Saving money at the Grocery store!

If you are visiting my site for the first time- WELCOME!

I am a real everyday house-mama who is trying hard to save money, time and sanity! I post recipes, bargains, real life stories and crafts /activities for the kidlets. Many of my readers has been asking me how I save so much money grocery shopping so I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you how I grocery shop.

I used to go to the grocery store and pick things off the shelf that looked good to me. I never used a coupon. I spent a fortune and got home and had nothing for a complete meal. I ended up going back a couple more times for ingredients that I needed. (Which meant more money!!)

When I decided to stay at home with my baby, I started to menu plan. I would plan out 6 meals ( We have pizza on Fridays) including meat, side dishes and bread. At first the thought of planning a whole weeks meals seemed overwhelming to me. Then I started to see how much time and money it saved me!

Since I had a list of all the ingredients that I needed for that week, I was less tempted to spend on extras. I also had everything I needed for the week, so no more wasted trips! The most wonderful part of the meal planning is the fact that I never opened the fridge and whined to my husband " what are we going to have for dinner?". Many times that whining would lead to going out to eat or eating junky food.

So here is how I do my menu planning. There is no wrong or right. Each person does it differently and you should use what works for you! Here's some tips:

-Shop the ads for the week. (For this example I will be using this weeks Kroger's sales ad.)

- See what corresponding coupons you have. There are some awesome sites such as Stretching a Buck that does the sales ads and coupons for you!

-See what you already have in your fridge, freezer and pantry. So many times I have enough in my freezer that I do not need to buy meat for a week. I try to take advantage of the B1G1 roasts and the really cheap meat deals so when its not on sale, I won't spend a fortune.

- Use the most of your ingredients. If you have a recipe that calls for carrots try to plan another meal or side dish that uses carrots so there is no waste. ( I hate throwing out food!!)

-Don't buy something just because you have a coupon!!! If you won't use it, then keep movin sister!

- Get the most out of your meats. Butterfly your chicken and you get 2x as much out of it! (Your portion size will be more appropriate as well!) Do a roast and then use the leftover meats for tacos, soups and samwiches.

Here is an example of how you can shop the sales ads and coupons and save a fortune!

I would purchase these items at the store this week:

3 Cheese ( On sale $1)

Tortilla Chips (On sale $1)

Black beans (On sale $1)

Ro-Tel diced tomatoes (On sale $1)

Refried beans (On sale $1- use a coupon and they are .50 each when you buy 2)

2 lbs of Hamburger ( On sale $1.77 a lb)

Sour Cream (On sale $1)

Bread/buns (On sale $1)

Rotisserie chicken (On sale $4.99 -you get 2 meals out of this!)

Carrots (On sale $1)

3 lb bag red skin potatoes (On sale 2.99)

Salad (On sale $2.50)

Pasta ( I buy Kroger brand for .99)

2 Hunts pasta sauce (On sale $1)

4Pillsbury breads(On sale $1- use coupons they end up being .30 - .50 each!)

Pork Roast (On sale $1.79 a lb)

Kroger mac and cheese ( On sale .44)

Green Giant veggies ( On sale $2)

Milk ( I can usually find manager special for .99)

Total grocery bill: $34.27

Meal #1 - Taco salad, re-fried beans

1 lb hamburger ($1.77)

Ro-Tel tomatoes ($1)

Black beans (.50)

Salad ($1.25)

Cheese (.50)

Tortilla Chips (.35)

Sour Cream (.25)

Re-fried Beans (.50)

Total cost of Meal: $6.12

Meal #2- Rotisserie chicken, roasted carrots + red skin potato wedges w/ seasoning, rolls

Rotisserie chicken ( $2.50)

Roasted carrots (.50)

Potato wedges (.99)

Crescent Rolls ($1)

Total cost of Meal: $5

Meal #3 - Pork Roast, Mashed red skin potatoes, mixed veggies
Pork Roast ($1.79)
Red Skin mashed potatoes ($1.50)
Green Giant mixed veggies ($2)

Total cost of Meal: $5.29

Meal #4 - Homemade Chicken noodle soup, Biscuits

Rotisserie chicken ( Boiled in water and seasoned to make broth ) ($2.50)

Carrots (.50)

Celery ( I had leftover from last weeks menu)

Onion ( Also had leftover from last week)

Garlic (Found in my fridge)

Pillsbury Biscuits - (.50)

Total cost of meal: $3.50

Meal #5- Pasta with meat sauce, salad, french bread
Hamburger ($1.77)
Hunts pasta sauce ($2)
Kroger Pasta ( $1)
Shredded Mozzarella cheese (.25)
Salad ($1.25)
French Bread (.50)

Total cost of Meal: $6.77

Meal #6 Shredded BBQ pork samwiches, Mac and cheese

Leftover pork from Roast ($1.79)

BBQ sauce ( From my fridge)

Buns ($1) - I can use whats left over for samwiches for lunch

Kroger Mac and cheese (.44)

Total cost of Meal: $3.23

Whew! That was loooooong! I hope it helps in some way to shed some light on my methods of saving money. My hubby used to look at me like I was crazy until I started saving 30 - 50% of my entire grocery bill!

Do you have a helpful tip? Leave a comment to share with others!