After taking the week off from grocery shopping last week, we did more stocking up this week. Here’s what we bought:
My husband took my coupons–and children!–to the store earlier in the week and came home with the above. Get this, he only spent $27.12 and he saved $71. Yep, he’s quite the bargain shopper. And he had both girls with him, too. I’m impressed–as usual!
I went to the health food store, Aldi, and Walmart later on in the week and got all of the above for just under $20–which I was very happen about considering quite a bit of it was organic! (The girls asked if they could be in the picture and then they had fun posing with silly faces!)
Since we saved up enough to pay cash for a house a few months ago, one of the few budget changes we’ve made was adding a gym membership for my husband. It’s not something our frugal natures ever thought we’d do, but it works out much better for my husband’s schedule and it also has been a much greater motivation for him than trying to exercise at home.
He loves it and I love that he’s putting forth a lot of effort to be physically fit and healthy. The only thing is that he also needs to add more protein into his diet, so I ordered the above for free using Amazon gift cards I earned through Swagbucks.
All told, we’ve spent around $115 total on groceries this month. The $45 left in our grocery envelope should easily last us through the end of this month.
________________________________
Did you snag any great deals or bargains this week or save money in other ways? If so, be sure to post about them on your blog and leave your link below. Please remember that this weekly round-up is to share deals you personally got and/or money you were able to save this week. In order to keep this weekly round-up focused on helping and inspiring others in their efforts to save money, links which have little-to-no content other than promoting affiliate links, etc. will be deleted. Also, to make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.
I am new to this…so I have to ask.
You do get alot of groceries for your money but where are the main dishes? Lunchmeat for sandwiches? Meat for dinner? Etc….
Thanks, any pointers are greatly appreciated:)
Horizon Milk! Where do you get coupons for your milk? I have 3 kiddos and try really hard to only give organic dairy products, and y almost 2 year old is going to drink us broke! I would love access to Horizon CPNS. And I am defitnely going to have to search for ways make produce a better bargain. Seems impossible in my area (other that I do by in season and on sale).
I wish our health food store sold produce (and marked it down! lol!) but I can’t complain. At least we have one! Thanks for all the motivating posts… I’ve been following along for over a year now and I finally feel like I’m starting to “get it”. Whoo-hoo! :o)
Have a question!!!! I just started doing the swagbucks. Great fun to watch them add up. Turned in for my first Amazon card 3 wks ago. I verified it but then nothing else happened. How do you receive the card? What is the next step to get the card? Help:) thanks
great job- we never get produced marked down up here in the north
I always look forward to your Super Savings Saturday pictures! I have a grocery tip I’d like to share for stocking up on meat at a great price. My husband was very disappointed this hunting season when he didn’t get a deer, but then he recently found out that all we had to do was call the meat processing company near us to see if there were any unclaimed deer. What apparantly happens quite often is that a hunter will drop off a deer to be processed and never show up to pay for it. Each deer costs $80 to process and provides roughly 50-60 pounds of venison. The meat is already wrapped in freezer paper, labelled and frozen. I am SO glad I participated in the pantry/freezer challenge so we had enough room in the freezer to take advantage of this deal!
I love your site/blog! Thanks for your openness and vulnerability. I agree about the gym membership! Very important! Our family of 5 swims at the family swim every Friday evening after dinner. The kids love the tradition, and BOY DO THEY SLEEP WELL THAT NIGHT! Hubby and I also have joined the Y’s Master (adult) swim team. It is a great time of bonding, plus physical exercise. Working out together and having goals together is great for the relationship.
Thanks again for all your work! God bless!
I’ll be sharing some of our new financial goals at the end of my series on Saving 100% Down for our first home. Stay tuned for more details on that.
@Crystal,
I was going to ask the same thing as reading your goals helps me stick to mine!
Your hubby did a great job! Also, it must feel great to be able to add extras into your budget now, having the leeway to add things like a gym membership! You guys deserve it – good going! I spent $1.68 on $32 worth of stuff at Harris Teeter this week, but I compensated for it by spending too much on corn dogs for hubby’s birthday dinner, and then getting things for his birthday party tonight. 🙂 All told, I went over budget!
We have many silly family pictures-all of us. The funny thing is that even babies make silly faces for these pictures. They are the ones I treasure the most as it shows everyone’s personalities, especially now that they are all adults and live all over.
Wow! He did a really good job!
I’m so glad you shared about your gym membership. We have been considering this as a family and really feel it would be a great benefit to us for many, many reasons. My husband really wants us to do it, and we qualify for a very reasonable rate at our local YMCA, but I have been hanging back thinking we shouldn’t spend that money because we can always find cheap/free ways to work out. So it was nice to see that even a family whose fruaglity I aspire to does sometimes chose to spend on something that will benefit their family, even if it’s not the least expensive way. I know we all have to make our own choices and that I should not compare my family to yours, but just seeing this post of yours has lifted a mental block for me. Thank you for sharing! And for everything you do!
