Well, I am amazed! You are all some pretty savvy shoppers! The comments in my last post are teaming with great advice. Keep it coming!!! One thing for sure, I plan to make my own laundry soap. I will purchase the products when I run out of my current bottle of soap.
After hearing from several of you, I am convinced it will be a big money saver. I was a tad reluctant, wondering if it would really get my clothes clean, but if Milah can get her farmer husband's clothes clean, it will work for us! Speaking of Milah, she sent me some great links. One for a menu planner, one for a grocery planner, and one for a book that will find it's way to my shelf somehow! Thank you Milah. You have been so helpful! All of you have! I loved what Cheryl said....."We may not like shopping, and we may especially not like some of the stores we visit; but we need to remember one thing. When we're out, we're not in the stores just to do our shopping, we're also there to be salt and light to a dying world. Undertaking the shopping with that in mind sheds a whole new light on the matter."I did my weekly shopping.....I went to all 3 stores, and kept to my budget. First I will share my menu for the week. I do not plan breakfast or lunches out formally, but I make sure there are a variety of breakfast and lunch foods handy. Our dinners this week will be:
Fried Chicken Tenders w/Mashed Potatoes and white gravy served with Peas
(that was Sweetheart's request)
A Beef, Noodle and Tomato Casserole
Burgers on the grill w/ grill broiled potatoes
Spaghetti and Meatballs with homemade bread
Hot Dogs and Chips.....gotta eat em once in a while
Breakfast for Dinner: Eggs, Ham, Potatoes, and Toast
BBQ'd Chicken on the grill with mashed Potatoes and Corn
Like Niki, I do not have each night picked out. I am never strict enough to stick to a specific meal on a specific night. When I get up in the morning I look at my menu plan and decide which one I want. It is the "Char" in me.....Char would be my mom. I need to have some of the spontaneity of her in my meal prep! By the way, Mom went to Walmart and Kroger with me today. Her shopping habits have not changed. Her list for Walmart was.....napkins, coffee, unmentionables, and cereal. She walked out spending 83 bucks!! Uh huh. I won't bore you with my list and what I bought where....I bought all I could (or would) at Aldi, then I got whatever else at Walmart, minus the coffee and ground chuck. Let's talk coffee.....
I buy decaf. Decaf is expensive! At Aldi, it is no real deal and it is a powdery substance instead of the normal "grounds" It clogs my pot and overflows it. Walmart's coffee is no real bargain either, however, Kroger has a great deal on their coffee. Also ground chuck. I use to buy 3 pound packages and use ONE per meal. I know....crazy, and alot of it got thrown out. Pick you jaw u p off the floor.....I am no longer doing that. I buy 3 pound packages and split them in 2 and freeze them..JPG)
This week it was $1.67 per pound. I really dislike the ground chuck at Aldi and Walmart. It is worth the extra for me to get good meat. We eat A LOT of ground chuck!.JPG)
Of course wrapping it for the freezer was no big deal....quilter's always have freezer paper on hand!!
This week it was $1.67 per pound. I really dislike the ground chuck at Aldi and Walmart. It is worth the extra for me to get good meat. We eat A LOT of ground chuck!Of course wrapping it for the freezer was no big deal....quilter's always have freezer paper on hand!!The kids have gotten use to generic cereal. The little kids had no problem but I was concerned about Kyle. He has been a trooper about it to.
No more Hefty or Ziploc. I have had no real problems with the Great Value brand of baggies or garbage bags. The price difference is HUGE!
There will come a time when I can buy in bulk again, but for now I am sticking with what I need for the week. After that there is nothing left over. I am getting this rocket science a bit more each week!!!
No more Hefty or Ziploc. I have had no real problems with the Great Value brand of baggies or garbage bags. The price difference is HUGE!There will come a time when I can buy in bulk again, but for now I am sticking with what I need for the week. After that there is nothing left over. I am getting this rocket science a bit more each week!!!One of my "things" is diet soda. I was able to get a case for 5 bucks today. WOOHOO!!!
So keep sharing your shopping tips and if you make your own laundry soap, let me know how it is working for your clothes and your wallet.
So keep sharing your shopping tips and if you make your own laundry soap, let me know how it is working for your clothes and your wallet.Poor Sass.......JPG)
She was all worn out. She took her nap in Zach's lap. What wore her out so badly??????.JPG)
Yep. That is the screen over my kitchen sink, which means she was ON THE COUNTER!!! She saw a bug and HAD to get it. Grrrrr. All that money I saved and now I have to get more screening. Thank goodness I have a handy Sweetheart.
