King Soopers, Safeway and Sprouts 4.26.10

I finally made it to the store this week. The sales that I took advantage of are ending tonight and I am packing and cleaning like a mad woman so I am not going to give you the details of how I scored these deals but you can check my fav sites Bargain Blessings, Spring Bargains and Denver Metro Moms to see how to get these deals if you are going tonight and see something you are interested in. Here is the mini-breakdown of my spending yesterday.

I got all of this

including this...

and this.

I spent $24.71 OOP
I would have spent $129.25 without coupons and sales

That is a savings of 81%!!!

Here is what I got

King Soopers

3 pkg. mentos gum-FREE!

1 bottle tobasco-FREE!

1 speed stick deodorant-FREE!

4 tubs kroger sour cream-$1.00 each

4 boxes wheaties cereal-$0.04 moneymaker!! (will be a $0.79 MM after my ecoupon dispute)

Safeway

2 boxes Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal- $0.90 each

1 bottle kraft mayo ( I am out)- $1.89

4 cans ravioli-$1.00 each (forgot to use my $1.50 off coupon)

6# ranchers reserve beef 7 bone roast-$1.39 per #

1.62 # bananas-$0.46 per #

2.03 # red grapes-$0.99 per #

1 bag mixed lettuce-$0.99

2 Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Spray Starter-$2.02 money maker!

2 Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Spray Refills-$0.50 each (should have been a $2 MM)

4 bottles windex-$1.04 money maker!!

Sprouts

1 # vine tomatoes-$0.49 per #

1 avocado-$0.69

1 green pepper-$0.77

It was definitely not the perfect trip. I forgot coupons. Some e-coupons I had to dispute and a manager entered the wrong amount for 2 BOGO coupons but I am still happy with my savings. I will be posting my monthly totals as soon as I get back in town.

Happy Couponing while I am gone! :)

Weekly meal Plan 4/23-4/29

Sorry I was a little late in getting this up. I had to be a kinda flexible this week with my shopping and menu planning. My menu this week is shorter than usual (we will be going out of town) and very uninteresting. We are trying to use up what we have so nothing goes to waste and that means (carbs carbs and more carbs) a lot of biscuits and potatoes. (the biscuits were a money maker a few weeks back and the potatoes were $0.49 for the 10# bag). I think my family will most likely not want to see another biscuit for a long time after this week.lol. Here is what we are having this week.

Breakfast
biscuits & gravy(recipe to follow) and fruit
cereal & fruit
pancakes (from my freezer) and fruit
banana berry smoothies
hard boiled eggs & fruit

Lunch
baked potatoes
mini pizza's & fruit
lots of left overs

Dinner
creamy beef, mashed potatoes (recipe to follow),green beans and biscuits
taco salad
grits & eggs & biscuits
grilled chicken salad

Snacks
granola bars
grapes
strawberries
apples
cuties
chips & salsa
carrots
celery & peanut butter
gogurt

Dessert
cherry almond streusel danish

What are you having this week?

Is couponing really cheaper than shopping Sams or Costco?

I have been asked this question a lot by those who are wanting to try to save money by couponing, but are not sure whether it is worth the time it takes. I thought I would put some comparisons up for you to give you (and me) an idea of how much you can save by couponing over just shopping at the big warehouse stores. Let me just say right now. I have nothing against Costco and Sams Club. I actually have a membership to both at this time and think they are perfectly fine establishments. I just want to dispel the myth (that I also believed a year ago) that for the most part you cannot beat their prices on items you and I buy most.

Costco does not post their prices for most of these things on line, but I have found that for the most part that Sams and Costco are pretty similar in pricing. If anything, Sams is cheaper on most things. So I will be posting Sams current prices. The prices that I will show as a "coupon price" are prices I have actually paid in the past 6 months for items. Keep in mind the "couponing" price is not something you will always see advertised in a sales ad. Sometimes you will have 1-3 coupons (store+e-coupons+manufacturers coupons) you can stack on a single item to get the prices to those I will list here.

