Shopping Week #3 - The Plan

Feeding 5 on $50 - Week #3

Food World didn't have anything we use on sale this week, so it's just Winn Dixie and Publix.

Publix
2 x Quaker Instant Oatmeal, BOGO 3.99
1 x $1.00/2 Quaker Products (Internet Printable Coupon)

2 x Ocean Spray 100% Cranberry Juice, BOGO $4.09
1 x $1.00/1 Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail (Internet Printable Coupon)

4 x General Mills Cereals (select varieties), BOGO $5.33
2 x $0.75/1 Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch (if included) (Internet Printable Coupon)
2 x $0.50/1 Cookie Crisp Cereal (Internet Printable Coupon)

2 x Smucker's Preserves or Marmalade (select varieties), BOGO 3.59
2 x $1.00/1 Smucker's Orchard's Finest Preserves (if included) (Tearpad)

6 x Colgate Toothpaste, BOGO $2.89
1 x $5.00 Publix Gift Card with purchase of 5 Colgate-Palmolive products (Tearpad)

2 x Right Guard Total Defense 5 Anti-perspirant & Deodorant, BOGO $3.83
1 x $2.00/2 Right Guard Total Defense 5 or Xtreme Deodorant Products (Internet Printable Coupon)

2 x Smart Balance Buttery Spread 2pk, BOGO 3.59

4 x Birds Eye Voila! Skillet Meal, 21oz, BOGO $5.15
2 x $1.75/1 Birds Eye Voila! Product (Internet Printable Coupon)
2 x $0.50/1 Birds Eye Voila! Product (Internet Printable Coupon)

2 x Van's Natural Foods Waffles BOGO $3.15
1 x Van's Waffles, Any 6 or 8 Count (Tearpad)

1 x Butterball Kielbasa, $2/$5.00

2 x Purina Cat Chow, 3.15lb, $4.49
2 x $2.50/1 Purina One BeyOnd Cat Chow (if included) (Internet Printable Coupon)

5 x Kid Cuisine Snack Stix, $0.50
2 x $0.75/1 Kid Cuisine Snack Stix (Target Coupon)
1 x $1.00/3 Kid Cuisine (Blinkie Manufacturer Coupon)

Winn Dixie
4 x Winn Dixie Sandwich Bread, $1.00

2 x Winn Dixie Milk, $3.00

2 x Scooby Doo Cereal, 4/$8.00
2 x $0.50/1 Scooby Doo Cereal, 12oz or larger (Internet Printable Coupon)

Estimated Total - $52.35

The Plan - Week #3

January 14th thru 20th

What I want to accomplish

-Keep kids' laundry caught up

Shouldn't be too hard, now that I'm not starting off behind.

-Work on J's reading fluency

Has to be done, no matter how much he doesn't want to.

-Finish cleaning out the garage

If all the rain would stop that would help.

-Call the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to pick up some unwanted materials

I can never remember what days they are open. And by the time I think of it, they're closed.

-Test Bow Booth set-up

There's a local market that I want to start going to, but the rain needs to quit (and H needs to nap) so I can test my set-up. I haven't done it without my Christmas display, and I want to try rearranging things.

Chore List for Week #3

-Complete 2 Monthly chores

Ugh. Adding more to the list is never fun, but at least it's only 2 for the entire week.

Week #2 - The Results

Week #2 - January 7th thru 13th

What I finished

-Finish Bow Order

Yay!

-Keep girls' laundry caught up

 So far so good.
-Catch up on J's laundry

Yes!

Chore List for Week #2

 

-Complete all QOD chores on list

Takes about 2 hours to finished all the Daily and QOD (every other day) chores on my list, depending on the day.

-Complete all Weekly chores on list

It was easier than I thought it would be to add in an extra chore on weekdays.

Not Completed

-Work on J's reading fluency

I blame the first week back at school... but dread may have been a factor.

-Organize for the yard sale on Saturday

As much as this needs to happen, it's just not. It's been so rainy and dreary, though, that it's probably a good thing anyway.

-Finish cleaning out garage

Goes hand in hand with organizing for the yard sale

Shopping Week #2 - Results

Deal of the Week - 12 x Yoplait Yogurt, 4 to 6 oz cup 20/$10.00
2 x -$0.40/6 Yoplait Yogurt Cups (Internet Printed Coupon)
works out to $0.43 each

I found better deals at Walmart on their generic crackers as well as a better deal on Kleenex, so I "saved" a little there. Publix was out of the Kids Cuisine Snack Stix, but I only wanted them because they were free. The coupon is good for a while, so I can always get them another time. And I did splurge on some Payday bars. They were BOGO and I just couldn't stop myself.

