The Right Time for a Budget Blog

I think I had my most successful grocery shopping experience ever today. For those of you experienced couponers this may not seem like much for you. This was huge for me, though. Check it out:I bought, 5 pounds of frozen chicken breasts, two butterflied porkchops, two pounds of ground chicken, 3 pounds of ground beef, a package of ground beef patties, a carton of eggs, 1/2 gallon of 2% milk, 1/2 gallon of whole milk, two 2 liters of soda, bagged salad, two cake mixes, 2 lbs of powdered sugar, muffin mix, cookie mix, 2 gerber microwavable meals, a bag of frozen peas, bread, hamburger buns, a can of campbells cream of celery, 2 wanchai ferry boxed meals, 2 macaroni grill boxed meals, 3 boxes of hamburger helper, 4 totinos pizzas, 2 cans of pillsbury cinnamon rolls, 2 gallons of apple juice, a large box of cinnamon toast crunch, a large box of Lucky Charms, Goldfish crackers, a bag of tortilla chips, a box of texas toast, margarine, and 2 pounds of lunch meat.

My total was $69.50, I saved 37% ($41.23)! I was totally excited about this. I actually wrote the blog below last night, as some people were asking about our budget etc... so I thought this was a great time to publish it:
You ever have those experiences where you wish you would have done something sooner? That's my life with a budget. I always thought a budget would restrict what and when we could buy what we wanted. Though it does dictate the "when" sometimes, I've found myself to be more liberated by our newly instituted budget, as opposed to bitter as I expected to be.
It's nice to know that when a bill comes the money already exists to pay for it. It's even nicer to see money go into our savings faithfully every month because it is written out in the budget to do so. What has been required of me is a little bit of time planning and figuring and a little bit of effort keeping on budget on our 'flexible expenses. I consider 'flexible expenses' to be those expenses that don't have a definite dollar amount. For example, our mortgage is exactly the same every month, it is not a flexible expense. Groceries, on the other hand, is a flexible expense. The amount of money I spend on groceries could become WAY out of hand (this has been proven, look at my last year's grocery bill... bleh) if I didn't set a maximum for myself. I set this maximum fairly low to make it challenging, yet attainable.
I've almost come to a place where I enjoy the challenge of grocery shopping. I'd be lying if I said there weren't times where I wished I could win a year of free groceries so I could buy whatever I wanted, but I make it work, and it works for us. Here are some things I've figured out:

1.) I grocery shop with cash. I take out bi-monthly a specific amount of money JUST for groceries. When the money runs out... we're out of luck until the next date to take money out. I can see the money leaving my hand this way, and it takes the guesswork out of using a debit card and having to 'keep track' of what is spent.

2.) Take note of this one folks, this is my number one tip. I meal plan. Before I grocery shop I make a trip to my kitchen with a spiral notebook. I look to see what I have on hand that allows me to make a meal with no purchase or a very small purchase. For example: I make a casserole out of a box of mac n' cheese, a can of cream of celery, peas, and a chicken breast. If I look and see that I have everything but the cream of celery, I add the cream of celery to my shopping list and I add chicken casserole to our meal plan. That meal then costs me out of pocket (for that two weeks worth of money) the cost of the soup. This prevents food from just sitting and going bad in our house, it frees up other money to buy "on sale" items to be used later (for a later meal plan), AND (and I love this one!), it makes deciding what to eat really, really easy. I look at my list through the next two weeks and see what I have to choose from. This is huge for me!

3.) I coupon. I'll be honest, growing up, coupons used to embarrass me. I hated when my mom used coupons. It made me feel poor. Now I realize poor people aren't the ones who use coupons, it's the ones who use their resources to try to gain wealth. I cut over $20 of coupons tonight, all of which I plan on using tomorrow. I'm going to save $20 on my grocery purchase just in printable coupons. (I have electronic coupons saved on my Kroger card.) Now, I'm not going to lie, I don't use coupons as often as I could. This set of coupons is way large for me. If I use one or two paper coupons a shopping trip it's big. But I save a great deal of money by:

4.) Shopping at Kroger (as opposed to Wal-Mart) and shopping the sale ad. My typical "Kroger savings" during each shopping trip is an average of 18%. I attain this by searching the sale ad, making a shopping list accordingly (that matches my meal plan), and sticking to it. I keep a running total in my head in the grocery store, and I have a maximum amount I'm allowed to spend while in there. (Which is about $30 less than the cash I have on hand. You always run into bread and milk kind of purchases that go bad or you run out of in the matter of two weeks.) When I reach my limit, I leave.

