I’m sure some of you are anxiously waiting for those final spending and savings totals for 2009. If you are just now joining me, one of the things I did in 2009 was track all of my grocery spending and savings. This included all food, diapers and toiletry items. It also included a mostly healthy and organic diet for my family. I do not buy exclusively organic, but I do the best I can to ensure that my family is eating more healthy meals and not a lot of processed foods.
The above shopping trips were done at Publix and Aldi. We had a lot of family over for Christmas, so I bought quite a few things for our party that I would not normally buy.
Total Spent in the last week of my yearly shopping: $69.50
Total Saved in the last week of my yearly shopping: $130.86
What I got:
Enough Carnation Evaporated Milk to last me the year, hopefully (I went between two different Publix stores in order to stock up without clearing the shelves)
Chicken Broth
Canned Vegetables
Muir Glen organic tomatoes
Pie Crusts
Sugar
Olive Oil
Cheese
Fresh Cranberries
Jell-O Mix
Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream
3 lbs. of Baby Carrots
Cheerios
2 Hawaiian Bread
Cool Whip
Publix Brown Sugar Spiral Sliced Ham
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Celery
Oranges
Tangerines
Bananas
Pineapple
Onions
Garlic
Cream Sticks for Coffee and Cocoa
4 Boxes of Swiss Miss Cocoa (not pictured)
1 Dozen Organic Eggs (not pictured)
YTD Spending: $1,989 ($38.25 weekly average over 52 weeks)
YTD Savings: $6,044(75%)
Coupon Costs: $127
I made it in just under $2,000 for a family of four!
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Are you a superstar when it comes to shopping? I can’t wait to see the deals you snagged! Please link directly to your posts and not the main page of your website. Don’t have a blog? That’s okay. Tell us how you did in the comment section. Yard Sale brags are always welcome, too!!
So that we stay encouraging and inspiring for others, this post is meant for deals that you personally were able to get. Posts that are mainly promoting affiliate links or spamming will be deleted. Thanks! No Giveaways please!
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Very excited for you! My goal is to spend less than$3,000 for my four and eating gluten & artificial color free. Do you think the only way you came in under this number was stockpiling? I did that in 2008 but slacked off and broke the budget in 09 so I’m back this year. I am spending January inventory-ing and eating up the nearly expired foods. Just curious as to what you think the most helpful thing was?
Hi Amy,
I’d definitely say it’s the stockpiling of items. For instance when the Organic Macaroni and Cheese and other back to nature items were free at whole foods and Publix, I stocked up a lot. It’s stocking up at times like that that has really allowed me to stretch my money. It’s the same with the carnation milk. It was all free after coupons. So stocking up until the next sale (which is usually next winter/fall, means I don’t have to buy that all year long.
Wow! $2000 for 4 is great and buying healthy/organic to boot. I’ve really enjoyed seeing your weekly shopping posts. Hope you keep going with it this year.
You are my hero. I am humbled and inspired!
.-= Budgets are the New Black´s last blog ..Good Reads for the Weekend =-.
This is really inspiring! Congratulations! And thank you for your great blog that is helping me to implement changes in my family!
You are amazing!!! I’m still averaging about twice your costs, so I’ve got a ways to go. I wonder, when I’m setting goals, how much my location (compared to yours) changes things? I’m in So. Cal., which tends on the expensive side. We don’t have an Aldi’s or a Publix, and my stores will only double one coupon, if any.
Anyway, I’m curious what you think a good, reasonable goal would be for my family of five, given that? I am, like you, trying to eat healthy and partially organic. Any suggestions/advice would be appreciated!
You know Emily, I’m not sure. You really do have to make things work for your area and your family. I have also heard that prices in California are not as bad as a lot of people think they are (when it comes to food that is…the housing market is another story). My best advice is to follow your local sales and do the best you can to use coupons with those sales. Stock up at rock bottom prices each week, and eventually you are only buying what is on sale. Produce of course is an added expense I will buy each week no matter what. But you can save on that too by finding co-ops in your area, and stores that have the best prices. Do you have a Save-a-lot? When I went in there I was surprised at how low their prices were on produce. My store was filthy and unorganized so i won’t shop there, but I have seen videos of really nice save-a-lots.