Publix-2 x Banquet Breaded Chicken Tenders, 24 to 36.5 oz BOGO $4.99
2 x -$0.50/1 Banquet Frozen Chicken Tenders 24oz or larger (Manufacturer Coupon)
$2.00 each

2 x Hunt's Ketchup, 24oz BOGO $1.85
$0.93 each

12 x Yoplait Yogurt, 4 to 6 oz cup 20/$10.00
2 x -$0.40/6 Yoplait Yogurt Cups (Internet Printed Coupon)
$0.43 each

4 x Birds Eye Frozen Vegetables, 50% off
2 x -$0.35/1 Birds Eye Steamfresh 100% Whole Grain Blend (Internet Printed Coupon)
2 x $0.50/1 Birds Eye Steamfresh Chefs Favorites (Internet Printed Coupon)

4 x Aunt Jemima Frozen Pancakes, BOGO $2.79
$1.40 each

Store total - $19.50

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Food World (aka Belle Foods)
12 x Hamburger Helper 10/$10.00
4 x -$0.75/3 boxes of Hamburger Helper (Internet Printed Coupon)

$0.75 each

Store Total - $9.00

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Winn Dixie
2 x Peter Pan Peanut Butter, 16 oz BOGO $3.99
2 x -$0.50/1 Peter Pan Peanut Butter 16oz or larger (Manufacturer Coupon)

$1.50 each

2 x Payday Bar, BOGO $1.09
$0.55 each

Store Total - $4.08

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Walmart
2 x Buttery Rounds Crackers, $1.98

2 x Cinnamon Grahams, $1.98

3 x Kleenex Tissues, 100 ct,  $0.97
-$0.55/3 boxes of Kleenex Facial Tissue (Internet Printed Coupon)
$0.79 each

Store Total - $10.28

____________________________________________________

 

Estimated Total - $43.86 (before tax)
Actual Total - $42.86 (before tax)
Difference - $1.00


I used over $30 in store sales, and $8.05 in coupons. So the normal retail value of my purchases was: over $80.00! That's about double what I actually spent!

Now, that's not saying I "saved" 50% on this trip. With very few exceptions, I generally don't buy brand name items. Without coupons, I would have just as happily purchased the store brand on everything except the pancakes (I haven't found a store brand of waffles yet that are even relatively good, and I've tried almost all the local store brands). For example, the crackers; without coupons, the generic was still cheaper than the brand name on sale. So my real world total would probably have been much lower than the retail value of what I bought, although not as low as combining coupons with the sales.

Feeding 5 on $50

Part of trying to stick to my budget better is getting back into the swing of couponing. Is it the only way to save money? No way! The vast majority of the time store brand items are the cheapest per volume, even when the brand name is on sale. But sometimes the brand actually comes out cheaper when you use a coupon in combination with a sale, especially when it's a Buy One Get One (BOGO) sale.

I'm not into "extreme" couponing, but using a few coupons matched up with sales each week does make a difference to my budget. I don't have a pantry so I can't stockpile months worth of food at a time, only what I have space for. (Although I would like to make the laundry room do double duty and put some shelving in there... one day.)

So, again as motivation for myself to get back on the bandwagon, I'm going to try to post my shopping list each week as well as the results. Sometimes I come across deals and sometimes I splurge, but this will help me see if its coming out even close to my budget ($50 per week for a family of 5) in the long run.

(I'm starting it as "Week #2" just so it will sync up with the To Do list weeks and keep me from getting confused.)

Shopping List - Week #2

Publix-
2 x Banquet Breaded Chicken Tenders, 24 to 36.5 oz BOGO $4.99
2 x -$0.50/1 Banquet Frozen Chicken Tenders 24oz or larger (Manufacturer Coupon)

2 x Keebler Club Crackers, 9.5 to 16oz, BOGO $3.69

2 x Nabisco Honey Maid Grahams, 7.04 to 14.4oz BOGO $4.35

2 x Hunt's Ketchup, 24oz BOGO $1.85

12 x Yoplait Yogurt, 4 to 6 oz cup 20/$10.00
2 x -$0.40/6 Yoplait Yogurt Cups (Internet Printed Coupon)

4 x Birds Eye Frozen Vegetables, 50% off
2 x -$0.35/1 Birds Eye Steamfresh 100% Whole Grain Blend (Internet Printed Coupon)
2 x $0.50/1 Birds Eye Steamfresh Chefs Favorites (Internet Printed Coupon)

3 x Kleenex Tissues, 60 to 184 ct, 4/$5.00
-$0.55/3 boxes of Kleenex Facial Tissue (Internet Printed Coupon)

