I've Moved!

Today I am laying to rest this blog and have moved to my new .com home. Please see all the excitement at http://www.theobsessiveshopper.com/

Be sure to change your book marks and feeds to the new address. If you are subscribed to the newsletter everything has already been taken care of for you.

If you have any question please email me.

Sweet Savings

After last weeks Budget Buster I took a break and stayed below my weekly budget stocking up on one thing and getting just the things I needed*. Here are the details:

Smiths

8-5 lbs C&H white sugar @ $1.65 each, 2-1 lbs Land-O-Lake butter @ $1.65 each, 2-1 lbs Kroger Cheese @ $3 each, 1 dozen eggs @ $1.25, 1-2.67 lbs Rump Roast $5.33, Quick Barley $1.69, Agave Nectar $3.59, 2.41 lbs Naval Oranges $1.66, 2 lbs Cameo Apples $2.58, 1.78 lbs Banana's $1.23, 2 Grandma Sycamore bread @ $1.67 each

Total Spent: $44.67
Total Saved: $38.18

*If you're new here you might wonder how I could possibly feed my family of five on only those items. You see, I have been building my pantry with all the things my family typically uses. I now have enough in storage that when I need something for a recipe I can just go and shop from my pantry. These items are just the things that I either needed this week, like the fruit, barley, and eggs, or the items I choose to buy to re-stock my pantry or freezer; sugar, bread, roast, cheese. If I can do it so can you!

Budget Buster

Updated! (I couldn't help myself! My husband gave me permission to go over budget by $100 on Tuesday night, so I've got to keep my word right? I am not stopping until I at least spend $100, which is under budget $50. Don't you love how I have justified it!)

I found the laptop amongst the moving mess just to post what an awesome trip I had today. I don't have pictures yet because I can't find the camera, cord and half of my food is in a borrowed freezer until mine is up and running!

I have to admit that when my alarm went off at 4:45 AM. I realized then that I truly am an obsessive shopper! My shopping buddy, mom, and I pulled into the Albertson's parking lot at 5:30 AM realizing that we were not alone! When I saw the already full carts of lotions, shampoo's, deodorant's, and detergent, my heart started pounding and I harnessed all that is obsessive and started shopping. So here are my total's.


11 Knorr/Lipton pasta or rice Sides @ .13 each
2 Lipton Soup Mix@ .50 each
5 Progresso Broth 32 oz. FREE
4 All Liquid Detergent@ .67 each
10 Green Giant boxed veggies @ .28 each
3 Knorr Side Plus Veggies @ .24 each
2 Progresso Broth 32 oz. @ .34 each
2 Betty Crocker Cookie Pouches @ .09 each
10 Suave Kids shampoo @ .47 each
4 Dial Hand soaps @ .69 each
8 Tic Tac's @ .23 each
Fresh mushrooms sliced $1.69
Broccoli Slaw $2
Salad Mix $1.47
Fresh Spinach .97
15 Betty Crocker Cake Mixes @ .50 each
4 Gold Medal 5 lb flour @ $1.25
6 Skippy Peanut Butter @ .88 each
2 Betty Crocker Muffin Mixes @.80 each
1 Best Foods Mayo @ .65
4 Toaster Strudels @ .90 each
4 Degree Deodorants @ .75 each
6 All Liquid Detergent@ $1.17 each
2 El Monterrey Family pack burritos @ $3 each (I lost that coupon somewhere in the store or I would have saved another dollar.)
4 Green Giant boxed veggies FREE
5 Vaseline Lotions FREE
2 Q-Tips 500 ct @ $1.25 each (I didn't use the coupon-should have though!)
5 Suave Lotions @.50 each
5 Suave Deodorants @ .09 each
Cotton balls ( needed them, not on sale) $1.19
1 Purina Dog food 40 lbs. @ $2.99 (used the $15 coupons for this one!)
Kung-Fu Panda DVD $19.95
2 Pop-Tarts FREE
1 Lipton Pasta side FREE
1 bottle of Ginger $3.85 (lost mine in the move, then found out husband lent it to neighbor when it was returned with a plate of cookies yesterday! I will add it to my food storage I guess.)

Total Spent: $108.52
Total Saved: $351.43

Budget Busters come along about 3-4 times a year. I am feeling pretty good since my budget is $50 and this week we bumped it up to $150. I am under budget $41.48 this week! Now it is time to take a breather, at least until the new ads come out!

If you where an obsessive shopper like me this week I would love to hear about it! (that actually might make me feel less crazy:) Post in the comments your spent vs saved or email it with a photo at theobsessiveshopper@live.com and I'll dedicate a special post to you lovely shoppers!

