Picking and Choosing

Are grocery prices rising like crazy or is it just me?  No matter what I do, I'm going over my grocery budget each week.  I finally just surrendered and raised my budget a bit and I'm still going over. Gosh!

We try to eat a pretty balanced diet, primarily consisting of vegetables, fruits and meats with some whole grains mixed in.  I try to choose organic (naturally grown, no pesticides, no added hormones, etc) products, but its important to realize what types of foods to prioritize buying organic.

For us, I prioritize buying our dairy products and meats organic.  I've done some reading on how these items are processed and the animals are treated and its just really important to me to make sure I buy these items organic.  The only thing I haven't fully switched to is buying organic butter. $5? It hurts to think about it.

I also rarely buy processed organic food, unlike this lady. :) Primarily because its not a wise way to spend my money.  Organic processed foods are expensive and I can make them at home for much cheaper.

I try to make 1-2 vegetarian meals per week in order to save money on buying organic meat.  Caleb isn't the biggest fan of this technique, but he's adjusted.

Interesting definitions I found in an All You magazine.

USDA Organic: 

This is a great list of what types of produce to prioritize buying organic

What Produce to Buy Organically?

1.      Peaches

2.      Apples

3.      Sweet bell peppers

4.      Celery

5.      Nectarines

6.      Strawberries

7.      Cherries

8.      Kale

9.      Lettuce

10.  Grapes

11.  Carrots

12.  Pears

Okay to Buy Conventionally?

1.      Onions

2.      Avocados

3.      Sweet Corn (frozen)

4.      Pineapples

5.      Mangos

6.      Asparagus

7.      Sweet peas

8.      Kiwis

9.      Cabbage

10.  Eggplant

11.  Papayas

12.  Watermelons

13.  Broccoli

14.  Tomatoes

15.  Sweet Potatoes
 

Frugal Fridays ~ 5/20 Shopping Trip

Shopping this past week was very limited.  I made a quick trip before we went out of town and that was it.  Now I have  come home to an empty fridge and freezer so I'm sure I'll be spending this week's budget and last week's budget! :)

Frugal Fridays ~ On a Monday :)

Blogger being down was fun, eh?  It threw a wrench in my blogging schedule - I'm sure I am not alone in that.  Thus, my Friday savings are being posted on Monday!  Oh well.

I think I did really well last week.  I saved almost 70% and I spent less than my weekly budgeted amount.  I'm glad I am back to "CVSing" - I love getting paper towels, toilet paper and beauty products for pennies.

Kroger - Spent $4.01, saved $29.43!

Publix - Spent $16.83, saved $25.77!

CVS - Spent $1.00, saved $21.63!

Don't have a picture of Wal-Mart, it was a last-minute gotta have it trip - pretty much the only time I shop at Wal-Mart now :)

Frugal Fridays ~ Week of 4/23

I was able to get a lot of groceries this week for $45.

The first two pictures are my Publix trip, I spent $30.32 and saved $55.73!

At CVS I spent $0.63 and saved $20.37!

At Wal-Mart I spent $14.22 and saved $5.  

I used $2 off coupons on each of the ketchups and a $1 off coupon on the taster choice coffee.  Made those 3 items free, plus a little bit of overage that applied to my other groceries. :)

Frugal Fridays ~ Week of 4/8

I am very happy with my totals this week.  I was able to score several organic items and still maintain good savings! :)

I wasn't able to get pictures of everything, but what I have will suffice.

CVS - Spent $5.75, saved $19.05

Publix - Spent $31.50, Saved $31.46  I was able to get organic yogurt, organic cereal, organic frozen raspberries - always makes me happy.

When I realized the deal I could get on yogurt, cereal, and fruit I went back a second time with more coupons!  Spent $5.26, Saved $23.68.  Who says coupons are only for junk food? 

Frugal Fridays ~ April 2nd

This week I concentrated on buying a few bulk items (wanted to make homemade granola bars) and organic foods.  I was very happy to stay within my budget and get some wholesome items!

At CVS I spent $3.31 and saved $17.30

At Harry's I spent $30.03 and saved $2.80  Almost everything in the picture below is organic which makes me happy!

 

At Life Grocery I spent $6.82 and saved $6.29 (I had a coupon for free ground turkey).

