Walmart Grocery Finds | Can My 2yo Swim | Weekend VLOG
Just in time for my latest post. I did not time this at all. Anywho, make sure you are shopping around and finding the best deals!
Category: Lifestyle
Ways To Save On Your Grocery Bill
I think it comes as no surprise that the cost of groceries is increasing, as with everything else. No matter how you look at it, we need food to eat. However, if you are on a tight budget, you may be interested in ways to decrease costs at the register. If you are, then follow along.
Today I will share some ways to decrease your grocery bill. Some ways will work better than others. It really depends on your lifestyle, how much time you want to dedicate, and your willingness to try something you may not have tried before. Let’s get right to it.
Meal Planning
I personally think this is the easiest and most convenient way to cut back cost. This involves planning your meals for the week or month, depending on how adventurous you are. When planning your meals you include Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks.
How Do I meal Plan?
- Shop my pantry- I look through the pantry and fridge to see what I already have on hand.
- I consider what I can make with what I have on hand.
- I plan my meals for the week, this is pretty easy because we mostly have theme days.
- Leftover Monday
- Taco Tuesday
- Wing Wednesday or Thursday
- Leftover Wednesday or Thursday
- Pizza or fast food Friday
- Fend for yourself Saturday
- Nice meal Sunday
- I make my grocery list based off the meal plan, to include ingredients we need.
- I go grocery shopping and I do not deter from my list unless I get a call from home or there is something good in the clearance section.
Shop Store Brands
Did you know that sometime store brands are made by the same big brands we know? In my experience there are some store brands that are better than brand names. Let me mention though, this may come with some trial and error. Meaning, all products are not created equally. I will explain in a bit.
Shopping store brands also includes shopping at discount stores. My recent discovery and love is Aldi. Where has this store been my entire life?!? So far my only disappointment is with their coffee creamer. Remember I said trial and error. Well yeah, the coffee creamer is a no for me.
But I digress…
Compare the price and quality of some of your favorite products. You may find you can get a cheaper version with the same quality.
Buy Bulk
Depending on how many you are shopping for and your needs, buying in bulk may be a good option for you. Why… Because you can vacuum seal smaller portions, store, and use later. This decreases how often you go to the grocery store and ensures you have food on hand. I like to buy in bulk because I do not like going out too often, especially for things we use on a regular basis. Rice, beans, and meats for example.
Let me tell you though, buying in bulk can be a bit of an upfront cost. Also, if you do not use the item on a regular basis, buying it in bulk probably is not worth it. And of course if you buy in bulk, you will need somewhere to store all of the goodness. I would consider those things before buying in bulk.
I do not recommend buying perishable items in bulk…
I once bought five dozen eggs from Costco. Do you have any idea how many eggs we ate? How many goodies I baked? I will never do that again!
Shop Sales and Coupons
I want to focus on sales really. Shop what your local grocer has on sale for the week. If it is a good sale, buy plenty for later. Have a coupon for something you need, use it. Before I go grocery shopping I always look at the ads for a deal. I have even planned my meals around what is on sale.
Most grocers have apps now which make it easier to see what is available an on sale. If you shop at a store on a regular basis, sign up for their rewards program. Sometimes this results in an added discount, gas bucks, or special deals.
Finally, check out the clearance rack. I have found items I can use within a few days or some items I can even freeze. There is nothing wrong with checking out the clearance section of a grocery store. I have not been harmed by it yet.
Order Online
Want to make sure you only get what you need? Order online, simple as that. Choose curbside pickup so you do not have to go in, wait for the clerk to bring it out, and go on your merry way. I love curbside pickup. Not just for groceries, but everyday shopping.
What if they do not shop like me? Look at your purchase, tell them what you do not like, return it.
I know this is hit or miss for some, but I have not been disappointed yet.
I hope you found these tips useful and give some of them a try. If you have any suggestions or ideas that have worked for you, please let me know in the comments!
Getting My House In Order
Sunday Reset | Cleaning – Unpacking – Cooking | Yes My House Is A Hot Mess
Yes, I’ve been behind. You know moving, setting up family and getting ready for a new school. This past week was a glimmer of hope and I decided to clean some. And hold on, I cooked a meal too.
