I got all of this for $0.38. That's four containers of Oikos Greek yogurt, two Land O Lakes spreadable butters, three packages of Halls cough drops, four packages of Rolaids, three packages of Bumblebee tuna, and two Snuggle fabric softeners.

This week's grocery trip was especially kind!

First stop was Walmart to refill on stuff I had run out of. No awesome sales to speak of, but I got two celery sleeves for $1.00 each. This quickie trip was $15.82.

Then off to Albertsons, where I definitely got the most bang for my buck. Ozarka water 6-packs were on sale for $1, and I had a couple of coupons, so I got those for free. I picked up three bags of frozen vegetables for free, a bag of salad for the hubby, and paid $0.38 each for four Tony's thin-crust pizzas. At checkout, the cashier had a couple of coupons that the register spits out, and the previous person had forgotten them, so she used them on my transaction, so I got an additional $2 off. All together, I only spent $2.37 at Albertsons for a cartfull of stuff.

Last stop was Kroger to stock up on Yogurt for $0.31 each. I recently started making my own laundry detergent, and that calls for a grated bar of white soap. Fortunately Dial was on sale, so I picked up six bars for free. Baking season is almost upon us, so I got some Flieshman's yeast, and I finished up with some Johnsonville sausage. That trip was $13.34, for a weekly total of $31.53.

Then last night there was a listing on the Free Mania blog about free Snuggle dryer sheets at Family Dollar. I just happened to be going that way, so I stopped in and got two boxes.

So far this year, between coupons and sales, I've saved $1096.93. Our total grocery costs have been $1643.98, which averages out to $41 per week for food.

I posted in a forum about feeding your family on only fifty dollars a week, and somebody posted back asking how I do that. This is my response:

Our biggest paycheck of the month comes in on the 15th. I pull out $50 for each weekend between that payday and the next 15th, plus $20 for dog food. (Cat food gets worked into the rest of the grocery budget.) We shop on Sundays after church, and I only take $50 with me so that I don't overspend. My general plan is to get all the stuff that we need, and then use whatever money is left to stock up on items for later.

First thing I do is get the list from the website so I know which coupons to clip. I keep them in a drawer with each week's coupons in their own folder so that I can find them according to how the list displays them (SmartSource from 8/30, for example.) This typically takes about an hour if there are a lot of coupons.

Then we go to Walmart to get stuff that we need that didn't show up on the list. (Right now our Walmart is undergoing construction, so sometimes I'm inclined to skip it.) This week, I got a bag of frozen chicken ($7), olive oil ($3.75 w/ coupon), vegetable oil ($3), frozen OJ ($3.75), milk ($2), eggs ($1.20), dog food ($12), noodles ($1), dry beans ($1), minced garlic ($4 - costly yes, but it lasts a few months and I use it a lot), a bag of potatoes ($2), jar of yeast ($4.50). And I know there have to be some other things in there because I spent $48. So allowing for the dog food, I had spent $36 on groceries, leaving me $14.

I went to Albertson's on Monday because I needed to stop and get some extra coupons from my mom. There was a promotion in the paper for Quaker Oats products. After the sale and the in-ad coupon, I could get five cans of oatmeal for $1 each. I had two coupons for $1.25 off of two items, so I got an additional $2.50 off, making my oatmeal fifty cents apiece. I had a coupon for $1 off Pillsbury Grands biscuits, and they were BOGO Free, so I paid $0.89 for two. And Allen's frozen veg was on sale, and I use that in soups, so I got two for $0.69 apiece. I spent about $4.60 at that store.

Then I went to Kroger where they were having a "Buy 10 selected items and get $5 off" sale. Purina One cat food was on the list, and I had two coupons for $3 off a bag, so I got them for $1.50 apiece. Tidy Cats litter was $4.50 and I had a $1 coupon. Buitoni pasta was $0.99 in this sale, but I found a coupon online for $1 off, so I got those for free. Nestle Tollhouse refrigerated cookie dough was $1 apiece after my coupons, and that's less than I can get a bag of chocolate chips. And to round out my ten items I got three Kraft Mac & Cheese for $0.50 apiece. I also had coupons for Suave Bodywash, which I use, so I got three of them for $0.50 apiece. I spent just under $12 at Kroger. So technically I spent about $52, but that's close enough. I had a couple of ones left over from previous weeks, so no biggie.

