September Totals So Far

So far this month I've spent a grand total of $145.06. I think I'll probably come a little closer to $250 this month, but it's still in my budget of $200-$250! Here's the breakdown:


Costco: (these items will last the month): $81.14
Publix: (several items will last 2 meals or more!): $48.68
Winn-Dixie: (I only bought produce and will normally go to the farmer's market for this stuff. But I needed to get stuff for tonight's dinner and had too many plans today to get there): $15.24

Ok. Now the reason the Publix stuff will last 2 meals or more is because Publix has BOGO (buy one get one free) deals EVERY week. So, I tend to almost always pick this stuff up. So, here's an example:

Lawry's 30-minute Marinades were BOGO this week. (I also had a coupon. LOL) Anyways, I needed to get the Sesame Ginger flavor for the Pork Fried Rice I'm making next week. I'll maybe use half of the bottle. But, since it was BOGO, I also got a Lemon Pepper flavor for the Lemon Pepper Pork I'm making later this month. Again, I'll probably only use half of the bottle.

Since both of these items can be refrigerated and kept until their expiration dates, I will use both of them again next month, and maybe make a different recipe with them. Hence, I won't have to buy them again next month. (Plus, I think I might already have both of these flavors open in my fridge already. Felicity loves the Sesame Ginger Marinade as a dipping sauce for her chicken, so we use it often.)

I mentioned the farmer's market. It's actually more like a HUGE barn that sells fresh produce. I've found grapes for as low as $0.99 a pound (which is really low for South FL). I've purchased 2-3 weeks worth of produce there, including produce for Westley's baby food, for under $30 before. (Yes, I made ALL of his baby food purees. I think we maybe once bought 1 jar of food when we were out of town.) Anyways, when we do go there, we make it like a field trip. People who speak Spanish run it, and we have a large population of Guatemalens, Mexicans, etc in our area, so they have some really interesting looking and smelling produce sometimes. Both kids love to touch and smell all the produce, so it is a really fun time for us!
Overall, not too shabby! I'm really enjoying this so far! We'll see how the rest of the month goes! =)

For now, I'm off to get started on the chicken and veggies I'm roasting for dinner tonight! Check back later for the recipes from today!

Love,

Sarah