Stretching the Clothing Budget: Consignment Sales



As a working home keeper, earning two incomes does not mean spending two incomes!  We have a small, monthly cash allowance established to keep three growing children clothed.  One of my tools for stretching that allowance is consignment sales.  Recently, I shopped a new to me consignment sale in the area.  I always save my shopping for the last day of the sale, when most items are typically 50-75% off.  I also have the advantage of shopping for older children while most of the other shoppers are competing over infant/toddler clothing and accessories.

My game plan:  stick with the basics.  For the boys, I look for solid colors, simple patterns or plaids.  I avoid jeans and go for khakis (in navy blue, black or tan) and cords.  Polo shirts are always a good buy for a casual or semi-dressy look depending on the occasion. 





I love scoring uniform pants and shorts as they are durable.  But, look quite polished when ironed and creased. 

 

 



I keep my eyes out for bigger name brands (like my gone but not forgotten favorite, Talbots Kids), but also adore brands like Old Navy and Cherokee.  No character clothing -  unless it's an absolute favorite and $1 or less.  But, favorite sports teams are a buy (especially at a good price!).



 For girl's clothing:  pretty, sweet, feminine, age-appropriate and modest in length and neckline.  Nothing too dark in nature or too flashy.  No characters (though Ashleigh is beyond that age now).  But, always room for a little fun (like leopard print pajamas with pink trim and sparkly buttons!).  Plus, Daddy is always there to offer a discerning eye.  Giving the veto to anything he doesn't feel is appropriate or a good value.

I'm already excited for the Fall sale!

Mary Ellen          

Kroger to Buy Harris Teeter & Super Doubles

My Harris Teeter Super Double deals from the weekend:

3 Purina Cat Chow .89 each

2 Finish Gel Pacs .75 each

2 Bayer Low Dose Aspirin FREE!

2 Reynolds Baking Cups FREE!

Last week it was announced that Kroger reached a definitive merger agreement with Harris Teeter.  If you heard a loud noise, it was a collective NOOOOO! from all the couponers in our area!  While Kroger  does have low prices on organic and natural foods and great markdowns, their coupon policy stinks.  The stores recently stopped doubling in our area.  Prior to the policy change, the rules for coupon usage seemed to vary by store, by manager, by cashier.  Harris Teeter is more expensive, but with Super Doubles, triple coupon events and Buy 2 Get 3 Free sales, good deals can be had.  Plus,  the customer service at Harris Teeter is top notch.  I'd even compare it to stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and The Fresh Market.  According to the release, Harris Teeter will continue to operate separately and top management will remain in place.  Of course, that's what they always say in the beginning!  I'm hopeful the Harris Teeter coupon policies and special events will remain.  But, I wouldn't be surprised if the stores eventually changed to reflect Kroger's current policy.  At which time I will dust off my Lowes Foods Fresh Rewards card and anxiously await the arrival of Publix!

Mary Ellen    



Uncertainty

The last few months have been such a tumultuous season for our family.  Now, another curve ball has been thrown our way.  As you may know, my husband works for the State government.  Apparently, there is a measure before the State House of Representatives that would eliminate several positions within his department - including his.  Nothing is certain at this point as voting and such still needs to take place.  But, by the end of June, it's possible Dave would be out of a job.  We've walked this path before.  Even though I find myself fighting to hold back tears, I know we will persevere.

While this was completely unexpected, looking back over the last few weeks, I can see God's hand moving behind the scenes.  When my Mother was first hospitalized back in April with internal bleeding, we went into financial emergency mode.  Dave cut back some budget categories and directed the surplus to our emergency fund.  The thinking at the time was to have extra on hand should we need to find last minute summer care for the children.  So, we're already in financial storm cloud/bare budget/savings mode.  Just now, it's a different storm cloud!  And recently, I began feeling the need (call) to pray for my husband.  I've always prayed for my husband, my kids and our families.  But, this calling is different.  It's a call to pray with more intention specifically for my husband.  I'm constantly amazed at how God knows all our needs even before we become aware of them!

