The other day at soccer practice (the Glass Slipper’s, not mine) the mother of a new player was asking about my involvement with Couponing to Disney. She had heard from another mom that I “blog”, but was curious what exactly I “blogged” about.
I gave her a run down of the site and the Facebook group the SavEars, talking about the community of Disney loving smart shoppers Kristin Cooper had built. I told her about some of my favorite contributions: the Target clearance trips, the Fund Reports, the Kristen B Sees Movies…and of course, the Kroger Trips.
She could not believe that every week I took the time to write about what groceries I buy. And more than that, she couldn’t believe other people took the time to read it. Could. Not. Believe. And truthfully, neither can I.
The Kroger trips started as an occasional post to show that you could be a smart shopper, according to the Saving to Disney course, even if you had food restrictions. The idea was to illustrate how you could “coupon” even without coupons, using in-store and seasonal sales to save money. As a family we eat a lot of meat and produce to accommodate Mr. B’s Type 1 diabetes. Coupons, paper or digital, are scarce for the foods we buy most frequently. The Kroger trip reports were intended to highlight that you can Coupon to Disney no matter what your circumstances.
No one was more surprised than me when it turned out that people actually liked reading them! Seriously.
When I was pregnant with the Teacup and had to take that short hiatus in the beginning because everything (food, computer screens, air) made me sick, the feedback I got most was: “where are the grocery trip reports?” First of all, #blessed, and second of all, I had no idea people were that invested in my cheese escapades.
But after explaining it to my fellow soccer mom, I think I get why people read the grocery trips… and why I keep writing them.
One of the constants in our lives is food. Vacations, sports, schools…at some point these things will change. The girl who plays soccer today might play softball next year. Middle schoolers become high schoolers who become college students. One summer it’s Disney World and the next thing they’re begging to go to New York or London. Our lives are always evolving, but the thing that never falters? We all need to eat. No matter what sport the Glass Slipper plays, she still needs dinner.
And someone must buy this food that needs the eating. It doesn’t matter what part of the country you live in, what kind of diet your family has, we all have to go to the grocery store and exchange our hard earned cash for a few bananas and some sliced turkey. Grocery stores trips are one of the things we all may have in common.
For me, it’s nice to know that I am not alone in my grocery struggles, be it fear of returning an item or anxiety about “splurging” on the name brand deli meat. Writing these trip reports has helped me work through budget concerns, my growing family, and even my attitude towards purchasing certain types of food. Remember that time I got physically ill in the middle of my shopping trip? One silver lining kept me upright during that terrible grocery trip: “at least this will make a good blog post.”
Whether you’re here for the cheese details, the savings tips, or the embarrassing personal stories, thanks for reading. Writing about my grocery trips has become one of the coolest things that I do, and I wouldn’t be able to without your support.
- Avocado (2)-$1.76.
- Bananas, 2.28lb -$1.35.
- Bell Pepper (4)-$5. In store sale, 4/$5.
- Blue D’avergne Cheese-$1.70.
- Boar’s Head Sandwich Pepperoni, 1lb -$8.81.
- Clementines, 3 lb-$2.87.
- Chuck Roast, 2.47 lb-$9.89.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Thighs, 5.51 lb-$5.46. Down to $.99 a pound with an in-store sale.
- Kroger Cream Cheese (2)-$1.79.
- Kroger Milk, .5 gallon-$88.
- McCormick Organic Chili Pepper-$5.59.
- Private Selection Whole Wheat Bread-$1.99.
- Private Selection Wildflower Honey Turkey, 1lb-$7.79.
- Private Selection Ice Cream, 16 oz (2)-$3.34. In store sale brought these down to $1.67 each.
- Red Gold Canned Tomatoes (3)-$2.67.
- Roma Tomatoes, .93 lb-$.92.
- Sandbar Raw Shrimp, 4 lb -$19.96. $4.99 a pound with a *Digital Coupon* for $6 off each $15.98 bag of 2 pounds.
- Simple Truth Organic Chocolate Almond Milk-$2.29. *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off.
- Simple Truth Organic Baby Puffs-$2.04. *Digital Coupon* for $.25. off.
- Simple Truth Almond Milk Pudding, 4 pk-$1.99. *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off.
- Simple Truth Honey Graham Crackers-$2.49. $.50 off with *Digital Coupon*.
- Strawberries (2)-$5. I store sale, 2/$5.
- Sweet Onions, 2.51 lb-$2.48.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta ($.10 off Any Item, $.60 off 3 Red Gold Canned Tomatoes), CoinOut
Total Budget: $85
Total Spent: $98.30
Total Saved: $36.02
Deducted from Next Trip: $13.30
Okay, yes, after ending last month way under budget, I was hot out the gate this month in the other direction. But I needed those pudding cups! I’ll probably spend the rest of the month trying to make up for it, but at least it will give me something to write about. ;)
What’s something about your grocery trips that people would have a hard time believing? If you could write a blog about one thing you do each week, what would it be? Gimme your best ideas 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!