Not pictured: the bread and bananas. Because my child hid them and I didn’t realize it until just now.
The stress was real with this grocery trip.
When I sit down to write these trip recaps, a theme usually emerges pretty quickly. And where there is theme, there is a takeaway, a moral, a life lesson. I would never have thought that weekly grocery recaps would teach me so much about my life and myself, but it makes a kind of sense. Grocery trips combine many elements that are center stage for me right now: money (and budgeting), food (and cooking it), managing kids (and baby), and making a home for my family (or at least keeping the one we have standing). It’s not surprising, then, that in reflecting how these trips went I would see the ways in which I succeeded (or failed) and contemplate how I got to that particular success (or failure). After all, isn’t our ability to reflect and see the bigger picture what separates us from the animals?
Well maybe I would have been better off as an aardvark because, you guys, THE STRESS WAS REAL with this trip.
I’ve been thinking about it since yesterday, written about four different versions of this post, and guess what? I have no life lessons this time. I have no reflections. I might be an aardvark.
I may have mentioned (about 200 times) that my Frying Pan is potty training. Her big sister, the Glass Slipper, potty trained like a champ. Five days and she was done. The Frying Pan is on her fifth month. AND. THE. STRESS. IS. REAL.
Without getting too graphic, some components are very easy for her. Other components, less so. Which results in either a lot of mess or a very uncomfortable three year old. One of those lose-lose situations, I think they call it.
I went into this trip at Stress Level Real because of the potty training situation. We were having a particularly uncomfortable weekend and I was worried it was about to turn messy, but we were also out of food. Another one of those lose-loses I was talking about.
To help combat the situation, our pediatrician had recommended adding some high fiber foods to the Frying Pan’s diets, things like prunes, pears, and almond milk. You know what things are expensive? High fiber things! The prunes alone are like $40.
So here I am, trying to purchase expensive things that my child needs while also staying within budget and providing food for the other four people that live in our house, all while rushing around because I am very convinced said child will have an accident in the middle of Kroger. Have I mentioned the stress?
Through some miracle, I managed to pay and get the kids to the door. But then. But then I looked at the receipt. My $.50 coupon for Ground Turkey hadn’t gone through. That pound of turkey was $3.29, and I only bought it because I had the coupon. Accidents be darned, I marched us over to the Guest services counter, where I explained I wanted to return the turkey because my coupon hadn’t gone through. The very sweet gal at the counter must have misheard me or misunderstood, because she took my Kroger card, ignored the pound of turkey in my hand and handed me back fifty cents.
Picture it: me standing there, a pound of turkey in one hand, two quarters in the other, and two small children merrily singing their ABCs as they ran circles around me.
The stress was so real! Those two quarters broke me. What am I going to do with these two quarters? I had risked my sanity and Kroger’s clean floors for two quarters? For fifty cents?? I just had to close my eyes and take a deep breath.
By the time I got everyone home, with that stupid full priced pound of turkey, I didn’t know which way was up. Mr. B got home and asked politely, “How was shopping?” And I just kind of sighed and growled and rolled by eyes and mumbled something about quarters and prunes. Even though the stress had been so real, in that moment, looking back on it, I couldn’t really explain it. He laughed, gave me a kiss, and replied, “Well, you survived anyway.”
Truth.
Sometimes there is no moral or life lesson. Sometimes you’re going to have stressful shopping trips. And you just gotta survive.
- Anjou Pears, 1.83 lbs-$2.73.
- Bananas, 1.65 lb-$.91.
- Bell Peppers (3) -$4.50.
- Blue Cheese, .5 lb-$1.79. Manager’s Special.
- Boar’s Head Honey Maple Turkey, 1 lb-$10.59.
- Boar’s Head Sandwich Pepperoni,.5 lb-$4.50.
- Chuck Roast, 2.46 lbs-$8.59. Thought I’d give that roast another try!
- Green Grapes, 2.16 lbs-$2.76. In store sale, $1.28 per pound.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 5.16 lbs-$10.27.
- Kroger Prunes-$4.69. Are these prunes made of gold??
- Kroger Ground Turkey 1 lbs-$3.29. Ugh.
- Kroger Rice-$1.49.
- Mangoes (3)-$2.97.
- Pork Spareribs, 4.91 lbs-$8.79. In-store sale for $1.79 a pound!
- Private Selection Ice Cream, pint (3)-$5.
- Private Selection Whole Wheat Bread-$1.99.
- Red Gold Canned Tomatoes (3)-$2.67.
- Red Leaf Lettuce, .78 lb-$1.32.
- Roma Tomatoes, .78 lbs-$1.10.
- Simple Truth Almond Milk (2)-$3.58. $2.79 each, then applied a *Digital Coupon* for $2 off 2 Simple Truth products, bringing it to $1.79 each.
- Strawberries, 2 lbs-$5.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta ($.20 off Any Item, $.75 off 3 Cans Red Gold Tomatoes)
Total Budget: $90.10
Total Spent: $86.95
Total Saved: $32.45
Rolled Over to Next Trip: $3.15
What triggers your stress when you’re out shopping? Anyone else have a long and painful potty training process? Why are prunes so expensive? Give me all 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!
Jenni says
Grocery shopping is the worst! But you’re a champ! I can relate so much to your frustration because I feel like I go through this same battle every other week when I venture to the grocery. And those fancy services where they bring your groceries to your car really aren’t a help, either. I started using Kroger’s Clicklist and ended up with a a package of rotten strawberries that cost over $4. Hang in there!
Kristen says
Thanks for the encouragement, Jenni! I totally know what you mean about those fancy services. I always tell Mr. B, “I am the only person qualified to choose our mangoes!” ;)