Couponing to Disney

The almond milk strikes again.

This week’s casualty to almond milk was rosemary, of which I am out and will be until the next grocery trip. Don’t worry about me too much. I do have some marjoram, so I’ll be able to soldier on.

I was thinking today: this is the cheapest my groceries will ever be. This trip right here, with too much almond milk and not enough cheese and no rosemary whatsoever, this will be my least expensive grocery trip for the foreseeable future. I will never spend less on groceries than I did on this trip. Give or take a few bucks.

My children will only continue to grow. In order to grow, they need food. Which I must buy. In increasing increments, for the rest of my foreseeable future. And as they grow, they will need even more food. Which I must buy. In increasing increments, for the rest of my foreseeable future. They will never stop growing and they will never stop needing more food. I don’t know why this concept was such a surprise to me, but today definitely feels like turning point. The least expensive grocery trip of the rest of my life.

And it’s littered with almond milk.

The worst part is, the almond milk is actually very good. The Frying Pan needs it, but the Glass Slipper likes it more than she likes regular milk. Mr. B likes to put it in his morning protein shakes. Everyone is pro almond milk, and even though I have warned them that it is only a temporary addition to our menus, I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll be drinking it forever. Or at least the foreseeable future. It gets drunk way quicker than the cow milk did, and it last longer in the fridge. It’s really wins all around. The almond milk has defeated me.

The last two grocery trips, something has had to be sacrificed for the almond milk. I made this sacrifice (mostly) willingly, because I knew that this was just a short term solution to a time sensitive issue. I mean, she can’t potty train forever. But I never counted on the whole family falling in love with almond milk. If this becomes a regular thing, we might have to make some more permanent changes elsewhere on the shopping list. We may have to say goodbye to the weekly ice cream, or even, (sob) the rewards cheeses.

Having to re-think our budget after such a recent increase got me a little shook. I was already feeling the weight of future grocery budgets and now the future was here before I was ready for it, all thanks to almond milk.

Almond miiiiiiiilllk!

Looking at our food budget I did a quick calculation. Our monthly food budget, divided by the number of days in a month made our daily food budget. Our daily food budget divided by the number of people in our home made a per person daily budget. By doing those numbers, it turns out we’re spending less than $5 A DAY per person to feed this family. You can break it down even farther and say that per meal, each child is costing me less than $2. Not only did that number make me feel GREAT about where our food budget is, it was super encouraging in regards to the future. The potential budget in the future seems a lot less daunting when the money I’m spending now turns out to be beyond reasonable. Starting at a reasonable pace makes the impending increases feel more manageable. The numbers may one day climb to as much as $10 a day. It’s double what I pay per kid now and it’s still an achievable amount.

I’m glad I stuck with my grocery resolution to do the math, even if it wasn’t the in-store math I originally meant. By doing the math, I was realized there isn’t anything to be afraid of when it comes to future grocery trips. Even almond milk.

• Bananas, 1.50 lb-$.83.
• Bell Peppers (4)-$5. In-store sale, 4 for $5.
• Blackberries, 6 oz (4)-$3.96. In- store sale for $.99 each.
• Boar’s Head Honey Maple Turkey, 1 lb-$9.69.
• Boar’s Head Sandwich Pepperoni, 1lb -$8.54.
• Comte Cheese-$2.49.
• Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 4.73 lbs-$9.43.
• Honey Bunches of Oats (2)-$3.98. $1 off original price of $2.99 with *Digital Coupon*.
• Kroger Ground Turkey, 4 lbs-$11.16. *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off each.
• Mangoes (2)-$1.98.
• Mozzarella Ball-$2.99.
• Private Selection Whole Wheat Bread-$1.99.
• Private Selection Brioche Buns-$1.99.
• Private Selection Ice Cream, .5 gal-$4.99. $1 off with *Digital Coupon*.
• Red Leaf Lettuce, .88 lb-$1.49.
• Red Grapes, 1.77 lbs-$1.73.
• Roma Tomatoes, .87 lbs-$1.12.
• Silk Almond Milk (2)-$3.98. *Digital Coupon* for $1 off each Silk Milk.
• Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta ($.25 off Any Item), Checkout 51 (.25 off Bananas)

                                        Total Budget: $81.63

                                       Total Spent: $82.71

                                       Total Saved: $18.92

                                       Deducted from Next Trip: $1.08

Is there one thing you hate buying on grocery trips? What is it? Have you ever had to sacrifice buying something you love, like cheese, for something you need, like prunes? Tell me your stories in the comments!

Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey five years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!