TEN BUCKS A WEEK!

[Arich01]

I'm not exactly doing $10 a week, just grab a few extra items when they're at a great price

This week since Thanksgiving here is next week there are some pretty good deals!

I got:
4 boxes Stove Top stuffing $2.10 each, but on BOGO $4.20 for 4
2 cartons chicken broth $2.79 on BOGO
2 Vanity Fair napkins $2.25 BOGO
2 Cream of Chicken soups $1.49 BOGO

And as I write this up, I just added the total... $10.73!!! I guess I subconsciously was aiming for $10 lol!

I am debating going back and stocking up a bit more...

 

[happybaker]

My pantry is very similar to yours - mine is wider but has less shelves. I HATE the wire shelves, as my small bottles (say, extracts, etc) keep falling on their sides/falling over. I saw an infomercial once that converted the shelves and made it look like they were actual shelves, not looking like racks (if that makes sense) but I have yet to find anything in stores that fits the bill. DH says to just put cardboard down across the shelves but I think that would look 'messy.' Ugh, the things that keep me up at night

Me too. I do have some cardboard boxes but it is a bit ugly. Still function over fashion, I say!

I have those same wire shelves in our bathroom closet. I went to the dollar store and got a few packages of clear placemats to line the shelves. There were two to a package and each shelf used two mats.

 

[stayhomemom77]

I'm not exactly doing $10 a week, just grab a few extra items when they're at a great price

This week since Thanksgiving here is next week there are some pretty good deals!

I got:
4 boxes Stove Top stuffing $2.10 each, but on BOGO $4.20 for 4
2 cartons chicken broth $2.79 on BOGO
2 Vanity Fair napkins $2.25 BOGO
2 Cream of Chicken soups $1.49 BOGO

And as I write this up, I just added the total... $10.73!!! I guess I subconsciously was aiming for $10 lol!

I am debating going back and stocking up a bit more...

Ha ha! Funny how that happened! Looking forward to your next installment.

I have those same wire shelves in our bathroom closet. I went to the dollar store and got a few packages of clear placemats to line the shelves. There were two to a package and each shelf used two mats.

Ooooooh! What a great idea! I'm going to have to look into that. Thanks for the tip!

 

[stayhomemom77]

I am fairly meticulous when it comes to making lists and sticking to them. That's probably why it irks me so much when I get to the store and can't find the things on my list! Now, when an advertised special is nowhere to be found...there are two possible outcomes:

ask a store associate for assistance...

OR

give up in a huff and stomp around tossing other things into your cart!

I generally choose the latter option. Now, USUALLY I alter the shopping list so that I stay on budget, but today I was especially irritated that I couldn't find most of my carefully selected items AND I was in a wicked hurry, so I ended up tossing stuff in the cart on the fly and completely lost track of the tally.

So, this week's TEN BUCKS is actually TWENTY BUCKS and therefore will comprise this week and next week.

And do you know what that means? It means that I have completed my initial three month "probationary" period! Now the stuff is officially off limits for another 10 days, but the next time I shop for stockpile items (Dec. 4) the stuff is going to be rotated into general use as needed.

TEN BUCKS A WEEK!
Weeks 12 and 13

2 boxes corn flakes $4.00
vegetable oil $2.00
2 bags sugar $2.00
compost bags $2.23
2 tubes toothpaste $2.26
2 cans tomato paste $1.00
tin foil $1.13
shampoo $4.85 (not pictured--I forgot to include it and had already put most of it away before I realized it was missing)

Grand total: $19.47

 

[Angeejoe]

For some reason I didn't get any alerts on this thread!!! Grrrrr....

So last week Kroger had buy 10 items get $5 off, so that made Swanson Canned Broth .49c each. So I bought 20 Swansons Chicken Broths & 10 Swansons Beef Broths. For a total of $14.70. Great deal plus they have the Cambells Labels on them that I collect for my nephews school. I wish I had bought more as I go through a lot making soups, especially in the winter.

