I just love this rendition of “A Mighty Fortress is our God” by Steve Green. I’ve listened to is countless times. Take a listen…..and I hope you have a great Sunday! π
Super Savings Saturday! Jewel & Whole Foods
I made a few shopping trips this week, and I’m excited to share them with you especially because I was able to use a lots of coupons at Whole Foods!
First up is Jewel.
I spent $40.47 after coupons and sales for everything pictured. Β Here’s the rundown:
$1.45 each for Organic tortilla chips (these are on sale for BOGO free, buy one at $2.89 and get the second one free – I bought a total of six bags. I decided to stock up because I normally pay $1.99 for these on sale.)
$4.00 for 12 pack of Marcal Toilet Paper (reg. price $7.99, on sale for $5.00 and I used a $1.00 manufacturer coupon)
$1.88 for 18oz. box of Corn Flakes
$5.49 for Organic Milk (this milk is regularly $6.49, but I had a coupon to save $1 on milk when you buy Kelloggs Cereal)
$3.49 for grinder of Natural Sea Salt (reg. price $5.49)
$3.49 for grinder of Organic Italian herbs (reg. price $5.49)
$3.49 for grinder of Organic 4 color Peppercorn (reg. price $5.99)
$2.49 each for Organic Bath Co. Honey Chai body butter (75% off! And this stuff smells sooo good! **Mental Note** Look for organic health/beauty products at places people don’t normally buy them at, like the grocery store. You might find a great deal!)
$2.49 each for Organic Bath Co. Body Polish (basically a really lovely body wash/scrub and again 75% off!)
One final note on Jewel, I was VERY impressed with their selection of organic foods. Β Wow! I took one day recently while I was shopping without kids to really take my time and explore Jewel and find out what kind of organic foods they had offer. I left the store feeling really impressed with their selection and knew I would shop there more often.
Whole Foods was really taken a toll on the food finances, and I was starting to get a little weary of it, especially since it’s out of the way for us. I also like the way that Jewel has their organic selection dispersed throughout the store in a way that makes sense. Β Meijer, another grocery store I shop at on occassion, needs to take a lesson. I won’t stop shopping at Whole Foods, though, because their selection of produce is a lot fresher and wider in variety plus they carry a lot of the “weird” products you can’t find at Jewel, but I am going to cut down my trips to Whole Foods to only twice a month.
Onto the next store! I made two trips to Whole Foods this week (not ordinary ;-)). One trip was for regular grocery shopping on Monday, and then we happened to be in the area again on Thursday for David’s 2yr. check up with the doctor so we decided to make another quick trip for close to free napkins and a few other things.
I spent $1.06 for 2 packs of Seventh Generation Napkins (only 1 is pictured) and 3 Glen Muir Organic Pizza sauces! Here’s what I did:
$2.17 for Seventh Generation Napkins
-$1.00 Printable Coupon
-$1.00 Whole Foods coupon found in their store flyer
=$0.17
$1.99 Glen Muir Organic Pizza Sauce
-$0.75 Printable Coupon
-$1.00 Whole Foods coupon found in their store flyer
=$0.24
The above is just the quick trip we made after the doctor’s appointment. Β Below is what I picked up during my bigger trip on Monday:
In all, I paid $41 after coupons and sales for everything pictured. Β Here’s the breakdown:
$21.11 for the two packs of grass-fed beef (about 4 pounds of meat @ $4.99/lb. – good this we only cook meat about once a week!)
$3.31 for Organic Golden Delicious apples (about 2 lbs. @ $1.69/lb.)
$3.25 for oranges (not organic – $0.99/lb.)
$6.61 for Organic bananas ($0.99/lb.)
$2.99 for SO Delicious Coconut Milk
-$1.00 Printable Coupon
-$1.00 Β Whole Foods coupon found in their store flyer
=$0.99
$2.99 Garden of Eatin’ tortilla chips
-$1.00 Printable Coupon
-$1.00 Whole Foods coupon found in their store flyer
=$0.99
$12.50 for (5) Naked Smoothie Drinks
-$5.00 Mail in Rebate for buying 5 (I think we found this rebate on a tearpad a few weeks ago.)