I feel another benefit to coupon shopping vs. shopping at the big warehouse stores is that you can usually find smaller sizes (that are easier to store) and you can find more variety (like light sour cream or different scents in cleaners). However for this comparison I will just multiply things to match the sizes offered at Sams Club. Ok...on to the comparison

Tide HE detergent

SAMS CLUB PRICE $19.58 for 110 loads

COUPONING PRICE $8.80 for 110 loads

Bounce Dryer Sheets (or similar name brand)

SAMS CLUB PRICING $8.08 for 250 sheets

COUPONING PRICE $3.09 for 250 sheets

Downy

SAMS CLUB PRICING $12.48 for 195 loads

COUPONING PRICE $2.39 for 195 loads

Dawn Dish Liquid

SAMS CLUB PRICING $7.48 for 90oz.

COUPONING PRICE $2.21 for 90 oz.

Finish Dishwashing Tabs (for the dishwasher)

SAMS CLUB PRICING $13.78 for 90

COUPONING PRICE $4.45 for 90

Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner

SAMS CLUB PRICING $7.98 for 75 oz

COUPONING PRICE- FREE

Bounty Paper Towels

SAMS CLUB PRICING $18.48 for 22 rolls (regular size)

COUPONING PRICE $5.34 for 22 rolls (regular size)

Charmin Bath Tissue

SAMS CLUB PRICING $17.38 for 72 rolls

COUPONING PRICE $8.35 for 72 rolls

Iams Dry Dog Food

SAMS CLUB PRICING $29.98 for 44 lbs.

COUPONING PRICE $19.58 for 44 lbs.

Peanut Butter (Jif or Skippy)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $7.98 for 80 oz

COUPONING PRICE $2.80 for 80 oz.

Nature Valley Granola Bars

SAMS CLUB PRICE $8.32 for 30 bars

COUPONING PRICE $0.75 for 30 bars

Goldfish Crackers

SAMS CLUB PRICE for $8.42 for 65.6 oz.

COUPONING PRICE $4.15 for 65.6 oz.

Ritz Crackers

SAMS CLUB PRICE $5.82 for 48 oz.

COUPONING PRICE $1.50 for 48 oz.

Frosted Flakes Cereal

SAMS CLUB PRICE $7.24 for 61.9 oz.

COUPONING PRICE $0.91 for 61.9 oz.

Honey Nut Cheerios

SAMS CLUB PRICE $6.38 for 49.6 oz.

COUPONING PRICE $1.42 for 49.6 oz

Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup

SAMS CLUB PRICE $10.14 for 8 cans

COUPONING PRICE $2.00 for 8 cans

Canned Diced Tomatoes

SAMS CLUB PRICE $5.98 for 8 cans

COUPONING PRICE $3.92

Dole Pineapple (Canned)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $8.78 for 8-20 oz. cans

COUPONING PRICE $3.52 for 8-20 oz. cans

Canned Coke or Pepsi Products

(Coke in this comparison but they are similar)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $8.85 for 32-8oz. cans

COUPONING PRICE $5.33 for 32-8oz. cans

Activia Yogurt

SAMS CLUB PRICE $10.32 for 24-4oz. cups

COUPONING PRICE $3.78 for 24-4oz. cups

Yoplait Go-Gurt

SAMS CLUB PRICE $7.32 FOR 32 ct

COUPONING PRICE $2.56 for 32 ct

Fresh Eggs-Large grade A or better

SAMS CLUB PRICE $3.78 for 2-18ct

COUPONING PRICE $1.83 for 3-18 ct

Sour Cream

SAMS CLUB PRICE $3.77 for 3 lbs.

COUPONING PRICE $3.00 for 3 lbs.

Philidelphia Cream Cheese

SAMS CLUB PRICE $6.05 for 48oz.

COUPONING PRICE $1.80 for 48 oz.

White Sugar

SAMS CLUB PRICE $15.57 for 25 lbs.

COUPONING PRICE $9.95 for 25 lbs.

All Purpose Flour

SAMS CLUB PRICE $5.79 for 25 lbs.

