Aldi Haul // $108

It's been a while since I wrote up an Aldi trip. I'm not happy to admit that we let our house sale get to us. The random showings and stress prompted us to get far more takeout than usual, and our budget got fairly off track. This week we vowed to change our ways. So, we headed to the store last night -- list in hand.

I was amazed at what we got for just around $100.

No. I don't think it's cute that Ada's standing on the packing counter. We made the mistake of shopping right around her dinner time. Tantrums abounded around every corner, and I don't blame her one bit. I was also hungry, which is probably why we bought more than I intended to despite bringing a list. Anyway, we even opened a package of cereal bars to give her as we put our food in the boxes. Made a big difference.

Yes, you see s'mores stuff in the cart. I couldn't resist. It calls to me this time of year. But here's a list of what we purchased.


// GOOD, NEW, ETC.

It's hard to make everything out. I was shocked to find two types of Boca burgers in the freezer section, so I snagged them up immediately. We stocked some beans along with all the stuff to make Veggie Loaded Quesadillas. We bought Ada her fruit squeeze packets, I got some hazelnut spread, Stephen grabbed his favorite coffee. Lots of chocolate, too. I haven't had sugar in the house for several weeks -- so it was an overdue purchase.

New stuff we're trying: Edamame, the Boca Burgers, broccoli cuts, "party mix" which is basically Chex Mix, cereal, graham crackers, new hummus flavors, dressing, cereal bars (like Nutrigrain), and I think that's it for this time around. Certainly found different stuff in the couple weeks we didn't shop there. In a way, I like the change in variety. On the other hand, I couldn't find a couple things I wanted that were there a little while ago.

We weren't happy to see avocados jump in price from well under $1 to $1.29 a piece -- wondering how long that will last. You will see that I got some unsweetened almond milk. Despite the whole carrageenan debate, you guys sent along some info about the differences between types of carrageenan. Obviously make your own decisions, but I'm wondering if it's not as big a deal after all?

// STILL CRAZY

I guess you could say I'm still super enthusiastic about shopping at Aldi even after the whole honeymoon period has worn off. I get nervous about spending too much at the store, but time and time again I'm able to pack our cart to its capacity and meet our budget. Of our $150 budget (that's two weeks combined, $75/week), we still have $42 for next week.

More #unsponsored ALDI recipes/posts:

• Zucchini Burgers Recipe -- vegan + gluten-free
• What $77 Looks like at Aldi
• Fresh Orange Wakeup Smoothie -- 19 grams of protein!
• Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup -- lots of hidden veggies!
• A month of groceries = $291!
• The FULL THREAD of Aldi posts...

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Grocery Budget: Month Report

I didn't do quite as well as I had imagined for our total monthly grocery budget. I had been trying to stick to a $60 average. By the end of the month, I needed to stock up on some more costly staples, like maple syrup and Earth Balance.

Here's a brief rundown of the month's costs:

Aldi Trips 1 + 2 = $106 

Wegmans Trip 1: $20

Aldi Trip 3: $70

Aldi Trip 4: $55*

Wegmans Trip 2: $40 

TOTAL MONTH: $291 ($72.75/week)

Still, I'm proud of my progress from when we were keeping track. And I'm certainly happy with our Aldi shopping experience. Some of you have been asking for specific recipes I've made with all Aldi foods, so I'll be working on that. Others are wondering what the best bets and things to avoid are.

* I don't have my receipt (what we bought is in the cart below) because we've been cleaning our house so much, I think I tossed it. Actually, the grand total was $80, but that included a box of 96 diapers for Ada at $25. Yes, we use disposables now . . . and it's a long story that will hopefully end in potty training soon!


BEST BETS

• Greek Yogurt
• Organic Apples
• Block Cheese
• Milk
• Fit & Active Flax Wraps 
• Most Simply Nature products
• Dark Chocolate
• Mozzarella Balls
• Ricotta
• Frozen Berries
• Steel Cut Oats
• Rolled Oats
• Onions
• Zucchini
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Peppers (all varieties)
• Organic Salsa
• Dried Beans (we found Pinto last week!)
• Fair Trade Coffee
• Cauliflower
• Almond Milk
• Anything that's locally grown
• Potatoes
• Canned Goods
• Organic Spinach
• Eggs
• Mushrooms
• Organic Honey
• Baby Food (can't beat the price -- all natural)
• Avocados
• Frozen veggies (we got this stir-fry mix that was really tasty!)

SKIP (From Experience)

• Shredded Cheese (ours burns easily, so we get block instead)
• Flour (our stores only stock white)
• Sugar (again, it's all just refined white)
• Peanut Butter (it works, but it's not the best)
• Nuts (I'd still rather buy in bulk)
• Cucumbers (haven't looked so good)
• Brussels Sprouts (again, just didn't look vibrant)
• Asparagus (never looks very good + is small)
• Garlic (tiny and dries out fast)
• Organic Milk (seems to be priced the same as what we buy at Wegmans)
• Bread (it's OK, but the $ get the "good" Aldi kind, I'd rather buy our usual slices)
• Most processed foods (but we avoid those anyway, so we haven't tried many)
• Fresh Tomatoes (went bad fast in my experience)
• Hot Sauce (sort of meh compared to Sriracha)
• Chocolate Chips (are passable, but I'd rather splurge and just bake less)
• Diapers (aren't priced much better than at any other big box store)

However, we've now been to THREE different stores in our area and they are all so different with their offerings. And things change by the week and seasonally, so I think rotating between several, if you can, can get you the best variety.

For example: One has these awesome organic apple juice boxes Ada loves. The other two don't. One has steel cut oats, the other two don't. One has vegetable broth. The other two don't. And their stock is always changing -- what's in those discount bins is stuff that is usually not going to show up again for a while, if ever.

