Yesterday I mentioned I have a busy week ahead. I didn't want to be making mini-trips to the store later in the week and I wanted to make sure we're all set with the food we needed to complete our meals, plus an extra dinner to take my friends who just had a baby, PLUS enough food for my son's brunch birthday playdate tomorrow.
I actually didn't break the bank on this one! I looked at our pantry and freezer to determine what I could make from items I already had on hand. Then, I made my list of the items I'd need and tried my best to determine if any were on sale and/if I had a coupon for anything. If the answer was "no" it went on my Winco list since I know they have good cheap prices. I also had some Walgreens Register Rewards about to expire, so I stopped there as well. Here's how I did:
As you can tell, I bought a fair amount of food – produce, bread, dairy, meat, and a few canned goods. (It was rather hard to photo it all, too!) All told, I spent $67.75 for everything pictured! My Walgreens trip was $2.17 out of pocket ($23.50 saved), plus I received a $3 Register Reward. I'm pleased to know that when I spend nearly $70 that it fills my trunk!
There were some pretty fabulous Winco deals today – and I promise I'll do a separate post with some of my finds! Seriously, if you have this store in your area, you need to become acquainted. Fast!
Tonight, I made tacos for our family and my friends Mike & Keri who welcomed their third baby boy last week! Here is how I packaged their dinner:
Because I planned this meal around what I already had in my pantry, I only spent about $8 for the complete meal – chips & salsa, tortillas, taco shells, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, refried beans, lettuce, seasoned taco meat, tomatoes, and 1 lb strawberries to top it off! This is why I advocate stockpiling. You buy those items at free/cheap prices that you know you'll use before you need them.
Well…the timer just went off on the banana bread I'm baking for tomorrow's brunch! Watch for tomorrow's post to see how I pull off a brunch for a bunch of kiddos (and their parents). I'll show you that it doesn't have to cost a fortune to make great, homemade eats and treats for a party!
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Well done! You got a lot of stuff! Did it feel funny spending $67? That must have seemed like so much after the way you usually shop.
I often feel a little sadness when I’m behind someone in the checkout line who doesn’t seem to have nearly as much as you do in this picture and the bill is like $150. I just want to pull them aside and tell them there’s a better way to do grocery shopping.