COUPONING PRICE $4.00 for 25 lbs.

Butter

SAMS CLUB PRICE $7.72 for 4 lbs.

COUPONING PRICE $5.42 for 4 lbs.

Nestle Chocolate Chips

SAMS CLUB PRICE $8.78 for 72 oz.

COUPONING PRICE $5.94 for 72 oz.

Ketchup (Heinz or Hunts)

(I have heard this can go lower but haven't been

couponing through a summer yet when it does)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $6.52 for 3-44oz. bottles

COUPONING PRICE $5.50 for 3-44 oz. bottles

Extra Virgin Olive oil

SAMS CLUB PRICE $13.98 for 68 oz.

COUPONING PRICE $10.03 for 68 oz.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

SAMS CLUB PRICE $13.79 for 7 lbs

COUPONING PRICE $11.13 for 7 lbs.

Jimmy Dean Pork Breakfast Sausage

SAMS CLUB PRICE $4.38 for 2 lbs.

COUPONING PRICE $1.00 for 2 lbs.

Extra Lean Ground Beef

SAMS CLUB PRICE $24.80 for 10 lbs.

COUPONING PRICE $16.90 for 10 lbs.

Bacon

(I could not find a thick sliced comparison on Sams so I am comparing the regular bacon from sams to premium thick sliced from the butcher)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $7.46 for 3 lbs.

COUPONING PRICE $5.01 for 3 lbs.

Huggies Diapers (size 1)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $37.98 for 264 diapers

COUPONING PRICE $14.49 for 264 diapers

Crest Toothpaste

SAMS CLUB PRICE $10.98 for 4/8oz. tubes

COUPONING PRICE $2.11 for 4/8oz. tubes

Mens Shaving Gel name brand (edge or Gillette)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $6.87 for 3/9.5 oz.

COUPONING PRICE $3.58 for 3/9.5 oz

Womens Shaving Gel name brand (skintimates or satincare)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $6.48 for 3/9.5 oz. +2.75 oz. travel size

COUPONING PRICE $3.93

Gillette Fusion Manual Razor Refills

(I have found on couponing it is cheaper to buy brand new razors rather than the refills so I am comparing refills at Sams to the equivelant brand new razors)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $41.58 for 16

COUPONING PRICE $7.92 for 16

Gillette Venus Embrace Razor +Refills

( same comparison as above)

SAMS CLUB PRICE $26.05 for Razor +10 refills

COUPONING PRICE $13.70 for Razor +10 refills

WOW!!! I knew I was saving money over the Sams shopping I did a year ago but I had no idea it was this much! To be honest I was pretty shocked at some of these price differences!

So lets just say that you bought just half of these products each month at Sams and decided to switch to couponing to try to save a little money. How much would you save over the course of a year?

$1584.12!!!

I know you are saying...I would not go through this quantity in one month. You are probably correct, but this is just a small snapshot of items. You most likely buy more products than what I have listed here on this comparison.

I know that you are all probably tired of hearing this but I will say it again for those who are new here. I saw my budget drastically lower within 1 month of shopping this way. I used to spend $700 a month on groceries, toiletries, paper products and cleaners. I was having a really hard time staying within that budget. We were having to cut all kinds of "luxuries" that my family likes. Now I spend an average of $400 each month and we are enjoying those "luxuries" like steaks, baby back ribs, flushable wipes, mouthwash, and a nice variety of snack foods, as well as building a storage of items my family uses. Not something I thought I could do on my meager $700 a month but am now doing on $400 a month So I guess a more realistic look of how much you can save would be by my example. If I keep up my average of $400 a month I will have saved over a years time

$3600!!!

That is a huge chunk of change in my book.

If you want to learn more about how to shop smarter leave me a comment and I would be happy to contact you and tell you more. :)

I have been slacking...

