SEO titles be damned today. Let me tell you the tale of going to the store on a Saturday.
Nothing interesting happened.
Nope, nothing at all. I kept thinking that, because I haven’t been to the grocery store on a weekend in 6 months, it was this big hell-mouth of a nightmare. Screaming kids, messes everywhere, wall-to-wall shopping carts. Boy was I wrong. It was quiet and well-stocked. I could find everything I needed and I got out in about the same amount of time as when I go on Tuesday.
It helps that I was there around 9:45am, but still.
This week, I did go over on my Project:Food Budget budget. I wanted to only spend $50 and I ended up with a $57.11 bill.
Not bad considering that I haven’t been to the store in weeks and I was scraping the bottom of the fridge barrel. It was getting to the point of bringing hummus, crackers, and a can of soup for lunch because I a) just had no desire to cook and have leftovers and b) I really didn’t have anything to make for lunch anyway.
I have to say, I’m pretty proud of a) not going toooo over budget and b) how I shopped.
I could have gone about $10 more, but because I used many of the Giant Eagle coupons offered for $1 off fresh berries, Silk soy milk, yogurt, etc, I got my bill down a lot more significantly than I would have otherwise. I love that they do that. I really try not to buy things in boxes and you rarely run across coupons for things that aren’t in a box.
I also didn’t really pay attention to what I was purchasing. I didn’t even have a list. I just allowed myself to pick up whatever I came across. I did look for sales and things I knew were on Ibotta. But for the most part, I just let myself enjoy the experience of looking around and stocking up again.
My menu is totally driven by the items I picked up. I have some left over pork from Sunday dinner, so I’ll make a stir-fry with that one night. Another night will be salmon burgers (and I’ll freeze the others to use as I need) and I’ll be making some kind of chicken and pasta dish. I may not use all the chicken I purchased and add them to a chicken taco night. I still have to meal plan, but I have an adorable meal planning sheet from Emily!
Want to see how the other Badass Budget Mamas are doing? (That should totally be a band name.) Emily Levenson / McGinnis and Bean / Rainaldi.org / Red Pen Mama / Erra Creations / Seeking White Space / facepalmmama / Gardening in High Heels / Melissa Firman / Copy & Post / Shea Lennon / Warm as Pie / Two Eggs Over Easy
