Monthly Mission - What did I get?

For the month of October I gave myself a Monthly Mission to spend $100.00 on groceries for the month. It was not easy, but with a lot of restraint, a lot of creativity, and a lot of sacrifice I was able to accomplish this! Woo hoo! Here is the breakdown of what I got for my $100.00:

Food Items:

10 gallons milk

2 Darigold 16 oz chocolate milk

2 18ct eggs

2 butter

2 margarine

3 large peaches

1 bunch of bananas

1 red onion

1 1 lb package deli ham

2 Hillshire Farms turkey sausage

5 2 liters of Coke

1 box Wheat Thins

1 8 oz Daisy sour cream

2 8 oz cream cheese

2 cans olives

3 Old El Paso Taco Seasoning

2 Old El Paso Refried Beans

1 Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce

6 Hormel Compleats Meals

2 Easy Mac Cups

1 box saltines

5 bags Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers vegetables

2 bags Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

1 bag Snickers

1 bag Kit Kats

1 LifeSavers variety pack Halloween candy

4 boxes Life cereal

3 Ronzoni Smart Taste spaghetti

2 loaves bread

2 gallons distilled water

3 boxes Kraft macaroni and cheese

10 cans pringles

2 bottles Walgreen's soda

4 bags Walgreen's caramels

Household Items:

2 Soft Soap hand soap

10 Soft Soap body wash

1 Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush

2 Glade Wisp Flameless Candle

1 tube Crest toothpaste

1 Scrubbing Bubbles flushable wipes

2 Scotch mailers

2 Tuf papertowels

3 Johnson's buddies soap

3 Kotex pantiliners

1 Pert Plus

2 Kiwi shoelaces

Total OOP for the month: $99.38

Total coupon savings: $56.45

Total Walgreen's Register Rewards earned/used: $33.50

Total Walgreen's Gift Card Usage: $28.36

I am so thankful to all of you for your encouragement in this journey. I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks - now on to the next challenge!

What's left of my stockpile?

I made it through the month only spending $100.00 for groceries. I can't believe it! I feel like I climbed Mt. Everest - just kidding, but it does feel great to set and achieve a goal! I am so grateful for the items that I have stockpiled over the past several months. My stockpile is the reason I was able to accomplish this.

I got to thinking about this Monthly Mission and realized that I did this for fun, but someday (with the current economy) I may have to do this out of necessity. I will continue to build my stockpile - not only to save money, but to be there when times are tough and we need to cut back. I know we will never go hungry and that is a great blessing to our family.

The picture above is what is left of our food stockpile. (I reorganized it, I like it so much better!)I've still got plenty! I am doing some shopping tomorrow, but my list is surprisingly short. This challenge has helped me to use what I have and make it work and now I have formed a habit!

Monthly Mission - Fred Meyer

So, are you sick of looking at pictures of MILK on my blog? I never realized we went through so much milk until this month!

Anyway, this is my last trip this month of my Monthly Mission to spend $100.00 on groceries this month.

I headed over to Fred Meyer and picked up:

1 gallon skim milk - $2.50

2 Darigold chocolate milk - $2.00 (only one is pictured, I couldn't pry the other one out of my son's hands :)!)

Total before coupons $4.77

Used 1 $1.00 off 2 Darigold coupons

net OOP $3.77

I now have $.62 left in my budget. What should I buy? Just kidding!

Monthly Mission - Walgreen's

I headed out to Walgreen's last night for some milk, but decided to peruse the aisles a bit. I was pleasantly surprised to find some clearance candy. I saw this recipe on a friend's personal blog and totally wanted to make it, but I never buy caramels. These babies were on clearance at Walgreen's for $.24 per bag. Quite a steal if you ask me. So here is the breakdown of what I purchased last night:

1 Gallon Milk - $3.19

4 Walgreen's Brand Caramels - $.96

Total: $4.40

Used 1 $3.00 RR

Net OOP: $1.40 I now have $4.39 left in my Monthly Mission budget for the month. Only 4 more days to go! I think I am going to make it!

Read more about my Monthly Mission here.

See what else I have purchased with my $100.00 budget here.