I have made a few trips to various stores throughout the week and my crazy life got in the way of me taking pictures (sorry). Despite my slacking I wanted to update my totals for the month with what I spent. The totals in parenthesis are what I would have spent without sales or coupons

4/14- Safeway OOP$5.07 ($5.07)
4/14-Sprouts OOP$4.63 ($4.63)
4/12-Target OOP $7.30 (39.34)
4/13-Costco OOP$10.00

Total for all of these stops
$27.00 OOP ($59.04)

4.16.10

Today I shopped Safeway and King Soopers and got some pretty good deals. I wasn't as organized as I like to be so I did miss a few coupons that would have saved me more...but I guess it goes that way sometimes.lol.

I got all of this

including this

and this.

I spent $54.95 total but used the remainder of a gift card that I got for transferring a prescription. I also had one $10 P&G CAT that didn't print so I will have to email them to have them send it. Figuring in all of that my total OOP was $29.30!
without coupons and sales I would have spent $144.70
That is a savings of 80%!! YEEHAW!

Here is how YOU can get the same deal
KING SOOPERS

2-2liter bottles of 7up
$1.00-$1.00/1 IP (previously available)
FINAL PRICE-FREE!!

1-2 liter bottle A&W Rootbeer
$1.00

1-2liter Country Time lemonade
$1.00

1 jar skippy peanut butter
$1.88-$0.60/1 insert coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.88

1 bunch green onions
$0.50

2 pkg. smart balance dozen eggs
$1.34-$0.50/1 insert coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.34 each.

1 pkg (80 ct) Snuggle dryer sheets
$3.99-$3.00/1 insert coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.99

SAFEWAY
The following items are all part of the buy 5 save $5 promo

4 boxes Reeses Puffs Cereal
$1.50-$1.00/2 IP-$0.55/1 e-coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.86 each

3 boxes poptarts (camping season is coming up!)
$1.00-$1.25/3 insert coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.58 each

3 boxes quaker oatmeal
$1.50-$1.00/1 peelies
FINAL PRICE $0.50 each

1 Danonino Yogurt
$1.25(marked down for clearance)-$1.00/1 insert coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.25

2 secret deodorant
$2.99-$0.50/1 insert coupon-$3/2 e-coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.49 each

1 roll plastic wrap (not a great deal but I needed it)
$2.79

1 loaf 100% whole wheat bread
$0.99

2 lunchable sub combos
$1.00-$1.00/1 insert coupon
FINAL PRICE-FREE!!

The following items are part of the P&G promo going on at Safeway right now. When you spend $25 (after all coupons-per the small print) you get a catalina for $10 OYNO. To get the most for your money try to have your total be as close to that $25 requirement as possible. I have heard that some are having success with still getting the CAT when their total was $25 BEFORE coupons. Joanie over at KCL spoke with the CAT company and they confirmed that you do not have to spend $25 after coupons but it may be regional. I have yet to confirm this so YMMV. I tried one of my transactions this way and will let you know what I find out from the CAT company. I should hear back in 2-3 days. My final prices below reflect the savings being $25 after coupons.

1 (17.5# bag) Iams Dog Food
$18.99-$3.00/1 mailer coupon-$3.00/1 e-coupon
FINAL PRICE $7.79 (after CAT discount)

2 pkg. charmin toilet paper (12 double roll pack)
$7.99-$0.25/1 insert coupon
FINAL PRICE $4.49 each (after CAT discount)

1 bottle Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap
$2.49-$1.00/1 mailer coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.89 (after CAT discount)

1 pkg. (120 ct) Gain Dryer Sheets
$4.99-$1.00/1 in-ad coupon-$1.00/1 e-coupon
FINAL PRICE $1.79 (after CAT discount)

1 Febreze Air Effects Aerosol air freshener
$2.50-$1.00/1 insert coupon-$1.00/1 e-coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.30 (after CAT discount)

1 (8pk) AA duracell batteries
$5.49-$1.00/1 e-coupon
FINAL PRICE $2.69 (after CAT discount)

1 bottle (24oz) Dawn essentials dish soap
$2.49-$0.50/1 insert coupon-$0.50/1 e-coupon
FINAL PRICE $0.59 (after CAT discount)

Cascade Gell Pacs Dishwasher Detergent (20pk)
$4.49-$0.50/1 in-ad coupon-$0.50/1 insert coupon-$0.50/1 e-coupon
FINAL PRICE $1.49 (after CAT discount)

Also now that I have spent my $50 in P&G products I can submit for this $100 book of P&G coupons.

