If you are a Sarah’s Cucina Bella fan on Facebook, you know that I was ridiculously excited about my grocery store purchases earlier this week. That photo above is what I purchased. And I spent (drum roll please!) $52.47.

Here’s what I got:

• 6 boxes of cereal (great for snacks and early morning breakfasts)
• 8 boxes of pasta
• 1 lb shrimp
• 2 packages of ground turkey (1 1/4 lbs each)
• 1 four pack of turkey burgers
• 2 boxes of brownie mix (yes, I use boxes. Sometimes.)
• 1 quart of half and half
• 1 sour cream
• 3 boxes of taco shells
• 1 package of taco seasoning (it was free — gave that away. I prefer homemade taco seasoning)
• 1 dozen cage-free eggs
• 3 cans kid-friendly pastas (good for rushed lunches … once in a blue moon)
• 2 cans of soup
• 1 jar peanut butter (gave this away after checking the ingredients, but it was only $0.99 with purchase)
• 1 loaf bread
• 2 salad dressings
• 1 mayo
• 1 box bakery brownies, from the day-old rack

When I told my friend, Angel, about this, her first question was HOW?!?

In a word: coupons. I used them. A lot them. First, I checked the flier for the grocery store, and then I went through coupons that I went to. It took me about an hour to match them up and decide what to buy. The grocery store that I shop at automatically doubles coupons that are $0.99 and less, so many of my coupons were doubled.

The cereal was a steal — three of the boxes cost me $1.50 total. Then, the pasta was on sale for $0.77 each. I noticed that the Quick Cook Penne had $0.50 off coupons on them, so I bought all that I could find with the coupon — which got doubled (as in, I made $0.23 for each box I bought). The taco shells, which I like to have in the house, had a coupon for free taco seasoning on it — and I used it, even though I don’t actually use packaged taco seasoning. I have family that does, so that was perfect to gift to them along with the $0.99 peanut butter.

All in all, I saved $47.61 on the shopping trip — almost 50%! So, yes, I was really, really excited. We have a good store of nonperishables building in the basement which is sure to come in handy during the school year.

Of course, I am a coupon novice. But reading Eating Well on $1 A Day really inspired me. If the writer could save that much on food, why not me too? There’s no reason why I can’t — and without compromising my standards for the food we eat.

Yes, I bought one thing that I normally wouldn’t: canned kid-friendly pastas. But as a once in a while when I don’t have time to prepare lunch thing? No biggie. My kids will probably love them. As for veggies and fruit, since it’s still summertime, we get ours from the farmers’ market and our CSA.

Do you use coupons? What’s the most you’ve saved?

This Week’s Tips, Tricks and Deals

• Get Samples! Go to the P&G website and click on brandSAMPLER to get all sorts of coupons and samples by mail.
• Coupon sites: Check out Smart Source and Red Plum for online coupons to print. Also, get them from your Sunday papers.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Intriguing, right?

Then, MutantSupermodel mentioned tracking her spending on an Excel spreadsheet in the comments of a post. That was when I decided that tracking was important.

So, I bought a small notebook and started last Sunday.

How’d it go? Well, I followed the tracking to a T until Wednesday. I have in my head what I’ve spent since then, but didn’t jot it down. That doesn’t make this a fail though. I really thought about every purchase when I had to write down when, where and how much was spent. It makes me want to spend less.

I spent more than I wanted to this week — mostly after I ceased writing it down. I think writing it down really does help though.

So, this is the latest evolution in My Spending Diet. I am going to write down every expenditure. Even if I don’t want to. Next week, I will share my numbers.

This Week’s Tips, Tricks and Deals

• Free Admission to National Parks – Looking for something to do this weekend with the kids? Head to a National Park! This weekend, there is free admission to all National Parks. Click here for details.
• Eating Well on $1 a Day – Could you eat well on just $1 a day? One blogger did it for 90 days — and his methods are nothing short of inspiring. Read up on his journey here.

