All You Grocery Challenge wrap-up

So, I kinda dropped the ball on the All You Grocery Challenge the last week and a half. We went on vacation, which was wonderful, but it messed up my grocery spending! I didn't spend much on actual groceries while I was gone (just one smallish trip while I was at my mom's) but we did spend a lot more on eating out than we normally do from being in the car so much.

I tried and tried to find somewhere on the Grocery Challenge's rules and FAQ's about eating out, what counted, what didn't, etc. and I finally gave up. I don't know if they would count it or not, but either way, it didn't count towards the eating healthy requirement.

I did learn something from this challenge though. I learned that I can either lower my grocery buget, or I can continue to allow for the higher amount, and put the excess aside as an additional little savings plan.

Normally, I allocate $125 a week for all of our groceries, cleaning supplies, diapers, health and beauty items, and some excess (household-type items, some clothes, etc). While, I was trying to use a lot of my freezer surplus, I did spend significantly less than I usually plan for.

This month, I also started something that my husband has been wanting me to do for a while, using the envelope system for my grocery buget. With all the trips I do in any given week, it's a nightmare to try to sort through our bank statement and put together actual spending bugets. This way, we don't have to add up 8 trips to CVS and Walgreens, all totaling $1-$2, I can just spend the cash. In doing this, I can put aside any extra money for little extra savings stash.

Our biggest financial problem is that if it's in the checking account, more than likely it will get spent. This way I can kind of 'trick' us into saving more each month for some of the things we need to save for and haven't been.

So, the All You Grocery Challenge was successful for us, just not totally in the way that it was intended to be. I stayed well under buget, used some of our stockpile, found a way to save some money, and had fun doing it! I'm happy!

My record so far: Kroger!

Let me start by saying that I GOT ALL OF THIS FOR $.18!!!!!!!

Kroger had a P & G Mega event this week: buy 4 participating items, get $4 off instantly (the items with a star next to them qualified for that promo.) I made two trips (because I was rushed getting ready the first time and missed a TON of coupons, so I went back!) and here's what I got:

Big K 12 pack $1.99
Milk $2.08
Bananas $.70
Peaches $1.30
Eggs $1.00
Kroger brand squeeze yogurt $2.59
Powdered donuts (bribe for kids and me!) $2.00
Kit Kat Dark chocolate (YUM!) $.50 (x2)
Rolo $.50
Crasins $1.00
Crest toothpaste $1.00 (x9)
-$.50/1 coupon (which doubled) (x9) FREE
Ivory 3 pack soap $1.00 (x3)
-$.50/1 coupon (doubled) (x3) FREE
Suave deodorant $1.00 (x3)
-$.50/1 coupon (doubled) (x3) FREE
Oral B toothbrushes $1.00 (x6)
-$2/2 coupon (x3) FREE
Olay Total Effects body wash $5.99
-$4/1 coupon
$1.50/1 E coupon
*Ivory 10 pk soap $3.50
-FREE wyb Olay Total Effects body wash coupon (-$3.50)
-$.50/1 E coupon
*Old Spice body wash $2.99
-$2.00/1 E coupon
*Old Spice Fresh Collection deodorant $3.99
-FREE wyb Old Spice body wash (-$3.99)
-$1/1 Fresh Collection E Coupon
*Gilette Body Wash $2.99 (x8)
-BOGO free coupon (x4)
-$2/1 coupon (x4)
*Olay Regenerist cleanser $5.60 (x2)
-BOGO coupon
-$3/1 coupon
*Bounty Paper Towels 2 pk $2.99 (x2)
-$.25/1 coupon (doubled)
*Charmin Mega Rolls $6.99
-$3/1 E Coupon
-$1/1 coupon

-$16 (4 x $4) due to P&G promotion
-$5 on any purchase (from last week)
-$5 on any purchase (from last week)

Total before sales/coupons= $146.64
Total AFTER sales/coupons= $.18

AND they Olay stuff I got will put me over the top to send in for a $10 rebate check!!

My Publix trip this week that was so awesome, it deserved it's own post!

My trip to Publix this week was AWESOME!!!!!!!! I am still pumped about it! I wanted to post about it seperately from posting about my weekly totals from the All You Grocery Challenge, so keep in mind that the totals will be slightly different because in the All You Challenge, I only add up food.

