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Big Family Grocery Spending for September, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for September, 2024 post!

Here’s how we spent our grocery budget for our large household during the month of September. We feed 13 people three meals each day, plus we feed frequent guests…

Big Family Grocery Spending for September, 2024

1. Hy-Vee

Kelsey texted me while they were shopping at Hy-Vee over labor day weekend to let me know that Pork Butts and Watermelon were on sale. Did I want any? Sure!!

The roasts were just $2.49/pound and they are a great size for upcoming Sunday lunches. The watermelon was only $2.99 – a great deal.

Total at Hy-Vee: $38

2. Aldi

On September 6, we headed to Aldi to stock up on our favorites and sale items there. We got milk, whole milk yogurt, pears, grapes (on sale for $1.39/pound), strawberries (on sale for $1.89/pound), sausage, brown sugar, salsa, spaghetti sauce, frosting, cake mix, granola, fruit/veggie pouches for Auggie, cheese cubes, pear cups in 100% juice, instant oatmeal, chicken broth, tator tots, french fries, fresh peaches, hard salami, sausage patties, and pork loin.

It was quite a haul!

We had been blessed this summer to receive surprise EBT cards for our kids. Through their adoption subsidies, they will qualify for Medicaid until they become adults. (This is a huge blessing for them!) Because of this qualification, they qualify for free school lunches. And in Nebraska, apparently everyone who qualifies for free school lunches received a little EBT (Food Stamp) money this summer. This was such a nice surprise to receive in the mail and I used the benefits at Aldi that day.

Total cost: $164.08/ Total out of pocket: $0

3. Costco

After Aldi that day, we headed to Costco to get diapers, sale items, and staples we needed. We got shredded cheese, Go-gurt, pancake mix, fruit and veggie pouches for lunches, granola, granola bites, frozen green beans, crisp fried onions, sugar, eggs, tuna, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, clementines, spinach, spring mix, frozen chicken strips, butter, broccoli, cauliflower, tortelloni, string cheese, almond butter, peanuts, heavy whipping cream, and bananas.

Total for food at Costco: $245.63

4. Wal-Mart

On September 13, I went to Wal-Mart to get some of our kids’ WIC items for the month. While I was there, I checked for meat markdowns but didn’t find any worth picking up. I did get some Caesar Salad Kits and a few other small items we needed.

Total out of pocket: $34.31

5. Sam’s

After I left Wal-Mart, I went next door to Sam’s to pick up the Bacon and Peanut Butter we can only get at this particular Sam’s. I got quite a few other necessities also including eggs, potatoes, pears, apples, grapes, cheese sticks, butter, yogurt, olive oil, ketchup, mac and cheese, and oatmeal.

Total for food at Sam’s: $328.32

6. Hy-Vee

Eva was sweet and picked up an order for me on September 18. I was able to get a lot of our girls’ WIC items in this order and just one other item that we paid for out of pocket.

Total out of pocket from Hy-Vee: $3.82

7. Costco

September 19, we loaded up the four youngest and went to Costco to prep for a weekend with company and to get lunchbox items for upcoming weeks.

We picked up Boneless Chicken Thighs, Chicken Drumsticks, Milk, Strawberries, Raspberries, Spring Mix, Grapes, Italian Dressing, Crackers, Sliced Havarti Cheese, Shredded Cheese, Coffee Creamer, Half and Half, Guacamole, Broccoli, Corn, Pork Loin (marked down $5/package!), Watermelon, Sweet Potato Chips, Mini Corn Dogs, Chicken Nuggets, Parmesan Cheese, Sliced Ham, Oatmeal Packets, and Frozen Pizza.

And diapers. Always diapers. :)

Total for groceries at Costco: $334.71

8. Amazon Subscribe and Save

I forgot again to take a picture when our Amazon order came in, but we got several boxes of applesauce and yogurt pouches plus some dehydrated apples we like to take for kids to snack on when we go to the store.

Total from Amazon: $48.61

9. Walmart

On September 27, I went to Walmart to get the last of our kids’ WIC items and scored big on meat mark-downs. I was amazed at all the meat I was able to pick up to restock our freezer for just $47!

Total out of pocket for groceries at Walmart: $47.28

10. Aldi

After I left Wal-mart that day, I went down the road to Aldi. I got fruit/veggie pouches for Auggie, milk, spaghetti sauce, fritos, asparagus, pears, potatoes, yogurt, granola, sausage, cake mix and frosting, and lasagna noodles.

Total for groceries at Aldi: $137.19

Total grocery spending for September: $1,218

— > Without WIC and the bonus EBT cards we received, our total this month would have been closer to $1,582. <—–

Running totals for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356
April: $1148
May: 1091
June: $1,121
July: $1,190
August: $1,611
September: $1,218

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Big Family Grocery Spending for August 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for August 2024 post!

Check out how I went way over budget this month. Then read how I feel 100% fine about this. :)

Big Family Grocery Spending for August 2024

1. Costco

August 2, we were out of fresh produce and several other staples. So we headed to Costco for a big stock up trip. Since it’s Back-to-School time, we grabbed lots of sale items like Ziplock bags and Kleenex on sale. Food wise, we filled the bottom of our first cart with fruits and veggies: Strawberries, Carrots, Blueberries, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Spinach, Spring Mix, Bananas, Apples, Broccoli, and Nectarines.

We got Ground Beef, Brats, Pepperoni, White Queso, Chips, Oatmeal, Ranch, Fruit Cups, Fruit Bars, Granola, Eggs, Meatballs, Creamer, Chicken Nuggets, Shredded Cheese, and some drinks (Celsius, Izze, Water).

Total for food at Costco: $427.07

2. Hy-Vee Pick-Up

The first week of August a decision was made to move our five-year-old Bonus Buddy into our home for a while. So we put a few other things on hold while we went full throttle getting him enrolled in school with our other kids, making sure he had everything he needed, and getting his bed ready.

I decided to try Hy-Vee Pick-Up for our WIC items because going to the store during those days wasn’t a possibility. Eva was wonderful and picked it up for us – a huge help!

I forgot to take a picture until almost everything was put away, but we got several boxes of cereal and whole grain pasta, fresh greens, Caesar salad kits, broccoli, frozen green beans and peas, grapes, lunch meat, and snacks for Auggie.

