My sweet husband is so sweet, you guys. He is a the kind of guy they write greeting cards about. Kind, enthusiastic, proactive, loving, considerate, goes grocery shopping with me…I mean, the list goes on.
I asked my sweet husband what he wanted for Father’s Day. His response? “Just to spend time with my girls. And maybe mow the lawn.” This guy! Even on Father’s Day he’s serving his family. So okay, what would you like to eat on Father’s Day, in between the quality time with girls and lawns? “I love everything you make.” AWWWWWW. “But I would really love some Sausage Stuffed Peppers.”
Record scratch.
Sausage Stuffed Peppers is a recipe I made up one day because I had vague memories of eating something similar in my youth and I had a bunch of random ingredients I needed to get rid of. It turned out to be a major hit with Mr. B, but I don’t make it on the regular because the sale cycle never seems to line up for all the items.
First, peppers are expensive. Sometimes I get get 4 for $5, but more often than not they’re 2 or 3 for $5. Not a great deal. Shredded cheese is expeeeeensive. I normally buy blocks of cheese with my leftover household budget at Costco and do the shredding at home. It’s more cost effective and frees up space in my grocery budget. Sometimes, if I’m REALLY under budget, I’ll get some shredded mozzarella cheese, as a treat. Cheese treats.
Budgeting for Costco is a little harder since 1) their sale cycle is made of surprises and 2) we never know how much toilet paper, diapers, dish detergent we need until right before we leave. Such is the joy of parenting small kids. One minute you have enough diapers for a week. The next, you have no diapers and you’re wearing a crown made of toilet paper.
But I was talking about cheese.
Point is, sometimes there is shredded mozzarella cheese at my house and sometimes there is not. But I’m not buying it from Kroger, where a pound costs around $4, and I can get two 2.5 pound bags for $10 at Costco. That comes out to $2 a pound, which, yeah, duh. But my next Costco trip isn’t until Friday, due to distance and budgetary concerns, so we’re currently a mozzarella free zone.
But sale cycle be darned, because if Mr. B wants Sausage Stuffed Peppers for Father’s Day, then he shall them! I shall not be thwarted by costly cheese or pricey peppers!
But for real, I was almost thwarted by costly cheese.
I went into this shopping trip with a good idea of meal plans based on the sale cycle. It was a pretty average week. Some great prices, some regular prices, nothing too crazy. I was prepared to cut some corners to make these peppers happen.
First, I needed sausage. Done and done. Sausage is one of those things that I buy a ton of when it’s on sale ($2 a pound being the best price I can find) and then freeze it. It is either a sausage feast or a sausage famine at Case de B. Currently, we’re feast level.
Next, canned tomatoes. Remember that coupon I forgot to use from the great Mother’s Day coupon fest? Perfect! Four cans of tomatoes for the price of three.
Onto the star of the show, the peppers. Here, the grocery fairies smiled upon me. While peppers were indeed pricey (2 for $3, yikes) I happed to notice a glint of pepper top from the “misshapen” vegetable stand. My Kroger does this thing where they bag up misshapen produce and sell it at a discount. Which is how I got three peppers for $.99! I threw in one of the full priced peppers because I need four, but still. $2.50 for four peppers is nothing to sneeze at.
Finally. The cheese. It always comes back to the cheese. The mozzarella was full price and every molecule in my smart shopper body was hollering, “turn back! There lies the way of madness and full priced cheeeeeeese!” But then I remembered the face of my sweet husband. Because he was standing right next to me, going, “Why are you making that weird face at the cheese?”
You know I bought it. You know he’s getting those peppers. I would buy a hundred cheeses for this guy.
Assorted Produce-$.99. Dem peppers!
Bananas, 2.34 lb -$1.38.
Boar’s Head Sandwich Pepperoni, .75 lb -$6.74.
Green Grapes, 2.37 lb-$2.09. $.88 a pound thanks to an in-store sale!
Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 5.03 lb-$10.01.
Kroger Ground Turkey, 2 lb-$5.28. One *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off regular price of $3.29, and one pound was on Manager’s Special for $2.49.
Kroger Shredded Cheese, 1 lb-$3.69.
Parrano Gouda-$5.74.
Porkback Ribs, 3.01 lb-$9. In store sale, $2.99 a pound.
Private Selection Pasta (5)-$4.05. Down to $.99 each with Buy 5, Save $5, stacked with TWO *Digital Coupons* for $.45 off one Private Selection Pasta. Not sure how I ended up with two of those, but great job me!
Private Selection Brioche Buns-$1.69. *Digital Coupon* for $.30 off.
Private Selection Honey Turkey, .5 lb -$4.12.
Red Bell Pepper (1)-$1.50.
Red Gold Canned Tomatoes (4)-$2.76. Coupon for $.80 off 4 Cans.
Red Leaf Lettuce, 1.11 lb-$1.88.
Ribeye Steak, 1.12 lb-$10.15. Manager’s Special!
Roma Tomatoes, 1.12 lb-$1.11.
Strawberries, 2 lb-$4.
Vidalia Onions, 2.35 lb-$3.03.
Yellow Peaches, 3.83 lb-$2.18. In store sale of $.57 a pound!!
Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta ($.10 Off Any Item), CoinOut
Total Budget: $97.67
Total Spent: $81.39
Total Saved: $21.25
Rolled Over to Next Trip: $16.28
A very happy Father’s Day to all the dudes out there crushing the Dad game!
What is your spouse’s favorite meal that you make? What are you making this Father’s Day? What is the one thing you hate buying at retail price? I want to know 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!