Photo credit: alvimann from morguefile.com

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My Spending Diet: No one ever wants to have to admit that they aren’t doing well. But folks, I haven’t been doing well with My Spending Diet. I took last week as a fluke … I was rusty. But this week? There was no mistaking that I’ve slipped. A lot. I’ve been spending without thinking, using the cash as a reason to spend. As a result, I have been running out of cash early in the week and using my debit card to make up the difference.

This is not the way I want to be.

I mean, seriously, who wants to overspend like this? It’s not like I’ve been out of control, but I have been spending more than I should be. And frankly, considering that I have a weekly CSA, I should be spending less now.

So, what’s the problem? For one, I’ve been getting take out from new places. It’s been so long since I could do that, so it’s felt good … except for the overspending part. Another reason? I have been purchasing more specialty items that I wouldn’t normally buy. Why? Because I had a little extra padding in the budget and took that a little too far.

The solution is obvious. I need to adhere to my budget. That means making a concise weekly shopping list, budgeting for a little take out and cutting back there. Furthermore, I need to be rigid in my spending. If I don’t have it, then I can’t spend it. That’s that.

How are you doing with your spending?

This Week’s Tips, Tricks and Deals

• Got eggshells? If you are really into gardening, then you will love this tip. Crushed eggshells are really good for your garden. They have valuable nutrients that will help your garden grow better. Learn more at Mama’s Health.
• Beach fun. Sure, it might be hard to find beach toys in stores now. But don’t worry. A great alternative is to hit up the kitchen section of your local dollar store for funnels, spoons and more. The kids will have a blast — and you won’t spend a bundle. (Thanks, dear cousin, for that tip!)

Photo credit: greenfinger from morguefile.com

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My Spending Diet: Sigh. After weeks of not reporting my progress, it was a change to be so focused on what I was doing (spending-wise) this week. In a few circumstances, I had to force myself to pay cash, but I did it. In the end, the results weren’t terrible.

My spending this week was ok … but I didn’t totally stick to the plan. Gas went onto my debit card because it was easier than running in to pay (especially with the kids in the car). But overall, I kept very close to my $200/week spending limit.

Next week, I am going to focus on eating from our fridge since we really need to clear some space for the food we’re putting up. We’ve already got freezer pickles, pesto and grated zucchini in there.

This Week’s Tips, Tricks and Deals

• Free Smoothies! McDonald’s recently introduced two smoothies into their lineup and they want you to try them. So, between July 22-24, get a free sample of the flavors and see what you think. UPDATE: This promo has been canceled. There is also a $1 off coupon for the smoothies and McDonald’s Frappes available on their website too.
• Sign Up! Have you heard of Daily Worth? It’s a free personal finance newsletter for women that goes out daily with great tips and information. Always a good read.
• Go to the Museums. This weekend, Target is sponsoring the Arts + Wonder event at select museums and performing arts institutions around the country. Families get free or reduced admission to the 2,200 events and 120 museums. Sounds like a great weekend day trip.

The post Frugal Fridays: Free Smoothies and Getting Back into the Swing appeared first on Sarah's Cucina Bella.

But after 13 weeks and about a month off, I am ready to take My Spending Diet to the next level. Enter Frugal Fridays.

What is Frugal Fridays? Like My Spending Diet, I will share how my spending was for the prior week — including the challenges and slip-ups. But this isn’t ust about me or my family; it’s about all of us. So I will also share tips, tricks and deals for the coming week too.

This Week’s Tips, Tricks and Deals

• Reduce, reuse … Tired of trying to find just the right container for making big quantities of drinks like iced tea? Do what my husband does and buy one good, solid, premade tea and reuse the container (the one he uses is 58 oz.) for mixing and storage. All you need is a funnel to make filling easier.
• Slurpee Day! Tap into that childhood glee this weekend at 7-11 by picking up a FREE Slurpee on Sunday, July 11. Get the detes of the offer here.
• Love Starbucks? The company is running their Starbucks Treat Receipt promo again through October 4. If you buy a beverage in the AM and return after 2 p.m. with your receipt (same day only!), you can get any Grande iced drink for $2 (plus tax).

Have a great weekend!

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