Mary Ellen

6 Months Till Christmas!

Christmas Morning 2011

Guess what?  Christmas is less than 6 months away!  Are you ready?  No, I don't mean gifts!  Rather how you're going to pay for those presents.  When Dave implemented cash based budgeting for our family several years ago, we started setting aside a small amount of cash each month specifically for Christmas.  As simple as the concept sounds, we never considered saving for Christmas prior to reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover!  We always bought gifts on credit and stressed over the bill in January.  But now, our holidays are free of financial stress.  We get to fully enjoy the season with our family and friends without worry.  It's also a comfort knowing that if something were to happen today, like the loss of a job, we've already got Christmas covered (at least for the kids).   Just a small amount set aside each month now, will make a big difference come December!

Make it a GREEN Christmas this year.  Save and pay cash!

Budgeting resources we've found helpful:



The Total Money Makeover:  A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
by Dave Ramsey



The Money Saving Mom's Budget
by Crystal Paine (The Money Saving Mom)

Dig Out of Debt
by Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam




Disclosure

Save Money On Groceries

My Harris Teeter Super Doubles haul:

(note: prices listed are after sale, discounts and doubled coupons)

4 Emerald almonds  $1.99 ea

2 Emerald mixed nuts  $1.93 ea

3 Reynolds parchment paper $2.15 ea

3 Woolite Oxy Power carpet cleaners  $1.95 ea

1 Gain detergent  $1.99

3 Aquafresh kids toothpaste  .79 ea

2 Carefree liners FREE

2 Bayer low dose aspirin .99 ea

As prices increase, we're all looking for ways to cut back spending, particularly at the grocery store.  Tawra Kellam of Living On A Dime offers the following practical tips for saving money:

*****

For many people, cutting back on their grocery budgets can be an overwhelming experience. They know they're spending too much, but don't know where to begin to cut. Often, they fear that they will deprive themselves and their children if they become frugal. The good news is that there are ways to have your cake, eat it and save money at the same time. The whole secret is to start slowly. There are countless ways you can cut, but if you need to, target just one thing at a time - you will still be saving money if you do only one thing.

If you are a frugal beginner, try these simple suggestions for saving on your food bill:

• Cooking frugally is like changing your diet. You need to learn gradually how to save money and cook frugally. Don't expect that you will get your food bill down to $300 for four people in the first month if you are spending $600 a month right now.
• Try cutting just $25.00 or $50.00 a month. Even if you cut back only $50.00 a month, you will save $600.00 a year. If you save just $1.00 a day that is $365.00 a year. You can then apply that $365.00 a year to paying off your credit cards. At 21 percent interest, you will save over $70 a year. This will eventually cause a snowball effect since the more you pay off, the less you pay to interest. When you pay less to interest, you have more each month to apply to paying off your overall debt. This means that as you pay off the debt, the rate that you can pay it off increases.
• Before you shop, take a tour through your pantry and your refrigerator. Be organized! Don't buy what's already hiding in your kitchen.
• If you're a fan of coupons, remember this: It's not what you save, it's what you spend. If you save 30 cents on something you wouldn't ordinarily buy anyway, you haven't really saved anything.
• A typical fruit item is significantly larger than one serving. Most people would be just as happy eating a small apple as eating a large one -- so buy smaller fruits! You will save money by the pound.
• This month, try two meatless meals a week (or one, if you're a die hard meat fan).
• Make simple meals. One-dish meals can contain your meat, your vegetable and your bread.
• Drink water for your meals. If your family is used to drinking milk, juice or pop for every meal then start by cutting juice from one meal or snack a day and drinking only water. After you get used to this, cut from another meal until you drink only water for meals and a glass of juice or milk at snack time.
  You can also try allowing one glass of juice at meal times and then water after it is gone.
  You save over $500.00 a year by cutting just one glass of juice per person per day for a family of four.
• Don't assume homemade is cheaper. If you get a VERY GOOD deal on chocolate chips and ingredients for candies, it is cheaper to make them than buying them pre-made. Make sure you do the calculations, though! If you don't purchase them on sale, homemade candies can be more expensive than candies purchased at the store.
• Stop wasting food. Give young children small portions. They can always have more if they are still hungry. Give them a half glass of juice and a half sandwich so you don't waste uneaten food. Put food in the refrigerator right after the meal so it doesn't spoil. Use leftovers for lunches, in other dishes or frozen in one portion sizes for a quick meal.
• Remember, cooking frugally is a mindset. You have to change your cooking and eating habits. Don't get discouraged if one idea fails. Try another one.
• Stop buying things like toaster pastries and breakfast bars for breakfast. Eat oatmeal, pancakes, granola and fruit instead.
• Don't assume that bulk is cheaper. Compare cost by the ounce or pound.

