Shopping Trip: Publix 6/4/10

Publix

Glass Plus x 2 $.25 each

Publix Ice Cream Cones $1.59

Taco Bell Dinners x 4 $.85 each

Ritz Crackers $1.55

Michelob Ultra $6.49

Hunts Ketchup x 4 $.30

Smucker's Caramel Sauce $2.69

Fleishman Yeast $1.59

Juicy Juicy Box Juice x 2 $1.50

Publix Chick Peas $.83

Artichoke Hearts $2.15

Muir Glen Tomato Sauce FREE + $.11 overage

Margaret Holmes Field Peas x 2 $.30 each

Breyers Ice Cream $2.50 x 2

Bacardi Daiquiri Freezers $2.03 x 3

Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers $.20 x 3

J&J Baby Lotion $1.99

Publix Baby Lotion FREE

J&J Baby Shampoo $2.19

Publix Baby Shampoo FREE

J&J Baby Powder $1.99

Publix Baby Powder FREE

= $46.54 + $1.93 tax = $48.47 OOP saved $47.72 (49%)

Be sure to visit Southern Savers and I Heart Publix to get the latest deals at Publix in Georgia.  If you live in Florida, be sure to visit Fiddledeedee Mom.  

Hope you had a great shopping week!

Shopping Trip: Food Lion, Dollar Tree 5/24/10

This week I shopped at Food Lion for the hot dog deal and chicken deal.  I also stumbled upon some frozen fruit at Dollar Tree.

Food Lion

Hot Dogs $1.00 X 8

Whole Chickens $.47/lb x 2

Nesquick Strawberry milk $.50 x 4

2 bunches of bananas $.39/lb

Grapes $.99/lb

Tomatoes $.99/lb

Eggs $.95

Lettuce $1.29

Deli Turkey $4.17

Beer $6.49

Pepperoni $1.85

Garlic $.79

= $42.00 + tax = ?  I didn't realize the hot dogs had a limit of 2.  So I took them back to the customer service desk and we did 3 more transactions so I could buy 1 get 1 free.  It was crazy but the lady was super nice about the whole ordeal. 

Dollar Tree

2 bags 16 oz peaches $1.00 each

2 bags 10 oz blueberries $1.00 each

= $4.00 + tax (I bought other things so I don't know what the Food only OOP was)

I was under budget for the week but OAMC is coming up and I need a few things that I haven't been able to get on sale.  I also didn't do alot of "deal shopping" the last two months, so my stockpile is getting a little thin.  I do mean a little thin, because we have plenty of food to get us through at least another 3 months at least.  I'll probably make an Aldi run to pick up the necessary things for OAMC. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find the frozen fruit at Dollar Tree.  I  learned from my Facebook friends that each Dollar Tree is different and YMMV since every Dollar Tree may or may not have a freezer case. 

Have a great week!

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Shopping with the $5 Dinner Mom 
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays)

Shopping Trip: Food Depot, Aldi 5/20/10

My husband went to Aldi to pick up a few things for me over the weekend:

Aldi

Trio of Bell Peppers $3.29 (for a new Pizza Creation :)

bag of lemons $1.99

Milk $1.88

Eggs $.88

Cocoa Powder $.79

Powdered Sugar $1.29

Butter $1.89

= $12.01 + $.24 tax = $12.25 OOP

Then I picked up some ground sirloin at the Food Depot, among other things on Monday after I picked up the kids from my Momma's.  She watched them for me while I worked at my new job as Baker!  Yes!!!  I'll have to share more later about that.  But I'll tell you it's so fun and I absolutely LOVE it!

