The Grocery Game Challenge #2 May 13-19, 2013-Discount Days And Rewards Programs
What would the grocery game challenge be without discussing discount days and rewards program perks to save money in the grocery budget? Essentially a discount day is a day or many days where a grocery store offers discounts to its customers and in some cases like Juanita’s, a further discount for holding a loyalty rewards card.
I was intrigued by the deep discounts some of the fans, especially Juanita who scored some great deals on groceries at Sobeys during a discount day that offered a %10 discount to all customers and a further %5 if you were a Club Sobeys member.
She may not have gotten everything free or a 98% savings but she saved a significant amount of money by planning this shop and the savings that came with it. I’m not too familiar with discount days at Sobeys as I don’t frequent that grocery store as it’s too far of a drive for us to the nearest shop.
I find it interesting to read all about the different discounts and savings programs all around the world, not just in Canada because pricing isn’t always the same. In many cases staple foods are not the same either so our diets differ and so does the grocery budget.
It was great when Pauline shared a bit about her life and grocery shopping in Guatemala which we all really enjoyed. I hope other fans will come forward to share a bit about their grocery costs and experiences where they live.
I think that’s another reason Coupon Christine created her Coupon All-stars team because she knew that fans from around Canada might only want specific deals to their province.
Although we don’t shop at Sobeys we do shop at one of the other stores under their empire of names which you might be familiar with. It’s common to see this as Loblaws does the same with their President’s Choice stores like No Frills, RCSS and Zehrs just to name a few.
The only difference to me is the set-up (marketing), the environment and pricing of products. You may get more at one store than the other but you will pay a premium to shop in the luxury of fresh fruit bars, sushi bars, fresh hot foods, floral shops, In-Store Bakery and deli etc.
Grocery Store Empire
- Sobey’s
- Price Chopper
- Food Land
- Fresh Co
- IGA
- Thrifty Foods
- Lawtons Drugs
Sobeys is one of the higher priced grocery shops but like any other has great flyer deals which can be further discounted with matching coupons and discount days like Juanita has taken advantage of.
I was more impressed with the fact that she was able to save so much money in one shop while utilizing all the ways to save money in her grocery budget. To top it off she received $20 in Sobeys points which makes the shop even more lucrative even for the frugal wagon-wheel shopper like me.
Grocery Store Rewards Programs
We don’t normally shop at the higher end grocery stores but if we can score some great discounts and match them up with Air Miles Rewards like at Metro you can count us in. At Sobeys you can sign-up for their Club Sobeys rewards points program which you can then transfer points to Esso Extra Points as well or simply apply for a BMO Club Sobeys MasterCard for even more rewards.
In Juanita’s case it was smart for her to have her Club Sobeys card so she could obtain the further %5 discount for discount days which she might have missed out on if she didn’t apply for it.
There is also the new smart rewards program at President’s choice with their new PC Plus program which I will be reviewing shortly as I personally signed up for this program. I would rather experience the program to give you the full effect rather than just telling you what it’s about since you can read all about it on their website. I do my best to review programs that I have participated in or if I know someone who has that can share their personal experience so we can all learn from each other.
In the end yes discount days and rewards savings all add up. It’s no different from those who enjoy getting Shoppers Optimum Points which is just another lucrative way to shop smart if you can cash in on the savings and points using coupons that are readily available otherwise it’s a pricier place to shop.
Like any other programs that are available whether it be through your credit card rewards programs or through a grocery store program it’s important to do your homework. Get the best rewards by spending a few minutes of your day reading the different deals available to consumers.
Price matching may very well put a bit of a dent in these programs since the shopper has the option to choose where they can price match and the rewards cards they want to use for the transaction. Many grocery stores have price matching such as Wal-mart, No Frills that I am aware of but not enough of them do. I think the stores that are smart enough to offer price matching are scooping up customers that would potentially go to shops that don’t price match.
Alternatively customers may be store loyal and use their rewards cards at the shop just to get the points. I know with our PC MasterCard we get points no matter where we shop and with the new program we can load offers on to our new PC Plus Program Card. If a shopper went to many grocery shops they could easily use a credit card with rewards to pick up extra reward points like I do with my Canadian Tire MasterCard or the wife with her President’s Choice MasterCard.
The above is far from an extensive lists of the grocery stores with rewards programs, discount days and price matching but I hope to put something together for all the fans. If you are interested in sharing your rewards program story and why you love it email and lets spread the word together! If you have a shop you want to brag about send me the photo and the shop breakdown and tell me why it was so awesome!
Grocery Game Challenge Discount Days Shop
Below Juanita shares her discount days shop with all of us and how it saved her $23.61 and she used $52.74 in coupons many of which were high value coupons or Free Product coupons to use them up and save the tax if any is applicable. I would imagine it’s a great time to pull out your free product coupons. If you have an amazing shop with photo you want to brag about email me today otherwise, post your shops each week and join us, it’s FREE to Join!
Juanita- This is my Discount Days Tuesday shop. This month was 15% off for Club Sobeys members when you spend $35 or more because Target down the street was opening the same day. There was also a wrap around flyer for my store only for spend $75 and receive 10x your base points, so I took advantage of that as well!
- $22.99 3kg Frozen Chicken Breasts
- $4.55 Whole Chicken- clearance
- $6 Chicken Wings -clearance
- $6.15 Chicken wings -clearance
- $8.09-$5C&$2CO51 ML Prime Chicken Breasts -clearance
- $10.99-$5C Schneiders Naturals Burgers
- $8.99-FPC Schneiders Naturals Pepperettes
- $4.79×2-bogoC Grill’ems Smokies
- $3.99-FPC Naturals Turkey Deli Meat
- $1.49-FPC Dr. Oetker Pudding
- $4.99 Iced tea (with $10 in pizza coupons!)
- $2.99 Lea Perkins Sauce
- .50 Peach Crystals – clearance
- $6.99-FPC Jumbo Raisin Bran
- $6.99-FPC Jumbo Vector
- $1.95(5) Corn on the cob
- $6.99×2-.75C x2 Black Diamond Cheese
- $1.25×6-.75C x6 Barilla Pasta
- $3.99×2-.75C x2 International Coffee Creamer
- $4.99×2-$1C x2 Royale Toilet Paper
- $2.89×2 dozen Eggs
- $5.31 4L milk
$15.74 -10% Discount
$7.87 -5% Discount
$52.74 -Coupons used
$81.86 Total oop
Received $20 in club Sobeys points
Grocery Game Weeks for May
If you missed grocery game posts for this month just click on the links below and post your shops in the comment section.