Most people don't think they can live the frugal life and still be comfortable. I feed my family of six on $400 per month. Over five years, when my husband earned an average of $22,000 per year, we paid off $20,000 debt. When cutting your grocery bill, it's the little things that add up.

Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com , sign up for our free Living On A Dime Newsletter and learn to save more!

Living On A Dime 50% Off Sale!

The wonderful ladies at Living On A Dime are currently having a half off sale on two of their books!  Now through March 4th, you can pick up the following books for 50% off!

Penny Pinching Mama

500 Ways I Lived On $500 a Month by Jill Cooper

{available as print copy or e-book}

HALF OFF PRICE $6.48 (through March 4th)

Groceries On A Dime E-Book Series

by Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam

{available as e-book only}

HALF OFF PRICE $9.98 (through March 4th)

Don't miss this great sale!

Mary Ellen

(Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy here).

A "Green" Christmas - Paying Cash for Christmas

Green Christmas 2010

This year, we'll be celebrating another "green" Christmas.  And by green, I mean cash only!  Back in 2008, after reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, we changed to a cash-based budget.  As part of the budget change, we started setting aside a little bit of cash each month in an envelope marked Christmas.  As simple as the concept sounds, it had never really dawned on us to save towards Christmas prior to reading the book!  We always bought Christmas gifts using our credit card and paid off the entire balance at the end of the month.  Except in December 2007, when our spending got out of control.  We didn't have enough money available at the end of the month to pay the bill off in its entirety.  At that point, we knew it was time for us to get our financial house in order!   

Saving for Christmas throughout the year has made the holidays much less stressful for us.  We're not waiting on a bonus or overtime that may or may not come.  The year Dave lost his job, I took comfort in knowing that no matter what else happened, we had Christmas covered for the kids.  The money was already there from what we'd saved up in the envelope prior to his job loss.  Paying cash for Christmas has even made gift shopping more enjoyable for us!  To borrow a term from Dave Ramsey's book, I'm a "free spirit" when it comes to spending.  I enjoy shopping and get pleasure from buying gifts for others (and myself!).  Dave, on the other hand, is a "nerd" (saver).  When we were buying Christmas on credit, Dave's anxiety level would rise along with the balances!  All he could foresee was the big bill coming at the end of the month.  But now, Christmas shopping is enjoyable for both of us.  Dave doesn't stress because the money has already been set aside for the specific purpose of being spent for Christmas.  We even make a special day of our Christmas shopping together.  We leave the kids with my Momma, spend the morning shopping and then have lunch together.  And of course, having the cash on hand makes it easy to pick up gifts anytime during the year when we come across a good deal.

 Now, I know what you're saying.  Christmas is only a few weeks away, how can any of this help me now?  Well, the wonderful thing about Christmas is it comes around at the same time each year!  If you are not where you want to be financially, resolve to make changes in the New Year.  Create a budget with a line item for monthly Christmas savings.  And by next year at this time, you'll be able to enjoy the fullness of the holidays without the financial stress!

Mary Ellen 

(Note:  The Barnes & Noble.com links in this post are affiliate links.  Read my disclosure policy here).     