Food Depot

Vinegar $1.97

Corn Flour $2.41

Sausage $1.28

Chicken Hot Dogs $.95 x 2

Ground Round $1.61 (Marked down to $1.29/lb)

Ground Sirloin 6 packages marked down to $1.29/lb: $1.11, $.90, $.79, $1.03, $.99, $1.01

10 lb Potatoes $2.78

Bananas $2.56

Fillo Dough $1.92

Mozzarella Cheese $.99 x 2

Cheddar $.99 x 2

Jack $.99 x 2

Eggs $.85

Avocado $.98

= $30.03 + $1.01 tax + $3.00 10% = $34.04 OOP (no coupons but great buys on the ground beef)

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Shopping with the $5 Dinner Mom 
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays 
• Super Savings Saturday at Money Saving Mom

Shopping Trip: Publix and CVS 5/13/10

Man, I have been having serious withdrawals from not doing "the deals" at Publix and CVS.  I still have not gone back to Walgreens.  The last time I did any deals was April 17th and that was because my hubby and I had a date night and needed to kill some time and I had some ECB & RR that were going to expire.  Before that I think it was March 28th.  After I did inventory of our stockpile, I decided to cut back on CVS and Walgreens.  We continued to purchase fresh produce at the Farmers' Market and other stores.  I just didn't bother taking pictures every time we came home.  Anyway, so here's what I picked up today:

Publix

Welch's Juice $.99 x 7

Publix Greenwise TP $.01

Publix Eggs $1.19

McCormick Grinder $.50 x 3

Mahatma Rice $.19 x 3

McCormick Marinade Packets FREE x 6 + $1.20 overage

Hunt's Ketchup $1.15 x 2

Yoplait Simply $.29 x 4

Breyer's Ice Cream $2.50

Bandaids $1.00

Palmolive Dish Liquid $.30 x 4
Corn $.25 x 4

Schick Shave Cream FREE x 2

Schick 3 Blade Razor FREE

Johnson's Buddy Bar FREE

Carefree Pantiliners FREE x 4

= $17.16 + $2.50 tax = $19.66 OOP, saved $92.21

CVS

1st order

Right Guard Deodorant $2.49 x 2

- $3 coupon

= $2.33 OOP, saved $7.00, received $3.99 ECB

2nd order

Hydro 3 Razor $8.99

- $5 coupon

- $3.99 ECB

= $.63 OOP, saved $8.99, received $4 ECB

3rd order

Bumble Bee Tuna $.49 x 2

Kotex tampons $4.99

- $1 CVS coupon - but cashier manually keyed it in for $.97

- $1 coupon

- $4 ECB

= $.38 OOP, saved $8.87, received $4.99 ECB

4th order

Claritin Syrup $9.99

Skittles $.89

- $3 CRT coupon - but cashier manually keyed it in for $2.89

- $3 Bzz Agent coupon

- $4.99 ECB

= $.73 OOP, saved $11.88, received $3 ECB

Since I haven't been rolling my ECB and I started out new, this was the best scenarios for me.  I am not buying any more toothpaste unless I just have to.  We have 40 tubes of toothpaste in our stockpile and I think that is a little ridiculous, but definitely something we use.  

On the above orders, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th orders totaled $.00 before taxes...the amount OOP is for tax.  The cashier had to reduce the amount of the ECB so I could use them.  It was a great trip!

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Shopping with the $5 Dinner Mom 
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays 
• Super Savings Saturday at Money Saving Mom

Shopping Trip: Farmers' Market 4/18/10

Since we're trying to eat from our pantry and freezer this month, we're only picking up fresh produce and milk and/or juice as needed.  I totally fell in love with the Dekalb Farmers' Market when a couple of my friends and I went a few weeks ago.  I decided my husband had to go with me to see why I love it.  After our visit today, he totally understands why.  I'm just a little foodie at heart and he's not, but he sees why I loved the place so much.  Just take a look at the picture below.  The colors are amazing and the prices aren't too shabby either!

