Well, I did not do a ton of shopping this week…but– I am organized!! I spent HOURS last weekend going through both of my pantries and my refrigerator! I could not believe how long it took, but I am thrilled with the outcome! I put my can organizer together and me oh my–I love that big boy!! While it was not exactly cheap, I really think it was well worth the money! I have a portion of my budget that is devoted to splurges –I call it my “mad money”. Well, I dipped into it and am very pleased that I did!!
I really thought that my organization system was pretty good. I tried to make sure that I put the newest items in the back so the things that would expire first would be at the front. Well, I was stunned to find many expired items in my pantries!! It upsets me as that was a complete waste!! If I had been aware I could have easily taken the items to my food pantry to give to someone who needed those items!!
I had not done a really thorough clean out in years, so I am confident that I will be able to keep track of my items better! Now that everything is organized, I can tell what I need to put on my list to buy soon and what I do not need for quite a while!
This week I spent for $25.53 for $77.31 worth of groceries. That means I saved 67% this week! I am happy to be under budget this week…after all of my organizing I know I have a few areas that need some help 🙂
Here is what I purchased this week. I am on my way out the door so I did not have time to add the details. Also, I am going to take some pictures of my fabulous newly organized pantry to show you guys!! Be on the lookout tonight!!
How did you do this week? Leave a comment or link to your weekly totals.
13 Comments
I’m looking forward to the pantry pictures!
FYI- my husband is a food scientist for for a large beverage and food company. Those expirations on food are abitrary and food is generally good past the expiration, especially with non-perishables. The date often times has to do with loss/change of color or flavor (i.e., optimal flavor is achieved prior to the date) and NOT safety.
Can organizer? OMG, I could TOTALLY use something to organize cans. Please share the details and post a picture!
Yes, yes, please post photos of the new organizer!
Good for you! I need to organize my pantry badly but that task keeps getting shuffled to the bottom of my to-do list! Can’t wait to see the pix.
I hope you didn’t throw out your “expired” foods. Dates on foods (except for baby formula and baby foods) are printed at the discretion of the manufacturer, and are not regulated. The dates are usually best by or use by, meaning the producer would only expect the product to be the same quality as something newly purchased until that date. It isn’t a cut off for safety or nutrition. Unless is has a lot of oil that may go rancid, most pantry products will be good well after their expiration dates, as long as they are stored closed and not overheated or overcooled. If something smells or looks bad, you obviously wouldn’t want to eat it, use your nose and eyes instead of the date codes when tossing unused food.
I notice that with the Pillsbury crescents and pizza crusts. They just get a little bit gummy but really are fine once you get them in the pan or what not. I don’t even care about cheese expiration dates since cheese is pretty much good till you open it from its air tight package. I have done every well with my stockpile, I have had only a couple casualties and that was at the beginning of my couponing. Yogurt, bread, and some hot dogs (not full packs though). When I first started couponing I went from eat out 95% of the time to eat in 95% of the time. Now you can see how I might misjudge quantities needed since I didn’t even know what a kitchen was lol.
I can imagine that you must have a very big pantry:) I recently did the same with my smaller pantry…and I too found a few expired products despite always trying to stay organized. I am just excited to finally have a pantry that is big enough to hold a stock…at our old place there was no pantry and very little storage…I dream of one day have a big pantry like the one my mom used to have.
I did not do a lot of shopping this week, and I saved very little. I was unsure of whether or not we were going camping in the Florida Keys this weekend, but Paula came and messed that up…now it will be next weekend…hopefully.
I would like to invite everyone to link up your savings at the Weekly Savings Linky @ Frugality Is Free , it’s a great place to connect with other frugalistas. You can win a free ad space too!
I spent $10.74 for $143.69 worth of groceries, saved $132.95 = 92%
I haven’t had time to finish my shopping for the week due to sick family. Hoping to finish my shopping tomorrow and hoping to stay under my $50 budget. I’ve spent $26 so far. I’ve got to restock my freezer with frozen pizzas :0)
I spent $17 for $62 of stuff, so I saved about 72%. Pretty good week for me, and most things I bought just b/c they were such great deals, not because I needed much since I’m mostly well stocked up already. 🙂
At CVS, got 4 cans of chunky Soup, 2 boxes of Instant Oatmeal, 2 bottles of body wash, and 2 tubes of toothpaste….when you figure in the extra bucks…got them for free.
I got an excellent deal yesterday on diapers and wipes by stacking. I got a box of Pampers (the 19.99 box), a refill pack of Pampers wipes, a regular container of Pampers wipes, AND a rotisserie chicken (had to grab something for dinner) all for $19.04!! I was so excited!