In a way, though, this bare-bones approach is helping us the most of all. Usually the items that vary by store are more of the "wants" versus the "necessities" on our list. So, we can do without them or find some new "want" if we really, well, want it that much.

Which brings me to one of the best points of all:


Yes. I've been supplementing with Wegmans. But Aldi is beating my all-time favorite store in some notable areas. First: I can shop in Aldi and get my week's worth of groceries in 10 minutes flat if I hit it when the lines aren't long. That's SUPER SPEEDY! At Wegmans, I linger along the aisles and find things I didn't even know I wanted. So, that's point number 2: I stick to my original list at Aldi because the frills just aren't there . . . and even when they are, they are cheaper.

If I had a vice at Aldi, it'd be the Moser Roth 85% dark chocolate. I get 2 bars a week that total $4. Not a horrible indulgence. At Wegmans, on the other hand, I went in to get Earth Balance, maple syrup, and some tofu and came out with peanut butter that tastes like cookie dough, fancy Lacey Swiss Cheese, a round of brie, and a $5 loaf of bakery bread, among a few other things.

Anyway, we averaged $73 (rounded up) for each week this month. I'd like to try another month of shopping at Aldi, but I think with our family -- a most realistic number might be $70-$75/week, especially since we're making an effort to eat most meals at home, even those we used to go out for on the weekends (lunches mostly).

However, and this is best of all, I am confident if we had to stick to a $60 budget that we could. I have an "emergency budget" where food is only $60 and entertainment is cut entirely. Basically, the $70-$75 definitely includes extras like chocolate, occasional juice, extra avocados, baking supplies, etc. -- but $60 (or less!) would cover all the essentials to feed our active family.

// WHAT NEXT?

Next time, I'll be back with recipes using Aldi foods specifically -- along with a few more tips and tricks I've learned about shopping at discount stores. There's another one in my area that I've been meaning to check out, so I'll report back next week!

Have you shopped at Aldi yet? What's your BEST food pick and your WORST one?

# This post is not sponsored. I have no affiliation or relationship with Aldi. All my thoughts are my own as a person who has regularly been striving for a lower grocery bill.

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Grocery Budget: $60 Average Continues

As I wrote in my last grocery budget post, we've started shopping at Aldi to save some major money on our grocery bill each week. By now, we've decided this isn't some short-term experiment or novelty that we'll grow out of when the next fad hits. We're pretty much sure we're switching stores for good.

Here's our latest receipt.

If you look closely, you'll notice that we have DOUBLE a lot of items. That's because this $70 total is a good portion of groceries for two, yes, TWO weeks combined with what we still have left at home. We'll have to go back to get some items like bananas, fresh fruits + veggies, and bread next week, but I don't see that being over $25-$30.

You'll also notice we have a bag charge. I have no idea how we forgot to bring our bags. Live and learn, I guess. Also, you guys have helped me settle on the classic canvas bags versus the mesh totes. You're right that the durability and washability trump pretty colors!

// THE DOLLARS AND CENTS

Basically, we've been averaging out around $60 a week if you count the added canned goods + few items (tofu, Earth Balance, whole wheat flour) we use otherwise. This is at least $30 less than we had been averaging per week when we were shopping at Wegmans. And if I'm being totally honest, we were seeing $100-$110/week for a while.

. . . so, for us, we're talking a monthly savings of up to $200!


I owe our saving $$$ to:

• Less selection, but all the necessities are covered.
• Lower cost in general of all the foods b/c they are store brand.
• Less temptation, so I can stay on task.
• Fewer aisles, so shopping is fast and efficient.
• Less expensive toddler convenience foods -- big help in our house.
• Motivation from seeing a lower price tag = invaluable.
• Fewer ingredients mean simpler meal planning (see meals below).
• Continuing to make most meals at home, from scratch.

I guess I've been most surprised and impressed by the quality of the food. Traditionally, I thought of Aldi as a store with expired foods or ones that were discarded. I think there's some perception that discount equals this sort of thing, but all our food from Aldi has been fresh, tasty, and all well within date limits.

This past week, we had to stock up on quite a few items. Our cart was so full, I was absolutely convinced our total was going to be outrageous. We had even snuck into the cart some "extras," like steel-cut oats, a frozen stir-fry mix, and several 85% dark chocolate bars.

As always, I feel it's important to mention a.) That this post isn't sponsored in any way -- I have no affiliation with Aldi, b.) Our toiletries and house items go in a different "household" budget and c.) Our weekend fund is around $50, which we mostly use to go to a movie ($20) and then out to eat or buy special foods to make some weekend meals.


// WHAT WE'RE EATING FOR DINNER

Another concern of mine was that we'd be eating boring, bland dinners. That just hasn't been the case. My produce selection, yes, is a bit leaner than I'm used to, but we just sent in our paperwork for our CSA share (which is around $24/week, if I remember correctly). So, that should soon be covered, though with some local offerings popping up in our store -- I wonder how produce selection changes seasonally at Aldi.

Otherwise, I'm finding some great staples to cook with and learning to love others. Combined with a solid spice collection (which, I have discovered I'll be able to stock up again on a lot of them at Aldi), we've made anything from basic pizzas to more complicated Indian dishes.

Cheese + Bean Quesadillas

Tortilla Shells, Shredded Cheese, Canned Black Beans, Organic Salsa, Greek Yogurt, Avocado

Slow Cooker Soup -- following these handy tips!

Vegetable Broth, Zucchini, Onion, Canned Tomatoes, Canned Beans

Veggie Pizza

Tomato Sauce, Shredded Cheese, Roasted Onion, Green Pepper + Mushrooms, Homemade Crust

Spinach + Avocado Pesto Pasta

Spinach, Garlic, Parmesan, Avocado, Pasta Shells (from this post) -- Salsa and Egg, too.

