stocked up

Winter in Wisconsin can be rough.  Cold, freezing rain, snow, sleet.  It's par for the course here and I do like Wisconsin so I stay.

I live in town so it isn't like I get standed at home for days at a time.  I just don't like to leave if I don't have to so I tend to stock up on our basics before winter.  Especially since having the kids.  I don't like to have to take the kids out in the cold if I can avoid it.  Sure I can wait until R gets home and then run to the store and get what we need but it is even easier to have him stop on his way home at the gas station for milk and bread.  The gas station a couple blocks away has great prices on fresh staples like milk, eggs, bread, bananas, etc.  That is easiest for fresh stuff.  For canned goods and my baking supplies I buy from Aldi.  Aldi is in the next town over which isn't a long drive but I dislike making that drive in the winter so just before the snowflakes start to fly I make a trip and do a massive stock up buy.  Today was that day.  I spent $48 at Aldi, $36 at a local to that town store, and $33 at Walmart. 

At Aldi I bought all our basic baking supplies and some other pantry items we were low on.  Noodles, canned mushrooms, tomato sauce and paste, broths, etc.  They also have 0 calorie butter flavored cooking spray and yeast right now as seasonal items.  I use both of these items regularly so I stock up on them as well.

I originally planned to use my "points" at the other store to get my inlaws a 20 lb turkey as one of their christmas presents but my plan was foiled so I used up my points and stocked up flour, cheese, frozen pie crusts, pumpkin and cherry pie filling, cake mixes and a couple other things that I needed that Aldi doesn't carry.

Then it was off to Walmart *just* for spaghetti sauce and dish soap.  I try not to buy much from Wal-mart.  It isn't that I am one of those "down with Walmart" people.  I just find better prices by shopping sales at my local stores and shopping at Aldi.  There are a few things from Walmart that we really like their brand of so I stock up on them once every couple of months.  I ended up getting what I went for PLUS

BBQ sauce (they were clearancing out the GV brand of BBQ sauce and had 6 bottles left at 75 cents a bottle.  I only had 2 left and knew I would use one bottle for K's birthday Baby Back BBQ ribs),

corn dogs (the kids LOVE these.  We don't eat them often so I bought some for quick lunches)

popcorn chicken from the deli (the kids think this is a treat.  I am ok with 'meat' being a treat.  Better than a candy bar!)

Baby back ribs for K's birthday dinner. (she requested them)

4 jars of spaghetti sauce

an extra bottle of dish soap

At least I got out of there only spending $33.  It used to be that R and I could go once every other week and come out with $200 of 'stuff' and still have to go to the local store for some groceries and we didn't even have kids yet.

My grocery budget monthly is $250 but I have been a bit lax on keeping track.  I am sure I have gone over lately with stocking up but I need to get back at tracking it.  I have a houseful of groceries now so I can keep it pretty low. 

I am working on cutting down on my diet soda habit so that should save us quite a bit, even though I drink the generic diet cola.  I like the super chill brand.  It takes like diet coke, which is my biggest downfall.  I cannot resist an ice cold diet coke.  I need to cut down.  Don't think I will ever completely eliminate it but cutting back would be very helpful!




~Jess~