Total out of pocket at Hy-Vee: $29.09

3. Aldi

When Bonus Buddy moved in, a friend offered to help in any way so I sent her an Aldi list. She got everything in multiples – true Coppinger style. :) She grabbed 6 tubs of Whole Milk Vanilla Yogurt, several jars of our favorite Salsa,  bags of Veggie Straws, boxes of Crackers, bags of Cube Cheese for kids’ school lunches, and a restock of Fruit/Veggie Pouches for Auggie.

Total from Aldi: $106.27

4. Sam’s

I went to Sam’s on August 9 to get bacon and peanut butter – two items that meet specific preferences for us that I can only find at Sam’s. I also loaded up on cream, hamburger meat, hot dogs, sale items, school lunch items, and lots of fresh produce.

Total for food at Sam’s: $504.35

5. Wal-Mart

August 23, I went to Walmart to finish up our WIC cards for the month. I also picked up three big bags of Caesar salad and Matt’s favorite coffee creamer.

Total out of pocket at Walmart: $27.87

6. Aldi

After Walmart, I ran to Aldi for Fruit/Veggie Pouches for Auggie and four gallons of milk. I always check for sales while there and was very excited that Grass-Fed Hamburger was only $3.99/pound again! I got twelve pounds plus six pounds of Strawberries that were also on sale for $1.89/pound. I grabbed a few other odds and ends – Granola, Onions, Grapes, and Pear Cups.

Total at Aldi: $125.09

7. Costco

After Aldi, I went into Costco for some necessities and sale items. I restocked our Frozen Pizza stash (much cheaper than ordering pizza). For school lunches, I picked up Canned Chicken to make Chicken Salad, Peanuts to put into baggies for lunch bags, and Fruit/Veggie Pouches. We needed Tortilla Chips plus I got Potatoes, Bananas, Blueberries, Spring Mix, Broccoli, and Shredded Cheese. For convenience, I picked up a case of Shredded Hashbrowns to have on hand for an easy side dish.

Total for groceries at Costco: $214.14

8. Amazon

I got a few items from Amazon: GoGo Squeeze Applesauce and Yogurt plus Pizza Crust and Annie’s Mac and Cheese. I didn’t remember to take a picture. :)

Total at Amazon: $31.62

9. Azure Standard

Every few months, I use referral credit I’ve accumulated at Azure Standard to get some of our favorites. This time, I got a case of Tortillas, a bag of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, a case of Frozen Cubed Potatoes, and a case of Mandarin Oranges.

Total after credit used at Azure Standard: $6.87

10. Sam’s

Toward the end of the month, I knew we were over budget but we were also out of a few essentials. Goodness how we are going through the fresh fruit these days! So we went and bought what we needed plus a few sale items. We got Spring Mix, Spinach, Apples, Carrots, Grapes, Eggs, Butter, Pears, Strawberries, Blueberries, Bananas, Yogurt, Sour Cream, Half and Half, Fish Sticks, Almond Butter, and Chips.

Total for food at Sam’s: $134.45

Total food spending for August: $1,611

As you can see, I went $200+ over budget this month. With a new kiddo moving in, we spent a good deal of time and energy getting everyone settled. This means that I bought and used more convenience foods than is typical for us. I also bought some pre-packaged lunch box items to help us as we settled all the kids into a new school routine. All of this added up.

We’ve been significantly under budget most months this year, so our overall family budget isn’t negatively affected by my spending this month. In fact, over all, we are still under budget for groceries. (Average spending for the first eight months of 2024= $1,193.)

I’ve learned that loving and caring for people matters much more than…anything. I overspent because I needed to. And yay, we survived August and all the BIGGNESS that came with it.

Running totals for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356
April: $1148
May: 1091
June: $1,121
July: $1,190
August: $1,611

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Big Family Food and Fun: June 16-22, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 16-22, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: June 16-22, 2024

What a week we’ve had! Sunday morning we woke up hoping for a text from Asa announcing the birth of their baby because we knew Eva was in labor. But nope, not yet. Bless her heart. Therefore, all day Sunday we were distracted and praying and praying. C’mon baby!

After church we came home and made a big Waffle feast with Cheesy Eggs and Bacon. It was a group effort as our housemate Angela made the eggs, our friend Kermit rewarmed the bacon I’d baked that morning, and I cranked out a bunch of waffles.

It was a Father’s Day feast!

Justus and Kelsey came over that afternoon and then we all gathered at dinnertime for a Father’s Day dinner (all except for Asa and Eva, of course). I smoked Pork Steak and we had Mashed Potatoes in the Crock Pot, Caesar Salad, and Rolls.

We finished our meal with Apple Pie and Chocolate Fudge Pie.

We went to bed that night without any baby news yet, oy. We continued to pray. The next morning Asa texted – praise the Lord!

“At 3:25am we introduced Mr. Arrow Joseph Coppinger to the world…”

Precious Arrow. Oh how we’d been praying.

Not that anyone cares about what we ate – what with the fun baby news – but Monday morning, I made Scrambled Egg Sandwiches with Fruit for breakfast before we got all eight kids loaded up to head out to VBS. (We had our former foster son with us for the week so eight kids instead of seven!)

This VBS was for preschoolers on up, which meant that everyone except for BabyBoy#11 could go. Amazing!

After settling in the kids at VBS, we dropped BabyBoy#11 with Kelsey then we headed to the hospital to meet our new grandson.

Lolli and Pop are overjoyed and grateful!!

When we picked up all the kids and got back home, we fed them a simple Nacho Lunch with Taco Meat, White Queso, Spinach, Salsa, Sour Cream, and Chips. They were excited to see photos of Arrow!

Afterward, Acacia was eager to help me put together a big Pizza Chicken Bake for dinner. She ran to put on an apron and then followed all of my instructions to make this easy dish. :)

At dinnertime, we had Acacia’s delicious Pizza Chicken Bake with Steamed Broccoli and Buttered Corn.

Tuesday morning after we dropped the kids at VBS, I took BabyBoy#11 to Walmart. While we were there, we picked out coordinating outfits for Justus and Kelsey’s Little Sweetheart and for Arrow. It was tooooo much fun!

Kiya had stayed home with Matt because she wasn’t feeling well. When BabyBoy#11 and I arrived home from the store, I spotted Matt and Kiya outside coloring together. Wow, best daddy ever – coloring with his daughter. :) :) :)

The kids have been starving when they come home from VBS so I was ready with five boxes of Mac and Cheese, Peas, and Applesauce. They devoured this!

About an hour later, the kids were hungry again. I pulled some Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from the freezer for the kids to eat outside.

Kiya still wasn’t feeling well so just Brayden and I went to help at Food Distribution.