Farmers' Market

Romaine Lettuce head $.79

Red Leaf Lettuce head $.99

Green Grapes $.99/lb = $5.19

Apples $.99/lb = $1.98

Cucumbers $.49 ea = $.98

Limes $1.49/lb = $.51

Avocados $.49 ea = $.98

Plain Yogurt $4.39

Oranges 5 lb bag $2.99

Greek Yogurt $1.29 ea = $5.16

Ricotta Salata $1.67

Beet Root $.66

Organic Bananas $.59/lb = $1.36

Garlic $.48

Tomatoes $1.89/lb = $2.48

Cilantro $.38

= $31.62 OOP (includes tax)...what an amazing place.  I love it!

Hope you have a great week at the store.  You can read about our weekly meal plan to see how I'll be implementing these food items.  

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Shopping with the $5 Dinner Mom 
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays 
• Super Savings Saturday at Money Saving Mom

Shopping Trip: CVS, Walgreens, Kroger

This month we've been eating from our pantry and freezer, trying to stay out of the stores unless we run out of milk or juice.  Last week I did run out of both milk and juice and the kids were so good about drinking water.  Which is a big deal!  I had to add ice cubes to their cups so it would tinkle and they loved it.  

Hubby and I had a date Thursday night and had some time to kill so we picked up a few things:

CVS

Dove Shampoo $4.49

Coca Cola (for the movie) $1.59

- $1 ECB

- $5 ECB

= $.33 OOP and received $5 ECB for winter spending, $4.49 ECB for Dove

Walgreens

Bag of M&M's (for the movie)

4 rolls of toilet paper $.50 each

Sidewalk chalk $1.00

Schick Shave Gel $2.99

2 packs Gum $.99 each

- $4 RR

- $4 RR

= $1.26 OOP and received $3 RR for Schick Shave Gel

Kroger

3 pouches Betty Crocker Potatoes $1.09 each

- $.50/1 coupon mailer

- (2) $.40/1 coupon printables

= $.77 OOP (includes tax) 

and I received $3 catalina = MONEYMAKER!!!

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Shopping with the $5 Dinner Mom 
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays 
• Super Savings Saturday at Money Saving Mom

Shopping Trip: Kroger, CVS & Walgreens 3/28/10

I had a great day shopping!  Since Haylei still isn't feeling great, Kevin kept both of the kids so I could go out in the afternoon to pick up on the some unbelievable deals!

First stop was CVS:

(2) Huggies $8.99 each

(1) Huggies wipes $2.99 each

- $2 off $10 Baby Purchase - CRT at the store

- $4 off WYB Huggies diapers and wipes - CRT at the store about 2 weeks ago

- (2) $3/1 Huggies diapers coupons

- $.75/1 Huggies wipes coupon

- $6 ECB from last week's Pampers deal

= $2.22 (+$1.33 tax = $3.55 OOP) saved $24.75 (87%) and received $5 ECB and $1 ECB for using my Green Bag Tag for next week

Next stop was Walgreens:

1st order:

(2) Garnier Fructis Shampoo $5.49 each (these are the huge bottles)

(2) Garnier Fructis Conditioner $5.49 each

(1) Dove Shampoo $4.00 each

(4) Mandarin Oranges $1.29 each 

- (4) $1/1 Garnier Fructis hair care coupons

- $1.50/1 Dove hair care coupon

- $3.16 NADQ Mandarin oranges

- (3) $5 RR from last week's Huggies deal

= $7.46 (+$1.88 tax = $9.34 OOP) saved $24.15 (72%) and received $10 RR and $4 RR

2nd order:

(6) Airwick I Motion Oil Scented air fresheners $3.99 each (there were about 30 on the shelf so I didn't feel really guilty about taking so many)

(3) Airwick I Motion Ultra Freshmatic $7.49 each

(1) Cottonelle Toilet Paper 12 pk $5.00 each

(1) Cottonelle fresh wipes $3.99 each

(1) Dove Conditioner $4.00 each

(1) Tuf Bag trash bags $3.99 each (these bags are really good!)

