Needless to say I went back to the grocery store to get it...and then ended up picking up a huge package of chicken breast on sale as well as a few other things (this is why you should meal plan! It saves you from impulse buying). And then in my haste to buy this huge package of chicken, as well as my other items and quiet my cranky toddler, I forgot the ingredient I originally went there for! (It was a steak for my Beef and Broccoli by the way).
So on my way home I quickly turned right and pulled into a grocery store that I don't usually shop at because their prices suck. And sure enough they sucked all right. I paid $4.70 for this package with 2 measly steaks and it was the cheapest I could find. I was sick of running around, I was tired and my baby was still cranking. I bought it anyway.
Then later in the week, my baby ran out of milk. I decided to hit up a store where they had 4 liter jugs of milk on sale. I decided to buy two because it was a good deal. And then I bought some yogurt because it was on sale too (seriously...this is why you need a meal plan and you need to stick to it).
Needless to say I went WAAAAAAY over budget last week. I vowed to keep this week a cheap shop and spend $80 or less. I planned around ingredients we already had including meat, and I tried to come up with meals that if I did need to buy ingredients that they were inexpensive ones. So here's my grocery store success story:
- Not only did I plan a week of meals and stay under budget ($76), but I also walked away with some AMAZING deals.
- We got to our grocery store and there were these huge bins everywhere with sale items in them. I spotted a bin with Spectro Jel Face Wash in them (the brand of face wash I use). I have been using Hypo-allergenic baby body wash for a month because Spectro Jel is around $10-$15 a bottle and I wasn't sure how to work it into my budget. This bin was marked $1.44. I said out loud "Is this for real?!" A lady beside me who was rifling through a bin of back packs said "all these back packs are $0.99...it must be for real." Steve encouraged me to grab 3 bottles.
- I then came across another bin with Pantene Pro-V Shampoo and Conditioner in it, with yet again another sign for $1.44. I exclaimed "Steve! I even have a coupon for Pantene!"
Spectro Jel - Originally $9.99 a bottle - would have been $29.97 for 3
I paid $1.44 a bottle - $4.32 for 3
For a savings of $25.65
Pantene Pro-V - Originally $5.44 a bottle - would have been $10.88 for 2
I paid $1.44 a bottle - $2.88 for 2
Plus I had a coupon for $2.50 off....so I only spent $0.38 on 2
For a savings of $10.50
I'm sharing this, because in the last month of couponing and shopping the deals this is my first real PHENOMENAL deal. So it looks like we're back on track for this month's grocery bill. Yay!