Monthly Mission - Making Dinner

So it is 27 days into my Monthly Mission challenge ($100.00 grocery budget for month), and we are still eating great! It would seem that we would be down to beans and rice, but thanks to my stockpile we are just fine. This is what we had for dinner on Friday. I had this great roast in the freezer that I got on sale a few months ago - it is a big roast and we have a lot of leftovers, so I am also going to try this recipe this next week. I also had some Rhodes rolls in the freezer that were totally buried by my freezer stockpile. I was excited to find them and make them!

I still have $5.79 left in my budget for the month and a $3.00 Register Rewards. I have 1 1/2 gallons of milk left. We are doing just great! I can't wait until Saturday - I have already started my shopping list, but I will stay within my budget. I really just need a green salad soon or I am going to go insane!

Monthly Mission - One more week!

I have one more week left of my Monthly Mission (which is to only spend $100 on groceries for the whole month). I have $5.79 left to spend for the rest of the week. I also have one $3.00 Register Reward for Walgreen's. I'm feeling really great about being able to meet this goal!

Here are some of the things I have learned in this process:

1. It is okay to NOT stock up on every great deal that you find (especially if you already have the items in your stockpile).


2. Use what you have - because I wasn't making a lot of shopping trips, I was constantly planning menus and making things with what I had on hand. For example, I found a container of pumpkin puree in my freezer from ???? I don't know how long ago. I decided to make a pumpkin cake and today (or this weekend) I plan on using the rest for pumpkin bread. I don't normally make stuff with pumpkin, but it is what I had.


3. Make it stretch. I had two whole chickens in my freezer that had been sitting in there for quite a while. I decided to boil the chickens and debone them and use the meat in recipes. For the first one I made two pots of White Bean and Chicken Chili, a pan of chicken enchiladas, and a BBQ chicken pizza. Not to mention all the chicken broth I was able to make. I just boiled the second one and so far have made a broccoli, rice, and chicken casserole (I just threw a bunch of stuff in a casserole dish and baked it, but it turned out really good!). I still have a lot of meat left that I plan on using this next week.


4. Take it easy! Because I wasn't making my usual many trips to Walgreen's and Albertson's (which I usually do in the evening when my hubby is home), I felt much more relaxed and felt like I was taking it easy!

Now that I now have all these great habits, my goal from now on is to only spend $50.00 per week on groceries for my family of 4. This will be a challenge, but again, I know that it is possible after all Crystal from Money Saving Mom only spends $40.00 per week for her family of 4 and Beeb from Super Coupon Girl only spent $11.38 for the month of September (check out her blog, that girl is AMAZING). So anyway that's the plan. I also will have a new Monthly Mission for November, any ideas????

Monthly Mission - Walgreen's

I decided that I was not going to get any more rebate items for the October Easy Saver, so I decided to cash in and get my gift card. I had $23.62 that I could spend at Walgreen's. I have been watching every cent because of my $100 monthly budget for the month, but with a gift card, it is nothing out of pocket - woo hoo! There were a few items that we needed and some we did not - but here is what I got.

3 boxes Kraft Mac-n-cheese - $2.07 (that was a sale this week with a coupon, not the greatest deal, but I was craving it!)

10 assorted cans Pringles - $10.00

2 gallons distilled water - $1.38 (this was a necessity, my husband needs it for his CPap machine and it was a good deal)

1 gallon whole milk - $2.99 (for my baby)

2 bottles of Walgreen's brand soda - $2.00 (for fun, but they weren't very good)

1 Pert Plus - $3.49

1 LifeSavers variety pack - $4.99 (for Halloween - we ate some of the candy we got here.)

Total before coupons: $28.51

Coupons I used:

$2.50 off Pert Plus Walgreen's IVC

$1.00 off Pert Plus (Making this free - I didn't get a $2.00 coupon in my Sunday paper boo-hoo!)

$1.00 off LifeSavers Walgreen's IVC (I just noticed this, it was supposed to be $2.00 off, but the coupon on the other side was $1.00 off M&M's. The casheir must have scanned the wrong side!)

