Saving Money on Groceries

Many of you know that Doug and I are big Dave Ramsey freaks. Whether you agree with him or not, his financial class has changed our lives. If you don't know who Dave Ramsey is, go to www.daveramsey.com. His classes are available to anyone. He is also a Christian.

When Doug and I got married, we were in bad shape financially. We started the Financial Peace University Course (Dave's class) in September of 2008. Since then, we have paid off over .... drum roll please ....
 

$25,000

It's been an insane amount of hard work and sacrifice, but its been so worth it. We still have more to go, but we should be completely out of debt in the next year or so, Lord willing. 

One of our biggest down fall was FOOD... you know... going out to eat, fast food, and over spending at the grocery store. This needed to stop to help us get out of debt so my budget for food is $150 - $200 a paycheck (around $350 a month). This does NOT include diapers or formula. However, this does include toilet paper, laundry soap, dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc. I clip coupons from the Sunday paper and grab store coupons from Fred Meyer. I only use coupons for things that are for sale. I have a few friends who are better at saving money using these though. 

This is what my shopping list looks like spending $150 - $200 a paycheck:

Dairy

-Whole Milk (2 Gallons, lasts two weeks) for Ellie at Costco for $3.00

-Kirkland Cheese (Huge block, lasts a month) at Costco for $5.00

-Goat Cheese (Huge tube, lasts two weeks) at Costco for $5.00

-Organic Eggs (16 Eggs, lasts two weeks) at Costco for $4.00

Bread

-Kirkland Brand Whole Wheat Bread (2 Loafs, last two weeks) at Costco for $3.00

Coffee

-Kirkland Organic Ground Starbucks Blended Coffee (2 lbs, last two weeks) at Costco for $10.00

-Half and Half (1/2 Gallon, last two weeks) at Costco for $2.00

Meat

-Kirkland Frozen Bag of Chicken Breast (5lbs, last two weeks) at Costco for $16.00

-Ground Beef 94% (4 lbs, lasts two weeks) at Fred Meyer for $16.00

-Kirkland Turkey Lunch Meat (3 Packages, lasts two weeks) at Costco for $8.00

-Roast at Fred Meyer for $11.00 or what's on sale

Veggies and Fruit

-Kirkland Frozen Mixed Berries (5 lbs, last a month) at Costco for $10.00

-Kirkland Organic Frozen Peas (5 lbs, lasts a month or two) at Costco for $7.00

-Kirkland Organic Frozen Green Beans (5 lbs, lasts a month or two) for $7.00

-Organic Spinach (Huge box, lasts two weeks) at Costco for $4.00

-Miscellaneous veggies and fruit at Fred Meyers (Non-organic usually)

Canned Items

-Organic Diced Tomatoes (10 cans, lasts a month or two) at Costco for $10.00

-Fish Crackers (2 huge bags, lasts a month) at Costco for $8.00

-Cereal (2 huge bags, lasts a month) at Costco for $8.00

-Cereal with coupons at Fred Meyer price varies with coupons

-Organic Brown Rice (huge bag, last 3 months) at Costco for $8.00

Miscellaneous Things

-Shampoo and Conditioner (Huge bottle, lasts about 6 months) at Costco for around $20.00

-Toilet Paper (lasts a month) at Fred Meyer with coupon around $10.00

-All Free and Clear Laundry Soap (lasts a month) with coupon at Fred Meyer for $12.00

-Dishwasher Soap with coupon at Fred Meyer price varies

Miscellaneous Items for Different Recipes

-All at Fred Meyers

I know Winco and Walmart are cheaper to shop at then Fred Meyers, but I don't live near one of those stores. I almost never shop at Safeway, Haggans, QFC, or Albertson's. Personally, I feel like Fred Meyers is way cheaper and great quality. However, I do look in the newspaper to see their sales. Sometimes other groceries stores have "buy 1, get 1 free" on roasts and other meat, so I will go there and get that deal. 

Our meals are preplanned and I try to cook often to save money. Yes, it's a lot of work, but that is how you pay of $25,000 in debt in two years. 

 Mike, Genesis, and Kids

If you would like to read a really inspiring story about a family of 6 who paid off a LARGE amount of debt using the Dave Ramsey Program, Click Here. 

Gaining Weight at The Rebo's

The Rebo's

For those of you who don't know, we are living at the Rebo's for 3 weeks. Our new home isn't ready until October 4th. Seriously, I can't wait to move into our new place. I, of course, love seeing my sister and Nick everyday, but it will be nice to finally be settled in our new home.


This is how their home looked when we moved in. Yikes!

In picture: Me to the left and Vanessa to the right.

I had this all put away the next day because, what can I say, I rock. Ha!

So back to why I am gaining weight at the Rebo's? Well...

#1 - Vanessa is pregnant and has cravings and it's hard not to enjoy the cravings with her. 

#2 - Since my parents are only 7 mins away, my dad has been bringing over donuts and cookies all most everyday!

#3 - Nick cooks like this!

In picture: Pork loin with apples, cider and cognac. Arugula with red onions and mustard vinaigrette. Rosemary buttermilk biscuits.

This is one the best dinners I have ever tasted. It was sooooo delicious!  We trade off cooking every other night and I don't hold a candle to making this type of food. 

So have I gained weight??? You better believe it! I gained a whopping 8 pounds! I know, terrible. I'm back on track though and dropped 3 pounds so far. Going to try and be strong and say no for the next couple of weeks. I noticed when I was eating food like that I started to feel lethargic and crappy. Been back on my diet since yesterday and I feel great!

Love you Nick, Ness, and Baby Rebo! Thanks for putting up with The Benson's!