Mountain Tackled...tear free!

Total SPENT: $117.65
Total SAVED: $150.74
Not great, but not bad for the return trip with a bare pantry and no coupons from all the weeks we were gone.

(Publix purchase only)

So here are my stats:

KROGER
Spent: $70.96
SAVED: $81.33
and got $5 to use on my next purchase

PUBLIX:
Spent: $46.69
SAVED: $69.41

I won't bore you with what all I got, but here is the Publix list:

2 lbs Snow Crab legs
2 half gallons S Smart Milk
4Uncle Beans long grain and wild rice
1 dozen eggs
2.57 lbs plums
2 packages Edwards pie singles
2 6 pack double roll Cottonelle Ultra
6 4 pk packages YoPlait YoPlus Light Probiotic Yogurt
2 Plaintains
3 packages Mott's Natural no sugar Apple Sauce
4.42 lbs bananas
2 Organic Valley Butter
2 Large Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

My shopping list

okay people are always asking me what I actually buy that I save so much on...So I just got back from Publix. I spent $79.27 and SAVED $108.90

I'll do my best to type up what I got:

2 half gallons of organic milk

4 boxes of keebler crackers various types

2 boxes Dunkin Hines cake mix

2 boxes Dunkin Hines brownie mix

8 packages of Birds eye steam fresh veggies (various)

3 packages Kraft white american cheese

6 packages Kraft all natural shredded cheeses

2.28 lbs sweet potatoes

1.33 lbs sweet onions

4 cans Swanson all natural chicken broth

2 16 oz sour cream

2 pkgs ghiredelli dark chocolate chips

2 pks chex mix (treat for hubby)

2 large jars motts natural applesauce

2 pkgs Thomas English muffins

2 Ronzoni Smart taste spaghetti boxes

2 Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne boxes

2 boxes kelloggs frosted flakes (shhh...special treat for the kids...will be hidden in the stock pile)

1 pkg Quaker Quakes Ranch rice cakes

1 pkg Publix Ranch Rice cakes

2 bags of Craisins

2 Bags of craisins trail mix

Hillshire farm Honey ham (can't remember the amounts for this)

Hillshire farm roasted chicken

2 boxes fish sticks

2 jars Emerald natural sea salt and cracked pepper cashews

2 jars Emerald natural cocoa roasted almonds

1 bottle wesson oil

2 large jars Kraft light mayo

2 bottles Kraft salad dressing

I'm missing something but I can't make it out on my receipt and don't have my list right here...sorry!

Now please keep in mind if you read this and say "that's the oddest list ever" what do they eat - the key to saving is stockpiling. I buy what's on sale and I have a coupon for..what's on a low sale. Just because it's on sale doesn't make it a good sale!

Then what I buy isn't something we eat right then necessarily. Like the cake and brownie mixes for instance those will go in my stock pile for emergencies when I need something quick. So don't think all we eat is junk food. When I buy things like crackers. Generally those go into the stock pile so I have them on hand when I need to make a cheeseball for something, etc....when you buy things one great sales with coupons and only pay pennies then you have it on hand when you need it in the future!!

And for those of you that don't know I LOVE www.thegrocerygame.com it saves me a ton of time and money! I could do it on my own without the grocery game...yes...but that would take hours and a lot of brain power. I admire people who are able to do that...follow the sales trends, keep up with all the sales papers, match them to coupons ensuring the sale is totally worth it, etc...but I just don't have time for that. I tried it. NOPE not me...

The Grocery Game does it all for me and makes it super clear. So that's what I use. There are other sites out there that are good...coupon mom, souther savers, etc...and I look at those some. But for ME Grocery game has saved me the most and cuts my time involved in the process to just minutes.

It takes me about 15 min to gather my lists and get my coupons out and with the list. Feel free any time to ask any questions. I'm still fairly new to it all but I'll do my best to answer your questions as best as I can...I LOVE talking money saving!! I like to choose where my money goes I've decided as much as possible. And I have found a lot of better things where I want to put my money instead of retailers and mega grocery stores!! so I'm all about saving as much as I can now!

HAPPY SAVINGS!!

Grocery Game

I get SO many questions about the grocery game...is it worth it? how does it work? I already clip coupons each Sunday and use them for my grocery list will this help me save more? yeah but to you buy lots of stuff you wouldn't otherwise??
I just buy generics, can I do any better using coupons? etc etc etc....Well I just came across this video and thought I'd share it shows you how grocery game works:



I know that you think I'm a walking advertisement for this site and I am I guess -somebody tell them they can pay me to do that...I wouldn't mind a BIT!!!!

I never thought I could spend so little on groceries.

So here's the scoop:
pre grocery game I bought largely generics - I'm a truly cheap person, don't have huge requirements, am not super picky and was SURE I was saving more than I ever could with coupons...HA! I also shopped from a menu I made out for that week....oh yeah and when I looked at coupons I'd think "I never use any of that stuff" (oh you know you've thought the same)

our grocery budget was about $25o every 2 weeks...more if we were having company, I cooked a meal for someone else or I had a potluck or party, etc etc...
Now after Grocery game...I have more namebrand stuff in my pantry than I have EVER seen in one place...ha ha (since we homeschool I pass on the boxtops to local schools)! Still get to have a blast cooking (I LOVE to cook!!)
Presently I spend about $50-$60 a week....sometimes less sometimes a bit more (the more usually depends on produce and meat). But if it's more I'm able to balance it out the next week. This includes by the way all of our toiletries too, not just food. I also can go weeks without buying anything but milk because of my stockpile.

Stockpile...it's the key to huge savings!!! Buy as much as you can of the sale items when they are rock bottom and you have a coupon...eventually you get to where your pantry is your grocery store and you make your menu based on what you have available...which is a LOT...I also buy the pieces for certain menu items...for instance we have a favorite tortellini soup recipe...one week the italian sausage was on a great sale...bought it and put it in the freezer, another week the canned tomatoes I needed for it, another the tortellini, and so on until I had the ingredients for one of our favorites. It sounds like more work than it is, but it's SO worth it!

Feel free to ask me any questions. I get lots of emails and calls I'm pretty used to it plus I really really enjoy saving money and putting it toward something that really means something to my family, not giving all our money to retailers!

still coupon crazy here!

okay sorry for the lack of posts...just been a crazy few weeks and didn't figure anyone really cared to hear about it...not even me...ha ha!!

So today I went to Publix. I didn't take a picture of my loot. I need to start taking the camera to the store so you can see how full the buggy is...for some reason that helps me feel better but when I post a picture of it all on here it looks like less to me.

So today my stats were: SPENT: $55.60 SAVED: $86.60

7 cans of Hunt's natural diced tomatoes
2 16 oz Breakstone Sour Cream
2 boxes velveeta (printable Q $1/1)
6 boxes quacker granola bars
2 boxes gallon sized ziplock bags
2 boxes quart sized ziplock bags
1 gallon organic milk
2 tubs Dean's light french onion dip
1 bag chex mix
6 boxes keebler crackers (printable Q $1/1)
4 boxes nabisco crackers
2 tubs Sabra hummus
4 Stacy's natural pita chips
1 folgers hazelnut decaf
1 box hefty cinch sack trash bags
2 bags lays chips

The only things I didn't have a coupon for were the milk (on sale) and the potato chips (BOGO)

again if you want to save check out http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ and if you sign up please put me down as your referral thadandrachelb@msn.com I would greatly appreciate it as when 3 people sign up with my email address I get 12 weeks FREE...and we love FREE!! But even if you don't do that...sign up! It will save you tons of money - why on earth give it to the retailers when you don't have to?!