1. Get a couple #10 cans of tomato products. Got that accomplished early last month and a good thing too. I noticed the price on the #10 cans of tomato sauce at Three Bears had doubled when I went in yesterday (darn) and the other #10 cans of tomato products went up by about 1.00. I REALLY need to make getting a Costco membership be a part of my financial goals one of these days. And a Prime membership. Yeah, I can dream.
2. Get more cans of canned crap and canned shrimp. I got one can of canned crab that was on sale at Carrs .10 cheaper than Three Bears normal price. Better than nothing.
3. Get more chicken stock. Accomplished, but not by buying it. I made my own instead. It works.
4. Get a big container of Hershey's cocoa was accomplished. I was so tight on money, I decided to forgo buying 1/2 and 1/2 for my tea and using milk instead. The money I saved from not buying the half and half I used to buy the cocoa. Every little bit counts.
5. Get more cheap Lysol, Windex and dish soap.
I accomplished the Lysol and the dish soap, but cheap Windex has been no where to be found lately. Oh well.
Want a frugal fail? I was buying the cheap dish soap assuming that it would be...you know...soap! So, I finally ran out of the last of my expensive dish soap and went and used the cheap dish soap instead. Man, cheap is right. That soap SUCKS! It does not create suds for more than three seconds and contains ammonia (wha?) so I can't combine it with anything containing bleach to do housework.
Yeah, never buying that soap again. I was able to scrape together 2.49 and got myself a large bottle of Joy dishsoap that was on sale at Carrs last week. It'll get me through for a while. The cheap dish soap is now going to be used just for mopping floors if I can help it.
6. I was able to get cooking oil (on sale 2/5.00 at Carrs on 5.00 Friday), Laundry soap (5.00 on 5.00 Friday plus a 1.00 E-manufacturer coupon so total cost 4.00), and cat litter (5.00 Friday plus 1.00 manufacturer coupon loaded on my card, total cost 4.00).
7. The Amazon order didn't happen. I was able to stretch the drinking chocolate (see Frugal Fridays for how I did that), bought oats cheap at the store. The toilet paper I got some on sale at Carrs during 5.00 Friday to see us through.
And the butterscotch chips came in the mail and my son has been inhaling them ever since.
So, really I did accomplish all of my goals for last month, with the exception of getting a bulk order of toilet paper.
This month though, the toilet paper can definitely happen! My step mom offered me a bunch of Amazon giftcards she hadn't used (thank you again, Rox!!!). I was thrilled. So, I put together a bulk order for Amazon this month. Some of it (about 30.00 worth) I will be paying for out of pocket, but the rest is covered by giftcards. I can make that 30.00 happen. I'm determined.
So, what are my shopping goals for this month?
Amazon.com:
This is where the majority of non-perishable food items and such is coming into play this month. I've got my order already in on Amazon and am planning on keeping it pretty much the way it is right now (unless something awesome pops up cheap). What did I order?
Raspberry Jello (Pack of 6) : I ordered 2 orders of this (it's out of stock from Amazon right now). If you wait for this to get back in stock it's really cheap. Since I ordered five or more items I got 15% off my order and I have a 20% off coupon that is going to be applied to the 2.55 I paid for each six pack (woot!)
Lime Jello (Pack of 6)
Royal Gelatin, Orange (Pack of 12)
Jello. The ultimate in cheap desserts, salad fixings and all around culinary multi-tasker.
Dream Whip (Pack of 6) : I know people are going to be like, "Dream Whip? Really?" but I really do like this stuff as you can substitute it in with pretty much any recipe that calls for heavy cream in the mix and also it makes a pretty quick (and cheap) dessert topping. And it's easier than keeping heavy cream in the fridge or trying to find decently PRICED heavy cream anyway.
Nestle Nido Dry Milk (12.6 oz container) These are more expensive now. I got two of the cans (wish I could have afforded more) when they were cheap one night for 3.00 per can. Seriously. 3.00. Per CAN!
Hormel Dark and White Meat Canned Turkey (Pack of 12) This will be used for quick dinners of pot pie, turkey and biscuits, etc for when my husband isn't home or when I need just a bit more meat to make a meal's leftovers stretch (happens more often than you might think).
SureJell Fruit Pectin (Pack of 8) Needed for canning season.
Quilted Northern Bath Tissue (48 Double Rolls)
Regular Grocery Stores:
This month is the month to buy things like potatoes and ham as they are on special for Easter. My plan is to buy at least one ham (other than the Easter ham that is) and a big bag of russet potatoes, as my supply of potatoes is actually running kind of low.
Bulk Stores:
I want to try and get a flat of mandarin oranges to use in jello salads (because...well I'm going to have jello) and regular salads come summer (one of the main things I grow is always lettuce). They are nice to have around for a quick throw in to meals like that.
Other than that, I need to get another 25 lb bag of AP flour. I might do it at the bulk stores or at Fred Meyer (I have a coupon for 7.00 off a 35.00 purchase of generic store brand items from there that expires in May, so I might use it, while picking up a few other things, to purchase things like flour...we'll see).
And there you go. My goals for this month. What are yours?
I have spent the last week reorganizing my pantries and freezers. We killed a beef and I needed room to put our share{we plan to give some to people who have helped us on the farm recently}. I also restocked on staples such as rice, beans, oils etc. Also planned and tilled more areas for edible landscaping. We will till our big garden in a few weeks when it gets warmer. I love to get outside and dig in the dirt!
ReplyDeleteIt's still a bit early for me to be yearning for my garden, but I am *laugh*. Our growing season is Alaska is extremely short, so I won't be looking at planting till probably May at the earliest (unless it suddenly gets a lot warmer out).
ReplyDeleteIt's great to be able to stock up on essentials isn't it? I always feel good looking at a well stocked pantry with the rice pail full and such. It gives a sense of comfort and security.