With the weather in the mid 70’s, most of the last week was spent eating and working outside at the patio table. Each night before I went to bed I steeped iced tea in 4 recycled glass bottles for the next day to help keep me hydrated. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time just drinking plain water and drinking hot tea when it’s in the upper 70’s just doesn’t feel right.
Iced tea… it’s kind of has its own season, don’t you think?
Anywho, with July 4th around the corner I stocked up on groceries for the next two weeks. Here’s what I purchased:
Fred Meyer $9.41
The milk was $1.79 a gallon, green beans $1.49 lb, mushrooms were on markdown for $1.39, day old donuts $1.39, peanut butter $0.99 with eCoupon and the gummi bears and beef jerky were free thanks to Friday freebie coupons.
And so it begins… My annual collection of treats to put in the stockings this Christmas. 🙂 The Gummi bears will expire {and probably get hard} by then but the beef jerky will make it to Christmas. I’ve collected Friday freebie items for the past 2 years to put in everyone’s stockings and it’s become such a fun tradition I’m doing it again. True, my husband rolls his eyes at my frugal stocking stuffers, but HEY, I have fun collecting the items. When I was a kid, the only things in my stocking were an orange and a handful of candy.
So beef jerky and other random goodness? I think it’s pretty cool.
You know what else is cool? Simple dinners.
Oroweat Bakery Outlet $7.29
The bagels were 4/$5.00, white bread {for Monkey Boy} was $0.80, and the hot dog buns were free with the purchase of any condiment {we needed soy sauce so I grabbed that for $1.49}.
Fred Meyer $16.98
The HH wanted fish sticks {gag} $4.99 and The Girl requested any kind of fish {11.99}. These were my “luxury items” of the week. Neither one was on sale but oh well, sometimes you’ve just got to make peeps happy and get them what they want.
Winco $53.59
I was over in Sumner, Washington this week so I decided to check out the Winco over there instead of going to the store I usually go to {Tacoma}. The produce offerings were tiny compared the what I usually see in Tacoma and the prices on the fruits and vegetables were higher too. Which I thought was kind of strange since the stores are only about 15 miles apart. Lesson learned. Shop the Tacoma location.
Some of the highlights:
Zoi yogurt $2.78, French fries $0.99, 2 lbs carrots $0.98, bulk brown sugar $0.65 lb {way cheaper than the bagged varieties} 2 lbs frozen veggies $1.68 each, Bologna and weenies $0.99 each, chili for Monkey Boy $0.99 and apples $0.79 lb.
My grocery spending was high last week but I was shopping for 2 weeks worth of groceries because I don’t like grocery shopping in the summers months {the stores are so crowded!} and because I am planning on doing a no spend week this week.
Life, you just kind of have to go with the flow…
How about YOU? Did you find any great deals at the stores this week?
~Mavis
Total Spent This Week $87.27
- Total Spent in January on Groceries $202.99
- Total Spent in February on Groceries $143.94
- Total Spent in March on Groceries $183.35
- Total Spent in April on Groceries $205.67
- Total Spent on Groceries in May $248.60
- Total Spent on Groceries in June $147.47
- Total Spent on Groceries in July $87.27
************
- Total Spent in January on Take Out, Date Nights, and Bakery Treats $42.19
- Total Spent in February on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $118.45
- Total Spent in March on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $25.29
- Total Spent in April on Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $62.50
- Total Spent in May of Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $54.52
- Total Spent in June of Take Out, Date Nights and Bakery Treats $119.15
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Jessica says
I LOVE that Free Friday idea!! Thanks for sharing.
Mavis Butterfield says
It’s fun, and free. I secretly think my kids love it as much as I do.
Brenda says
That is a fabulous idea for the Friday Freebies! I usually just collect them and hand them over to my college aged boy, I’ll start looking at the expiry dates and put them aside
Marcia says
I love iced tea, but living in So Cal I drink it a lot. I drink a cup of coffee at home, then I go to work and make a cup of green tea and pour it over ice. I sometimes (okay, rarely), make it for my husband. I did recently make some because I skipped my regular shop. He likes Tejava, but I didn’t make it to the store. Homemade was fine, but not as good. Mostly after my one cup of coffee and one cup of iced tea I switch to water at work, then bubble water at home.
Those were some really good deals. Good with keeping the rest of the family happy. That has been a challenge for me. I had a stretch near the end of the school year where there were WAY too many treats in the house – chips, crackers, cookies. Not good for the waistline *OR* the budget. Budget getting out of control. I’ve been working to trim it back again, but have to make sure I have enough treat-like things in the house to keep the boys happy. Here that means yogurt, good cheese, avocados for quesadillas, hummus.