Overall a pretty good trip. Stay tuned as I will be spotlighting a friend of mine that tackled her first coupon shopping trip. :) Happy shopping this week!

Wintergreen Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

This has got to be one of my favorite salad recipes!!! My friend Jen brought dinner to me when I had my second baby and it (along with everything else she brought) was quickly inducted into my family file of recipes.

½ head or 1 bag torn romaine lettuce
½-1 cup shredded swiss cheese
½ cup cashews
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 pear, cubed

Dressing (can be made ahead to blend flavors)
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice ( do not use bottled...trust me)
1 t onion powder
½ t Dijon mustard
¼ t salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1½ t poppy seeds

Place all dressing ingredients in a jar and screw the lid on tightly. Shake until well combined and the sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate until needed. I usually don’t use all of the dressing. In a large serving bowl combine all ingredients and toss gently Just before serving pour dressing over salad and toss to coat
**tip-if you make this ahead of time you can store your sliced pears in the dressing to keep them from turning brown.

Baked Potato Soup Recipe

This recipe was passed to me from my sister in-law Sarah. It is not the best meal for watching your waistline, but it is definitely worth the splurge once in a while.


4-6 large baking potatoes
4 green onions, diced
2/3 cup butter
12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2/3 C flour
6 cup milk
1 ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¾ t salt
8 oz. Sour cream
½ t white pepper

Wash, dry & prick potatoes with a fork. Bake 400 degrees for 1 hour or until done, cool. Cut ½ lengthwise. Scoop out pulp. Set aside. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk & cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add potato pulp, salt & pepper. 2 tablespoons of green onion & half bacon & 1 cup cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in sour cream & extra milk if necessary. Serve with remaining green onion, bacon & cheese. Make 10 servings

Weekly Meal Plan 4/16-4/22

Here is a list of what we are having this week. What about you?

Breakfast

toasted english muffins & fruit

french toast, bacon and strawberries

cereal & fruit

pancakes (from my freezer) & fruit

banana berry smoothies

hard boiled eggs, toasted english muffins & fruit

Lunch

ham & cheese croissants

mini-pizzas (freezer meal) and carrot sticks

chicken nuggets & grapes

grilled cheese sandwiches & celery sticks

lots of left overs

Dinner

marinated sirloin steaks, baked potatoes and green beans

baked potato soup (recipe to follow) & rolls

creamy crockpot chicken, rice and wintergreen salad (recipe to follow)

left overs

BBQ chicken drumsticks, homemade mac & cheese and wintergreen salad

ham and cheese omelets and toast

taco salad

Snacks

gogurt

granola bars

crackers & cheese

raisins

rice cakes

cucumber slices

red pepper slices

carrot sticks

celery sticks

sugar snap peas

apples

grapes

bananas

strawberries

Dessert

blackberry cobbler and vanilla ice cream

What are you having this week?

Here is what my trip to Safeway looked like today.

I got all of this for a total of$14.35...BUT

I spent $0 OOP because I got a $30 GC for transferring a prescription last week.

I would have spent $46.52 without sales or coupons

That is a savings of 69%!!

Here is how you can score the same deals

5 boxes Quaker Instant Oatmeal

$1.50 (wyb5)-$1.00 peelies

FINAL PRICE $0.50 each

1 jumbo pkg. huggies diapers

$9.99-$2.00 in-ad coupon-$3.00/1 e-coupon-$3.00/1 IP

FINAL PRICE $1.99!!!!!