5.) I go alone. I make sure I ask Aaron if there is any particular meal he wants or any particular item to go on the list. He isn't so much the shopping problem. It is Bryton. If you see me in the store with Bryton, you'll know I'm not there for a big shopping trip. I have to be able to concentrate and focus and with a toddler aboard I can't do that as well. (He does get to go to the store, but to pick up a few things here and there. Milk, juice, bread, etc.) Also, he's figured out how to spot things he likes on the shelves and point and whine at them. That kills a shopping experience if I give in to him. When he's just a little older, I'll show him how to shop.

6.) I scour websites such as:
www.coupons.com
www.southernsavers.com
www.moneysavingmom.com
www.eversave.com
www.shortcuts.com
www.cellfire.com
www.kroger.com
www.bettycrocker.com
and occasionally
www.simoneysavers.com
I usually find a lot of great deals on things besides just groceries. These resources have proven amazingly helpful for coupons and ideas. Several of these are blogs that put mine to shame!

7.) And lastly, I shop and look for coupons for other things besides just groceries. Just this week I:
-Saved 15% on Bryton's Easter outfit at Children's Place by finding a coupon on www.retailmenot.com. I saved $4.
-Saved $8.50 on admission at the Magic House in St. Louis by finding a coupon online for one free child's admission with a paid adult.
-Saved $3 off of our Red Lobster lunch on the same day with a coupon I'd found in the newspaper. (I paid the rest, including he tip, on a $25 gift card we had. The bill was $19.99 and the waitress earned a $5.01 tip!)
In one week I saved $15.50 on other items besides groceries!

So there you have it! I'm a long way from having this all figured out, but I can see that some things are working for me! This is just one (of hopefully many) perks I've already discovered from our plans of finishing the basement! (Which is leaking by the way. I guess a call to Woods is in order for tomorrow. Bleh.)
-Alicia

Watched the Olympics Lately

How about the commercials? I've seen both. I've cheered at the tv for the olympians. I've ooed and awwed at particular feats, but I've cried at several commercials throughout these Olympic games.
Yes, cried. If you are a mom, I'm guessing you have too. You may as well admit it.
The commercials I'm referring to is the Proctor Gamble commercials. Whoever does their marketing knows two things. 1.) Moms do much of the shopping and cleaning in their household. 2.) There is nothing this side of heaven more powerful than the love of a mother. I'm not kidding... these commercials prove it. Check out a few for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGgwfjA0V14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo0ejBHp8UI
There are more on youtube, and to be honest, I couldn't find the best one. It's the one I'm really writing about. It says something to the effect of, "Is there anything better than being an Olympian? Actually, yes, there is. Being an Olympian's mom." If you aren't a parent you probably think that is the most ignorant thing you've ever heard. If you are a mom, it brings tears to your eyes.
I'd give up every achievement I've ever had to see my son experience it. I know now why parents want more for their kids than they do themselves. It's almost a selfish thing... we'd rather them have it than ourselves. I'd much rather watch my child win Olympic Gold than ever stand on that podium myself. I'd rather watch my child hit a home run, than have ever hit one myself. I would rather see my baby bring home straight A's, than to ever have had them myself. It's the love of a mother, and P & G have us figured out.
Not only that, but they are putting their money where their mouth is. Not only have they created the Procter and Gamble house in Vancouver (read about it, it's pretty amazing), but they've also taken care of the expenses of many Olympian mothers to get them there to experience the Olympics with their babies... pretty amazing.
Thanks P & G.

Another Way Kids are Good For Me

We've vowed (or, I've vowed for us) to get our rears off the couch and do something, as a family, as often as we can. This weekend we went to the Magic House in St. Louis. Here are some pictures:

B going down the slide at Jack and the Beanstalk.

B playing at the sand table.

Here's a family pic of us at the Magic house.

