Frugal Fridays: More $35/Week Shopping
Last week, many of you asked what we normally buy for our $35/week grocery budget. I thought I'd do a little photo tutorial to give you an idea.What we buy each week varies depending upon the sales or lack of sales. This week, since there was a scarcity of good sales at Kroger, we opted - like last week - to only hit Aldi, CVS, and Walgreens. Here's what we bought at Aldi (I'm sorry for the wrinkled receipt!):
I always base our grocery list upon the current sales and what we have in the cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer and since I often have "stockpiles" of previous sales on hand, we never buy every single thing we need for that week while shopping. As much as possible, we follow what Meredith says here about stocking up on items when they are on sale at our "target price."So, as you can see, the majority of our grocery money is devoted to produce and meat this week. I also had to buy a few staple items we were running low on, and since we were still under budget, Jesse got to pick up a gallon of his favorite Arizona tea. Who says you still can't splurge a little on a $35 grocery budget?!
Here's our menu for this week - straight off my scribbled down list posted on the refrigerator:
After our quick trip to Aldi, we headed to Walgreens. They were having two Register Rewards deals which we took advantage of. We rolled over our $10 Reward from the week before to buy the 2 Revlon hair color kits (these will go in our garage sale box), milk, and foil. Our total after coupons was around $1.30 - which I paid for with my Walgreens gift card that I've accumulated $$ on from past rebates. Buying the two Revlons generated another $10 Register Reward and we used that to purchase the cheese (on sale with the Walgreen's flier coupon for $0.99 this week!), foil, Puffs, and Alka-Seltzer. My total after coupons for this transaction was around $0.75 and the Alka-Seltzer generated a $6.99 Register Reward which we'll use for our next Walgreens trip. So, all totaled, we bought all of this for around $2.00 and left the store with $6.99 to use on our next trip:
Our next stop was CVS. We ended up just doing one transaction and got all of the below (around $50 before coupons) using a small Extra Care Buck I earned from one of my previous shopping trip. And then we ended up getting $8.99 in Bucks back to use on our next trip.
By the way, you can get free Gerber Baby Food at CVS this week. It is in on sale for Buy 1, Get 1 Free and you can print out coupons for B1G1 here and here which makes them both free.So, there you have it - a pretty typical idea of what we get for $35 a week. I always enjoy the fun variety that shopping the sales and deals provides. It gives place for lots of creativity!
And now, for a few more Frugal Friday tips, Loretta, who doesn't have a blog, shared these:
*Towels too worn to use for towels? Cut them up in the size of washcloths and hem them with an overlock stitch. You'll get more use out of them as washcloths. Then when they're too worn for that, use them as rags. They do great when it comes to cleaning!*Shower gels...stretch them by adding a bit of water to it. I like to put gel and a little water into a small bottle. Makes it handier to use in the shower, too!
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Have a frugal tip to share? Post your link below.
posted by Crystal Paine at 6:32 PM
43 Comments:
Oh how I wish we had coupons, buy backs or something similar over here in Australia. *sigh* The best I can do is keep up on various sales and hit the markets - even then it's hard to keep in budget.
Thanks for the photo blog, it's great to see how others use their money frugally. :)
can you describe how exactly you do it when you need to do multiple transactions? (why do you have to do more than one transaction in the first place??)
I do the bulk of my shopping at Aldi's too. (In fact, my tip has to do with Aldi's!) CVS ECBs have saved us a lot also! Thanks for hosting this forum!
Dana
Hi Cryatal, I'm looking forward to reading your grocery savings post. Thanks, Debbie J.
I'm sorry Crystal, I didn't mean to put my Frugal Friday post on there twice! Can you take one of the off? Thanks Debbie J.
One of the reasons my budget is a little higher ($50-$75/ week for 5)I think is because I purchase only natural hormone free chicken and beef, milk, and eggs. I pay a little more for them, but we have cut back quite a bit on how much we eat them as well. We also juice daily. I could probably shop for less but I don't want to compromise on quality! Thanks for sharing Crystal!
