Safeway Score!

Hi friends!  I am so sorry to have abandoned you for the past two weeks, I've been busy, busy, busy! I hope all of you had a truly fantastic Easter!!  I was able to spend my holiday with my little sister and her family in Spokane and we had a blast...  You can check out some of our shenanigans here, including their recent foreé into the CamWow world... It's pretty hilarious... 

Now my husband and I are home and back to the daily grind...  We suffered through last week with zero food in the house...  I didn't want to go shopping and then be gone for 5 days and I just didn't have the time once we got home!  For those of you who don't know, I work super long days between 2 jobs but have 3-day weekends.  It's fantastic and I love my schedule, but Monday-Thursday are pretty much dedicated to work and everything else gets shoved into the weekend.  I was super excited with my Safeway shopping trip today and wanted to share with all of you!  Some of you out there know I'm a coupon fan and really work to find deals when I'm grocery shopping.  I haven't posted anything about couponing yet, but will get to that soon.


Disclaimer:  I am NOT a "super couponer."  I'm what I like to call a "average Joan couponer" meaning I do not spend hours of my time researching and building deals and I DO NOT go through the grocery check out with 8+ transactions; my limit is 2.  

So here is my Safeway trip today....

$129.83 worth of groceries for....$64.29!!!

Ahem, for those of you without a calculator handy, that's a 49.518% savings......

So I'm sure most of you are thinking..."well it's all packaged, unhealthy food," right???  WRONG.  Take a look for yourself....

Yes, some of this is stuff I normally don't eat but the husband does... Soda for example..I don't touch the stuff.  If you can clean a car battery with it, I'm not interested in ingesting it thankyouverymuch.  Also, white flour tortillas -- those are for the husband.  I prefer whole grain or whole wheat, but he's not on that tortilla bandwagon yet....  See all of those reddish-greenish things?  Those are MANGOS...  Mangos alone usually run between a buck (on sale) or two each!

Oh, see all that meat on the right?  Yep, that's included in my total of only spending $64.29.  The regular price on the meat alone would've been $74.06 if it weren't for my mad discount shopping skills!!  (And Safeway's BOGO meat sale......)  I always stock up when the BOGO meat sale is on.  AND, this week, through Tuesday, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are included!  For those of you who regularly shop the Safeway BOGO meat sale, you know chicken breasts are RARELY included.... What does all of this meat look like when I've broken it into freezer packs for individual meals??  Something like this....

 I would like to note, EACH of these containers is a 2 meal portion..I'm all about cooking enough once so we can eat twice, so each of these will serve 2 meals for us.  That's 20 meals worth of meat, baby!!

Alright, lets break this down so you can see where the savings are....

Family sized 90% lean ground sirloin - $23.20

Family sized Country style ribs pack - 18.32

BOGO, paid $23.20 for BOTH

This equals $11.60 for each pack... that means my 90% lean ground sirloin was only $2.47 per pound, and my country style ribs were slightly over $2.00 per pound.  Both of these are tremendous savings... at or above 50% off!

2 boneless, skinniness chicken breast packs:

One was $16.87, the other was $15.67.  

BOGO, paid $16.87 for BOTH... that's $8.34 per pack which equals less than $.99 per pound!!!

(When I'm doing BOGO, I try and find 2 packages that are closely matched in price..then you're paying one price and getting it for free instead of paying $23 for one pack of meat and getting a $13 pack for free.)

NOTE:  Safeway will give you the cheaper meat packs as the free ones (obviously).  So in this case, I had to do 2 transactions: 1 with all my groceries and my chicken, then another with just the hamburger and ribs. Who cares.

Soda - select varieties on sale for 1.79 per 2-liter, but only $0.77 cents each with store coupon.  I bought 4, that's a great price!  (side note: does anyone else remember when these were regularly priced at $0.50?? sheesh!)

Kraft salad dressings - on sale $0.99 each.  This is a HUGE savings... no coupon required!

Safeway Select 24oz salsa (which I LOVE) on sale for $1.79 each with store coupon

Tortilla chips - on sale for $1.99.  Not a great deal, but I love chips and salsa so I had to buy them to go with all the salsa I bought!

Safeway Eating Right whole wheat pasta - on sale for $0.99 - We don't usually eat pasta but like to have some on hand "just in case" or if the husband gets a craving.  I'm not much of a fan..

Kleenex Facial Tissue - 200 count, on sale for $2.00, $0.99 each with store coupon.. WOW.

MANGOS!!!!!!!  Mangos on sale for $0.50 each!  Friends, in my years of loving mangos, (um...10+?) I have never, NEVER, seen them this cheap.  I bought 12 and will be cubing and freezing them for smoothies (*cough*daiquiris-and-margaritas*cough*) this summer.  I might go back for more.  I'm undecided on the issue right now. 

So here are the biggest thing to remember when you're out there shopping:  

1.  Don't shop for what you want or think you need, shop for what's on a good deal or at the very least what's on sale.  My shopping list revolves around the deals I find, not about what I think I want to cook with...  You can google recipes using the foods you have on hand and I've come across things I never would've chosen or tried if I hadn't shopped sales! 

2.  Stock up.  If black beans are on for $0.30, BUY A FLAT OF THEM.  They're super healthy and nutritious and can be used in thousands of recipes.  Family sized meat packages on sale?  Split it up and freeze them into portions (picture above) or go in on the deal with a friend.  See my point??  I don't want to make hoarders out of you, but when you find a good deal on toothpaste, pick up a couple, you're going to use it eventually!  

I stumbled across a study a long time ago that has stuck with me for years.  I have no idea where it came from or who did it so don't' bust my (pork) chops...  It stated:  

A woman will buy a $2 item not because they need it, but simply because it's on sale for $1 and may need it someday.  