1 gallon lucern milk+2 pkg. oreo cookies

milk-$1.99

cookies- $2.75 each

$7.79 for all- use free cookies when you buy cookies and milk(took off full price $3.29-no longer available)

FINAL PRICE $1.50 each for milk and 2 pkg. cookies

1 box snack bags (we are out)

$1.49

2 Lunchables (not pictured...my kids ate them. ;) )

$1.00 each

1.75 # bananas

$0.46 per #

Although there are not many deals this week (IMHO) you can check out what else is on sale at Safeway this week at Bargain Blessings or a new site that I found called Denver Metro Moms.

Creamy Chicken Salad

This is a recipe that is a favorite in my family. It was given to me by my step-mom and we changed it a little to suit our tastes.

CREAMY CHICKEN SALAD

4 ½ C chicken, cooked and diced

½ - ¾ Celery, diced
1 ½ C green grapes, sliced

1 ½ C mandarin oranges (see substitution below)
Sliced almonds (optional)

¾ C mayonnaise
¾ C sour cream

¼ C parsley
1 ½ T onion, diced

½ T lemon juice
¼ t salt

¼ t pepper
½ -1 T Good Seasonings dried Italian salad dressing (no substituting)

Mix sour cream, parsley, onion, lemon juice, salt, pepper and dressing mix in a small bowl. Combine remainder of ingredients in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Serve with croissants or on a bed of lettuce.
*** I substitute 1 ½ C red grapes for the oranges. You could also use diced apples.

Fresh Berries with Maple Cream

I got this recipe from my sweet friend Andrea who used to make it all the time for me before she moved :(. It is super delicious and just screams summer to me. Now is the perfect time to try it too with berries coming into season. I promise you won't be sorry.

Fresh Berries with Maple Cream

2 1/2 C fresh berries (any mix. I like strawberries, blueberries and blackberries)

3/4 C fat free or light sour cream

1/4 C real maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

Rinse and hull your berries. In a small bowl combine the syrup and the sour cream and whisk until well blended. Spoon about 2/3 C berries into 4 dessert glasses. Spoon approx. 1/4 C cream mixture over fresh berries and enjoy!

Crockpot Refried Beans

Here is a recipe that we like for making refried beans. It is easy because you make it in the crockpot and very YUMMY! Keep in mind that this makes a lot! I have heard that you can freeze the leftovers but I haven't tried it yet.

Crockpot Refried Beans

1 lb. dried pinto beans (rinsed very very well)

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

4 T butter or margarine

1 1/2-2 C shredded cheese (your preference)

1 1/2 t salt

pepper to taste

seasoned salt to taste

cumin to taste

1/2 lime, juiced

water

Soak beans in large bowl of water overnight. In the morning drain water and pour beans into a large crockpot. Fill crockpot with clean water to cover the beans and then some. In my large 6qt oval crockpot I cover the beans plus add an additional 3-5 inches of water. Throw in the onion and garlic a sprinkling of seasoned salt and a dash or two or cumin and cook on high for 5-10 hours or until beans are very soft. Drain most (but not all) of the water in a separate container and set it aside. Mash beans with a mixer or potato masher , adding reserved bean water to reach desired consistency. Add butter, salt and pepper and continue mashing until you get the consistency you like. I like it to still have a chunkier, but creamy texture. Keep in mind the mixture will thicken as it stands a little.Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve.

4.7.10

So I shopped a little early at Sprouts and Target this week so I could hit their double-ad Wednesday.

I got all of this

for a total of $20.55 OOP.

I saved $2.00 (on the wipes at Target).

I am not going to even calculate my savings % as Sprouts doesn't figure it in.

Here is the breakdown if you would like to score the same deals.

SPROUTS

2.15 # mild cheddar cheese

$1.99 per #

1 # dried pinto beans

$0.99 per #

1 bunch cilantro

$0.33

1.82 # yellow onions

$0.99 per #

1 pkg. blueberries

$2.00 (not a great price but I needed them)

1.71 # pink lady apples $0.88

2 red bell peppers

$0.88

3.75 # red grapes

$0.88 per #

0.83 # roma tomatoes

$1.19 per #

1# pkg. strawberries

$1.25

(the strawberries, peppers, cilantro and cheese prices are only good today)

TARGET

2 pkg. Kandoo Flushable Wipes (42ct)

$1.65 (regular price)-$1.00 MC

FINAL PRICE $0.65 each (Thanks Jennie)

Weekly Meal Plan 4/9-4/15

This week the sales are kind of BLAH! I would say the least amount of good deals since I started couponing! So...we are cooking mostly from our storage this week. Here is what we are having.

