More thrifty at the grocery store

I am thankful that Matt and I have always been 'thrifty' of sorts or at least 'resourceful' I feel like. After shopping for baby stuff, having multiple doctor visits thus far and looking into Lil G's future, we are quite aware just how much a baby costs! We know it's worth every penny and also know (hope) this won't be our only child, so we are trying to get creative in fun ways to save some money, without really eliminating things we love to do (like travel, eating out, entertaining) or must do (like pay our mortgage, bills, saving).

So, I started following these new money saving blogs a couple of months ago, after reconnecting with a friend from home who has two small kids, works full-time, blogs AND apparently is a great cook! She links up to other blogs, as well as posts her weekly grocery deals and her weekly menus for all to see and reap the benefits. If you're interested in learning more, she can be found at The Fairhope Foodie.

Alaina inspired me to take a better look at my grocery spending. While I am a huge fan of Publix and Harris Teeter and think we make great use of the BOGO deals out there- I had it all wrong before becoming more coupon conscious. The trick is to get those sale items AND match them with coupons..so really, some items end up being totally FREE. That's hard to beat and it's even better if they are pantry staples!

My trip to Harris Teeter last week was extra exciting (is that lame?!) due to the fact they were doubling all coupons up to $1.98. Yipppeee! Love those occasional weeks. I have been gathering coupons for a few months and I make my list according to what is on sale & what I have coupons for. We also try to make our weekly menu around that, too.

The result...

I spent $50.80 and saved $86.19! I saved $39 through Harris Teeter's deals and over $45 through coupons. Not too bad! I have hit the 'saved over $100' mark only once at Publix since my adventure began, but know it will happen again:)

I feel like I am stretching our food and fun budget to A) last longer and B) maybe even have $$ left over for those 'want, but not must-have' items for the baby and us.. Like the new 19" flat screen TV we just bought for her bedroom..of course this girl is already getting the royal treatment:)