Come along.
Frugal Finds at Goodwill
I’m Going Shopping- Even Though I’m Moving| Let’s Get Ready for School
Have you ever wanted to just shop? Some call it mindless shopping, emotional shopping, careless shopping. Well, I felt like buying me something. Because, WHY NOT.
I will say, I started with thrifting instead of going knee deep in to my aimless shopping.
I’m always amazed at what I can find in the thrift shop. Great brands and quality for the most part. And they have an endless supply of housewares. If you’re not checking the thrift shop every so often, what are you doing?!?
What A Long Weekend…
Our weekend started with some cleaning followed by doctors appointments. The weather was a bit gloomy, but ended nicely. Once it warmed up we did find some outdoor fun.
We enjoyed good food and company over the weekend. Check it out below.
Get Ready With Me- Let’s Go
Y’all know everyday is a get my life together today. After having COVID, traveling for work, and isolating due to another COVID issue, my life is getting some normalcy back in it.
As always, I got something random going on that’s distracting me from what I need to do. This is a typical morning for me after the kids are dropped off. Then I get in that work work work.
Is that how the song goes?!? I don’t know.
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It’s A Target Haul
Hey everyone! This week I have a Target Drive Up Haul. We needed a few things and coming off COVID we opted to order through the app. I like using drive up because it keeps us on budget and I don’t have to get the kids out the car.
Have you ever used Target Drive Up
Why Would I Wake Up at 5 A.M.
Yes, I’m still starting my mornings at 5 A.M. Some days are harder than others.
Did I ever tell you my reasons why? Watch the video to find out!
Run the Dishwasher Twice
Have you heard about the concept tied to running the dishwasher twice? No, it is not related to extra clean dishes are cleaning out your dishwasher.
I was first introduced to this in 2020. To put things in perspective. We were in Hawaii, before COVID hit, at the time. I was about two months postpartum, had a seven year old too, and my husband had just PCS’d (Army speak for “moving for work”). Needless to say there were some challenging times.
So back to my introduction with this concept. In the midst of all the above, I was overwhelmed. The newborn was nursing around the clock, the seven year old’s activities and life did not stop, and I still needed to take care of myself and my household. I tried to do and manage it all but the anxiety peaked and the constant feeling of being overwhelmed was too much. I remember crying going to the grocery store, crying waiting for an activity to end. Just endless crying.
Long story short, I was eventually referred to a therapist. He was actually pretty nice and I credit him to some of the coping tools I use to this day. We met face to face once, then COVID.
On our first meeting he asked, “what can I help you with today?”
Of course I spewed off a laundry list of items.
His response, “if we do nothing else, what can I help you with today?”
I cried, “my house is a mess and the dishes never end!” Ugh, I was not in a good place.
I think it is important to mention, I have a certain way I like to clean, and I do not prefer the dishwasher for everyday use. It is a me thing, I know. Spoiler alert: I have gotten better.
He wanted to know if myself or the kids were in danger and if I needed someone to come to the house. Uh no, I was not there. I was just trying to work through my own neuroticisms.
After we worked through that he asked, “who decided your house is a mess?”
Me perplexed, “well I did…” trailing off. “I cannot get ahead, I am up all day and night trying to do the little things.
Of course he assured me there is nothing wrong with falling behind and not doing all the things. Blah, blah, blah… You know, all the cliches, sleep when baby sleeps, order takeout. It goes on. He was a smart one. He knew I was not picking up what he was putting down.
He gave me a print out and told me to read it. Did I? No, I folded it up and put it in my bag. That is one more thing I did not need to do. I mean I was there because I had too much to do.
But… he made me read it. In front of him. He like called me out saying he knows I would not read it at home. Okay guy, mind your business. You do not know my life after 15 minutes with me. He was right though.
This is when I was introduced to this concept. From the article I read, the issue was laundry. Another issue I have, but that is neither here or there. It was enlightening to say the least.
Did I grab on to this and my life changed for the better right away?