WOW! I wish we had an Aldi even the equivalent of it doesn't have prices like that around here. And it is a drive for us so not a good place to go out of our way to shop at we wouldnt really save with gas. But I am really surprised at the difference in prices on average looking at your list we are about 40 cents higher on items than you at least at your ALdi Store. My budget is $50 a week and some weeks when sales are bad etc that is hard but generally we can do it With 2 adults, 1 teen and 1 almost teen. Thanks for the pics us visual people love things like that.
Crystal-
I have tried to use B1G1F coupons in conjunction with BIGIF sales at my CVS and they would not let me do it. I called the 1-800 number to ask why they would advertise Sundays' coupons in their flyer if they were not intending to let people use them. The lady that I talked with on the phone said it was a mistake to advertise the coupons next to that particular sale because they were not allowed to give away things for free like that.
Since it was printed in the flyer, I was able to use my coupons with the sale, but was under the impression I could not do so again.
How do you do it without fighting management? I understand what you've said before about the manufacturers coordinating with the stores to offer great deals like this in hopes of getting us hooked on their products. But it seems middle-management does not understand and is very unwilling to comply!
Mr. Linky disappeared
Crystal--you can go ahead and delete my first link to Frugal Fridays. My third baby posted before I was done ! Posted by Maryanne. The second worked, the first is incomplete.
Thanks!!!
Hi Crystal, I just found your blog a few weeks ago and just love reading it--I would really like to be able look at all your frugal friday posts--it would be neat if you could compile them into a one click section--thanks for the tips and I am going to try the ritzy chicken receipe! It looks delicous--have you ever topped it with cheese??
Foaming Soap for Pennies
I purchased some foam soap dispensers from Aldi. When the soap runs out, I refill them with 1:5 solution of dish soap or clear shampoo to warm water. Currently in our girls' bathroom they are using lovely lavender-scented foaming soap (1 part Herbal Essence Totally Twisted shampoo to 5 parts warm water). The kitchen has Aldi green dish soap - again a 1:5 ratio. I also occasionally buy a big jug of liquid antibacterial hand soap from Aldi, and use it in the same ratio to make foam soap solutions for each of my bathrooms and kitchen.
I learned this trick from a professional cleaner.
You must have a foaming soap dispenser for this - it won't work with regular liquid soap pumps.
I really enjoy looking at the visual savings too, Crystal. Thank you for sharing!
I always enjoy hearing about your shopping trips. I shop once a month because I have to drive quite a ways to shop so it's not always easy to take advantage of coupons or sales...but I do what I can.
Great shopping. You're very organized.
I'm really impressed that you did it without coupons (or at least it looks that way from the receipt).
I can do $35 a week with coupons, but most weeks I'm between $50 and $85 for our family of four.
Good work!
I'm curious as to how much chicken breasts you bought for 99 cents. I don't think I've seen chicken breasts under $1.99 for a couple of years here.
We live in a rural area where stores are few and far between, so I just try to be careful at my grocery store and shop with attention to sales and clearanced items. For instance, last week I saw 4 cup bags of shredded Kraft cheese at Safeway in a 50% off box. It was on sale to begin with. I ended up buying the bags at $1.30 each. That was a great deal. I figured they were close to expiring so I'd pop them in the freezer, but they don't expire for months. My son (who works there) explained that if the hole on the top of the bag is torn, they won't hang, so they mark them down to get them sold and out of the way.
All this to say, although we don't have stores like Aldi, there can be good deals found in the rural areas, you just have to hunt for them. :>)
Thank you, Crystal. I'm sorry I goofed on my first link!