Also, just a side note, when I shop at Publix, Kroger, or wherever I do my grocery shopping, I don't just show the very best of the best deals in my totals. We buy milk, chocolate and produce like any normal family, so, when I show you my totals, I'm showing you the good, the bad, and the ugly of what we buy and eat. I'm breaking this trip down more than I normally do to show you exactly how I got what I did for the price I got it for. Here it is:

French's mustard BOGO $1.75
-$.50/1 coupon (doubled)
=FREE plus $.12 overage per bottle (x14) (by the way, 10 of these are for my friend Rebecca, but I got them for her, so they're included in my total)
French's spicy brown mustard sale $1.50
-FREE wyb French's yellow mustard coupons from product
=FREE (x3)
bananas ($.59/lb) $1.22
Corn $.15 each (x5)
peaches ($.89/lb) $1.62
-$1 off produce Publix coupon
Handy Manny book sale $1.17
Yoplait Fiber One yogurt BOGO $2.50
-$.50/1 coupon (doubled)
-$1 off dairy publix coupon
=$.25 (total for 5 packages)
Carvel Ice Cream cakes BOGO $9.99
-$3/1 coupon
=$1.99 (x3) (again, one for Rebecca)
Kraft ranch salad dressing BOGO $3.19
-$1/1 coupon
-$1 off produce wyb 2
-$1 off meat wyb 2
=$.60 each (x2) (plus free produce and meat!)
Chicken drumsticks sale $1.70
(-$1 off meat from the Kraft salad dressings)
Ball Park Beef Franks BOGO $3.99
-$.75/1 coupon
=$1.25 (x5)
Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi (to get me through this week with VBS) $1
Hershey's syrup $2.17 (gotta have the chocolate milk!)
Capri Sun $2.49
-$2/1 Food Lion coupon
=$.49 each (x4)
Kraft Sandwich Shop Mayo BOGO $1.99 x2
-$1/1 coupon x2
-$1/1 Publix coupon x1 (max per visit)
=FREE plus $1.01 overage
deli drink (my treat!) $1.19
Deli ham $3.49
-$.55/1 coupon
-$1 Deli item Publix coupon
=$1.94
Mott's juice boxes $1.99 (x2)
Frosted Cheerios BOGO $3.99
-$1.50/1 peelie coupon
=$.50 (x4)
Lysol wipes BOGO $4.99 (for Rebecca)
-$1/1 coupon
=$1.50

TOTAL BEFORE SALES/COUPONS: $161.72
TOTAL AFTER SALES/COUPONS: $30.25

Which brings my total for week 3 of the All You Grocery Challenge this week (after I take off Rebecca's items and the non-food items) to $27.68. I plan on going to Kroger later in the week to get some more produce and possibly some road-trip friendly foods, but I'm so pumped about this great start!!!!

All You Grocery Challenge Week 2

SIDE NOTE: Please add $3.76 to my total for week 1... we needed ice cream for date night!!!!! ;)

Week 2:

This was the week before 4th of July, which was CRAZY!!!!!! As I posted earlier, this was a super-busy week for us, probably the busiest week of the year actually, so I only went to Publix this week, and we ate a LOT of convenience foods.

Here's what I bought:

Publix brand 2 liter Diet Cola $.50 (x2)
Grapes $3.56
Bananas $1.18
1 lb Cheese blocks $.69 (x3)
Pears $1.98
Alphabet pasta $.15 (x3)
Spinach $2.29
chocolate milk 1/2 gallon $1.69 (x3)
Skittles (not a bribe for my kids, but for my husband! ;)) $2.79
Smart balance lactose-free milk $.30 (x4)
Milk $3.09
Cherry coke zero (my bribe) $1.39
Corn $.15 (x8)
Crystal Lite $2.00 (x2)
Capri Sun $1.67 (x2)
Minute Maid juice boxes $1.99 (x2)
Orange Juice $3.00
Rice FREE (plus $.11 overage)
PLUS I used a $6 off purchase Kroger coupon, so my totals are as follows:

Before sales/coupons: $86.64
AFTER sales/coupons: $37.48

We ate either cereal or pop-tarts for breakfast (I know, not the healthiest, but sanity wins out sometimes!) and lunches were either bologna and cheese sandwiches, pb&j sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, and leftovers. I also got pizza one day for lunch, which was $10. As for dinner, some of it is a blurr, but I KNOW that we ate the following (with costs):