So luckily this week Meijer had a similar sale at .50c each, so I got 6 more Swansons Chicken Broth & 4 more Swansons Beef Broth for $5 plus I had .80c in coupons, so $4.20 total. Then Cambell's Cream of Mushroom was on sale for .69c, so I got 10 at $6.90, plus .80c in coupons, so $6.10 total. My grand total was $10.30!!!!!!!!

 

[barkley]

hi, I'm back. i'll pull together my receipts to post later but based on what's happening around us I want to give everyone some information to take into consideration when stockpiling food items.

I'm in Washington state which was hit last Tuesday by a deadly record breaking windstorm. as a result hundreds of thousands of people lost utility services-and there are still MANY of us without (and may continue to be so for the upcoming week or longer). many homes, schools and businesses were damaged so those of us that escaped injury or damage and can stay in our homes are tremendously thankful-even more so if we have generators.

that said-I'm VERY grateful for my stockpile of food right now because w/my generator I can still cook AND the remainder of my stockpiled food isn't going to have to be thrown out as will happen with the majority of households.

what I'm saying is-it's great to have a stockpile of food in an emergency but unless you can maintain it safely during the emergency you could see a massive financial loss. the first thing that always comes to mind is food in fridges and freezers-there's honestly not much you can do about that absent a generator (there were massive initial runs by lots of people without generators for ice which was in short supply due to the businesses losing power/damaged-but after a day most of that food would still have to be tossed out due to spoilage) but what many don't consider is if any 'non perishable' stockpile they have is stored in a way that it is facing spoilage. yesterday morning it was 12 degrees where I live-right now it's in the low 20's and we are looking at an artic blast and snow this week. anyone who has all their canned goods in a non insulated area may have items that have/will freeze. certain types of canned goods that have frozen, even if the seams haven't burst MUST be discarded-low acid foods like vegetables, meats, fish and meat/fish based broths are not safe for consumption if the can has frozen. home canned and jarred items that don't fall under the low acid concerns also have to be looked to b/c with freezing the seals can come loose and spoilage is common. my storage are is insulated but it's getting pretty darn cold now (generator doesn't provide heat to all areas of the home)-what I do to be able to keep an eye on where it's at freeze wise is to keep some bottle water adjacent to it-if the water is starting to get slushy then I know the temp is nearing freezing and I have to move the items elsewhere.

I know not everyone lives in an area where extreme cold w/a power outage can occur-but if you're in an area where an outage in high heat could occur keep in mind w/storage if the canned items can be safely maintained. if you are also in an area w/high humidity, take into consideration what days of prolonged heat/humidity can do to dry goods.

stockpiling is great in an emergency but not having it stored in a way that's safe to use it during the emergency can do you more harm than good.

 

[stayhomemom77]

hi, I'm back. i'll pull together my receipts to post later but based on what's happening around us I want to give everyone some information to take into consideration when stockpiling food items.

I'm in Washington state which was hit last Tuesday by a deadly record breaking windstorm. as a result hundreds of thousands of people lost utility services-and there are still MANY of us without (and may continue to be so for the upcoming week or longer). many homes, schools and businesses were damaged so those of us that escaped injury or damage and can stay in our homes are tremendously thankful-even more so if we have generators.

that said-I'm VERY grateful for my stockpile of food right now because w/my generator I can still cook AND the remainder of my stockpiled food isn't going to have to be thrown out as will happen with the majority of households.

what I'm saying is-it's great to have a stockpile of food in an emergency but unless you can maintain it safely during the emergency you could see a massive financial loss. the first thing that always comes to mind is food in fridges and freezers-there's honestly not much you can do about that absent a generator (there were massive initial runs by lots of people without generators for ice which was in short supply due to the businesses losing power/damaged-but after a day most of that food would still have to be tossed out due to spoilage) but what many don't consider is if any 'non perishable' stockpile they have is stored in a way that it is facing spoilage. yesterday morning it was 12 degrees where I live-right now it's in the low 20's and we are looking at an artic blast and snow this week. anyone who has all their canned goods in a non insulated area may have items that have/will freeze. certain types of canned goods that have frozen, even if the seams haven't burst MUST be discarded-low acid foods like vegetables, meats, fish and meat/fish based broths are not safe for consumption if the can has frozen. home canned and jarred items that don't fall under the low acid concerns also have to be looked to b/c with freezing the seals can come loose and spoilage is common. my storage are is insulated but it's getting pretty darn cold now (generator doesn't provide heat to all areas of the home)-what I do to be able to keep an eye on where it's at freeze wise is to keep some bottle water adjacent to it-if the water is starting to get slushy then I know the temp is nearing freezing and I have to move the items elsewhere.

