Aldi
1 Flour Tortillas – $0.99
1 Cantaloupe – $0.99
1 Carrots – $0.99
1 Roma Tomatoes – $1.29
Total with tax: $4.56
Health Food Store
4 Ears Sweet Corn – $0.25 each
2 pints Blueberries – $1.99 each
2 Mangos – $0.33 each
0.61 lbs Apricots @ $3.49/lb – $2.13 (Wow! I thought the sign said $1.99/lb and I just realized that I must have read the wrong sign. That’s what happens when you have a very tired and hungry toddler with you while shopping…at least I didn’t buy 10 of them!)
Total with tax: $9.32
Dillons
1 Kroger Frozen Apple Juice – $1.29
4 M&M’s Candy – Marked down to $0.49, used 2 $0.50/2 printable (doubled) – Free after coupons
1 Kroger Brown Rice – $0.89
1 Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies – $2.50, used $0.50/1 printable (doubled) – $1.50 after coupon
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
1 bag Dove Dark Chocolates – $3.50 (A huge splurge for me…and sometimes, you just need to splurge a little.) 🙂
2 Bayer Aspirin – $1.86 each, used 2 $2/1 coupon from the 6/23 RedPlum insert – Free plus overage after coupons
0.79 lbs Broccoli Crowns @ $0.99/lb – $0.78
2 Kroger Cheddar Cheese (block and shredded; 16 oz each) – $2.99 each
2 Larabars – $1 each, used $1/2 printable – $0.50 each after coupon
1 Cucumber – $0.59
1 Green Bell Pepper – $0.59
1 Great Grains Cranberry Almond Cereal – Marked down to $1.29
1 Hunts Spaghetti Sauce – $1, used $0.40/1 e-coupon – $0.60 after coupon
1 Kroger Butter – $2.59
4 Oranges – $0.69 each
Total before coupons and sales: $42.35
Total with tax after coupons and sales: $26.24
Total for all grocery items: $40.12
Menu Plan for this Week
Breakfasts
Cereal, Fruit, Oatmeal, Applesauce, Homemade Bread (I make this with freshly ground whole wheat and it is the best recipe EVER!)
Lunches
Cheese Quesadillas, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Leftovers, Fruit, Cheese & Crackers, Baked Potatoes
Dinners
Spaghetti, Sautéed Green Beans, Biscuits
Chicken Fajitas, Cantaloupe
Vegetable Soup, 30 Minute Rolls
Chicken & Rice Casserole, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Steamed Broccoli, Tossed Salad
Savory Crescent Chicken Squares, Corn on the Cob, Tossed Salad
Pancakes, Eggs, Hashbrowns, Fruit Salad
Dinner with my parents
Maria says
Gretchen,
Are you using all whole wheat for your Amish bread or half wheat/half white?
Lauren says
Gretchen,
I have been following your grocery shopping lists since they started a little while back and I have a few questions. I used to coupon several years ago but became so exhausted with it after 1.5 years that I stopped because I felt like it was making me more unhappy than anything else. It took me forever to get all my coupons cut and organized and then going to different grocery stores to use them was just so time consuming… I felt happier not couponing. My husband and I however, are back in a very hard financial point where he is a FF and I am a stay at home, homeschooling mom to a 1st grader and then I have a 2 year old and one due in November. We don’t make a lot of money and our bills are more than what he makes. He has been looking for a part time job for several months now but can’t find anything that will work with his crazy FF hours. I’m trying to cut costs and right now I average about $400-$500/month on groceries,household items, diapers and wipes. I would LOVE to be at about $300 a month but it is so hard to stick with this. I see you shopping for $40 a week but don’t typically see diapers or shampoos and such on your list. I haven’t even seen milk for a while and we go through a gallon of milk a week. Our prices here in VA are more expensive then where you are as well it seems. Our tortillas are $2.50 – $3.50 a bag and yours are $.99 I believe. The other problem I had with couponing and cutting our grocery budget was that my husband and I and our boys have sensitive skin. I can only use regular scent dove soap or I brake out. We all have to use scent free laundry soap and since I use cloth diapers manly I buy BIOKLEEN in bulk (but this has lasted me forever). I only use OLAY facewash because my skin will break out if not, and we have to use nicer shampoo or my hair becomes so oily and greasy after one week of using cheap shampoo like Pantene (which usually gets a lot of coupons) that I look like I haven’t showered in weeks. So not having the ability to just buy whatever is on sale and match with coupons makes it harder to cut our bill. I’m just feeling down because I want to cut my budget down so bad but feel like it’s been so hard and knowing that not everyone includes the same items in their budget as I do, makes it hard to know if I am way off on my spending or not. Anyways…. sorry for all the rambling. Financial stress has just kind of hit me hard tonight. I love your posts and appreciate all you and Crystal do to help others out!
Marie says
I know your question was for gretchan but hoping I can give a few tips. For our son, he is two and ‘loves milk’ he is asthmatic and so drinking it, can interfere with his bronchial issues. The dr suggested we water it down for him. Aid as long as he is eating preoperly, he will be fine without the milk nutrients being so present. We mix 3 parts water and one part whole milk and we have been crying like two gallons a month total ( from 5-7) I know this will not work for cereal but in those two gallons, my husband and I probably have 3-4 bowls of cereal .
As far as diapers, you may want to think about Cd especially with the sensitive skin. I will be a larger investment at first but after, completely change the spending, as diapers will be a non issue as expenses go. Same for wipes if the skin is sensitive.
