Sam's was completely stressful for me. I didn't know where anything was...my buggy (yes, that's what we call carts in south Arkansas) was loaded from the huge cases of tomato sauce, cream of chicken, etc....straight out craziness for me ! Thankfully, the DeShazo arrived and rescued me!!! She located the things I couldn't find and calmed me down. While DeShazo and I were off searching, our two sweethearts were just hanging out... and I'm talking about the little ones....NOT the big ones:)
My car afterwards..
Favorite purchases at Sam's:
* Swiffer Dry Cloth Refills - I got 80 for around $12! Way better than Walmart
* Nature's Own Whole Grain Whole Wheat Bread - 2 for $4.17!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's almost like I got one free!!
*Cocoa Almonds (YUM)
Disappointments at Sam's:
*No Fat Free Miracle Whip
*No low fat sour cream
*Having to separate and organize the bulk items
Enough about that!
Today has already been a busy day! I still have the cable guy and the Home Depot guy coming by... so I need to get some things done! My new microwave will be installed today.. Martinez wanted one over the oven.... and I gave in! We will see how it works out! I'm so thankful to have Fridays off. I am able to run errands, do some chores.. and most importantly, spend time with LG!
Have a great weekend peeps!!
Until next time......
Hey Anna! I haven't had a chance to comment yet, but you are doing great on the blog! And congrats on the weight loss...you look wonderful! I might can give you some tips for managing a grocery budget. I can tell you what works for us and you might can take something away. Also, I was on pinterest earlier and one of my friends had pinned a blog that had another version of the envelope system using credit/debit cards. I think I might try out this system. It looks totally easy. Here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.funcheaporfree.com/2012/08/video-of-how-i-keep-track-of-my-budget.html
As for us, I start with a meal plan. I used to plan for 2 weeks, since Shaun got paid every 2 weeks. Now he gets paid every week so I plan weekly now. When making my meal plan I look at my calendar for the week and see what days I don't need to cook. We always eat out after church on Sundays and we eat at the church on wednesday nights. And then sometimes we have a date night, or go out with friends. Then I look at the days I have left to cook and I see which ones need to be crock pot days, or a quick meal, etc. This has become more important since the boys started sports and have practices and games. So then I make my meals from there. I usually ask everyone if they are craving a particular meal. I also check to see what I already have in the freezer meat-wise. And then I hit pinterest/cookbooks/other online sites. I like to cook 1 new meal a week. It keeps cooking from being boring for me. I write everything down, including the source for the recipe. Then I go through each recipe and write down the ingredients I need to buy. If I'm being really organized I will organize the list by sections at the grocery store.
We aim to spend $125 a week. The first week of the month is sometimes a little more. Also, when we were regular Sam's shoppers (we haven't gotten back into the habit since we moved) I only went about every 6 weeks and spent $100. Then only things I buy at sams are bulk freezer items and some produce (like grapes!) and I'll get some cleaning stuff, or random things that happen to be a good deal. Not everything at Sams is actually a good deal. You have to look at the unit price on the label and compare it to the unit price at walmart (or where ever).
Something else you can do is get the "Food on the table" app. It lists most major grocery stores and helps you make a menu based on what's on sale. I haven't tried it yet, but I downloaded it! lol. Also, there is couponing. I was never an extreme couponer, but I had gotten pretty good at it before nat got here. I've slacked off big time now.
That's all I can think of right now. Give me a call sometime if you need help! And keep up the good work on the blog! We are loving the updates.
Sorry...I didn't realize how long that was! I should have blogged it LOL
ReplyDeleteWe need to start a shopping team and combine lists, get walkie talkies and send one person to each of the major stores: homeland, crest, aldi, sams and walmart. That way we can compare the unit price and get the best deals. One person makes all the purchases at that store and then we reimburse and divide up the loot!
ReplyDeleteMere- that is the best idea ever !!
ReplyDeletePs.... I wanna pink walkie talkie!