Quick Meals for Working Moms - Lunch Box Edition - Whole Wheat Pizza Toast

Whole Wheat Pizza Toast

Early mornings begin with me packing school lunches for Ashleigh & Clayton.  By packing lunches for the kids, we save $360 per school year per child!  And besides the savings, we can also send along healthier lunches than what they would be able to buy at school.  I make lunches using the food bought for the week instead of buying special lunchables or snack packs (those are a rare lunch treat!). 

This year I'm trying to be more creative and not fall into the PBJ everyday routine - although there's nothing wrong with that!  A quick and easy favorite of the kids is pizza made on whole wheat toast.  I take a piece of whole wheat bread (a whole wheat English muffin would work as well), spread some pizza sauce, shredded cheese (mozzarella or raw cheddar), then top with nitrate-free pepperoni slices.  Pop the toast slices in the toaster oven until the bread is slightly toasted and cheese is melted.  Slice and pack for lunch!       

Ready to go!

Along with a their main lunch sandwich, I also pack each kid two snacks (one for mid-morning and one for after lunch) and a bottle of water.  Then we're out the door for a great school day!

Mary Ellen

Dressing Kids for Less - Nearly New Consignment Sale

My haul from the Nearly New Consignment Sale

Our clothing budget is a whopping $25 a month.  Keeping three growing kids clothed on said budget takes some prudent and savvy shopping!  While I buy most of my clothes at the Goodwill, I've found clearance racks, yard sales and consignments sales to be a better buy for kids clothing.  At those places, I can typically find childrens clothing in better condition and for less money than at Goodwill.  

Girls clothing for Ashleigh

For the past few years, I managed to find some great buys at a local church yard sale.  Sadly, the church decided to no longer hold the seasonal sales.  So I've been on the look out for new sales.  Recently, I received a flyer in the mail for a consignment sale being held at a church near our house.  I wasn't able to make it out for the first day of the sale because of work.  So, I anxiously awaited for the last day of the sale, when most items were 50 - 75% off!   

Boys clothing for Clayton & Reed

Even on the last day, I was still able to find some great name brand items for $1 - $1.50 a piece.  In total, I bought 20 items and paid $20.28 for everything.  Not too shabby!

Where do you find the best deals on kids clothing?

Mary Ellen 

Bye, Bye 70s! Painted Paneling

BEFORE

Our house was built in the 1970s.  Among its original features are yellow shag carpeting in the study, harvest gold tile in the master bath and the dark wood paneling pictured above in the living room.  When we first saw this house, we feel in love with the layout instantly.  Which is why the paneling didn't scare us away!  We figured we would replace it with drywall once we settled in.  But life got busy - having babies and raising babies.  And the financial aspect of replacing the paneling seemed so overwhelming.

From a decorating standpoint, the room never really came together.  I hesitated to put anything on the walls, because of the paneling.  I had a vision for the room but struggled to bring it to life.  Our thoughts then turned to painting the paneling.  But the 12 foot ceiling in this room was intimidating!  We had a local painter come out to give us an estimate.  His price for painting the room fit nicely within our budget.  And now we have a beautiful new room, that looks just as I had always imagined it would!

AFTER

I chose Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray (SW 6205) for the paneling, Sherwin Williams Dover White (SW 6385) for the trim, shelves and stair railing and the drywall above the paneling was color matched to a Valspar paint color (a beige color).

I commented to Dave not only does the room look better, it makes our "trashy" furnishing look better as well!  And when I say trashy, I mean basically everything in this room was either given to us, bought at a yard sale or was a curbside treasure!

The painters also made repairs to the exterior and the gave our saltbox a fresh coat of red paint.  The exterior color is Sherwin Williams Fireweed (SW 6328).  Which I've come to learn is the consumer version of the paint color used for the Golden Gate Bridge.

We're so in love with this room now!  It looks like an entirely different room.  What a great way to start Spring, with a completely refreshed space!