So, the experience was great. B was well behaved, he had a great time, and we did as well! It was nice to be there together as a family! Of course, though, I did not escape without a lesson learned. (Which is not a bad thing, but being a parent has taught me many, good and rewarding lessons about life.)
Lesson number 4,238 (since becoming a parent): Slow down.
Going into museums, or zoos, or amusement parks, or, well, just life in general, I am a "get'er doner" (I hate that phrase, but it fits here). I get in and get out... I do what there is to do and I check it off my list. I take my time enough to enjoy what I can, but I choose to experience a little bit of everything as opposed to a lot of something. In enters toddler and my experience changes drastically. B walks in and wants to take everything in... bubbles, amazing... balls, I'm never leaving, water... this is great. Things that would normally catch a glance of my eye absolutely intrigue and dazzle him. And, finally, God has slowed me down... and I enjoy it. I enjoy how much my son enjoys bubbles. I enjoy how much my son enjoys climbing a slide. The fact that we spent 3 hours, completely entertained, by a children's museum at the age of 15 months is amazing to me. He never fussed, never seemed bored, and there were still many things we couldn't do. I saw, and will probably remember, more about that museum because we went through it at a 15 month old pace as opposed to a 25 year old list maker's pace.
Thanks Bryton. You've already taught me more than you'll ever know. Love ya, Bubba.

A Rant: Why You do the Self Check Out at Wal-Mart

Most of you who know me at all know that I don't shop at Wal-Mart all that much anymore. Contrary to their "Always low prices" slogan, I found out they are lying. Kroger has "always low prices", enough that I've saved almost $600 SO FAR on groceries this year. (Okay, so I'm watching what I buy anyway, but still, the difference is astronomical.)
Anyway, I DID go to Wal-Mart, I had a few things to pick up that I couldn't get at Kroger, and I had a coupon for free Excedrin (which we use a lot of), under $5.99. I know that Wal-Mart has a better selection of Excedrin than our Kroger, so I figured I'd get a bigger bottle, cheaper price, for a better deal with my coupon.
Now, here's the moral of the story, when I go to Wal-Mart I ALWAYS self check. Always. Maybe I'm anti-social. Maybe I'm self reliant. Who knows? All I know is that I always self check. That is, until yesterday. Yesterday I made the mistake of going through a check out line, thinking my coupon exchange would be easier. Boy was I wrong. My experience went something like this.
I got in the shortest line possible, behind the woman with the fewest items, hoping to get out quickly. (I had Bryton, and he'd just woken up from his nap at the sitter. It was 4:00 and he'd not eaten since 8:30. He was hungry and cranky about it.) The woman in front of me had about 10 - 15 things in her cart. No biggie. So, as she is checking out I'm putting my ten or so items on the belt. As I finished unloading my cart I noticed the cashier "inspecting" and commenting about every one of this woman's items. "Oh, I've not tried this... is it any good? Hmmm, really? Do we have it in orange? Wow, this looks interesting." I'm not kidding, not to mention my child is quite obviously becoming impatient, and I'm having to verbally tell him, "It's okay, we're hurrying, I know you're hungry," hoping the woman would get the hint. Then, as she announces the total after an insanely long period of time, (to check out 10 - 15 items, remember?) the woman purchasing the items decides she wants to add $40 to a gift card that already has $50 on it. No big deal, right? Nope, apparently it is. We had to call over every Wal-Mart employee to figure that one out. Another ten minutes later, and a withering 15 month old, and the woman had finally paid and was successfully moving her merchandise from the sack merry-go-round to her cart. Then, however, the cashier proceeded to explain to her why it was so difficult to add money to a gift card with an already existing balance.
And my child was crying. (If you're a mom, you understand the frustration. It took me 10 minutes to pick up all my items in Wal-Mart and get them to the cashier. It took me 20 minutes to check out. Seriously, keep reading.)
Then, as I finally get to the counter to pay (my money already out and in my hand, I knew within cents what my total would be... a new attribute that has come with my couponing life) the woman licks her hand, I'm not kidding, three of the five fingers on her right hand plunge right into her mouth and then proceed to open the bag on the sack merry-go-round, and then all of the food and products I was buying and would later be touching to unpack. I'm not a germ-a-phobe, but come on lady... seriously?
After inspecting and commenting on all of my items (keep in mind, Bryton is crying at this point, and I'm still trying to console him) I hand her my coupon (at this point my coupon is seeming to have cost me a lot) to which it takes her another 2 minutes to figure out how that works since the coupon wasn't for a "specific" total. Being I've done this several times, I told her that my excedrin cost 4.99, the coupon is for anything less than 5.99... which 4.99 was, so that my discount was 4.99. She apparently didn't believe me, because she felt the need to call over another employee who proceeded to tell her the exact same thing.
The total rang up, finally, I was .08 off of my total, I waited for my change, and I made a vow as I was frantically swerving my cart to try to cheer up my traumatized child that I would never give up my 'self-check' privileges again.
Bahhh!