Tuesday, February 13, 2024

From Crystal: What We Ate + Our $148 Grocery Delivery Order and more...

This was my third week of using the Kroger Boost program (it was $39 for the entire year with the deal they ran in January + I’ll get double fuel points all year — which will totally pay for itself and then some! ) One thing I'm noticing is how ...
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Intentional finance. Intentional family. Intentional business.

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From Crystal: What We Ate + Our $148 Grocery Delivery Order

This was my third week of using the Kroger Boost program (it was $39 for the entire year with the deal they ran in January + I’ll get double fuel points all year — which will totally pay for itself and then some!)

One thing I’m noticing is how quickly our gas points are accumulating now that we switched to Kroger Boost. And here’s the cool thing: You get double fuel points for all Kroger purchases as a Boost member (in-store purchases count, too!). Plus, if you order/make purchases on Fridays, you can clip the 4X digital coupon and you’ll actually get 5X the amount of fuel points. So instead of the usual 1 point for every $1 spent (without Boost) or the 2 points for every $1 spent (with Boost), if you order/shop on Fridays and have the digital coupon clipped, you’ll get 4 points for every $1 spent (without Boost) and 5 points for every $1 spent with Boost).

We went to fill up our gas tank a few days ago and got $0.90/gallon off — which ended up saving around $23! I had guessed that the Boost membership was going to pay for itself with the gas savings, but I didn’t know it was going to pay for itself so quickly!! At this rate, I think it will save us at least a few hundred dollars over the course of the year. PLUS, we get groceries delivered to our door for FREE! You can’t really beat that!

If you missed it, I shared more about the Kroger Boost program right here.

How I Menu Plan

If you’re new here, I don’t do a rigid meal plan most weeks; I usually just make sure we have enough on hand for 8-10 different dinners and then I plan that day what we’re having based upon the time I have and what sounds good.

I know that this system doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s worked pretty well for this season. I also make sure to have back-up emergency dinner options in the freezer (chicken nuggets/strips + frozen pizza) so that if I just don’t feel like cooking at all or run out of time, we still have options that are much less expensive than takeout.

If you are the type who needs a structured meal plan and you feel stuck in a rut, check out my 10 Weeks of Money-Saving Menus for some of our very favorite inexpensive and easy recipes — all done for you, complete with grocery lists! (And you can also download my FREE 60 Meals to Make Instead of Getting Takeout list for some great last-minute dinner ideas.)

What We Ate This Past Week

Sunday: Community Group — we had Taco Bowls and everyone brought items. We brought La Croix and waters in a cooler (purchased in last week’s grocery post) and avocados and tomatoes (also purchased in last week’s grocery post)

Monday: Green Chef Meal + Sourdough Bread (they sent us a box unexpectedly since they wanted me to review it for a podcast sponsorship they bought later this year)

Tuesday: Second Green Chef Meal + Sourdough Bread (they sent us a box unexpectedly since they wanted me to review it for a podcast sponsorship they bought later this year)

Wednesday: Three-Bean Chili Chowder + Sourdough Bread

Thursday: Spaghetti, Veggies, Sourdough Bread

Friday: GreenChef Meal (they sent us a box unexpectedly since they wanted me to review it for a podcast sponsorship they bought later this year)

Saturday: Sourdough Waffles (recipe coming soon!) and Scrambled Eggs

I’ve been having so much fun making homemade water kefir. It’s like a refreshing fizzy drink that is really, really good for you and is super inexpensive to make! I made orange, blueberry, and mandarin flavors this past week.

What We Bought at Kroger

I was excited for some great deals on tortillas! I stocked up so we’d have plenty in the freezer for quesadillas and burritos in the coming weeks! Also, Pace salsa and apples were on a good sale!

This Tyson Grilled & Ready chicken has become a favorite of Jesse and me! We often have it in the morning with scrambled eggs for a quick breakfast or I’ll have it with some cheese melted on top and some avocado on the side for a pick-me-up snack, lunch, or dinner!

Our kids were VERY thrilled that there was a deal on the Nestle Drumsticks! I got them the last time they were on sale and they loved them so much! I recommend the mini cones as it’s the perfect small dessert snack (or you can have two or three if you’re hungrier than just a small snack!) The mini cones go a lot further than a box of the large cones, too!

Our total for all of these groceries, including tax, was $148!

   
 

Free LEGO® Magazine Subscription for Kids!!

If you have kids who love all things LEGO, did you know you can sign them up for a completely free LEGO magazine subscription?! This makes our list of the top magazine subscriptions for kids!

{Don’t forget to check out our LEGO Gift Guide and all the recent LEGO Deals!}

LEGO Magazine (Free subscription for kids!)

If you have kids who loves LEGOS, I just wanted to remind you about this great FREEBIE!

Did you know you can sign up for a completely free LEGO magazine subscription?! There are no strings attached and it’s 100% free!

(Well, other than the fact that there’s definitely some marketing and advertising built into each issue about the newest kits coming out…so your kids might get really excited about new LEGO sets that are on the horizon! ;))

Your first issue will arrive within 6-16 weeks.

building LEGOS

What is LEGO Life Magazine?

This magazine used to be called LEGO Club Magazine but in recent years has rebranded to LEGO® Life Magazine.

It’s designed for kids between the ages of 5 and 9 years old. And after providing your child’s birth date, they will receive this FREE magazine 4 times per year until they are no longer within the age limit window. (And after that, they can download the free LEGO Life app to use!)

Each issue is filled with stories, activities, posters, comics, contests, creative building ideas, and more!

Kids can even submit their own creations to possibly appear in the magazine!

Kid Holding LEGO Magazine

Our kids loved LEGO Life Magazine!

When they were younger, our kids absolutely loved this magazine.

It was always one of their very favorite magazines to get in the mail, and it was SO fun for them to get some of their own snail mail!

I have fond memories of our three older kids pouring over the latest LEGO issue and reading it from cover to cover — especially Kathrynne!

This magazine provided hours of entertainment for all of our kids without spending a dime!

free LEGO® magazine subscription

Go here to sign up for this Free LEGO Magazine Subscription!

   
 
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