$1.00 off LifeSavers MFG coupon from recent insert

Total on my gift card - $23.02 Yes, I pretty much spent all of it! But I am glad I was able to get some necessities and stock up on some Pringles. I also got $3.00 in Register Rewards for the Pringles which I can use later this week for more milk if I need it. I only have $5.79 left in my budget for the rest of the month, so I gotta make it stretch!

To read more about my $100.00 budget for this month click here. To see what I have purchased this month, click here.

Monthly Mission - Fred Meyer

Ah...the milk. It seems that I cannot go one week without buying a gallon or two. Milk can be such a budget buster, like meat, only more necessary. I honestly had no idea how much milk we actually went through. With these two gallons I just purchased, it brings us to 7 gallons for the month - and I don't even drink milk! At 2.75 each (if it is on sale) that is over $20.00 or 1/5 of my budget this month (although I was able to use some register reward deals to get some cheaper milk)!

So enough with the milk rant! I went to Fred Meyer yesterday and picked up some milk - for a total of $5.83. I am now scraping the bottom of my monthly budget barrel! We now have $5.79 to last us for 10 more days in October. I really need some cheese, but I don't want to spend the rest of my budget and not have anything left for the rest of the month, so for now we are making do. I know we can make it - this Monthly Mission has been so great for me and our family. It has helped me to realize that I truly can set and achieve goals. If I can do it, you can too!

To find out more about my Monthly Mission - read here.

Monthly Mission - Bakery Thrift Store

I went to the Hostess Bakery Thrift Store on Saturday to pick up a couple of loaves of bread. The total was $4.24. I am now left with $11.62 for the month. 11 more days in the month, I am still optimistic that I can make it to the end of the month only spending $100.00, but I will have to get creative! The one item we can't live without is milk. For $11.62 we can get about 4 gallons of milk, but doesn't give me wiggle room for anything else. My plan is to use powdered milk (we already have some) exclusively for cooking for the rest of the month.

To learn more about my monthly mission and my purchases so far this month, click here.

Monthly Mission - Menu Plan

As I have posted before, my Monthly Mission this month is to spend only $100.00 on groceries. I only have $15.86 left for the rest of the month! I checked out the freezer and the pantry and came up with 17 dinners for the rest of the month. I won't necessarily do them in this order, but based on this list all I will have to buy is a bag of potatoes (cheap!), milk, and sour cream for the rest of the month. So here is what I have planned:

Dinners
Hamburger Helper, vegetable

Tuna Helper, vegetable

Spaghetti, vegetable, garlic toast

Chili, jello salad, corn muffins

Baked Potato Bar, with chili, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Roast, Mashed Potatoes, and Gravy, vegetable, rolls

BBQ Chicken Pizza, jello salad - this is an experiment, if it works I'll post a recipe :)

Smoked Sausage, Potatoes, vegetable

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, pasta salad

Humpty Dumpty, biscuits, vegetable - I have no idea why it is called this, it is an old family favorite, it is a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of tuna (drained), and a cup of milk. Heat on the stove until warm. It is a gravy to go over the biscuits. It's really yummy!

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole, fruit

Smoked Sausage, pasta roni, vegetable

Ham and Cheese Bisquick Pie, vegetable

Mashed Potato Hot Dogs, vegetable

Home Baked Mac and Cheese, vegetable

Taco Soup, fruit, corn muffins

Chicken Helper, vegetable

Lunches
Leftovers

Sandwiches (PB&J, tuna, ham, grilled cheese)

Soup (I have a lot of cans of soup)

Ravioli (I have a lot of cans of ravioli)

Pasta Roni

Rice with butter and salt

Breakfast
Most weekdays we eat cold cereal or oatmeal for breakfast (we currently have plenty of both!)

Eggs and toast

Pancakes and sausage

Waffles (eggo)

Breakfast Burritos - scrambled eggs with salsa and cheese in a tortilla. Yummy!

