I never did put a decent list together for this event, I just have trouble getting that excited about it, and it’s tough to do a good list for Bloom without the ability to price items online. I did take the short lists that a few other bloggers had with me to the the store.
My first trip, which wasn’t until Saturday night, netting me this:
Spent lots more than usual on a couponing trip, but I was happy with what I got for my total of $15.71
After much running around and celebrating the patriarch of the family we took a day off to rest and hang out. My sister in-law and I did drive around and found some thrift stores (I got 2 pairs of jeans for my youngest son and one pair for his older brother). Plus we stopped for groceries on the way back. Totally non-essential extras for everyone to share, but I bought it, so it’s here in my Grocery Challenge journal for all to see: $16 on soda pop and ice cream.
At least its a new week.
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I knew tonight was going to kill our budget… it was my father in-law’s 75th birthday, which was the reason for our trip to Ohio. His brother and his wife flew out from California and his sister flew in from Texas to help celebrate — so we went out for dinner… and we picked up the tab. Even if we only calculated the meals by my husband, my son and me, I think we went over. Hubby has the receipt in his wallet. I have to do the math yet, and will get to that once we get home.
Even if we went over budget this week, I’m still going to keep “playing.” It’s a personal challenge for me. Back in February or March I’d challenged myself to not spend more than $100 in groceries for the MONTH, and I was only $20 over, and most of the money I’d spent was on soft drinks. (BTW, that $100 was including household goods and personal products.)
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One more day with no shopping. Wow! I even got the last loaf of bread out of the freezer. There is space in there! It’s usually packed to the gills.
Busy day, so we had what we refer to as “dinner in a box”, which is really Banquet Homestyle Bakes. Our favorite is Country Chicken/Mashed Potatoes/Biscuit. They only take about 5 minutes to put together, then bake for 20-30 minutes. Prices vary depending on your store (my final out-of-pocket price is usually about $2). There was a 50ยข/1 coupon in the 07-19-09 Smart Source circular, as well as one in May “All You” magazine, so look for a sale and/or a double- or triple-coupon event to try one out. Even at full retail, which can be up to $5 at the posh grocery stores, for something that fast, I think it’s worth having one in the pantry — it’s still MUCH cheaper than fast food. And I think they taste pretty good!
Back on topic, we had fresh watermelon with the easy-peasy dinner.
Yes, I know, we haven’t had a green salad on the table in days. I have the lettuce for it too. Need to use it up now.
I’m trying to decide if I actually need to get the groceries on my list, or if I should wait until we come back from our trip. Probably need to get the bread and milk for my eldest, who isn’t coming with us due to college finals.
Now I need to see if there are any couponing events going on in Ohio while I’m there.
First, I have to say, I learned a few things this morning.
#1 My particular Bloom will actually give cash back, so I didn’t have to buy all those marshmallows.
#2 The Fresh Express salad kits that are on sale have a Q available in the 11/16 SS. I didn’t think it was the right product, found out this morning that it is. That makes them 25 cents each. (Means one more trip to Bloom for me, good thing they are on my way to just about anywhere.)
#3 My Bloom’s policy is 20 Qs per transaction, you can go in as many times a day as you want.
Today’s total, from 2 receipts was $12.73 (7.51 + 5.22), here’s the photo:
More regular grocery items this time, Bloom triples are now on my list of good days!
DollyDomestic.com is my personal blog. My purpose is to share with you ways to save money, save time, and live well. Any advice should be considered carefully before taking action; I make no claims as to the suitability of my ideas to anyone else’s situation.
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