Chana Masala w/ Roasted Cauliflower

We had spices, but Cauliflower, Chickpeas, Tomatoes, Onion, Garlic, Bell Pepper

Basic Veggie Burgers

Whatever veggies are on hand, Beans, Oats, Seasonings, Toast

// RELATED POSTS:

Shopping at Aldi: Our New Secret Weapon
Shop For TWO Weeks, Save Money
Ongoing Grocery Saga + YOUR Tips
10 Favorite (Cheap!) Grocery Staples
How Low can we Go?
$60 Sweet Spot
Eating Well Need Not Cost a Fortune
Grocery Bills: Progress
Grocery Bills: Even More Progress
Grocery Bills: What's Up Now?
Slashing Grocery Bills: We're Going Strong
Grocery Bills: Major Fail!
How to Store Bulk Foods
Cooking and Baking on a Budget: How To
How to Bake It Vegan: Common Substitutions

// WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Some of you said you'd been meaning to try Aldi.

Did you check it out this weekend? I'd love to hear your experiences!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Grocery Budget: The Dollars and Cents

I recently shared with you guys my favorite, cheap winter grocery staples for this year. What I haven't talked about in quite a while is our actual food budget. Of course, there's good reason for it: We hadn't been able to stick to one until recently.

Sigh.

When it was just the two of us, hitting around $50-$60 a week was so relatively easy. We cook most of our meals from scratch and we're vegetarian, but don't eat a lot of packaged extras. And then came Ada. She breastfed for over a year with bits of food mixed in here and there, and after those first 365 days -- her appetite increased (that tends to happen with kids -- they grow!).

Obviously, adding another mouth to feed is going to cost some money, but with a picky palate, we fell into some bad habits with buying Ada separate foods to match her moods and relied on some convenience snacks to get by. Add to that the great cloth diaper disaster of 2013, and our weekly bills were creeping higher and higher.

As much as I try to gloss over it, we also spent the bulk of the last year dealing with various medical procedures and (too much) stress to do detailed meal plans all the time. I'd say we were spending around $100 each week up to higher totals, depending. I had gotten into a great rhythm and loved doing our Vegetarian Freezer Month experiment in October, but then we fell into this funk.


Now that things are looking up for us again, we're doing a reset on our financial handles. We're looking into buying a different house, we have tried living with one car and it's not working (so, we need car #2), we'd like to put Ada in a couple mornings of preschool in the fall, etc. Basically, we need to find room in the budget for all this stuff, along with savings and emergency funds.

It's possible, but it'll take some finagling. Food is one of those variable costs that we can play around with, as most of our budget is fixed with the mortgage, both our student loans, car payments, utilities bills, and so on. Entertainment is also taking a cut, not that it was significant to begin with, but -- and as I've done in the past -- also a shift. I'll share more once we get it all ironed out.

// MY NOT-SO SECRET WEAPON

Not surprisingly, I was motivated to visit Aldi after the explosion of sponsored posts recently splashed across blogs and websites I frequent. We have three stores in the area, all around equal distance from our house, but the last time I had shopped there was over 5 years ago, and I wasn't too impressed.

I had been toying with going again, but didn't feel too optimistic. The lines are long. You have to bag everything yourself. You have to pay cash or debit. Little selection. Yeah. Food, at least back then, was definitely hit or MISS. Etc. But I also wasn't looking at it in the same way.

So . . .


Thing is, I'm glad for the social media boom because the last three weeks, we've done the bulk of our shopping at Aldi, visiting Wegmans only to pick up the occasional block of tofu, a single tub of Earth Balance, or bag of whole wheat flour. And with our CSA kicking in during the spring -- I could see us shopping exclusively there.

Here's why:


Basically, our groceries cost us $100 for the last two weeks (not including that $10 package of toilet paper, which goes in our household budget and I stocked up on chocolate to share with my mom)! I would have included our first receipt, but I can't find it -- that trip was also just over $50.

Granted we have some staples in the house already (beans, oats, yeast, to name a few), but without temptation to get all sorts of other things, I am able to stay on task with my shopping and will likely not increase an insane amount to stock up on the staples. The prices and unit prices are clearly marked. They have most of the basics, and you guys know I enjoy making great meals with few, extremely un-exotic ingredients.

I got a nice loaf of sliced bread for just over a dollar that doesn't have tons of added ingredients. The dairy is incredibly less expensive: 3 cups of cheese for the price that 2 is at our usual store. Greek yogurt that is a steal. Yet, they also have some amazing stuff like super dark chocolate that is to die for.

// WHY I'M HAPPY

I have absolutely no affiliation with Aldi and have had no contact with the store in any form. Still, I wanted to share my piece because I'm a real person who tries to eat well on a real (tight) budget and have been really impressed. Enough to finish off our month's shopping there this Saturday, when I'll likely need to stock up on some staples. I'll continue shopping there if the price at the checkout continues to be so good (and the food continues to be so fresh/tasty).

For once, I like making a simple, no-real-brainpower-required shift that's enabled us to lean out the budget. It meant simply switching stores and writing out our meal plans again and getting smarter about using my ingredients before they spoil (which I'll get to in another post -- soon). But as I've learned in the past, we'll still need to keep on our toes.


*** Oh, and I also like that I HAVE to bring my own bags. 

I can't as conveniently forget them -- though we did have to buy a plastic one on our first trip. But I'm looking to upgrade since mine have a lot of holes and broken handles -- do you guys like classic canvas bags or these pretty mesh totes? They're around the same price, and I see the merits of each (like canvas being sturdy, but mesh being really portable).

