Grocery Challenge Finale

For the month of March, we followed two families to see if they were able to lower their grocery bill to their goal. Let's see how they finished up:

Contestant #1 They hoped to cut their bill down to $200 for the month. Unfortunately, they had some extra expenses that popped up during the month:

Hey Liz, 

I did horrible and am very ashamed of myself :(
Our end result was: $423.12.  Some of that was not a normal month, as it was Baby's 1st birthday on the 20th and we had two parties worth of food/snacks.
What worked for us:  Stocking up on flyer sales - we have enough of some things that we'll save money this coming month at least.
                               Coupons - I went through all my coupons that had been adding up and made sure to bring them with me, lol
                               Gas coupons - tried when possible to get gas at Superstore to get money off coupons at the grocery store.
                               Walmart price match- I brought flyers with me to walmart and got them to give me the sale price at other stores...that way I didn't have to drive from store to store for a sale.
                               Packed lunches - we've always done this.  we did cheat some times this month though and bought some frozen dinners for lunches

Sorry I sucked, lol  After seeing this though, it at least has given me more of a push to do better this month.
                             

Contestant #2 They hoped to cut their bill down from $774 to $575 for the month. They didn't make it all the way to their goal, but they made a good head start:

Hi Liz, 

Well I would say that the month of March was a success for me. I didn't drop my bill by the $200 I hoped, however, that might not be realistic for us. 

In February we spent $774.45 on groceries and in March we spent $686.88 (however, this did include a couple of events we had to pick up a fruit tray or food for, so it wasn't all "our" groceries, but I wanted to include it as it was food). That is a savings of $87.57. Which to me is enough to pay another bill so that's successful. 

I'm working on bringing that down even lower for April! I found that buying for one week, instead of two that we were doing before was a great help. We didn't have near as much waste. Simplifying the menu made a big difference in our time spent prepping meals on the busy nights and on the bill.  

I will keep in touch, but I hope that April will be an even bigger success! I'll be continuing to work on bringing this down to at least $600. 

Thanks  


Contestant #2 is the winner! Congratulations on doing so well! I'll contact you about arrangements for your prize.


It sounds as though you both had wonderful life lessons out of this experience and I'm glad to hear that it has inspired you to do better for this month. Keep it up and keep us up to date on how you are achieving your goals.


To the rest of the frugal community, how are you bringing your grocery bill down?  Do you have tips you would like to share with us?

Enjoy!

Final Week of Grocery Challenge

With this being the last week of March, I thought it would be great for us to check in with our Grocery Contestants to see how they are fairing with their goals.

Contestant #1 (family of three)

Hey Liz,
We're doing...ok.  Not as good I'd like to b doing, but still around the goal.  So far this month we've spent $199.54...our monthly goal was $200 so I'm obviously not going to be under my goal.
I have been using some coupons (having a hard time finding food ones lately) and buying by the flyers.  We were away for a few days during march break and didn't do the best and we still haven't this month put together a meal plan, so even though costs haven't been too bad our meals have been somewhat sad and unhealthy.




Contestant #2 (family of four)


Hi Liz, 

After my first email I sat down and worked out what I hoped would be a more realistic grocery list and menu than what I'd been working from in the past. Because of the elaborate menus I'd been developing I'd been wasting food and going way over budget. 

However, in March we've developed a budget of quick and easy meals that work for our schedule and our budget. 

As I mentioned our grocery bill for February was $774 (it nearly knocked my socks off the first time I looked).  Currently at this point of the month, with only a few things left to pick up before the end of the month for groceries, we're at $596. That is a considerable drop! I'm pretty excited about it. Also, we've wasted no food and that is also a huge accomplishment!

One thing I find really works for me is taking out the cash that I budgeted for groceries and only spending that. It makes a huge difference! Forces me to see exactly how much I have left so spend on groceries for that period. 

I'm glad to see you're both doing better than you expected. Here's hoping you both are able to make it to the end of the month and do well.