Posts With Grocery Saving Tips
Free Money Saving Downloads just for YOU!!! Get organized with a freezer inventory, meal plan, shopping list, price comparison list and much more!!! Click, Save and Print.. It’s that easy~
- Let Your Coupons Expire And Save Money
- Knowing Your Prices Is The Key To Saving Money In The Grocery Budget
- Product Price Adjustments Don’t Miss The Savings
- Scanning Code of Practice In Canada (SCOP)
- How To Start Saving Money On Groceries In Canada?
- How Much Should My Grocery Budget Be?
- Top Ten Ways To Cut Your Grocery Budget
- Meal Planning For The Budget
- The Grocery Game Challenge and Our Grocery Budget
- Grocery Budget Saving Tips
- Food Shopping On A Budget
Our Grocery Game Challenge Results #2 May
We chose to have this week as a no-shop week so there’s nothing in Mr.CBB’s Shopping Cart this week!!
Yearly Grocery Budget For 2 : $2819.38
- Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $235.00 or $78.33 week with one no-shop week per month or $58.75 for 4 weeks per month. (During the months with 5 weeks we just make it work)
- Total Budget For May: $72.26
- Total Coupons Used this Week : $0
- Total Discounts this Week: $0
- Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
- Total Rewards Points Used: $0
- Stockpile Budget: $20.00 Used: $0
- Total Spent This Week:$0
- Total Spent So Far for (May): ($162.74)+($42.23)=$204.97
- Total Over/Under spend this shop: $ N/A
- Total Over/Under spend for the month of (May): $N/A
- Total Left to Spend for the Month: $30.03
- Total Coupons Used This Month :$6.00+$0+
- Total to Carry Over Next Month : ($ 162.74 has been carried over to May from April 2013)
- Total Spent To Date This Year: $206.95 (Jan)+ $160.77 (Feb) + (March)$169.62 + (April)$397.74=$935.08
- Rendezvous Account: $65.38 (this will be used for a date night or a summer holiday)
Weekly Overview: It’s been no secret that this month will be tough for us but if we want to stick to our yearly goal we have to make do with what we already have in our pantry. We are well stocked so fingers crossed that we make it until the end. The best we can do is try and if we go over than we work even harder the next month to make up for it.
How was your grocery shop this week?
Canadian Coupons Found This Week
Do you want to WIN these Canadian Coupons?
All you have to do is leave a comment here telling me how much your grocery budget is and how many it feeds and do you use rewards programs and which one is your favourite and why?
That’s it!! Good Luck and please share the post on Facebook! Must be a fan of the blog and Facebook to enter and win and you must be Canadian as the coupons are for Canadian shops unless you are American and shop in Canada then by all means you can enter! Good Luck! Closes Thursday May 16 at noon EST!
Grocery Game Frequently Asked Questions
Grocery Game Challenge RULES….. Read the rules first and if you have any questions email me or comment on this post with your question and someone will answer you as soon as possible.
- Do I have to be Canadian to post my Grocery Shop? No, you don’t have to be Canadian to post your shops only to win a monthly prize. We have a few players from around the world.
- When does the Grocery Game Close each month? The Grocery Game Challenge Closes at Midnight of the last Sunday of the last post for the month. You can post your shops all month-long.
- Does Your Grocery Budget Include Health and Beauty and Laundry? Yes our Grocery Budget includes such items as shampoo, conditioner, laundry soap, fabric softener, dish soap etc. We don’t mind stockpiling items that won’t be effected by expiry dates or have long expiry dates but not so much food any more. It’s just one way to help cut your budget to save money.
- Where can I find Canadian Coupons? Here are your latest Coupon Match-ups of the week including Checkout 51 from 25 Newspaper Inserts around Canada compliments of Save Big Live Better that you can use to help you save money in the Grocery Game Challenge.
- How Do I Know what stores accept coupons? You can find all your store coupon policies here. If you are not sure it’s always best to call the store and ask.
- How Do I Grocery Shop?– I can tell you about grocery shopping and what we do in terms of shopping to save money and how it works for us. There are no wrong or right answers, just smart choices. Over time you will gradually learn where you should and shouldn’t go in the grocery store or at least how to say no, I’m on a budget I don’t need to buy this or that. You may also substitute items in order to stick to your budget to make it work.
- Are you NEW to Canadian Budget Binder?
- Follow Me on Social Media: Twitter, Facebook , Pinterest , StumbleUpon, Reddit and Google+
- Plus! Don’t forget to Subscribe to the blog so you get my daily email!!
- If you need to get in touch with me the best way is on Facebook!
We do $100 a week making this month $500.
Had a pretty good week this week.
McGavins Bread
$13.99 for 10 loafs of bread/bagels/flatbread
H&W Produce
.35 jalapenos
$3.29 5lb carrots
.99 mangos
$4.63 total oop
Walmart
$8.97-$5C&$2CO51 Tylenol muscle&body aches
$3.94 cereal for the hubby
$8.36 total oop
$5 total coupons
Save on foods
$1.99×2-.50Cx2&$1CO51 nature valley bars
$2 nibs (gonna dip them in chocolate)
$4.69×2-$1.50Cx6 hidden valley ranch
$3.99×2-.75×5 iogo yogurt
$2.99×2-$2Cx2&$1Cx2 vh steamers
$7.81 total oop
$19.75 total coupons
Sobeys
.99×3-.50Cx3 olymel wieners
$1×24-$1Cx24 crest toothpaste donation
$2.29 Kaiser buns
$3.99 4kg mangos
$1×2 sausage rings
$3.29×3-fpcx3 dish scrounges
$2.99-$2Cinstore bacon
$2 perogies
$4.99 iced tea
$4.99-$1C spongetowels
.88×2 chocolate bars
$1.29 romaine lettuce
.63×2 pop
$29.38 total oop
$38.87 total coupons
$64.17 total oop
$63.62 total coupons
$315.68 total monthly oop
$266.86 total monthly coupons
A good week but a little worried about the rest of the month, considering I am typing this at almost the end of it!
Hey Juanita,
I think if I knew I could save the cost of a smart phone every month with checkout 51 I’d be right in there. It will be interesting to read how much savings others get with this new app. Great deal on the hotdogs. I think I have coupons for those actually. I presume you have some catching up to do for posts so it’s not the end of the month for you but you have plenty of money left to spend. You get ballot 25
Hi Mr CBB! Thank you very much for the mention of my post about Guatemalan food, I am starting to miss it 🙂
Here is my shop for the week
1 pack of cookies $2.36
2 baguettes $3.30
sushi staples $22.55 (including 630gr of salmon for $12.09)
2 duck breasts, 2 chicken breasts, 1lb mushroom $14.41
total $42.62
Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $142.82 to spend in France in May, $35.7 pw.