// RELATED POSTS:

Shop For TWO Weeks, Save Money
Ongoing Grocery Saga + YOUR Tips
10 Favorite (Cheap!) Grocery Staples
How Low can we Go?
$60 Sweet Spot
Eating Well Need Not Cost a Fortune
Grocery Bills: Progress
Grocery Bills: Even More Progress
Grocery Bills: What's Up Now?
Slashing Grocery Bills: We're Going Strong
Grocery Bills: Major Fail!
How to Store Bulk Foods
Cooking and Baking on a Budget: How To
How to Bake It Vegan: Common Substitutions

// WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Do you shop at discount grocery stores? 

I know Trader Joe's is related to this store -- quite literally -- but we don't have those anywhere near here for me to compare. (Are the prices good? Is it considered a discount store like Aldi?) There are obviously some positives and negatives, which I could cover in another post. But when the bottom line is in the mix, I have to go with what makes cents for us.

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10 Favorite (Cheap) Grocery Staples // Winter Edition

Hey there! If you follow Writing Chapter Three, you know I've started recording some videos for my new YouTube channel. It's something I've wanted/meant to do for a long time, so I'm hoping to keep the momentum going with at least one or two videos each week -- maybe more if you guys like them.

This one I did over the weekend about our latest grocery haul seemed more appropriate over on this blog since it focuses on food and budget, which are regular features here.

I'll let myself do the talking . . .

For those of you unable to watch video, here's the basic list -- most of these items cost less than $2 to purchase:

• Canned Beans (though I'd like to start using dry for even more savings)
• Canned Tomatoes
• Rice, Lentils, etc.
• Greek Yogurt (if I can find it cheap)
• Onions/Garlic
• Russet Potatoes
• Rolled Oats 
• Spinach
• Bananas
• Eggs

We always have these ingredients on hand in the cold months before our CSA kicks in, which is when we tend to eat more produce because it's in season, plentiful, and locally delicious. Additionally, and I gave some more elaboration in the video, here are some items we "splurge" on:

• Avocados
• Dark baking chocolate
• Berries (out of season, like strawberries right now)

If you've been reading here for a while, you know I'm always looking to feed our family good food for less. We try to cook with whole foods as often as possible, which makes coupling and other traditional savings methods difficult, but we're still able to find quality stuff to keep our stomaches full -- and even blog some fun recipes for you all.

I've covered a lot of grocery budgeting stuff in the past. Generally, our weekly budget overs around $75 or sometimes less, which was easier when Ada wasn't eating much besides breast milk, but we're working on it by shopping at a variety of locations, which I'll get into with another video.


// RELATED POSTS:

Shop For TWO Weeks, Save Money
Ongoing Grocery Saga + YOUR Tips
How Low can we Go?
$60 Sweet Spot
Eating Well Need Not Cost a Fortune
Grocery Bills: Progress
Grocery Bills: Even More Progress
Grocery Bills: What's Up Now?
Slashing Grocery Bills: We're Going Strong
Grocery Bills: Major Fail!
How to Store Bulk Foods
Cooking and Baking on a Budget: How To
How to Bake It Vegan: Common Substitutions

// SUBSCRIBE

If you'd like to see more videos like these -- other others -- please let me know in the comments (or via email). And you can subscribe to my YouTube Channel to see updates before they hit the blog.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Venturing Out. Saving $11.

One of the most difficult parts about being on vacation is eating out every day. I mean it. Meal after meal out can be a sensory overload -- not to mention hard on the wallet and digestive system (you all know it's true!). So, upon returning from our babymoon (photos here and here), I was looking forward to getting back on track with my eating.

Most dinners out had meant heavy pasta dishes and pizza. Huge portion sizes that I felt bad wasting. So, when we got back Tuesday afternoon, I made this fresh tomato-basil mozzarella salad with strawberries and balsamic.

Light and easy. Making this salad is as easy as tearing basil leaves out of the garden and slicing some tomato and mozzarella. But it's my favorite summer dinner (served with toasted bread). Always simple, always satisfying.

And speaking of satisfying, our grocery bill this week pleasantly surprised us. The total? $33. How did we do it? Well, first keep in mind we weren't home part of the week. BUT we still bought a good amount of food. Then think back to the last bullet on a previous grocery slashing post -- where we declared we wanted to "do without the fancy stuff and thrive on the basics."


We tried a new grocery store. One with a less-than-gorgeous entry area. Without the delicious aroma of expertly prepared to-go foods wafting from the front door. Without an enticing olive bar. In fact, this place is in a not-so-great part of town with much less stock to choose from. At first, I was skeptical.

The minute I walked in, I marched up to customer service and signed up for one of those customer rewards cards. A short walk around the store later, and I was beaming. So many buy 1, get 1 free offers. So many no-need-for-coupon deals! And on things we actually eat -- like STRAWBERRIES.

What we bought for $33:

• Bag of kale
• Bag of collards
• 2 containers of strawberries (buy 1, get 1)
• 2 large tomatoes
• Bag of carrots
• 1 ball of fresh mozzarella ($1.50 off)
• 2 boxes of Kashi cereal ($1 off each)
• Almond milk
• Loaf of multigrain bread (on sale, from Heidelberg Baking Co.)
• 2 bags of Chex Mix (buy 1, get 1 -- hey, it's one of my cravings!)
• Peanut Butter
• Eggs
• Garbanzo beans

We shopped on Tuesday afternoon. And though the items on this list don't sound like a lot of food, when combined with the ingredients we already have on hand in our pantry -- we're set for all our meals until we shop again on Sunday.

The original total was $44. So, we saved $11 just using the Weis Card alone! That's more than we usually save at Wegmans (I think once we were able to get $5 off with our card there -- but I'm not factoring in store brand versus name brand/etc.).

