Groceries – A penny pinched

Category : Groceries

Delegating

April 2nd 2011 Posted at Budget, Cleaning supplies, Costco, Coupons, CVS, Groceries, Hen House, Personal care, Price Chopper, Walgreens, Walmart
0 Comments

I was busy this past week, so I delegated the grocery shopping. All in all, it wasn’t too bad, although a few small mistakes were made. I’m such a control freak, and this was a good experience in letting go and learning to be appreciative.

Walmart
Ken’s salad dressing, 16 oz: $2.24 – $1.00 coupon = $1.24 (this is what happens when you delegate)
Yakisoba noodles: $0.62 – $0.50 coupon = $0.12
Degree travel size deodorant: $0.97 (coupon didn’t scan. grrr!!)
Spent: $2.67

Walgreens
Walgreens aluminum foil, 20 sq ft: $0.69 – 20% off coupon = $0.55
2 bottles Renuzit, 13 oz each: $2.99 – 15% off coupon – two $1.00 coupons = $0.54
Spent: $1.37
Saved: $5.44

Hen House
Post Honey Bunches of Oats Raisin Medley, 17 oz: $2.00 – $1.00 coupon = $1.00
Lipton tea, 29 ct: $3.99 – $0.60 coupon = $3.39 (messed up)
Spent: $4.87
Saved: $3.29

CVS
5 Pepsi bottles, 2 liters each: $4.40
Skintimate shaving gel, 7 oz: $3.49 – $0.55 coupon = $2.94 (generated $2.50 ECB)
2 Clean & Clear shower gels, 16 oz each: (2 x $2.99) – BOGO coupon – $2.00 coupon = $0.99
Used $7.99 ECB from a previous transaction
Spent: $2.06
Saved: $24.69

Price Chopper
2 Tony’s four cheese pizzas: ($1.69 x 2) – $1.00 = $2.38
2 mangoes: 2 x $0.69 = $1.38
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers: $$0.69
2 Yoplait Greek yogurts: (2 x $0.99) – $0.60 = $1.38
4 lbs oranges: $1.69
0.77 lbs green beans: $0.77
1.06 lbs asparagus: $1.05
Spent: $10.24
Saved: $10.16

Costco
36 flour tortillas, 63 oz: $3.99
Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches, 20 ct: $9.45 – $2.75 coupon = $6.70
Organic baby spring mix, 1 lb: $4.29
Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano, 1 lb: $14.99
Kirkland Signature wheat bread, 4 lbs: $3.79
Spent: $37.01

GRAND TOTAL: $58.22
TOTAL SAVED: $43.58

Groceries 3/27/11 and weekly recap

March 27th 2011 Posted at Budget, Costco, Coupons, CVS, Groceries, Hen House, Hy-Vee, Personal care, Price Chopper, Walgreens
0 Comments

Hy-Vee
Peter Pan peanut butter, 3 pack, 48.9 oz total: $2.98
Spent: $3.25

Hen House
2 lbs strawberries: $1.38
Green Giant honey glazed carrots, 10 oz: $1.25 – $0.50 coupon (doubled) = $0.25
Roberts sour cream, 16 oz: $1.29 – $0.30 coupon (doubled) = $0.69
Spent: $2.60
Saved: $9.63

TOTAL: $5.85

All I really needed at Hy-Vee this week was the 3-pack of peanut butter, but I made up for it with a quick trip to Hen House. I love shopping at Hen House, and I get some of my best deals there. I should make more of an effort to pay attention to the sales they’re having because I don’t shop there nearly enough.

I also got a couple of things at CVS and Walgreens earlier this week.

CVS
Head & Shoulders shampoo, 14.2 oz: $4.99 – $1.00 coupon = $3.99 (generated $2.50 ECB)
Spent: 3.44
Saved: $2.89

Walgreens
2 Dove chocolates, 1.3 oz each: $0.98 – $0.75 coupon = $0.23
Spent: $0.32

TOTAL: $3.76

GRAND TOTAL FOR THE WEEK: $18.81 (including my earlier trip to Price Chopper and Costco)

That’s a pretty low total. I’ll gladly pocket the difference or use it to stock up next week.

Groceries 3/25/11

March 25th 2011 Posted at Costco, Coupons, Groceries, Hy-Vee, Price Chopper
1 Comment

Today’s shopping trip was really small and cheap. I first stopped by Hy-Vee, but they were all out of the Peter Pan peanut butter. They were in the process of restocking it, but I didn’t have time to hang around waiting for it. I might swing by to pick it up tomorrow. The Price Chopper trip was mostly to get some fresh produce, although I did get some coffee ice cream. I was also looking for Dean’s bagel dip, but I can’t seem to find it no matter what. That was my second week looking for it. By the time I got to Costco, I was entirely too hungry and tired, so all I bought was milk. I wanted to get the box of Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches that’s a great deal with the coupon from this month’s coupon book, but that giant thing won’t fit in my freezer. Maybe next week.