The last couple of weeks, "healthy" snacks have been on sale, so we have an assortment of granola bars and other similar items for hubby to snack on. Other weeks, I have him get $4 worth of fruit that he picks out. I also found a recipe for homemade granola, and while the initial outlay for the ingredients was pricy, it calls for so little of it that those ingredients will make a LOT of granola.

This week for dinner, we'll eat:
pizza (I make the dough myself, and it's cheaper to buy pepperoni from the deli. Hamburger meat or sausage is in the freezer already.)
spaghetti & meatsauce
lentil soup (I have a recipe I've been wanting to try, and the lentils are already in the pantry)
orange chicken & fried rice (from the Crockpot blog - It was okay, but it didn't taste like Panda Express)
chili (crock pot)
meatloaf (leftovers in the freezer)
baked potatoes w/ Eckrich sausage

So as you can see, we're not starving by any means. Bear in mind that this is just two adults. I've made a concerted effort over the last year to eat leftovers for lunch since we've gone to just one income, so I try to cook big dishes. This $50 does not include eating out, which we only do about once a month when we have a coupon for a free dish somewhere, and then we split it. It helps temendously that Kroger & Albertsons will double/triple coupons up to a certain amount, but I understand that some areas don't do that.

I have a shelf in the bathroom full of products I've gotten very cheaply. Toothpaste goes on sale for $1 fairly frequently around here, and there are plenty of $0.50 coupons that will double so the toothpaste is free. I use Suave deodorant, and there's a coupon for that in the P&G Brandsaver at least every other month. I think I have four or five sticks that I got for free that way. Good coupons for hubby's deodorant are a little harder to come by, but I think we have some stocked up. Shampoo/conditioner/body wash will usually end up being about $0.50 a bottle. We like Irish Spring soap, and they come out with $0.35 off, which triples and I use that when the 3-bar pack is on sale for $1 to get free soap. Toilet paper is the biggest thing. I like Cottonelle, and there are plenty of coupons for that. A 4-pack runs about $1.25 at Kroger, and I usually have a $0.50 coupon that doubles, so I can get the pack for $0.25.

9/29/09 Edit: I use thegrocerygame.com and if you want to try it for free for four weeks, please use thegrocerygame.com@hejny.net as your referral email so I get credit. I recommend stocking up on coupons for at least a couple of weeks before starting the trial so that you get the best use out of it. I get lists for two stores, and I pay $15 every 8 weeks. I more than save the $15 in any one week.

Jon Gosselin, please shut up.

Your kids are only 5 and 9 right now, but someday they're going to be old enough to know how to Google. It's bad enough that they have to live through a divorce, but how are you going to feel some day when they know that you told the entire world that you "despise" their mother? Regardless of your feelings for her, she is still the mother of your children. When asked, all you need to say is, "No comment," if only out of respect for your kids.

I am forever amazed at how many homes don't have their street number clearly posted. Whenever I go out to take photos of a home to insure it, it's almost a given that I'll wind up creeping down the street at five miles an hour trying to figure out which side of the road has the even numbers and which has the odd ones. And inevitably there will be three houses in a row that don't have numbers posted on the mailbox (or at least on the side that I'm looking at) or on house itself, or even painted on the curb. I would think that most cities would have an ordinance about that. And even if they don't, I'd think it would be common sense just in case you have to call an ambulance! I don't want emergency vehicles circling the block three times looking for me!

I stayed home sick yesterday, so I caught up on Maury, Tyra, Ellen, and others. One of our stations runs specials from local businesses that allow you to purchase gift certificates at half price. This week's is . . . drum roll please . . . .

[Town Name] Vacuum & Janitorial Supply and Tanning Salon.

I'm wondering who says to themselves, "I'm going to go to the janitor store to get my tan!"

Now I can see putting g vacuums & janitorial supplies together. After all, janitors use vacuums, and if you use anything bigger than a dinky WalMart vacuum, you just might need some janitorial supplies. But who thought that a tanning salon would be a good addition to that mix? Were they hoping to get janitors addicted to bronzing? Or that they might like something to do while thinking about whether to get the professional grade solvent or the industrial grade? Now I'm thinking about our high school janitor, Prince (really!), getting a tan, and I'm seriously disturbed.