What else we're eating for dinner this week:


Basic Hummus Melts on toast with veggies (Wednesday night)


Curried Chickpea Mash, kale, and 5-minute naan (Thursday night)


Steamed collards and Ring-O-Fire Garlic Knots (Friday night)

We're getting into a groove here. We'll see what next week brings, but with our continued concentration and your helpful comments/suggestions, we're starting to regularly meet our $50 goal! It feels good!


Pssst: If you missed it, we posted Part II of our babymoon trip on (never home)maker, baby!

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The Ongoing Grocery Saga

The last time we wrote about lowering our grocery bills, we got A TON of great suggestions. But we did get quite a bit of pause from some readers who think our bar might be set too high (with a $50 number that seems too low for two people to live on). We're confident we can hit our target, or at least close to it, so we're forging forward with some new thoughts this week.

First, we wanted to share some of our favorite reader tips. These suggestions particularly speak to us:

SHOPPING LESS, SCOPING DEALS:

• Chelsea: "I shop bi-weekly and spend about $80 on average per trip. It's great :)"
• Tracy: "I'm trying to cut back to every other week and think it really helps. It forces you to eat through what you have completely, and cuts back on impulse buys too!"
• Sabina: "What's helped us is avoiding the grocery store (i.e., like your Wegmans) and shopping at the bread place, the butcher, the health food store, the fruit/veg store. The grocery store is so, so expensive compared to the independent stores."
• Melinda: "I'm kind of crazy and I shop at like 5 different stores (Target, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Shop Rite) because certain stores have certain deals and brands I like."

NO-FRILLS, FEWER BILLS:

• Elaine: "We've saved so much money by going to grocery stores that offer bulk pantry items, only take debit/cash, and make you bag your own items."
• Michaela: "I'm really big on eating simple foods, and I've found that has cut down my grocery bill a lot as well. A lot of the time, I'll just eat a banana with peanut butter for breakfast, toast with hummus and carrots for lunch, or steamed veggies and rice for dinner."

PLANNING AHEAD, THINKING DIFFERENTLY:

• Elizabeth: "Best practices for our bill are constant meal planning (before shopping) to limit impulse buys and keep focused (I plan for 2-3 weeks at a time)."
• Shruti: "I have a spreadsheet made up of my necessities and how often I can buy them."
• Heather: "The only way I've been able to get my food budget down is by sticking with the cash system. If I've used up all my cash that week, then I've gotta wait or not get it at all. It's seriously been the only thing that has worked!"
• Sarah: "Its maybe easier to think of it as averaging out to that amount ($50) per week over a month (so, about $200) in order to account for the weeks that you stock up on certain items or find a good deal on something special."

I've also been picking up advice from some unexpected sources. I have this new obsession with the Duggar family (Image source). Well, "obsession" isn't the word. Maybe "fascination" would be a better choice. I started watching the series from episode one on Netflix last week.

So far, I feel like I've learned a lot about stretching the grocery dollar.

• Shopping big once a month. One episode featured the family stocking up on all their groceries for the month. I doubt we'd be able to shop only once monthly, but hitting the store less would definitely be worth trying.
• Shopping at no-frills stores. Like Aldi. I haven't been to an Aldi since college, but I feel like it might be worth a gander. And this idea goes with what several readers mentioned about looking beyond Wegmans, trying new stores -- as well as utilizing CSA groups, farmers markets, and independent grocers.
• Prepping large meals. They do this out of necessity, of course, but with freezing and other preservation methods, we could do much more with this area. I bought a fun book this weekend, so once I get my way through it, I'll be sure to share some ideas.
• Simplifying. The Duggars eat well and healthfully, but they don't eat the most exotic foods. Thing is: We don't need to either. Of course we love to try new things, but sticking with the basics might be best for our budget.
• Thinking outside the colorful boxes. Non-grocery items add up as well. Cleaners can be made at home! Making our own laundry detergent (again, OBSESSED with this thought!) is on the list of things to try.

PSSST: SAVING STARTS AT HOME:

When Clearly Fresh Bags heard about our quest to save, they also noted that we should pay more attention to the foods we DO have, instead of constantly focusing on what we plan to buy. I'm notorious for unintentionally letting foods to go waste -- especially apples and heads of broccoli hidden in our refrigerator's produce bins.

I tried these bags out on some of my beloved nectarines. I specifically kept one in there for an entire week, and it didn't get horribly mushy! In fact, it was still . . . fresh.


Basically, the bags keep fruits and vegetables fresher longer, thereby saving money by throwing away less. They are also re-closeable and recyclable, so that's cool. It's still too early to extract the $$$ impact these bags might have on our bills, but we'll continue to use the package they sent us and see if wasting less translates to a fuller wallet.


If you'd like to learn more about Clearly Fresh Bags and how they work, visit their website. (PS: We got some concern over adding this product review into the post. Rest assured we only got the bags to try and do not benefit from your clicks or purchases -- just something we've tried!)

STATUS UPDATE:

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, this week's grocery bill was $63. Our Greek yogurt love is still getting the best of us at $10 of that total cost. (And, yes. We are looking into making our own, just haven't had the time yet.) Other items we bought included the basics . . . eggs, bread, strawberries, nectarines, bananas, collard greens, frozen cauliflower and broccoli, garbanzo beans, peanut butter, etc. Some treat items even made it onto the list, including Reed's Ginger Brew and Jala ice cream pops.

The hardest part is taking these simple ingredients and making them into balanced, filling meals More on what we're doing with these items soon! Now, I know some of you are own your own slashing missions -- how's it going? Just leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Weekend Happenings

We spent most of Friday night researching CSA programs in our area. It's all part of how we're looking to slash our grocery bill to around $50 per week versus $80 to $100!