Total Coupons Used this Week : none
Total Spent This Week:$ 42.62
Total Spent So Far for (May): $98.68
Total Over/Under spend this shop: $6.92 over
Total Over/Under spend for the month of (May): $8.42 under
Total Left to Spend for the Month: $44.14
Total Spent To Date This Year: $514.35 for two + $98.68 for me in May
Weekly overview: sushi was great awesome except I forgot sushi vinegar and used normal vinegar so it was… vinegar-y.
I didn’t put $70 or so worth of beers and meals out I invited friends and my brother to eat/drink, so the budget is still very reasonable. Only 2 more days 🙁
Haha, she starts with one pack of cookies!! You ate well this week that’s for sure… you are such a cooking star Pauline!! I think you did well in France overall.
I shop for 2 adults and a 2 year old toddler. Our budget is $90/week or $360 for this month and includes baby items, laundry, health/beauty, etc.
Fresh Co
Romaine lettuce $1.47
Dempsters bagels $2.29 – $1.50 coupon
Turkey deli meat $5.00
Coupons $1.50
OOP $7.26
RCSS
BD almond milk 2/$4.00 – 2 x $.50 coupons
Alcan foil (PM Sobeys) 2 x $.99 – 2 x $.50 CO51
Almond Fresh milk $3.99 – $1.00 coupon
Silk almond milk $3.99 – FPC
Alymer accents (PM NF) 2 x $1.00 – $1.00 wub2 coupon
BD cheese bar (PM FB) 2 x $3.88
Bicks pickles (PM FC) 4 x $1.99 – 4 x $.50 coupons
Chapmans frozen novelties (PM FC) 3 x $1.97 – $5.00 coupon = $.91 for a 3 boxes!
Diet coke (12) (PM Longos) $2.99
Heinz ketchup (PM) $2.97
Highliner fillets $7.98 – $1.00 coupon
La Grille seasoning 2 x $2.87 – 2 x $2.00 CO51
L&P Worcheshire sauce $5.49 – $1.50 coupon
Mott’s fruitsations (PM FB) 2 x $1.99 – 2 x $.50 coupons
Natura soy milk $1.94 rang in at $2.39 so I got it free SCOP
Nature valley granola bars $1.98 – $1.00 CO51
SD coconut yogurt $4.59 – FPC
Spongetowels (PM NF) 2 x $3.44 – 2 x $1.00 coupons
CH Vitality bread $3.08 – 50% pink sticker $1.54 – $.75 coupon
D’Italiano sausage buns $2.99 – 50% pink sticker – $.50 coupon
Wonderbread (PM Ample) 2 x $1.55 – $1.00 wub2 coupon
Wonder hot dog buns (PM GT) $1.43
Wonder hamburger buns (PM GT) $1.43
Janes chicken (PM FC) 2 x $4.97
Apples (gala) (PM NF) $1.25
Apples (green) (PM NF) $2.07
Bananas (PM Ample) $1.13
Onions $1.67
Potatoes $2.26
Colgate toothpaste (PM SDM) 2 x $.99 – 2 x $1.00 coupons
Dove soap $1.47
Vaseline moisturizer (PM SDM) 2 x $2.99 – 2 x $2.00
Teddy’s choice petroleum jelly $2.79
Coupons $36.33
CO51 $7.00 (including $1.00 for a bill over $60)
CD $11.01
SCOP $1.94
OOP $67.09
Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year : $4,680 ($90/week)
•Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $360
•Total Coupons Used this Week : $37.83
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this week: $7.00
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this month: $19.50
• Total Checkout 51 rebates this year: $82.00
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this week: $11.01
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this month:$34.97
• Total Colleague Discount (CD) this year: $219.62
• Total SCOP this week: $1.94
• Total SCOP this month: $1.94
• Total SCOP this year: $3.41
•Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
•Total Spent This Week: $74.35
•Total Spent So Far for May: $290.99
•Total Over/Under spend this shop: N/A
•Total Over/Under spent for the month of May: N/A
•Total Left to Spend for the Month: $69.01
•Total Coupons Used This Month : $165.57
•Total to Carry Over Next Month : I do not carry over
•Total Spent To Date This Year: $1568.95
•Weekly overview: Under budget for the week again which is nice but I only have $69.01 left for May. I meant to use a gift card today to help balance things out but I forgot. If I have to go over $69 before the end of the month I will use a gift card. I have close to $200 worth. My chest freezer is literally full to the top lol so I need to stop stockpiling frozen goods I find it so hard sometimes to ignore good deals (I know, I know, I’ve seen your blog posts about needing to resist the flyers lol). I must try harder. I got a SCOP this week by paying very close attention to my bill. I did however seem to get an extra $4.00 off my bill in coupons. I don’t know if that was a screw up of mine or the cashiers. Normally I am able to organize my transaction while waiting in line and then I can watch each item as it is rung through but today there was no line up so I couldn’t watch and then she rushed through my coupons. I have a feeling it was her error. I just hope it doesn’t fall back onto her because she is one of my favourite cashiers lol
Hey Jen,
I’m just catching up on my GGC posts and see you only have just under 70 left to spend for May. I hope you can pull this off, I’m cheering for ya! That’s awesome your freezer is full, stop shopping and use the bloody stuff up now. haha You just have to ignore them of you will have far too much food. I don’t know what you do with all the food you buy now as I’m in awe sometimes as we would have no where to store all of that or hardly get through it all in time. Great deal with the foil! I have 2 Chapmans coupons but haven’t used them yet. I’m trying not to until the heat of summer if then. Where did you get the Worcestershire coupon? You are getting some great deals with checkout 52 I’m impressed. Well done this week Jen.. keep up the good work. You get ballot 17
The Worcestershire sauce coupon was a coupon zone coupon at RCSS.
oh… i must have missed that, thanks
I have made my own flat bread in the past but this time of year I am run off my feet. It is tilling and fertilizing time of year here on the farm. My garden has just about everything. If you notice my posts through the year rarely do I have vegetables on them. That is because we grow our own, freeze, can and dry them for the winter supply. I have nine rhubarb plants ( too many!) but road side sell what i won’t use. Strawberries are in the ground now and we harvest them end of June. I can about 58 jars of jam each year and freeze a ton as well. the asparagus is up. Not as big a batch as last year ( so far). We are eating spinach and snow peas from the garden already. Planted them first week in April. Beet tops are up as well as Kale. I plant a lot of rows of lettuce and celery. I do not plant onions, garlic or carrots. My soil is too rich for carrots and onions I get from my neighbour children who have a road side stand. I still have my tomatoes and Italian red peppers in the house on the window sill and the cucumber seeds need to go in the ground. We are still getting cold spells here (7C tomorrow).
Portion eating. You bet! My five year old eats more then I do!But then she wears it off. I always make supper as if one extra person will be there. That person is hubby’s lunch the next day. We rarely eat deserts.
