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Shared Jan 31, 2024 comment

Gretchen’s $7.61 Walmart Delivery Order (And Why I Love My Walmart+ Subscription!)

Published: by Gretchen on January 31, 2024 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Thinking about getting a Walmart+ subscription? Check out Gretchen’s Walmart+ delivery order!

Thinking about getting a Walmart+ subscription? Through tonight (1/31), you can get FREE 30 day trial of Walmart+!

Gretchen here! I’ve had Walmart Plus for several months now and love it almost more than Amazon Prime (which is saying a lot)! There are so many perks to having a Plus membership, including FREE 2-day shipping on any order and a FREE subscription to Paramount+. But, getting groceries and household items delivered free to my doorstep within the day is one of my favorite perks.

Yesterday, I needed to get a couple of household items (hello diapers!) and decided to add on some of the great deals and freebies you can get right now as well.

Walmart+ Delivery Order

3 All Laundry Detergent – $3.74 each
Used 3 $2/1 Ibotta cash back offers (Be sure to link your Ibotta account to your Walmart+ account before shopping online to get any offers you want to redeem.)

2 Aussie Miracle Moist 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioner – $0.97 each
Received $2 Walmart Cash for buying 2

3 Red Zone Swagger Body Wash 3oz – $1.97 each
Received $5 Walmart Cash for buying 3

2 Hershey’s Milklicious Bars – $1.17 each
Received $0.80 Walmart Cash for buy 2

3 Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing Gentle Body Wash, 3 fl oz – $1.73 each
So I actually ordered three of the Olay Body Wash since there is currently a cash back offer making them free, but they substituted the Dove body wash instead as they were out of the Olay. Since I was supposed to get the Olay free after the Walmart cash, they gave me the Dove body wash completely free. THIS is why another reason I love Walmart+. They are so great about stuff like this!

Total after cash back: $7.61

All of these deals are still valid so you can duplicate this order. Please note that in order to get a free doorstep delivery, you’ll need to reach the $35 threshold. OR, you can choose to pickup these items curbside for free!

If you are on the fence about getting a Walmart+ subscription, be sure to read this post here about all the perks of having Walmart+.

Shared Jan 30, 2024 comment

Gretchen’s $90 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by Gretchen on January 30, 2024 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a grocery post. Life was super busy in December and I did a lot of Walmart grocery deliveries. I’m just now getting back into a routine of grocery shopping and menu planning. I have been using the 10 Weeks of Money Saving Menus to plan my week of meals and I am LOVING it!! Interested in trying this? You can currently get a FREE sample week. Just go here to sign up!

Aldi

2 dozen Cage Free Eggs – $2.58 each

1 dozen Large Eggs – $1.60

1 Value Pack Tilapia – $7.99

1 box Apple Squeeze Pouches – $6.29

1 gallon Milk – $2.71

1 Grape Jelly – $2.49

1 Cottage Cheese – $2.39

1 bag Frozen Peas – $0.95

1 Half & Half – $2.55

1 pkg Sliced Pepperoni – $2.49

1 pkg Rice Cakes – $2.19

1 bag Kettle Chips – $1.99

1 bag Potato Chips – $1.59

1 can Refried Beans – $0.99

2 bags Chocolate Chips – $1.89 each

1 can Tomato Paste – $0.79

1 carton Blueberries – $2.99

3 Avocados – $0.59 each

1 Pineapple – $1.79

1 bag Green Peppers – $1.79

1 Apple Juice – $1.89

2 loaves Bread – $1.25 each

1 bag Hamburger Buns – $1.29

1 pkg Bagels – $1.95

1 pkg Green Grapes – $3.48

1 Cucumber – $0.95

Total: $66.41

Harris Teeter

2 Two Good Yogurts – $1.25 each, used $1/2 Harris Teeter e-coupon AND $1/2 Ibotta cash back – $0.25 each after coupon and cash back

2 pkg Strawberries – $2.74 each

1 pkg Ground Beef – Marked down to $2.46

1 pkg String Cheese – $1.99

1 box Spring Mix – Marked down to $2.99

1 pkg Tortillas – $0.99 and $1.49

Total after coupons and cash back: $15.90

Ingles

2 pkg Shredded Cheese – $1.28 each

2 bags Potatoes – Marked down to $1.49 each (I was SO excited to find these as potatoes have been really expensive here recently.)

1 loaf French Bread – Marked down to $1.98

1 box Organic Lettuce – Marked down to $0.99

Total: $8.51

Total for all groceries: $90.82

Menu Plan for This Week

I am following the 10 Weeks of Money Saving Menus to plan my week of meals and am using several recipes from week 4 this week.

