Kroger-ing

So not really considering there is 

NO

Kroger here in these parts

I have finally settled into

Walmarts

for my weekly grocery trip

And please say it right

It's WALMARTS

with an "S"

not just WALMART

that's how granny says it

do the old people of your family add the "S"?

Any who...

I am posting about this because it is one of my stupid

"resolutions"

to have a better grocery budget

So 2 full weeks into the new year and I am doing better

but I swear I am going to shave another $25 off 

some how

some way

I make a list and stick to it

99%

I have been trying to plan at least 2 dinners

Those will last at least 2 nights each

more if Mark is out of town

This week the only thing I bought off the list was

Don't know if you can tell from the photo

They are football oreo's

I thought the boys would get a kick out of them

I usually have about $10 worth of coupons

Not much

but hey 10 bucks is 10 bucks right

I think the key is going to be better meal planning

going back to the basics

like grilled chicken and vegies

and of course

plain and simple

eating less!!!

This week's trip ran me $170

Last week I spent about $200

Let's just see if the food lasts me all week long

And with a vacation date set

I totally plan on eating less!

This is what I saw in the checkout lane

The guy behind me bought:

Yes, I believe that's 8

Red Baron pizza's

And in his cart still

(if you can tell)

weight watchers yogurt and snacks

Go Figure

Holy Corn Rollers

Picture it...

Tuesday, mid morning, just hanging out with the boys

when suddenly 3 year old Connor says he wants to make and EAT fruit salad for dinner

STOP THE WORLD

Connor wants to eat.something.not junk

Kroger, here we come

Now normally I do my grocery shopping on Wednesday when the big boys are at school. Shopping with 3 kids-not fun. Not to mention there is not much room in the cart. But I decided to give it a whirl. We had a showing that afternoon anyway and had to be out of the house for a couple of hours.

So I took the stroller in for the baby and Colton, but Colton decided he wanted his own cart as well.

God help us

and Kroger

So we picked out all our favorite fruit....strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, pineapple, apples, oranges-the works

ALL for this fruit salad we were going to make and eat for dinner

As we are filling our baskets with our weekly supply of foods and talking about what we are going to eat the rest of the week, Connor asks me

"Mommy, do we need any corn rollers?"

me- "Any what?"

Connor- "Corn Rollers"

me- "Umm, what are corn rollers?"

Connor- "Those" (as he points)

me- "show me I'm not sure what you are pointing to"

It was a bag of frozen corn on the cob

The boys actually did very well. We were not kicked out of the store. Always a good sign. No one threatened to call CPS. Always a very good sign. In fact, I did not even have to threaten a kid with their life. It was a pleasant experience, not one I want to go through every week, but not bad.

So home we went. We washed up our fruit and got out our knives. (The boys do use plastic ones, don't freak out on me now) We went to cutting and snacking and tossing in a bowl. Then mommy (that's me) but the top on the bowl to shake it all up. And their it went!

All over the FREAKING floor!

Holy Corn Rollers

Now I have to mop, AGAIN!!

And no fruit salad for dinner

To purse or not to purse?

As my diaper bag carrying days quickly approach again, I am torn about what to do. I have just started carrying a purse again within the last 6 months or so. Colton has reached that age where he doesn't need too much and Connor needs nothing. I try to keep spares of everything in the car for emergencies. Colton has a small back pack, which he usually carries himself, with a spare diaper, some wipes, a fruit cup, and a stick of cheese. I have yet to find a purse I am happy with though. If I go big, it tends to get piled with crap, my own and the boys. Then before you know it, the bag weighs 20 pounds and your shoulder and back hurt. If you go to small, you have to pull out everything to get to the keys that slid their way to the bottom.

I was (still am) in love with this Michael Kors bag from 2 years ago. I just could not justify spending several hundred on a purse. Though, it is a beauty. Last year for Christmas I told Mark that's what I wanted. He got me a MK bag, but it wasn't the one. While it was a nice one, purses are very personal. So I took it back and at the time they did not have the one I wanted. So I never got my purse. Probably for the best since it is a hobo style and probably would have been ruined by milk spillage or something worse. I am still watching it at Nordstroms though. When it goes on sale it is MINE!

When you have your first child, you carry everything but the kitchen sink in your diaper bag. All though the saying is true, the one thing you don't have with you, you need that day. I have several bags that are just OK. Nothing I have just loved or spent too much on. Hopefully by the third go round, I can stream line what I carry. I never carried a purse and a diaper bag. I just through my wallet in the bag and had a little zipper pouch with my stuff in there. Then when I went somewhere alone, I would just grab those things out and toss in a purse. Seems easy right? Beside strollers really aren't made with enough room for you purse and a diaper bag.

