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Sooooo. . . I didn't go over my grocery budget this week. But, I did hardly any penny pinching, and when I got home from shopping and saw how very little I was able to get (since I was in a hurry and didn't have my coupons with me), I was more than a little disappointed.  Here's what a whopping $26 bought at Kroger yesterday (yikes!)
And here are my totals for the week:
- Publix: Spent $13.54 Saved $5.93
- Kroger: Spent $24.58 Saved $8
- Total: $38.12
Because we're fairly well stocked right now on groceries, I didn't need to spend much. My husband and I are heading out of town for a conference soon, and with my parents coming to care for our kiddos I knew there were a few items they would need. Â (Breakfast for dinner is as good as it gets around here!) Â When I ran by Aldi's yesterday morning (where I'd planned on stocking up. . .) I realized they didn't open until 9 so decided to swing by Kroger instead. Â The Buy One Get One String Cheese at Kroger looked like a decent deal, but goodness . . . it still added up!
The moral of the story? (If there is one . . . ) We all have days when there just isn't enough time in the day to “extreme” coupon shop, and it really is okay. While that picture does make me a little sad (I just hate to spend that much money on so little!), I did get what my family needed this week, and next week I'll be right back at penny pinching. If you have a week where things are just off, try to stick to your budget, and then cut yourself some slack . . . remember this is something we're in for the long haul, so it's not like the savings are ending today!
And, your penny pinched deals really help during those crazy weeks. While I didn't save all that much this week, we have plenty stockpiled in the pantry, so I only missed deals on a few items that were basic staples. Fill your pantry and freezer with as many great deals as you can, so that there's room in your budget for a setback along the way!
I'd love to hear  how you've done this week ~ take a minute to leave a comment by clicking HERE and share your updates!
New to budgeting and don't know where to begin? Here are a few posts that might help you get started:
- Don't Sacrifice What You Really Want For What You Want Right Now
- Budget Check Up Week One: Have You Determined Your 2013 Grocery Budget
- Are you on an all cash budget?
- New to couponing? Here's where to start.
- How Does Your Grocery Budget Look?Â
- Extreme Coupon Fraud: What You See On TV Isn't Always Real
- Are You Spending Within Your Budget?
- Save the Way You Can Save: Penny Pinching Is Not A Competition
- Are You Satisfied With Your Penny Pinching?
- You Do Have Time To Coupon (But  You Don't Have To Do Everything. . .)
- Are Coupons For Everyone?
Oh we all have those weeks! I too apreciate that those crazy weeks we can splurge a few dollars. Sometimes my time is worth more than a couple dollars and I’m sure you’ll get back on the horse again next week.
I’ll definitely be back on it next week – it felt horrible to spend so much, but we really do all have those weeks! 🙂
Where did you get the deal on the string cheese? I missed that one.
OK nevermind, just reread it and saw it was Kroger. My teenagers LOVE string cheese.
I think they were 2/$5.69. I usually stock up at Aldi’s, and think it’s pretty close to the same price…. my youngest eats it every day in her lunchbox so I love finding a really good deal on it, but those few and far between!
The Super Bowl party was a budget-buster for us last week.
Getting ready for the Super Bowl was hard on our budget too Sheryl… I was definitely thankful to have stockpiled quite a bit beforehand! Surely next week will be a better week all the way around. 🙂
I forgot to say how much I saved. I saved around $88. Not a bad week!
You did great Debra ~ thanks so much for sharing! 🙂 It feels so good to have the pantry stocked, and definitely makes it easier to stick with each week. Great job!
Mine penny pinched deals have gone good this week. I spent 12.63 at Publix yesterday (last day of our sale) = 2 Lloyds bbcue, 2 planters nuts, 4 campbells soups, 4 Knorr pastas, 2 Kraft indulgence chocolate cheese, 1 Chicken of the sea white tuna, 1 Viva paper towel, 3 Birdseye steam fresh veggie bags, 1 kraft mayo, 2 wishbone dressings. Went today (new sale) and got A LOT, wont list it all though, spent $41.36. Part of that included 3 12 packs of coke and two Stouffers family entrees, plus various juice etc. So my grand total for the week is $53.99. This is for a family of four. Like you Laurie, my pantry is well stocked with other items, so I really shouldn’t need to go to the store till next weeks sales. : ))
Mine penny pinched deals have gone good this week. I spent 12.63 at Publix yesterday (last day of our sale) = 2 Lloyds bbcue, 2 planters nuts, 4 campbells soups, 4 Knorr pastas,