I know not everyone lives in an area where extreme cold w/a power outage can occur-but if you're in an area where an outage in high heat could occur keep in mind w/storage if the canned items can be safely maintained. if you are also in an area w/high humidity, take into consideration what days of prolonged heat/humidity can do to dry goods.

stockpiling is great in an emergency but not having it stored in a way that's safe to use it during the emergency can do you more harm than good.

Excellent point barkley! Thanks for sharing.

We need to get a generator here. We only lost power for a day during a bad ice storm in January 2013, but others around us were out for 3-7 days and lost all their fridge and freezer food due to spoilage. In the winter, we can easily set the freezer stuff outside to preserve it...and our shelf stable stuff is kept where it would be fine...but the fridge stuff would have to be eaten quickly so we wouldn't lose it. Cooking without a generator would be challenging, but not impossible always supposing that we have propane for the bbq.

Gotta start saving for a generator.

 

[barkley]

Excellent point barkley! Thanks for sharing.

We need to get a generator here. We only lost power for a day during a bad ice storm in January 2013, but others around us were out for 3-7 days and lost all their fridge and freezer food due to spoilage. In the winter, we can easily set the freezer stuff outside to preserve it...and our shelf stable stuff is kept where it would be fine...but the fridge stuff would have to be eaten quickly so we wouldn't lose it. Cooking without a generator would be challenging, but not impossible always supposing that we have propane for the bbq.

Gotta start saving for a generator.

we are very thankful we made the investment (and upgraded our propane tank to 1000 gallons). if you're going to rely in the meantime on using a bbq make sure to always have a full supply of propane in those tanks-one of the issues we are seeing is people trying to get their portable tanks refilled-places are running out/low, and while we're fortunate enough to have gas stations w/power restored other areas are not so it's not like people can drive to multiple places to search it out (phone lines are still down in several areas that have power restored so calling places isn't an option).

I REALY feel for the families whose kids have been out of school since early Tuesday (the schools started sending kids home early to try to keep the roads cleared). our district only did a 2 hour late start on Wednesday in order to inspect their facilities but the bulk of the schools sustained damage or lost power such that they've not returned yet. some areas are hopeful to get power returned by tomorrow night but there are others that are looking at next Wednesday at the earliest. if that's the case I don't know how the parents are dealing with it-even with older kids it's not like it's safe to go to work and leave them home w/o power when it's going to be in the mid teens temp wise.

 

[stayhomemom77]

So I found out that the rotten hubs has been digging into the off limits TEN BUCKS A WEEK stuff.

He's been pulling mac and cheese out of the case down there for weeks, I guess...and I never knew it!

Our son is a particularly fussy eater and often refuses to eat what we make. I always tell him to sort out his own dinner (he's 10) but I guess DH has been making him mac and cheese more often than I realized. And on the weekend, while I was out...they went through three boxes. THREE boxes of kraft dinner for three people. What the frig? I can't leave them alone for a minute. There were no leftovers by the way. None.

Anyway...I am short like 9 boxes of kraft dinner in my TEN BUCKS food storage.

Thought I should fess up. <sigh> That man is going to be the death of me.

 

[star72232]

So I found out that the rotten hubs has been digging into the off limits TEN BUCKS A WEEK stuff.

He's been pulling mac and cheese out of the case down there for weeks, I guess...and I never knew it!