And, at Publix I spent $9.64 and saved $10.70!

Did you find any great deals this week?

Frugal Fridays ~ March 28th Shopping Trip

Caleb stopped by Publix on the way home from a meeting and bought 2 bottles of kraft BBQ sauce, 2 bags of kraft shredded cheese and 2 jars of bertolli spaghetti sauce.  Spent $5.08, saved $9.68!

I ran into Dollar Tree this week to get a new shower liner.  They had Cascadian Farm granola for $1, which is cheaper than I pay with a coupon, so I picked a box up!  I spent $5.23 for what you see in the picture below.

I did most of my grocery shopping this week at Target. They had organic milk on sale for $3.20 and I can always get organic lettuce for $2.99.  I've decided that Publix and Super Target are my favorite places to grocery shop!  Spent $17.09, saved $4.99!

Last, but not least I ran into Publix on my way home from a meeting to grab a few veggies for dinner.  Cilantro, cucumber, tomato and some feta cheese.  Spent $5.40, saved $.30. :)

All in all, March was a good savings month!  I spent $212.50 and saved $195.43.

Frugal Fridays ~ Ingles, Publix, Target & CVS!

Caleb had an HOA Board Meeting last night, so I took the time to go snag this week's deals.  Usually I stick to 1 or 2 stores a week, but I made some exceptions this week! :)

Trip to Ingles: Spent $22.36, Saved $8.87

(I'm telling ya, organic coffee and organic chicken just don't help a girl's % savings out!)

Trip to CVS: Spent $0.21, Saved $17.44

Trip to Kroger: Spent $8.39, Saved $14.67

Good thing I have started running, gives me an excuse to eat all these carbs I've been getting for FREE!

Trip to Target: Spent $3:34, Saved $9.92

3-6 thru 3-19 Grocery Savings!

My average savings has been pretty good for the month of March!  I have fallen a bit behind on posting my totals, so I just went ahead and merged two weeks into one.  I'm hoping to do a bulk stock-up trip sometime soon, on oats, natural sweeteners, nuts, and meat.  I have officially emptied my freezer of all meat - so it's time to find a deal!

Wal-Mart Trip $21.50 0% Saved

Wal-Mart and Ingles are the only place that I am able to find organic coffee for a decent deal.  Wal-Mart's brand is $5 a bag.

Publix $22.26 Saved 68%! 

Love free yogurt and .50 cents a bag for cheese!

Kroger $9.00, Saved 80%

Took advantage of Kroger's Mega Deals this week - scored free pasta!  The 2-liters were for a church get-together and they were part of the Mega Deal, so I only paid .90 a bottle. 

Publix $9.55 Saved 60%! 

Very small trip at Publix, the deals were lacking last week.  The chips were for a group get together and I needed soy milk.  Not too exciting. :)

Frugal Fridays ~ March 5 Shopping

It's weeks like this that remind me why I prioritize deal finding and couponing for my family.  Caleb had a few guys over Saturday night for a get-together so I bought several items that I didn't have coupons for which increased my total quite a bit.  I am also trying to start buying more organic items, so I went organic with my lettuce, yogurt, and milk.

Publix has stores called Greenwise stores that specialize in carrying natural and organic products in Florida.  I was reading today that you can go to Publix's website and click on the Greenwise Weekly Ad.  From there you can create a list of the items you plan to purchase from the ad, print if off and regular Publix grocery stores will honor it.  I am going to ask my Publix this week!  Here is the link to this week's Greenwise ad

Items that I would love to snag would be:

Organic Fuji Apples $1.29 lb

Organic Tangerines 3 lb bag B1G1 $5.99 ($3)

Apple & Eve Organics 100% Juice B1G1 $3.85 ($1.90)

 - use $1 off coupon, makes it .90 a bottle!

Garden of Eatin' Organic Tortilla Chips B1G1 $3.69 (1.85)

 - use $1 off coupon, makes it .85 a bag!

I'll let you know how it goes. Keep your fingers crossed. :)

Don't forget to sign-up for my Shakeology Giveaway! 

