End of September Shopping

I had only a bit of grocery money left this month, and with some careful planning and attention to the sales, I managed to stay under budget!

First, I went to Kroger. There were some good deals, especially when I matched up my coupons that tripled! Here’s what I put in my cart to buy.

Before I describe how it worked, guess how much I spent for everything pictured? Go ahead. Look again if you want.

I spent only $5.66 and saved 83 percent!

Now, let me tell you what I got completely free – 2 Knorr bouillon cubes, 1 box of Folgers instant coffee, and 2 packages of Wholly Guacamole. Some of my coupons must have rang up with overage, because I ended up getting the s sets of Pampers wipes free, too.

The Old El Paso enchilada sauce was only $0.09 a can, and the Baked Healthy Choice Meals only $0.67 a piece.

My husband was most excited by the fact that I managed to get Lays potato chips for only $1. I think that is the lowest I have ever gotten name brand potato chips! They were on sale for $2.50, and I had an internet printable coupon that was briefly available for $0.50/1 that tripled. Score!

Again, I spent $5.66 at Kroger. Then, it was off to Meijer. It was a basic foods stock-up.

Meijer had a 10 for $10 promotion, but I didn’t quite have the money to do the full deal, so here’s what I did.

I bought 5 pounds of potatoes for $1. That is such a great price, I bought 2 bags for 10 pounds total. Three pounds of onions cost me $1.

I was looking for Quick and Old Fashioned Natural Oats that were on sale for $1. They were out of the quick oats, so I planned to buy my 2 or 3 packages of old fashioned. However, that plan changed when I noticed the shelf tag for a Meijer Naturals idea. If I bought 5 products, I got a catalina for $3 off my next purchase. That was great, as I was basically paying $0.40 for a package of natural oats. So, I bought 5 canisters of oats. My catalina printed as planned.

The canned vegetables were on sale 3 for $1. I’m pleased to know that the months of canned sales are approaching.

I picked the cheapest box of cake mix for a bundt cake I’m making. Did you know that Pillsbury is $0.10 cheaper than the Meijer generics? I’ll take the name brand, please!

At Meijer, I spent $12.09 and received a catalina for $3 off my next purchase.

I got another dozen farm-fresh eggs for $1.50, although I admit they sat in the school fridge almost all week as I kept forgetting to bring them home.

This week, I spent $19.29. This brings my total for September to $156.41. I did it! For the first time in three months, I managed to stay under budget. Whew. I’m pleased that I managed to do it because I’ll admit I had my doubts.

How was your grocery budget this month?