Our son is a particularly fussy eater and often refuses to eat what we make. I always tell him to sort out his own dinner (he's 10) but I guess DH has been making him mac and cheese more often than I realized. And on the weekend, while I was out...they went through three boxes. THREE boxes of kraft dinner for three people. What the frig? I can't leave them alone for a minute. There were no leftovers by the way. None.

Anyway...I am short like 9 boxes of kraft dinner in my TEN BUCKS food storage.

Thought I should fess up. <sigh> That man is going to be the death of me.

Sounds like something my DH would do.

Food Basics has a case of 12 on for $5.88 this week, so at least restocking might not be too bad. And did you see No Frills has bags of sugar on for $1! Given how much baking I do at Christmas (and how much coffee DH drinks - grr), I'm stocking up on that.

 

[stayhomemom77]

Hmmm...I don't have a Food Basics near me but I might be able to price match at Walmart tomorrow.

I took advantage of the sugar and got two more bags!! Good deal!

I also miscounted. He brought up several boxes, two of which are still on the shelf and there are still six boxes downstairs. I thought there were only three. So we still have eight and only four are missing. Not as bad as I initially thought. Whew!

 

[Angeejoe]

So I found out that the rotten hubs has been digging into the off limits TEN BUCKS A WEEK stuff.

He's been pulling mac and cheese out of the case down there for weeks, I guess...and I never knew it!

Our son is a particularly fussy eater and often refuses to eat what we make. I always tell him to sort out his own dinner (he's 10) but I guess DH has been making him mac and cheese more often than I realized. And on the weekend, while I was out...they went through three boxes. THREE boxes of kraft dinner for three people. What the frig? I can't leave them alone for a minute. There were no leftovers by the way. None.

Anyway...I am short like 9 boxes of kraft dinner in my TEN BUCKS food storage.

Thought I should fess up. <sigh> That man is going to be the death of me.

My view on the $10 is a little different than yours. I want to stock up on the items we like & need at the best price. Then use it whenever we need it, but continue to stock up with good sales. So I'd be fine with the Mac n cheese being eaten thinking I got a good deal, I totally get the sneaking it & 3 boxes over the weekend!!! Lol.

 

[stayhomemom77]

My view on the $10 is a little different than yours. I want to stock up on the items we like & need at the best price. Then use it whenever we need it, but continue to stock up with good sales. So I'd be fine with the Mac n cheese being eaten thinking I got a good deal, I totally get the sneaking it & 3 boxes over the weekend!!! Lol.

Well, that IS how I'm going to be treating this challenge going forward...but I wanted to let it grow for the first three months. Anytime I bought something, I ensured we had enough on the upstairs shelves to last us the three months AND THEN bought more with my TEN BUCKS to store downstairs. There should have been no reason why that upstairs case of mac and cheese was eaten up as fast as it was. That's why I was so ticked.

But, as you say. The point of stockpiling for me is basically to get what we need at rock bottom prices. That way we save money AND have something put by for an emergency.

I guess the real problem is that DH is following a low carb diet through the week and then indulging in carbs on the weekend. Basically, this means I spend a friggin' fortune on meat and cheese, diet soda, green tea and mio (he eats soooo much food and STILL complains he's been hungry for a week) and then on the weekend he just goes to town on the kid's cereal and the mac and cheese and whatever else he can get his hands on!! So, he's not losing weight (hmmm...wonder why?) and literally eating us out of house and home. I buy based on how much we SHOULD use of each item on a weekly/monthly basis but he's hoovering it all up at an alarming rate!

I wish he would just follow weight watchers with me. He could still eat pretty low carb on this plan and he'd actually find that the scale is moving. He usually gets lazy about dieting right before Christmas and doesn't come out of it until March. I don't know what will happen this year though. He seems more determined that usual to continue his low carbing ways. I'm not sure if I'm happy about that or not. Off diet, he still eats a lot...but at least it's cheaper carbs like pastas and stuff.

Ah well! I'll make it work somehow.