Your girls are too cute!
Great finds this week!
Love the cute picture of the girls…Ironically enough, my 3 year old son, was desperate to pose by our grocery stash this week too! What they must think watching us take pictures of ‘groceries’ week after week! 🙂
I’ve always considered my gym membership to be money well spent because of the long-term health benefits and stress relief!! We belong to a Y, so we also get money off thing like swim lessons so it really is a good deal for us. They also have family nights when the indoor pool is open for free swim in the middle of the winter (no additional cost). And I pay nothing extra for childwatch like a lot of “gyms” and my son actually enjoys going with me. On the off occasion dad is home and we let him choose to stay with dad or come to Y, he usually choose the Y! Investing in your health is a wise decision, even for frugal people!
How is the house hunting going? I was just wondering this morning if you had found a home. I remember you posted a few weeks ago that you would like to be closed on your new home and moved by the end of April.
We’ve been diligently looking, but have yet to find anything we really love. The market seems pretty slow right now, so we’re just patiently waiting. It’s looking like we’re not going to find something by April, but we’re okay with waiting because we don’t want to buy something just to buy something, you know?
Crystal, what a victory. I still can’t get hubby to use coupons. That’s Great!
Great savings!
I am sure you have checked into this but some insurance companies reimburse for gym memberships if you go on a regular basis–another way to save on this worthwhile expense 🙂
All I can say is… WOW…and you guys amaze me!
My question is if you could do a post on how you get fruits/veggies/produce for so cheap. I need help in this area as I do not let me girls eat too much processed foods but I want to save money just the same.
My biggest advice is to buy what’s in season and on sale and plan your menus around that. In addition, figure out what stores discount produce and when they do so and plan your shopping trips around that. It really is not hard to get loads of fresh produce inexpensively if you’re willing to get a little creative.
Your daughters are adorable! We’re a frugal family too but do have a yearly membership at our local aquatic center (pools and fitness equipment) that is very worth it to us! Keep up your incredible work. You’re an inspiration!
I always love your Saturday shopping photos – the top one is very colorful! It’s great that you can find a grocery store that marks down all that wonderful produce. Sometimes I find stuff at my grocery store (like 3 peppers (multicolor) for only 75 cents!). Will just have to keep my eye open for more.
My 4 girls wanted to be in my grocery picture this week, too!
http://momforhim.blogspot.com/2010/02/weekly-shopping-they-paid-me-again.html
Great post! I just wanted to add that if you are purchasing protein powder, Isopure brand is sold on Amazon and in my opinion is the best. I’ve only tasted the Dutch Chocolate flavor, but it was sooo good. Just thought I’d share. 🙂
Thanks for the suggestion! We’re all new to this protein stuff. Hubby’s having fun experimenting and learning!
I can’t believe how little you spend, especially at the health food store! I’ve been tracking my groceries this month and I’m already over my budget by >$800! You are a rock star!
Great job! That gym membership will pay great dividends in keeping your hubby healthy, out of the doctor’s office, and around for many more productive, happy years.
my girls (6 and 4) love to make silly faces too! thanks for sharing!
Crystal, did you get the $0.99 organic veggies at the health food store or Aldi?
Thanks!
The health food store. Our Aldi doesn’t mark down produce that often, but our health food store has incredible mark-downs!
Thanks for sharing all of the great bargains you find! I’m a newbie so your blog is a big source of encouragement for me. 🙂
So jealous of all the organic produce steals! Way to go!
Congrats! You are amazing at this. I’m trying so hard to learn and we desperately need to save and cut where we can as we are super duper poor and a family of five! Thanks for all your hard work on your blog. Here’s hoping I can be as good as you someday!
Jeez…wish my hubby would do that! He won’t even shop without coupons if I’m not with him….and then he usually goes to the car when we get to checkout. 🙂
Crystal, great job to you, Jesse and the girls on your shopping. Enjoy your site. The girls are learning and don’t even realize it.
Mark
http://www.FrugalFloridian.com
“How and Where to SAVE in Florida”.
All I can say is… your husband rocks! Mine almost won’t touch grocery shopping with a ten foot pole 😛 (Though he did go with me this week since preggy body + loading/unloading groceries = doesn’t work so well.)
PS: Dear Aldi, Please come to my area!
help… i can’t the first link off. The second link is to the right page..the first link was the default link to my main page?
Fixed it for you!
@Crystal,
Thanks, sorry about that.
I am loving the picture with the silly smiles 🙂