Before leaving to hand out food, I’d smoked four Beef Smoked Sausages and Steamed Green Beans for dinner. When we got home, I toasted some Buttered Rolls to complete our simple meal.

Wednesday morning I sliced a loaf of French Bread in half and attempted to make a Breakfast Pizza Boat with eggs, sausage, and cheese.

We dropped the kids at VBS (please admire this horribly fuzzy photo I took while trying to help get kids settled in). Then we took BabyBoy#11 to Kelsey again so Matt and I could go to the hospital to enjoy visiting with Asa and Eva and snuggling with Arrow.

Ah, but while dropping off BabyBoy#11 with Kelsey, Little Sweetheart needed some Lolli time too. Yes, please.

The kids were super hungry after their morning so I texted Elias to make a big bag of Caesar Salad to have ready for us when we got home. Meanwhile, we had some peanuts in the van and handed them out to everyone to keep kids from becoming hangry. But alas, while snacking SOMEONE PUT A PEANUT UP HER NOSE. Good grief.

The “innocent” children ate salad and leftover meat while I attempted some Emergency Peanut Removal on the guilty party. All’s well that ends well and thankfully, we didn’t have to go to Urgent Care.

The zoo is open later on Wednesdays so we packed a picnic to enjoy at the zoo that evening: Tuna Salad Sandwiches with spinach, cheese sticks, fruit cups, popcorn, applesauce, and cookies.

The leopards don’t usually come this close, so we got a nice view of them plus got to watch a couple of them chasing each other.

There was a special sloth exhibit we got to enjoy. Notice Anna hanging like a sloth during the show. After the crowd cleared, we handed out food to the kids while we tried to keep them wrangled on the benches. This was as effective as herding cats, but at least no one put any food up their nose this time.

Thursday morning, with the other kids were at VBS, BabyBoy#11 and I headed to Aldi. We got some treats to celebrate Josie’s birthday next week plus a few other items we needed. It was a pretty calm outing with just one kid, though he started to act like he didn’t feel well and wanted to be held instead of riding in the cart.

After we got home and put groceries away, Matt gave the fussy BabyBoy#11 a bath, which made all the difference for him. I cut up all of Sunday’s leftover Pork Steak to rewarm plus cooked Corn on the Cob. We finished it all plus had another full jar of Applesauce, leftover Mashed Potatoes, and a few other random leftovers.

We had everyone lay down to rest during the afternoon, then had an early dinner before heading out to our church’s Kid’s Experience. I made 2-pounds of Spaghetti Noodles with Meat Sauce and Fried Zucchini.

Heartlands pulled of an amazing first night of celebrating Jesus with the kids!

While the seven kids were there, Matt and I ran to Menards for some needed supplies. BabyBoy#11 loved the section with all the lights and lamps so he and I hung out there while Daddy looked at all the boring stuff. ;)

We handed out Apple Straws and Cheese Sticks to the kids in the van to eat on the way home (because even though they all had dinner plus a snack at VBS, we knew they would STILL need food before bed).

Friday morning I got Breakfast Cookies out of the freezer for an easy breakfast before the kids’ last morning of VBS.

We dropped kids off at VBS then BabyBoy#11 off with Justus and Kelsey, then we went to Asa and Eva’s for a little bit of Arrow snuggle time.

Back at Justus and Kelsey’s, we got to enjoy Little Sweetheart for a while too. This Lolli and Pop gig is the best!

Back at VBS, there was a Pizza Lunch for all kids and families.

Then they featured a special magician who did a good job of talking about how God loves us and works true miracles in our lives.

As we headed out, the VBS crew had a big pile of leftover boxes full of pizza to hand to families. Nice!

At 4:00 I warmed up Chicken Burritos from the freezer for a quick and early dinner before taking kids to Heartlands Kids’ Experience for the evening.

We dropped the kids and took BabyBoy#11 to meet his nephew. :)

Saturday morning the kids had one final morning of Heartlands Kids’ Experience. What a week! Matt dropped them off while BabyBoy#11 and I stayed at home and worked on food for the weekend. I put together a huge Egg Casserole with Sausage and Hashbrowns for Sunday lunch.

Matt brought Justus and Kelsey’s Little Sweetheart back with him for the morning so we took the babies for a walk. We had plans to host a neighborhood dinner on Sunday night so we knocked on some doors to invite neighbors we hadn’t yet met or gotten phone numbers.

Then we headed back to Heartlands to enjoy a Nacho Lunch Finale with the kids and families. The kids had SO MUCH FUN but…

Tell me you’re tired without telling me you’re tired. :)

We came home and rested during the afternoon. Friends stopped by for a visit. We ate leftovers for dinner. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: June 2-8, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: June 2-8, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: June 2-8, 2024

Saturday I had made a huge batch of Mudballs to snack on in the coming days.

They reminded me of No-Bake Cookies so I decided that I should make a batch four our Sunday Lunch dessert. :)

After weeks and weeks of running to Keith’s soccer games after church, we were excited to actually host Sunday Lunch again at the Castle after church! I made a big pan of Hashbrown Casserole with Shredded Pork, Peas, Veggies with Ranch Dip, Toasted/Buttered Rolls, and No-Bake Cookies.

Having so many gather in our kitchen was so great. I had missed this!

For dinner that night I pulled Burritos out of the freezer to warm up. We had them with fruit and cottage cheese, guacamole, chips, and white queso.

After dinner, I gathered kids in the dining room to start putting together 25 lunches to be handed out at Atlas the next day. We had discovered this ministry in our neighborhood the week before and are excited to see how our family can help meet needs in our community. The kids helped me put one fruit and one snack in each bag – with plans to make sandwiches the next day.

This little one missed the point of our project as she removed an apple from a bag and helped herself. ;)

Monday morning, Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and Anna got to start a week of VBS. I made a breakfast of Scrambled Cheese Eggs with Cinnamon Toast for everyone before they left.

While BabyBoy#11 napped that morning and Little Sweetheart kicked around in her bouncy seat, Acacia and Josie hung out with me while I put together 25 sandwiches to add to the lunches we started the day before.

The girls helped Daddy fill the sacks with sandwiches.

We loaded up the littlest four, went to pick up the older four from VBS, then headed to Atlas to give them the lunches we’d prepared. I packed a few items to keep our crew satisfied until we came home for lunch so that we could hang out and visit with people who stopped by Atlas for lunch.

Back at home, we warmed up leftovers for our own lunch. Then I handed the kids their Pocket Folders for Summer School at Home. Brayden and Kiya were excited that one of their assignments included being the “Teacher” for Keith and Anna for a lesson involving how plants grow.