 

[stayhomemom77]

One of the things I couldn't find on Friday was glad cling wrap for a buck. I changed up my shopping day to Tuesday (it's a two step process, because as of December 18th I have to move to Mondays due to DH's work schedule, but for now I can only go Tuesday, not Monday) and finally FOUND the cling wrap. So I got a roll and paid $1.13 for it after tax. So I added that to the stockpile. And now I am poor until next Tuesday when I get to use December's budget (although it has to stretch over 5 weeks, so we'll see how it goes!) I still plan on doing the TEN BUCKS challenge, but as I doubled up this past Friday, I get a pass for next Tuesday. So my next official TEN BUCKS shopping trip will be on December 8th now, not the 4th as stated above.

 

[stayhomemom77]

I may have done something foolish!

I just did a MAJOR shop. I mean, three stores and three weeks' worth of money major. I now have only a little bit of my monthly budget left to get milk, produce and bread for the rest of the weeks of December.

Now...we are not entertaining at all this year. So I shouldn't have any nasty surprises that way.

And I just brought home so much food that it wouldn't all fit in the trunk (had to put some in the front seat).

And I do have some money that I have in a reserve section of the budget that can be tapped if necessary to make up for any deficiencies that having such a small amount left over in the remaining food budget may create.

BUT...

...I hate shopping weekly in the winter

... I especially hate shopping during December when things are nuts due to the Christmas season

...there were so many good deals on this week that this was the only way I could take advantage of them all.

I will upload a photo later when I have more time (I have to leave for a dr. appt. very soon) but I got allllll kinds of stuff on this shopping trip that covers the $40 worth of TEN BUCKS weeks I had to cover in the month of December.

I got 8 boxes of ritz crackers $8

I got 2 bottles of shampoo $9.01

I got 4 cans tomato sauce and 2 cans black olives and a jar of pickles $8.52

I got GF flour $5.99

I got 4 lbs of ground chicken $10

At just over $41.50, I think I did an excellent job!!

 

[barkley]

on this the 1st of December I can report that with the exception of the foodables I purchased for thanksgiving I was pretty much able to stick with just using my stockpile with only having to purchase dairy products and produce in November.

that said-I did take advantage of a local store's 99 cent per pound butterball turkey sale and purchased a second to go in the freezer when I bought one for thanksgiving. I'll start tracking this month's purchases and see how well I can stick to a continued use of primarily stockpile.

 

[stayhomemom77]

on this the 1st of December I can report that with the exception of the foodables I purchased for thanksgiving I was pretty much able to stick with just using my stockpile with only having to purchase dairy products and produce in November.

that said-I did take advantage of a local store's 99 cent per pound butterball turkey sale and purchased a second to go in the freezer when I bought one for thanksgiving. I'll start tracking this month's purchases and see how well I can stick to a continued use of primarily stockpile.

NICE!!

 

[scrapquitler]

This week for the food bank $10, I bought three boxes of honey nut cheerios for $3 each.

 

[stayhomemom77]

This might give some of you a little chuckle...

I can't seem to let go of the hoarding mentality towards my downstairs food storage. The stuff down there is no longer off limits, and there are 5 or six boxes of cereal there. I know cereal is there and our upstairs stockpile is nearly out, but I haven't been able to force myself to bring some upstairs. I just don't want to touch it!

The upside is....DH ate carbs all last week but wouldn't touch the cereal because he doesn't like HN Cheerios, corn flakes or crisped rice. And after the mac and cheese incident, I decided not to tell him that there was Life cereal and Corn Bran (his two faves) downstairs the whole time!! I know, I know....I'm evil!

I went shopping last night for this week's milk and produce and still had so much food left from the big shop that I was able to get what I needed for only $26.00. Which is good because I'll need more for next week and I really don't want to touch the reserve money unless it's absolutely necessary.

 

[stayhomemom77]

I just got 4 hams (7-8 lbs each) for $60. At $1.97 a pound, the price wasn't great, but it was definitely good. And we were out of ham. My daughter is going to FREAK. OUT. She loves ham and will be so excited that I got enough for one a month until Easter rolls around. And DH loves to have ham and eggs, ham and bean soup, ham casseroles, ham and potatoes, etc. So good, good news!