Oh my goodness, everyone. Today’s the big day- my only baby starts Kindergarten. I’m not even sure what to feel right now, besides simultaneous horror and joy. I know I’ll be posting pictures on Instagram, so be sure to follow me to check them out!
This past week I must have performed some sort of wizardry, because I got a TON of stuff for not a lot of money. I lucked out with a few Meijer coupons- $3.00 off a cracker purchase and $3.00 off a laundry/cleaning/paper purchase. Those are store coupons, which means I can pair them with a manufacturer coupon and potentially get items for free, which I totally did!
Add to that all the free coupons Kroger sent me- random free digital coupons and a couple things sent in the mail. We walked out that night and I said to John, “I only spent $4.00 on all this.”
“You saved $4.00?”
“Nope, I SPENT $4.00.”
Yeah, I felt pretty pumped.
So with school starting, I want to try something different for Allison’s lunches. I’d like to have a huge variety of items laying around so she doesn’t have the same thing every day. I bought a bunch of different grains and cheeses, and I’m hoping to mix things up.
The problem is, Allison’s a VERY selective eater. Like, she’ll eat only strawberries- no other fruits- and no veggies whatsoever. So I’m gonna experiment and put a few of these things in her lunch box every day to see if peer pressure kicks in and she tries them.
She did tell me she wanted to try some cauliflower and hummus, so you bet I bought some! Here’s my awesome haul for the week:
Mr. Mac’s Grocery Outlet
Goldfish: $1.25
Annie’s Bunny Tail Puffs: $1.25
Barbara’s Puffins cereal: $1.75
Back to Nature crackers: $1.25
Total: $5.50
Kroger
Planet Oat Oatmilk: Free with a digital coupon
4 blocks cheese: $.99 each after the 2-day sale discount
Deli ham, 16-oz: $3.00. Used a $.60/1 digital coupon plus a $3.00 off any meat order, making this a 40-cent surplus!
Peanut butter: Free after digital coupon
Lunchable: $1.00. Allison didn’t even like it, oops.
Crystal Light box: Free after digital coupon
Quest Bar: Free from Free Friday Download
Eggs: Free after a coupon from the mail
Total: $4.36! I felt pretty awesome after that one.
Meijer
2 bottles Suave shampoo: $1.99 each, used a $2.00/2 paper coupon
Bananas: $.81
2 boxes Ziploc containers: $2.09 each. Were Buy 2, get $2.00 off, then used a $1.00/2 mPerks coupon, making them $.59 each!
Whole wheat macaroni: $1.29
Milk: $1.49
Green chiles: $.89
White wheat flour: $3.29
2 boxes Lance crackers: $2.00 each. Used a $1.00/2 mPerks, then used a coupon for $3.00 off any crackers purchase, making them both FREE!
Gain detergent: $4.99. Used a $2.00/1 mPerks, then used a coupon for $3.00 off any laundry purchase, making it FREE!
5 rolls ground turkey: $1.00 each
Total: $14.49
Aldi
2 boxes strawberries: $1.79 each
Rolled oats: $2.45
Tub of Greek yogurt: $3.49
Salsa: $1.19
Baby carrots: $.89
Cottage cheese: $1.59
Quinoa: $3.49
Hummus: $1.95
Olives: $1.19
Cauliflower: $2.29
Dark chocolate chips: $1.69
Grape tomatoes: $1.49
Salt: $.39
Romaine hearts: $2.19
Loaf of whole wheat bread: $1.29
Grapes, 5.13 pounds: $4.05
Seedless watermelon: $2.19
Total: $35.36
Weekly Total: $59.71. Also took out $5.00 for a Sam’s Club run, and I have $7.00 left in the budget.
I also received 129 points by scanning my receipts from Fetch Rewards! Sign up here and use the code PV2QH and we’ll both receive 2,000 points when you scan your first receipt!
Menu
Lunch is always leftovers. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were purchased in previous weeks.
Dinner
Work picnic: Bringing a fruit bowl with watermelon, grapes, and strawberries
Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese, frozen veggies*
Ground turkey tacos* (Tortillas leftover from last week- using cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream*)
Chicken salads* (Chicken in freezer- using lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, olives, maybe some quinoa)
Chicken sausages*, sweet potatoes* in the air fryer, frozen veggies*
Pancakes
Ham sandwiches
Breakfast
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls (Allison’s Kindergarten celebration breakfast!)
Mini bagels* (In freezer) with frozen sausage patties*
What’s on your menu this week? Share below in the comments!
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.
Michelle
Tuesday 20th of August 2019
Hoping her first day went well and yours too ?
Cristina
Monday 19th of August 2019
Happy First Day of School Allison! the cinnamon rolls look amazing.
Jaime
Monday 19th of August 2019
Thanks!!! =) She ate two of them this morning. Now I'm counting down the hours until she gets home!