Walmart Grocery Shopping and Menu Plan

I spent $30.41 on groceries today!!

I wasn't sure if I'd be typing this post today. We are in the middle of an ice-storm warning right now until tomorrow at noon, so I was a little nervous about going to the grocery store. However, I braved the storm and made my weekly trip. Oh, and I forgot to take a picture, so use your imagination. Imagine plastic bags full of great deals!

Some of my price-matching this week included:
1. Red Seedless Grapes- $.88/lb. (Walmart's price- $1.77/lb.) Savings=$.89/lb.

2. Bananas- $.99/3 lbs. (Walmart's price- $.52/lb.) Savings=$.19/lb.
This was a huge savings since I got over 6 lbs. of bananas! How much? $1.20!

3. DiGoirno Pizza- $3.99 (Walmart's price-$5.75) Savings=$1.76

4. Rosarito Refried Beans-$.50 each (Walmart's price-$.98 each) Savings=$.48/can

5. Grapefruit- $1/4 (Walmart's price- $.68 each) Savings on 2= $.86

6. Mrs. Baird's Whole Grain Bread- $1.67 (Walmart's price- $2.94) Savings=$1.27
I also used a $.55/1 coupon on the bread, making it $1.12!

I also saved on bread, oatmeal, breadsticks, Quaker chips, McCormick spices, tortillas and baby food using coupons. Savings using coupons=$4.50

Total Savings using Price-matching and Coupons= $12.53

Remember, Walmart's prices are already pretty great, so $12.53 may not sound like a huge savings, but it is when compared to the prices of other popular grocery chains.

Breakfasts:

Tuesday- Waffles and Syrup

Wednesday- Breakfast Burritos

Thursday- Birthday Donuts! (An Iles Family tradition for birthdays. The honors go to Clay!)

Friday- PB Banana Smoothies

Saturday- Yogurt Parfaits

Sunday- Eggs and Toast

Monday- Oatmeal with Brown sugar, Cinnamon, and Raisins

Lunches:

Tuesday- Leftover Cornmeal Chicken (Pg. 151 of Cooking Light:Low Fat/Low Calorie)

Wednesday-Leftover Salisbury Steak and Mashed Potatoes

Thursday- Clay's Birthday Lunch! (Taking him out to eat!)

Friday- Canned Soup and Green Salad

Saturday- Cheese Quesadillas and Refried Beans

Sunday- Ham Sandwiches and Carrots

Monday- Leftover Spaghetti

Dinners:

Tuesday- Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, and Broccoli (carried over from last week's meal plan)

Wednesday- Leftover Gumbo, Rice, and Crackers (carried over from last week's meal plan)

Thursday- Clay's Birthday Dinner- Sausage pizza, Breadsticks, and Strawberry Cheesecake

Friday- Date Night!! Noah has pizza at Kid's Night Out at UBC

Saturday- Dinner at Friend's House

Sunday- Spaghetti and Green beans

Monday- Chicken Fajitas and Ranch-style Beans

Walmart Grocery Shopping and Menu Plan

Okay, I've been really behind in the blogging world. I totally skipped last week's grocery shopping/menu plan post. But have no fear...here's this week's grocery shopping trip to Walmart and my weekly Menu Plan.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE price-matching? I'm kind of addicted. I just went grocery shopping today, but when the new flyers come in the mailbox today and tomorrow, I'll be scouring through them to find my deals for next week.

Here are some of the great price-matching deals I got at Walmart today. (Price-matching is when you bring in a flyer from another local store and Walmart honors that store's price over it's own! If you're confused or have a question, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer it:)

1. Cucumbers- 3/$.99 (These were $.68 each at Walmart today. I saved $1.05 on one item!)
2. Tomatoes- 3 lbs./$.99 (These were $1.50/lb. at Walmart today, so I saved $3.51!)
3. Cantaloupe- $.99 each (I can't remember what Walmart's price was on this item :)
4. Romaine Lettuce- $.99 each (These were $1.68. I bought 2, so I saved $1.38!)
5. Baby Carrots- $.99/lb. (I can't remember what Walmart's price was on this item :)
6. Broccoli- $.99/bunch (These were $1.38, so I saved $.39.)
7. Red Delicious Apples- $.99/lb. (These were $1.60/lb., so I saved $.61/lb.)
8. Avocados- 4/$1 (These were 2/$1 and I got 4, so I saved $1.)