Breakfasts

Cereal, Eggs, Bagels, Yogurt, Bacon, Oatmeal

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches/Chips/Veggies x 3, Ham Sandwiches (using leftover ham)/Fruit/Applesauce x 2, Mac & Cheese/Grapes/Strawberries x 2

Dinners

BBQ Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Homemade Breadsticks

Grilled Tilapia, French Bread, Peas

Spaghetti Pie, Biscuits, Tossed Salad

Sloppy Joes, Chips, Fruit Salad

Pepperoni Rolls, Tossed Salad, Pineapple

Southwest Rollups, Steamed Broccoli, Cornbread

Pizza, Breadsticks, Tossed Salad

Shared Jan 29, 2024 comment

From Crystal: What We Ate & What We Bought at the Grocery Store

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 29, 2024 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I tried Kroger delivery for the first time this week! And I’m happy to report I had a really good experience with it. In fact, we are considering switching to Kroger Boost because — with the current deal — we figured out it’d be a little less than $1/week to have someone buy our groceries and deliver them to our door each week. Plus, you get double the points on gas, which would WAY more than pay for the Boost subscription.

But I wanted to try Kroger delivery first, before committing to a membership. They had a free delivery digital coupon + a $15 off $100 digital coupon that I was able to use this past week. So it ended up being less expensive to have groceries delivered to my door than it would have been to shop in-store or do pickup!!!

Some things I loved about Kroger delivery:

It is very easy to change/update your order. After I placed my order, I thought of some additional items I wanted to add to my order. It was super easy to go in and add that to my order.
I was able to see exactly what my total would be before I checked out (they take off the coupons and deals at checkout so you can see exactly what you will pay). This would be especially valuable if you are wanting to stick to a strict grocery budget. You can adjust your order based upon what your total is — before you hit the checkout button!
There are often digital coupons that are for delivery only. So you may find that you’ll get some additional deals and coupons by using delivery that you wouldn’t get if you shopped in-store or did grocery pick-up.
Tipping is not allowed. Kroger delivery (and the Boost program) don’t allow tipping. It says right on their website that their drivers are paid directly and tipping is not allowed. (Note: If you order through Instacart delivery not Kroger delivery, you will be charged a fee for delivery and you should also add a tip as Instacart drivers rely on tips for a big part of their income.)
There were special offers when I went to checkout. This one was a surprise to me! I went to checkout and some bonus offers popped up. Most of them weren’t ones I would use and almost all of them were for items I’d never heard of before. But, one of the offers was for Maple Brown Sugar Swirl bread for just $1.50/loaf — which is a GREAT deal!

My order came exactly as I had ordered. The only one complaint I had was that I noticed one of the packs of bacon didn’t seem 100% airtight/vacuum packed. It didn’t look like it was bad or anything and I stuck it right in the freezer and I think it will be okay. But, I wouldn’t have picked that package for myself. That said, I’ve been told it is very easy to go on the app and submit a ticket if something is wrong with your order and they’ll refund it.

How I Menu Plan

If you’re new here, I don’t do a rigid meal plan most weeks; I usually just make sure we have enough on hand for 8-10 different dinners and then I plan that day what we’re having based upon the time I have and what sounds good.

I know that this system doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s worked pretty well for this season. I also make sure to have back-up emergency dinner options in the freezer (chicken nuggets/strips + frozen pizza) so that if I just don’t feel like cooking at all or run out of time, we still have options that are much less expensive than takeout.

If you are the type who needs a structured meal plan and you feel stuck in a rut, check out my 10 Weeks of Money-Saving Menus for some of our very favorite inexpensive and easy recipes — all done for you, complete with grocery lists! (And you can also download my FREE 60 Meals to Make Instead of Getting Takeout list for some great last-minute dinner ideas.)

What We Ate This Past Week

Sunday: Papa John’s Pizza while watching the Chief’s game!

Monday: Mac & Cheese and Sourdough Bread

Tuesday: Breakfast Casserole (using what we had on hand — sausage, eggs, frozen potatoes, cheese, and milk)

Wednesday: Fend For Yourself (Silas had a basketball game and the school bought Chick-fil-A for them, Kaitlynn went out to dinner on her own, Jesse and I and the younger kids had leftovers)

Thursday: Marinated Chicken, Steamed Veggies, Avocados, and Sourdough Bread

Friday: Jesse and I went out with another couple, Kaitlynn got takeout, the younger kids had mac & cheese, and Silas had dinner at a friend’s house

Saturday: Frozen Lasagna, Green Beans, Sourdough bread

The kids have been eating lots of cereal around here since there have been so many cereal deals recently. It makes such a quick breakfast and our teens love it for an after-school snack!

My sourdough game is going strong! This past week, I made two loaves of bread, Banana Sourdough Pancakes, and Sourdough English Muffins.

These Sourdough English Muffins were definitely the most time-intensive sourdough recipe I’ve made so far. They were delicious and it felt pretty fulfilling to see how beautifully they turned out. (It was my first time to make English Muffins!)

I think they will be easier to make next time — now that I know how to make them!

Psst! Want a much easier recipe? Check out my Homemade English Muffin Bread recipe.

Next up, I want to try making homemade sauerkraut and am still waiting on my water kefir grains to come in and my Kombucha Kit to come in. What other from scratch ideas should I try??

Here was the Banana Pancake recipe I used. I added about a cup and a half of milk to the recipe, also, since it was too thick (I think she may have left off milk on the ingredients listed?)