I'm very fond of my vampire-like complexion, so I haven't been in a tanning salon except for insurance purposes, but don't you wear a swimsuit in a tanning booth? If I were wearing a swimsuit, and I wasn't at the pool, I probably would not want a bunch of people who weren't wearing swimsuits themselves hanging around. The photos of the business did not seem to show any distinction between the janitor store & the salon.

I managed to finish a baby present BEFORE the baby is born! That's an accomplishment. Somewhere I have a blanket that I started for a baby who's now about to be a big sister for the second time.

Alas, I forgot to take a picture of it. But it's a yellow toddler-sized jacket with wooden buttons. You'll just have to take my word for it.

I'm on time this week! Woot!

Kroger

• Llloyd's BBQ Beef tub, regularly 7.99. This week it was 6.99 and you get a bunch of free goodies too. I got a 2L of soda, chips, cole slaw, and hamburger buns. AND a reusable grocery bag!
• Suave Deodorant, marked down to .99. I found the rest of my deodorant coupons and got two of them for free. I don't have to worry about stinking for the rest of the year.
• Pillsbury brownie mix, marked down to .99. I got two for free with coupons.
• Barilla piccolini pasta is usually 1.49, but was marked down to 1.39. I had coupons for .50 off one, so I got three boxes for .39 each. Good for stocking up on, and it's in a box so it stacks nicely in the pantry too.
• Softsoap Liquid Handsoap - marked down to .99, and I had a coupon for .35, which was tripled, so I got it free.

Albertsons - I got a Vitamin Water for free.

That's all the interesting stuff to report.

I saved $24.18 yesterday, for a monthly total of $90.96, for a savings of 34%. We spent a whopping $176.32 on groceries for two adults in April. I don't think that's too shabby at all.

Grocery Monday is a day late this week. But considering I haven't posted Grocery Monday in several weeks, I don't think you care that much, do you?

We tried Newflower Farmers Market in Plano this week. They had some good sales.
Organic lettuce: 0.99 (regularly 1.69)
Red onions: 0.50/lb
Dry pasta: 0.89/lb (regularly 1.29/lb or 1.08 at Walmart)

Albertsons
Hunts spaghetti sauce: 0.88 (regularly 1.69 or 0.98 at Walmart)
Community Coffee: 1.99 (regularly 5.99, but on sale for 3.99 and I had a $2 coupon)
Hamburger buns: 0.88 (reg 1.49)
Bacon: 1.98 (reg 3.59)

Kroger
Birdseye steamed vegetables: FREE (regularly 1.98, on sale for 0.99, and I had a coupon)
Bertolli frozen entre: 3.75 (reg 8.69, on sale for 4.99, and a coupon)
Owens sausage: 1.45 ea (reg 4.39, on sale 2.50, and a coupon)
McCormick grill mates: FREE (reg 1.99, on sale for 0.99, and a coupon)
Suave deodorant: FREE (reg 1.19, on sale for 0.99, and a coupon)
Pillsbury family sized brownie mix: FREE (reg 1.99, on sale for 0.99, and a coupon)
Angel soft toilet paper: FREE (reg 1.22, on sale for 0.99, and a coupon)

This week I spent 52.14 on groceries, with coupons & sales saving me 37.95, or 42%.

If only Max the Destroyer were white. And a poodle.

http://laweekly.blogs.com/joshuah_bearman/2008/12/get-ready-for-an-audiovisual-assault-on-your-mind-and-your-poodle-.html

Moses's printer goes through toner cartridges about every two months or so. If I buy it new, the cartridge costs about $80 at Office Depot. I've been experimenting with online stores and have found one that seems pretty good. Lately I've been ordering from SuperMediaStore.com, where I can get a refurbished cartridge for about $25. Today, I saw that they had a 3-pack of his cartridges for about $60. Additionally, I went to CouponCabin.com and found a promo code for this item, and saved 20%. I ended up paying $50.36 for three cartridges, which is $16.79 per cartridge. I saved almost $190 over Office Depot! Happy birthday to me!

I'm really, really behind on the "classic" movie list. I just watched Rambo: First Blood for the first time this weekend. I really didn't know much about it. In fact, I thought the movie actually took place IN Vietnam, not Oregon. Fairly early on, I asked my husband, "Didn't they de-program this guy before they sent him on his merry way?" A little while later I told him, "Has anybody thought about just giving this guy a hug?" If Queen Oblivious here can spot the whole point of the story in the first twenty minutes, why is it a classic?

