So here's what I got for $83.69 (minus the gift I bought)
So I tried something new today…I shopped at 2 grocery stores to get the cheapest items from each. Jonni McCoy in Miserly Moms talks about doing this and I finally did it! =) This isn’t practical for everyone, if you don’t have multiple stores close to you, but I drive right by Albertsons on my way to HEB, so it didn’t add any extra money in gas. I looked up the weekly adds online and picked out what I wanted from both of their sales and here is how I saved:
Albertsons:
- Saved $15.03 by buying on sale items (celery, grapes, cilantro, bell peppers, limes, mangoes and whole chickens – only 49 cents/lb!!!)
HEB:
- Saved $2.43 by buying store brand
- Saved $1.94 by buying sale items
- Saved $7.82 by using in-store coupons and free items. For example I did their meal deal. I bought chicken breasts and got alfredo sauce, cheese, pasta and garlic bread free. I also got the HEB chips free with a purchase of Doritos.
I spent $18.70 at Albertsons and $64.99 at HEB. This includes some non-food (nail polish remover, dish detergent and a gift for someone). So my total was $83.69, which I’m hoping will last us 2 weeks. Even if I do go to the store next week, it should be a smaller amount.
Here’s what I’m planning on us eating.
Breakfasts: toast, oatmeal, cream of wheat, smoothies, apple muffins
Lunches: sandwhiches, burritos, fruit, veggie sticks, chips
Suppers:
- Chicken Alfredo with garlic bread
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Chicken and black bean burritos
- Taco salad
- Either a rice dish with hamburger or chicken (depends on what I feel like)
- Bean burritos
- Leftovers
Side dishes for suppers (I usually just decide the day of, what I want to go with our meal):
- Steamed carrots
- Steamed green beans
- Salad
- Sweet potatoes
- Veggie sticks and dip
- Mangoes
- Pico de gallo with tortilla chips
When we lived in the states (and you were just a girl) I always checked the adds for both grocery stores nearby to get the deals from each. No online sites to check in those days, but the Pennysaver was a free paper that came and had the flyers for the grocery stores in them. So interesting to see your menus, so different from what you grew up with. More interesting and more Mexican. Mom
I tried checking ads, but I find that with only Hannaford and Walmart to choose from, Walmart’s the cheapest like 95% of the time. Hannaford comes in handy when Walmart’s fruit and veggies are especially over-ripe or non-existent though.
I do wish I had a good Aldi’s or some other inexpensive stores so I could shop around! Oh, well.
Yeah, when we were in Fort Stockton we didn’t have much of a choice either.
This week is a particularly Mexican food week. And by the way sometimes I really miss your food. =)
Actually you are the one that got us started on fajitas. I make them in the dorm, too.