Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Gretchen's $106 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6 {Harris Teeter, Publix, Aldi, Ingles & Grocery Outlet} and more...

Just a reminder that in my town, all of these stores are within a couple mile radius of each other so I can easily pop into each one without driving all over town. I have really been struggling to get groceries for under $130/week that will last us the ...
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Gretchen’s $106 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6 {Harris Teeter, Publix, Aldi, Ingles & Grocery Outlet}

Just a reminder that in my town, all of these stores are within a couple mile radius of each other so I can easily pop into each one without driving all over town. I have really been struggling to get groceries for under $130/week that will last us the entire week especially with Aldi’s pricing continuing to go up every single week. So I was happy to find some good deals this week at other stores!

Harris Teeter

1 Silk Yogurt – $2.19, used Free e-coupon – Free after coupon

1 SO Yogurt – $2.19, used Free e-coupon AND $1.50/1 Ibotta cash back – Free plus $1.50 overage after coupon and cash back

1 Land O Lakes Butter – $4.24

1 dozen Eggs – $3.47 (We still have a dozen leftover from last week’s shopping trip so this was sufficient for this week.)

4 cans Diced Tomatoes – $0.49 each

1 Barilla Pasta – $2.99, used $1.50/1 e-coupon AND $0.75/1 Ibotta cash back – $0.74 after coupon and cash back

2 Townhouse Crackers – $2.74 each, used 2 $1/1 Ibotta cash back – $1.74 each after cash back

2 Harris Teeter Chocolate Chips – $2 each (Cheaper than Aldi now!)

1 Hatfield Bacon – $3.74

1 Harris Teeter Tortillas – $0.84

1 bag Yellow Squash – Marked down to $1.25

1 Garlic Bread – Marked down to $1.99

1 pkg Sugar – $1.99

1 (6.04 lbs) Pork Butt – $5.98

1 pkg (4.92 lbs) Chicken Breasts – $8.81

Used $5 off $30 purchase coupon they emailed me

Total after coupons and cash back: $36.98

Publix

1 box Nature Valley Granola Bars – $3.79, used $1/1 peelie coupon – $2.79 after coupon

2 Mott’s Applesauce – $1.40 (Cheaper than Aldi!)

1 Light & Fit Yogurt – $1.50, used Free Publix e-coupon AND $0.75/1 Ibotta cash back – Free plus $0.75 overage after coupon and cash back

1 Two Good Yogurt – $1.89, used Free Publix e-coupon – Free after coupon

1 Grape Nuts Cereal – $2.22

Total after coupons and cash back: $7.09

Ingles

1 Betty Crocker Cake Mix – $0.98

1 Hunts Ketchup – $0.98

5 Quaker Quick Oats – $1.98 each, used 5 $1.50/1 Ibotta cash back – $0.48 each after cash back (I was SO excited about this deal as we were completely out of oats!)

2 pkg Laura Lynn Cheese – $1.58 each (This deal runs all month long on both shredded and block cheese, so if you have an Ingles nearby, be sure to grab cheese this month! I’ll be going to back to get more before the month is out as it’s much cheaper than my Aldi.)

1/2 gallon Half & Half – $4.98

1 pkg Ground Beef – Marked down to $6.43, used $0.10/1 Ibotta cash back – $6.33 after cash back

1.97 lbs Apples – $1.93

1 pkg Grape Tomatoes – $1.50

Total after cash back: $22.26

Grocery Outlet

2 boxes Life Cereal – $1 each

1 box Rice Krispies – $1.99

2 cans Refried Beans – $0.50 each

2 bags Goldfish – $1 each

1 pkg Pepperoni – $0.50

1 pkg Rice Cakes – $1.29

1 box Chewy Granola Bars – $1.49 (Cheaper than Aldi.)

Total: $10.27

Aldi

1 carton Yogurt – $2.19

1 gallon Milk – $3.02

1 Grape Jelly – $2.25

4 boxes Mac & Cheese – $0.43 each

1 pkg Brown Sugar – $1.69

1 pkg Powdered Sugar – $1.69

1 bag Corn Chips – $1.54

1 bag Lime Tortilla Chips – $1.54 (These are SO good!)

1 Yellow Mustard – $1.09

1 bag Oyster Crackers – $1.19

1.96 lbs Grapes – $2.92

1 loaf Bread – $1.29

1 bag Bagels – $1.89

1 Olive Oil – $2.85

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup – $0.68

3 Avocados – $0.69 each

Total: $29.62

Total for all groceries: $106.22

Menu Plan for This Week

We still have veggies and fruit leftover from last week as well as stuff I stocked up on at Sam’s Club last week that we will be using this week.

Breakfasts

Cereal, Bagels, Eggs, Bacon, Yogurt, Fruit, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches/Pirate’s Booty/Grapes x 2, Turkey Sandwiches/Veggies/Fruit Snacks x 2, Mac & Cheese/Oranges/Carrots x 2, Leftovers

Dinners

Grilled Chicken, Steamed Veggies, French Bread, Homemade Caesar Salad

Beef & Gravy over Noodles, Steamed Broccoli, Toasted Leftover Hot Dog Buns (I’m always looking for ways to be creative in not wasting leftovers! 😉 ), Birthday Cake (for my daughter’s birthday)

Soft Taco Bar, Chips & Guacamole

Crock Pot Pork Butt, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls, Green Beans

Chili, Corn Chips, Sliced Apples

Homemade Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks

Chicken & Noodle Casserole, Sweet Potato Fries (from last week), Muffins

   
 

4 Things We’ve Learned in 18 Years of Parenting

We had a big milestone happen recently: our oldest child, Kathrynne, turned 18 and is officially an adult!! Today, we reflect on the last 18 years of parenting and four important lessons we’ve learned.

If I could go back, I would work less and chase numbers and business growth a whole lot less, I’d be more present and take time to really notice and celebrate the small things, I’d stop trying to fix my kids and just walk with them, and I’d worry a lot less about what other people think.

I hope our honest reflections in this episode really encourage you — no matter where you are in your parenting journey.

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In This Episode

[00:35] – We are now the parents of an adult!

[02:45] – I got a copy of my new book!

[05:49] – I am currently listening to Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict.

[06:55] – Jesse has been reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

[08:23] – What has been saving my life recently?

[12:28] – We dive into lessons we’ve learned over the last eighteen years of parenting.

[15:37] – I touch upon fear being a reason I may have worked too much.

[18:39] – Learn about what happened when I finally stopped chasing numbers.

[21:10] – Jesse realizes there is a lot he doesn’t remember when our bigger ones were small.

[25:03] – I wish that I would have cared less about what others thought.

[27:05] – I wish I’d have spent more time walking with my kids rather than trying to “fix” them.

[31:25] – There is always still time for redemption.

   
 

52 Weeks of Organizing: The car, door knobs, light switches, and baseboards

I set a goal for 2023 to spend 5 minutes every day decluttering/organizing. I’m sharing 5 minute projects on Instagram each week day, if you’d like to follow along. For those who don’t have Instagram or miss some of my stories, I thought I’d do a recap post here each week with a peek into the organizing/decluttering I did this past week.

Monday: Vacuum Out the Car

This simple task always gives me so much fulfillment! I really should do this more often!

Tuesday: Wipe Down All the Door Knobs

This task is a great one to hand off to your kids! Kierstyn is almost old enough to be able to do it!

Wednesday: Wipe Down the Light Switches

And this is another great task to hand off to your kids!

Friday: Wipe Down the Baseboards

I skipped doing this task on Thursday because life happened… this was so good to do and I ended up spot cleaning some various things on the walls as I was scrubbing down the baseboards.

   
 
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