I may not make everything depending on our leftover situation. My hubby usually takes most of the leftovers to work for lunch and I eat some for lunch the next day too. Sometimes we have enough to eat for dinner the next day too. Of course, I also have to plan for snacks we will plan on:

Popcorn (cheap)

Cookies

Brownies (mix)

Sunflower Seeds

Raisins

Canned Fruit

Granola Bars

Goldfish

Ritz Chips

Graham Crackers and Peanut Butter (my hubby thinks this is wierd, but I think it is so good!)

Chips and Salsa

Thank goodness for my stockpile!

Monthly Mission - Walgreen's and Walmart

We have been going through milk much faster than normal, so I had to run to Walgreen's last night. Because Walmart is right next door, I decided to brave it (I hate Walmart!) for a few great deals.

Here is what I picked up at Walgreen's:

1 Gallon Skim Milk - $2.99

1 Gallon Whole Milk - $3.19

1 Scotch Mailer - $.99

Total before coupons - $7.60

Used 2 $3.00 Register Rewards

Total OOP: $1.60

Those were the last of my Register Rewards so I am hoping for some moneymakers next week!

Then it was off to Walmart:

3 Johnson's Buddies Soap - $2.91 ($.97 each)

3 Kotex lightdays - $3.00 ($1.00 each)

3 Ronzoni Smart Taste Spaghetti - $4.50 ($1.50 each)

Total before coupons - $11.03

Coupons used:

1 $3.00 off 3 Johnson's products (making the soap free!)

3 $1.00 off 1 Kotex (making the pads free!)

3 $1.00 off 1 Ronzoni (making them $.50 each!)

Total OOP including tax was $2.03! Woo hoo!

That was another $3.63 out of my $100.00 Monthly Mission budget - so I am left with $15.86 for the whole rest of the month, which is about $1.00 per day. Read more about my Monthly Mission and see what my purchases have been here.

My plan today is to make menus for the rest of the month (I know, I'm not really a menu maker, but this will be helpful to see where my $15.86 will be best spent). Once I have it figured out, I will post my plans. Wish me luck!

Monthly Mission - Stockpilin'

We are almost 1/2 way though the month of October, which means I am almost 1/2 way done with my Monthly Mission, which is to spend only $100.00 this month on groceries. My stockpile has really been workin' for me!

I love looking at pictures of stockpiles almost as much as my husband enjoys looking at pictures of cars...so I thought I'd share my stockpile pictures with you!

Here is the Official SavingSomeGreen Stockpile Tour:

We have a storage room off of our kitchen that I love!!! My hubby built some great shelves after we moved in. I can fit a lot of stuff on these babies. This is the front view...

...and the side view, which is almost as deep as it is wide. This is where I keep most of my food stockpile. I have another cupboard in the kitchen that is full of jello, pudding, and sugar free koolaid. I couldn't quite maneuver to get a decent picture, so just imagine. Oh and as long as you are imagining...could you make it more organized?

This is the shelf above my washer and dryer - not a lot of space there, but I do have a decent supply of laundry soap! You can also see the top of my current box that is a 125 load box of Tide left over from my Costco days. It is still going strong!

This is my linen closet - now more officially the toiletry closet. Yes, the shampoo goes all the way to the back. I also have a few cleaning products stuck here that won't fit under the kitchen sink yet.

So, this is what I have to work with to fill in where my $100.00 budget can not.

Now for my philosophy on stockpiling...

1. The purpose of a stockpile is to get items at the lowest possible prices so that you are never "running to the store" to get an item you need at full price. You do not (I am telling myself this at the same time), I repeat do not, have to get every deal out there. You will just make yourself crazy if you try.
2. Buy what you will use...even if it is eventually, or if you get it for free and you know someone that needs it get it and pass it along.
3. Don't let it take over your life or your home. Be creative with space in your home - place canned goods under a bed, in your linen closet, under a table that has a floor length tablecloth, etc. Please do not let this become your living room!
4. Stay organized, know what you have, and plan meals based on what is in your stockpile.
5. Set aside a small portion of your grocery budget specifically for stockpiling items (this should also curb the over stockpilng syndrome (that I have:)).
6. Replenish your stockpile regularly, but only at the rock bottom prices you are so good at finding!

