Dude, I'm cheap!

Seriously, I am. I enjoy it. lol I took a picture of all the groceries I bought today. Because the sales are so good this week, I'll be going back to stock up on some stuff. So, here's how this week's shopping broke down.

Wal-Mart

2 1/2 dozen eggs $3.88

2 3pks tomatoes $2

3 Avocados on sale for $.50 each $1.50

30 ounce Hellman's Mayo $2.98

2 15 ounce cans red beans $1.24

8 lbs navel oranges $3.98

Tostitos corn chips $3.98 (a splurge for us)

5 lbs Fuji apples $4.86

3pk sponges $2.47

2 26 ounce petite diced tomatoes $1.74

2 15 ounce cans black beans $1.36

1 box 40 count gallon not quite Ziploc baggies $2.18

8pk paper towels $5.43 (had a $.25 off coupon)

4 pk Scott toilet tissues $3.44

10pk AAA batteries $5.75 (had a $1 off coupon)

Woman's Day magazine $1.79 (was $1.99, but Wal-Mart discounts their magazines)

2 boxes Milk Bone Dog Biscuits $2.84 (Buy one get one free coupon)

Borax $2.98 (I make our laundry detergent and dishwasher booster with this)

Grand total including tax $56.15 - more than I planned to spend, but they had some good stuff. I always spend the bulk at Wal-Mart as they have the best prices on some stuff.

Meijer

4 1lb boxes elbow macaroni $1.96

4 1lb boxes spaghetti $1.96

3 8 oz containers fresh mushrooms $3

4 cans pineapple in juice $3.17 (had coupon for $.50 off two and a coupon for $.75 off two. The $.50 one doubled. Plus, the pineapple was on sale for $1.23 a can)

2 10pk flour tortillas $3

2 bags salad mix $3.34

2 dark chocolate bars $1.96

Grand total $18.41

Kroger

2 12 ounce bags Kroger chocolate chips (they are non-dairy and for Michael's school party next week) $2.78

Super Washing Soda (for our laundry detergent) $2.89

Honey Nut Cheerios $1.67 (I'll be going back for more)

Grand total $7.51

Total for all three: $82.07

Now, you might be asking if my budget was $70, how did I go over? I almost always use cash, and cash only. Well, I almost never spend change. At any given time, I have $10-$15 in change, in my purse. I also have a larger change cache at home. I keep it around for just such times. Not to mention, I also have soda bottles that I can turn in at any time. Ok. My purse was crazy heavy because not only did I have that, I forgot to get gas money from John and he had the debit card. So, I also pulled together $8 for gas so I could get to and from the stores and pick up the kiddos from school. I need to go back and get more pasta, and some tuna, and a few other things that we use a lot of. That will be part of the stock up stuff I'll be doing. I bought chicken a few weeks ago when it was buy one get one free, and I'll stock up on ground turkey again since it's $1/pound at Meijer this week. My plan is to learn how to can meat so I can keep it around, even during the summer. Out here in the country, it's just common sense to stock up and be prepared. Last year, we lost the power for several days due to a storm, had a brown out, and the fridge died. So, living out of the pantry just makes good sense. Not to mention, the closest grocery store is about 15 minutes away. There is no just running out to pick up something I forgot. lol I'll show you how we turn this list into cheap meals during this week. I'll take pictures, if I remember.

Talk to you all later! I still have the second part of the Bible Study to do later on tonight. I've missed my morning quiet time for the last few days. Today, it was -24deg out with the windchill, -15 actual temp. Michael and I are both asthmatics, and at those temps, we can barely breathe. So, John took Katelyn to school, and I took Michael later on. My schedule is now thrown off, but life goes on.