Breakfast
Cereal & Fruit
Hard boiled Eggs & Fruit
pancakes (from the freezer) and fruit
breakfast burritos (from my freezer) and fruit
banana berry smoothies

Lunch
macaroni & cheese and cucumbers
peanut butter and honey sandwiches and celery sticks
hot dogs and fruit
bean burritos and carrots
turkey cheese and crackers (our version of lunchables) and bell peppers
lots of left overs

Dinner
crockpot chicken tacos (we shred up the meat)and home-made refried beans (recipe to follow)
chicken nachos (with leftover chicken taco meat)
coke chicken, rice and veggies (didn't make last week)
hamburgers, frozen french fries and strawberries
lettuce wraps (also didn't make last week)
ham and cheese omelettes and fruit
chicken salad sandwiches (recipe also to follow)

Dessert
berries with maple cream (recipe also to follow)


Hope you guys are having a great week! :)

I am so sorry that I did not get to this last week but with it being a holiday weekend my shopping day was a little more intense. I had to break my shopping day into 2 parts and my camera battery died. I will spare you all of the details but obviously I am late getting these up. I also failed to get a picture of my Target and my Kings trip which were both on the bigger side so the following doesn't look like much for my total.

I am going to bunch my whole trip into one post just for convenience and I am not going to bother to break down how I got my prices as the sales are now over (sorry guys.) Here are my totals

TOTAL OOP $104.20

TOTAL W/O COUPONS AND SALES $255.39

TOTAL % SAVED 59%!

Here is my Albertsons trip

This was Sprouts

Safeway

Sorry again for getting these up so late. I will be posting my new menu for next week soon. :)

Monthly Totals

It's that time again! I updated the month of March's totals on my sidebar. But here they are for my own record keeping.

Total OOP $446.88
Total I would have spent w/o coupons or sales $1313.22
SAVED 66%

My savings % was a little lower than last month, but still higher than some of the months previous. I have been shopping at Sprouts market a lot this month which doesn't figure in your savings. This brings my %'s down quite a bit so I am happy with that. Also, my total this month was a little higher than I'd hoped (over $400). This is also something that I feel ok about considering I have REALLY built up my storage. I am set on flour for the year I think, also I have a LOT of pasta. I am hoping to post some pictures soon of what my storage is looking like these days, as well as start an inventory. All in all a good month. I am hopeful that this month I can keep it below $400.

Weekly Meal Plan 4/2-4/8

Does anyone else ever feel less than inspired when it comes to what to make for dinner? I am definitely having some issues with that this week. Nothing sounds good to me at the moment because I am feeling like we always have the same old things. The things I do make my family has been less than enthusiastic about. So I am calling in my markers. I NEED some new ideas! If you have some tried and true recipes that your family enjoys I would really really love it if you shared them (my family would appreciate it too). :)

Now...here is what we are having this week.

Breakfast
Cereal & fruit
Banana-berry smoothies
gorilla bread and fruit
hard boiled eggs and fruit
pancakes and fruit
bacon egg and cheese biscuits and fruit

Lunch
chicken nuggets and baby carrots
strawberry spinach salad
frozen meals (lean cuisine)
left overs

Dinner
Coke chicken, rice and frozen veggies ( repeat from last week)
Chinese takeout
Ham, Creamy herbed potatoes and homemade rolls
Steak Fajitas and Refried beans (leftover from last week from the freezer)
lettuce wraps
frozen pizza and salad
left overs

Snacks
yogurt
granola bars
apples
cuties
pears
strawberries
cheese & crackers
cut up veggies
carrots
celery sticks
cashews
bell peppers
popcorn
peanut-butter crackers