Jenny
How do you get your bill so low? Are you already stocked up? I’m shopping for two and it’s hard to spend just $50 a week on the grocery challenge. Do you teach this in your workshop? What is included in the workshop?

Mr. Linky is MIA! Here is my post: http://astitchoffaith.blogspot.com/2009/07/weekly-shopping-trip-71709.html

My question is similar to Jennifer’s. I spent $100 this week (for two weeks)and will have to go back and easily spend another $40. I got some amazing deals and my stockpiles are starting to grow. I assume (hopefully) that after a couple months of stockpiling and getting good deals that I will begin to see the totals come down. Is that the case or am I missing something?

Spent $100 on groceries. Originally over $110.00. Got the amp deal, but ours in Ohio was 6 for $10 and you could only do it once.

I take my makeup and facial cleansers, etc. out of my spending money – great deal here. B1G1 $16.59 for Eye cream and face serum. B1G1 $6.99 for facial cleanser. Had $5.00 in regular coupons and then another $4.00 off if you spent a total of $20.00 in health and beauty at Kroger. Total of $15.00 for all 4 items!

Is it just me our is their no linky?

“Let’s go Krogering”

(1) Diet Mtn. Dew $1.49
(2) Keebler Cookies – $1.99 ($1.49 each)
(10) Dixie Bowls – $1.99 ($1.49 each)
(7) Playtex Gloves $2.29 ($1.00 ach)
(2) Lady Speed Stick Deod – $.150 ($1.00 each)
(4) Softsoap Liquid $1.50 ($1.00 each)
(1) Peter Pan Peanut Butter $1.67
(1) Colgate Tootpaste $2.50 ($1.49)
(2) Sunny D Smoothies $1.29 (.79 each)
(2) Chex Mix $1.99 ($1.19 each)

Coupons Used:

$15.00 – $5/10 Items
(2) $1.00 Keebler Cookies
(10) .50 Dixie Bowls – Doubled to $1
(7) $1.00 Playtex Gloves
(2) $1.50 Lady Speed Stick
(4) $1.00 Softsoap
(1) $1.00 Peter Pan Peanut Butter
(1) Colgate Toothpaste
(2) .55 Sunny D Smoothies
(2) .50 Chex Mix – Doubled to $1.00, .50 Cellfire & .50 Shortcuts

Total OOP: $6.67
Saved: $80.50

For some reason the rest of my totals disappeared on my previous post.

Kroger previously listed above:

Total before coupons and sales: $87.17
Total Spent: $6.67

Walmart: I have misplaced my receipt.

Total: $91.05
Total Spent: $40.50

Publix:

Total before sales and coupons: $59.33
Total Spent: $14.91

Grand Total: $269.27
Total Spent: $62.08

Here’s my round-up

Drugstore Savings

Ok, so this is my first post and I have only been doing this for two weeks, but here is goes.

Publix
Last Week
Total before coupons and sales: 133.05
Paid: 57.20

Previous Week (this was my first try)
Total before coupons and sales: 205.45
Paid: 111.53

So for two weeks:
Total before coupons and sales: 338.50
Paid: 168.73
Saved: 169.77 or 50.15%

It can only get better from here. I have limited coupons at this point, but I am starting to get a pretty good stockpile. I am actually looking forward to shopping tomorrow.

Hi Jenna,

I agree that a lot of deals are on foods that are not the healthiest. However…there are numerous opportunities to build a more healthy stockpile. For us, it takes a combination of 1)willpower to say no to some things even if they are pennies; 2)really stocking up on the deals for healthier items by purchasing coupons for those things. We are actually eating healthier since couponing because we are packing our own lunches. Our stockpile is currently overflowing with choices that were all less than a $1 such as:

various cereal and granola bars (kashi, fiberone, soy joy); buitoni pasta, ragu pasta sauce, tuna fish, grapefuit juice, mahatma rice, yoplus yogurt; kashi entrees and pizzas, post trail mix crunch cereal, wheat thin crackers, kraft cheese, promised land milk, 8th continent soy milk, blue diamond almonds, planters peanuts, tea, pickles, morningstar products, and dried fruit. Granted, we also have some ice cream and chips in there too to satisfy my sweet tooth :)

Using the above as a start, we can make some great meals by adding in some fresh chicken, salads, fruits and veggies.

I hope that this helps!