I have been eyeing this little Coach crossbody for a while (not this exact one, but same concept). I thought it would be great to sling it across my chest and I could have my wallet, phone, and camera always at my side, AND best of all....free hands! Since I am not so into spending much money, I have looked for other ones, but the Coach one always seems to be the perfect size. So the other day I ran out to the outlet mall and made an impulse buy at the Coach Store. It was about $40 less than at the regular store (probably last seasons colors, but who cares). Well it layed around for a week screaming "greedy" at me. But before I packed it up for it's return, I tried it on. Loved the concept, but it did not fit my wallet like I wanted. I have a long, check book size wallet. So today I took it back.

Then at Target, don't ya know, I see a wallet (long, but still smaller than what I have that would probably work for only $10). I am so torn.

Now I am torn, but don't know if I can stand the guilt! How weird is that? I could spend the money on a nice diaper bag. I have found one of those too! So should I carry a purse or just dump my stuff in the diaper bag like I used to do?

Budget Busters and Meal Ideas

I work very hard on monitoring my grocery budget. I allow myself $75 per week on groceries, which in turn gives me $100 per month at Target for diapers, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and such. Now I do not count drinks in this budget. When Coke products are on sale I try to stock up. I also shop at Costco for a lot of our snack foods and items like paper towels and toilet paper and that is a separate budget. I must confess though, I could shop at Costco every week. I don't, but I so easily could-I love that store.

So that being said, here are some of my tricks.

-I cut coupons every Sunday from the paper

-I shop mainly at Kroger with my Kroger card where you get special offers and they double and triple coupons

-I sometimes do my purchase my fruits and veggies at the farmers market or even at a store called Sprouts where they are super fresh and much cheaper and sometimes, if time is not an issue or I see an advertisement, I get my meat at Walmart

-I watch my condiments so that I don't run out of everything at once

-I buy the store brand as much as possible-but truth is, some items you just can not substitute-there is a difference

-I try and plan my meals and left overs

-Mark travels alot, which does help, and quite frankly, when he is here he is not a picky eater and can scrape together weird things out of the pantry if need be (thank goodness because I am not a good cook at all)

-I go to the store alone on Wednesday's when both boys are in Mother's Day Out/Preschool-it takes concentration to watch for prices and keep a tally in your head

Doesn't this look like a good eater? A messy one, but good most of the time.

So all that being said- in the last month or so my budget has gone out the window. I think part of it is the boys were out of school and I had my little helpers with me at the grocery (probably my least favorite thing to do with kids). Also, Mark has been home a lot more in the recent weeks, sometimes only out 1 night of the week. And the big change is I was trying to cook more. I have quickly realized that buying all the ingredients for a nice dinner or two adds up fast! Not to mention the fact that is hit or miss if the boys will eat it. Even if they (Connor) ate it the week before, it will be loathed the next time it is served. For example-pot roast. I love to make pot roast because it is quick, easy, and cheap. Plus I love the way it makes the house smell. Oh, and it's a one-dish wash. You just can't beat it. But the last 2 times I made it, most of it went to waste. Connor refused to touch it. Colton wouldn't eat the left overs. So it was overall a BUST!

This would be the picky eater! Notice the bowl-chances are it has oatmeal in it which is what he eats most of time. I gave up fighting the food battle for now.

So I am trying to cook more for the family. I want to be better at it and I want to enjoy it. I think I could enjoy it if I were better at it. But I am all about simple and quick meals! But trying to incorporate that with a budget is not always so easy. What I really want is several meal options that I can make that use the same ingredients so that nothing goes to waste. I try to make 3 meals per week. With leftovers that can get us through all 7 nights. It seems like when I buy an onion, tomatoes, or special cheese or meat that half of it goes to waste.

So if anyone has a couple of meal ideas that use they same ingredients please share!!!

Happy Shopping

Target

Who doesn't love Target? (Casey, I know you blog about this being your favorite store quite often). I didn't even really have a list today, just needed to get out of the house. And besides, do you have to have a list? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I think there is an unspoken Target law that you must spend a minimum of $100 every trip.

I knew in the back of mind that I needed bananas which meant Super Target (yippee!). So even though it was a little bit further away, I thought we would check out the brand new one. So worth the extra drive!! I have certainly found a new favorite location. They have great carts that seat 2 kids facing the basket (with working seat belts if needed), full shelves, and a whole new selection of goodies to look at that are not available at all stores.

I thought the boys would do better with a popcorn snack and an Icee. Well I was really hoping that it would keep them busy and I could shop around. It almost worked...mental note-next time buy 2 Icee's!!

I spent more time passing the cup back and forth than shopping. Colton loved his first Icee though! And check out the cool shopping cart.

Had to share this one...
when I looked up from buckling Colton's car seat, Connor had taken his shirt off and buckled himself up. I am telling you I don't make this stuff up or exaggerate-he is always naked or changing clothes.