For dinner that night I made a big batch of Spicy Mac and Cheese. I hadn’t been to the store in a while so we were out of fresh fruits and veggies except for some shriveling greens. So I made these Smoothies so we would have some sort of healthy side dish, plus I got out some canned fruit.

The kids piled onto Daddy for wrestling that evening and BabyBoy#11 was very proud to get in on the action. :)

Tuesday morning we ate Oatmeal for breakfast as we got four kids ready to go to VBS. Before leaving, I had everyone scrub 5 potatoes each for our dinner that night.

Our friends Heather and Josalyn came over to help us with Justus and Kelsey’s Little Sweetheart that morning. Our girls love any time they get with Josalyn!

The day was full of case worker visits, phone calls, and advocating for our littles’ needs. Before taking Brayden and Kiya to Food Distribution that afternoon, I finished dinner prep: Sliced Ham, Baked Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli. Eva and our friend Hannah came over to help Matt care for the other kids babes while we were gone.

Here’s a shot of Brayden helping with clean-up after we finished handing out food to the community. There was a very large crowd of people that came through the line that day.

Wednesday morning I warmed up Breakfast Burritos that I’d put into the freezer a few weeks back. We ate them with fruit.

Our friend Robin arrived to help out that morning and offered to keep Little Sweetheart PLUS Acacia and Josie while we took the older four to VBS. Therefore, for two and a half hours, Matt and I had only BabyBoy#11 with us while we did some shopping. We hardly knew what to do with only one little sidekick! BabyBoy#11 didn’t mind the two-on-one attention!

Only one cart?? What in the world?

Our first stop was Walmart so we could pick up some WIC items. BabyBoy#11 is making progress with chewing and swallowing, praise God! But most of his sustenance still comes from the Pediasure we can only find at Walmart. While there, it made sense that we stock up on the summertime necessity: ICE CREAM. Walmart brand (Breyer’s knock-off) is our favorite for only $2.78/container. Such huge savings compared to taking our kids out for ice cream treats!

From Walmart we headed to Costco. Diapers were on sale, woot!

Since we didn’t have all the kids with us and because we still had some time before heading to pick up the VBS kids, I made my way through the clothing section at Costco to check for clearance items. I found lots of two-pack of shirts for just $4.97 and some shirt/pant sets for just $2.97! These will be great fall clothes for the kids!

Back at home all the kids helped carry in groceries.

We thanked our friend profusely for the “date” morning she had provided for us, got groceries put away, then warmed up leftovers for lunch. Anna found a shady spot outside to eat her seconds of noodles.

After some rest time, we put on the kids’ swim suits and played in the water in our yard.

While the kids played, I grilled a package of Costco grass-fed Hamburgers.

We ate our burgers with Baked Beans, Strawberries, Pickles, and crumbs of chips. ;)

We spent the rest of the evening working together to clean up our very messy house.

Thursday for breakfast we had Bagels, Fruit, and Cottage Cheese.

I had gotten eight pounds of strawberries the day before so I baked a Strawberry Shortcake to enjoy after lunch.

Matt took the four older littles to VBS. Our friend Katie came to help with Little Sweetheart, but she was sleeping in so instead Katie read books to Acacia, Josie, and BabyBoy#11 while I threw in some laundry.

While Matt mowed our lawn and BabyBoy#11 took a nap, I went outside with the two remaining girls. We discovered that a Balance Bike we’d ordered had been delivered, so we three girls decided to put it together.

Put me in the kitchen any day with random ingredients and I’ll put together a meal. But put me on the porch with pieces, parts, tools, two preschoolers, and instructions for putting together a bike? Well. This is not my skill set. BUT, I was determined and I got that thing assembled. Fist bump!

Oh wait. I spoke too soon. What just happened to the front wheel???

Hahaha, no worries. I just hadn’t tightened the uh…thingy enough to keep it from swiveling. Repair made, and she was off!

Josie grudgingly rode the “old” balance bike and the rest of the morning was spent breaking up arguments about whose turn it was to ride the new one.

Ah, Josie got a turn.

We warmed up leftovers again for lunch, then enjoyed our Strawberry Shortcake.

That night for dinner we made Spaghetti with Steamed Green Beans.

Friday morning I scrambled 18 eggs for breakfast. Some ate them as-is. Some turned them into Breakfast Sandwiches. All 18 eggs got eaten. :)

It was our final day of VBS for the week. The three littles enjoyed time outside before picking up their big siblings from VBS.

I got out the leftover Baked Potatoes we’d made earlier in the week and cut them into fries for lunch.

Potatoes prepped, we went to watch a final assembly for VBS. They had a great week!

Back at home, I tossed the fries with olive oil and salt then put them into our air fryer. They turned out amazing! We ate them with leftover burgers.

We had plans to go to the Splash Park that afternoon and I knew we’d need dinner right away when we got home! So I smoked a big package of Brats, then put them into a crock pot to stay warm.

Our friend Ella came and stayed with Little Sweetheart while we headed to the park with the other seven kids. It was our first visit to the Splash Park this season and we were so excited to be there! So excited, in fact, that none of us remembered to pack towels. Oops.

What I had packed was apples, cheese sticks, and applesauce. It’s a good thing I did because these kids were starving and ate every last bit of the snacks I packed.

We arrived home and ate our Brats with Steamed Buttered Carrots and Strawberries.

Best part of the night: Elias and Malorie made it back after visiting her family in Texas for two weeks!

Keith was extremely proud of the hat Elias brought back for him. :)

Later that night, Justus and Kelsey made it home safely from their trip and were so happy to reunite with Little Sweetheart. Now we were back to “only” seven littles. :)

Saturday morning we ate a very exciting breakfast of Cereal with plans to enjoy the morning with a brand new friend. A former York University student had reached out to share that her friend Richard had moved close-by. She was hoping to connect him to Christians in the area so we invited him to lunch.

Before lunch, we all walked together to enjoy Sunken Gardens.

Keith used my phone to take this photo of the garden. Pretty impressive!

Hungry and hot, we made our way back home.

Matt handed out Costco’s 100% juice popsicles for everyone while I went inside to work on lunch.

We had two loaves of bread worth of Grilled Meat and Cheese Sandwiches with Chips and Dips and Strawberry Parfaits.

We rested that afternoon, then got ready for Asa’s birthday dinner!! He had invited a large crew and had requested Smoked Chicken with Fettuccini Alfredo, Lasagna, Salad, and Butterscotch Bars. There were 29 of us altogether, and it was my favorite way to enjoy our family and our home.