Good for you. I think if you have the space to make good use of it. We try to grow as much as we can in our space so we don’t have to buy much over the winter like you. I tried rhubarb last week for the first time raw. A fan told me to wash, peel it and dip it in sugar or salt. I tried sugar and it was amazing. Asparagus is great. Do you eat the weedy part of the asparagus? We tip off all the fresh tender bits and use them in omelettes. I have my tomatoes and peppers indoors still as I’m working on landscaping. I’ll get them out shortly. We rarely eat deserts and if we do it’s fruits and yogurts. If I bake something it’s on the weekend once in a while. Portion sizes are important so we are really working on that and it helps to stretch the budget. I hope you share some photos of your garden this summer I would love to see them.
can’t find the post for my shop i posted on Saturday, May 18th? usually when it is awaiting your approval, i can still see it, but i dont see it here now. have you seen it, mr CBB? or it got lost in the cyber world?
ahhh here it is, right after i posted this message i can see it now, sorry mr cbb! 🙂
Yup, it’s up 🙂
If you posted a shop 2 days ago it was likely in moderation. Since I read each one over and comment personally it takes me some time to get through them. Don’t worry though I check my Spam filter all the time so if it ends up in there which it never has I will see it 🙂
Walmart
Scope – sale $2.97
Kid’s Listerine – $5.47
•Total Coupons Used: $0
•Total Out Of Pocket: $9.54
Food Basics
Celery – $1.97
Lettuce – sale $.67
Red peppers – $.95
Green beans – $.48
White mushrooms – sale $1.77
Tomatoes – $2.10
English muffins – sale $1.49
Ziploc bags – sale $.99 – $.99c (used $1 coupon but they do not give overage)
Dempster’s bread – sale $1.99 – $1c
Dempster’s hotdog buns – $2.89
Glad plastic wrap – sale $.99
Corn on the cob – $2.97
Barilla pasts – $1.67
Knorr sidekicks – sale 4x$.99 – $1c
Schneiders redhots & sausages – sale 3x$1.97 (plus will get $3 back from CO51 for buying hotdogs with the buns)
Schneiders bacon – $5.49 – $10c
•Total Coupons Used: $12.99
•Total Out Of Pocket: $22.57
Food Basics
CD gingerale – sale $2.88
Nestea – sale 2x$2.88
Mars bar – $.99 – FPC
Pierogies – $1.79
5lbs potatoes – sale $1.00
•Total Coupons Used: $0
•Total Out Of Pocket: $11.80
Walmart
Hair mousse – $6.94
Sunscreen – 2 for $16.00
Cookies – sale 2x$1.88
CD gingerale – $4.97 – $2c
Pediasure – $9.97 – $3c
Always – sale 2x$3.97 – $2c
Fruite drink – PM FreshCo. 4x$1.00
•Total Coupons Used: $7.00
•Total Out Of Pocket: $51.13
Fresh Co.
Pringles – 3x$1.00
Michelana – 2x$1.00
Chocolate Milk – 3x$1.00
Margarine – $1.00
Sour cream – $1.00
Broccoli crowns – $.62
Canataloupe – 2x$1.00
Ld Cosmic – $1.99 (can’t remember what this was)
Kraft dressing – 2x$1.00
Cucumber – $.50
Apples – $1.91
BBQ sauce – $1.00
Juice boxes – 6x$.50
Fruite drink – 6x$1.00
* everything I bought was at a sales price
•Total Coupons Used: $0
•Total Out Of Pocket: $30.19
Big Red Market (local butcher)
Honey garlic sausage – $3.65
Chicken breast – $5.75
•Total Coupons Used: $0
•Total Out Of Pocket: $9.40
•Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year: $3975 ($75 per week)
•Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $325
•Total Coupons Used this Week : $19.99
•Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
•Checkout 51 rebate cheque used this week: $0
•Checkout 51 rebate cheque used this month: $0
•Total Spent This Week: $134.63
•Total Spent So Far for May: $134.62
•Total Over/Under spend this shop: under $15.37
•Total Over/Under spend for the month of May: N/A
•Total Left to Spend for the Month: $190.34
•Total Coupons Used This Month : $19.99
•Total to Carry Over Next Month : I don’t carry over
•Total Spent To Date This Year: $1220.77
•Weekly Overview: As per usual I got a bit behind in my postings so I did 2 weeks worth of shops in this post. I was able to purchase a lot of items on sale. I have a number of the Schneider’s coupons left and have to use them up by the end of June so you will be seeing a number of them used in the next few weeks to come. Thanks to the coupon used on the Food Basics trip and the Checkout 51 offer I got both the hotdogs and buns for free with .11 cents overage.
Hi Joanna!
Is there a difference between kids listerine and adult listerine? I can’t wait to get me some corn on the cob.. maybe in June when we have a grocery budget again lol. NO coupon for Barilla Pasta? Save $-.50 I saw them everywhere although I never did see any black diamond cheese coupons, have you? Oh come on everyone knows what an LD Cosmic is hahah.. don’t you just hate when that happens. I would like to try honey garlic sausage one day it sounds delicious. So far so good for the month.. you are under budget (impressed) considering this is 2 weeks of shops, wow! That’s awesome with the free buns and hotdogs.. I don’t have checkout 51.. boo!!! Keep up the good work mate… You get ballot 16
I almost made the budget this week!! I was close enough to touch it!! I was in Stratfrod as you know and went to Food Basics for some deals…
Food Basics, May 10
1 4l milk- 3.97
1 Oasis juice- 3.00
1 EB frozen fruit- 3.99, 1.00 coupon
1 Dole Live Better snacks- 2.50, 1.00 coupon
2 bags GG frozen veggies@ 2/5.00- 5.00
1 pack sausages- 3.94
1 pack boneless chicken breasts- 9.28
1 box Pinty chicken nuggets- 6.88
1 4lb pack of frozen turkey, ground- 10.00
2 lbs butter@ 3.99- 7.98
bananas- .88
2 Dove body wash@ 4.72, 2.00 WUB2 coupon
1 Dove shampoo- 4.72
1 Dove conditioner- 4.72, 1.00 coupon
Tax- 2.80
Total- $82.05, $5.00 coupons
Foodland, May 11
2 pasta dinner@ .69- 1.38
2 Gatorade@ 1.50- 3.00
1 Triscuits- 2.49
3 cases pop@ 3/9.99- 9.99, 2.00 coupon for ginger ale
1 box cereal- 4.49
1 bag rice- 4.99
1 pack smokes- 9.69
tax- 2.95
Total $36.98, 2.00 coupons
Foodland, May13
1 tomato paste- .69
2 cans pineapple@ 1.59- 3.18
2 cans pasta sauce@ 1.79- 3.58
2 cans pears@ 1.88- 3.76
1 applesauce- 1.98
1 package lasagna noodles- 2.49
1 Triscuits- 2.49
1 raisin bread- 2.99
1 box crackers- 3.99
1 4l milk- 4.79
1 jug water- 5.49
No tax
Total- $35.43, no coupons
Total budget for month-$600.00
Total coupons for week- $7.00
Total spent this week- $154.46, Over $4.46
Total spent for month- 185.11+ 154.46= $339.57
Total over/under for month-N/A
Total over/under for week- 4.46 over
Left for month- $260.43
Total coupons for month- 10.40+7.00= 17.40
Total carry over to next month- $254.22
Total spent YTD- J$818.08+F$598.07+M$770.12+A$938.07+M$339.57=$3463.91
I came so close!!! So I know I can do this…There is that nasty carry over to deal with but I will keep trying to work it down. If I can come in for the month I can nibble away at it. That turkey from FB was nice, it’s 4 1lb rolls in a bag and, at $10.00 for 4 lbs that is a sweet price!!! The nuggets were a nice price so I thought I’d try that brand. There were 3 chicken breasts in that pack from FB so that is 3 meals for the 4 of us…
I mentioned my talk with the manager of No Frills…. I am really hoping he can get us the flyers… i also emailed the company so just maybe……. I’ll let you know what they say when/if I hear back from them. Hopefully Tuesday…..
