Hey there, friends. Woooo, it’s been a hot minute since we’ve done a grocery recap. Will I even remember how to do it?
Many a SavEar noticed that in early May the grocery trips came to a halt. There were some very kind inquiries along the lines of, “What’s going on? Is your family still eating?” Good news, my family has not starved these past two months. The meals have looked a little different, sure, but sustenance is sustenance, am I right?
You may remember that my last documented grocery trip did not go well. What with the queasy stomach and the generally difficult time, I was a little traumatized by grocery shopping. I live in a small town, with few options for food. While I was committed to making a Target trip once every two weeks, there was no way I could subsist on Target food alone. What is a gal with a rumbling tum to do?
Enter Mr. B, my hero. He picked up the grocery shopping slack, and let me tell you, for the most part he did pretty decently. Sure, there was the day he came home with some “sale” cheese that was very expensive, but it was gouda and it was delicious, so what can you do? Mr. B did very well with the list I gave him, but wasn’t as adept at coupons and grabbing manager specials. I loaded up our digital coupons to our Kroger card, so that was simple enough, but I didn’t task him with all the tips and tricks I would have used. As a result we stayed (mostly) within budget, but not so under budget that the Disney fund was growing rapidly.
Which is okay. We’ve talked a lot on this series about savings and quality of life. Often times our savings improve our quality of life, but sometimes we become so distracted by the savings game that it can negatively impact our quality of life.
For the B Family, we had to let the positives outweigh the negatives. I wasn’t able to do the shopping trips, but someone else was. Yes, he wasn’t the savvy shopper that I had trained myself to be, but he’s a smart dude who knows what food is. For a few weeks, he could handle the bulk of the shopping. Did we make a bunch of money? No. Did we lose money? No! So, I’ll call that a win.
And now I’m back and (hopefully) better than ever. Except listen to this. Do you know what my Kroger did in the two months I was gone? They rearranged everything. I went down what I thought was the cereal aisle, only to be greeted by pickles and salad dressing. So not only did I feel like a rusty old heap getting back into my shopping rhythm, but now I didn’t even know where I was going.
I asked Mr. B if he noticed the change in the aisles. His response? “They weren’t always like that?” Ah, bless him.
So let’s get back into it. It’ll be just like riding a bike.
- Atlantic Salmon, .5 lb-$3.47. Manager’s Special!
- Bananas, 1.83 lb-$1.01.
- Blueberries, pint (2)-$6. In store sale.
- Boar’s Head Glazed Turkey, .75 lb-$7.19.
- Cherries, 1.28 lb-$2.55. In store sale, 50% off!
- Creamette Pasta (4)-$2. 4 for $4 in store sale, stack with $2 off 4 Creamette Pasta *Digital Coupon*
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 5.77 lbs-$11.50.
- Mangoes, (2)-$1.98.
- Multi Grain Cheerios-$1.49. $2.49 in store sale stack with $1 Off GM Cereal *Digital Coupon*.
- Nature’s Own Multi Grain Craft Bread-$0. Free Friday Download *Digital Coupon*.
- Parrano Gouda with Truffle Oil-$3.07. Manager’s Special.
- Private Selection Angus Steak, 2.62 lbs-$13.12. Down to $4.99 with in store sale, saving me 50%.
- Private Selection Ice Cream, pint (2)-$3.58. Don’t sleep on the Private Selection Pints! You can get 3 for the price of one Ben & Jerry’s, and the flavors are everything. Matcha Green Tea! Southern Pecan Swirl! Denali Chocolate Moose Tracks!
- Private Selection Pepperoni, .5 lb-$3.56.
- Romaine Lettuce, .78 lb-$.77.
- Strawberries, 2 lbs-$1.97. In store sale.
- Tomatoes on the Vine, 1.40 lbs-$1.39.In store sale, .99 a lb!
- Welsh Cheddar-$2.64. Manager’s Special.
- Apps I’ll Submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta (.85 off Nature’s Own Craft Bread)
Total Budget: $75
Total Spent: $67.29
Total Saved: $30.36
Rolled Over to Next Trip: $7.71
We made it thorough! On to next week, full steam ahead. How have your shopping trips been while I’ve been gone? Do you have your partner trained to do smart shopping? Let me know your thoughts down below.
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 three 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!