Monthly Mission - Fred Meyer

Today is Columbus Day. Did you know that? Normally at my part-time job I work Monday and Tuesday. It is at a credit union, so they are closed on most holidays. Thus, I am off today and will be working Tuesday and Wednesday instead. Long story short (too late), my mom had the day off today too and we decided to have a bake-fest. When she got here I realized that I had no eggs and only 1 stick of butter. What good is a bake-fest without eggs and butter? She watched the kids while I made a quick run to Fred Meyer to get some essentials and pick up some of their great deals this week.


I know - I passed up $1.50 per box cereal at Albertson's last week. That was Cheerios, this is Life. There is no comparison. We LOVE Life Cereal and it doesn't ever seem to go on sale when we have coupons, so I jumped on this. It was on sale for $2.00 per box and I had several $1.00 off 2 coupons. I restrained myself and only bought 4 boxes (although I wanted 20 :)). Here is what I got:

4 boxes Life Cereal - $8.00 ($2.00 each)

2 FM 18 ct. eggs - $2.49 (I got both of these for $2.49 b/c they were B1G1)

2 Hillshire Farms Turkey Sausage - $4.00 ($2.00 each)

1 Red Onion - $.57

2 Gallons milk - $5.50 ($2.75 each)

2 FM margarine - $1.58 ($.79 each)

2 FM Butter - $4.98 ($2.49 each)

Total before coupons: $28.75

Coupons used: 2 $1.00 off 2 Life Cereal coupons

Total OOP: $26.75

This brings me up to $80.51 out of my $100.00 monthly grocery budget. Yikes! It is not even 1/2 way through the month. I think I will be okay though...as long as I don't turn return to my deal-a-holic ways!

The good news is:

• I a pretty well stocked on perishables, so I shouldn't have to shop at all this week.
• I have 2 $3.00 RR's left from the Glade Candle Walgreen's trips last week (see here and here). I plan on using those for milk this next week if needed.
• I still have $19.49 that I can use for the rest of the month.
• My stockpile is still going strong!
• We honestly don't need anything.
• I can get creative if I need to - I have some powdered milk in the cupboard :)

About the bake-fest...we made Pecan Tarts, Sugar Cookies, and Mud Pie Brownies. Anyone want to come over and share?

Monthly Mission - Fred Meyer

We made a quick trip Saturday night because we were craving Wheat Thins.

Wheat Thins - $1.99

FM Smoked Honey Ham - $2.50

Total OOP: $4.76 (including tax)

Total remaining from our $100.00 budget: $46.24 (we have spent $53.76 so far - check out our other purchases here.)

I also wanted to include in this post how versatile a package of deli ham can be. Here are some ways that we like to use it:

1. Ham Sandwich (duh :)!)
2. "Fry" the ham in a skillet and make breakfast sandwiches with eggs and cheese.
3. Chop the ham in small pieces and use in a quiche or bisquick pie. Chop some ham and put in bottom of a greased pie plate along with about 1 c. of grated cheese, and some sauteed onions. Combine 1 1/2 c. milk, 3 eggs, and 3/4 c. bisquick. Pour over top and bake for about 30 minutes at 400.
4. Make a ham and cheese omelet.
5. Chop some ham and stir in with your mac and cheese.
6. Stir some chopped ham and grated cheese in with corn bread or corn muffins. This turns a simple pan of corn bread into a meal.

These are just a few of our favorites. This one pound package of ham will stretch, and stretch, and stretch!

Monthly Mission - Walgreen's and Albertson's

I made a quick trip to Walgreen's and Albertson's last night to pick up a few things. Here is what I got:

2 Kiwi shoelaces - $1.74 ($.87 each) - I need these for Halloween costumes. (I will post my frugal costume ideas later.)

1 Scotch Mailer - $.99

2 Tuf Paper Towels - $1.58 ($.79 each)

1 Gallon Whole Milk - $3.19

1 Glade Wisp Flameless Candle - $5.99

1 Scrubbing Bubbles Flushable Toilet Wipes - $2.50

4 bags Halloween Candy - $10.00 ($2.50 each)

Total: $25.99

Coupons:
$1.00 off one Kiwi Product
$.40 off Tuf Towels - this was a Walgreen's in ad coupon listing them as $.59
$1.00 off Scrubbing Bubbles
$5.00 off Glade Wisp Flameless Candle
$1.00 off 3 Hershey's Candy
$10.00 Register Reward

Out of pocket total: $9.13

I received a $3.00 RR for the Glade Candle, I will get $1.50 Easy Saver Rebate for the Scrubbing bubbles, and a $4.00 Easy Saver Rebate for the Halloween candy!