My Western Family

While at a class in Ogden, Saturday, the hostess was telling me about the FREE stuff she was getting from Western Family. I looked into it a bit more and found this site, My Western Family. After you watch a little video you get to print a coupon good for a FREE item (this changes weekly). This week it is Western Family Apple Sauce. To find a store participating in this great deal click here (this looks like it may be available to most of the western US).

Thanks Katrina for letting me about this!

~If any of you out there know about any other great deals and would be willing to share either post a comment or email me and I will post it.

Oh, and by the way Applesauce is an awesome substitute for oil in your baking. I just add the same amout of applesauce that the recipe called for oil. It doesn't flavor it it just makes it moist AND lower in fat! LOVE IT!

On My Own

This week I did something I have never done before. I went shopping on my own budget! For those of you who haven't read the About Me on the side bar I may need to explain. My family and I have been living in my parents basement since December '07. Officially we move into our own place on November 1st. Today I went out and bought food for our single family and not combined with my parents. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I not only met my budget (okay, I was $2.13 over but hey I used the change in my purse to cover it and besides in the past I never dreamed I could get this much for that amount!!) but saw the results. How grateful I am for GrocerySmarts. I never thought I could purchase groceries and household items for $50 a week while still building and maintaining a food storage!

For this week I did actually go to three different stores. Here are the breakdowns:

Smith's

2 Purex Laundry Detergent @ $1.49 each, Cache Valley Cheese String Cheese $5.84, 1 Doz. Large eggs $1.29(not shown), 4.78 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts $8.08, 2.91 lbs Organic bananas $2.01

Albertsons

4 Campbell's Beef Gravy @ .50 each, 2 Barilla pasta sauces @ $2 each, Barilla pasta FREE, Hot dog buns $1.19(totally meant to buy hamburger buns-sloppy joes on hot dog buns can work:), 2 Progresso soups @ .15 each, 4 Hunts tomatoes @ .50 each, 20 cans of Libby's vegetables @ .49 each

Lee's

2 Farm Bread @.99 each, hot dogs .99, bacon $1.37, sour cream .99, 2 Nerds boxes @ .25 each (consumed by children before photo was taken), 4 Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner @ .99 each, White Rain Body wash .91, candy pumpkins .72 (got to decorate some cookies!)

Grand Total Spent: $ 52.13

Grand Total Saved: $63.50

How to Use GrocerySmarts.com

Thanks to the help of the awesome gals at Food Made Easy I have this simple video to help teach you how to use GrocerySmarts.com

Trick of the Trade #2

As promised I am letting you all in on the 2nd Trick of the Trade when it comes to coupon use.

Maximize Your Coupons

Did you know there is a right way and a wrong way to use coupons? In my previous coupon use I would happily clip the coupon for the product I wanted, go to the store with great thoughts of savings and find what I wanted on the shelf only to be disappointed that even with my coupon savings the generic of the product I wanted was cheaper! Has that ever happened to you?

Let me illustrate this with my favorite example. We use Campbell's Cream soups as a staple in many recipes.

Wrong:

I would have gotten my coupon which was a savings of 10 cents on a can. Went to the store and saw the can I wanted was $1. With my coupon my end price would be 90 cents. The generic next to it was 69 cents so of course I would choose generic in order to save.

Right:

I organize my coupons like I explained in this post. I look on the Grocerysmarts website at the stores I want to shop at that week and what do I see? A screaming stock up deal on Campbell's cream soups at 50 cents a can but if I spend $10 I save another $3 instantly at the register. With all these saving I get *20 cans for $7 or 35 cents each. Now I use my 10 cent off coupons, (remember I know where they are because I used the Grocerysmarts website and filing system) and I get the same soup for 25 a can!

This example is true to life and actually happened to me a month ago. By Maximizing your coupons, and using them the right way you are enabling your self to Buy in Bulk and save more money!

*Trick of the Trade #3 will explain how I got so much at such a low price

Calling all Shoppers!

Next week is UEA in Utah and I would love to come down south anywhere between Ogden and Provo to teach a couple classes. On Wednesday or Friday after 11 AM with my evening classes starting either at 6 or 7 PM. If any of you out there are interested I have some wonderful gifts to offer.

For my hostesses I am offering a hanging file box to get you started organizing your coupons and a $10 gift card for every 5 moms new to Grocerysmarts (or who have never attended a class before). These classes are FREE, the website is FREE! I teach Enrichment nights, moms groups, family, and friends. (This is what I offer all my hostesses by the way!)

If you can get excited about saving hundreds of dollars on your household items and groceries then I can teach you how!

You can contact me at theobsessiveshoper@live.com or call me at 435-881-7387.