- (6) $4/1 Airwick I Motion Oil Scented freshener - yes that made them FREE!!!

- (3) $5/1 Airwich I Motion Ultra Freshmatic 

- $1/1 Cottonelle Toilet Paper coupon

- $1/1 Cottonelle Toilet Paper Walgreen coupons from April coupon booklet

- $2.00 NADQ Cottonelle fresh wipes

- $2.00 Cottonelle fresh wipes Catalina coupon (I got this from Walgreens a few months ago)

- $1.50/1 Dove hair care coupon

- $10 RR from 1st order

= $6.89 (+$4.30 tax = $11.19 OOP) saved $107.48 (91%) and received $4 RR for next week

Lastly I stopped by Kroger and racked up on reduced items:

(6) Honey Bunches of Oats $.83 each (used 2 $2/3 coupons)

(2) Honey Bunches of Oats $1.00 each (used 1 $1/2 coupon)

(5) Hershey's Semi Sweet Chocolate morsels $1.29 (reduced from $2.50)

(6) Hershey's Milk Chocolate morsels $1.39 (reduced from $2.75)

(2) Kroger butters $2.00 each

(1) Popsicle $3.14 (on close out from $3.69)

(2) Jimmy Dean Sausage $1.50 each (used $1/2 coupon)

(1) Honeysuckle Ground Turkey Italian Sausages $1.99 (reduced from $3.99)

(5) Pink Lemonade $.15 each

Kroger Straws $.89 each

(1) Organic Beef Jerky $2.00 (reduced from $4.49)

5.47 lbs bananas $2.52

Kroger milk $2.18

Organic milk $5.99 

= $48.89 OOP saved $43.50 (47%)

Today I went to Publix to pick up on the deals there and it put me over budget for the month:

(4) Yoplait Grande $1.00 each

(2) Pillsbury pie crust $1.50 each

(4) Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies total $2.44 overage

(4) Birds Eye Frozen Veggies total $1.44 overage

Corn tortillas $1.49

(2) Sara Lee Pound Cakes $.54 each

(2) Caprisuns $1.67 each

(2) Philadelphia Cream Cheese $1.00 each

Publix Juice $2.85

Limes 2 for $1.00

Avocados 2 for $3.00

Motts Applesauce $1.37 each

(8) Del Monte Green Beans $.40 each

(2) Spice Island Vanilla Extract $3.00 each (used $1/1 coupon from MyKroger Magazine)

(2) Strawberries $2.00 each

(2) Hellman's Mayonnaise $1.87 each - the Publix coupon had expired Sat  :(

(2) Mt Olive Pickles $.90 each (used Food Lion competitor coupon)

(3) I Can't Believe It's Not Butter $.25 each - the Publix coupon had expired Sat :(

= $40.87 OOP saved $71.70 (60%)

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Shopping with the $5 Dinner Mom 
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays

Shopping Trip 3/22/10: Publix, CVS, Walgreens

We got back in town last night and the house is an absolute mess this morning.  So what do you do?  Leave it and go shopping!  That's what I did...

Publix:

(4) All Oxi Active Laundry Detergent $.99 each after coupon

(1) Welch's Grape Juice $1.75 (coupon did not apply to this particular kind)
(2) 12 oz Cool Whip $1.00 each (peelie on strawberries)
(2) French's Honey Mustard $1.29 each
(7) Yoplait Greek Yogurt FREE
(2) Fast Fixin Chicken Nuggets $2.00 each
Turkey Sub Combo $4.99 (ate it on the way home, blood sugar was dropping...)
(2) Strawberries $2.00 each
(4) Prego Heart Smart Sauce $.04 each
(2) Sure Deodorant FREE + $.22 overage
(2) Sundown Vitamin B Complex FREE + $1.02 overage
(1) Sundown Vitamin B6 FREE + $.56 overage
(1) Sundown Vitamin Zinc FREE + $.56 overage
(1) Tide $3.99 each
= $25.06 (+ $3.55 tax= $28.61 OOP) saved $82.39 (74%)