No, nope, not at all.
In my mind. This didn’t apply to me. I could not do that. The situations were just different. Of course I told the doctor I would consider it. Okay…
Fast forward to Fall 2020. I have now PCSd and the family is back together again. We are navigating COVID restrictions at work, school, and daycare. The anxiety is building up again. Because though we are all back together, hubs is constantly traveling for work. In the midst of the things mentioned above.
This is when it happened. I ran the dishwasher twice.
- I stopped focusing on what I thought was right.
- Stopped worrying about the judgment that was not coming from anywhere.
- Focused on what I could effect in my home.
What does that look like for me?
- Loading dirty dishes with some clean ones and running again.
- Sometimes not putting dishes away and letting the dishes “dry” for an extended period of time.
- Rerunning the dryer, unloading when I have time.
- Ordering takeout or eating a prepackaged meal.
I could go on… what is important for me is opening up little pockets of time to allow me to focus on other things.
Media makes it look like we should be able to do it all plus some for our neighbor. You know, find that balance to do all the things and more. I will be the first to say there is no such thing as balance. Anyone that tells me there is, I say nope. It’s my opinion and I have the right to have it.
There is no such thing as balance.
For me, it is about presence. In a future post I will talk all about presence and what it means to me.
I know it is easier said than done. There are hundreds of reasons why it cannot be done. I am only suggesting you give it a try. Dry the clothes twice, rerun the dishwasher, whatever it may be. What do you have to lose?
If you are experiencing any mental health concerns, please seek professional help.
Time Saving Hacks
The mornings can be a time of peace and excitement to start the new day. Or the mornings can be filled with frustration and excitement about starting the new day. I am sure there is a happy medium in there somewhere, but that is neither here or there.
For my family, mornings can be hectic with all the moving pieces and trying to make it to our respective locations on time. Over the years, I have implemented a few hacks to save time and make the mornings smoother. Some have stuck, others not so much.
Today I will share the hacks I currently use to get my life together in the mornings and carry my family along.
Tip #1: Prep The Night Before
Just like this sounds, do what you can the evening before. This includes making lunches, picking out clothes, coffee timers. Anything you can do the night before to help your morning, do it. If there is a lot, start with one thing then slowly add to it.
Doing this will open up time in your morning routine and make things a little less hectic.
Tip #2: Include Everyone
Do you have anyone that can help out in the morning? Aside from the two year old, everyone in my household is capable of helping. We each have our own slice of the pie to get us out the house in the morning.
For example, hubs makes coffee and deals with the dog, the nine year old makes breakfast and entertains the toddler.
Including everyone takes the stress off one person and lets everyone know they are an important part of the equation.
Tip #3: Find Time For Yourself
Even if it is 15 minutes before the rest of the house wakes up, take that 15 minutes and prepare yourself for what is to come. I personally take an hour as described in the “5 A.M. Club”. I can tell you I have more patience to deal with the craziness of the morning compared to waking up with everyone else. This time can also be used to accomplish tasks that did not get done the night before.
You may find that getting a head start in the morning increases patience, offers clarity, and helps to get the ball rolling in the morning.
Tip #4: Plan The Morning
This is related to Tip #1 above. Having an idea of what your morning looks like will help ensure you have everything needed to leave the house?
- Are there papers that need to be signed?
- Anything special to take to school or work?
- Extracurricular activities that need to be planned for?
Going in knowing what to expect will help your morning routine, just by making sure you have everything you need for the day.
Do not get so caught up in having a plan that you lose flexibility. Sometimes things do not go as planned, be able to adjust.
Tip #5: Give Yourself Grace
This is by far the most important tip I can offer. Too many times we are hard on ourselves for not getting it just right.
It is okay, things come up. Mistakes are made. Embrace the moment and move forward.
Sometimes it’s not what happened, but how we respond.
I am sure we are all trying to accomplish the same thing.
Be the best version of ourselves for our family and loved ones.
If there is one think you can do for yourself and others is take a moment and be in the moment.
I hope these tips will help to make your morning smoother and your days brighter.
Until next time, take care.