beauty captured {144/365}

Tweet

food co-op

 

 

 

 

 

©2008- 2014 A Stable Beginning. All rights reserved. All photographs, text, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the author. http://astablebeginning.com

013 ~ 365 $20.82

Tweet

My stock up haul totaled $20.82 for 8 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of pasta, 3 boxes of Poptarts,2 boxes of Cheez-its, a bag of  rice cakes, and a box of Jujy Fruits.

A new fiscal year

Tweet

  Image credit: thinkbudget.com 

October 1st already?!? Where did the time go? With the arrival of the new fiscal year I am starting a new budget. With anything new, it’s going to take time to get it right. I have already been doing a version of the 10-20-70 % budget, where you tithe 10%, save 20%, and spend 70%. I fell off the budget wagon and from this day forward am picking myself up and starting anew. I am going  to really buckle down and make our dollars stretch and work better for our family.

                                                image credit: blog ebates

I have been using coupons at my local Farm Fresh and have been saving a great deal. I budget $400.00 every two weeks for groceries and household supplies. This amount doesn’t include diapers, as I have a separate diaper fund. For the last two weeks of shopping I have saved $73.39 (31%) off my bill! I was blown away at the check out line as the number owed kept dropping as my cashier, Charlene, swiped my coupons. Charlene is a great lady, we got off to a rocky start but now I look forward to chatting with her each week. Now, I just need to decide if I should go on Mondays where I can double my coupons up to 99 cents and get a 5% military discount or go on Wednesdays and double my coupons up to $1.00. I am thinking of sticking to Mondays but my Mondays are crazy days with the amount of running around we do. Hmmm…

     When we made the move East last year my girls had to give up their Rainbow swing set. We loved that swing set and have many fond memories playing on it. So, I plan on using my grocery savings, our upcoming garage sale earnings, and any other extra money to put towards replacing their swing set. 

                                                      Madison & Mikayla

Of course they have spied a bigger model, but as long as it has swings and a clubhouse I know they will be pleased as punch. My goal is to have $1500.00 funded by Spring and then use some of our income tax for the rest. It’s a hefty goal, but I know it is attainable with a little leg work and hard work. You know, I guesstimate I was spending around $30.00 a month on soda, another reason to give it up.

On another note can you believe there is only 84 days until Christmas!  84 DAYS!!!

I'm afraid of cash

Tweet

Yep, you read that right. I am afraid of cash...the cash only envelope system of grocery shopping that is. EEEK, scarry... it terrifys me. Why, I don't know. I have become so dependent on my debit card, but I am breaking the trend.
I am taking the plunge again to be better at this whole "grocery cart challenge" thing. Seriously, it's a brillant idea! Back in the beginning of 2009 I decided to take the plunge of using cash only for groceries to feed 16 people, well 3 big people and 13 little people when I was running my daycare. But I did it and it works if you stick to it. I remember my very first time using cash only. Hundreds of thoughts raced through my mind as I stood there waiting for my total. My palms starting sweating and I was fidgety. Nervous was an understatement, what if I go over?!? Oh the pressure,I had a lot of food, no way it was less than my weekly goal of $150.

Why you ask? Why not?!? It took some practice but I did it, I stuck to my goals and succeded. So I am taking the challenge again to spend our money more frugally...jumping back in the saddle. My budget will be $150.00 a week again. Yes, I am feeding less people but I also don't have access to a store like WinCo as before (hey, I am not making excuses, just stating the facts here). This time I plan to use more coupons and really do some leg work beforehand to make sure I am getting the best deals. Now, I won't be going hogwild and shopping at 4 or more stores (that's just not possible with 5 little ducklings in tow), but I will try to get the best bang for our buck and get over my fear.

So, if you have read this far, you're in luck! I am having a giveaway too. I read this book Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn and it has revamped my enthusiasm for the "grocery challenge". I have an extra copy so I am passing it on to one of you lucky readers. Inside you will find great information about how to shrink your food bill down, what fruits and veggies are in season when, what to keep on hand to have your pantry stocked. Recipes galore, mouthwatering, finger lickin' good meals, you're not eating beans and rice. Great information in this book!

So, do you want to win?

Just leave me a comment below and tell me what your monthly grocery budget is and if you want to lower it?

For extra entries you can :
-blog about this on your blog linking back to me (1 extra entry)
-sign up to follow me (2 extra entries)

A winner will be picked on Tuesday, March 23rd at 10am Eastern.

Chat later!

Grocery shopping

Tweet

So I have been following a great blog by a lady named Gayle, from the Grocery Cart Challenge, who feeds her family of six on a $60.00 a week budget, Amazing! Since it is one of my New Year's goals to reduce our grocery bill drastically, down to $500.00 a month; I am feeding our family of six, plus my 9 daycare kids and my assistant, breakfast, lunch, and PM snack. I have decided to include a seperate amount of $60.00 a month for non-food supplies, i.e. papertowels, hand soap, personal items, etc. Last week I did great and spent $99.33 on food and $8.48 on non-food items (papertowels). I didn't take pictures last week so I have nothing to show for a picture but my receipt :-)

This week is a different story. I made the mistake and slept in this morning and then went to my local WinCo at 10am, BIG MISTAKE! It was so crowded and I somehow lost my list, but turns out I just left it in the van, thank goodness. I also spent way too much on ground beef, but I will just use it for next weeks meals too. So here is what I came away with:


italian bread $1.48
(2)multigran bread $2.58 ea
(4)gallons of 2% milk $2.38 ea
(2 gallons of whole milk $2.38 ea
32 oz strawberry yogurt $1.88
dozen eggs $1.59
(3) shredded cheese $1.79 ea
10 pounds ground beef $31.18
6 pounds chkn breast $6.43
fish sticks $3.98
trix yogurt $2.18 *Madison requested this, I need to stop giving in to the little items not on my list*
tater tots $1.43
frozen peas $1.02
butter sticks $2.16
clover sprouts $1.58
shrimp ring $3.98
cheese slices $1.34
(2) frozen 100% juice $1.86 ea
frozen apple juice $1.18
applesauce $2.20
spaghetti sauce $4.37
(2)canned peaches $1.35 ea
(2)canned pineapples $1.53 ea
canned pears $1.16
(3)tomato soup $0.58 ea
(2)peas&carrots $0.91 ea
(4)progressive chkn noodle soup $1.38 ea
(2)canned corn $0.55 ea
chili can $0.98
goldfish box $5.98
4# gala apples $2.98
3# granny smith apples $3.28
5# bag potatoes $1.78
green onion bunch $0.68
3.44# banana bunch (8) $1.65
2.59# red grapes $2.54
1.81# navel oranges (2) $1.05
0.97# pretzels (from bulk bin) $1.83
2.79# cantaloupe $2.18
0.52# baking powder $0.41
kiwi bag $1.48
cran-grape juice 64oz $1.98
salad dressing (salad dressing) $1.88
mustard $0.69
vinegar $0.94
(2)barilla spaghetti pasta $1.23 ea
tortilla chips $1.18

Total food items $147.76



bounty select-a-size $7.98
lysol cleaning wipes $5.22
sponge $1.78
kleenex 3 pack $3.08
Total non-food items $18.06

Total food money left for the month $252.91
Total non-food money left for the month $33.46

I had $3.50 worth of coupons