Oh Christine,
Ha, so close you could touch it. At least you are aware and that’s half the battle. What I would suggest is to try and eat what you already have and buy some bits and bobs like vegetables and fruits and go from there. We tend to buy, buy, buy when we have more than enough food at home to get us through one week of eating. I don’t know what’s in your house but that’s up to you to decide. Can you plan meals for a week on what you already have? What night is lasagna night 😉 You can beat this budget… I’m challenging you to do this Christine. That is a great deal for turkey… I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for that. Yes, you can PM at No Frills and that’s the best thing for you because of the distance to other shops. Even though you make a drive to NF if you can PM all the other shops you will see a savings … depending on what you plan to PM.. of course factor in the petrol minus reasonable petrol if you were to shop in town. Keep up the good work …. almost there I can taste it.. lol You get ballot #15
i only have an optimum card, but i dont shop there much, their price is always more expensive. After reading all your reward programs, i am going to look into them, i need the points to get free giftcards!!!!! haha
Here’s my shops this week.
Budget for 2 people + 3 pets: $250/month
May’s spending: 51.58+42.77+53.88=148.23
May’s budget left: 250-51.58-42.77-53.88=101.77
May’s coupon used: 62.42+19.61+25.42=107.45
My shops this week:
Total: 15.40+27.83+10.65=53.88
coupon used 25.42
Giant Tiger, Total: $15.40
Button battery 1.47
ground black pepper 3.00
peppers 1.97
cheese slices 1.47
lettuce 1.97
Fruitopia PM 1.00
coca-cola 12-pack PM 2.99
cucumber 0.97
Gay Lea butter 3.78-FPC =FREE
HST 0.58
Walmart, Total: $27.83
black diamond cheese slices 2×2.00=4.00 (comes with $20 of coupons inside!!)
Reese peanut butter cups 2.00
chicken soup cube 0.97
basa fillet 9.00
green onions 0.57
baby bok choy 1.48
mozzarella cheese block 5.84
iams dog treat 3.98-1.00=2.98
dr oetker pudding 2×1.37-2xFPC=FREE
dish scrunge 2×3.00-2xFPC=FREE
HST 1.49
Superstore, Total: $10.65
Asian noodles 8×0.79=6.32
skinny cow bar 3.79-50% = 1.89
kashi cereal 2×3.98-2xFPC = FREE
sweet baby ray BBQ sauce 2×1.97-2xFPC=FREE
Long beans 0.97
acorn squash 1.22
HST 0.25
Hi Wing!!
I can’t get over how well you use your coupons, good for you. We like the basa fillets as well. I have coupons for skinny cow… $1.00 off! 😉 Where did you get the FPC for baby rays? I’d be interested to read a one week meal plan for the 2 of you to see what you eat for breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks. I think sharing meal plans is a great way for others to see how much or how little others eat and for how many they are feeding. You get ballot #14 Keep up the good work GO WING GO!
Our grocery budget for seven people two dogs and two cats is $340./ month.
I use coupons, price match and have Optimum reward card and PC reward card. I do not use credit cards. I have thought of getting a Sobeys card but have to be really honest here and tell you I look at their flyers and think two things. I waste too much gas to get there and I can price match the deals. I also use less Shoppers then before because I now have a PC client card and can get most items at the Superstore. I use to be a NoFrill store shopper, because I did groceries with my Dat each week but since his passing I have to go to a store that has a scooter for my mom. It narrows it down to Superstore or Independent. I hated shopping Superstore at first but have not gotten use to PM and going to a cheaper store throughout the week for the deals. Since I live 54km from the city my gas has to be accounted for. going to many stores all over the city is not cost effective for me. I also have two kids in car seats. Issues!!!
My week:
Total Grocery Budget for the Year: $ 4080.00
Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $340.00 or $85.00 week
I have $333.91 ($340.00-$6.09 overage from April) to spend in May.
•Total Coupons Used this Week :$4.00
•Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $- 0
•Total Spent This Week:$80.41
•Total Spent So Far for (May): $208.83
•Total Over/Under spend this shop:$4.59 under
•Total Over/Under spend for the month of (May): $43.12 under
•Total Left to Spend for the Month: $125.08
Total Coupons Used This Month : $12.25
•Total to Carry Over Next Month : 0
•Total Spent To Date This Year: $1611.60
Weekly Overview: Just a regular grocery week here. I bought some items for some new recipes. The garden is beginning to produce so I shall see a reduction soon in monthly grocery challenge.
–>
Superstore
Kraft Cheese 2x 5.84 PM- 2.00 coupon 9.68
Dog food 9.98 +tax 11.27
Chocolate chips 1kg 6.99
Turkey Keibassa 4.99
Parmigiano Regg 7.99
WW Thins – 1.00 coupon 2.69
WW Tortillia -1.00 coupon 2.69
Chicken slider 7.99
carrots 3lbs 1.77
mushrooms 1.99
Spanish onion 1.07
Grape tomatoes 2.00
NoFrills
mushrooms 1.98
FreshCo.
Chocolate milk 1L sale 1.00
milk 3.97
Ground Chicken 3 pounds 9.00
bananas 1.62
apples 1.71
Romaine Hearts 2 x 1.00 2.00
Total 80.41
http://www.onesimplefarmgirl2.blogspot.com
Hey!