Sharing this before and after with:

Remodelaholic - Remodelaholic's Anonymous

Our New Dishwasher - Finally!

It has been well over a year since our old dishwasher died.  I remember the day because it happened just as we finished paying off our HELOC and started building our 3 - 6 months emergency fund per Dave Ramsey's babysteps.  Initially, we were going to have our LG repaired.  But learned NO ONE in our area even serviced LGs!  Bummer! 

Instead of replacing the dishwasher right away, we decided to wait until we reached our emergency fund goal.  While saving to reach our goal, Dave lost his job.  A new dishwasher quickly fell to the bottom of our list of priorities!  We continued to set money aside even during Dave's unemployment, eventually reaching and exceeding the initial savings goal we had set.  

We managed to get through most of Dave's unemployment and some scary moments (Dave's surgery) without touching our emergency fund.  That was until our heating unit died last November.  Replacing the heating unit pretty much drained our emergency fund.  So we've spent the past months rebuilding the fund. 

Thankfully Dave found a job back in January (and it's still the job of our prayers!).  Our emergency fund is back in place and FINALLY - we got a new Bosch dishwasher!  I know we're all yearning for the simple life, but I'm loving the convenience of having a dishwasher again :)  

     

Dressing the Kids for Less

On Saturday, Dave and I got up early and went out to the Spring yard sale at Crossroads Fellowship Church.  Shopping there is a win-win for us.  We can find good, quality clothes for the kids at inexpensive prices ($1 a piece).  And all the proceeds of the sale go to the church's mission programs. 

$1 Ralph Lauren polo shirts for the boys

For the boys, I found plenty polo shirts.  If you peeked into our boys' closet, you would certainly be able to tell that I adore polo shirts (and sweater vests!).  To me, they are the perfect casual/dressy shirt all-in-one.  I bought 8 polo shirts along with 2 t-shirts and 1 pair of shorts.

$1 Gymboree tops for Ashleigh

For Ashleigh, I found 9 tops (mostly short-sleeved and a few long sleeved shirts for cool Spring mornings - like today!), 3 pairs of jeans and 6 big hair bows.  For all the kids clothing, we paid $23.

In addition to the childrens' clothing, I found this small top for myself - $2

2 board games for the kids - Dino Checkers (50-cents) and Hi Ho Cherry-o ($1)

A Vtech V.Smile TV Learning System with two controllers and 5 games for $15 

And a wooden, heart-shaped flag wall plaque for $1

I can't wait until the church's next yard sale!  I've already got my calendar marked.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm sharing these thrifty buys at:

Southern Hospitality - Today's Thrifty Treasures

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Market Day - The Cost of Convenience

A trip to Costco for diapers and laundry supplies put a real crunch on the grocery budget this week.  In addition, my last four-week savings coupon for Whole Foods required a 1lb purchase of salmon (got free lemon pepper rub, frozen haricots and two free bags of frozen veggies since they were out of the frozen brown rice listed on the coupon!).  To stay on budget with our cash envelopes, I had to make some changes to the grocery list.  One simple change, was choosing blocks of cheese over pre-shredded bags.  For giving up the convenience of having cheese already shredded, I saved $8.60 at Whole Foods.  Plus cheese blocks seem to last longer at our house because no one wants to shred their own cheese - except for me! 

Another week of using cash envelopes, another week with money leftover!

I'd love to hear from you!  What convenience items have you given up in order to save at the grocery store?

Market Day - Back to Cash Envelopes

As we sat down earlier in the week to make our financial goals for 2010, my husband expressed a desire to return to using the cash envelope system for our groceries.  We first started cash envelopes a few years ago as we began Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.  But over time, we fell out of the habit.  We didn't go crazy with our grocery spending, but we haven't been as disciplined with our money in this area as we should be.  After all we want to be the ones telling our money where it should go!