Have you tried to make your own soap with one of the bar soaps your skin can tolerate. My husband prefers Irish spring and I prefer Olay , but its darn expensive. I picked up three bars of each a couple months ago and have had body wash since then, with no sign of running out. I chop the soap, mix with water ( you have to play with the measurements but. Start with 6 cups) boil it down, pour in to containers. If it it too hard yu can add water, shake well, it will mix, but it is wonderful. This is the third time I have done thing. I put them in water bottles, as those seal well for future keepings. 3 bars of soap usually make around 7 bottles ( I fill three quarter way in case I need to add water ) so basically for two bucks total ( each three pack was a buck) I got 14 bottles of soap….give or take a years worth .
Amie says
I love your shopping trips. This week I spent about $64 out of my $75 budget. It was my second week of trying to stay under budget to balance out some back to school shopping, but I also bought a lot of extra’s for my husband’s b-day meals (the meat and junk food). I bought: boneless chuck roast, 2 Kroger chips -80 cent ecoupon, Value trash bags, Value cookies, 3 mgrs special milk, frozen tilapia -$1 ecoupon, 2 frozen veggies, 2 Kroger ice cream, 1 salad dressing – 50 cent coupon which doubled, frozen chicken wings, 4 Pilsbury cinnamon rolls – 2x $1/2 coupons, bacon, shampoo – free ecoupon & -$1.50 off HAB store coupon, Kroger dryer sheets, b-day candles, spices, Pop Crunch – free ecoupon, Zone bar -$1 store coupon, 2 lbs of carrots – .75 ecoupon, cooking spray, peaches, lettuce, bananas, Big K 12 pack, 6 M&Ms – 3x .50 coupons that doubled. Overall, I was happy with my trip.
Anne says
I totally agree about splurging for chocolate. I tend to get mine at Rite Aid when there is a good deal and keep it in the freezer. It keeps me from eating the whole bag in a week!
Also, a few weeks ago I did the same thing with apples as you did for apricots. I thought the apples were $0.99/lb but were $2.79/lb! My baby was ready for her nap and I didn’t want to tell the cashier to take them off because we were out of apples. At least my husband really enjoyed them in his lunches!
K says
If you haven’t already, you might want to nab the Dove coupons on coupons.com for next time. 🙂
Gretchen says
Thanks! I just printed them off. 🙂
Mary C says
I enjoy reading these!
Kim says
Can I get the recipe for the 30 minute rolls?
Jen says
Do you have a farmers market near you? The market is a great way to get quality produce at a low price. I love supporting my local farmers, and the produce always tastes so much better.
Linda says
Unfortunately, not all farmer markets are affordable. The one we have here during the summer is so incredibly expensive, those of us on a limited budget cannot afford them. I went recently again, just to see if the prices had gotten better and couldn’t buy any of their produce.
Carollynn McMahan says
I have had a busy spring and summer and haven’t been following the blog as often and I am confused. Who is Gretchen and why is she doing the shopping and menu plans instead of you? Just wondering!
Crystal says
I’m so sorry for the confusion! Gretchen is my sister and she’s just been sharing some of her shopping trips and her family’s menu plans here.
{I’m still sharing mine, too, as I have time. But we often shop at different stores and get different deals so I thought it’d be fun to have some different perspectives! :)}
Tabitha says
I really enjoy seeing Gretchen’s shopping trips! Thanks for sharing her trips and menus! 🙂
K says
I love both your shopping trips!! It gives me so many ideas I may not have thought of before. I’ve completely changed the way I shop, because of learning so much from your blog. Last night was my 1st shopping trip that my total OOP was $0.00–conditioner, 3 toothpaste, & 2 pantiliners w/ coupons at our Kroger store!! 🙂
Ann says
Oh yes, sometimes knowing that I have a little stash of chocolate is what gets me through the day!!
If you’re a fan of dark chocolate, try the Hershey Bliss dark chocolate. It is WAY better than the Dove, in my opinion.
Lori says
Just jumped into reading this, so I may be missing something, but did you purchase chicken for your menu or already have that on hand? Did the $40 cover all item expenses or did you already have several things on hand? Thanks!
Gretchen says
I stock up on meat/staple ingredients when I get a good sale. I don’t have to buy all the ingredients for every meal each week because my cabinets/freezers are full of things like meat, pasta and sauce, flour, etc. Hopefully that makes sense.
Sophie says
Gretchen, I love reading your shopping posts! I am fairly new to this, I have a couple of questions. Do you plan your menu’s based on what is on sale? Do you make a list before you go to the store? And what is your preferred way to file coupons, binder? I am always impressed with your shopping trips and I think to myself, why can’t I do that. Thanks for any help you can give me:)
Gretchen says
Thanks! I base my menu mostly on what I have on hand (what has been on sale the last couple of weeks) and what is currently on sale. At the beginning of each week, I sit down with my coupons, computer (for the ads at all the stores and so I can pull up my favorite local couponing blogs) and cookbooks (and calculator!). It takes me about an hour or two to figure out all the good coupon deals as well as make a grocery list and menu plan.
I use the same coupon system as Crystal does (except I have a lot smaller box!). Here is her post on that: https://moneysavingmom.com/2010/05/how-i-organize-my-coupons.html
Mitzie says
Please share the recipe for Savory Chicken Crescent Squares, it sounds like a good one.
Meredith says
Yes, please share this recipe!!!!
Becky says
Yes, please! My dad passed away not quite a year ago, & someone brought me these (I believe). I asked for the recipe but haven’t gotten it–secret family recipe maybe? 🙂 Still thinking about them after nearly a year. My mom also thought they would be good for her to freeze individually for dinners for one. Thanks!
Jenny says
I would also love this recipe!
Kimber says
My favorite thing is the Dove chocolates. You go, girl!!