April is Aldi Month...

A few weeks (could it be months?) ago, I said that I would take on the challenge of shopping exclusively at Aldi for my families groceries.  Well ladies and gents, week one of that challenge has begun!

This Saturday, I spent a quick trip shopping at my local Aldi store, located in Plattsburgh, NY.  And by quick I mean run through the aisles with my ASD son in the cart hoping to get everything I needed.  Well, I did.  Almost.  The few things I left off the list I picked up today, bringing my grand total of shopping to just under $120.  For a family of five.  For a week. 

Now, I wanted to be as authentic as possible, so I bought things that I would need for the week even though they were already in my pantry; things such as cereal, some canned goods and other items.  I did NOT buy condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo) because those things have a shelf life and I didn't want to open a new container when I had one at home.  Same goes for some of the vegetables I already have in my crisper (Brussels sprouts for dinner tonight!)  Some items I could not purchase at Aldi, like the meal replacement shakes my husband and I enjoy for breakfast or the particular brand of yogurt I enjoy.  Those items I picked up at my usual place.  Just a caveat to my methods, friends.

What I DID buy is listed on my receipt:

But if you don't have magnifying spectacles, he's the rundown:

Meats/Dairy
     - 1 package of 16 ground beef hamburgers
     - 1 package of turkey kielbasa
     - 1 package of chicken breasts (3 breasts in pack)
     - 1 package of 80/20 ground beef (approximately 2.25 lbs)
     - 1 pack of turkey sausages
     - 1 16" cheese pizza
     - 1 package roast beef
     - 1 package shredded cheese
     - 1 package frozen chicken nuggets
     - 1 container Parmesan cheese

Fresh Vegetables/fruit
     - 6 bananas
     - 1 package mushrooms
     - 1 bag baby carrots
     - 1 package of green peppers (3 in pack)
     - 2 packages of zucchini (3 in each)
     - 1 package cucumbers (3 in pack)
     - 1 bag fresh spinach
     - 1 bag spring mix salad
     - 1 medium sized seedless watermelon
    
Canned Goods/Dried Goods
     - 1 can corn
     - 1 jar sauerkraut
     - 1 can tropical fruit salad
     - 1 can sliced beets
     - 1 bag dried lentils
     - 2 cans black beans
     - 1 package whole grain spaghetti
     - 2 cans chicken broth
     - 1 large can organic diced tomatoes

I was also able to purchase snack items for my children (to go in their lunches as well as eat at home) and myself and my husband.  Also, I purchased what I call go-along items for my meals: hamburger buns, taco seasoning.  Round the order out with a bottle of juice and that's what we got for our $120.

I was surprised that I spent that much money, but I had never purchased meats at Aldi before, so that is probably where most of my money went. 

It would have helped me to get to know the store before shopping, as I missed some of my essentials the first time around (couldn't find the tomatoes or chicken broth on the first go).

I would be open to switching brands of items I use (like the yogurt and shakes) as long as it was cost effective, which is really the basis behind this whole "challenge" (if you want to call it that).

I'm excited to see what I can do with these vittles this week.  I will post pictures and recipes for each dinner meal I make, complete with what I used. 

www.aldi.us has an AMAZING box of recipes.  I found a yummy zucchini roll up recipe online that I can't wait to try out. 

Wish  me luck friends!  Stay tuned for more!

Shopping day...

So this is my haul from the grocery store.  Using the guideline of  $37.50 (which is 7.50 per five days for five people in my family) from the Below the Line Challenge (www.livebelowtheline.com), I was able to purchase the following:

3 jars pasta sauce
3 boxes angel hair pasta
2 packages turkey franks (8 each) 
2 dozen eggs
3 cans Chef Boyardee (with meat)
3 cans veggies
2 boxes mac n cheese
6 packages Ramen
1 head iceberg lettuce
4 3/4 pounds bananas
1 package frozen rice and veggies
1 package of marshmallows
1 large package "cheerios"
1 loaf of bread
1 jar of Peanut butter (doesn't appear in the picture)
1 package breakfast sausage (doesn't appear in picture)

This was the total cost of the haul, with tax.  My supermarket had some awesome sales this week, and I was able to get a jar of pasta sauce for free.  That helps out a lot, meaning I can use the sauce with some of the other items purchased.

The 3 dollar surplus I'm chalking up to butter, salt, pepper and other spices.  You can't buy this stuff in small quantities, so I'm giving myself 3 bucks worth of leeway.  

Stay tuned for Day 1 menu and recipes.  

Please check me out on twitter @camp3082 for more up to the minute updates and photos.  Thanks for reading!

Coupons

I love coupons just as much as the next person - though not as much as the crazy people on Extreme Couponing. Saving money is fun.

Today, I had looked something up on line, and the website offered me a coupon that would basically entitle me to a free can of Chef Boyardee. Unfortunately, I would have to download the coupon printer.

I'm leery of downloading stuff off the Internet for fear of viruses. But it seems like every coupon I'm interested in requires a download. Why can't they just allow me to print the darn coupon off? But no if I want to save money, I have to spend time. Time downloading programs. Time searching for coupons on different sites. Time that I just don't have.

For now, I'll stick with the coupons that come in the mail or the ones that are emailed to me. Today I got an email from my local supermarket for $5 off a purchase of $50 or more. Score! I spend $50 easily on weekly groceries. My mom has also started to set aside her coupons from her paper (after my brother who lives with her cherry-picks his favorites). I've found some good ones in her paper, and since my store doubles coupons up to a dollar, I can get some stuff for free. BONUS!

But what are some other ways to find coupons, cause I need some help!