• The good news is that we found an awesome farm near where we live that delivers boxes of produce to a farmers market even CLOSER to where we live. The cost is great, too -- 20 weeks of fresh veggies and eggs for only $27 per week!
• The bad news is that their CSA program slots are full for this season. So, we wrote them a kind email and have our fingers crossed that we can sign on for next year's fun!

We've also decided that instead of sticking to a rigid $50 per week, we'll give ourselves some flexibility and combine our entertainment and food budgets into one giant item. (That's a lie -- our entertainment budget is a mere $50 a week as well!) So, if we need to stock up and spend $100 one week at the store, we'll find free things to do over the weekends. Alternatively, if we don't use up our budget, we'll live like kings/queens and have some fun nights on the town. Incentive should help, right!

The best way to sum up Saturday? Best friends, babies, and boatloads of fun on playground equipment:


Sunday was pretty awesome as well. We indulged in some theater time and saw The Hangover, Part II. Maybe it's the mom-to-be in me, but I was somewhat overly shocked and even appauled to discover there were s.e.v.e.r.a.l families at that movie with kids under the age of 12. Next weekend, we're planning to take in Super 8. Wish we had an IMAX near us!

We then headed to the mall and I found some splurgetastic coral-colored sandals. What's great about this splurge is that it wasn't one at all. Normally these puppies were close to $50. On sale? $16.99! Thanks, GAP!


Yikes! You'd think with all the time I've been spending in the bathroom lately I'd have time to paint my toenails. I'll get there. Eventually.

Then we had an indoor picnic . . . and yes. Those are sweet potato tots.


I slathered my veggie burger with mashed avocado. We plan to spread the green stuff on pretty much everything this week in celebration. 16 weeks (pregnant) means our baby is the length of an avocado -- my favorite fruit!

What did YOU do this weekend? And did you think of any ways to save more at the grocery store? Some readers have already weighed in, and we're loving the ideas!

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Grocery Bills. No Progress. No Worries.

Would you believe that we've made absolutely no progress on lowering our grocery bills?

Problem is, even when we save, we spend big:


Our goal is to get our bills down to around $50 per week. This number seems realistic to me, but I don't know what's going on. Well, maybe I do. OK. I do know exactly what's going on. We're both eating like teenage boys while Stephen ups his training (to PR in the 5K) and I grow a tiny human.

But some much of what we've been buying is more luxury than necessity:


We need to refer back to some of our own rules about treats in the grocery cart. Right now, we pile them in. Chocolate almond milk, coconut milk ice cream, energy bars, fancy coffee, brie (pasturized, of course), etc. Because we're identified what we believe to be the "main" problem, we're not worried.

Our current focus is on doing without the fancy stuff and thriving with the basics.

• I'd like to sign up for CSA produce delivery. Just trying to find a service in our area.
• I'd like to do more with freezing meals ahead of time.
• I'd like to shop sales and learn how to optimize buys with coupons.
• I'd like to create a new list of pantry essentials and stick to them.
• I'd like to experiment with visiting the grocery store bi-weekly versus weekly.
• I'd like to shop around and other grocery stores (not always Wegmans) to compare pricing.

I think we got caught in the buying loop when I was feeling sick. I didn't want to bake or make much from scratch. But now we're really feeling it in our wallets. Now that I'm feeling much better, I've been enjoying making all kinds of treats (like s'mores bars and graham bars) that require not much more than a couple cups of flour, sugar, and other inexpensive ingredients.


Though our bills are higher than we'd like them to be, we are doing a few new things that are helping:

• We're starting to look for and make sure we actually use coupons. It's a slow process, as not many are for whole food items.
• We're buying more frozen veggies to eliminate waste. We don't love all frozen picks, we do well with cauliflower, peas, broccoli, corn, and even some mixes.
• We've been agreeing more on what's for dinner and other meals. They don't all need to be fancy culinary experiences. We're learning to love what's in our fridge versus what we'd ideally want in the moment.
• We're cooking in on weekends to make those special meals. And thus saving on that other large chunk of our weekly budget -- entertainment funds.
• We're opening our eyes. We do have certain things we always buy -- like green peppers -- but in certain weeks/months/seasons, they are wicked expensive. So, we modify our diets and buy something more in season.

I'm sure this issue will continue to evolve and change over the coming months. I'm even wondering how much of an impact a little one will have on our grocery bills. So, if you have suggestions or advice, we'd love to hear what you have to say! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Pssst: We've been posting like crazy over on (never home)maker, baby! Check out our 15 week video post and subsequent update after my latest appointment (which was this morning).

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10 meals for $10: Veggie Lasagna

Now that we've announced our big news (thanks so much for all your congrats!), you may better understand our desire to save money and improve upon our home. They're two of the central themes we had when we first started the blog, but they'll be out and proud from now until November (and beyond!).

One of the most obvious ways I can think of to save money is through lowering our grocery bill each week. Lately, we've been spending at least $80 for food weekly. That's up quite a bit from our old $50 goal. And now that I'm having less morning sickness, I think we can start pinching pennies again.

We've focused our energy on this pursuit before, so if you missed it, check out these posts:

• Eating Well Need Not Cost a Fortune
• Grocery Bills: Progress
• Grocery Bills: Even More Progress
• Grocery Bills: What's Up Now?
• Slashing Grocery Bills: We're Going Strong
• Grocery Bills: Major Fail!
• How to Store Bulk Foods
• Cooking and Baking on a Budget: How To
• How to Bake It Vegan: Common Substitutions

So this week, we took some of our own advice. We sat down together for half an hour and planned out our meals for the week. We wrote down how much of which ingredients we would need. We thought about sensible, healthy breakfasts and lunches. Armed with this information, we headed to Sam's club.

