My grocery bill was $300...but I payed under $140!

     I love food shopping! I think this is something that you either hate or love… and I love it. I usually go alone while my husband is home with the kids so I can take my time and really get a good deal. This week my husband was on call all weekend so my daughter had to come with me while my son was at school. Thankfully Shoprite has a service to watch your children and my daughter is finally enough to spend time in there…and she loves it. What 4 year old girl wouldn’t love 2 teenage girls painting her nails and giving her their complete attention!

     So besides the food shopping I also needed some household items like toilet paper, dishwasher detergent, cat litter, cat food, dish soap and sponges. So I already knew that my $130 goal (for 2 weeks of groceries) was going to be a little higher this week. 

     Well I have to say that my trip was a great success! My Bill of $299.86 came down to $138.27 after my savings card was scanned and my coupons came off. So this trip I saved $161.59...Hooray! Over $40 of that was in coupons…oh how I love printable coupons! So for my family of 4 our total grocery bill (with a few household items included) came to $138.27 for 2 weeks…less than $10 a day!

Family of 4...$70 a week...Its on!

     So this is how I feed my family of 4 with less than $70 a week. My grocery shopping budget is $140 for 2 weeks for my family of 4. Many items I have in bulk, like my water, flour, spices, butter, etc. These thing I only need to buy every 6-8 weeks depending on how much I use. Once a month I buy household/personal items like toilet paper, shampoo, paper towels, etc. I keep a budget of $30 for that stuff. The only thing I usually end up running out of is milk, about 3 days before our next shopping trip!

October 22 - November 4

Syrup - $2.49
Orange juice - $1.99
2% milk - $2.79 (I buy 2 gallons each shopping trip) - $5.58
Cheese Singles (1.99x3) and cream cheese (1.99x2) - $5.00 off Kraft coupon = $5
Pasta - .88cents x4 = $3.52
Vegetables - $4.00
Whole Chicken - .84 cents lb x 5lb = $4.20
Potatoes - $2.49
Ground beef - 1.99lb x 6lb = $12.00
Pork chops - 1.79lb x3lb = $5.37
Roast - 1.69lb x5lb = $8.45 (use 1/3 for stew meat)
Baby Carrots = $2.49
Celery = $1.49
Eggs - .99cents dozen x 4 = $3.96
White Bread - .99cents x 4 = $3.96
Diced tomatoes - 2/$1.00 x2 = $1.00
Tomatoes sauce - .30cents x3 = .90 cents
Apples - $1.49 for 3lb bag x2 = $2.98
Apple cider vinegar - .99cents
Mozzarella cheese - 1.99x1 = $1.99
Manicotti shells - $1.99
Chicken nuggets - 2.99 - coupon = $1.99
Cheddar cheese - 1.49 x1 = $1.49
Minute rice - 1.89 x 2 - 2 coupons = $1.78
Tuna fish - .99 x 2 = $2.00
Coca Cola 12 pack - 4/$13.00 - 2 coupons = $11.00
Ravioli - .69 x3 = $2.07
Bananas - .49cents lb x4lb = $1.96
Juice boxes - 1.87 x 2 = $3.74
Bagels - $1.49
Rolls - $1.69
Apple juice - $1.39 x2 = $2.78
Pretzels (2lb) - $2.49
Go-gurt - $2.00 x 2 - coupon = $3.65
Ranch dressing - $1.50
Onions - $1.49
Healthy kids Chicken noodle soup - $1.00 x 2 - coupon = $1.00
Goldfish - $1.67 x 1 = $1.67
Pie crust - $1.99

     So this shopping trip I made it under $130 for the next 2 weeks! It kind of feels like a part-time job though, so now to start looking for my next set of coupons for November 5th!

Meal Plan for October 22 - November 4

Friday (B)French Toast Sticks or Choice of Cereal (L)Leftover lunch…clean out fridge for new groceries! (D)Take out night

Saturday (B)Scrambled Eggs and Toast (L)Leftover from Take out Dinner (D)Garlic Penne Pasta, garlic bread

Sunday (B)Homemade Pancakes (L)Penne Pasta (D)Dinner at Mimi's House

Monday (B)French Toast Sticks or Choice of Cereal (L)Peanut butter & Jelly with carrot sticks w/ dip (D)Whole Roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans

Tuesday (B)Homemade Banana Bread (L)homemade Chicken noodle soup (D)Ravioli and buttered bread

Wednesday (B)French Toast Sticks or Choice of Cereal (L)whatever you can find day (D)Roast, mashed potatoes, carrots

Thursday (B) French Toast Sticks or Choice of Cereal (L)Tuna fish and celery sticks w/ peanut butter (D)Homemade Meatballs, spaghetti

Friday (B) French Toast Sticks or Choice of Cereal (L)Meatball subs (D)Chicken Cacciatore

Saturday (B)Scrambled Eggs and Toast (L)chicken nuggets with apple slices (D)caramel apple pork chops, peas, roasted potatoes

Sunday (B)Homemade Pancakes (L)bagels and cream cheese (D)Beef Stew

Monday (B)French Toast Sticks or Choice of Cereal (L)Tuna fish and celery sticks with peanut butter (D)Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans

Tuesday (B)French Toast Sticks or Choice of Cereal (L)Scrambled eggs and toast (D) Chicken Manicotti

Wednesday (B)French Toast Sticks or Choice of Cereal (L)Grilled Cheese and soup (D) Homemade baked macaroni & cheese and chicken nuggets