Thanks for hosting! Here are my three trips:)

http://www.savingsmakescents.com/2009/07/meijer-712_13.html

http://www.savingsmakescents.com/2009/07/cvs-712.html

http://www.savingsmakescents.com/2009/07/kroger-714.html

I didn’t need too much in the way of groceries this week except for some fresh berries and organic milk, but I got this amazing deal at KRoger on Pampers Cruisers – each for $2.49!!! WOO HOO

http://afrugalfriend.blogspot.com/2009/07/pampers-229-each.html

Jenna, you have to hunt for the good deals on healthy items, and stock up when you can. :) I shop at Publix and use my overage for fresh fruits/veggies and look for deals like Food Lion’s free cherries this week. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll get there. Just remember, just because it’s free, or super cheap (like the Keebler cookies) doesn’t mean you have to buy it. (and it was hard to resist those cookies too!)

Saving in Western KY – saved 98% and 84% at Kroger today. http://westernkycouponing.blogspot.com/2009/07/todays-kroger-trips.html

After two weeks of finally keeping my totals under $50 for ~12 people, I think this week I spent more at grocery stores than I’ve ever in my life spent during a single week. (insert EEK smiley here) That can be directly attributed to the $360.00 we spent purchasing $450.00 worth of gas cards. I have “rainchecks” for another $400 worth when they come in. I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to save 20% on gas.

Other than that, I still spent well over $50 at CVS, Kroger, Publix, and Bi-Lo combined. Here is a basic breakdown.

CVS

$3.00 OOP
3 phantom razors, 6 packages of pens, 20 Soy Joy, 1 box Benefiber Stix drink mix (teen dd LOVES these), 2 packs orange creme Benefiber chewables (another student loves these. Go figure.),3 boxes Special K. Tall stack of rainchecks and $30 in ECB’s remaining.

Bi-Lo

Trip #1
Spent $23 “saved” $62
Pierogies, more apples, more Knorr Sides noodles, big bag of cherries, pop tarts (cost less at Kroger) Doritos, milk, 3 doz eggs
Trip #2
$50 – $50 gas card. Spent $10 OYNO on “family pack” of chicken chests, large bag of clearance bananas, and gallon milk

Publix
Spent $320 on $400 gas cards.
Spent an additional $30 on groceries, including 10 packs of fruit gummies, and loads of Ocean Spray 100% Juices, Handi-Snacks

Kroger
Trip #1
Spent $5 for home, and $17 to give someone
Trip #2
Spent $10 “Saved” $5 on Amp
Trip #3
Spent $7 “Saved” $65
5 Playtex gloves, (kids just finished using the last of the ones that I had. They’ve been doing a lot of tie dyeing.) 2 Kraft dressing, 1 pk Popsicle, 1 carton organic bean sprouts, fresh sage, fresh tarragon, fresh rosemary, and fresh basil, 2 pks granola bars, 4 lbs bnls/sknls chicken chests, 20 AMP
Trip #4
Spent $2 – four loaves of clearanced bread

U-Pick
$8 – Kids and hubby picked 8lbs of blueberries

Piggly-Wiggly
$8.12 – 8.20lb Boston but.t (I can type. I’m evading the word filter.)

I purchased enough this week to completely take care of 14 people with lots of fresh meat, fruits, and veggies. (There are 3 heads of romaine, 2 pks fresh carrots, 2 lg. cartons strawberries, 2 lg cartons of mushrooms, and 3 heads and 4 frozen broccoli and 2 32oz. cartons of yogurt in there somewhere.) I spent well over the $50/wk avg goal that I’d like to get to, but it’s less than $10/wk per person. I’ll get there eventually.

After spending that much on gas cards this week, I might HAVE to stay super low next week. LOL

Here’s my round up.

http://couponstl.blogspot.com/2009/07/saved-63-this-week.html

Here’s my links!

Weekly budget review: http://groceriesnga.blogspot.com/2009/07/weekly-budget-review-71709.html

Rite Aid – cheap diapers!: http://groceriesnga.blogspot.com/2009/07/rite-aid_12.html

CVS – Spent $1.78: http://groceriesnga.blogspot.com/2009/07/cvs_12.html

Thanks for this site, it’s WONDERFUL!

I’ve never posted on here so I didn’t realize that when it asked for name that’s the name of the post and not your name… :-) I’ll know better next time!

I had some great deals at Target & CVS this week and some good ones at Publix (FREE much needed cat food is always a good thing!)

Thanks for making shopping fun again!

Here’s my page…
http://bigfatpiggybank.blogspot.com/2009/07/free-at-target.html

Thanks so much for your update on the CVS photo book deal. I was able to get a total of 6 (ADORABLE) photo books for the initial investment of 7.99 + tax! My husband was so excited :)