Weekly Budget Wrap-Up

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, things have been crazy for us lately! It is beginning to calm down now – hopefully, it will stay that way! Here is what I got in my second Publix transaction of the week. I am not going to list the coupon match-ups since this week’s sale has ended.

1 – Publix Jumbo Franks (Penny Item)
1 – Breyer’s ice cream
1 – Gallon milk
1 – Oscar Mayer turkey sandwich meat
2 – Maxwell Coffee
6 – Yoplait yogurt
4 – Eggo waffles (10 pks)
1 – Publix shredded cheese
4 – Mentos gum
10 – Earth’s Best baby food
1 – Bananas (1.39 lbs)
1 – Hamburger buns
1 – Blueberries (1 pint)
4 – Bertolli pasta sauce
1 – Juicy Juice white grape juice

Total = $27.05…I saved 65%!!!

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All in all, I have spent $136.71 this month. Here is the breakdown:

June 3 through June 9: $45.59 (includes 3 Sunday newspapers)
Surplus budget: $91.12 (3 Jumbo packages of Huggies and Costco purchase – see picture below) (This month, I have a $100 surplus budget because there are only 4 weeks in my grocery budget)



So, that’s how we are doing this month. How is your budget going this month?

Weekly Budget – May 13 through May 19

It’s time for my weekly update on my grocery budget. Here is the breakdown of everything that I got this week and how much I paid:

Publix – Total $25.30


Wal-Mart – $19.69


Target – $2.16


Publix – $15.91 (I don’t have a picture of this one; however, I will list what I purchased, since I didn’t post about this purchase) – milk, strawberries, 2 Maxwell coffees, 2 Yoplait YoPlus yogurt, 3 Johnson & Johnson gauze, Johnson & Johnson cloth tape, Publix window cleaner (penny item), 2 McCormick grinders, 2 McCormick Grill Mates, 1.33 lbs tomatoes, dozen eggs, 1 lb apples, 2.74 lbs bananas, lettuce, 3 Sunday newspapers

Total spent = $48.27 (I subtracted the cost of the diapers and wipes from the 1st Publix transaction because our surplus budget is covering these purchases)
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Here are the purchases that I have made this week using our surplus budget:

Publix – $14.79 (Huggies diapers and wipes – see above picture)

CVS – $14.00


Total spent = $28.79
Total remaining = $21.21
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Here is what I have spent on groceries so far this month:
April 29 through May 5: $48.40
May 6 through May 12: $52.49
May 13 through May 19: $48.27
Surplus: $28.79

To see a break-down of our budget, go here. How are you doing on your budget? Let me know…I’d love to hear from you!

Weekly Budget Update

Life has seemed more hectic than usual lately! Between Mother’s Day plans, new patients at work, and all the other activities that I normally have, I wasn’t able to post about each individual grocery purchase that I made this past week. However, here is how my grocery shopping all broke down and fit into the budget (I have pictures for some, but not all, of what I bought):

Publix – Not pictured: McCormick vanilla extract, 3 Sunday newspapers


Total = $37.31
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Target – 2.5 lbs apples
Total = $2.93

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CVS – 3 Diet Coke 12 pks, 6 Vitamin Water
Total = $12.25
*Plus I earned $10 ECBs to use on future purchases!

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Total Spent = $52.49…I went a little over budget this week, because of the vanilla extract. My husband had to run out and purchase it for a cake that I was making, and I forgot to factor that in when I was making my grocery list. Whoops! Oh well…it happens! So, with the $1.60 surplus from last week, I went $0.89 over budget; therefore, next week (or really this week, since I am so late posting this:) my weekly grocery budget will be $49.11.

Here is what I have spent on groceries so far this month:
April 29 through May 5: $48.40
May 6 through May 12: $52.49

I am going to add a post about all the great deals that I got at Publix, Target, AND Wal-Mart this week, so check back soon!

Establishing a Budget…Ahh!!!!!!!

Budgeting. That used to be a dreaded word for me. My husband would say, “We need to get on a budget,” and I would insist that it wasn’t necessary all while we were living month to month with no savings. What was I thinking?! One day I heard about Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover. After reading about a few success stories, I decided to read this book. Wow! After reading this book, I realized how completely money ignorant I was and my husband and I decided to establish a plan for our total money makeover. I won’t go into the details of what Dave Ramsey recommends; however, if you do not have a financial plan or your current financial plan is not working, I highly suggest this book!

Reading this book led us to begin an envelope system. Each month we divide our money into carefully labeled and categorized envelopes. We make the majority of our purchases from the money in these envelopes. This system has completely changed my mindset on spending money! Using cash allows you to see how much money you have left, and it ensures that you are more careful with how you spend and what you spend.

I am telling you all this, because I would like to share my philosophy behind using coupons. Sure you can use coupons and save tons of money, but what good is it if you still spent more than you should? When I first started couponing, I made this mistake…then, I read The Total Money Makeover. Now I realize that I need to be able to save money all while staying within a budget that is within our means. I would like to share our monthly grocery budget with you for two reasons. First, I want the accountability. Secondly, I hope that my sharing our budget will help you decide on a budget that is appropriate for you and your family.

I use a grocery budget that is a little different from most and so it is a little confusing. I will do my best to explain it. Our monthly grocery budget is $300. I spend $50 per week on groceries (my grocery budget week runs from Wednesday through Tuesday to coincide with Publix sales). Depending on how the month falls that will leave me with a $50-$100 surplus. I allot this money for shopping at Costco where I purchase meat, wipes, and other occasional items when they are more economical. This extra money could also be used for purchasing other items at other stores – sometimes, I use this fund for diapers, etc. Here is an example of this month’s budget:

May 1 through May 5 (this week really started on April 29) – $50
May 6 through May 12 – $50
May 13 through May 19 – $50
May 20 through May 26 – $50
May 27 through May 31 (really June 2) – $50
Costco (or other needs) surplus – $50

It seems a little complicated, but it really is not, and I cannot tell you how much less stressful it has made life! I know that for some of you $300 a month budget might sound crazy! A year ago I would have completely agreed with you, but today, now that I have learned to maximize my savings while minimizing my spending, I think that this is a completely reasonable total and the crazy thing is…we have more food than we did when we were spending $800 a month!

So here is what I spent last week (April 29 through May 5):

Publix = $14.59


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Food World = $4.91 (Not pictured: 3 – Hefty aluminum pan 3 pks)

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Target = $8.75 (Plus $5.00 gift card for buying 5 Kellogg’s cereals)

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Publix = $14.45

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CVS = $5.70 (not pictured)

2 Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes @ $6.67
Used 2 $1.00/1 MC
Total = $4.67

1 Nutri-Grain Bars @ $3.33

*Used $3 ECB’s
*Earned $5 ECB’s
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Grand total for the week = $48.40 ($1.60 under budget!) + I earned $5 ECB’s and a $5 Target gift card!

I hope this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any budgeting tips!