This is rather late, considering this is the commissary trip for THIS week's menu. I just didn't have it in me to go to the commissary last week, so we went on Tuesday instead. Instead of having leftovers over the mommy-only weekend, we had McDonald's instead (hey that monopoly game is addicting). On Monday night (since the commissary is closed for restocking or some other craziness) we had a frozen pizza.
I'm going to have to go commissary shopping again today or tomorrow for next week's food, and a commissary trip twice a week is just TOO MUCH. My husband's new schedule is a lot more commissary-friendly, so hopefully in the future I'll have a lot more help there. However, with the winter coming up, I'm toying with the idea of doing a menu plan for 2 weeks to minimize our trips out in the snow. We'll see.
Anyway, this week I saved 20%, or $12.70, but still managed to go over-budget by $3.14. This was due to a LOT of stocking up since they were having a sale on hamburger helpers and rice a roni. Here's the breakdown:
Menu Items
Ground Beef: $2.26
Pork Chops: $5.21 (for 2 meals)
2 medium red & yellow peppers: $3.31 (EEP! Shoulda just skipped this!!!)
2 8oz pineapple chunks in juice: $0.96
Heavy whipping cream: $3.18
Italian sausage: $1.99 ($0.99 w/ coupon)
Cheddar Cheese: $3.00
Ketchup: $0.85 (I just needed 2 tbsp, but we ran out)
Total cost for week's menu: $17.76
Since the peppers were just side-dishes and garnish, I really should have skipped the step in the recipe. I'm not for buying everything the recipe calls for and I will make substitutions, but I really should have just skipped the peppers since we don't even LIKE peppers! The heavy whipping cream was another one I pondered skipping, but it was for a sauce and I didn't know what effect simple old milk would have done to it. The sweet and sour sauce turned out great though, so I will be remaking it often and the cream is actually money well-spent. If you're interested, the recipe is under the "Monday" slot (even though we had it on Tuesday).
Sale/Stockpile/Random Items
Cheese: $3.00
10 Rice a Roni ($0.80 each): $8.00
2 Ragu pasta sauce ($0.99 each): $1.98
3 Bertolli pasta sauce ($1.39 each): $4.17
3 Hamburger Helper ($0.90 each): $2.70
2 Minute Maid Orange juice 64oz ($2.00 each): $4.00
Hungry Jack pancake mix: $1.19
Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake: $2.89
Kotex pantiliner: $0.84
Shaving Gel: $1.97
3 Swanson broth 14oz ($0.40 each): $1.20
G2 Sport Drink Orange 160oz: $4.50
Syrup: $1.39
2 Candy fun bars ($1.90 each): $3.80
Polish sausage: $1.75
Some other type of sausage: $1.59
Total stockpiling/misc. cost: $44.97
After coupons: $32.27
Pesky surcharge: $3.14
Coupons (all mfg coupons)
2 Ragu pasta sauce $1/1 (-$2.00)
Hamburger Helper $0.75/3 (-$0.75)
Hungry Jack & Johnsonville sausage $1 off (-$1.00)
Sara Lee Pound cake $1/1 (-$1.00)
Kotex $1/1 (-$1.00)
Bertolli pasta sauce $1/1 COMMISSARY coupon (-$3.00)
Swanson broth $0.40/3 (-$0.40)
2 Nestle candy printables $1/1 (-$2.00)
Johnsonville brat coupon $0.55/1 (-$0.55)
Hillshire coupon $1/1 (-$1.00)
Total coupon savings: $12.70 (20% savings)
So I went over-budget by $3...I'm not stressing it considering we loaded up BIG TIME on rice a roni. The commissary is having some nice sales this week that can be combined with coupons. After coupons, the Ragu pasta sauce was free, and the Bertolli comes out to $0.39 each. I also got a near-to-free hamburger helper, and basically a B2G1 deal on the broth. All of their sausage-type things were pretty cheap too, coming out to under $1 after coupon.
Granted, we didn't NEED Gatorade or orange juice, but it was on a pretty good sale. While I'm all about saving money, I'm not so overboard that I'm rationing out our food. I wrote about taking it easy budget-wise here.
Except for essentials or menu items, I never buy anything at the commissary that does not have a coupon match-up. Except for the shaving gel - that's what I get for taking hubby to the store with me.
