2.02.2012

First Aldi Shopping Trip of February!

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of yesterday's shopping trip. We stopped at a friend's house to drop off something (from Aldi) so I needed to get the cold items in the fridge/freezer. In this trip, I got a few items for the little girl I babysit and we also got food for our small group's Super Bowl party. 

Here is a breakdown: 

- strawberries 1.49
- 1 mango .99 (the worst mango ever! haha I tried to use it today.)
- 1 avocado .49 
- chicken noodle packet .69
- cinnamon crunch cereal 1.99
- fruit and grain bars 1.89
- 2 cans black beans 1.10
- cranberry raspberry juice 1.79
- 2 boxes mac and cheese .90
- dozen eggs 1.29 (went down .10!)
- vanilla cookies 1.69
- cheddar brats 2.49 
- hot dog buns .99
- gallon milk 3.29
- garden salad .99
- mini pancakes 1.69 
- ice cream 2.69

Total Spent: 30.74 plus tax (Regular Grocery Budget) 

- 2 bags chicken wings 5.99 each 

Total Spent: 11.98 plus tax 


I am going to try to keep the chicken wings in our grocery budget spent for the month. I have been cooking more at home lately but I am still trying to keep our budget under $150-160. I have a great feeling that we can do this! Even with the chicken wings we have only spent under $43.00! 

I have a lot of items in our pantry and freezer to use up and I am starting to make our own breads. What are ways you are keeping your grocery budget low - other than couponing? I would love to hear! 

9 comments:

  1. Well, we don't really have a budget, so we just try to do our best and not spend too much. We want to eat healthier, buy more organic items, better quality meat and fruit and veggies and that tends to be pretty expensive unfortunately. The biggest challenge is meat, since it is very hard to find good quality meat that is also cheap. I used to get frozen chicken breast, since I figured it's cheaper, but it is just not as good as the fresh one. Too watery... Ground beef is another thing. the best I've found yet is at Publix, very lean, looks very good, tastes very good, but again, $3.99 / lb. Then we tried the food depot one, which was probably half the price, but the difference in quality was huge. It didnt even say what percentage was lean, but it was so pink that it was obviously a lot of fat. And after 2 days in the fridge it turned brown. And it just doesn't taste the same as the publix one.

    One thing that helps me is stockpiling. I buy stuff when it's on sale, even if I don't need it at that point, so that I don't have to pay full price is later. It takes a long time to stock on everything you need, but it does save money. And Publix has become my favorite store. They have BOGO sales weekly, I can use a Publix coupon (or Target or Kroger) and a Manuf coupon, plus they double coupons up to 50c. I couldn't believe the deals I got :) 10 free boxes of fiber one cereals, free starkist tuna pouches, barilla whole grain pasta for 12 cents a box, diced tomatoes 20c / can and the list can go on. Too bad I can't find such deals on meat :)

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    1. Have you looked into purchasing a 1/4 of a cow from a local farmer? The quality of meat is the best! Very lean and very delicious! Ours was about $2.50/lb and we got a huge variety - ground beef, steaks, roasts, ect.

      I also love Publix's chicken -I only buy it when on sale for $1.99 and sometimes I go to Sam's Club. I have found it on sale for $1.59/lb and it was a ton! One thing I do when I can't find a good price for chicken breasts is to roast a small whole chicken - then I use the chicken carcass to make homemade chicken broth and freeze it. You can make so many meals from one chicken it is great.

      I do shop at Publix but haven't been able to get there lately. I would have loved to get the Fiber One cereal but did not have time. My husband and I share a car and I can go at night but I have been way to tired from watching the girls and since I am prego.

      If I see deals on meat, I will let you know!

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  2. Isn't it fun to look at the reciepts when you save so much money?! I bought the avocados there too...for tomorrow! I look at all the sales in the Sunday paper and map my shopping for the week....and if they are really good deals I buy and freeze.
    I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can!

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    1. Yes it is so much fun. I love finding out how much I save. The more the better. :D I am now a follower! Thanks for following my blog!

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  3. Thanks for the tips. I have heard about "cowpooling" when several people buy the whole cow and split it. I have been talking about it with my husband a while ago, but totally forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me.
    I don't have a Sam's Club membership. How much is it?
    I definitely want to try your broth recipe. It looks delicious.
    I have some of those $1.50 any Springer Mountain Farms chicken, but haven't been able to find it yet. Any idea where they sell it and how much it is?
    If you are interested, I can share with you whatever deals I find at Publix every week - the free or almost free ones. This week I got 2 boxes of Barilla whole grain pasta for 11 cents each. Isn't it a great price? :)
    I also got 2 Planters peanuts for 90c each and 2 FREE Sambazon drinks with the $2 off coupon they had a while ago.

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    1. Your welcome! I went in with my husband's parents - saved us lots of money! Our sam's club is $35 per month but we get it through my husband's work so there are more people that have gotten it too...so it might be cheaper because of that. I would just call.
      Do you have a Bi-lo? I think that is where they sell them. I usually buy it on bogo - $10 for two packs after coupons.
      I would love to see your deals at Publix! Thanks so much!

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  4. Can I send you the Publix deals by email? I am making a list with this week's upcoming deals. Also, I would be interested in more details about that farm where you bought beef from. I have been checking some farms today, but yours seems to be cheaper. I noticed there's several farms in North Georgia, around Chattanooga, so I guess it wouldn't be a problem to drive up there. Thank you!

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  5. Yes, of course. My email is carlye0810@gmail.com! The farm I got my meat from is my friend's dad. They only put up a few cows a year so I am not sure when the next time they will be doing it but I can find out. I have heard a lot of great things from the other farms in and around Chattanooga though. Which ones have you looked at?

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    1. I forgot to check for your email address :) So Im gonna shoot you an email right after Im done with the comment. I mainly checked the ones in Atlanta area but they're around $7 / lb. That's kinda pricey. There is a website with a huge list of farms in GA but I havent had the chance to check them all. I guess i'll keep looking.

      Make sure you check your spam folder for my email :D

      Delete

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