Couponese Weekly Haul

I wanted to post a pic of my grocery haul for this week... I'm doing this to show that with a little planning that you can catch some decent deals.

My grocery budget for a week with a family of 7 is $200. This is my personal budget, not necessarily one I recommend. I am trying to get that down to less than $150/wk. This is my goal, I got pretty close this time.

I like to shop at Kroger, they have the in-store coupons and Kroger plus savings that you get simply by having a store card. I also appreciate the fact that they double coupons up to 50 cents. This means if I have a coupon worth 50 cents, it doubles up to a dollar off that item! Pretty sweet!

Not pictured in this haul were the 6 packages of Perdue chicken breasts, and a 5 lb package of ground beef. I had a Kroger coupon for fresh meats that gave me an additional $1.50 off, and the chicken breasts were buy one get one free! Awesome!

I'm including a pic of my receipt totals. I bought a lot of big ticket items like diapers, paper towels, and TP, as well as meats which are expensive.

This week I was able to spend $159.57, very close to my goal of $150. Plus, I stocked up on big items like diapers.

I also earn fuel points through Kroger which you can use at the Shell. This is another perk with gas prices going up the past week!

Couponese Tip of the Day

A lot of serious couponers are doing so not only to shave money off the weekly grocery bill, but also to create a stockpile of items that they use often. Buying a large amount of something at its lowest price means you can stock up on that product and not have to buy it for awhile.

My biggest stockpile item is laundry detergent. I have 5 children, so laundry is a daily chore. I am not a slave to a particular brand, but I do have a few brands I do buy when they are on sale.

This week there's a great sale on Arm & Hammer Laundry detergent at Kroger. It's $2.99, I have 3 coupons for $1 off one bottle, so I'll get them for $1.99 each. That's a great deal for me.

Couponese Tip of the Day

While school supplies are on sale, it's a good time to stock up on couponing supplies too! Now's a great time to snag a binder, stock up on your coupon sleeves, dividers, scissors, and even sharpie markers.

My Luxury Drink

Isn't it pretty! Tasted so refreshing too. I made a cup of chamomile tea, added honey, and then mixed it with cold water. Served it over ice and added lovely orange slices. It was SO yummy!

My Sweet Pregnancy Essential - 28 Weeks

Super adorable slip on shoes!!! These are a must for the last trimester- when it's getting tough to bend over and tie laces or do buckles. You can still feel super lovely in a low heeled pair of slip on mules.

Conquering Clutter Monday

Okay, I am going to be completely honest here today- I am letting you in to a dirty secret that I try desperately to control. I have a paper clutter issue... Let's say that it wouldn't be too over the top to classify my little problem as 'bordering on hoarding' paper. I watch that show Hoarders- and feel sympathy for the guy who has amassed a huge collection of useless newspapers over the years... It's bad!

Needless to say, having four children doesn't help matters much when they are bringing home all kinds of cute artwork, quizzes, and lovely school papers. Plus, having children puts me in a perpetual time crunch! I had to find a strategy that would help me work through this problem! Especially since I don't want my children to pick up this problem and think it's okay to live like this.

Here are some clutter management tips that I've found to work for me:

Don't bring unnecessary clutter inside the house. How I've employed this strategy is that I open my mail next to my recycle bin. Any junk mail and flyers go directly into the recycle bin, it doesn't make it into the house.

Today, I actually took about 20-30 minutes of the morning- after dropping off the kids and grabbing a huge cup of coffee, to declutter my kitchen counter. This space has become an easy catch-all for paper clutter items. It's right by the door as you come in- so it's quite an eye sore. I started by grabbing an empty plastic container to dump all the recycling, and organized all of the mail into piles- bills, bank statements, etc. Then I opened all the mail and recycled any envelopes and excess papers. I store my paper shredder close by this area, this makes it convenient to get rid of anything containing personal info.

The cardinal rule of organization is that 'everything must have a place.'Recipes go in the recipe box, bills, and important papers can be stored in a large filing system like an accordion style filing folder or a large binder. I even am starting a coupon area. Knowing everything has a designated area makes it a lot less stressful.

I'm always working on my clutter issues, but today is a step forward- it's sweet progress... And it feels good!

In the Kitchen - Superbowl Treat!!

From allrecipes.com - I tried the Warm and Creamy Bacon Dip. It turned out really yummy! It's also giving me a chance to break out my new casserole dish! I've been dying to use it. I picked it up at a local flea market, and I LOVE it!! The kids are loving the dip right now- they helped me to make this. Instead of bacon bits- I fried up some bacon and crumbled it into the dish. It's SUPER yummy!