"Wait till I get it for free at CVS or WAGs..."
"Noooo! But I need it NOW"
I guess I have to pay SOMEHOW for the in-commissary babysitting that he provides...
I'm going to have to go commissary shopping again today or tomorrow for next week's food, and a commissary trip twice a week is just TOO MUCH. My husband's new schedule is a lot more commissary-friendly, so hopefully in the future I'll have a lot more help there. However, with the winter coming up, I'm toying with the idea of doing a menu plan for 2 weeks to minimize our trips out in the snow. We'll see.
Anyway, this week I saved 20%, or $12.70, but still managed to go over-budget by $3.14. This was due to a LOT of stocking up since they were having a sale on hamburger helpers and rice a roni. Here's the breakdown:
Menu Items
Ground Beef: $2.26
Pork Chops: $5.21 (for 2 meals)
2 medium red & yellow peppers: $3.31 (EEP! Shoulda just skipped this!!!)
2 8oz pineapple chunks in juice: $0.96
Heavy whipping cream: $3.18
Italian sausage: $1.99 ($0.99 w/ coupon)
Cheddar Cheese: $3.00
Ketchup: $0.85 (I just needed 2 tbsp, but we ran out)
Total cost for week's menu: $17.76
Since the peppers were just side-dishes and garnish, I really should have skipped the step in the recipe. I'm not for buying everything the recipe calls for and I will make substitutions, but I really should have just skipped the peppers since we don't even LIKE peppers! The heavy whipping cream was another one I pondered skipping, but it was for a sauce and I didn't know what effect simple old milk would have done to it. The sweet and sour sauce turned out great though, so I will be remaking it often and the cream is actually money well-spent. If you're interested, the recipe is under the "Monday" slot (even though we had it on Tuesday).
Sale/Stockpile/Random Items
Cheese: $3.00
10 Rice a Roni ($0.80 each): $8.00
2 Ragu pasta sauce ($0.99 each): $1.98
3 Bertolli pasta sauce ($1.39 each): $4.17
3 Hamburger Helper ($0.90 each): $2.70
2 Minute Maid Orange juice 64oz ($2.00 each): $4.00
Hungry Jack pancake mix: $1.19
Sara Lee All Butter Pound Cake: $2.89
Kotex pantiliner: $0.84
Shaving Gel: $1.97
3 Swanson broth 14oz ($0.40 each): $1.20
G2 Sport Drink Orange 160oz: $4.50
Syrup: $1.39
2 Candy fun bars ($1.90 each): $3.80
Polish sausage: $1.75
Some other type of sausage: $1.59
Total stockpiling/misc. cost: $44.97
After coupons: $32.27
Pesky surcharge: $3.14
Coupons (all mfg coupons)
2 Ragu pasta sauce $1/1 (-$2.00)
Hamburger Helper $0.75/3 (-$0.75)
Hungry Jack & Johnsonville sausage $1 off (-$1.00)
Sara Lee Pound cake $1/1 (-$1.00)
Kotex $1/1 (-$1.00)
Bertolli pasta sauce $1/1 COMMISSARY coupon (-$3.00)
Swanson broth $0.40/3 (-$0.40)
2 Nestle candy printables $1/1 (-$2.00)
Johnsonville brat coupon $0.55/1 (-$0.55)
Hillshire coupon $1/1 (-$1.00)
Total coupon savings: $12.70 (20% savings)
So I went over-budget by $3...I'm not stressing it considering we loaded up BIG TIME on rice a roni. The commissary is having some nice sales this week that can be combined with coupons. After coupons, the Ragu pasta sauce was free, and the Bertolli comes out to $0.39 each. I also got a near-to-free hamburger helper, and basically a B2G1 deal on the broth. All of their sausage-type things were pretty cheap too, coming out to under $1 after coupon.
Granted, we didn't NEED Gatorade or orange juice, but it was on a pretty good sale. While I'm all about saving money, I'm not so overboard that I'm rationing out our food. I wrote about taking it easy budget-wise here.
Except for essentials or menu items, I never buy anything at the commissary that does not have a coupon match-up. Except for the shaving gel - that's what I get for taking hubby to the store with me.
"Wait till I get it for free at CVS or WAGs..."
"Noooo! But I need it NOW"
I guess I have to pay SOMEHOW for the in-commissary babysitting that he provides...
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