Net after RR & Rebates - $.63! I took $9.13 out of my $100.00 Grocery budget for the month.

Next I headed over to Albertson's. I was very happy about this trip:5 Valley Fresh Steamers - $.99 each

1 Crest Toothpaste - $1.00

Total before coupons - $5.95

Coupons I used:
3 $1.00 off Valley Fresh Steamers from last Sunday's paper
$1.00 off 2 Valley Fresh Steamers that I got from my coupon train
$1.00 off Crest Toothpaste

Total out of pocket: $1.31!

I have now spent exactly $49.00 of my $100.00 budget so far this month and I have $6.00 in RR's from Walgreen's still to spend and about $23.00 that will be added to my Walgreen's gift card for my Easy Saver Rebates. So far, so good!

To find out more about my Monthly Mission read here.

To see what I have purchased so far this month towards my $100.00 budget read here.

Montly Mission - What have we been eating?

You have seen what I have bought so far this month and know that no one can come up with a meal using milk, bananas, sour cream, and olives. Let me tell you, we haven't been starving - thanks to our stockpile! Some of the things we have had are:

1. Taco Soup - I made a big batch of this, froze 1/2 of it and ate it for lunch all last week!
2. BLT's - we had some bacon in the freezer, an overabundance of tomatoes in the garden, and some lettuce left from our big family dinner (we served tacos). Voila!
3. Chicken Wraps - using said tomatoes and lettuce along with some cooked cubed chicken breast from the freezer and some ranch dressing - yum!
4. Spaghetti - this wasn't exactly by choice, when my hubby opened the pantry door, one jar fell. It didn't break, but the top became unsealed. I also make a great garlic toast, put a light spread of butter on some white bread, sprinkle some garlic salt and some parsley for looks. Toast in your toaster oven. **Side note: If you don't have a toaster oven, you should get one. I love them for quick cooking and making a lot of toast at once! It is also great for a quick batch of biscuits or reheating pizza.
5. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches - love these!
6. Macaroni Grill Boxed Linguine Alfredo - I got this recently on sale with a coupon. It was actually really good!

There have also been lots of other fillers here and there - and of course a lot of leftovers. The good news is we have barely made a dent in our stockpile! I have been really grateful for this challenge, it has really changed my priorities and has helped me to be more creative. For example, I am almost out of cooked cubed chicken breast in my freezer - I really want to buy some boneless skinless chicken breasts. I do have two whole chickens in my freezer (with bones ewwwww!), so I will be cooking one of them tomorrow. I will debone it, remove all the meat and have enough for several meals. It is starting to get cold, time for some comforting chicken meals!

Monthly Mission - Walgreen's and Walmart

So far so good on our Monthly Mission, although it has been an eye opener. It has been so hard to pass up some great deals this past week. Albertson's had General Mills cereal on sale for $1.50 per box and I had several coupons - but I already have 15 boxes of cereal, so I didn't buy any! I am so proud of myself!

Where I live I am within about two miles of at least 2 Walgreen's, a Walmart, an Albertson's, a Rite Aid, and a Winco. I am lucky to be able to shop around. Normally I avoid Walmart like the plague. I just don't feel like I can "run in and run out" and I don't like the way it is organized. I know it is a favorite of many couponers, so I decided to go there this past week give my younger brother a couponing lesson. I think he had fun :). Anyway, here is what I picked up:

3 peaches - $1.33

2 EZ Mac Cups - $1.50 ($.75 each)

6 Hormel Compleats - $12.00 ($2.00 each) - these are great for my husband's lunches when we don't have leftovers!

1 box Ronzoni Penne Regate - $1.50

2 cans Old ElPaso Refried Beans - $2.16 ($1.08 each)

1 can Old ElPaso Enchilada Sauce - $1.12

3 packs Old ElPaso Taco Seasoning - $2.22

1 Good Value Saltines - $.50

Total before coupons was: $22.33

Coupons used:

3 $1.00 off 2 Old ElPaso

6 $.75 off Hormel Compleats

1 $1.00 off Ronzini Pasta

1 $1.00 off 2 EZ Mac cups

Total out of pocket: $14.17! I was happy with this.