So, the price-matching deals were exceptional today! I used flyers from Sack-n-Save, Kroger, Terry's, Super Plaza, and Fiesta.

I was quite concerned when I began my trip today. Clay and I are committed to eating more healthy, so I planned our menu based on this fact rather than on what was on sale and what I had coupons for. The Lord blessed our fervency in this area and I walked out the store with all the groceries in the above picture (including an outfit for Jude and sippy cups for Noah) and only spent $56!!! I am thanking the Lord continuously for His great provision!

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Menu Plan

Breakfasts:

Tuesday- Eggs and Toast

Wednesday- Blueberry, Yogurt Parfaits

Thursday- Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies

Friday- Oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon

Saturday- Cold cereal and Milk

Sunday- Breakfast Burritos (egg and whole-wheat tortillas) and Salsa

Monday- Oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon

Lunches:

Tuesday- Clay and Robin- Smart Ones (frozen dinner)

Noah- cheese, crackers, oranges, and apple sauce

Wednesday- tuna wrap/leftovers

Thursday- Canned Soup and Salad

Friday- Clay and Robin- Smart Ones

Noah- peanut butter sandwich, apples, and pudding

Saturday- Leftover Mexican Casserole and Baby Carrots

Sunday- Leftover Gumbo

Monday- Leftover Cornmeal Chicken and 4-cheese Mashed Potatoes

Dinners:

Tuesday- Chicken Tortilla Soup and Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (I got
the dressing for $.39 today! I had a coupon for $1 off any Ken's Dressing. Walmart's
price was $1.39, so I only paid 39 cents!!)

Wednesday- Cheesy Manicotti and Corn

Thursday- Clay and Noah- leftover Cheesy Manicotti

Robin- bring 2 boxes Texas Toast to Gladney Center for Adoption meal

Friday- Mexican Casserole and Tortilla chips with Salsa

Saturday- Gumbo, potato salad, and crackers (We're having friends over and Clay is making a
wonderful Louisiana treat! It's quite a treat b/c it tends to be pricey and loaded with
things that aren't good for you :)

Sunday- Crispy Cornmeal Chicken (Page 151 from Cooking Light: Low Cal/Low Fat), 4-
cheese Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans

Monday- Country Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, and Mustard Greens

kroger and walmart deals/ menu plan

I shopped at Walmart and Kroger this week and got some good savings. I decided this week I was only buying what was on sale and what I had a coupon for, mostly. Some things you just can't go without! I forgot to take a picture, so you'll have to imagine what my loot looked like! Here are the details about my shopping excursion:

1st store- Walmart
1. Luvs Diapers- 34 pack (no getting around this :) = $7.47
2. Jell-O Mochachino Pudding Snacks = on sale for $2 - $.55/1 coupon = $1.45
3. Prenatal Vits (because I'm nursing) = $4
4. GG Valley Steamers- broccoli = on sale for $1.23 - $.50/1 coupon = $.73
5. GG Valley Steamers- potatoes/green beans = on sale for $1.50 - $.50/1 coupon = $1
6. Sara Lee Whole Grain White Bread = $1.97
7. 3 lbs. of yellow onions = $1.50
8. Bananas (price-matched from local store for 3 lbs./$1) = $1.25
9. Special K Red Berries Waffles = on sale for $2 - $.75/$1 = $1.25
10. Vanilla Yogurt (32 oz.) = $1.67
11. Canned diced tomatoes = $.48
12. 2 cans of tomato sauce = .42 x 2 = $.84
13. GV Cheese Crackers = $1.38
14. Duracell Batteries- price-matched for $4.99 + used 2 $.75/1 coupons = $4.24 x 2 = $8.48
15. Clorox Bleach = $1.66
16. Betty Crocker icing = $1.26

Total (before price-matching and coupons) = $43.16
Total (after price-matching and coupons) = $37.71
Total Savings = $5.45
These savings might not look that incredible, but please remember that Walmart's prices are already pretty low. When compared to other popular grocery chains the savings are huge!