Wow!!! You are AWESOME! I’m really new to all of the couponing/saving/stockpiling, but I’m learning so much from following your site. I’ve found some really good deals on diapers, but I was wondering – do you have a diaper pail that you use? If so are you able to find good deals on the liners somewhere? Thanks so much for all you do to help new shoppers like myself =)
Like somebody else said….you are my hero!!! 09 was my first year finding out about these money saving blogs so as far as saving on groceries…well I didn’t do very well….but I did however learn to shop CVS, Walgreens & Rite Aid at deep discounts…so that was a real blessing to our family! This year I’m going to try to do better in the grocery dept., but I’m going to make this year a learning year and I’m going to start tracking….next year I’ll do better than this year and so on until I can get to where you are! I too am also in So. Cal & the food prices aren’t really all that bad…I’ve found Winco to be the least expensive as of yet. But our coupon rules are different than most area’s (at least from what I can tell) so that makes it a bit harder. Anyway…I’m doing the eat from your pantry challenge with Money Saving Mom so hopefully that’ll get this year going in the right dirction! Thanks again, I really appreciate all you do!
Michelle, I think the coupon rules have a big effect on our ability to stockpile. I can’t take advantage of good deals to stockpile (like Crystal did with the free evaporated milk) because Vons and Ralphs will only double one coupon, and Vons will only accept two like coupons at all! Albertsons and Stater Bros don’t double coupons, and are farther away from me, so I don’t often shop there.
I’ve never heard of Winco before – where is that? Do they have easier coupon rules?
Crystal I never got to comment on your review of 2009, but I just think it is amazing what you have accomplished through blogging and doing coupons! These totals just add to that, what a year and what an inspiration.
Way to go girl!
Fantastic job.. and way to go on the tracking. Tracking has never been my meal planning a huge weakness.
.-= shannon´s last blog ..Sunday Coupons: What’s in the Paper? =-.
Just curious… what do you use the evaporated milk for?
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Sweetwater Harvest: Transition to Winter Crops =-.
I had the same question! I have been trying to lower our milk cost ($3.50 for a half-gallon or $6.74 for a gallon of organic milk) by mixing a half-gallon of whole milk with a half-gallon of dry milk reconstituted. However, I haven’t been able to find organic dry milk reasonably priced yet, so I may have to go back to buying it “regular.” It’s not worth all of the hormones and other junk. Are you using the evaporated milk to make regular milk? Just wondering…
Sorry I’m just now getting to this question. I use it in a lot of recipes that call for milk. If you dilute it a little you can basically use it in any recipe that calls for milk. macaroni and cheese, gravy, cheeseburger pie, and you can even poor it over cereal for breakfast in the morning. I like having it on hand for the times i don’t have milk in the fridge.
Is it any cheaper than regular milk? Do you do it to be frugal or for the convenience?
Seeing as I got it free after coupons, I’d definitely say it’s frugal
I checked out one transaction with 20 cans for .15 cents (tax).
I’ll second the request for info on what you use the evaporated milk for!
In my house, we use it as emergency whole milk supply for little man- and I use MAYBE 2 cans a year for baking pumpkin pies. We also add a can to dry milk to make it 1% milk for the picky ones in my family (1 can has 24 grams of fat, so adding 1 can to 9 cups of reconstituted nonfat dry milk is roughly equal to 1% milk and makes 10.5 cups) if we run out of fresh milk, can’t get to the store, or can’t bear to pay shelf prices!
WOW! You’re totally amazing and inspirational!
Thanks for all you do to find us the deals!
Wow. I am so in awe of your 2009 totals. I am a new subscriber and will definitely be back every day to get tips and hints to do the same for my family. We are on a severe budget right now, and though I’ve always used coupons, I am really learning a lot from bloggers like you right now. You’re awesome!!
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