With cash in hand, we made our usual grocery stops today.  Between Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and the State Farmer's Market, we picked up the following:

3 loaves sprouted bread
sourdough bread boule
organic bananas
2pks probiotic cheddar cheese snacks
2 gallons organic whole milk (FREE with coupon at Whole Foods)
1 can Wild Alaskan salmon
ginger root
garlic
1 organic, vegetable broth
1 jar organic peanut butter
1 container organic plain yogurt (starter for homemade yogurt)
1 organic tomato paste
3 cans organic tomato sauce
3 organic green bell peppers
1 bag shredded mozzarella
5lb bag of organic russet potatoes
1/2lb organic Thompson raisins (bulk)
1lb organic popcorn (bulk)
1lb organic yellow split peas (bulk)
1lb organic rolled oats (bulk)
1lb organic long grain, brown rice (bulk)
5lbs organic green lentils (bulk - I'm building a stockpile of dried goods) 
2 dozen pastured eggs (local)
2lbs pastured pork sausage (local)

For the first time in a long while, we actually had money leftover!  Eighteen dollars which we will carry over into next week.

Cash IS King! 

I'd love to hear from you!  Do cash envelopes work for you?

All In A Morning's Work

6:30 am - Wake Up

Shower, hair, make-up (just mascara), contemplate today's outfit in front of the closet, get dressed

7:00 am - Downstairs to make breakfast (scrambled pastured eggs, sprouted whole wheat toast with butter and sliced watermelon & cantaloupe)

7:15 am - Get a sleepy little girl out of bed and walk her to the bathroom to get ready for school

Back downstairs to get toast out of the toaster oven, finish packing my daughter's lunch & snack for school and pack my breakfast and lunch for work

7:25 am - Back upstairs to do my little girl's hair (ponytail today with white bow). My husband and boys are now starting to stir. Quickly do my own hair (ponytail today) and retrieve my high heels from under the bed.

7:30 am - Put out clothes for the boys and give my husband a kiss and last minute reminders for the day - trash out today, breakfast is in the kitchen and don't forget early dismissal time for school. Check with my Mom to see if she has any mail she needs put in the box, kiss the kids and pet the cats.

7:35 am - Out the door

7:50 am - Stop by Harris Teeter for first day of Super Double coupon event. Pick up the following:

4 Whisker Lickins cat treats $1 ea - 1/2Q = FREE!
1 Dawn Handsaver dish detergent $1.99 - 1/1Q = FREE!
1 Dawn Direct Foam detergent $1.99 - 1.50/1Q = FREE!
3 Friskie's Indoor cat treats $1.50 ea - 1/1Q = FREE!
1 St. Joseph's aspirin 81 mg (for my Mom) $2.59 - 1/1Q = .59
1 Huggies Pull-Ups Jumbo pack $9.99 - 2/1Q = 7.99

Total oop: $9.87
Total sales & coupon savings: $23.65

Got a coupon back for a FREE Stoneyfield organic yogurt cup (great starter for crockpot yogurt)

8:35 am - Arrive at the office for the next part of my morning - round 2!

Back to School (and back to the beach!)

Getting ready for 1st grade!

We took advantage of the tax-free holiday this weekend to pick up some back to school items. Since I shopped last year's clearance sales, we only needed a few supplies for the coming year.

After back to school shopping, I headed over to Old Navy and found this cute one-piece halter bathing suit. The clearance tag said $8.99 (originally $29.50). At the register - $4.49 and tax free!

All You Grocery Challenge wk 2

Week 2 spending for the All You Grocery Challenge. Our goal is to spend no more than $25 per person each week for our family of 6.