CVS:

2 packs Pampers (Hunter is going between 4 and 5 so I bought one of each) $8.97 ea

- $3 off $15 CVS coupon

- $4 ECB from last week

- $1 ECB from last week

- (2) $2 Pampers coupons

= $5.94 (+ $1.05 tax= $6.99 OOP) saved $18.04 received $6 ECB

Walgreens:

(2) packs Huggies (4 and 5)  $2.62 ea

(1) pack Huggies wipes $5.99

(1) 4 lb bag Sugar $1.99

- $10 RR from 2 weeks ago

- $3 Huggies diaper coupon

= $.22 (+ $.85 tax= $1.07 OOP) saved $30.74 received $5 RR

I just realized the price of the Huggies and will be leaving after the kids are in the bed to see if they have anymore on the shelf!!!  FREE Huggies using the $3 coupon!!!

**** So after the kids were in the bed, I ran back out at 7:45 p.m. to see if they had more diapers and they did!!!  I did 2 transactions, purchasing 6 more packs of Huggies at $2.62 each and used two $2 coupons and one $3 coupon on each transaction, leaving me out of pocket $1.41 on each order.  The best part???  I got my $5 RR for each transaction!  SO they PAID ME TO TAKE THE DIAPERS!!!!  This deal is not working everywhere, but if it is, you'll rack up on free diapers!

So far this month we've spent $154.63 on groceries and $34.98 on drug store purchases.  This leaves us $45.37 for groceries next week.  I think we might actually make it under budget for the month for the first time!!!

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Shopping with the $5 Dinner Mom 
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• Money Saving Mom Super Saving Saturday
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays

Shopping Trip: Major Shopping Week 3/15/10

We bought some new tires online and needed to have them installed, so I made a special trip to Walmart last Friday.  While there, I picked up some things:

Walmart:

CapriSun $1.97

CapriSun 100% Juice $2.88

Vanilla Yogurt Covered Raisins $1.98 (kids ate these through the store)

Dried Black Eyed Pea $1.22

Dried Great Northern Beans $.98 x 2

Dried Lentils $.94

Strawberry Syrup $1.48 x 2

Applesauce $1.42 x 2 (not pictured - already took them out of the package into the fridge)

Balsamic Vinegar $1.58

4.06 lb Bananas $1.79

= $20.12 OOP (no coupons)

We pass Food Lion on the way home, so I dropped in there to pick up some good deals:

Food Lion:

5lb bag Potatoes $.99 x 2

2lb Deli Ham $5.00

Gum $1.49 x 2

5.61 lbs London Broil $10.54 ($1.88 lb - they ground the London Broil into ground hamburger...what a steal!)

= $21.12 OOP, saved $20.62 (49%) 

Then Sunday, Kevin watched the kids during naptime while I went to Publix and CVS.

Publix:
Milk $2.28
Organic Milk $2.49 each x 2 (used $1.00 Milk coupon Baby Club)
1 lb Ground Chuck $.69
1 lb Ground Chuck $1.69 (used $1.00 Fresh Meat coupon Baby Club)
Barilla Pasta $.15 x 4
Barnum Animal Crackers FREE (used FREE coupon from Baby Club)
Publix Butter $2.59
Land O Lakes Spread $.40 x 2
Yoplait Yogurt $.25 x 4
Greek Yogurt $.59
Juicy Juice $2.15 x 2
Strawberries $1.50 (used $1.00 Produce coupon Baby Club)
Kool-Aid $.25 x 4
Boar's Head Pepperoni $.22 (used $1.00 Deli coupon Baby Club)
2.93 lb Cabbage $.85
Old El Paso Green Chilies $.80 x 2
= $27.79 - $25 Gift Card = $2.79 OOP saved $54.95 (95%)


...I just found an error - I purchased the Old El Paso Green Chilies and the Ground Beef but they only took off $1 not $2... so make sure if you are doing this deal, they enter the correct LU#. 

