop store ads to compare what products are available and note what I have coupons for. Since I am on a budget, I always stick to a list and use my coupons before they expire. I’ll stock up when items I use a lot are on sale, and compare prices between brands.
So, today was my first grocery shopping day of the challenge. I spent about 75 dollars in total, about 62 dollars of that was food. Not bad! (We have a family of 4). I bought a huge box of strawberries, so I’ll be able to make some jam from them. I also bought a big ham (on sale at 88 cents a pound), so I will roast that on Sunday and use the leftovers throughout the week (and freeze the extras for weeks to come).
I’ve planned the following dinners for the week:
Tofu stir-fry
Tilapia (on BOGO sale this week at King Soopers)
Baked Ham
Black Beans and Rice
Macaroni and Cheese with Ham
Pasta with veggies
Ham and cheese rolled in pizza dough (yummy, especially for a picnic!)
Lots of people shy from tofu, but it’s a great form of healthy protein that is inexpensive. It’s also a good source of calcium.
Golden Tofu
1 block (12 – 16 oz.) firm or extra-firm tofu
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Cut the tofu into 4 or 5 slabs and lay them in a colander. Put paper towels on top, and weigh down with a bowl filled with cans or dry beans. Let drain 20 minutes or so. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the tofu into small cubes. Add tofu to the hot pan and wait a few minutes for the tofu to brown. Cook an additional 8 minutes or until golden on all sides. Serve with your favorite vegetables and sauce. (My family likes broccoli or cabbage with peanut sauce, or peas with curry sauce.)
Did my shopping on Wednesday and got $127 worth of groceries for $24. I always do well, but because of the challenge I did even better. It is just my husband and I so I only have $50 to spend. Looks like we will do ok. I added another $2.11 because I went to Arby’s for lunch and had their buy a drink and sandwich is free. For those that said they thought they might miss the best deals by doing the challenge – you won’t miss the best one’s because that it what you will be buying to stay in budget. Good luck to all. If you want to check out my menus and progress check out:
http://grocerychallengefromallyou.blogspot.com/
I have found that it is pretty easy to stay within budget. I was already doing pretty well before the challenge. I was also pretty well stocked up since i am a “super couponer” This challenge has helped me to step it up a notch and really look and cut out what we really don’t need. I can make some of the stuff from scratch instead of buy it. I am glad I came across this challenge. It has helped me to look into different areas to cut costs. You all are doing an aswsome job. Keep up the good work! So far my family has spent $72.75 of your $125. Tomorrow I will be adding in the food from “Angel Food Ministries” A wonderful program out there that is offered all across the U.S., So my total will then be up to $92.25. Remember you can follow my challenge on http://kandksbloggingdays.blogspot.com/ I will try to write where and how I got my deals. I have not done this so far. I hope you all post your blog links, i love reading the deals you all get.
I will be shopping today or tomorrow probably, I generally go on Saturday or Sunday so that I can get the Sunday paper with coupons! I always stock up when I have extra coupons or there is a sale, I could actually go for another week without shopping except for cold items! I have stayed within a $150 per week budget for the last 3 1/2 years, and out of that gas for my jeep, all baby items (formula, snacks, baby food, diapers, etc.), husbands lunch (deli meat, snack cakes, drink, etc), household/laundry items and of course our regular food! This is very easy for me, I use coupons and plan meals according to our local stores sale bills, then I take the sale bill to Walmart and get the same price!
My total for my family of 5 this week was $21 since we grow a nice garden and I have a good stockpile. We splurged last night and got 2 Papa Murphy’s pizzas with coupons. We have one more week at home, then we are gone for a week w/ 7 other family members for vacation. I’m not sure how we’ll work that as far as spending money on food. Do we count candy and treats that we buy??
Thanks!
Tracy, I used to do the exact same thing until my local Wal-Mart told me that they would no longer honor the other grocery store ads, so I walked out that day and have not been back to buy my food there. Because of that, I have started my own website http://www.cheapestmom.com and started using coupons like crazy and have managed to get triple the food at half the price. I only buy what is on sale at other stores and use coupons with them. Most of my coupons come from the manufacture websites, coupons.com, couponsurfer.com, smartsource.com & redplum.com. I one buy one (1) that’s right one (1) newspaper per week (just started for grocery store/coupon match-ups) and I have a huge stockpile of food to go us (a family of 6). My stockpile of food is huge enough to take us 3 to 4 months without buying anything but milk, bread, eggs, cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables. I do not regret changing my ways nor do I feel bad about no longer shopping at the giant super store. I feel they have gotten “too big for the britches”. Coletta
Today is Sunday which means a trip to the grocery store for 2 papers for the coupons.
I have shopped using multiple coupons for many years. I actually enjoy the hunt. I have been a long time subcriber to All You Magazine. I have found many great money saving tips in the magazine. Along with lots of great coupons. Doing well on the challenge so far.