At Walgreen's I picked up a few things -

1 Glade Wisp Flameless Candle - $5.99

2 Deerfield Farms Cream Cheese - $3.00 ($1.50 each)

2 cans of Lindsay Olives - $4.00 ($2.00 each)

Total before coupons: $12.99

Coupons used:

$5.00 off 1 Glade Wisp Flameless Candle

$2.02 off Lindsay Olives (Walgreen's in ad coupon)

$5.00 register reward from the prior diaper deal last week.

Total out of pocket was $1.63, but I received a $3.00 Register Reward for purchasing the Glade Candle! Woo hoo!

So far this month I have spent $38.56 on groceries and I have $13.00 in Register Rewards left to spend at Walgreen's. I will likely go again this week and get another Glade Candle and some milk and other items. So there you go, my month so far - I hope I can make it. Wish me luck!

Monthly Mission - Walgreen's and Albertson's

I made a trip to Walgreen's and Albertson's last night for my first shopping this month. I know I'm not supposed to be stockpiling this month, but we needed some body wash and this was a great deal, sooo...I got this at Walgreens.

5 SoftSoap Body Wash @ $3.49 each - $17.45

1 Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush - $4.49

Total before coupons: $21.94

Coupons/Discounts:

1 $1.00 off SoftSoap from the Easy Saver Catalog this took $1.00 off each one or $5.00

1 $.75 off Oral B Coupon

1 $5.00 register reward from last week

I put $5.34 on a gift card

My total OOP was $7.17, but I got $10.00 in Register Rewards for the SoftSoap and $4.50 in Register Rewards for the toothbrush.

For my second transaction I got 5 more SoftSoaps

5 SoftSoap Bodywash @ $3.49 each - $17.45

Coupons:

1 $1.00 off SoftSoap from the Easy Saver Catalog - again this took off $1.00 per item or $5.00

I used the $4.50 register reward from Transaction #1

My total OOP was $9.00, but I got a $10.00 Register Reward back.

Then I went to Albertson's. I am kind of annoyed with this one because I missed out on a $3.00 off if you spend $10.00 because I got the wrong kind of Coca Cola products. I didn't realize this until I got home. Ugh! I still got away with some great low cost items, though.

2 packages HomeLife napkins @ $1.00 each - $2.00

1 8oz Daisy sour cream @ $1.00

2 SoftSoap hand soaps @ $1.00

5 2-liter bottles of Coke @ $1.00 each - $5.00

2.7 lbs of Bananas $1.59

Total before coupons was $11.59

Coupons:

2 $.35 off SoftSoap

1 $5.00 Catlina that I got last month

Total OOP $6.59 - again this should have been $3.00 less but I got the wrong Coke Products!

So after this trip I spend $22.76 from my $100.00 budget, but I have $20.00 in Register Rewards that I plan to use to purchase grocery items from Walgreen's this week, we need milk right now, so I will probably go get some today.

Monthly Mission

I had decided to start a new series on my blog called Monthly Mission this is where I will set a goal (mission) for the month and chronicle my successes and setbacks in the mission. I think it will be fun - and sharing it with the world through blogging is a great way to be held accountable for accomplishing my mission for the month!

For October my mission is to spend $100.00 or less on groceries. This is for my family of 4. It makes me scared just to put this in writing, however, I have built up an awesome stockpile over the past few months and I know this is possible.

I will post every shopping trip and snippets of meals that I have come up with. I think it will be a great challenge and a great way for me to get into the habit of not stockpiling everything (my greatest challenge)!

So here we go...