Costco
1 gallon skim milk: $2.49
Total: $2.71

Price Chopper
1.38 lbs green beans: $1.36
1 lb radishes: $0.99
2 mangoes: $0.69 (hmm, only charged for one)
Edy’s slow churned coffee ice cream, 1.5 qt: $1.99
Blackberries, 6 oz: $0.99
Total: $6.49
Saved: $5.99

GRAND TOTAL: $9.20

Week ending on 3/20/11

March 20th 2011 Posted at ALDI, Budget, Cleaning supplies, Costco, Coupons, CVS, Groceries, Hen House, Hy-Vee, Pinching penies, Price Chopper, Walgreens
0 Comments

This past week I shopped at SEVEN stores on two different days. I’m crazy, I know.

First, I ran to Walgreens and CVS last Sunday, and those were by far my most impressive shopping trips of the week. I’m pretty well stocked up, and I don’t need lots of things from the drugstores anymore, so I’d forgotten just how great it can be to walk out of there with a cart full of things for which you paid only a couple of dollars. It’s even better when the cashier can’t believe you’re getting such a good deal, and she asks to see the flyer before she lets you walk out of there with all those things.

Friday was my regular shopping day, and I went to Hen House, Hy-Vee, Price Chopper, Aldi, and Costco. I could’ve skipped Hen House and Aldi since I only went to each of them for a single item. Sometimes it makes sense to go a little out of your way if the savings are worth your time and money, but not always. Even when the savings justify it, make sure you grab the right item so that you don’t wipe your savings by overpaying.

All in all it was a great week. I was only slightly over my initial budget of $50/week, which I have actually upgraded to a more realistic $75/week. I figured that $50 was much too restrictive, especially since I use that money not only for groceries but also for cleaning supplies and personal care items. Moreover, even the thrifty USDA food plan for a family of 2 is $82.60/week as of January 2011. More often than not, I hover around $50/week anyway, but I no longer feel like I’m constantly failing whenever I go above.

Walgreens

Spent: $0.40
Saved: $8.98

CVS

Spent: $3.93
Saved: $42.42

Costco

Spent: $26.03
Saved: $3.00

Price Chopper

Spent: $12.98
Saved: $16.40

Hy-Vee, Hen House, and Aldi

Spent: $10.08
Saved: $9.36

GRAND TOTAL: $53.42
TOTAL SAVINGS: $80.16

Hen House, Hy-Vee, and Aldi 3/18/11

March 18th 2011 Posted at ALDI, Coupons, Groceries, Hen House, Hy-Vee
0 Comments

Hen House
Eggland’s Best large eggs, 1 dozen:Â $1.49 – $0.35 coupon (doubled) = $0.79
Total: $0.83
Saved: $4.37

Hy-Vee
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers, 12 oz: $1.50 – $0.50 coupon = $1.00
4 boxes Hy-Vee mac and cheese @ $0.25 each: $1.00
2 containers Hy-Vee sour cream, 8 oz each (BOGO): $0.89
2 bags Kraft Natural Shredded Mozzarella: $3.00 – $1.00 coupon = $2.00
1.01 lbs asparagus: $1.49
1 bunch of radishes: $0.50
Total: $7.63
Saved: $4.99

Aldi
2 lbs sweet onion: $1.49
Total: $1.62

GRAND TOTAL: $10.08

Here are a couple of things I noticed while shopping today:

I had a ridiculously hard time finding a box of Eggland’s Best eggs without any cracked eggs. Maybe that’s why they were on sale.
I went out of my way to buy onion at Aldi because the savings justified it. Unfortunately, I grabbed the wrong bag, which ended up wiping a good chunk of the savings.
Not that it matters to me (because I go wherever the best deals are), but there’s a noticeable difference in the people shopping at Hen House, Hy-Vee, Price Chopper, and Aldi. That made me a little sad.

Price Chopper 3/18/11

March 18th 2011 Posted at Coupons, Groceries, Price Chopper
0 Comments

2 boxes Ronzoni Healthy Harvest linguine: $1.98 – $1.00 coupon = $0.98
2 boxes Ronzoni Smart Taste spaghetti: $1.98 – $1.00 coupon = $0.98
2 boxes Ronzoni Garden Delight spaghetti: $1.98 – $1.00 coupon = $0.98
Hidden Valley salad kit: $1.99 – $1.00 coupon = $0.99
KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, 18 oz: $0.99 – $0.50 coupon = $0.49
Hostess strawberry shortcake shells: $0.99
2 lbs strawberries: $1.98
Roberts cottage cheese, 24 oz: $1.49
0.8 lbs green beans: $0.79
4 Knorr Sides: $1.96

Total: $12.98
Saved: $16.40

Costco 3/18/11

March 18th 2011 Posted at Costco, Coupons, Groceries
0 Comments

2 loaves Kirkland wheat bread, 4 lbs: $3.79
1 lb organic baby spring mix: $3.99
4 lbs organic quinoa: $8.99
3 pack Palermo’s ultra thin pepperoni pizza, 47.1 oz: $9.89 – $3.00 coupon = $6.89

Total: $26.03

I was really tempted by these amazing Belgian waffles that I got to sample today. They weren’t cheap, but I was almost ready to buy them until I looked at the nutritional information. I put them down, and my heart sank a little. Come to find out that they’re just as unhealthy if not worse when you make them at home. I might have to return sometime soon. Yum!