CVS
1st order:
(4) Stayfree Pads $3.69 each
- (2) BOGO coupons
- (2) $1 coupons
= $5.38 (+ $1.03 tax = $6.41 OOP) saved $9.38 (59%) received $8 ECB


2nd order:
(2) Herbal Essence Hairspray $2.99 each
(2) Cover Girl Lip color $8.00 each
- BOGO Herbal Essence coupon
- $1 Herbal Essence coupon (mailer from last year)
- BOGO Cover Girl coupon
- $1 Cover Girl coupon
- $8 ECB from 1st order
= $.99 (+ $1.54 tax = $2.53 OOP) saved $27.57 (92%) received $1 ECB & $6 ECB


3rd order:
(2) Glade Sense & Spray $6 each
- (2) $3 coupons
- $6 ECB from 2nd order
= $.00 (+ $.84 tax = $.84 OOP) saved $19.98 (96%) received $4 ECB


I have $1 ECB & $4 ECB left for next week's diaper deal. 


After the kids had their nap, we ran out to Lowe's to pick up some compost and some garden seeds.  Since Kroger is right next door...I asked my husband if he cared to go with me so I wouldn't have to go out tomorrow...and he said "sure"!  

Kroger:
(2) White bread $.78 each
(1) Wheat bread $.78 each
(2) Dozen Eggs $1.18 each
(4) Kraft slices cheese $.49 each (there was a blinkie for $1/2 on the shelf!)
(4) Kraft Shredded cheese FREE
(8) Sargento Shredded cheese $.59 each
(1) Smart Balance Butter $.49 each
(7) Ken's Steak House dressing $.99 each
(1) Ken's Steak House dressing $.49 (Creamy Balsamic had a $1/1 hangtag)
(8) Bumble Bee Tuna pouchs FREE
(1) Kroger Oil $2.39
(2) Strawberry packages $1.98 (Part of the 3 Day Sale thru Tuesday)
3 lb onions $1.49 
Martha White Cornmeal mix $2.79
(3) Packages of chicken $3.70, $3.80, $3.64
= $42.18 - $25 Kroger Gift Card = $17.18 OOP saved $122.60 (88%)

This is was a pretty big shopping week for us.  We stockpiled quite a few things.   

Overall we spent $61.21 OOP for grocery items and saved $198.17 (76%).  We've spent $120.26 so far for the month, leaving us almost $80 for the rest of the month for grocery related purchases.

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Shopping with the $5 Dinner Mom 
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays

Enjoy!

 

Shopping at Natural Organic Food Markets

photo source: qmnonic

You might be thinking to yourself, "Natural Organic Food Markets are EXPENSIVE!"  That can be true.  Or you might be thinking, "Those stores rarely have coupons I can use on product."  That may be true too.  But let me put your mind at ease on some of these issues.

Shopping at organic food markets can be thrifty and frugal.  You need to have a plan, a budget and a little know-how.  

1.  The Plan.  If you are new to the organic scene, as I am, ask your friends if there are any good quality stores in the area.  My friend Carrie tries to stick to an all natural way of life and she suggested Sevananda.  The first time we went there, I was a little surprised at the size of the store.  It's not a huge supermarket, like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.  It's a small store with a wide variety of products.  The prices were very reasonable on many pantry items, though I chose not to purchase any.  My plan was to scope out the bulk bins and see what kind of price I could get on bulk whole wheat pastry flour, bulk whole wheat flour, bulk dried beans, bulk honey, bulk spices and herbs.

