And So On....

It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so entwined that we cannot think of one without the other.

---M. F. K. Fisher

Yesterday, I wrote about Thursdays being for "kitchen" stuff....but I had more stuff rumbling around in my head, that I wanted to continue just a bit today.

It's all this marriage of budgeting, household organizing, cooking, menu planning that has me on overload and looking for ways to do what needs to be done in the least stress inducing way!!! LOL I just thought I would share some of the things that I have found with you....

Couponing.....with the price of gas and groceries, getting serious with coupons can save us lots!! I remember my mom always having a pantry that was loaded with deals she found on everything from laundry detergent, toilet paper, can goods and more. I also remember a trip we made from Tennessee to Indiana with the car loaded down with TP.....this was very traumatic for a young teen!!! (Smile)

Several years ago, I found a great book by Ellie Kay called "Shop, Save and Share"...I truly love her take on the whole couponing thing. It is about having enough to feed your family...to know that you have stores for tough times....but also that you have extra to help others. How great to have a well stocked pantry so that if you have a friend, co worker...or someone through church that needs help, you can box up groceries to help them with or have the extra in your pantry to supply them with meals.

My own plan to get started included a trip to GA for groceries. This would not be cost effective for me if I was trying to go every week....but my hubby gets paid once a month, and I do the bulk of my shopping in that first week. Sadly, we pay 9.25% here on our groceries...and the larger chains tend to have better deals..... So how did it work???

I went to Kroger in Dalton, where milk was on sale for $3.48 a gallon!!!! (I am paying over $5 locally!!! I don't know if we are importing Parisian cows for this milk or what!!!)...and the deal was if you purchased 3 gallons, you got the fourth free!!! Can we say major HAPPY dance??? Add this to many other deals in store, and with coupons. For Kroger, you can check out their website, under the label "in store" you can find coupons. There are printable ones...and also a couple of services that were new to me, where I could sign up, pick my coupons and they would be loaded onto my Kroger card...no coupon clipping, I just printed a list of my savings to check off.

To be honest, this first trip to try this (I have done it before but it has been awhile)....I went when I was already tired from closing down the store and setting up the new booth...but I felt it was the only time I had to go. So needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed figuring out my system this first time.....there were items I planned to purchase that I forgot. BUT even with that....I spent $258....I SAVED in store savings and coupons $76......the tax was only $8 AND I got 10 cents off my gallon of gas price by purchasing at Kroger and then filling up there. Not tooooo shabby!!!!

As I said, milk was on sale......I am trying "freezing" the extra milk to see how that goes. I have never frozen milk before, but if this works well, I will be stocking up on more of that in the future as my family seems to go through it like crazy here.

That is what I am working on with the household pantry...I would love to hear your ideas or sources for info!!!!

Hugs to you!!!
Debbie