Not pictured: bananas and half my blackberries. It was a whole thing.
The sun is shining! The birds are singing! I went to Kroger this week with a $15 surplus!
Last week I theorized that it was nice to have a little cushion in your budget, as opposed to spending the money just because you had it to spend. What I did not realize was what a pep that cushion would put in my step. Heading to the grocery store with almost an extra quarter of my budget made me see the world a little differently. No food options were out of my reach. The Kroger was my oyster. Is this how Bristol K feels all the time, I wonder?
I’ll tell you what it feels like. It feels like grocery shopping before Mr. B and I had the princesses. When I was working full time, and we had two incomes to do whatever we liked with. We bought whatever we wanted whenever we wanted, focused on foods that offered the most convenience, and I never once cried at a grocery store. In those days, I never had to confront the fear that comes with a budget and no sales. You don’t know what you got til it’s gone, eh?
There was no such thing as budget then. We spent what we spent and no harm done. Trips usually ran around $150. A week. For two people. I told Mr. B that our budget is currently half of what it used to be, even though we have three extra people. His response: “What were we eating, solid gold?”
The reality is, we were young and dumb. No one had taught us to budget and we didn’t know what we didn’t know. Even after I had the Glass Slipper and went to part-time, we were pretty clueless when it came to shopping. Sure, I would buy things on sale, but I would buy more things not on sale. I couldn’t have picked a coupon out of a lineup.
Things changed once we were pregnant with the Frying Pan and decided I would stay home. While very pregnant and very hungry, I chanced upon a little a blog called Couponing to Disney. Maybe you’ve heard of it? The very first post I ever read was Kristin’s Aldi Grocery Trip Recap and I could not believe my eyes. How was this woman doing this? How was she feeding a family of four on less than what it cost me to feed a family of two and a half?
I started following the blog obsessively, joined the Facebook group, and four years later, I’m the one writing the grocery recaps. And now when I ask myself how that woman is feeding a family of five on less than what I used to feed a family of two, that woman is me! And I know the answer. Smart shopping and smart saving. It’s hard to believe a few years ago I could not wrap my head around one app, let alone the three or four I use per grocery trip.
As my anniversary of writing for the blog approaches (two years on the 14th!), I’ve been feeling very nostalgic for the sweet, naive, terrible shopper I used to be, and very grateful to be in the position I am now, where I can make informed decisions about food costs while still feeding my family healthy, delicious foods.
- Bananas, 2.03lb -$1.20.
- Bell Peppers (3)-$3.75.
- Blackberries, 6oz (4)-$3.96.
- Boar’s Head Sandwich Pepperoni, 1lb -$8.99.
- Clementines, 3 lb-$3.99.
- Cucumber-$.59.
- Creamette Pasta (6)-$2.94. Buy 6, Save $3 brought them down to $.49 each.
- Honey Bunches of Oats (3)-$5.37. Only $1.79 each with Buy 6, Save $3. That’s almost half off regular price!
- Private Selection Whole Wheat Bread-$1.99.
- Private Selection Wildflower Honey Turkey, 1lb-$7.64.
- Porkback Ribs, 3.08 lb-$12.29.
- Red Gold Canned Tomatoes (2)-$1.78.
- Red Leaf Lettuce, .84 lb-$1.42.
- Roma Tomatoes .85 lb-$.84.
- RX Bar-$0. Free Friday *Digital Coupon*.
- Simple Truth Organic Chocolate Almond Milk-$2.79.
- Smoked Swiss-$2.19.
- Smuckers Red Plum Jam-$1.99. Part of B6S3.
- Stovetop Stuffing-$1.67. On sale and I had a CRAVING. Don’t judge me.
- Sweet Baby Ray’s Sauce (2)-$2.98. Part of Buy 6, Save $3.
- Sweet Onions, 2.79 lb-$2.76.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta ($.10 off Any Item, $1 off Two Creamette Pastas), Checkout 51 ($.25 off Onions, $.25 off Cheese), CoinOut
Total Budget: $100.11
Total Spent: $86.30
Total Saved: $37.13
Rolled Over to Next Trip : $13.81
What’s something you used to spend a ton of money on before you knew better? What’s the worst grocery choice you made in the past? What’s the best grocery choice you’ve made recently? Gimme your thoughts 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!