Kroger Sales 3.10.16

This weeks shopping trip was super successful.  I was able to get the bill to $50.31.  My budgeted goal for weekly shopping is $50, and I almost never get it right at $50!  So I'm really pleased.  I had a few packs of meat from the past few weeks in my freezer so besides menu items, I just stocked up on a few breakfast and pantry staples.  See below for my menu plan for the week.

Mix and Match Buy 5 Save $5 was the highlighted sale for this weeks circular.  I always find really great savings when they have this type of sale.  Here are a few of the items that I purchased from this sale: 

Post Cereal $1.77
Red Baron Pizza $2.79 (there is a digital coupon for $1 off when you buy two)
Gold Fish $0.99
Kraft Mayo $2.50
Land O Lakes Margarine $0.66
Hungry Jack Pancake Mix $1.50
Kens Salad Dressing $1.50
Kraft Salad Dressing $1.50

Some other noteworthy items:  Kroger brand canned beans and canned tomatoes are on sale for $0.50 per can!  I tend to stock up a bit on these.  They are perfect to add to a meal last minute because they are already cooked.  Red, yellow, or orange peppers were $0.99.  These peppers are both yummy and pretty, and typically cost at least $2 wherever you shop.

My proposed menu plan was possible due to the stock of meat I already have in my freezer.  For next weeks shopping trip, I'll have to purchase some more.  Menu planning has always been a struggle for me, so this loose plan is what I'll be cooking for dinner on whatever day I feel like cooking.  Also, whenever I cook, I make enough to have left overs.  I don't have the time to cook every single day. 

I have the following items already on hand:  ground turkey (Italian flavored, and taco flavored), family sized pack of chicken legs, lettuce, large can of tomatoes for spaghetti sauce, and brown rice (I buy my brown rice at Dollar Tree.  For some reason you can't mess this rice up even if you tried.  I love it!)

• Spaghetti with ground turkey and tomato sauce, garlic bread and tossed salad
• Tacos with black beans, brown rice , tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream
• Jerk chicken (making this for the first time!), rice and beans, roasted carrots
• Lunch:  PB&J, frozen pizza, salad, grilled cheese, leftovers
• Breakfast:  pancakes, grits, cereal, eggs, sausage, turkey bacon, and toast (hubby makes breakfast every morning, so he will choose from this selection of items)

Always check you sales flyer for you area by going to www.kroger.com

Stay tuned for next weeks shopping list and menu plan. 

Kroger Sales 1/21/15

$50 shopping trip at Kroger was successful today.  I LOVE KROGER!  They had this awesome sale of random items where if you Buy 6 "said" items (mix/match) you get to take advantage of the sales price.  So I won't do a verbatim brake down, but here are some of the highlights.  

First off I would have spent $86 on this shopping trip, but I had $7.20 in manufacturer coupons ($1.20 of those were "peelies" I picked up in the store) and I had the rest from one Sunday paper.  The other $25 in coupons, or savings, were comprised of the sales that Kroger had today.  My total bill was $53!  Ignore the alcohol at the bottom of the receipt :)

I really like "Shopping the Sales" at Kroger because you can really get a random selection of food for great prices.  Now, $50 is only half of my two week food budget.  So I have the rest of my the funds to spend on bread (if I get too lazy to make my own), eggs, fresh veggies, and meats for dinner.  Please look at my post on how I "Shop the Sales" and see how you can save money when doing your weekly shopping.  I may or may not buy the rest of my food items at Kroger.  It merely depends on what sales come available on Sunday at other stores and what I am planning to cook for the weeks to come.

Other shopping highlights:

-I hit the clearance isle and found taco sauce, and canned goods for less than $0.50

-I also got a box of Fruit Loops and a large apple sauce for $1.25

-All my other boxes of cereal were $2.00 a box

-They also had several types of greens, lettuce, and several fruits on sale for $0.99/lb.

-Almost everything else was purchased from the Buy 6 and Save sale

Keep in mind, I had a pack of Pull Ups and two packs of wipes on my shopping list totaling $9.50 (normally $12.50 at Kroger and Walmart - I shop there too sometimes).  I also purchased two Arm and Hammer detergents for a sale price of $1.75 per bottle (sale price + $1.50 coupon).  So if your not potty training a toddler and or in need of laundry detergent, you could use that extra money to spend on other food items.  I highly recommend shopping at Kroger if you have one in your area.  If not, do you have a store where you live that has great sales like this?

Shopping The Sales

I do what's called, "shopping the sales."  I buy what's on sale, and I create meals from whatever I purchase.  Now, I don't go crazy and purchase things I've never heard of or don't like, but I do try something new each week.  This form of shopping has definitely enhanced my cooking skills, and recipe repertoire!  Here are the details:

I purchase 4 Sunday papers (I buy 4 papers for coupon purposes).  Once I separate and cut out my coupons, I then look through the sales papers.  I mainly focus my energies on Kroger, Martin's, CVS, and Target.  I circle the items that I am interested in buying.  I will buy anything that we normally eat/love or buy anything that I want to try and make a meal with.  For example, I don't eat yogurt every week, but if greek yogurt is on sale at a particular store i'll buy it and have it as a snack for work.  Another example, Kroger normally has some sort of fresh veggie on sale for $0.99/lb so i'll buy that (it's normally eggplant, squash, or greens).  So whatever is on sale, I figure out meals from what I bring home from the store.  Here are a couple of pics of my Kroger shopping trips:

      

   

So after I have wrote down all of the items and their prices of things I plan to buy, I then match up the coupons to what's on sale.  This part is pretty quick for me.  I am familiar with what coupons I have on hand, and also familiar with what coupons normally come in a paper. For example, if I received a P&G coupon insert, and Febreeze is on sale at Kroger, I know I more then likely have a coupon for that.  This part will get quicker with time.  Once you pull your coupons, and match them up with what's on sale, you can then finalize your list with which store has the better deal.  A lot of the time, if a coupon insert comes out on a hot item, all of your stores will have it on sale, in hopes that "us" couponers go and purchase the item from their store.  

If you have items that are on sale that you wish you had a coupon for, Google the product. There are websites like www.coupon.com that allow you to print coupons.  Also, many bloggers out there will have links directly to the coupons that you want to print.  Some of my favorites are:  

http://athriftymom.com   

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com 

http://www.livingrichwithcoupons.com 

Once this is done, I write my shopping list on a piece of notebook paper that sits in the front of my coupon binder.  You can use whatever you like, smartphone, or printed list from you computer.  Here are a few downloadable sheets to get started.    

Going to the store is easy at this point.  If you have a Walmart in your area, they do price matching.  All you need is the circular from the other store, and they will give you that item, for the competitors price.  Some restrictions may apply, I suggest calling or going into your local Walmart to verify.  So if there are any name brand items on your list, you only have to shop at that one store!

Recently, I have seen that I get the most for my money at Kroger.  "Shopping their sales" has cost me $50 every two weeks.  Now that's for the bulk of my shopping.  I normally buy meats when I have extra money and only buy meats if they have been marked down (I'll throw em in my deep freezer) or if they are $0.99/lb or less.  

The price tag on this baby was $0.67!!!!!

This also really helps with bringing variety in our diets!  I try to keep rice, flour, and pasta of some sort on hand.  The rest is brought regularly.   How do you normally shop?  Has anyone tried bulk shopping and if so, how is it beneficial to your food budget?