My Grocery Shopping Methods

I have been doing really well stretching my money grocery shopping the past few months even without many coupons! I have learned that stocking up on items when they are on sale is a great way to stretch my grocery budget! Some of my stock up items recently have been $.79 cent Kroger Cocoa Rice cereal (I purchased 5...every box they had marked down), $1.89 boneless skinless chicken breasts at Kroger (this week), and 3 boxes of Lipton tea bags that were on sale at CVS and after purchasing them with ECB's they cost me virtually nothing! By purchasing these items so inexpensively and stocking up I am able to save a lot of money! Since I have been stocking up for a while on items at low prices I am able to plan meals around what I already have and then I go to the grocery store to pick up milk, produce, and stock up on more sale items which is really helping me stretch my food money!

Monthly Grocery Budget:$160 ($40 a week)

Last week's grocery shopping:

Kroger

Italian Sausage (Manager's Special) $1.49
Oscar Meyer Hot Dogs FREE (with coupon)

Total: $1.76

Aldi:

(3 pounds chicken breast, 4 packs tortillas, produce, eggs, chocolate milk...yummy treat!)

Total: $25.67

Budget remaining: $132.27 ($12.57 below weekly budget!)

This week's groceries...no pictures since we went shopping right after church and we came home at 2:00 starving, I had to cook and put groceries away...not take pictures!!

I meal planned before we went shopping and only needed milk and apples, the rest of the items were to stock up with and for snacks!

Kroger:
8.78 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts @$1.89/lb.

6 Yoplait Yogurt @$.50 each ($3 minus $.40 manufacturer coupon doubled, minus $.40 shortcut) $1.80 ($.30 each)

Total:$19.84

Aldi:
5 lbs sugar $2.29
2 Macaroni & Cheese $.35 each*
Peas $.49*
Green Beans $.49*
Baby Dills $1.19
Applesauce $.99
Instant Rice $1.35*
Sour Cream $.89
Butter $1.99
Mozarella Cheese $1.29
Whipped Topping $.85
Milk $2.29
3 lbs Apples $2.99
Tortilla Chips $.99
Kettle Potato Chips $1.99
Cheese Puffs $.99

Total: $21.77

*Items for the food pantry at church

I also forgot to purchase soy sauce and my husband picked that up for me, it was $1.50.

Budget Remaining: $87.77 ($4.80 over weekly budget of $40 but $7.77 under monthly budget!)

So that is a little bit of insight into my grocery shopping method and the way I stretch my food dollars and keep a running total of how I am doing budget wise for the month!