I smoked 12ish pounds of Chicken Thighs that had marinated in Italian dressing, wondering if it was way too much or perhaps not enough. ;)

The Butterscotch Bars were a huge hit. Only two were left on this tray by the end of the evening.

The night was amazing, perfectly ending our week!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for March 2024

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Curious how much it cost to feed 13 people every day last month? Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for March 2024 post!

Big Family Grocery Spending for March 2024

Here are the details to share where we shopped, what we bought, and how much we spent on food during the month of March!

1. Super Saver

The very first day of the month, we went to Super Saver (a store we hadn’t tried out yet) to take advantage of their Mega Meat Sale. We got pork loin for just $1.58/pound, pork roast for only $1.18/pound, pork steak for $1.78/pound, plus hamburger meat marked down that ended up being $2.20/pound.

Matt spotted packages of Chicken Strips and Popcorn Chicken that ended up only costing $2.98 for a 24-ounce package (which breaks down to $1.99/pound). We bought nine packages to enjoy during the next few Friday nights. I also checked the French fries in their freezer section and found some big bags on sale at a fairly decent price so I took advantage so that I could have a night off or two. :)

Overall this store’s non-sale prices were significantly higher than what I pay at my regular stores (Costco, Sam’s, Aldi). But stopping in this time for this meat sale was worth it!!

Total at Super Saver: $108

2. Bro Time Meal

Elias and Brayden planned a meal for our family and went to the store to buy needed items to make the meal. They decided on biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, eggs, and orange juice.

It turned out amazing and the night off was a gift to me. I had most of the necessary ingredients on hand for them to make this meal, but they did (use my credit card to) pick up biscuits, hashbrowns, and juice at the store.

Their total at the store: $18.17

3. Sam’s

March 5 I went to Sam’s with two of our girls to give them an outing and to pick up a few of the items I can only find at Sam’s plus some other staples. While I was there, I picked up two boxes of our favorite Orange Chicken so that when I needed a night off, we’d have it on hand. Cost for two boxes is a splurge at $25.96. But when compared to needing a night off and ordering take out, this is super savings!!!

Total for food at Sam’s: $204.67

4. Costco

The next day we needed diapers, plus the littles needed an outing, so we headed to Costco. Since we were there anyway and we always need fresh produce, we picked up grapes, oranges, bananas, and peanuts. (We like keeping those peanuts in the van to help with hunger meltdowns and to feed the parents who also sometimes get hungry and need to eat.)

Total for food at Costco: $31.74

5. Aldi

I hadn’t been to Aldi for a while and needed baby food pouches for our littlest plus a few of our Aldi favorites.

Total at Aldi: $76.56

6. Costco

Matt and I had decided to have a two day getaway! So, I ran in to Costco get a few convenience items for our big kids to have on hand to feed our gang while we were gone.

Costco Total: $47.26

7. Eating Out

While Matt and I were on our short getaway, would you believe that we ate out three meals but didn’t have to pay out of pocket for any of them thanks to gift cards we’d saved up for this? So thankful!!

We enjoyed Cheesecake Factory…

Good Evans…

And Culvers.

8. Costco Lunch

We’d made plans with our littles to have a special Costco lunch sometime during their spring break. So we made this happen mid-March, ordering a pizza ahead of time then ordering some hotdogs once we got there. This is about the only way we can make it work to “eat out” with our crew and the breakdown ended up being only $1.80/person for this fun lunch!

Total at Costco: $21.65 for 12 people

9. Costco

While we were there, I ran through and picked up a few items like potatoes, apples, bananas, maple syrup, and juice for picnics.

Costco grocery total: $78.01

10. Sam’s

We decided to pick up some Rotisserie chickens at Sam’s on our way home from church on March 17. Since I was in the meat aisle, I grabbed hamburger meat – the best price for the best quality that I can find in Lincoln.

Total at Sam’s: $42.68

11. Costco Stock-Up Trip

It had been quite a while since we’d done more than pick up a few items here and there during small shopping trips. So on March 22 we took our five littlest kids on a big shopping outing.

We got what we needed up and down each aisle: chicken thighs, chicken breast, organic hamburger meat, strawberries, sliced cheese, shredded cheese, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, applesauce, avocado cups, crackers, hot dogs, sour cream, ketchup, mayo, coconut oil, turkey lunch meat, tuna, cream cheese, tortelloni, butter, crackers, and pistachios.

Total at Costco: $501.69

12. Gallon of Milk

We were getting low on milk toward the end of the month but I didn’t have time to do anything about it. So Elias and Keith make a quick trip to a local grocery store close to our house to get us by until I could go to Aldi. Milk at this store was significantly more expensive than I’m used to paying at Costco, Sam’s, or Aldi so that definitely solidified these as my favorite three money-saving stores here in Lincoln!

Total at Russ’ Market: $5.02

13. Aldi Bro Time Dinner

Elias and Brayden spent another Bro Time afternoon making dinner for us. They had gone to Aldi earlier in the week to decide on what to make and to pick up needed groceries.

They made us a Taco Feast with Cinnamon Rolls for dessert.

We already had most of the needed ingredients at home, but they grabbed limes, cilantro, taco shells, cinnamon rolls, and a few other things when they were shopping.

Total from Aldi: $16.61

14. Aldi Stock Up Trip

On March 28, Matt and I loaded up our five littles and got stocked up on all of our favorite Aldi items. I bought a case each of Organic Spaghetti Sauce, Organic Salsa, and Whole Milk Yogurt. Plus we bought 5 gallons of Milk, about 15 Fruit/Veggie Pouches to try and feed the baby, Organic Spring Mix, Bananas, Blueberries, Apples, 6 containers of 100% Fruit Cups, Tortilla Chips, French Fries, Granola, Cottage Cheese, and Salami.

Total from Aldi: $203.68

Total Grocery Spending for March:

$1,356.

I stayed under budget, but barely. I felt great about this because it had been a while since I’d focused on stocking up fully on all of our staple foods. As of the end of March, we had full freezers, fridges, and pantry to get us kicked off into April!

Running total for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356

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5 Grocery Items I Can Only Find at Walmart

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This has been my experience: There are 5 Grocery Items I Can Only Find at Walmart.