The pictures really help it all make more sense for me...thanks! (I'm a visual learner)
Huskerbabe - The bag of chicken breasts were $5.99. :) Broccoli was $.99. I wish I could get all of that chicken for $.99! :)
Anonymous: Multiple transactions - that depends. Sometimes my husband will do one and I'll do the other. Sometimes I just ask if it's alright that I split up my order and then I just do two in a row. I only do this if the store is not crowded and busy. Otherwise, I'll go through two separate times. The only reason I will split up my order is if I get a Register Rewards back (or ECBs back) that I want to apply towards a second order.
Stephanie - We often get organic hormone-free meat and dairy and stick with our $35 budget. This is what we prefer, but this week, there wasn't anything on a good sale or reduced, so that's why we ended up with what we did.
I try to be careful with what I feed my family and we do make most of our stuff from scratch and avoid food coloring, corn syrup, etc. as much as we possibly can. However, my motto is to do the best I can with the resources I have and trust God with the rest!
Someday, we'd love to grow all our own produce and have animals in order to have our dairy and meat. We'll see what God has in store!
Beth - Do you happen to have any other CVS stores around that you could try going to instead? We have a lot of them where we live, so I've just scoped out the most coupon-friendly stores and shop there. They never have given me a problem about anything and I always ask if I'm uncertain about something. Certain stores and cashiers are more particular than others about things and most of them frankly just don't know how coupons work and that they are getting paid back for all the manufacturer's coupons that I use.
Crystal,
Forgive me if you've mentioned this before, but just how do you keep your coupons organized? I save the Smartsource, Valassis, and any other coupons that come in the Sunday paper and now have a stack about four inches high. Do you save ALL coupons, or just clip out the ones you think you might use and chuck the rest?
Great tips this week!
I went back and added something to my post, but I won't put up a second link, don't want to "trick" people.
I added a coupon for 20% off your TOTAL purchase at Linens N Things, that's good for this weekend only.
I can't see where to link?
Help?
Thanks for putting all of these great frugal ideas together!
Candy
I have noticed consistently each week that a poster or two will post their link twice or more in different spots (not close together on your list). What might be the reasoning for this? That gets to be a little frustrating as once is sufficient - they just need to check it went through.
Frugal tip: Sometimes the most frugal thing of all is not buying. Look around in your home 1st for substitutes before running out to the store - as it saves time, money and gas.
Lyn - I'm not sure. I think it's normally because people aren't sure how to use the system. Or maybe they didn't realize their first link went through? I did delete some links which were doubles today but I may have missed some.
Thank you for posting about this. I found it very helpful.
Great shopping!!!
Crystal, would you please post the recipe for your chicken salsa pizza? That sounds yummy! Thanks!
I don't have a blog to link to but like to get on board with the frugal tips.
Today at Kroger I asked management if they would discount the meat because the sale date was today. Management was happy to do this for me. It never hurts to ask for a discount because of the sale date or if the product is slightly damaged.
Also it was obvious I left behind some meat yesterday at Kroger. I simply called Kroger back and told them that the meat I bought was left behind. Kroger told me to come in today and get the meat. I had no problems with getting my meat. I also was careful in taking my receipt with me. So if you leave something behind, call and ask if you can retrieve it, even if it was a day ago.
Crystal, I thoroughly enjoyed your post. Everyone have a blessed day!
Charlotte from Georgia
Tips for substitutions (so you don't have to spend more time, money or gas!)
* Keep a stocked pantry as many items can be made from this. When you are tired to cook or are looking for something sweet to eat (you can whip up a quick batch of something that only takes 5-10 minutes to make). Keep a list of quick "pantry" meals and/or treats to make on a 3x5 card (post on your cupboard or fridge).
* I'm big on making things simple as well as frugal - if you run out of cleaner, make it homemade with what you have on hand.
* Minimize paper good purchases and use just what you need. In a pinch, some paper goods can be substituted for others.