2nd store- Kroger
I really didn't need anything else, but because my coupons were about to expire and I did pretty good on my weekly budget, I decided to get a few things using my Valued Customer coupons.

1. Kroger Poptarts - on sale for 1.34 - $.45/1 coupon = $.89
2. Kroger Pretzels - on sale for $1.25
3. Claude's Brisket Marinade = $3.59 (It hurt my heart to pay this much for marinade, but it's for a brisket recipe I received from a friend. I don't want to mess up something as great and rare as brisket!)
4. Kroger fresh Chicken Tenders = $13.12 (B1/G1 Free!) - $2.50/$10 poultry purchase = almost 5 lbs. of chicken for $10. 62

Total (before Kroger savings and coupons) = $30.58
Total (after Kroger savings and coupons) = $16.35
Total savings = $14. 23

Combined total of Walmart and Kroger = $54.06

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Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Tuesday- Oatmeal w/ brown sugar and cinammon

Wednesday- Biscuits and eggs

Thursday- Peanut butter smoothies and toast

Friday- Blueberry muffins and apples

Saturday- French toast

Sunday- Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits and bagels

Monday- Waffles and fruit

Lunches

Tuesday-Friday - sandwiches/leftovers

Saturday- leftover Frito Pie

Sunday- leftover Chicken and Brown Rice

Monday- sandwiches/leftovers

Dinners

Tuesday- Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Green salad with fresh ranch dressing

Wednesday- Care Group Meal (church small group)- bringing Cheese Muffins

Thursday- Meal at Friends' House- bringing Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Icing

Friday- Frito Pie and fruit

Saturday- Chicken, Brown Rice, and Broccoli, and Carrots

Sunday- Pancakes and fruit

Monday- Brisket, Potatoes, and Baked beans

my coupon binder

I enjoy clipping coupons each week from the Sunday paper. I love to see what deals I can match with the current sales at local grocery chains. It thrills me when I see a coupon, know that it matches a sale, and then know the discounted price I will be getting or the possibility of getting it for totally FREE! However, in my quest for saving money, my organizational skills have suffered. Until now. I read on another blog over here that I could make a Coupon Binder. What a novel idea! I had been using a small diving system to collect my coupons, but could never find the one I needed unless I unloaded all the coupons from that section. This new system allows me to easily find the coupon I'm hunting. The coupons are divided into sections I usually shop by, so finding them is a breeze!

I started my project with a 3 ring binder, a package of 9-pocket baseball card pages, a package of dividers, and lots of coupons!!

I put the dividers in the binder and then placed the baseball card pages between each of the dividers. The number of baseball card pages you put in each section depends on your coupon stash. My dividers were labeled like this: Boxed/Canned/Jarred Foods, Frozen Foods/Meats, Dairy Items, Baking Items, Snacks, Paper Goods/Cleaning Supplies, Hygiene, and Baby. These are the categories that best fit my life right now. Adjust these to fit the needs of your family.

These are the results after a typical Sunday afternoon of clipping coupons. I make my stacks based on the categories in my binder. Then I place the coupons in the binder!

Here are a couple of sheets filled with coupons. After taking note of the coupons I have, I scour the sales papers for good deals. Finally I plan my menu based on all this info. This does take quite a bit of time, but I'm trying to lessen this process by being more organized and doing it often, so that I can up my experience. Now tomorrow is grocery shopping day. Wish me luck!