I may have been writing in the wrong place. I am having trouble figuring out where I supposed to be leaving comments. Is there more than 1 blog? Anyway, I just found my first weeks email, so I am going to leave last weeks menu now. From the 13 to the 20th I spent $36.80. I bought cabbage, cucumber, celery, orange juice, canned corn, strawberries, mushrooms, clementines, onions, cherries, peaches, bananas, tomato and some candy. Like many others here, I have a pantry and I buy when items are on sale. The menu looks like this. One note, My husband and I eat breakfast at different times. He usually eats cereal. I bought this some weeks ago with a sale and coupon at a Wholesale club. His lunches are usually leftovers or if he is traveling, sandwiches. My lunch is whatever I feel like from the pantry or fridge. So this menu is about dinners, which we usually but now always eat together.
Monday: Thai pork and rice. Includes cilantro, fish sauce, rice and ground pork. All of which I bought at least a week before.
Tuesday: Mac and cheese; Everything from the pantry + orange puree from the freezer. ( This is a puree of carrots and squash that adds nutrition without changing the taste.) Plus some broccoli from the freezer.
Wednesday: Salmon (freezer) and spiced apples(free last week) and tomato and onion salad
Thursday: Way to hot to cook; Hamburgers from the freezer and homemade smoothie. The smoothie added fruit, yogurt, and supplements to the dinner.
Friday: Smoothie and leftovers
Saturday: Vietnamese noodle soup with green onions, and celery.
I add small amount of a powdered fiber supplement to almost everything I make. This makes sure that we get the 35grams of fiber a day. I buy it ahead of time with coupons.
Thursday:
I forgot about Sunday. This was my big cooking day. It takes me all day because I can not stand for long periods of time. I have Fibromyalgia so I am in pain all of the time. Anyway, I cooked Spagetti with meat sauce. Everything came from the pantry. I made a lot so there would be leftovers. I also added orange puree and Benefiber to the sauce. It does not change the taste but adds extra vegetables and fiber. We had some for dinner. I added some of the sauce to rice my husband had cooked earlier in the day. Now we have Spanish rice for later in the week. There is some more sauce left over which I froze for later. When it was cooler I baked some fudge brownies from I mix I had for months. I added fiber and Purple puree to them. Purple puree is a mix of spinach and blueberries that I keep in the freezer. Oh! I should tell you about Saturday breakfastd. I made scrambled eggs with squash, onions, carrots and tomatoes. I made extra to use Monday night of the second week.
A note about coupons. I use them when I can but since I rarely buy premixed or processed food I can’t use them often. I actually use them much more for non-food items which is not counted for. I just can’t see using coupons no matter how good for something like, say, pop tarts. No nutrition, high calories. In other words, not healthy and a waste of my money, no matter how cheap.
Janet,
Love your message. I also do not use coupons for pre-made, processed, pressed, reconstructed, reconstituted food items which encourage many health issues, ie: high blood pressure, obesity, pre-mature diabetic, to name a few.
If you appreciate organic dairy products, go to http://www.organicvalley.com for coupons. Their products are delicious and the coupons defray the cost and they are health smart.
Most people could easilly spend $25.oo per person, per week if they ate at fast food places which offer 99c. menu items and BOGO, however, in the meantime, their health will deteriorate, if not already. It is quite sad.
Anyhow, I enjoy your message and agree with you 100%.
-Rhonda
Janet,
oops……..I forgot to mention,
Research DrSchultz.com for holistic solutions and/or cures for Fibromyalgia. If you have difficulty locating him, let me know and I will send you the info. for mail order.
Hey Janet ..
can we get the recipe for your purees?
I still have not received my first email but I’m still continuing the challenge hoping that this will soon get straightened out.
Our first week of the challenge involved some unique situations. One of them was that my husband had to drive about 250 miles away for an interview. We were able to cover most of his meals by using coupons. Believe it or not he ate three of his meals while away FREE. Find out how on ThriftyMaven.com.
This week was also my husband’s birthday. I took him out to eat for lunch one day and his father took us out another. What is urban foraging? Find out our definition.
Here’s our what we learned summary.
http://thriftymaven.com/?p=4053
We were able to save money through stockpiling, coupons, our garden, and more.
What a great challenge. How much did we spend? Our weekly totals for the week were:
Mr. Thrifty
$12.86
ThriftyMaven
$11.86
Singing the joys of having a freezer full of fresh, organic venison (venison is 30% leaner than chicken). I know that it’s already been shared, but I am so thankful that my husband is a hunter. I go into sticker shock whenever I go to a meat counter- esp. if you are looking for grass-fed animal meat. Like others, I browse the “discounted meat aisle” ; however, I would also like to suggest visiting your local butcher shop.You never know what might be available for discount…
If you do not have a hunter/fisherman in the family (and aren’t opposed to hunting), ask! Most hunters will have a freezer FULL of meat and more than willing to share. I know that we have a friend who has shared elk w/ us.
I’ve also found that the least expensive place to buy “naturally”-fed chickens is Costco.
If you have any suggestion for lower cost “natural” meat, please post.
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Hey nice post …. Keep up the great work