How's this for a work excuse? I missed work yesterday so my dog could stay inside. It was really, really cold and misty, and the dumb dog won't go in his house. So he was soaked like five minutes after going outside. I felt really bad for him. And he was actually behaving pretty well when he was inside. I put him out for a while in the early afternoon, and then he came back in and more or less went to sleep the entire rest of the afternoon. Hubby let him out to pee when he got home, and the dog ran right back inside. He knows where he has it good!

Yesterday was Grocery Day, so here's the latest list of freebies.

I got 3 free packs "Wholly Salsa" from Albertsons. They were on sale for .99, and I had coupons for $1 off. I also go six free Reese's Whips from Kroger. They were 2/$1, and the coupon was for $1 off of 2. Dinner sausage was on sale at Kroger, 10/$10, so I picked up a couple. Normally I spend around $2 a pack on that at Walmart. I saved a total of $24.65 yesterday, so I got $71.01 worth of groceries for $46.36. That's a savings of 65%. In about six months, I've saved $1289.43, or 45.49%.

Just a few thoughts on the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration.

During the campaign, I can't remember how many times I heard everybody, not just the candidate, talk about how, "It's not about race." In this enlightened day and age, we're supposed to see everybody as the same shade of brown, regardless of their ancestry. But what was all the coverage about the day after the election? "OMG! We elected a black president! Eleventy!!!!11!!!1!" And it's still going on today. Every other interview on the news is about how people want to watch this historic event. Isn't every inauguration historic? But this one is EXTRA special because it's a black guy. And yet it still isn't about race.

In a similar vein, we weren't ever suppose to refer to Obama's middle name. We couldn't utter the name Hussein because to do so meant that you were claiming the man is Muslim. I even remember one clip from the Mark Davis radio show that referred to a man who was visited by the Secret Service when he used Obama's full name at a rally. But since the election, I've heard on more than one occasion, "We elected a guy whose middle name is Hussein! Zoinks!"

So is it about race, or isn't it? Are we allowed to use the man's full name or not? Why is it not okay while he's running, but is suddenly okay because he won? Are we going to have to forget his full name in four years when he runs for re-election? If he runs for re-election and loses, will it be because America has suddenly become racist again?

Gotta link to this one. I saw this quite a while ago, but was thinking about it for some reason this weekend. Lo and behold, someone posted a link to it in a forum that I read. *Cue Twilight Zone theme*

http://15minutelunch.blogspot.com/2007/10/strap-in-shut-up-and-hold-on-were-going.html

Time for the Monday grocery update!

Yesterday I got two bottles of Powerade for the hubby and two bottles of Dial hand soap for free. Schepp's milk was on sale in the half-gallon containers for $1.00 each, and I had a coupon to get a dollar off of three of them, so I got a gallon and a half of milk for $2.00. The going rate for a single gallon here is $2.25. Yogurt is still on sale, so I picked up a bunch of Yoplait for .37 each as well. Overall, I spent $32.62 on groceries this week, and saved $22.30, or 40.6%. Since starting TheGroceryGame.com I've $1314.08, or 45.23%.

By the way, this is the first week in a while that our entire grocery bill has been under $40. Hubby and I decided not to buy cheese this week since it isn't on sale. We're out of cheddar and mozzarella, but it's about $4/lb unless I go to Sam's. But then I'd have to buy five pounds of each and spend around $30, which is a lot to spend on cheese at one time. So we're going cheese-free this week. Hubby may not survive.

Can there possibly be anybody out there who does not yet know about the DTV conversion taking place in February? If so, is there any way the we can possibly round up these three people and explain it to them so that the rest of us don't have to watch these retarted commercials anymore? And I heard on the news yesterday that the $40 coupon program ran out of money, so a lot of them are back-ordered. What do you want to bet that the deadline will end up being extended to April, giving us another two months of not-so-brilliant ads?

Looks like the coupons are starting back up again - there were five inserts in the paper this Sunday. This week I got four of those really big cans of Hunt's spaghetti sauce for about .60 each, and several muffin mixes for .37. Yogurt was .37 as well. My months of saving stickers from Albertsons finally paid off, since I got two free sets of dinnerware. Altogether, I saved $28.37 on groceries, and $59.98 on the dishes. Since I started The Grocery Game in July 2008, I've saved $1286.27, or 45.3%.