Sunday: dinner at my in-laws'
Monday: spaghetti and meatballs $2
Tuesday: (which included dinner for us, a family who just had a baby, and two of my favorite young girl helpers) burgers, buttered alphabet pasta, corn and grapes - total for all of the meals was $8.75
Wednesday: pizza take-out $7.50
Thursday: McDonald's $12.50
Friday: frozen pizza (I was serious when I said we went for convenience!) $2
Saturday: family meal for 4th of july provided by my awesome mother-in-law which included bbq, pasta salad, baked beans and fruit

Now, as far as the All You challenge goes, I'm sure this week knocked me out of the running in terms of healthy choices. This week was not one of my shining moments as a mother, but noone starved, we all survived, and no sanity was (permanently) lost. I think the contest would have to add the cost of the meals out to my grocery total, so my total for this week would probably have to be $67.48.

A list of gratitude to keep things in perspective

This week, maybe even more so than the weeks leading up to Christmas, is the busiest week of my whole year. This week is the week of J4LY (4th of July). Our community does a HUGE 4th of July celebration and for the past few years, my husband and I have been on the team, along with my husband's father, who pretty much coordinates the whole thing. It's a lot of fun, actually tons of fun, but it's also a ton of work!

Just to give you an idea, the whole weekend takes place in this big area of common backyards (yes, I said COMMON!) Most of the activities are centered on a huge stage that is built there. We start the weekend with a huge patriotic prayer meeting Thursday night, followed by an outdoor movie.

Friday night includes a dance and an ice cream social.

Saturday morning starts with a parade (complete with firetrucks, always a Dooley family favorite!), water activities (water slides, small wading pools for the little ones), inflatable fun stuff (the coolest!), and games. Then we all have dinner together (all 500 of us) and end the evening with entertainment and a small display of fireworks. Throughout the festivities we have popcorn, cotton candy, and drinks. It's seriously so much fun, and not just for the kids.

This year, Josh is in charge of the movie night, concessions, and the fireworks. I'm in charge of the decorations and setting up for the dinner. My house is blanketed in red, white and blue items of every shape and size, and I am headed to the store again tonight to buy about four carts worth of paper products (think dinner plates, dessert plates, napkins, cups, utensils, and tablecloths for 500 people!) I never realized all the work that goes into an event like this one until I started serving on the team. That is why this is by far the busiest week around our home.

To add to the fun chaos, Josh was sick last week, and I'm sick this week. I have mastitis AGAIN, which, for those of you lucky enough to not know what it is or how horrible it is, is utterly consuming and miserable!

So, I'm taking it easy on a lot of things this week. Laundry will wait to be folded, freezer meals will be depleted, and my kids will be treated with more than the normal amount of McD's and juice boxes this week, but we will all survive!

I've been a little stressed out the past few days, so, to combat that stress, I am going to make a little list of gratitude! We all have a lot to be thankful for, and I feel like I have much more than I deserve in my life, so I choose to focus on that instead of the stress!

GRATITUDE LIST

1) Paul's teething seems to be slowing down.
2) James has had only one accident in his pull-up in the past 5 days (this is a big one!)
3) I live in a free country where I can sing God Bless America at the top of my lungs for anyone and everyone to hear (not that they necessarily want to, but they too have the right to walk away if they so choose!)
4) I have discovered joy in reading scripture.
5) Every time I feel I am at the end of my rope, God has given me more to do what I NEED to do.
6) I have the extreme privilege tonight of cooking (simply) dinner for one of my favorite families who just had a brand new addition exactly one week ago! Welcome to the world Luke Daniel!
7) I have some loving and generous friends who were willing to help me when I was so sick that I couldn't take care of myself and my kids, and are still willing to now that I'm trying to play catch-up.
8) Truly putting my trust in God in the little things brings new meaning to the word joy.
9) Truly submitting my will brings new meaning to the word freedom.
10) I have been able to sleep all I need to (even if it's not all I want to.)
11) I am surrounded (not just in proximity!) by hundreds of truly beautiful, loving and holy people.
12) I have never been happier in my life and I get to truthfully say that every single day.

*sighs* It's easy for me to get caught up in the stressful things. I guess you'd say I'm naturally an anxious person, but I am learning that I can control what it does to me and how far I let that natural tendency go.