Southern Savers

The time is here…to lose an hour of sleep this coming weekend. But never fear! Kroger is stepping up to add some fun to the “springing forward” process with the Hour Back Box!

Set your clocks for noon ET tomorrow for the opportunity to win a FREE Kroger Hour Back Box. Visit Kroger.com/HourBack to claim a box, while supplies last!

What’s Inside?

This limited edition box comes stocked with Kroger brands breakfast items, including Private Selection Cold Brew coffee concentrate, Simple Truth oatmilk creamer and Kroger frozen breakfast sandwiches. PLUS each box includes a one-year Kroger Boost membership! Kroger Boost includes free grocery delivery ($35+), 2x fuel points, and other savings!

Plus, head back to Kroger.com/HourBack on March 7 to get one of 39,000 coupons redeemable for select FREE Kroger Our Brands breakfast items. This coupon is available for use on in-store, pickup and delivery orders from Kroger family stores*.

*Kroger family stores include Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, Fry’s, QFC, City Market, Owen’s, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker’s, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick ‘n Save, Metro Market, and Mariano’s.

You may not get that hour back in your life, but you can ease the transition with an Hour Back Box!

Check out the current Kroger ad.

Printable Shopping List

Here are some Publix meal plans ideas that are based on the sales starting on 3/5!

Look through the Publix weekly ad to see all the current deals.

Note: All images used are from the original recipe creators.

Publix Meal Plans:

photo via thealmondeater.com

Creamy Mushroom Chicken
Rice

Publix – Just Bare Chicken Breast Fillets Boneless Skinless, 18 oz, B1G1 at $8.49 ($4.24)
Publix – Publix Whole Baby Bella Mushrooms, 8 oz, $2
Publix – Ralston Family Farms Rice, 16-24 oz, B1G1 at $4.95 ($2.47)

photo via cookedbyjulie.com

One Pot Tortellini
Garlic Knots

Publix – Celentano Pasta, 12.5-24 oz, B1G1 at $5.07 ($2.53)
Publix – Mid’s Sauce, 28 oz, B1G1 at $6.19 ($3.09)
Publix – Ground Sirloin 3lb +, $5.99 lb
Publix – Fresh Attitude Salads, Spring Mix, Arugula, Half and Half, Hearty Harvest or Baby Spinach, 5 oz, $3
Publix – New York Bakery Texas Toast or Bread Sticks, Garlic Knots or Ciabatta Rolls or Garlic Knots, 7.3-13.5 oz, $2.50
(Excluding Gluten Free)

photo via theroastedroot.net

Mediterranean Chicken Hummus Bowls Read More→

Planning an upcoming trip and need some baggage to match the occasion? Head over to Woot! to get this Travelers Club 5-piece hardside luggage set for only $79.99! Regularly priced at $169.99, that’s over half off!

Included in this set are:

28″ and 24″ upright hardside rolling bags
A 20″ hardside rolling carry-on
A 15″ tote bag
A 10″ travel kit

This deal is up through March 5, or while supplies last! Shipping is FREE for Prime members; just log in at checkout.

Psst! If this luggage set got you excited, check out the 20% off Cat & Jack kids luggage deal on this week at Target!

Here’s the Deal:

Travelers Club 5-piece hard side luggage set – $79.99 (reg $169.99)

Ships free with Prime!

Buy One Get Ones

Cosmic Crisp Apples, 2 lb, at $5.15 ($2.57)
Strawberries, 16 oz, at $3.99 ($1.99)
Sunset Angel Sweet Tomatoes, 1 pint, at $4.15 ($2.07)
Cocktail Cucumbers, 9 oz, at $4.15 ($2.07)
Bolthouse Farms Smoothie, Protein Shake or Beverage, 15.2 oz, at $4.15 ($2.07)
Pretzilla Soft Pretzel Bites, 12.3 oz, at $6.99 ($3.49)
Lantana Hummus, 10 oz, at $5.15 ($2.57)
Calbee Harvest Snaps Snack, Green Pea, Crunchy Loops or Red Lentils, 2.5-3.3 oz, at $3.09 ($1.54)
Olli Salumeria Snack Packs, 2-2.3 oz, (price not listed)
Publix Bakery Cookies, 13 ct, at $6.69 ($3.34)
Crunchmaster Crackers, 3.54-4 oz, at $4.15 ($2.07)
-$1 off Crunchmaster product (sign up) printable
(makes it $1.07)
Butterball Ground Turkey 85% Lean, 16 oz, at $5.89 ($2.94)
Butterball Turkey Sausage Polska Kielbasa or Bacon, 12-13 oz, at $11.29 ($5.64)
Just Bare Chicken Breast Fillets Boneless Skinless, 18 oz, at $8.49 ($4.24)
Just Bare Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Bites, Fillets or Strips or Roasted Chicken Breast Bites Frozen, 22-24 oz, at $14.40 ($7.20)
Walburgers Meatball Meatloaf Blend Beef, Pork & Veal, 16 oz, at $7.99 ($3.99)
Margaritaville Shrimp Appetizers Farm Raised Frozen, 8-10 oz, at $9.99 ($4.99)
-$1 off Margaritaville seafood item (sign up) printable
(makes it $3.99) Read More→

February is over, and each month this year I’m trying to do a “low buy month.” This is not the same as a “no buy” month or year, where you truly don’t buy anything but the essentials. I didn’t feel like I could go that extreme, so I’m just trying to examine each purchase I make and consider how much I need it. It’s a little more subjective, but it’s what’s working for me this year. I’m happy to report that once I did my February 2025 budget recap, I had spent even less compared to 2025 than I had when I did my January 2025 budget recap.

Low Buy Year | February Budget Recap

Last year I did a series of monthly posts with questions to ask yourself about your budget at the end of each month. For more of an explanation of our low buy year, please see my January 2025 budget recap.

The first step in looking back at a month is seeing how much we spent on discretionary categories like kid expenses, groceries and other household items, eating out, gas, and the dangerous “miscellaneous” category. Our budget software lets me look at trends, which is really helpful. I cut our discretionary spending by about 37% in January 2025 compared to 2024. In February, I cut it by 42%—even better!

I also compared our overall spending, which includes all our fixed expenses and other yearly sinking funds. We spent 30% less overall in February 2025 compared to 2024, which was about the same as our January numbers. It seems feasible to make my goal to cut our spending by 30% each month this year compared to last year.

Now let’s look at some of the things we bought as part of our low-buy month.

What we did buy in February 2025

A new iron (this was on my list for January 2025 that I didn’t end up buying, but I found a good deal)
New socks for one kid and a new belt for another
Charging cables
Comforter for kid’s bed
Supplies for a church bonfire