We will check back in with them next week to see how they ended up doing for the month and to award the prize. 

Stay tuned.

Want to be part of the challenge for next month? Drop me a line at fighting2bfrugal@yahoo.ca with information about how many are in your family, how much you spent last month on all food (that includes takeout for lunches and quick pickups for suppers), how much you hope to spend for April, and what you are going to do to cut it down. I would like to have two contestants at least. 

Enjoy!

Want to Win a Kobo E-reader?

(http://www.cbc.ca/mainstreetpei/2012/03/12/win-a-kobo-e-reader/)

Perhaps you've wanted one, but don't have the cash on hand. Perhaps you already have one, but hey, if you had another, you could stash it away as a gift for Christmas/birthday/other celebration (money saved at the end of the year for something else).

Regardless of your reason for wanting one, CBC is giving one lucky person a brand new Kobo reader. It could be you! Mainstreet on CBC, 96.1 FM wants you to come up with an opening to a story that includes at least one of the the following words: 96.1, Mair, Boomer, Walker, 96.1FM, Mainstreet. The contest runs until Friday March 16th, 2012. Please see contest details here.

Enjoy!

Day Three in the Grocery Challenge

As was mentioned in the last post, there is a grocery challenge under way here at fighting to be frugal. We have three contestants involved (Tammy, if you are reading this, please email at fighting2bfrugal at yahoo dot ca. I need to get in contact with you).

How are you doing with your challenge thus far? I know it's only three days in, but there have been some incredible deals! Did you stock up for the month, or are you prorating over the month? Have you made up a menu for the month, the week, or are you swinging it? We all would love to hear how you are doing and what you are doing this week to lower your grocery budget.

Enjoy!

Contest to Cut Down Your Grocery Bill

Everyone is trying to cut down on their expenses, and groceries seem to be the area that everyone wants to focus on the most. For the month of March, I would like to follow 2-3 families to see how their grocery spending compares to the previous month when using some, most, or all of the strategies mentioned in this post about lowering your grocery expenses.  Any volunteers?

To take part in this study, please either comment on this post, or email me at fighting2bfrugal at yahoo dot ca. I would like to know how much you spent last month on groceries, how many people in your family, how much you are hoping to cut your bill down by, and what strategies you are going to use. Then at the end of March, return and report what your spending was like. What if I enticed you more with a prize for the participant that was able to cut their grocery bill down by the greatest percentage? Are you game now? The winner will get a $10 gift card to the grocery store of your choice (Sobeys, Superstore or Coop) or $10 in movie money. You must enter by posting or emailing me by midnight on February 29th, 20112. 

Only open to Canadians this time. 

Back to School Contest and Prize for you. Today only!

Friday the back to school lunch post will up. In the meantime, from the time of posting to midnight tonight, I have a contest for some PEI deals.

What's up for grabs? Some coupons for buy one 12" pepperoni pizza at Sam's get one free, 2 for 1 admission to the CARI pool, buy $10 of merchandise at Repeats and get $10 free and rent one dvd get one free at your choice of That's Entertainment, The Box Office or Stratford Video.

All you have to do is leave a comment, tweet (fightin2bfrugal), or email (smile_zil at yahoo dot ca) telling us a brown bag lunch you or your children love and recipe if needed. Winner will notified in the morning and the coupons will be mailed out tomorrow. Great prize package for the long weekend.

Ready? Set? Go!

Enjoy your day!

Exercise Contest and Recipes

I realize that there are some pretty excited people out there waiting to find out who won, however, you will have to wait just a bit longer. Wendy, over at The Whole Way, has been trying out the submitted recipes and will decide on a winner by the end of the week. So stay tuned. To hold you all over, here are the recipes that were submitted. Try them out in our menu when you see the items go on sale.