One thing about the Superstore is their wide aisles and it’s a big store which I can see is better for the scooter. You are right you can simply PM and it’s worth it if it’s less time and gas for you. We PM whenever we can as well. Have you signed up for the new PC program yet? You load deals on your card every week. I’ll be writing about it soon. What did you plant in your garden this year? I just harvested a huge lot of Rhubarb.. cut my finger in the process too. I make tortillas at home as I find it much cheaper to do. Have you tried to do that? I have my recipe on the blog.. as well as pita bread and flat bread. That might save you more money in your budget as well. Good Job this week. Would you say that your meals are portioned correctly. I only ask because some people ask why we can spend so little on food and one of the biggest reasons is that we don’t eat for 2 people when only 1 person is eating. If we eat more than we should, then of course the budget will be much more. I’m always amazed at your shops. You get ballot #13
Week 19
Pubix
75 ft Foil $2.99
Can of Corn $0.91
Corned Beef $5.49
6 pk Paper Towel $5.49
Total Out of Pocket $15.39
Publix
Hazelnut Creamer $3.50
Toenhouse Crackers $3.87
Goya 12 oz Cornmeal $1.19
Coconut Milk $1.85
8 Fajita Tortilla $1.59
Tombstone Pizza $5.99
Total Out of Pocket $17.99
Walmart
Dozen Brown Eggs $2.28
Frosted Flakes 26.8oz $3.88
Macaroni Elbows 64 oz $2.88
2 x Coconut Milk $3.48
Baked Beans $1.50
Adobe Seasoning $2.08
BBQ Sauce $2.18
Corned Beef $4.88
Corn in can $0.78
Vegetable Oil $3.24
3 x Pringles $4.00
6 lb Rice $3.96
Condensed Milk $1.58
Sharp Cheddar Cheese $4.48
Water $1.88
Kool-Aid $1.88
Mini bagels $2.98
2 pk Shredded Cheese $4.38
24 ct Sliced Cheese $2.88
2 Smoked Turkey Sausages $2.38
Coffee $4.98
Smoked Turkey Slices $2.98
Milk (Gallon) $3.77
Tyson Chicken Nuggets $5.26
2 x Bread $5.56
Cookies $1.83
Coke $1.38
French Fries $5.98
Chicken Drumsticks $5.98
Pizza $5.47
Red Pepper $1.68
Red Onion $2.53
2 Pk Foil Pan $2.44
Total Out of Pocket $107.75
Total Grocery Amount Budgeted For the Year: $4000
Total Grocery Budget for May: $299.60
Total Coupons Used this Week: $0.00
Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0.00
Total Spent This Week: $141.13
Total Spent for May: $269.49
Total Underspend this shop: -$41.27
Total Overspend for the month of May: $0.00
Total Left to Spend for the Month: $30.11
Total Coupons Used This Month: $0.00
Total to Carry Over Next Month: $30.11
Total Spent To Date This Year: $ $1,722.79
Weekly Overview: I did a bit more shopping this week because I plan on one more sho for the month of May. Yes, you heard right. I’m having a no shop week! I have to stretch $30 for the remainder of the month.
Hi Dr Sheba,
Doesn’t the cost of Paper Towel just drive you insane… it does for us. We buy it when it goes on offer for $1.99 at one of the local pharmacies but other than that it’s insane the prices. We try to use washable cloths as much as we can but we also consider the fact that we have spend money to wash and clean them as well. Tortilla’s are so easy to make and so cheap to make at home. I have a recipe on the blog for spinach tortillas, olive pita bread, flat bread… easy peasy, no yeast. French Fries that are already pre-pared are good for when you are on the run but you can get 10lbs of potatoes and a jug of oil for that price and make loads more. We slice up our potatoes into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, mix it around and put it in the oven for one hour… mix every 20 minutes. Done!! It’s so easy.. Hopefully you will see the prices of your peppers and onions come down now that the summer is here. I’m not seeing any eating out.. good for you!! If you make it to the end of the month under budget I will be over the moon. You are so close!! Use up what you already have on hand for one week.. that’s all you have to do. I’ll be writing about that today in the new GGC as that’s what we are doing. Keep up the good work.. Mr.CBB
I usually avoided Sobeys cause I found the prices higher than the other chains, but with all those discounts adding up, it might be worth checking out.
This is my week’s shop:
Mom 10
Superstore
Astro yogurt 2.47
Cottage cheese (x2) 5.66
Organic Bananas 1.23
Carrots (5lbs) 3.28
Dark chocolate 2.39
Celery 1.68
Bathroom cleaner 0.79
Total Coupons 0
Total Out of Pocket 17.50
Costco
Cheese 15.59
Mixed Greens 3.49
Salsa 4.49
Total Coupons 0
Total Out of Pocket 23.57
Total Grocery Budget for the Month: $200
Total Coupons Used this Week : $0
Total Checkout 51 rebates this week: $1
Total Checkout 51 rebates this month: $2
Total Gift Cards Given Used this Week: $0
Total Spent This Week: $51.07
Total Spent So Far for May: $108.37
Total Over/Under spend this shop: $1.07 over
Total Over/Under spend for the month of May: $8.37 over
Total Left to Spend for the Month: $91.63
Total Coupons Used This Month: $1
Total to Carry Over Next Month: n/a
Total Spent to Date This Year: $773.30
Weekly Overview: I received your comment about eating out less whilst sitting in a Dairy Queen. Sigh. Does it count if the boy and I split something? 🙂 I am finding that we are trying to do most of our eating out as social events; to spend time with family, or friends for their birthdays, or teammates after our ultimate games. Unfortunately, they are adding up pretty quickly. So either I need new friends or family members, or I have to learn to say no more often! And yes, I have suggested doing potlucks and such but have been, repeatedly, adamantly refused. The week was okay; my protein supply is running low as my freezer inventory is almost up to date and we have managed to clear out the last remnants. So this month might be a good month to up my budget, hey? 🙂
Have a good one!
Hey Vicky!!
That’s what I was thinking especially if you have many friends and family who are always celebrating something and inviting you, it can get costly. The problem with that is either you have to save up money for these outings or simply say, we can’t afford it. I know it’s not something you want to say but going into debt or not sticking to your goals when there is party after party, gathering, outings etc when one doesn’t have the money budgeted is a sure fire way to sink fast. My suggestion is to look at your budget and think about where your priorities are. If you are budgeting enough for food and entertainment than see if you can up them. If you can’t then you know making more money is the other option or learn to decline invitations. People never want to have to say no or hear they have to say no but if all other options are exhausted the only one left is to go into debt to enjoy each and every one of them. 🙂 How’s that Dairy Queen now? haha… You know that if you sign up at their website they send you coupons each month and on your birthday I believe you get a free blizzard or a buy one get one free coupon. I’ve never been to DQ before myself but if you like it, sign up… there’s always perks lurking 🙂 You answered your own question in your summary to all of this.. learn to say no more often. No one will care about what happens when you go home after the party and what’s in your bank account, so you have to do that. You get ballot #11
With a little extra effort, we’re slated to keep May’s grocery budget for our family of six under $400 – yea!