2.  The Budget.  I know, don't groan!  Budgets are set in place for our own good.  Sort of like training our children, they need boundaries and we need boundaries to avoid over-spending.  Currently our budget is $50 a week on grocery and food purchases.  Since it was the first of the month and I hadn't been shopping for nearly two weeks, my envelope was full.  I know I need to buy milk, eggs and butter and a few other sale items at Publix, so I decided to only take $20 cash with me to Sevananda.  

3.  The Know-How.  Here are a few tips and tricks to help you save money on natural foods for your family.  

• Buy from the Bulk Bins.  The bulk bins are a great way to stock up on organic products at reasonable prices.  Beans in bulk usually cost about $1.50 per pound whereas a bag of beans on the shelf in the same store are about $3.00 per pound.  Sometimes they offer sales and you can pick up the dried bean in the bulk bin for as little at $.99 per pound.

• Buy from the Bulk Spice Jars.  The bulk spice jars are truly heaven-sent!  A regular size jar of dried spices can cost anywhere from $3.00 up to $5.00.  In the bulk spice jars, the price is per pound and since you are only buying barely an ounce or so of the spice or herb, you are paying less than a dollar for them.  For example, I purchased about 30 bay leaves at $23.49 per pound and spent only $.47!  Normally a jar of bay leaves at Walmart can cost around $3.28 and there might be 10 bay leaves in the jar. 

• Buy the Sale Items.  Walk around the store and check out the sale tags.  Once while shopping at Sevananda, the Organic Soy Milk was on sale for $2.99 and there was a tearpad coupon on the shelf for $1.00.  I was so excited I bought two!  Check out the produce and see what's in season.  Seasonal produce will be less expensive.

You can watch the video blog of our shopping trip, but the first half of the video was recorded on the wrong setting and is a little fuzzy. 

Do you have any other saving tips for shopping at a natural organic food market?

This post has been linked to:

• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama

Shopping Trip: Publix 3/5/10 & Farmers Market 3/10/10

I felt like I was having coupon withdrawals!  I haven't been shopping using coupons in about 2 weeks.  We ran out of eggs yesterday so I figured it was time I got out of the house and into the store.  Here's what I got at

Publix:

Bird's Eye Steamfresh $.04 each x 10 (broccoli, peas, corn)

Buddig Ham $1.00 x 4

Bird's Eye Frozen Spinach $.29 x 3

Bird's Eye Frozen Corn $.25 x 2

Publix Butter $2.59

Publix Eggs $1.59 x 2

Strawberries $1.67 x 4

Mahatma Rice $.59

Publix Dried Black Beans $1.49

Publix Dried Black Eyed Pea $.99

Rico Rice $.99 x 2

Bertolli Sauce $.25 x 4

Apples $2.49

Bananas $1.79

Oranges $2.49

Banana Cream pudding $1.09

Mount Olive Pickles $.60 x 2

Greenwise Organic Milk $3.69

Publix Milk $2.28
Publix Vanilla Wafers $1.99

= $43.05 OOP (including tax) saved $58.76 (58%)

It felt really good to use my coupons and stockpile some frozen vegetables.

If you haven't heard, Publix is having a contest for the best Strawberry recipe.  The winner will receive 52 $100 Publix Gift Cards (a year's worth of groceries by national standards!)  I've come up with some really yummy recipes using strawberries.  Once I've read the rules completely, I'll share them with you.  I have to be sure I can post them here without being penalized.  We'll see!

We also took a trip to our State's Farmers Market in Forest Park, Georgia on Wednesday.  I've never been but my brother goes often to pick up fresh produce.  It was a rainy day and we decided to go and drive among the booths.  WOW!  I had the best time.  If you follow me on twitter, you already know how excited I was!  So here's what I got at the Farmers Market

6 bananas $1
2 avocados $1
1 pkg of lettuce with 3 romaine hearts $1
2 bags 5lb apples (10 lbs total) $5
4 yellow mangoes $2
1 bag of celery $1
2 bags of carrots $1
3 cucumbers $1
6 plums $2
8 kiwi $2
3 bell peppers $2
= $19 OOP.