4 x Aunt Jemima Waffles, 12.5 to 14.8 oz BOGO $2.89

2 x Kid Cuisine Snack Stix, 4ct $0.50
2 x -$0.75/1 Kids Cuisine Snack Stix (Competitor Coupon)

Food World (aka Belle Foods)
12 x Hamburger Helper 10/$10.00
4 x -$0.75/3 boxes of Hamburger Helper (Internet Printed Coupon)

Winn Dixie
2 x Peter Pan Peanut Butter, 27oz BOGO $3.99
2 x -$0.50/1 Peter Pan Peanut Butter 16oz or larger (Manufacturer Coupon)

Estimated Total - $43.86 (before tax)

Week #2 - The Plan

January 7th thru 13th

What I want to accomplish

-Finish Bow Order

I really need to get that done!

-Keep girls' laundry caught up

It took nearly the whole first week to GET it caught up, I don't want to back track!

-Work on J's reading fluency

Has to be done, no matter how much he doesn't want to.

-Organize for the yard sale on Saturday(?)

Depending how long it takes to organize, it may be pushed back another week... or three.

-Finish cleaning out garage

Goes hand in hand with organizing for the yard sale

-Catch up on J's laundry

I nearly got his done last week, so it shouldn't take too much to get it caught up.

Chore List for Week #2

-Complete all QOD chores on list

I really need to get a routine going.

-Complete all Weekly chores on list

It's only 1 “extra” chore per day. I can do that... right?

Week #1 - The Results

January 1st thru 6th - Results

What I finished

-Gave my sister her birthday gift

I hope she enjoys it!

-Complete all Daily Chores on list

It's amazing how hard it is to get an hour or so worth of work done in a single day.

Chore List for Week #1 – Results

 

What I didn't finish

-Finish Bow Order

Bad me. Bad!

-Get the kids' laundry caught up

Got the girls' laundry done, which was definitely the most behind, but haven't quite gotten my son's finished yet. Hopefully next week.

-Get my brother a birthday gift

Sorry, bro. The budget says a firm handshake is the best gift for you this year.

-Work on reading skills with my son

I swear there are not enough hours in the day! Okay, there probably are... but it's really hard to work it in when I know he's going to fight me every step of the way.

-Organize for the yard sale next week

Yeah... it may be put off for a while unless some major motivation and/or help comes along.

-Finish cleaning out garage

Ugh! I really want to get this done!

-Complete all QOD chores on list

Well, the kids go back to school on Tuesday, so maybe then I can get things more in order.

Week #1 - The Plan

As a motivator for myself, I'm going to try to post my to do list every week and an update on what I actually accomplished at the end of the week.

So, here's the first week.


Week #1 - January 1st thru 6th

What I want to accomplish

-Finish a bow order

Three medium bows on alligator clips

-Get the kids' laundry caught up

My son's isn't too bad, but the girls'....

-Give my sister her birthday gift

Luckily she's in town so I can!

-Get my brother a birthday gift

Limited budget says I may have to skip this one

-Work on reading skills with my son

Supposed to have been working on his fluency all Christmas break and haven't been.

-Organize for yard sale next week

I really need to get rid of this junk!

-Finish cleaning out garage

I did half of it two weeks ago and haven't had time to do the other half yet.

Chore List for Week #1

 

-Complete all Daily chores on list

Really need to get back in the swing of things with my chore list. I get so much more accomplished when I do.

 

-Complete all QOD chores on list

"QOD" is a medical abbreviation for "every other day"

 

 

 

Looking Back, Looking Forward

So it's January first; a time for looking back at the past, making resolutions for the future... and cleaning up after Christmas' mess.

My Regrets from 2012

My number one regret has to be not sticking to my budget better. We are definitely paying for it now. Hopefully this "fiscal cliff" will not delay or shrink our tax refund check by very much. We really need it.

I regret not spending more time with my grandmother-in-law. She only lives 10 minutes away, yet we generally only visit her on holidays.

I regret not calling my own grandparents. My grandfather passed away two weeks ago. He was such a sweet person. I wish I had known him better.

I definitely regret letting my house get into the state it is in right now. I don't even know where to start with my bedroom, so I don't.


My "Resolutions" for 2013

To clean at least a little bit everyday - and make the kids do the same. I don't want them to have the same bad habits I do.

To be more financially responsible. I don't want to depend on getting Christmas money for groceries by the end of the year. Granted there were some unexpected big expenses last year, but I definitely did not do as well as I should have.

More one-on-one time with the older kids. They get home so late in the day from school that it's hard to give them the individual attention they need. I need to make the time.

Turn off the computer! I waste so much time just piddling about on the computer. I need to just get my stuff done and get off.