Grocery shopping

The first of the month came!!! Yay we made it through the month on our $100 budget!!! This is going to be a huge challenge but I had fun this month and I hope that anyone who reads this gets ideas when they're getting frustrated with their "food" situation! Time to go shopping again.

I HATE grocery shopping. Here are the reasons why: I'd rather be doing ANYTHING else besides walking through a building filled with florescent lights and people with bulky carts trying to dodge each other and get home as fast as possible after a long day of work, I REALLY dislike taking the time to cut out coupons and it's a lot of work to figure out at the store if you're getting the best deal possible, and because of these wonderful coupons it takes me at LEAST an hour to shop!

Although I hate grocery shopping it does need to be done. Here are my positive spins on the whole situation. I always try to go grocery shopping on Sunday because then I'm not rushing after I get off of work and I generally can get my husband to go with me (which is always more fun because he's a great cart pusher ;) I always cut my coupons ahead of time using my friend, the Sunday Star Tribune, and I always organize them according to how the store is laid out so I waste as little time possible so I can get going to my life!

I try to have a coupon for every single thing I buy at the grocery store. I WILL go to cub and rainbow in one trip if I can't get all my coupons for one store. It pays off. I am a newbie at this coupon clipping and have no desire to become an expert like some ladies. At this point I generally save around $37 bucks a trip. It's like a game to me. 1. try to never buy anything without a coupon. 2. see if you can get under $100 every month you go. 3. see how much you save in the process! I always brag in the car on the way home or mourn the fact that I wanted to save more and state my plans for next time :) My husband thinks it's funny but it helps make the process easier for me to swallow!

I would like to be able to get to the point where I can spend $50 twice a month but so far I don't mind how things are. When I'm clipping coupons I'm mostly thinking of a few categories. What proteins do we need that we are low on (you generally can stock up on these because of the handy dandy freezer), what vegetables should we try to get in our bodies this month that are fresh and then is there any deals on frozen ones for later, making sure I have the breads and general accompaniments for the proteins I'm getting, and then planning for a few snacks to have as well. This system has worked really well for us. But make a plan that works the best for your lifestyle! Pay attention to what you eat so you can make sure you always get certain things that you know you guys will eat. Here are a few of our always have's in the fridge, pantry or freezer:

sour cream
caesar dressing 
cheeses (cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella)
wheat bread
eggs
salsa

noodles
taco seasoning
garlic
white onion
pasta sauce or sauces of some kind or another
tortilla chips

rolls
chicken
ground beef
frozen pizzas
frozen veg

This is my mind in the area of grocery shopping. It's a tricky business trying to plan it all out and beat the system. But once you start developing a plan stick with it. It's always going to evolve and that's good! Keep clipping those coupons and take your man shopping with you! Have as much fun as possible with it because you gotta do it! Then on another day start making a plan of all the things you can make with all the great stuff you got!

Let's get debt free and enjoy life a little more while we're at it!