OK. That's something new. We're trying out Sam's Club for 10 weeks on a special promotion they are running. 10 weeks for $10 -- and if you're interested, you have until June 5th to sign up. However, after walking the aisles that first day, I don't know if we'll extend our membership beyond the trial period. We scrutinized the prices of various goods and didn't see significant savings. And much of the food there is packaged -- stuff we don't typically munch on.

We left Sam's with a case of Chobani (at $1.00 per cup versus $1.19!), two LARGE jars of peanut butter, two loaves of wheat bread, big bags of onions and potatoes, and some lemonade (which is my current magical nausea cure).

The total was $51. Ack.

Onto Wegmans, where our list proved to be an excellent tool. At least at getting us in and out much faster than usual. We had some higher-ticket items we needed to purchase, like maple syrup and tahini -- so the total came to $75. However, this price also included some food for a weekend meal, which goes into another budget. We're going to track our food expenditures over a month versus on a week by week basis, because I think this week's haul will be significantly less. But we'll see!

Something new we're trying is making meals that last for several days. We started with this vegetable lasagna, which makes enough for 10 servings. I totaled all the ingredients we used in its creation and came up with $10. That's only $1.00 per serving, if we can spread it out over 5 days. So far, we're on day three and it's still tasting good, but getting somewhat boring. It is extremely nice to know when I go home that dinner is already prepared, though!


VEGGIE LASAGNA

What you'll need . . .

• 1 package whole wheat lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 1 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 (24 ounce) jar of spaghetti sauce
• 2 lbs of ricotta cheese
• Shredded mozzarella

Method . . .

1. Cook the lasagna noodles to the package directions.
2. While you wait for water to boil, pasta to cook -- prepare your veggies.
3. Then saute the veggies on medium-high heat for 5 minutes (or until softened). Toss in the pasta sauce and cook for another couple minutes. Switch heat to low, cover, and keep warm.
4. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
5. When pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water. Then in a 9 x 13 inch glass baking pan, spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom. Layer with 3 of the noodles (length-wise), and cover with a layer of ricotta. Then add another layer of noodles. Another layer of sauce. Another layer of noodles, etc.
6. End your layers with a layer of the sauce/veggie mixture. Then top with some shredded mozzarella (however much you wish to use -- I think we used half a cup). And cover with foil.
7. Cook for 45 minutes, until cheese and everything else is bubbly.

***Recipe is straight from the box of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest lasagna noodles. Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Today on (never home)maker, baby! we talk all about how we found out about the pregnancy. It wasn't all hugs and kisses, I'll tell ya that much!

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Fab Finds: Unexpected Places

We did some shopping this weekend at The Christmas Tree Shops. Though we had been there before -- we hadn't delved into the food section much. Admittedly, I was more than apprehensive about buying food at a discount chain that carries everything from curtains to kitchen islands to diapers.

Here's some of our loot:

1 glass bread pan ($3.99)
3 springform pans ($3.99)
1 jar fancy peanut butter ($2.99)
2 bottles fancy mouthwash ($3.98)
1 gigantic bottle of pure vanilla ($1.99)
BRM brown rice flour ($2.69)
BRM bulgar wheat ($2.99)
BRM Scottish oats ($2.99)
BRM oat flour ($2.69)
BRM golden flax meal ($4.49)

TOTAL: $32.79

It may not seem outrageously impressive, but a set of 3 springform pans alone can cost between $10 and $25. A glass bread pan: $10 to $15. I've been eying the Kiss My Face mouth wash at Wegmans, but at around $8 per 16 ounces, buying full-price feels like more than a splurge. The peanut butter is at least a dollar and a half off (and perfect for cooking). And I don't know about you, but vanilla extract adds up after a while -- the bottle I bought is legit, too!

All that Bob's Redd Mill stuff can be found online for similar prices. I know that. But the shelves were stocked to the brims with it. Plus, no waiting for shipping! I'm still thrilled even just reviewing how we made out.

I feel another series on savings coming on . . .


After receiving our annual escrow statement, we found out we've got a hefty shortage to pay (not quite as bad as last year's horrifying fiasco -- but close!). Tax time is also going to be . . . fun. (We almost always have to pay in.) The microscope is coming out, and we're scrutinizing our spending on food, entertainment, and basically everything else.

Sigh . . .

We're everyday people. Dealing with a t.i.g.h.t. budget and not a lot of time to ourselves. We live in a modest house in a not-so fancy ZIP code. We drive not-new cars and still don't have a dishwasher. Our vacations take us camping, not cruising. Someone is always getting sick, something is always breaking, and more student loan bills (etc.) are constantly collecting in our mailbox.

Regardless, we're committed to living a fabulous, full life.

Do you have any questions about trimming the fat on your budget? Any less-is-more experiments you'd like to see us take on? Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Recap Week, Day 1: A Budget-Friendly Life

Welcome to recap week! We thought we'd devote an entire week to giving you the best of (never home)maker that you may or may not have already read. We had some great posts when we started out, and as we've grown, they've become buried and forgotten. While we work on better searching and discovery for these posts, manually putting this info together seems like the best approach.

Now, there's a recurring theme on this blog . . . and it revolves around budget. We're always looking for ways to save money. And through the years, we've certainly learned a thing or two about how to get the most for less. So we decided to round up a bunch of our penny-pinching posts for you. Their focus is broad -- anything from saving bucks on kitchen design to slashing grocery costs. Getting a little DIY on home design to honing your culinary art -- so we hope you'll take some time to learn and explore.