My good deals this week: I made it out to Sprouts. Strawberries $0.97 for a pound. Cantaloupe $0.97. Baby peppers $2.50 for a pound bag. (Usually get these for $1 at the 99 cent store, but they were out). Pepper jack cheese $2.50 a pound.
I also got some pineapple for $1 and snap peas for $1 a bag at the 99 cent store. Lots of produce this week. Good thing too because I have to pack FOUR lunches now. It was only 3 for the last few weeks, glorious!!
Mavis Butterfield says
Wow! You got a bunch of great deals on produce Marcia.
Robin says
I just watched “What the Health” on Netflix last night (recommended by a friend who is a nurse) and lo and behold, tilapia has more saturated fat than a pork chop. Wow, I didn’t know that.
Mavis Butterfield says
Really? I had no idea. I’ll have to watch that. Thanks Robin.
Lauralli says
Well now, you might want to investigate further. The information I just looked up does not say that. However, apparently farm raised tilapia (or any fish for that matter) isn’t good for you at all! I did not know that!
Marcia says
It doesn’t actually have more saturated fat than a pork chop. It has the potential to be more inflammatory than a pork chop, due to the omega 6 fats.
I watched that film based on a recommendation from a friend. It is EXTREMELY one-sided, and thus, incredibly misleading in so many ways. Unfortunately most food documentaries (whether pro-vegan or pro-paleo) fall into that category. They are only telling you what they want you to know.
If I were rolling my eyes any harder when they started discussing diabetes, they would have fallen out of my head.
Laura says
I almost hesitate to write this but I will because I kinda struggle with it as well. If you pre-spend the week before the “no-spend” week, does it really count as a no spend week simply because the expense didn’t occur that week? I decided that, for me (not judging others here, just my personal decision) it doesn’t. So, I decided to just work on eating the pantry/fridge/freezer one week a month and only getting staples like milk and bread that we need. It seems to work well. I just decided that the contorting to not spend money in one week so buying in advance was too much hassle for me.
Interested in what others think. And again, not judging, just curious!
Mavis Butterfield says
For me, this weeks no spend week is more about not wanting to step foot into a grocery store. On other no spend weeks I’ve done the only thing I’ll make sure I have on hand is milk. I agree, the whole point is to eat out of your pantry, but each time is a little different for me.
Laura says
Yeah, I agree. I have just tried not to set foot in stores and if I need something, then I just get it. Not overbuying and then tossing rotten food (a real problem for me as I think we need more food than we seem to need, especially now that my teenagers run all over town with their friends and are often not home for dinner). I will keep trying until I get a decent plan. Just wondered if others struggled with this as I do. And, I am with you on staying out of the stores. Though, Safeway’s $2 ice cream with a$1 coupon is calling my name so off I go…
Carolina says
This week Market Basket had 12 oz. bags of Mama Rosie’s spinach ravioli on sale for $1 each. I had several coupons for $1 off 2 bags, so I got 6 bags for $3. The store is ALWAYS crowded, because they have the lowest prices. So I asked the manager when is a good time to shop. He said, “Well, we are officially open at 7 am, but the doors are open at 6:00 am so that is the best time to come.” Keep that in mind when you move east, Mavis!!! You are gonna’ love this super market.
Torry says
I think that if you are buying just enough of the things you will use in the no shopping week, then it counts as no spending week because it kept you out of the stores.
I personally don’t do well with having a no spending week, as I am not the shopper in this household, DH is. I do however make up for it in thrift stores and fabric stores. In my defense, DH loves that he can ask me to make gifts for people and not have to go shopping for at least some of them.
Practical Parsimony says
I drink iced tea all year long. I tried hot tea, but it holds no appeal. I am like Jay Leno–do not drink hot drinks, just cold. The dried gummy bears will just last long for whoever receives those. Did you think about stuffing the whole bag in a wide mouth canning jar to keep them from drying out?
Mavis Butterfield says
No… but I might try the jar idea. Thanks!
Vicki in Birmingham says
In the South, iced tea season is from January through December!
Teresa says
Mavis- Love your outdoor patio table and chairs. Can I ask where you bought them?Thanks, Teresa
Mavis Butterfield says
My parents gave them to use about 5 years ago when they moved. I have no idea where they came from. Sorry.