Are these all random items? Absolutely, wait till you see! And would I surely be able to find them if I continued to drive all over Lincoln and see what my options were at all of our many different grocery stores? Maybe. But here’s what works for me:

  1. I do the majority of our grocery shopping at Costco, Sam’s, and Aldi. (None of the items I’m mentioning here today are found at those stores.)
  2. I don’t have time to check out other stores in town, especially since I’ve found my rhythm now that we’ve lived here for eight months.
  3. Even if I discovered any of these items at a different grocery store, it’s unlikely that the price would be much better and it’s not worth it for me to go to another store for just one or two items.
  4. And…while Walmart isn’t my favorite place to shop anymore (prices are overall much better at Costco, Sam’s and Aldi) – I do go to Walmart a couple of times each month.

Why do I go to Walmart every month if I don’t buy much there?

There are two reasons. One is to get these grocery items I’m about to tell you about. And the second is because our four youngest kids qualify for WIC benefits through their Foster Care or Adoption Subsidies. I’ve found that Walmart is the easiest place to shop for WIC items, especially because BabyBoy#11 has to drink Pediasure and Walmart is the only place we can find it so far.

So off to Walmart we go.

Are you ready to see the very exciting list of items I must get at Walmart? You aren’t ready for this level of excitement.

5 Grocery Items I Can Only Find at Walmart

1. Dry WHOLE Milk

There is Dry NONFAT Milk at other stores. But finding the whole milk variety was super exciting for me! Now I can make my favorite Peanut Butter Honey Puffs regularly – which I do. We love these.

This large package costs $12.44, which seems pretty expensive. But I’m still going strong on the first package I found a few weeks ago and there are many cups of this left in my pouch. This is saying something because I truly make this recipe at least once each week.

2. Jif Natural Individual Cups

Sam’s has these cups in the “regular” Jif variety – the kind with the hydrogenated oil we like to avoid. Those cups are cheaper at Sam’s, but I’m not willing to compromise on the unhealthy fat. So I pick up a couple boxes of these Jif Natural Cups at Walmart when we need them as they are fantastic to send in school lunches.

Did you know that baby carrots dipped in peanut butter is the only way to eat baby carrots? So says my eight year old daughter and I’ll certainly get behind it! Also? These don’t have to be refrigerated so typically one of these cups can be used for three of her lunches because she doesn’t eat the whole thing in one day. We just slip it into a baggie and send it back with her carrots the next day.

3. Wheat Germ

Costco, Sam’s, and Aldi don’t carry this in my area so I always get it at Walmart when I need it (which is rare). This jar lasts a long time and I use it when I make Mudballs.

4. Mr. Dell’s Shredded Hashbrowns

This 4-pound bag provides two or three casseroles or soups for us and only contain 100% frozen potatoes.

5. Walmart Markdowns

Ok, fine. Sam’s and Aldi have markdowns too. Plus Costco offers good clearance finds.

But there’s something about Walmart Markdown items that are unique and they are very fun to discover! Whenever we go to Walmart, if I have a few minutes, I walk up and down aisles to see what I can score. I also look in the refrigerated sections and end caps to see what’s waiting for me to snatch at a crazy low price!

Remember my $5.00 hams?? These were marked down after Christmas to just $0.50/pound!! Best deal on meat I’ve ever found!

During the fall, cans of Pumpkin were just $0.50/can so I bought 12.

A couple of weeks ago these super large pizzas were $6.88 or less each.

These Christmas Fudge Kits were marked down from $6.46 to just $1.50. Note that this box contained an entire package of Nestle chocolate chips which normally costs $2.98 (and the off-brand costs $2.32). So buying these kits at this price was worth it just for the chocolate!

I’ve gotten super cheap tomato sauce, marked down chicken and roasts, crazy low priced pork loin – these are all such fun finds!

Chicken breast for $1.76/pound!

It can be easy to be sucked in to buying something that’s marked down just because of the deal, so I’m careful to only get what we’ll use and what actually saves me money. But it’s very worth looking up and down (literally down as typically many of the clearance foods in the aisles are toward the bottom) to see what you might find!

Are you a Walmart shopper? What are your favorite items to get there?

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Big Family Food and Fun: February 18-24, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: February 18-24, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: February 18-24, 2024

Sunday after church some friends came over to hang out with us. The girls painted nails. The boys chased each other with light sabers. The parents had adult conversation – bliss!

At mealtime, we had Pulled Pork, Honey Glazed Carrots, Baked Beans, Corn, and super delicious Cheesy Potatoes that our friends brought.

Monday morning we had Breakfast Cookies that I’d found tucked away in the freezer. They were almost gone before I remembered to take a picture. :)

I made another batch of Peanut Butter Honey Puffs that morning. Having these on hand for the kids is really helpful, but the truth is that I often need to grab one for a quick bite of protein. So maybe I really make these for me? ;)

 

I made two cans worth of Tuna Salad that morning to get ahead on kids’ lunches for school.

Then we packed up a big picnic to take to the zoo. The kids were off school that day and the weather was beautiful so we made a day of it!

Kelsey was off that day so she met us there!

Late that afternoon, while BabyBoy#11 napped, Elias took Brayden out for some Bro Time. I told Kiya we should use the time to make tomorrow’s breakfast and she requested Pumpkin Donuts. That’s a bigger and messier recipe to make compared to muffins, ha. But I decided to go for it. Slowly but surely all the other littles came in to join us and “help.”

After a big zoo day and a big Pumpkin Donuts mess, I was glad to just pull out leftovers for us to eat for dinner.

Tuesday morning I pulled out the Pumpkin Donuts we’d prepped and put some in the air fryer to cook.

We didn’t need all of them that morning so I put half in a freezer bag and froze them for another day.

I made a quick glaze to dip the donuts in, plus I baked several pans of bacon.

Keith and Anna’s teachers came by that morning for their quarterly Home Visit. The kids LOVE this!

After school that day, Brayden, Kiya, and I went to our Food Distribution site to give food to people in that area. Usually there are around 100 people that come through the line. We came home with some goodies too, including two Easter egg decorating kits that the littlest kids wanted to “eat” right away, ha!

Before leaving that afternoon, I had smoked a Whole Chicken and cooked Green Beans and Stick of Butter Rice. I kept the chicken warm in a crock pot so at dinner time, Elias rewarmed the beans and dinner was served!

It was gorgeous outside so the kids ate at a picnic table in the yard.

Wednesday morning, Matt and I loaded up the youngest five and headed to Walmart for WIC items.

These shopping outings are a mixture of great and hard. I’m so thankful to do this with Matt. :)

I don’t remember what the kids had for lunch that day. But for some reason I decided that I really wanted a bowl of Cheerios. So that’s what I had with my daily smoothie.

