Middle of the Month Budget Update

I wasn't sure what was on the list when I started the month but I found a few good deals that I stocked up on and a few things that I was searching for a good deal on.

 

Trader Joes  $5.41

 

I really like the blue cheese at Trader Joes and I think that it is worth the extra price at $3.49 because it is a bigger container and really blue so the extra flavor means that you can use less to get the same flavor as the stuff at Aldi priced at $1.99.  I also have been waiting weeks and weeks for celery to go on sale at Aldi and the price was going up and up and the celery was looking yuckier and yuckier so I decided that I would check Trader Joes and I got these two celery hearts for $1.79.  Bad part is that they took off the good parts for making broth so I won't get a lot from this one but it is healthy and big (perfect timing because I had six uses for it after we ran out and haven't used it since and now it is on sale at Aldi!!)



Target $10.40

 

I got a $50 gift card for my birthday and I was trying to figure out what I was going to get so my main plan was going to get all of the grocery items we needed so all of us made a list while at dinner.  I wish that I took a picture of it because it was super cute.  My husband wrote most of the things and my son took the pen and wrote that I should get whatever I could with a coupon to save money.  Love that I have taught my son that we can get more if we use sales and coupons (who knows how that will work in his long term life but hoping for a lasting impression).

 

When I got there, I decided that I needed everything to make his Easter basket.  I got a clearance Crayola marker maker which he has wanted forever but it was $30-$40 which I thought was crazy since I could get the darn markers so cheap.  This was under $18 so I figured that it would make a great thing to have so that we didn't have lots of candy.  I also got Starburst jelly beans with cartwheel and coupon.  I grabbed the dollar section deals with two sprinkles, Dr. Suess pencils, chalk, gardening gloves ($3), and the green jumper thing in the front ($3).  I also got the spring shaped marshmallows because they were normal marshmallow flavor and the one at Aldi was not so my son didn't eat any of the strawberry flavor ones.

 

I also still needed groceries including granola bars, penne pasta, cereal, and Ocean Spray (not on sale- BOO!!).  We also really needed tissues so I used the cartwheel and coupon to get the Puffs and found clearance Kleenex.  We are already on box number three with all of our sicknesses, hence we got  cold medicine for adult use and one for kids.  I got the two bottle Robitussin for my son that was on clearance, used a coupon and turned it in for Ibotta rebate (YEAH savings!!)  I added cinnamon rasin bagels with cartwheel to get them cheaper to have a nice splurge.

 

I was excited to use my gift card first and hoping to stay close to that out of pocket but the medicine alone was basically what I paid for out of pocket.

 

 

 

Aldi $17.05

 

I got a cocoa rice cereal for my son because he loves it but I don't normally like to pay over $1 for cereal so the $1.79 at Aldi is a splurge which I got because I know that I didn't use that much money at Target so I had some wiggle room in the budget.  I also grabbed a splurge for my husband because he loves tater tots ($1.65). 

 

I also grabbed some baking supplies.  We were low on oil so I grabbed another one and we were really low on baking soda which I put off purchasing for a long time which I needed shortly after purchasing because the other box was completely gone.  I also got another box of saltine crackers because my husband had eaten the other whole box with his soup binge to get over his cold.  I wasn't sure if we were done with the sickness yet so it seemed like a good idea to grab another one and if not, I will use some to make the seasoned saltine crackers soon. 

 

We also really needed potatoes which I forgot to put in the picture and had to take by itself on the counter that the heavy bag got left at.  They were at $3.49 which isn't the highest that they have been but not the lowest either.  I have been back a few times recently and there aren't any potatoes so worried what will happen when we run out.

 

Our excitement of the trip was there were containers of the old margarine that we used to buy.  I was afraid that it was too good to be true and it might be the old container with new stuff inside so I only bought one.  Quick declaration from my husband that he wanted me to go back and buy like 5-6 of them because it was the stuff he liked at the lower price then anything you can get any where else.

 

 

 

Harris Teeter $11.95

 

 

Specifically at the store to get Dominos sugar because we were totally out of sugar!!!  AHHH!!!  Near disaster in this house to not be able to make anything.  I had a ton of rain checks to buy them at whatever price I wanted and there was a coupon for the sugar in that weeks paper...which I of course forgot at home!!!  I brought one copy in my bag so I couldn't go as crazy as I was hoping to go but used my one coupon for $0.65 off 2 to get two so these were $1.32 each.  I can't wait to use the coupon to get more!!!  I also got the Domino fliptop sugar for $0.17 after sale and coupon.

 

I realized that I didn't grab shortening at Aldi so I grabbed on at HT for nearly the same price at $2.87.  I forgot the Gerber bananas at Target so it was super great that there were on sale and I had a coupon so I got them for $0.75 each.  I probably should have bought more but I am still thinking that I am going to get my son to eat fruit with fruit texture and he isn't there yet.  Last but not least, we are in serious need to have more tissues in the stockpile.  They were on sale for $1.67 and I had coupons for $0.50 which doubled so I paid $0.67 each!!  If you haven't used these soft packs, they are perfect for travel and in the car.  Last minute, I added some Honey Nut Cheerios because they were on sale for $1.97 and I only had a $1/2 coupons so they were $1.47 each which is more then I normally spend but still a good deal.  There were some other things that I wanted but I left my pile of uncut coupons at home because I was not prepared for my shopping trip...also all the printed coupons so I obviously shouldn't have left the house but I still got good deals and some more rain checks to get more deals later.  It happens but it is always disappointing!!!

CVS $0.27

 

There was a coupon to get nearly free candy and I decided that it was great for Easter basket time so I did this in two transactions and I was going to use my credit card which almost killed my mother.  I pulled out change to pay for the first one and she did the second one.

 



Total OOP $45.08

 

How do you think that I did?? 

 

I bought a whole bunch which aren't really groceries but those are our household expenses so they are going straight in the budget and luckily I had a gift card to off set the majority of the cost (Thanks Lynn).  I have been trying to earn at least one $25 gift card from Swagbucks every month.  In addition, I got a few from my Giant activity in their special program. I did better when they required a certain number of activities a month and gave us $10 a month store credit but in the new program I have gotten a $50 gift card and two for $10 which I redeemed.  Some of gift cards went for Christmas presents and other gifts so I haven't actually gotten to use any of them yet.  I have my first purchase this month and I am trying to decide what to get but I think that I am going to use them for Home Depot so that we can get some insulation with a gift card that my husband got for his birthday and this one so that we don't have to pay for too much of it.  Although eventually, I hope to use it to get some more money into the grocery budget!!