And if you are curious about how to save money in other ways that we haven't yet covered, let us know! We're always looking for post ideas from our readers. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

• Foodies and non-foodies alike will enjoy learning cost-savings techniques in Cooking and Baking on a Budget: How to.
• In Small Space, Smaller Budget: Serious Solutions, we cover all kinds of ways to make even your tiniest rooms feel large.
• No need to call in help -- exposing those gorgeous hardwoods is only a few steps (and dollars away). DIY: How to Rip Up Old Carpeting Yourself.
• Fitness fanatics can use a little Zero Dollar Strength Training to add to their workout schedules.
• If you spend as much time in this room as I do, a little investment can go a long way. Learn some tips and trips for Kitchen Glamour on the Cheap.
• Take a room from drab to fab with some paint and molding. It's easier and cheaper than you'd think! Inexpensive (Architectural) Details with Impact.
• No need to buy expensive containers. Learn about creative and Smart, Sensible Storage for Bulk Foods.
• You have plenty of other stuff to stow away, too. Check out Cheap, Chic Storage: Exposed.
• Zits getting you down? Story of my life. Thank goodness for Frugal Foodie Face Cures: Apple Pie Mask.
• We're fighting back against expensive grocery bills. Costly weekend out-to-eats, too. Slashing Our Grocery Bills: Recap and Progress.
• Love the one you're with . . . for less. Enjoy these Budget-Friendly Date Ideas.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

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Vegan Sloppy Joes

I swear I've been baking, too. But most of what I'm dying to share with you is on the cook side of preparation. These vegan sloppy joes were whipped up using whatever we found in our fridge and cupboards. We were trying to skip a trip to the grocery store this week, but we weren't able to entirely (we had to buy buns). It's not all bad, though. Our total grocery bills -- including everything we needed for lunches, too -- was only $12. Amazing!

We've definitely made up for last week's gross display of food savings laziness.

What you'll need . . .

• 2 cups vegetarian baked beans (we used Amy's organic)
• 1 cup chopped greens (we used boy choy, but spinach, kale, etc. work, too)
• 1/2 chopped red or green pepper
• 1/2 cup TVP (you may use more or less depending on what texture you'd like to achieve)
• 1 tablespoon (or more, to taste) ketchup
• Garlic powder
• Whole wheat buns

Method . . .

1. Over medium-high heat, cook red/green pepper in a bit of olive oil for about 2 minutes. Until soft.
2. Add the chopped greens, lower heat to medium, and stir for one minute.
3. Add the baked beans, TVP, ketchup, and garlic powder. Let cook until TVP plumps (5 minutes or so). 
4. Then spoon onto buns. Makes enough for four sloppy joes.

And if you haven't already -- go check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Savings Abound: Our New-To-Us Tent

And the savings just continue today on (never home)maker! Stephen and I love the mountains. We love the ocean. We love hiking. We love campfires. We love traveling. We love being outdoors! Naturally, camping is something we want to start doing a whole lot more of now that summer is near. In fact, we've already planned a four-night camping excursion for July on the coast of Maine.

Problem is: We didn't have a tent until very recently. I'm a bit of a camping princess. Not in the not wanting to get dirty part, though. I just like to have options. For example, if it decides to rain over the 4th of July (that's when we'll be in ME), I don't want to be stuck sitting in a soggy, tiny tent with a low ceiling. Plus, with all this money-saving going on, we wanted to purchase a tent that would work well even when we had kids someday. All this criteria led us to a cabin-style shelter.

I enlisted help from my Twitter friends for suggestions. And boy did we get a lot of them! Jessica, ultimately, was the person who suggested we seek out Eureka for a high-quality, water-resistant tents. They were a little pricey for the kind we wanted, though. (Like, $330 expensive, as in this particular model.) So, we waited. We went home to visit my family in PA one weekend . . . and something magical happened.


I was leafing through the local newspaper when I saw a small add for a sale IN OUR CITY for Eureka tents. I didn't even know we had a store in the area. Anyway, the sale was at the end of the week, and attendees could save anywhere from 10% to 40% off. It was meant to be, really. But would they have the kind of tent we wanted?

We had no clue.


When we got there, the place was packed. There were a variety of tents -- mostly smaller ones. But, then we saw it. The exact tent we had been eying on Amazon.com (well, almost -- it was REALLY close to it). It sleeps 6 to 8 people. It's ceiling height is around 7 feet. It has a front screened room (to suit my lust for variety of spaces). But there were all these notes on it like A-grade, B-grade, and C-grade. We had no clue what all this meant. After a quick chat with a salesperson, we discovered that A meant brand-new, B meant very gently used (only inside, never outside), and C meant used.



Who on this earth would want a used tent? Something a family had camped in for years and years. Rife with fleas. Or covered in deer urine. I don't know -- my mind goes weird places. Well, just open your hearts and minds, people! Used -- as we found out -- didn't mean quite what it sounds like. The tent, to be sold again, could only have been used for up to 30 days. So, there was a chance that the C-grade tent we decided to buy was basically new. And the price went from around $380 (the tent at the store was slightly different than the one we found online) to more like $180. After a discount, we got it for $165!


I'm bragging, I know. But what's the moral of this story? Be open to used items. We don't always need something brand new. Especially if it's just going to get dirty anyway! We swiftly returned home from Eureka with our (heavy) tent box and set it up that night (we wanted to make sure everything was in working order). I bet you're wondering if the tent was dirty. And, to be completely honest, it was just slightly. But hardly anything to be worried about. There was a leaf in the bag. Big deal. What we found when we set it up is that it worked perfectly. Anything that was "wrong" with it had been refurbished by the folks at Eureka prior to resell.



And now we have this gigantic tent for only a fraction of its original price! Do you have a story where you fell into a deal like we did? Where the stars magically aligned in your favor? Do you have any camping tips for us? Or anything else you'd like to share on this topic? Just leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.


ALSO check out this month's Blog Love Fest. It's a special edition because we're not only sharing the links in a list this month. We're creating a categorized blogLOVEroll. For all the gooey details, just visit the BLF post.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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