With the weather being so awesome, I decided to grill burgers for dinner that night. We ate them with  Stir Fried Veggies, and Strawberries with Chocolate Whipped Cream. It was all so delicious!!! Our kids had been outside most of the afternoon/evening and we found ourselves hanging with neighbors so we invited them in to join us too. It was perfect!

Thursday morning I made two loaves of Cinnamon Bread worth of French Toast for breakfast.

Mid morning I used spinach and pumpkin to make a batch of these.

When it was time to pick up Brayden and Kiya from school, Acacia and Josie took a muffin for the road. :)

I used leftover rice and chicken from Tuesday to make Cheesy Chicken and Rice (this recipe subbing chicken for beef). We ate it with another two pounds of strawberries and the leftover Chocolate Whipped Cream from the day before, plus peas and corn.

Matt had been working in York all day and Malachi helped me brave the day without him. By the time we’d chased kids for hours and gotten them fed dinner, we were wiped out. Malachi sat in a chair with a Anna and Acacia watching videos. At this point, we were just surviving until Daddy got home. :)

Ah, but what did Daddy have with him when he got back? A big girl bed for Acacia. Malachi helped him get it set up, along with a big girl bed for Josie that we already had, while I kept seven VERY HYPER KIDS alive.

Here they are, all set and ready for their first night out of cribs!

It went better than I expected with only one middle-of-the-night wake up. :/

Friday we played outside as much as possible, enjoying the amazing sunshine.

I was pretty mentally worn out from all the intense parenting involved in our days, which is made worse when Matt is in York for the day as he had been the day before. So that afternoon I was able to go out by myself and spend a leisurely two hours at Costco. Phew, this was good down time for me. :)

I needed to stock back up on basics and I also wanted to pick up some convenience items that are easy to grab and take for picnics. I also had our third floor renters in mind as I shopped as it is handy for them to have several small snack items with them when they go to work.

We are now well stocked with some basic cooking/meal ingredients (coconut oil, cheese, hamburger meat, sausage, milk, cream, turkey lunchmeat, olives, spices, eggs), fresh fruits and vegetables (that will last maybe three days, ha), chips, and some special packaged snacks that our renters can enjoy AND our kids can enjoy for special outings.

It was Friday and if I can, we like to have “French Fry Friday.” I have not wanted to spend the money on prepared frozen fries lately as the price of those has gone up A LOT. Meanwhile, right now I’m finding our favorite Gold Potatoes priced at $0.54/pound which is fantastic!

So for dinner that night, I used 5-pounds of potatoes to make Homemade French Fries. (I made them similar to this and then after baking them, I put them in the air fryer to crisp up.) We enjoyed them with Chicken Nuggets and we ate in shifts as it’s pretty impossible to make enough fries and nuggets to feed us all at the same time. :)

There was some excitement going on one block over from our house as a pipeline had some sort of issues. All of our kids were interested in what all the flashing lights were about so we loaded up in strollers and walked over to “watch the show.” The worker trucks were gone by the time we got there, but we did get to admire the great big hole in the street. :)

Saturday morning I had help cleaning out a dishwasher…

I baked a dozen eggs on a cookie sheet, cooked a bunch of sausage patties, and turned them into Breakfast Sandwiches.

I planned to save and freeze extras for future easy breakfasts, but this is all we had left, ha!

Keith helped me make two loaves of bread worth of Uncrustables.

We packed them up with apples, olives, cucumbers, chips, cookies, and juice to take to the park for lunch. (I also packed a Pediasure and fruit/veggie pouch that we needed for BabyBoy#11.)

It took a literal three hours to get out the door that morning because behavior struggles slowed us down over and over. Please pray for these children and for Matt and me as we help figure out their needs and how to help them find peace. The effort it takes to get out the door for these outings is huge. But then once we finally reach our destination, it is all worth it as the kids can run out their energy in healthy ways. Phew.

We went to one of our favorite parks where there is a playground, bike trail, skateboard area, basketball, tennis, and disc golf. It’s perfect for our family!

Food tastes better when you’ve been running around outside!

Oh but wait. The food is abandoned when you spot ducks swimming in the water behind you!

Malachi joined us with his skateboard and Acacia and Josie tried to keep up with him on their scooter bikes.

We rode/walked around the trail together then we made our way over to the skateboard and basketball area. Everyone was soooo much happier and peaceful while we were there – one of the big reasons we venture out any chance we can with this crew!

We ate leftovers that evening in an effort to clean out the fridge. Our neighbors hosted a 50th Anniversary party and we briefly went to our church’s game night. And that was our week!

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Costco or Walmart: Which Has Better Prices?

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I love both Costco and Walmart (and Sam’s and Aldi, haha!) – but since Walmart is more convenient for me locally, I’ve been breaking down some specifics to see which has better prices!

This questioning all started in December when we brought another new baby home from the hospital. As a result of having a sweet newborn, I wasn’t able to make my typical monthly Costco run in January. Instead, I did all of our grocery shopping that month with Walmart Pick-Up. It made me wonder:

Since Walmart has its own store brand that is much cheaper than name brands, is Walmart cheaper overall compared to Costco? We know Costco has high-quality foods and offers great bulk deals. But are they the best deals?

I spent some time doing the math because I really want to do everything I can to save as much money as possible since our big family goes through so much food every month. Here’s what I discovered in March 2023…

Costco or Walmart: Which Has Better Prices?

Of course, I didn’t break down every single item, and beyond that, each store has features that the other doesn’t. Therefore, no matter what I will still need to shop at both. But here are some of the obvious prices I could compare to see what makes the most sense as I shop for my big family.

Chicken Legs at Walmart: $1.42/pound
Chicken Legs at Costco: $0.98/pound

48-ounces Daisy Sour Cream at Walmart: $6.28
Daisy Sour Cream at Costco: $5.29

Great Value Graham Crackers at Walmart: $1.98
Nabisco Honey Made Graham Crackers at Costco: $2.20 per box within a 4-count case

Great Value Salted Butter at Walmart $3.88 per pound within a 2-pound package
Kirkland Salted Butter at Costco: $3.07 per pound within a 4-pound package

Great Value Nitrite-Free Turkey Lunchmeat: $7.96/pound
Hillshire Farm Nitrite-Free Turkey Lunchmeat at Costco: $7.49/pound

Great Value Frozen Pepperoni Pizza: $3.98
Kirkland Frozen Pepperoni Pizza: $3.62/pizza in a 4-count box (and in my opinion, these taste so much better!)

