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$53.11!!!!!!!!!
Well, looks like I learned something between week 2 and week 3.
Leslie and I went out for an ice cream, and we both had to go to the market. She suggested Trader Joe’s, and luckily I had my market list in my purse. I did buy 3 items that weren’t on my list (especially for PB!) but I know PB will enjoy them. I still spent way less than last week which was great. Leslie and I were fun old ladies and chatting our way through each aisle. Trader Joe’s was PACKED.
I still had to stop at Whole Foods since I wanted to pick up sushi for dinner Saturday night, so Leslie and I went there next. I subtracted the cost of the sushi since it is really considered take-out. That was fair right?
Here is our dinner plan for the week:
Sunday: roasted chicken, steamed green beans, bulgur pilaf
Monday: pizza & bean salad
Tuesday: out with PB’s mom!
Wednesday: business dinner
Thursday: falafel with tzatziki on naan, hummus & carrots
Friday: leftovers, etc.
For lunches I am going to send PB to work with leftovers or turkey & cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread.
Trader Joe’s Market List
Whole wheat pizza dough $0.99 (it was too cheap to pass up)
Whole wheat english muffins $1.49 (way cheaper than Whole Foods)
TJ’s soft 10 grain bread $2.49
Tzatziki dip $3.49
3 Luna bars $2.97
Frozen falafel $3.69 (I hope we like it- I don’t usually buy frozen products like this)
Light Laughing Cow cheese $2.99
1 dozen eggs $1.79
Frozen french green beans $1.99 (huge bag too!)
Applegate Farms ham $3.59
Applegate Farms turkey $3.69
Provolone $3.99
Whole wheat naan $3.49
1 small Greek yogurt- pomegranate $0.99
Turkish apricots $3.49
Whole Foods’ Market List
Kitchen twine $6.99
Breyer’s light vanilla ice cream $4.99
Grand total: $53.11
Items I didn’t buy that I really wanted to….
Sorbet that Leslie told me was awesome
A loaf of French bread
A piece of tiramisu
Zucchini
Green grapes
Grade I give myself: B
Reading over this list right now I realize that we did not need both turkey and ham since PB is the only one that eats those and we will have plenty of leftovers this week. We also probably didn’t need the square bread since we have some wraps from the freezer that I defrosted a couple of days ago. We didn’t get many vegetables this week because we still have tomatoes and a few other veggies in the fridge. We also still have grapes, apples and oranges.
I thank all of your comments from last week but especially those from Tricia. She sent me very detailed emails on how I can cut costs, and I tried to use at least a few of them for this week. Hopefully I can find a Costco or BJ’s close enough so we can join for the bulky items.
I think I was definitely more efficient this week, and I hope that next week I do even better, buying only what we really need. We leave for Italia next Thursday (!!!!!!!!!!), so I will have to be really careful about what we buy.
ok… i need to start taking tips from these “grocery saving trips”.. because we definitely spend WAY TOO MUCH on groceries… Granted… Joakim eats a lot (hehe).. and there must ALWAYS be stuff in the fridge.. but STILL.. i’m sure i could do better. I throw away things from time to time which REALLY frustrates me. Looking forward to learning from your Learnings!! 🙂
xoxo
Great job! I can’t wait until we have a TJs (JULY!!)- they have the best deals on food. I always end up buying Josh a special item or two….we spoil our men !
Well done, Sabrina! I love going to Trader Joe’s for packaged foods, nuts, and bread. Unfortunately, I usually have to swing by Whole Foods as well since TJ’s doesn’t have a great selection of fish, meat or produce(in my opinion!).
Wow congrats! I think it makes sense that your bill would be up and down a bit since you can stock up one week and eat leftovers the next. Well done:-)
Isn’t Trader Joe’s the best? I’m always amazed at how much I can walk away with at bargain prices — and that pizza dough is amazing, so don’t feel bad about an impromptu purchase. 🙂
Yay! So proud of you 🙂 Keep it up! We spent $40 last week and $76 this week. We ate quite a few times last week though.
hey pretty lady – what’s the recipe for the bean salad you had with pizza? there’s an incredible italian restaurant down the street from where i work and they have a bean salad i would give my left arm for 🙂
@Heather, I’ll be posting the bean salad recipe on Thursday on Babycenter! I’ll email you the link when it is up (still have to write it all down!!)
Great job!
This is a great idea. Even though you are going to post all the things you learn, I imagine that I would have t go through the budgeting process myself in order to gain the most knowledge about it. I think meal planning is half the battle, so I’ll have to start there. Thanks–even just talking about budgeting is a step in the right direction for me. 🙂
This is great!! Nice to go shopping with a girlfriend and it was so sweet of you to get some things that PB would like but not go overboard 🙂 I give you an A!
good job! it’s especially hard to stay on budget in TJs, just because they have such neat stuff!
Awesome job!! BTW, those frozen falafels from TJ’s are really good!! We bought them on a whim a couple weeks ago and I really enjoyed them…very flavorful!!
You can’t beat TJ’s prices on some healthy items, I don;t know what I’d do without that place 🙂
I am insanely jealous of your trip!!!! Brian and I were originally planning to go to Europe at the end of the month, but decided to postpone til next year so we can save up for it instead of just going and kicking our financial butts later haha!
That’s a huge difference! Go you!
Woohoo! Good work!
You did a great job Sabrina! I think it just takes some time adjusting to meal planning and figuring out what stores are best for which items. There are weeks when I spend $50-80 for the two of us and last week I only spent $16, but thats because I only had to buy staples like milk and veggies and we are cleaning out our freezer and cupboards.
Keep it up!
I love Trader Joe’s Apple Farms meats. I love your variety in meals. I feel like I am in the same rut every week since my hubby is so picky 🙁
Trader Joes is THE best place to shop. I get excited to see how low my bill is each time! Looks like you did wonderfully this week!
I still spent about $200 this week! : (
way to go! trader joes is the best:)
TJ’s whole wheat pizza dough is a staple in my house!
Good job! I always allow myself one treat item at Trader Joe’s!
There’s a Costco right in King of Prussia!