Big Win at the Grocery Store!

I finally did it! I was able to stick to my list and stay under my budget at Aldi this weekend. It took a little bit of prepping ahead of time – probably about forty-five minutes or so. I started by “shopping” my own pantry first and then making a meal plan for next week. This way I am only buying what we truly need. Our typical weekly spend at Shop Rite has been running about $125.00 per week for our big shop and another $25-35.00 for our late week quick pick-ups. That’s $180 worth of groceries in one week and there’s only three of us! That seems like a ridiculous amount of money to spend in a week. It’s not like I was buying caviar! Surely, I can find ways to drive this average down.

I am very proud that I walked out of Aldi having spent $92.36 for a full week of groceries. That still leaves me $7.64 for a milk/bread run later in the week. I got everything on my list except Starbucks K Cups. Aldi carries very few name brands and they seem to change those products weekly, so, there’s no guarantee that they will be there again on a return trip. No sign of anything Starbucks in the store this week. In general, I was very pleased that there was only one item I was unable to get on this shopping trip.

The store charges $.25 for a grocery cart. When you return the cart you get your quarter refunded. I think this is genius! There were no carts randomly situated in the parking lot. What a smart idea! I will have to get used to the layout of the store. It didn’t seem to flow right to me so I really had to look at everything on each shelf to make sure I didn’t miss something. I’m sure I will get used to the store once I make additional shopping trips there. It was a bit weird that they didn’t have a deli counter but just as well as we are trying to stay away from cold cuts these days. They did have plenty of pre-packaged cold cuts to choose from though.

While I had a big success at Aldi, I was an epic fail (in terms of budget) at CVS. I did save an enormous amount of money here, but, I spent way more than I had originally planned. If you recall, my budget was $75.00 and I had a 35% off coupon which is the largest one I’ve ever gotten from CVS. Just as I was leaving for the store, both my husband and son added some additional items to my list and that’s what really put me over the top.

I spent $138.61-almost double what my budget was! However, my 35% off coupon equated to $71.60 in savings and I had some clipped coupons that took off another $9.00 for a total savings of $80.60. I did receive $13.00 in extrabucks for my next trip – gotta love those extrabucks!

The things I purchased will last well over a month before needing replacement. I bought high-ticket items such as razor blades, acne facial wash, vitamins, and Flonase. I’m not sure how I feel about this trip. On the one hand, I didn’t stick to my budget, but, based on my list, there’s no way I could have so I’m thinking my budget was unrealistic. I need to do much better next time.

Do you stick to your grocery and CVS budget? Are you a CVS rewards member? Or, a grocery store loyalty participant? If so, you really need to take the time to explore the apps these stores offer. You can find some great coupons that can be stacked with manufacturer coupons for additional savings. Do you remember to take advantage of that? Have you ever had an “epic fail?”

This little excursion has made me realize that I am leaving way too much money on the table. The more I pay attention and plan my shopping trips, the more money I will save. As they say, “the ball is in my court.” Shame on me if I choose not to get in the game.