BROCCOLI RIGATONI BAKE

-12 ounces uncooked rigatoni or large tube pasta
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1/4 cup butter, cubed
-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-2-1/2 cups fat-free milk
-5 cups fresh broccoli florets
-2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions
-Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute garlic in butter over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; set aside. Drain pasta and toss with oil; set aside.
-In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. of water and broccoli to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.
-In a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray, layer 1 cup white sauce, half of the pasta and broccoli and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
-Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings.




Lentil Soup/Stew

This is cheap and good for you and EASY and really tasty, and it makes a huge amount--freezes well--reheats well. It doesn't look like it should taste as good as it does--real comfort food--my Mom used to make it when we were little:

2 cups red lentils (washed)
8 cups of vegetable bouillon (or 8 cups of water and 4 bouillon cubes)
4 large potatoes (cubed)
1/2 lb of carrots (chopped) (about 4?)
1 large onion (chopped)
3 cloves garlic (pressed)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice (stuff from bottle is fine)

1) wash and drain lentils
2) bring bouillon to boil
3) add everything EXCEPT lemon juice
4) simmer 30 mins
5) add lemon juice and simmer 15-30 more minutes ('til veg is nice and tender)
6) taste and adjust seasoning
7) serve in big bowls
8) make appreciative noises while eating :)

**it can be pureed to make a potage (but I like it in its chunks)
*** you can add more potatoes next time if it's too thin




Super Low (everything but taste)
Banana Bread

*1 cup sugar substitute (can use raw or regular sugar or mixture if you wish)
*1/3 cup applesauce (or margarine)
*7 tbsp egg sub (or 1 egg plus two whites)
*1 tsp baking soda
*2 cups wheat flour (or sub your fave flour)
*4 tbsp milk (I use skim)
*3/4 tsp vinegar
*3 bananas, ripe, mashed
**options: cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, choc chips, carob chips

Blend sugar and applesaue, add egg and mix well.
Add flour and soda and stir (will seem too dry here but don't worry!).
Mix milk and vinegar together and then add to mixture.
Stir in bananas.
I like to add cinnamon, maybe tbsp? and some nutmeg, maybe tsp? and I like to add a couple or three handfuls of choc chips sometimes!!

Bake in a 9x5 loaf in 350 degree oven (I use convection setting) for about an hour (give or take ten minutes)

Cool and serve. If you like, add some maple flavor to some buttercream icing and ice your bread BUT this takes away all the low parts!!


SQUASH MUFFINS KIDS ACTUALLY LIKE!

2 CUPS mashed squash
3/4 c. cooking oil
1/2 c. sugar (or more if U like!)
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (I add a little more cause I love it)
1 tsp salt
1+ cup chocolate or carob chips

I use fresh squash (here's a tip: wash a whole squash. Stab it deeply several times with a big knife. This can be fun! Put in the microwave for 10 mins. Remove, split open, let cool, THEN peel and dice, cook in mic til done then mash. If it very dry add up to a cup of water).
Combine the first four ingredients-for fluffier muffins use a hand mixer.
Add dry ingredients, mix, then add choc. chips.
Put in greased muffin tins, bake at 350 for about 15 mins.
Makes 2 dozen small muffins.
They freeze well too!


Veggie Chili

This dish is so easy to make, and perfect for a wintery day!

In crockpot or large saucepan on stove mix:

1 pkg Veggie Ground Round
2 cans stewed tomatoes (approx 3 cups total)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cayene
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp sugar or sugar sub.
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup kidney beans, rinsed
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup pearl onions, whole (remove outer skin)
Whole garlic cloves, to taste (I use 3-4)

Stovetop:
Bring all above to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

Crock Pot:
Low for 6 hours, or high for 3.

This is a great recipe to use up vegetables in your fridge! Veggie Ground Round is a great sub for ground beef- I served this dish to my boyfriend and he didn't even notice the difference!

If you like a sweeter taste, add 1/2 c. of organic ketchup during the last hour of cooking.


Enjoy your day!