* Whenever I need to substitute something - I will research it online. Especially on long weekends such as Labor Day (now) I do all that I can to avoid the stores, crowds and waiting in line. Below is a chart for some food substitutions.
http://southernfood.about.com/library/info/blsubstitutions.htm
My question is this...do you only go thru a gallon of milk a week? I am just curious we have one 3 year old(other baby who is nursing) and two grown adults, one gallon would not cover us at all. Especially since the 3 year old is supposed to get 16 oz of milk a day....
Have you ever factored in gas costs into your $35.00. Gas isn't cheap these days and with with stops at three different stores, I am just curious how much you are REALLY spending.
Yes, Anonymous, we always factor gas costs in. For those who have been reading here for a little while, you'll know one of my big things is to combine trips to save you time, money, and effort. All of these stores are literally within a few blocks of our home. That's why we are able to hit them so quickly and easily in one short evening using up very little time and gas. If we were driving all over town trying to get good deals, it would in no way be worth it.
To the other Anonymous concerning milk: Yes, we only go through one gallon of milk or less per week. Actually, a half gallon can often last us for over a week, depending upon what we eat/make that week. We actually drink very little milk. I was raised on water and have done the same with our daughter. She has milk on her cereal and that's pretty much it. I know that there are differing opinions and everyone is free to have their own, but from what I've researched, I really feel like green leafy vegetables give you just as much or more calcium that is better absorbed than milk anyway. :)
Crystal,
This was my first week to try frugal shopping using your handy tips. We usually spend $100 or more a week at the grocery store. This week, I spent $45 and saved $37, and was able to plan my entire week's meals for that amount. Thank you so much for helping me become a better steward of what the Lord provides!
Kelli
Crystal,
I appreciate you sharing how you keep your food budget to a minimum. However, I do need to point out that $35 is not really an accurate price for the amount of food your family consumes in a week. You have mentioned several times that you supplement your $35 with food that you already have in your stock at home. That food has to come from somewhere. Either you have to spend money originally to start the stock or you have to spend extra money every once in a while to stock up your cupboards. Your $35 did not leave any extra money to buy extra stock up food, nor did it have any extra money to stock up on really good sales. To show a more accurate account of how much money you spend a week on food, you would have to include the prices of all the food you consume that week, or have the extra money in your budget that you would need to stock your cupboards.
AnnaLeah - Actually $35 is all we spend every single week and all we've ever spent every single week since we've been married. So yes, it is a very accurate amount. :) We usually stock up on a few things every week in that amount and so that's where the extra comes from. We do that every week and then we always have extra to work with. As I share in my new course, I usually spend $5 or so every week stocking up on the really good deals.
For instance, this week, we bought extra toothpaste, deoderant, tissues, aluminum foil. The flour, brown sugar, and some of the meat will last us longer than one week, too, as will a few of the other items. This week, because there weren't any great deals at Kroger, though, I didn't do as much "stocking up" as usual. We just stuck with our Aldi-only budget.
When we buy extras and stock up, that is always within our $35/week budget. I pretty much never go over unless I have extras money leftover from previous weeks. So, unless I can buy extras in the $35/week budget, I don't buy it. That helps me to not go overboard in spending even if there is a really great deal.
Does that make more sense? Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the opportunity to clarify!
I will say that I am always impressed by what you get for $35 each week! So much so that I am trying to implement the same in my own life right now by spending $30/week for 2 of us. I am amazed because honestly I think your family eats better/healthier on your budget than a family who spends a lot of $$$ for all the pre-made and convenience foods I often see in their shopping baskets!
I participated in Crystal's Supermarket Savings course and I enjoyed it a lot. I am amazed at the price you are listing the e-course at - that is remarkable considering all that you get within the course (it really is a great deal to anyone reading this, and no, Crystal did not ask me or pay me to say so). :)
Crystal or Stephanie,
Could you please tell us how you get hormone-free meat and dairy and still stick to your budgets?
I am shopping for a family of 6 and I can't come anywhere near Stephanie's $75 a week. Thanks for the help.
can more than 1 cvs extra buck be used at the same time?
thanks
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