BIG Shopping Trip ...

The last BIG shopping trip I did was April 13th, so it's been awhile. We have been living on short trips and stockpile for so long. We still have PLENTY in stock pile but it was time. Due to this being a holiday weekend, I noticed some stores were really empty but the prices on somethings were really high! This will be a long blog because I have so much to write about! ( and forgive me Penny if I can't remember where ALL the coupons are from! It's been a long day!) Anyways, I started at about 1:15pm, drove to Janesville and then finished at 6pm and headed home. I did log everything in on my Shopper's Hotline scanner so I should be getting enough points now to cash in for another $25.00 in gift card money. Okay I am going to list everything I bought, plus photos and then my 28 day menu plan. :) ALSO, I never found the Kashi Waffles, so if you know where to find them, please post it!

Walgreens:

2 4 pks of Angel Soft TP, on clearance for 87 cents and I used an RR
2 cans of Planters nuts, BOGO, $1.00 IP coupon and RR
2 bags of Shredded Cheese
2 packs of hot dogs BOGO, and $1.00 off IP

Total before coupons $26.88
After coupons: $6.32
I used my gift card so nothing OOP.

Kwik Trip:
6 bags of milk ( They lowered the price! YEAH .89 cents a bag!)
2 doz eggs (.79 cents for those too!)
3 pound of bananas, I learned on this trip that bananas may now be cheaper elsewhere, they raised their banana prices to 49 cents a pound and I found them at SuperWalmart for 45 cents a pound!! I will have to change my price book and where I buy them!
Total: 8.68
Used my gift card and paid nothing OOP

Target
I planned to buy so much from Target but they didn't have alot of what I was looking for!

2 Crystal Light On the Go packs, $3.99 ( I KNOW OUCH! But I love those things for work!), I had a $1.00 each Target coupons and a $2.00 off IP coupon
2 Hot Dogs, on sale for $1.52, I had BOGO IP coupon.
Total $9.02
After coupons:$5.35
Not a great savings, but I really wanted the Crystal Light for work.

Kmart:
I found the Marcel!! They didn't have the T.P. I wanted, but they did have the Paper Towel and rather than letting the coupons expire, I bought the paper towels.


15 rolls of paper towels, coupons from Sunday paper for free up to $4.00
Before coupons: $18.46
After coupons: $1.01 (tax)

Aldi's:

4 frozen pizzas
2 packs of salisbury steaks
3 packs of chicken parmesan
4 frozen juice (I have 4 more in stockpile, so that leaves us pretty thin! I will have to watch for a stockpile deal on those!)
1 head of lettuce
10 ears of sweet corn (on sale for 12 cents an ear! Great treat for summer cooking!)
4 jugs of cat litter (we have a lot in stockpile,so this was just to keep up with the stock)
2 packs of hot dogs
bag of corn chips
bag of potatoe chips
pound of strawberries (On sale for 99 cents and yummy! This will hold me over til our patch grows up!)
1 bottle pancake syrup
2 tomatoes
1 pound of apples
4 loafs of white bread
1 bag hamburger buns
2 bags of hot dog buns
2 packs of cheese slices
container of cottage cheese
2 packs of chunk cheese
2 packs of bologna
1 magarine
2 doz large eggs
2 12 packs of soda (again a memorial day treat! I splurged this trip!)

Total: $72.27

Walmart:


Bag of Cat Food, Price $3.98, had a $3.50 IP
1 box Aveeno Simple Bath Soak, $2.98, I had a $2.00 IP
ALL YOU Magazine, For the coupons OF COURSE! $2.24
2 Capri Sun Drink 10 packs, $1.70 I had the $1.00 coupon.
2 boxes of Veleeta Cheese and Shells, $1.50, I had $1.00 IP
1 bottle of wart remover for my sons little toe! :( $3.16 bought the generic, it was the cheapest
Total: $18.76
After Coupons: $9.77 after coupons