Frugal Fridays ~ Week of 2/26

I didn't plan on doing much shopping this week and I really didn't, but my total seems pretty high.  I took advantage of Publix's Buy Theirs Get Ours free promotion on organic items by purchasing organic salsa and organic balsamic vinegar.  It is hard to find a good deal on balsamic vinegar, especially organic. The floss, rice, and bread were all free with coupons.  I spent close to $15 on just produce. Gah.  Can't wait for the farmer's market this summer!

Publix Trip 50% Savings

CVS Trip 92% Savings

I don't have pictures of what I bought at Wal-mart and Target because they were random trips for essentials such as toilet paper, coffee filters and sour cream (yes, this is essential) so I just winged it.  I am so glad it is Friday night and I can sleep in until 9 AM tomorrow because we are on spring break.  Hallelujah!

February 2011 Totals

I spent $212.36

I saved $262.10

Which means if it weren't for savvy shopping,

I would have spent $474.46 for the exact same items!

My average savings for February 2011 was 55%

Frugal Fridays ~ Week of 2/11 Shopping Trips

Kroger Trip: Savings of 56%

I mainly went to stock up on cheese...I bought 6 bags because they were right over $1 a bag.  The Yosko's yogurt were an unplanned purchase, but I saw them on sale for $1 and right next to them were .75/1 coupons.  .25 for yogurt, yes please! It's all about keeping your eyes open while at the grocery store.

Target Trip: Savings of 11% 

Had to pick up some ingredients for our Valentines dinner at home.  Check out the dessert we made here. :)  Also, I was completely out of laundry detergent and spot remover...thankfully Target had a decent sale on those.

Publix Trip: Savings of 47%

I never buy coke, but it was free with a coupon My Coke Rewards sent me, so I picked that up.  The Athenos greek yogurt was on sale for $1 and I had a $1 off coupon, so that was free.  I discovered that Publix has a nice selection of frozen yogurt so I picked up their moose tracks flavor.  Yum!  Other than that, just a few basic items.

CVS Trip: Savings of 66%

  Small trip to CVS to get free toothpaste and cheap face/body wash.  

So far for February I've averaged 46% savings, spent $105.62 and saved $88.64.  Since today is the 18th, I think I'm doing pretty good.  I budget $200 a month for groceries/paper goods/household products/personal care products.  I plan on stocking up at the Italian Sale at Publix this week so we'll see how I do. :)

Frugal Fridays ~ Week of 2/5 Shopping Trip

Light shopping week, just bought alot of produce and splurged on some hummus! :)  At Kroger I picked up some agave nectar for 50% off.  I've found that I love agave nectar in my tea and I even like the way it tastes in my coffee.  I have also used it in oatmeal and in my yogurt/granola breakfast.  I haven't tried any baking with it yet though, any tried and true recipes to share?

Frugal Fridays ~ Week of 1/27

Please don't remind me that it is not Friday, because I know.  I don't need to be reminded that another weekend has already flown by! :)  I did barely any shopping over the past 10 days because Caleb was out of town so I ate pretty simply.  

For February my plan is to use what I already in my pantry for meals, aside from great deals and perishable products. We'll see how this goes! :)

At CVS I bought 2 Revlon mascaras.

At Target I bought gum, tortilla chips, tomato, green pepper, bananas and half & half.

Like I said, light week but I was happy with what I bought for the money. :)

Frugal Fridays ~ Week of 1/22 Shopping Trip

Finally, Perdue chicken breasts went on sale this week so I went a bit over budget stocking up on that.  It hasn't been on sale for over 3 months so it was worth stocking up.  If it wasn't for the chicken this would have been a very low week. 

At CVS I was able to purchase 2 Tom's Deodorants (aluminum free deodorant), 1 Cascade dishwasher detergent, 1 mascara, 3 reeses cups, 1 bottle makeup remover and cinnamon.  That's pretty good for less than $9 :)


At Wal-Mart I had to pickup bananas and newspapers.  I'm calculating my newspapers into my grocery budget because I buy them for the coupons. :)


I actually photographed my Publix trips. :)  I was happy to save so much at Publix when the majority of my purchase was meat and produce! :)

Again, I buy these taco bell meals for the tortillas and taco shells, not for the nasty chemicals :)

My savings this week were 51% which is awesome since I bought about $25 in chicken! :)  I have a feeling next week will be a light week.