She was all worn out. She took her nap in Zach's lap. What wore her out so badly??????Yep. That is the screen over my kitchen sink, which means she was ON THE COUNTER!!! She saw a bug and HAD to get it. Grrrrr. All that money I saved and now I have to get more screening. Thank goodness I have a handy Sweetheart.Grandkids come tomorrow!! I am teaching a hand quilting class at the local quilt shop on Saturday from 10-1, so say a prayer all goes well. Until then, keep those tips coming! Maybe you could do your own post on grocery shopping. Let me know if you do!
Blessings, Bren
12 comments:
That darn cat! If the kids did that you would ground them! ;D
I don't drink coffee, but my in-laws buy the same brand you do and they like it real well.
When you make your detergent, let me know what you think. I was skeptical too until I tried it.
Oooo - thank you for the wonderful links for menu planning and all. I can't wait to try them out. I love all your tips. I do that with my meat, too. Buy in bulk, split it up and freeze it. Saves big $$$.
You're doing great, girlfriend!! You're getting this rocket science down. Now if I can just follow in your footsteps. LOL
God bless you - Julie
I am loving reading about this subject!!I think most people are trying to save money and cut back. I would love to come up with some simple menu ideas, using fresh ingredients, for the summertime.
That little Sassy is precious! Have fun with your sweet babies. Lots of luck with your class. They are very lucky to get you as a teacher!!
Happy Weekend!
Libby
Hooray for sticking with your budget and not letting mom lead you astray!! I think you need a squirt bottle of water to train Sassy to leave the screens alone, no matter how tempting the bugs are.
Crispy
I just finished reading the comments on the last post, lots of great ideas! I'm heading out to do our shopping in about an hour, 4 stores, shopping the specials in produce and fruit mainly....and that's a naughty puddy cat! but cute....
cutting down the grocery budget is hard to do. I use some generic but not all - you really need to check the ingredients in some of them and compare it to the regular brand - some have a lot more sodium. Some the ingredients aren't as good. I need to do more comparing though. For ground beef it is just the two of us so I have cut back fro a pound in a casserole to 1/2 and hubby has not noticed that much.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
My daughter buys the generic cereal in bags.
I was going to tell you that I used to mix my whole milk with a powdered milk mix, half n half. If prices keep climbing, we may do that again. Powdered milk mixed and made with cocoa and sugar is just as good as bought chocolate milk.
It sounds like to me you have gotten on the right track. I like to switch my menu up too according to what is going on and how much time I have.
I love the meal your hubby requested.
Mama Bear
Good for you Bren! When I first started doing this last summer it seemed hard and overwhelming and I wasn't sure I was "getting it". But like any new habit it takes time to get it down so be patient with yourself.
Now I do all my shopping once per week and I can get through 4 stores in about 2.5 hours from the time I leave the house and get home!
I use the laundry powder recipe from Rhonda at Down to Earth: http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/08/various-recipes-for-green-cleaning.html The only addition or amendments I make is that I use shredded Irish Spring for the soap and I add a cup (or more?)of baking soda (as a fabric softener). Love it and it works great!
She is amazing and I gathered all her cleaning recipes and now I don't purchase ANY commercial household cleaners. Though I haven't branched out into making my own soap at this point....yet.
Makes me feel quite domestic. :) Have fun Bren! Love this topic!
"Spray and Wash" recipe. I've been using this for years. Very easy to make and super cheap compared to buying it. Plus good for the environment not to be throwing out another spray bottle each time you go through another bottle.
1 cup liquid washing detergent (Wisk or something similar)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup ammonia.
Add ingredients to a spray bottle and you are good to go. Works great on greasy spots...some tough ones take a couple of treatments, but eventually it comes out!
Blessings,
Pam
www.RealWomenQuilt.com
I want to go to your class!! :)
I too write up a list of weekly menus but don't pick a day. I can't live life that structured. LOL
I don't have any big life changing advice. My budget has gone up since I can't eat the filler carbs right now. Although salad is my best friend. LOL
Bren~ One very important thing to remember is the quality you are getting if it is just as good as name brand then great but if it's not then it's not worth the money you save. I had a problem with canned store brand vegetables and to this day I only buy name brand. Also the laundry soap thing, I use purex original scent liquid (As reccommended by the Queen of clean) and I can get a huge bottle for $5.50 so to make laundry soap I would figure in your time to make it also, your time is worth something too. Just my 2 cents worth
Blessings,Joann
Shopping with a budget is rocket science to me. I often send DH to do the grocery shopping. He just buys what is necessary!
Post a Comment