Micah and I went to visit Kathrynne at her house in Murfreesboro on Friday and he loved helping her do her dishes. She’s become quite the cook since moving out! Almost every week, she’s trying some new recipe. This past week, she perfected Shrimp Fried Rice!

The best deals at Kroger this week were the bacon ($2.99), the Malt-O-Meal cereal ($1.49), the Brown Sugar Bread ($1.50), and deli meat ($3.99).

I also stocked up on flour, got a few packages of beef hot dogs, picked up 5 packages of cheese to stick in the freezer, got some toilet paper and bath salts, and 5 18-packs of eggs ($1.99 each with the digital coupon).

My total for all the groceries delivered to my door (including tax): $153.19

Our grocery budget is $150/week, so I’m $10 under for January, adding up all of my receipts from the month. YAY!

Shared Jan 27, 2024 comment

Weekly Recap: A crazy travel story + fun family updates

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 27, 2024 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to my weekly recap post where I share a little peek into our week, share some links to things I don’t want you to miss, and highlight some things you may not have seen on the blog this week.

So much has happened over the last few weeks, so this past week, Jesse and I sat down and recorded a podcast episode filled with lots of family updates and news. I share a crazy travel story, talk about my surprising sourdough journey, we give you some can’t-miss cold shower updates (please laugh!), talk about a book I finished recently, and tell you about a book light we love!

We hope that this podcast episode feels like you are sitting in our living room with us chatting about life and things we’re thinking about, trying, reading, and learning. We also touch on how our commitment to circadian rhythm and sunlight before screens is going and talk about how we are challenging ourselves outside our comfort zones for personal growth.

Psst! We also offer you a coupon code on my new 10 Weeks of Money-Saving Menus — exclusive to our podcast listeners! Listen to the episode here.

Links You Might Be Interested In:

What We Ate Last Week + What We Bought at the Grocery Store — instead of posting my menu plan and grocery purchases, since I often reverse meal plan, I thought I’d share with you what we ate this past week and then what we bought for this coming week. I don’t do a rigid meal plan most weeks; I usually just make sure we have enough on hand for 8-10 different dinners and then I plan that day what we’re having based upon the time I have and what sounds good. See what we ate and what we boug ht.
35 Things You Don’t Need to Buy — Looking to lower your grocery bill or your overall budget? Here’s a post with 35 Things You Don’t Need to Buy. You might not agree with everything on the list (you probably won’t!) But I’m guessing it might make you think!
If you love deals, don’t miss the Top 10 Deals From This Past Week post! There’s a hot deal on Under Armour, Nutella, Ball Mason Jars, Tarte Shape Tape, Free People, Mrs. Meyer’s, and more!
ABC Date Night #1 — Jesse and I are working our way through the alphabet this year with letter-themed date nights. Our goal is to finish the entire alphabet by the end of the year. See where we went and what we did for our A-themed date last week.
Some Pics From My Trip to Kansas — I had such a great trip to Kansas to be with my parents (minus the flight issues and overnight stay at the airport!). I shared some pictures and details from my trip here.

Every Saturday, I send out a newsy personal letter from me sharing what books I’m reading (and very honest reviews of them!) products and resources I’m loving, what movies/shows we’re watching, plus insider news, thoughts, and recommendations I only share with my email subscribers. If you’re not subscribed, you are missing out!

Shared Jan 27, 2024 comment

Brigette’s $83 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by Brigette on January 27, 2024 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My older sister, Brigette, shares her shopping trips and menu plans every week! You can go HERE to see all of her weekly menu plans and you can go HERE to read all about her family!

We started off the week with so many leftovers in our fridge! I picked up what we needed at the store, but it’s much less than my usual haul.

Aldi

2 gallons Milk – $4.34

2 1-lb bags Green Lentils – $1.98

1 3-lb bag Sweet Potatoes – $2.29

1 bunch Bananas – $1.16

1 3-ct pkg Multi-Colored Peppers – $2.69

1 3-ct pkg Green Peppers – $1.89

1 3-lb Pink Lady Apples – $3.99

1 3-lb bag Mandarin Oranges – $3.59

1 large tub Organic Spring Mix – $3.89

1 carton Baby Bella Mushrooms – $1.29

2 bags Romaine Hearts – $5.18

4 cans Diced Tomatoes – $3.56

4 cans Chili Beans – $3.16

1 can Kidney Beans – $0.79

1 can Black-Eyed Peas – $1.15

3 dozen Eggs – $4.82

1 bags Pepperoni – $2.49

2 bags Chocolate Chips – $3.78

1 box Honey Crunch Oats – $2.59

1 box Honey Wheat Puffs – $2.09

1 box Crunchy Raisin Bran – $2.69

2 32-oz bags Shredded Cheese – $13.98

1 8-oz pkg Deli Sliced Cheese – $1.89

1 16-oz pkg Deli Sliced Ham – $4.35

1 loaf Bread – $0.50

1 4-lb bag Sugar – $3.09

Grocery Total for the Week: $83.22