Nice job Laurie!
My grocery budget is $90/week for two adults and our two and a half year old son. I use the following reward programs: Air Miles, Petro Points, PC Points, RBC Rewards and a few others but not as much as those four. My favourite is a hard choice. I love PC Points so I can get free groceries but you can also purchase gift cards for other places with those points. I love RBC Rewards because it earns me points for using my credit card. I could save them for travel but I like to use them to purchase gift cards (like Canadian Tire and Home Depot) around Christmas time. I like Petro Points because I can save those to purchase gift cards around Christmas time as well 🙂 I do find though that RBC Rewards seems to add up the fastest but that’s because I try harder to build those up lol.
Pampers Points are pretty cool too! You get codes on your purchases and enter them to get points. I’ve redeemed mine before for $40 worth of RCSS gift cards 🙂
Well my budget was 250-300 a month but since being here over a year now its gradually come down and I am just about at my goal of $400 a month for 5 people. I stock up on meat every 3-4 month which is $250 for a meat pack. I have just done a stock for laundry detergent and softner at $2 each and I bought 15 of one and 10 of the other. We use pc points and save these for xmas. I get money back on gas from pc and use coupons to help bring the prices down along with those precious pink sticker. Kids now know if its expensive and there is no coupon then I win’t buy it! I am a frugal cook and use what we have and love to experiment with my cooking. Thanks for all the help Mr CBB will be posting to the Grocery Game tonight hopefully!:)
Our budget is 300-400$ for 2 adults and 2 cats.
We use coupons when possible.
We collect airmiles, pc points, optimum points, esso points, plum rewards. My favorite has been the PC points (we collected them for approx. a year and were able to buy the cupcakes/cake and some food for our wedding).
All of these reward programs = free money!
Our grocery budget is about 225 bucks per month. There is two of us and between my PC rewards points, our shoppers optimum points, coupons and just being careful shoppers we are able to do this and treat ourselves in their as well. We’ve only been living on our own for 1 month now but I believe that we can continue to stay within our budget.
Congratulations Heather! You are the WINNER of this contest!! Email me your address so I can send off your prize!
-Mr.CBB
Congratulations Heather!! 🙂
Thank you so much! Email sent 🙂
We have two adults and two teenagers on holidays and summer. We budget $100 a week for food, cleaners, laundry detergent and all health, beauty products and donations. My favourite rewards is Sobeys because not only do I work there and get great instore deals and sales but you get points on items you use coupons for which is awesome on days like discount Tuesday or any day I shop! 🙂 But with that said my wallet is full of cards! Plum rewards, air miles (got an awesome toaster oven many years ago for free!!!! ), aeroplan, opitium, value village, saveonfoods, hbc rewards (zellers I miss you! ) and esso. Gotta love free stuff!!
Our grocery budget is roughly $400/month. It feeds 2 adults, and 2 kids. We use coupons where we can. I like to shop at places where I get rewards. For example: Shoppers (you get shoppers optimum points), food land (you get airmiles), and at co-op (if your a member you get discounts as well). Happy shopping everyone!:)
I’m feeding 4 adults and trying to do it with $150.00 per week. It’s a struggle but I’m trying. I have Air Miles, Sobey’s, Shoppers and the local drug store has one. I used the drug store points last year for our grandson’s birthday gift and for stocking stuffers at Christmas. Our M/C and debit card are both tied to the Air Miles. I’ve used that for gift cards but not so much lately…. Darn!!!!! I will go to Sobey’s if I’m going into town anyway and there are good sales. I had high hopes for Shoppers but right after I got the Optimum card they decided to no longer send the flyers our way!!!!! So not impressed there and I have made my displeasure known to the head office. With Juanita’s experience I’m thinking that I better pay attention when the Target opens in Stratford!!!!!! Her deals look to be tied to the Target opening! Thanks for the heads up there!!!! What might be very interesting in Stratford is that Walmart is building a store right across the street from where Target is taking over the old Zellers site and I think they will both be opening late this year………… I can hardly wait!!!!!!!
Christine, will the boys do meatless meals? Some men won’t so I ask. I was wondering if it would help at all to do more meatless meals in the week. I know when money was really tight when I was growing up, we had meat once a week and fish once a week. Mom made some sort of egg dish (fried, poached, scrambled, boiled, omelette) for one night, another night was baked beans on toast or creamed peas on toast, spaghetti was the third night, tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwich was a Friday night favorite, our meat night was a macaroni goulash with ground beef, tomatoes & any leftover vegetables in it, our fish night was usually tuna casserole but sometimes it was salmon cakes made with canned salmon and on odd occasion fried kippers and Sunday dinner would depend on how flush we were that week. Lots of times it pancakes for supper. I don’t think we could afford a roast chicken, a ham or a roast beef until I was well into my mid-teens. Any ideas in there you could use?
Mary, my boys will eat what’s put in front of them whether they like it or not…. food is food… Hubby is a lot pickier. He will try to claim it’s because he isn’t well but he’s always been a fussfart. How he got away with that as the fourth of five kids is beyond me. I try for meatless meals and I try to stretch what meat we have as far as I can. My stir fry is one chicken breast sliced up to feed the 4 of us. Spaghetti sauce gets, maybe a half pound of ground beef just to mellow out the flavour. You’ve seen how I can do left overs on What’s for Dinner. I ate canned salmon as a kid but guess who wouldn’t eat it…. I think tomorrow night might be the left over rice from tonight with a few additions to stretch it and then an omelette the next night as I have lots of eggs from the farm. Fried kippers…… haven’t seen those since my Grandpa’s day….. he used to love those……. Thanks for the food for thought…..
Really hope other stores do the same as my Sobeys for great add on weekly sales as all the Targets start to open Don’t forget you can use a Target and a manufacter coupon on the same item (like stacking!! ) An opportunity to save on items that might be on sale 🙂
I spend on average about 250-300 per month on groceries (trying to get it down around 200) and my favourite points system is the Wal-Mart rewards points because I can use them back towards my purchases. This week, I bought $98 worth of stuff, groceries/cleaning for only $6 (taxes not included) LOVED this deal!!
Wow That’s awesome Alicia. I’m not familiar with the Wal-mart program but might have to look into it more. Did you use your points then to get your OOP to $6?
Alicia, how do you get Walmart rewards??? Is this Canada/US or both? Do you need a Walmart credit card? Tell me more! I shop at Walmart in the US but I don’t have their rewards card. Thanks!
I love using coupons and this week I got 16 crest toothpaste on sale for .97 used 16 coupons @$1.00 each and of course got all the toothpaste FREE.
