Shopping for Groceries in the Winter...
With shelves like that, I am glad we live in an area rich in options for food shopping. Winter weather hit the east coast last week and an ice storm was predicted for Sunday. Our area was spared that, so I was able to get in my usual grocery run in the morning. However, from the look of the shelves, some of the trucks did not make it to Aldi. I planned to shop at 2 stores for groceries, then head to Target for non-food items. Since Aldi was out of the lunchmeat my family likes, I picked it up at Target.
Keeping in mind...
I have a well-stocked freezer, for our family, with meat to make several meals. This week I focused on buying fruits, vegetables, and deli meat for school lunches.
My Totals:
Aldi: $32.78
- No red sticker savings this week.
ShopRite: $25.81
How I saved:
- $2.28 in Digital Coupons downloaded.
- $0.50 off coupon for Celestial Seasonings that doubled to $1.00.
- I earned $0.85 from Ibotta this week.
Target: $2.83
How I saved:
- The lunch meat was BOGO 20% off.
- I used a $5.00 promotional gift card from a previous purchase.
- I used $5.70 in Target Circle Earnings.
- There is a surprise offer in the Target app for $5.00 off of $15.00.
My Total for this week: $61.42
Check out my shopping list here. The list total includes jogger pants I purchased at Aldi for my son. That amount, with tax, is subtracted from the total to reflect the actual amount spent on groceries.
January 22 Grocery Hauls
$600.00 Budget
Part 1 - Stocking Up
Week 1: $341.19
Part 2 - Weekly Purchases (mainly shopping for fruits, vegetables, and milk items)
This Week: $61.42
Total Spent So Far: $402.61
Remaining Budget: $197.39
Estimated Weekly Budget: $65.79
SGD Tip: I look at last week's grocery haul to plan next week's. Knowing that my estimated budget is $65.79 and I just spent $61.42, with the help of Target gift cards and promotions, I look for items that I can remove from next week's list. That will free up room in the budget for other items and any price increases that may occur. Although next week's grocery haul will be similar to this one, I have approximately $20.00 in wiggle room for next week!
Shipping Delays...
On the red stickers!
I love looking for the red discount stickers at Aldi. My favorite is finding English Muffins with a $1.00 off sticker. I think $0.15 for a package of 6 English muffins is a great deal! Lately, our store has been writing the discounts on the packaging. As I snapped the picture below, an Aldi associate mentioned that the item wasn't in stock. I am a bit of a chatter and asked him about the price. He mentioned that the price was reduced because of volume and sell-by date. Also, the store has not received a shipment of the stickers. Instead of writing the discount with a sharpie, the store was printing temporary yellow signs for some price reductions.
Check out my video on how I made my shopping list for this grocery haul below or the link here.