This was the first time I bought quinoa. I had been thinking about trying it for a long time because I’d heard such great things about it. The funny thing is that a woman just passing by grabbed a bag after she heard me say that there are 6 grams of protein in a serving. I can’t wait to try it.

Menu for 3/14/11 – 3/20/11

March 14th 2011 Posted at Cooking, Groceries, Menu planning, Recipes
2 Comments

In spite of my best intentions, two meals from last week were not made, so I’m pushing them to this week’s menu. Here’s what I’ll be making this week. Check out the bazillion blogs linked at Iâ€™m an Organizing Junkie for more inspiration.

Monday
Turkey Chili (modified)

Tuesday
Day off from cooking. It looks like I’ll be having some kind of curried cauliflower.

Wednesday
Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Thursday
St. Patty’s Day! Corned beef brisket and cabbage.

Friday
Eating out

Saturday
Mac and cheese surprise. No, I have no idea what I’ll throw in there yet. Tuna? Peas? Corn?

Sunday
I’m still trying to decide what to make with the 2 packages of imitation crab and lobster I bought this past week. I’ll update when I figure it out.

ETA: I settled on this Crab and Pea Salad recipe, although I would’ve loved to give Faith‘s suggestion a try. Maybe next time.

CVS 3/13/11

March 13th 2011 Posted at Coupons, CVS, Groceries, Personal care
0 Comments

This was only my second time doing multiple transactions at CVS. I even walked out with my first purchase and came back in for the rest. I’m such a wimp when it comes to these things. I started out with $9.79 in ECB, and I wasn’t about to let that multiply to double digits. Please ignore my moving boxes and unused aquarium.

Transaction 1
Tena ultra thin pads, 32 ct (donation): $9.99 – $2.50 coupon – $6 ECB = $1.49 (generated $9.99 ECB)

Total: $2.38
Saved: $11.80

Transaction 2
1 trial size Theraflu: $0.99 – $0.99 coupon = FREE (generated $0.99 ECB)
15 Coke bottles, 2 liters each: $15.00 – $14.78 ECB =Â $0.22 (generated $5.00 ECB)

Total: $1.55
Saved: $30.62

When all was said and done, I walked out of there having paid only $3.93 out of pocket, and I will have $5.99 to spend during the next month. Not bad at all.

Week ending on 3/13/11

March 11th 2011 Posted at Budget, Costco, Coupons, Groceries, Hy-Vee, Price Chopper
0 Comments

I spent a very small amount of money on groceries last week. As expected, I made up for it this week. Overall, I’m still within budget for this month, but I’ll do a recap at the end. This week I shopped at Costco, Hy-Vee, and Price Chopper. I made a somewhat costly mistake at Hy-Vee when I bought the corned beef brisket. My excuse is that I know very little about meat cuts, but maybe I should educate myself about it and expand my horizons.

Costco

Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, 60 ct – $7.74 after $3.25 coupon
2 lbs sliced Tillamook cheddar cheese – $6.99
5 lbs shredded mild cheddar cheese – $10.99
SunChips variety pack, 24 ct – $6.75 after $2.00 coupon
4 lbs Mountain High low fat yogurt – $3.99
Apple strudel, 8 ct, 38 oz – $5.49 after $1.50 coupon

Total: $46.15

Price Chopper

5.38 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts – $6.40
4 boxes Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, 20 oz each – $4.76 after two $1.00 coupons
1.04 lbs green beans – $1.03
1 lb strawberries – $1.49

Total: $15.00

Hy-Vee

2.68 lbs organic Granny Smith apples – $2.36
4.48 lbs cabbage – $0.85
4.16 lbs red seedless grapes – $4.12
1/2 gallon Hy-Vee orange juice – $0.99
2 jars Skippy natural peanut butter, 15 oz each – $1.98
3 pouches StarKist chunk light tuna, 2.6 oz each – $1.50 after $1.50 coupon
2 cans StarKist chunk light tuna, 5 oz each – $0.78
Colgate toothpaste, 4.6 oz – $0.13 after $0.75 coupon
Louis Kemp imitation crab, 8 oz – $1.00
Louis Kemp imitation lobster, 8 oz – $1.00
Van de Kamp’s frozen crispy fish fillets, 19.44 oz – $3.34
2.84 lbs Buckley Farms corned beef brisket, flat cut – $8.49 (I should’ve grabbed the point cut at $1.99/lb. Live and learn.)

Total: $29.10