I was so happy!  I'd taken $20 cash with me so I wouldn't overspend when I saw all the fruit and vegetables.   I told Kevin I might need to make this a regular shopping trip at least once, maybe twice a month.

Enjoy!

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays

Shopping Trip: Food Lion, Publix 2/20/10

I decided to try another Video Blog (VLOG) and share my shopping trips to Food Lion and Publix.  We found some unadvertised buys at Food Lion which is always fun.  And we went over budget this week.  All is good, since we are also purchasing a few things for OAMC day.  I'm also not going to be purchasing anything at CVS this week.  I just didn't see anything I needed.  So I'm saving the ECBs from last week for another week.  Walgreens has some NADQ's for potting soil, I might use some of my RRs to pick up a couple of bags.  But I haven't decided completely on that yet.  

If you are viewing this from your email update, you'll need to click over to the blog to view the video.  Please rate and leave feedback so I'll know how to improve.  Thanks!

Food Lion

1.91 lbs overripe bananas $.36 (thank Miriam for the reminder on the overripe bananas!)

2.62 lbs bananas $1.02

Boston Butt Pork Roast $7.07

Hormel Pepperoni $1.45

Food Lion Turkey $3.11

Food Lion Turkey $2.97

Country Style Ribs $4.89

Drumsticks $4.23

Oscar Mayer Hotdogs $1.50 x 2

Green Grapes $5.15

Land O Lakes Butter $.50 x 4

Food Lion Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips $1.93

- $1 deli purchase

- $1 chocolate chips

= $41.06 OOP saved $35.80 (47%)

Publix

(4) Large Honey Nut Cheerios FREE

(2) Yellow Box Cheerios $.99 each

(2) Chicken leg quarters $3.22 ea

(4) SeaPak Shrimp $2.79 ea

(2) Reese's Cup $1.00 ea

(4) Pillsbury crescent rolls $1.67 ea

Publix eggs $1.59

(14) Green Giant canned veggies $.65 ea

(1) Crisco Olive Oil $2.45 ea

(6) Mueller pasta $.32 ea

(1) Vigo Artichoke Quarters $2.15 ea

(2) Wishbone dressing $.58 ea

(2) Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes $.50 ea 

(2) Publix brand chopped frozen spinach $.89 ea

(2) Green Giant frozen broccoli $.50 ea

(1) Diamond Kosher salt $.39 ea

(4) Betty Crocker Muffin boxes $.30 ea

(2) Yakisoba Noodles (-$.21 ea) overage

Gallon Milk $2.28

- $1 Pillsbury coupon

- $1 Muir Glen coupon

- $5 WYB 20 participating products

= $48.53 OOP saved $101.70 (68%)

My husband works for a food distributor and checked the price on a 50 lb bag of all purpose flour.  Turns out it's only $11.37 for 50 lbs.  I've been paying between $1.59 - $1.79 for a 5 lb bag of flour.  So we decided to purchase it and buy a large tub to store it.  I've been making our own pizza dough, french bread, yeast rolls and a lot of other food items from scratch to save on the cost of pre-packaged products.  Not only is it cheaper, but it's more healthy since we know what we're putting in the food.  I'm going to venture out and try to make our own flour tortillas one day.  Right now, I'm still a little intimidated, but I'll try it one day.  

This post has been linked to:

• Publix Supersavers at Fiddledeedeemom (Mondays)
  
• Grocery Cart Challenge (Tuesdays)
• Wednesday Weekly Shopping at Frugal Follies (Wednesdays)
  
• Coupon Super Savers at Coupon Saving Game (Fridays)
• Friday Finals at Southern Savers (Fridays)
• Weekly Totals at I Heart Publix (Saturdays) 
• Shopping Superstars at The Thrifty Mama (Saturdays)
• The Cha-Ching Challenge at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring (Saturdays) 
• Saving Our Cents Saturdays