Walmart Rotisserie Chicken: $6.98
Costco Rotisserie Chicken: $4.98

1-Pound Organic Spring Mix at Walmart: $4.98
1-Pound Organic Spring Mix at Costco: $5.49

Walmart NON-Organic Pears: $1.65/pound
Costco Organic Pears: $1.60/pound

Walmart Cantaloupe: $3.12
Costco Cantaloupe: $2.75

Walmart OFF-BRAND Rotel: $0.88
Costco Rotel: $0.87 (each can in a case of 8)

Walmart NON-Organic Fruit and Veggies Applesauce Squeezies $11.36/2-12 packs
Costco (Kirkland) ORGANIC Fruit and Veggies Applesauce Squeezies $11.99/24 count

Walmart Brand Shredded Cheese: $17.68/5 pounds
Costco Brand Shredded Cheese: $15.99/5 pounds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At this point, after diving in and running numbers of so many of the items I usually get at Costco, and comparing them to the prices I find at Walmart, I stopped doing the math. Why?

Because almost across the board, Costco prices are better. And/or the price is very comparable but the quality is better at Costco (organic options at Costco for the same or close to the same price as non-organic options at Walmart).

Will I still shop at Walmart? Absolutely. I have to because I can only make it to Costco once per month at the most and I always need to supplement other grocery items throughout the month until I can make it again – especially when it comes to fresh produce!

And overall, while Costco prices are better, Walmart still has very good prices. For me, though, shopping in bulk at Costco allows me to do not only saves money but also time and energy since I can buy cases and big bags all at once!

What’s your grocery shopping preference? Have you found a local store to feature better prices than others?

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Real Food I Consistently Buy at Walmart

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I’m writing a small series of posts to share what groceries I purchase from each of my favorite stores – either online, co-op, or from brick and mortar grocery stores. I recently shared about the groceries I buy from Aldi and groceries I order from Amazon. Today I’ll tell you about the real food groceries I often buy at Walmart!

groceries feb 174

I know many people strongly dislike shopping at Walmart. But for me, it is one of two options in my small town. I have the choice of shopping at our one local grocery store (which is quite a bit more expensive and does not always have great quality produce) or Walmart. The produce selection at our Walmart is usually pretty good, plus I can price-match great deals from stores an hour away like Aldi and Fresh Thyme Market.

So Walmart it is, almost every week. Typically I’ve found the quality of their produce to be very good! And they even carry several organic options.

Real Food Groceries I Buy at Walmart

What do I buy at Wal-Mart?

A cart full, you can bet on it. :)

groceries june 17

~ Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

I look at Pricematcherz.com each week and take advantage of all the deals from stores in Lincoln. I get amazing deals on fresh produce this way, and I am so thankful for this!

groceries819

~ Frozen Veggies as Needed

Typically I buy frozen veggies from Azure Standard. But since that order only comes once each month, I buy (non-organic) from Walmart in the meantime to fill in gaps.

~ Chicken

Our Wal-mart carries a “natural” brand of chicken at a very reasonable price. I often find it marked down and buy every bit of it when it’s available at the discount. But even if it isn’t discounted, the price is still good. I can get whole chickens as well as boneless thighs and breasts. Boneless thighs are my absolute favorite!

groceries august17

~ Cream and Half-and-Half

No it’s not organic. Yes we go through a lot of it.

~ Colby Jack Cheese

Our Walmart has Joseph Farms brand that is a great price and made from cows that are not given hormones. I usually buy 2-3 of these four-pound hunks of cheese each month. We shred it all in our food processor and keep it in these bowls with lids to pull out and use as needed.

~ Day-Old Bread on the Mark-Down Cart

I always check this cart to see if their French or Italian bread is available for $0.53. If so, I grab a few loaves so my boys can make Pizza Boats for a quick lunch or so we’ll have it on hand to serve guests. No it’s not very nutritious. But it makes a nice side for an otherwise nutritious meal, and our guests enjoy it slathered in butter!

~ Hormel Naturals Lunch Meat

If we need sandwiches to take on the road for soccer or basketball games, I grab a couple family packs of these.

~ Nitrite Free Hot Dogs

They recently came out with a Walmart brand of hotdogs that I would consider “better for you” and their price is better too. I like to have these on hand for Beanie Weanies once in a while. :)

~ Organic Mixed Greens and Fresh Spinach

The prices on these are great, and actually cheaper than the conventional options! I love how simple these make my life!

groceries feb 173

 

Are you a Walmart shopper? Does your Walmart still offer Price Matching? What do you frequently buy at Walmart?

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How My Grocery Cart Looked After a Week of Travel (And is Price-Matching Going Away?)

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Our family just rolled into town (at 1:30 this morning!) after a long but quick trip to Arkansas for a family reunion. We get together once every two years – and this year we celebrated our Nana’s 90th birthday! Look at this beautiful lady:

reunion4

There were aunts and uncles and cousins (and even a doggie), food, and games all weekend. We all had lots of catching up to do!

reunion2

reunion3
reunion6

We made it home just in time to do several loads of laundry, then send the teenage boys off to their first church camp of the summer. This leads me to my grocery shopping dilemma:

  1. We were all starving for fresh fruits and veggies after a road trip.
  2. Most of the boys will be gone all week.

I do not even know how to grocery shop for three people.

I am so used to buying half the store for my family every week that when I only have to buy for a few, I feel lost. I settled on “only” 8 pounds of strawberries, 4 pints of blueberries, 4 containers of raspberries, and only 1 watermelon and 1 pineapple. I got a bunch of mixed greens, carrots, peppers, nectarines, and peaches. I’m quite sure I bought more than 3 of us can eat. But after a week of travel food, we’ve been feasting on berries and greens all day – so maybe we’ll finish it off without a problem.

reunion1

We’re also joining with friends to take a meal to our local mission tonight, so some of this fruit is going there. :)

Have you heard anything about Wal-mart taking away Price-Matching in your area?

I’ve caught wind of a new policy rolling out for Walmart in which they will no longer offer a price-match guarantee. Boo-hoo. Some stores are already affected by this, though thankfully, my store still price-matches – at least for now.

I can’t find any official information on which stores are taking away their price-matching perk. What have you learned about this?

I’ve become quite spoiled by price-matching, so to think we might not get to anymore is quite a bummer! We’ll see how it plays out, and if I hear any more, I’ll keep you posted!

With that, I’m off to enjoy some more berries and glasses of water to counteract the french fries I ate on the road last night. :)

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