WOW!! Free is good, what a great deal you found. You won’t need toothpaste for a long while.
My grocery budget is $190 per month to feed 2 adults, one of which is gluten free by necessity. I use all kinds of Rewards programs and my favorite depends on the time of year. I like Safeway and the Air Miles rewards program until I have my 1,000 annual points to maintain my Gold status then I focus on collecting my SPG points. I do however have loyalty cards and points with Save On Foods, Thrifty’s and Sobey’s. 😀
What are SPG points Mary?
Mr CBB, SPG Points are good for Starwood hotels… that’s how I vacation without paying any hotel bills! 😀
Oh gotcha! Thanks for explaining!!
MAY – WEEK #2
May 13 – 19, 2013
2013 GROCERY BUDGET / STOCKPILE BUDGET AND US RESERVE:
•Total Grocery Budgeted For Year: $142.50 x 12 = $1,710.00 for 2 adults
•Total Stockpile Budgeted For Year: $47.50 x 12 = $570.00 for 2 adults
•GROCERY GRAND TOTAL $1,710.00 + $570.00 = $2,280.00
HOW MUCH WE HAVE SAVED SO FAR IN 2013:
•Total Loyalty Card Price Reductions This Year: $235.87
•Total Coupons Used This Year: $86.23
•Total More Points Earned This Year: 690 Points
•Total Air Miles Earned This Year: 180 Air Miles
HOW MUCH WE HAVE SPENT SO FAR IN 2013:
•Total Grocery OOP Spent So Far This Year: $758.05
•Total YTD Grocery Budget So Far: $773.79
•Total Over/Under on the YTD Grocery Budget: $15.74 UNDER
————————————————————————————–
•Total Stockpile OOP Spent So Far This Year: $176.21
•Total YTD Stockpile Budget: $176.21
•Total Over/Under on the YTD Stockpile Budget: $0.00 FLAT
————————————————————————————–
• GRAND TOTAL SPENT SO FAR IN 2013 $934.26
Our Weekly Review:
This is a NO SHOP week and we will stay out of the stores completely! That’s the only way I can avoid spending. If I even peek my nose in the door, I am doomed! I ALWAYS find a ripe tomato, a too good to be true sale or some little thing & before you know it – one item becomes two and so on and so forth! You know the drill, don’t you?
Hubby can usually come home with only what is on the list BUT he has been known to fall of the rails a time or two as well, usually over sale prices on junk food.
So, nowhere near a store is always the best plan of action for us during a “no shopping” week. Fortunately, hubby’s sister returns from the UK this coming Friday and we do not have to take my MIL grocery shopping this week! LOL Someone upstairs is obviously watching over us. Ha ha ha!
So, I‘ll just summarize the available funds we have heading into week 3 of May:
MAY Grocery Budget (CDN): $15.74
MAY Stockpile Budget (CDN): $ 0.00
MAY Safeway Gift card (CDN): $20.00
MAY Cash Hiding Spot (CDN): $30.00
MAY Re-Stocking Funds (CDN): $ 0.00
MAY Grocery Reserve (US): $165.89
MAY Cash Hiding Spot (US): $ 65.00
As a part of our cost cutting measures, I went thru the fridge & found there were lots of items that need to be used up this week before their expiry dates. With that in mind, I created the following meal plan for our dinners this week:
Mon (13th): Pork Spare ribs with coleslaw
Tues (14th): Double Batch of Goulash made with Italian Sausage & served with Corn on the Cob
Wed (15th): Honey ham, scrambled eggs, with roasted potato, carrot and red onion
Thurs (16th): Homemade Chicken & Vegetable Soup with buttered rolls for hubby
Fri (17th): Leftover Goulash Casserole made with Italian Sausage served with steamed broccoli
Sat (18th): Cheesy Black Forest Ham and Potato chowder with chicken salad sandwiches for hubby & just chicken salad for me (no bread).
Sun (19th): Homemade Macaroni & Cheese with a side of coleslaw
Mon (20th – Victoria Day): Cabbage Rolls with Mashed Potatoes & steamed broccoli
Hi Mary!
I will let you know that I did make a full cuppa tea for this one not the suggested half cup ha!
You’re funny!! haha.. will she bring any Brit treats back for you? My wife would go hog wild for Twiglets… You and me both are staying far away from the shops this week. The smartest things we do is throw the flyers away and focus on other things. Well done Mary! You get ballot 10!
Mr CBB, no I don’t expect there will be any treats for us. She has 3 children, half a dozen grandchildren, not to mention a couple of great-grandchildren to look after first. Besides the weight limits on the luggage can only take so many goodies, without all kinds of nasty overweight fees ensuing. That’s okay though, my GF status really limits what anyone can bring back for us.
Friday night hubby is starting a week of vacation – he has 5 weeks off per year + 8 days lieu time days off to take in 2013. As a result, I may be around a little less than usual over the next 2 weeks while we bomb around doing “fun stuff” plus I expect to have another US shopping day on May 26th for the GGC.
The great de-clutter continues though, despite his vacationing, with weekly trips to recycle and the transfer station plus I have a scheduled Clothesline donation pick-up on the 16th and one for Developmental Disabilities on the 21st. I like to have 6-8 lawn size bags for them at each pick-up. The following donations won’t be until June though because I’ll miss the Clothesline pick-up on the 26th while we are in the US of A.
What I want to know is how the devil did we manage to collect so much stuff we don’t use? And, how did I end up with so much expired suntan lotion and cold/cough remedies? Woah!
Our dentist gives us each a new toothbrush, toothpaste & dental floss every 3 months when we have our cleanings. I must have 100 of each on hand! Holey moley! They are now all neatly in a big plastic bowl under the counter now so no more excuses to not switch them out regularly.
I figure to pare it down to the level I want to get to, I am probably looking at 3 years worth of work between the offloading, a very thorough cleaning of each room as I empty it, followed by re-painting each room… one year for the 13 rooms in the house, one year for the garage (how can one man have so much stuff??) and then another year for offloading the crawl space.
All that Christmas decorating stuff in the crawl space that I haven’t bothered to drag out in the last 10 years… your days are numbered! Same for all those “must have” small kitchen appliances that I thought I couldn’t live without! LOL I am sure my beneficiaries will be glad I did this while I was alive instead of leaving the mess for them.
I am now adopting a new motto… if I haven’t worn it or used it in the last 6 months… Adios Amigos! Prying hubby’s fingers from his treasures may be a little more difficult. I will eventually whip him into shape though. 🙂
That’s a good motto to have otherwise stuff can keep building and building up. A friend of ours has that motto and told Mrs.CBB “Out With The Old, In With The New”~ I’m sure he may give in at some point haha…