Logli's

1 box of Taco Bell Dinner Kit, On sale for $2.00, had a $1.00 Coupon
2 boxes of Ritz Crackers, On Sale for $2.50 a box, I had coupons for $1.00 IP coupons
3 Healthy Choice Penne Pasta Micro Meals, on sale for $1.67, I had $1.00 coupons
1 Bottle of BBQ sauce, I had a buy a Kingsford Charcoal get a BBQ sauce free, so I used that and then I have a mail in rebate for $2.00, so I will mail that in
9 cups of Easy Mac, 67 cents on sale, I had $1.00 off 2 cups IP Coupon, so that is 17 cents a cup. Which I will use for work or take camping with us. :) The kids love these!
20 packs of Kool Aid, on sale for 10 cents each. I had IP coupons for 50 cents off 10 packs, the coupons doubled, so all of it was Free
1 box of Triscuits, on sale for $2.00, I had a $1.00 off IP coupon
6 4 pound bags of sugar, on sale for $1.79, I had 30 cents off coupons that doubled so $1.09 a bag. Our stockpile was LOW, and we use this for kool-aid so I had to stock up!
2 boxes of Parkay, on sale for $1.25, I had $1.00 when you buy 2 ( I bought cheaper margarine too, but since this was on sale and my hubby likes it, I got 2)
3 jars of Kraft Mayo, on sale for $1.00, I had $1.00 off IP, so all 3 free
2 packs of Fiber One Yogart, on sale $2.00, I had .50 cent coupons that double to $1.00
3 pouches of instant potatoes, $1.05, I had 25 cents coupons that doubled
2 Warm Delights, On sale $1.67, I had a 55 cent IP for each one, 57 cents each
1 bag of Brat Buns, I had a $1.00 off winetag
2 bagels, I had a $1.00 off winetag
2 containers of Sour Cream, 29 cents after coupon
1 container of cottage cheese
2 boxes of speghetti, Free with the purchase of the sauce
2 Dry Idea Roll On, on sale for $3.00, I had my $2.00 off coupon, My stockpile if FULL of deo. But my mom uses this brand so I picked it up for her, she will reimburse me
1 bottle of Dial Pump soap, on clearance for 1.00, I had a 35 cents off coupon
2 bottles of Franks hot sauce, $1.50, I had a $1.29 off coupons from the sunday paper
4 bottles of Snapple, $1.49, I had BOGO coupons on these
1 box of Hello Kitty Bandaids, $1.00, had a $1.00 off coupon, free
6 Thai Lemon Grass instant soups, 67 cents each, had a 50 coupon that doubled, making them free
4 jars of Ragu Sauce, On sale for $2.00, I had 60 cents off each jar
2 bottles of Weber Seasoning, on sale for 99 cents, I had a $1.00 off when you buy 2
4 envelopes of Taco Seasoning, 89 cents, I had 75 cents off 2
2 packages of nylons, $1.49 and $1.99, I had $1.00 off coupons
1 bag of Kingsford Charcoal
1 Frenchs Mustard, On sale for $1.34, I had a 50 cent coupon that doubled, So I paid 34 cents for the BIG Bottle!
1 can of Dole Fruit, $1.34, 55 cent off coupon that doubled, 24 cents for the can
2 bottles of Sierra Mist, $1.49, Had a BOGO coupon
5 pounds of Pot Roast, Had a winetag, buy $8.00 worth of meat, get $2.00 off
2 pounds of Chicken Drum Sticks, 3.10, had a $1.00 off instant value coupon
1.5 pounds of Pork Chops, 3.54, had a $1.00 off instant value coupon


Total: $125.99 (with tax)
After coupons: 65.48
Then I used my Test Drive Gift Card that I got for that Test Drive last fall. So, I paid $15.48 out of pocket!! YEAH!! And I have a $2.00 refund to send in for. I forgot the sloppy joe mix and black olives, so I am not sure whether I will still pick that up or not. Black olives go on sale at Walgreens every now and then, so I may stock pile then later.


So my total out of pocket is $103.88. Before coupons it would have been $280.06. So I had a 63% savings. For those of you who don't know, my goal is $250 a month. SO, even if I didn't have the gift cards for nothing OOP, I still would have done well. Now, I have been asked to list a menu. Please remember that this menu isn't based on what is the healthiest, but this menu is based on what I had money for and how can I afford to keep my out of pocket low, so I use that money to pay down debt! So, your family may eat differently, please keep that in mind.

I am planning this menu from May 25th to June 21st (28 days). Which means I will not be doing any major shopping until after school lets out. Also, I don't plan specific days on a menu, I just make a list of what we have in stock, then we can decide that day what we are in the mood for, so that we are not restricted to a rigid schedule. The paratheses are the number of days in this cycle that we will eat those meals.

Breakfast Options:
Cereal/Milk (8)
Pancakes (4) (use sryup or homemade blackberry spread)
Waffles (4)
Eggs, sausage (2)
Crepes (4)
French Toast (1)
Oatmeal (6)
Fruit and Yougart (1)
Total 30 days, and I have Pop Tarts and Bagels for me for my hurried days to work

Lunch Options:
Soups (4)
Mac and Cheese (3),
Hot Dogs (3),
Cold Sandwiches (3)
Pasta Salad (1)
Speghettio's (2), Mom and Dad will have soup!
Grilled Cheese (3)
19 meals, This is for options on weekends and after school lets out, during the school year, the kids get hot lunch at school ( reduced price due to hubby's lay off, so it's super cheap!) Also, I picked up frozen meals and the mac and cheese cups for me for work.

Dinner Options:
Pork Roast (2), Done in the slow cooker! Yummy!
Speghetti (5)
Hambuger Helper (3)
Walking Tacos (2)
Regular Tacos (1)
Chicken Drumsticks (2)
Frozen Pizza (4)
Round Steaks (1)
Turkey (2)
Salisbury Steaks (2)
Chicken Parmesan (3)
Pork Chops (1)
Brats and Hot Dogs (1)
Total of 29 meals

Sides for the Lunches and Dinners:
Apple Sauce
Rice a Roni
Pasta a Roni
Mashed Potatoes
Frozen Veggies
Canned Veggies
Pasta Salad
Scalloped or Au Grain Potatoes
Biscuits
Fruit Salad
Cheese and Crackers
Garlic Bread
Apple Slices
Bananas

Drinks:
Milk
Water
Tea
Chai Tea
Kool Aid
Powerade
Coffee
Soda (very limited)
Hawiaan Punch (one bottle left)
Grape Juice, Orange Juice and Apple Juice (for Breakfast)

Snacks:
Jello
Pudding
Peanuts
Quakes Rice Cakes
Bananas
Strawberries
Granola Bars
Cheese and Crackers (Ritz or Triscuits)
Cereal
Candy (limited, still from Easter)
Popsicles
Yogart
Apples
Canned Fruit
Rice Krispie Squares
Home made Cookies
Ice Pops


Now, I have enough health and beauty products, cleaning products, paper goods, cat supplies and food to last for the 28 days.

:) Stay Frugal Everyone!!