– (5) $0.75 Whole Foods coupon found in their store flyer
=$0.75 each after Rebate!
Overall, I was really happy with the savings this week, and I can’t wait to get better and better at saving money while still eating healthy and buying organically. I’m excited, too, because a friend told me that a store called Trader Joe’s has lots of organic food for a fraction of the cost that Whole Foods sells it for. I’ve never been to a Trader Joe’s store before, but the next time I make a Whole Foods trip, I’m going to stop there too since they’re in the same vicinity.
Did you grab any great deals this week?
Frugal Friday: Finding Fun Locally
We’ve found a hidden gem when it comes to finding fun and inexpensive things for our family to do. What is it you ask?
The Park District.
They put out a catalog once per season (Fall, Summer, Winter, Spring), and it is packed with fun things for the kids to do, and they even offer a lot activities for adults and whole families. In the picture, the kids were attending an event with Clifford. I think it was called, Clifford’s Birthday Party? But they got lunch, a picture with Clifford, and got to participate in some fun crafts for only $20 for four people. Ruben took the older ones while I stayed home with David, and just look at the fun they had!
The two older kids, Nathan and Breanna, are currently signed up for swimming classes through the park district, too. They had their first lesson last week, and it was fun watching them being pulled out from their comfort zones when it comes to the water. They were doing things with the instructor that they would NOT have been willing to do if I were teaching them. The best part is that they actually enjoyed it! I wasn’t sure if that was going to be the case because they took swimming lessons once before through our old park district, and they REALLY protested being signed up again. I actually text messaged Ruben shortly after the lesson started, and my exact message was, “I have a feeling the kids are not going to want to come back next week. The instructor is going a bit fast!” :-0 I was wrong, though. Thankfully!
Some other classes we’ve done over the years…..
1. AquaTots – This class is a parent/child class that focuses on getting little ones used the water. We sang songs and did little exercises like having the kids throw a small toy and scooping to get it. We also sang songs like “I’m a little tea pot” and tried to get the kids to put their ear in the water at the “tip me over and pour me out part.” Fun!
2. Mommy & me stroller fitness class – What fun this was! I would take Isaac and David in our double stroller and meet up with other moms at a park with a trail or at the mall on cold/rainy days, and we’d really get a work out! These instructors did not play games! Wow.
3. Gingerbread house – Ruben did more than one of these classes with the kids where they enjoyed decorating a gingerbread house.
4. Swimming classes – of course.
5. Summer Bowling – Nathan did this a couple summers ago and loved it. Β He and several other boys were taught how to bowl properly, and they got a free pizza lunch every week, too!
6. Karate classes – Ruben, Nathan, and Breanna have both taken karate classes in the past. I would sign them up again except for the location the classes take place is a bit of a drive and not worth the gas.
7. Daddy/Daughter breakfast – Ruben and Breanna created a lasting memory for this one.
8. Lots more – These are just a few! π
And there you have it. I’ve you’ve never taken a look at what your local park district has to offer, here’s some encouragement to give them a try. Oh, and they offer lots of FREE events, too.
For more Frugal Friday tips and ideas, please visitΒ Life as Mom.
This post is also linked to Thrifty Thursday.
I’m getting my act together.
Okay, guys. I know I have been missing around quite a bit for the past few weeks, but I have a new strategy in place to get some regular posting done and interact with you guys. I’m going to write 7 days worth of posts in one day and then schedule my posts to post each day. This HAS to work for me because my usual blog time in the morning is being interrupted by workouts, homework, and yes, even some design work. I’m excited about the design work part. π
I’m scheduling one day each week to get my posting done, and I can’t wait for the freedom I’m going to feel if I can really make this a habit! I need to. Starting tomorrow, get ready for a real REGULAR posting schedule on The Sensible Mom. Β I already have tomorrow’s post written up!