Farmer's Market

6 ears of sweet corn
2 dozen free-range eggs
4 yellow squash
4 green bell peppers
2 eggplants
~ 1/2lb string beans

Total spent: $25.00

Whole Foods

1 Synergy Kombucha tea
2 cans 365 Wild Alaskan Salmon
2 cans 365 organic tomato paste
1 bag frozen 365 organic sweet peas
1 box 365 organic yellow taco shells
1-8oz Stonyfield organic yogurt
5lb bag whole wheat flour
1.75 quart 365 Rocky Road ice cream (FREE with coupon!)
1lb organic rolled oats (bulk)
1lb organic lentils (bulk)

Total spent: $22.66

Earth Fare

1/2lb block Morningland Dairy raw milk cheddar
1 bag Enjoy Life chocolate chips - dairy, soy & gluten free
8oz whole, fresh mushrooms
2 Earthbound Farm salad mixes (sale BOGO - $1/2Q)

Total spent: $17.89

Trader Joe's

1 bottle Charles Shaw Shiraz
2 Kerrygold Irish unsalted butter
1 bag organic brown rice penne pasta 16oz
3lb bag organic pink lady apples

Total spent: $14.78

Kroger

2 jumbo packs Huggies Pull-Ups (sale 8.99 - $2/1Q)
2lb organic bananas

Total spent: $16.50

ALDI

7 bottles apple juice
1 box diaper wipes

Total spent: $11.83

And my Super Double buys at Harris Teeter --- total spent $20.55

TOTAL SPENT: $129.21

$20.79 below grocery challenge target of $150

Harris Teeter Super Doubles

Since our diet has changed towards more simple, whole and organic foods, I focus my couponing these days on mostly non-food, household items. Saving on those non-food items frees up more grocery budget money for the things that really matter to us - organic, fresh fruits and vegetables, pastured meats & eggs.

Here's what I picked up this morning at Harris Teeter Super Doubles

6 single rolls 7th Generation paper towels --- sale 1.50 ea - (3) $1/2Q = .50 ea

3 St. Joseph 81 mg aspirin (for my Mom) --- 2.59 ea - (3) $1/1Q = .59 ea

3 Playtex Living Gloves --- sale 1.99 ea - (3) $1/1Q = FREE!

3 Lifeway Kefir --- 3.59 ea - (3) $1/1Q = 1.59 ea

1 Downy fabric softener --- sale 4.99 - $1/1Q = 2.99

3 Dawn Pure dish detergents --- 2.99 ea - (3) $1.50/1Q = FREE!

6 Pounce cat treats --- sale 1.67 ea - (3) $1/2Q = .33 for each 2

1 Organic Prairie frozen ground turkey --- 6.99 - 1/1Q = 4.99

Total oop: $20.55

Total savings: $56.01

All You Grocery Challenge wk 1

With our grocery shopping done for the week, it's time to see how we did with our All You Grocery Challenge. The goal, $25 per person per week. For our family of 6 we bought:

Farmer's Market

1.5 lb grass-fed beef

1 lb pastured pork sausage

2 dozen free-range eggs

2 broccoli

2 green bell peppers

1 seedless watermelon (not pictured because I forget about it!)

~1/2 lb green & purple beans

Total spent: $28.05

Whole Foods

1-365 organic ketchup 24 oz (FREE with coupon)

1 Eden Organic shoyu sauce

1-365 Extra Virgin olive oil

1-365 organic beef broth

1 can 365 organic diced tomatoes

2 cans 365 organic tomato paste

1 lb organic rolled oats (bulk)

1/2 lb organic raisins (bulk)

1-365 organic peanut butter

8pk wheat hamburger buns (FREE with coupon)

1 tin skinless, boneless sardines

2lb bag organic brown rice

8pk Hamburger patties

2lb bag organic carrots

2 bags frozen organic corn

1pk 365 organic shredded mozzarella cheese

2lb organic bananas

5lb bag organic russet potatoes

Total spent: $48.89

Lowes Foods

3 gallons Full Circle organic milk

Total spent: $17.41

Walgreens

2 jumbo packs Huggies Pull-Ups

Total spent: $21.35 (rec'd $5 Register Reward)

ALDI

7 apple juice 64oz

1 box baking soda

1 bottle white vinegar

Total spent: $11.23

TOTAL SPENT: $126.93

$23.07 below Grocery Challenge target of $150

$1.93 above our weekly grocery budget of $125