First grocery trip of February! First grocery trip of the new budget! I’ve got resolutions to check in on, food to buy, but I’m too hype on the shiny newness of this trip, so please excuse me as I open my arms wide, and spin around the produce area like a shorter, rounder, brunette version of Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music.
The store is alive, with the sound of saaaaaaaaaavings
Kroger was ready for me, too. We got in-store sales, we got manager’s specials, we got 5X use *Digital Coupons*! We got everything and a bag of chips. Literally. There were lots of chips at my store.
I was also feeling very emboldened on this trip because of the confirmed data from my grocery experiment. I have long known that the first trip of the month is usually a big trip where I spend a lot of dollars. I am self aware. But then I would feel guilty and nervous for every other grocery trip of the month because of how much I spent that big trip. Every week I wondered, “did stocking up on those sale sausages doom me to a life a constantly being over budget?” It got especially dicey the last few months, as the Teacup has moved to solid food and the Glass Slipper has completed her transformation into a human vacuum.
But the grocery experiment freed me from this anxiety. Firstly, I now have a more reasonable budget for my family’s size and dietary needs. Secondly, I have firm proof, that my later trips of the month are always smaller not because I spend too much money the first week, but because I get what I most need the first trip. In fact, one day when I have a ton of free time, maybe I’ll go through alllllll these old grocery posts and chart the data of first week to last week spending. My youngest is 15 months, so I can expect that free time in about 16-18 years.
The store is alive, with the sound of saaaaaaaaaaaving
With sales they have sprung just this month for me
I love a good 5x coupon event. I can stock up on what I need, but the 5 limit makes me feel like I’m not going too overboard. It’s the perfect situation. I was able to grab the MultiGrain Cheerios the Glass Slipper has been asking for for months, and grab some of my favorite, occasional treat Ben & Jerry’s. (Remember when I was pregnant and I was eating ice cream every day? Those were fun times.)
There were also some smaller, in-store savings to take advantage of. Coffee, bread, mangoes, and onions were a little cheaper than usual, so I grabbed a few extra, because my heart was full and singing the song of savings.
Lastly, I grabbed a few manager’s specials on my absolute favorites steak and cheese, because Valentine’s Day is coming up, y’all! Who needs to pay for a dinner out and a babysitter when you can cook delicious steaks and enjoy them when you put the kids to bed?
Even though I knew, going up to the register, that I was going to be a little over budget, I was not scared. I was not nervous. I was excited about the sales I was able to take full advantage of and the food I was able to feed my family. Thanks, grocery experiment!
The sales fill my heart with the sound of saving
My heart wants to sing every song it hears
- Avocados (3)-$2.97.
- Bananas, 1.92 lb-$1.13.
- Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, pint (5)-$12.45. 5X Coupon Event brought these to $2.49 each.
- Blueberries, pint (2)-$5.
- Blue Cheese-$3.20.
- Boar’s Head Sandwich Pepperoni, .5 lb-$4.84.
- Creamette Pasta (2)-$.98. Down to $.49 with the 5X Coupon Event.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 4.68 lb-$9.33.
- Kroger Ground Turkey, 2 lb-$5.98.
- Kroger Sausage, 2lb-$6.
- Mangoes (4)-$3.96.
- Multigrain Cheerios (4)-$5.16. 5X Coupon event brought them down to $1.79 each, then I had two separate Buy 2, Get $1 Off *Digital Coupons* that stacked, making them $1.29 each.
- Private Selection Cavatappi-$1.59. $.40 off with a *Digital Coupon*.
- Private Selection Wildflower Turkey, .75 lb-$6.71.
- Private Selection Wheat Bread-$1.88.
- Private Selection Sweet Hawaiian Bread-$1.88.
- Red Leaf Lettuce, .64 lb-$1.08.
- Ribeye Steak, 2lb-$12.19. Manager’s Special!
- Robusto Cheese-$3.89.
- Simple Truth Baby Food Packets (9)-$10.71.
- Silk Chocolate Almond Milk-$2.99.
- Starbucks Coffee-$5.99.
- Strawberries, 2 lb-$5.
- Vidal Onions, 2.33 lb-$2.31.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta ($.45 Off Starbucks Coffee), CoinOut
Total Budget: $98
Total Spent: $118.46
Total Saved: $41.19
Deducted From Next Week: $20.46
Am I over budget? Sure. Am I stressed about it? NOPE! Come check me out next week to see if the experiment was right and my budget naturally gets on track in week 2. :)
How is your grocery shopping going this year? Noticing any different trends from last year? Share them 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!