A man will buy a $1 item for $2 because they need it right now.

I don't know about you, but this is SO TRUE on our house.  My husband will wait until he's completely out of shaving cream to tell me he needs some or put it on the shopping list.  Um..guess you'll have some razor burn, honey!  However, when I find a killer deal on shaving gel, I buy him 5 at a time because I know he'll use it sooner or later.  When you do this, you only ever pay the sale price for things rather being in a bind and having to pay full price!!!!  A little planning ahead can save you some serious cash in the long run.  People are often shocked when I tell them our household grocery budget is $250 per month and we eat good, healthy food...  I have a single friend out there who spends over that just for herself!

Cheers to all of my lovlies out there, I hope you have a fantabulous weekend.  And get over to Safeway for some mangos and meat!!

Enjoy!

KDH.

Easter Candy Switch-Up

Easter is one of  my favorite holidays...  It holds a deep, spiritual meaning for me usually causing me to cry (grateful, happy tears) on at least one occasion each year.  This year I get to spend the holiday with one of my favorite people on the planet: this amazing girl, who writes this amazing blog.   Whether you get to spend the holiday with family, friends, kiddos, or strangers down at the local coffee shop, make it a special day for someone.  Skip the sugar and chemical laden treats this year and class up the event a bit.  We're so over foil wrapped bunnies that taste more like white sugar than chocolate, and sugary, gritty jelly beans with absolutely no flavor.  Candy is fine, but at least make the calories WORTH IT!  Try some of the following ideas for the people you get to celebrate with this year:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

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Just in case you missed my previous post on this favorite food of mine, you can check it out here.  I love, love, LOVE chocolate covered strawberries, and they are a GOOD sweet-treat!  Fresh strawberries are a delicious, low calorie fruit, and chocolate has antioxidants!  Remember, the darker the better, so go as dark as you can for the most health benefits!  These are super easy to make yourself, so don't waste the cash on buying pre-made ones.  You never know what kind of chemicals have been added, and when this is so simple to whip up, why bother?  Melt chocolate very slowly in a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl.  Dip strawberries and let harden on wax paper for about 20 minutes. 



Jelly Belly Jelly Beans

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Okay, so yes, Jelly Bellys are jelly beans, but they are DELICIOUS jelly beans, not gross, gritty, no flavor jelly beans.  And, they're lower calorie than chocolate candy bars filled with fat!  The best think about Jelly Belly's is mixing and matching... My personal favorite combo is Strawberry Daiquiri and Blueberry together in the same bite.... YUM!  http://www.jellybelly.com is offering 10% off all Easter orders over $35 right now (use coupon code: bunny) but these are also offered in Winco's bulk section.  Head over to Dollar Tree to find some cute little containers, wrap in cellophane and tie with ribbon, super cute little Easter gifts with a small price tag!  I would just like to interject here that the awesome girl from my intro to his post and I used to be so obsessed with Jelly Bellys, we were members of the Jelly Belly Taste Bud Fan Club when we were children.  Oh yes, you're jealous... I know.


Dark Chocolate Bunny

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Swap out the sugary low quality chocolate bunny for a solid dark chocolate one.  Dark chocolate, as we already know, has health benefits in the antioxidants it contains.  Switching out milk chocolate for dark chocolate saves calories, fat and sugar in addition to getting some of your daily antioxidants.  I am a HUGE chocoholic.  It runs in the family.  Seriously.  And for me, the darker the better....  Check out the dark chocolate bunnies Amazon has on sale for you here.  It's not too late to order!



Chocolate Covered Dried Fruit

Image - Harry and David

Oh my gosh, I love Harry and David chocolate covered dried fruit.  It's amazing, one of the best foods on the planet in my humble opinion.  I heard Harry and David went bankrupt and is closing..this makes me sad.  Honey, maybe you should get me 10 boxes of these just in case.......


You can also pass the healthy on to your children starting with their Easter egg hunt...  Instead of filling eggs with chemical-laden, fat and calorie filled frankenfod "treats" that just reaffirm our poor food culture in this country, use healthy alternatives instead.  Try nuts, trail mix, large colored marshmallows (or bunny shaped ones!) blueberries, raspberries, chocolate covered sunflower seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, or coins instead of food altogether!

One other idea to skip the bad Easter treats all together: don't gift them!  When we were growing up, my mom used to get us fun bath stuff for Easter instead of unhealthy candy.  Well, there was a little bit of that too, but the big item in our baskets was a fun bath gel or lotion or scrubby.  Why not go for this foot soak, this body wash set, these dessert bowls, these super cute socks (or anything on sock-it-to-me).  Or perhaps you prefer jewelry??  Check out this AMAZINGLY TALENTED local artist at My Bellas Beads. 

See friends?  Going healthy for Easter is fun and easy... Get on it!

Enjoy
KDH.

Best Broccoli

Broccoli has a bad rep in our society...  In fact, for as much as I LOVE broccoli, I can think of little less appetizing than boiled, mushy florets staring up at me from a plate. 

Broccoli is PACKED FULL of nutrients and health benefits:

• Vitamin C - aids in iron absorption, prevents development of cataracts, and eases symptoms of a cold
• Folic acid - helps women sustain normal tissue growth
• Potassium - aids in battling high blood pressure 
• Calcium - battles osteoporosis
• and my #1 favorite thing.... it's full of fiber!  Why is fiber so good for you??  It enhances the gastrointestinal tract and helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels.  Fiber rocks.  (so will your BMs!  Yes, we talk about those here too...)

Broccoli is super cheap (bonus!) and it's one of the easiest items to find in the supermarket year round.  And, thankfully, it's also the easiest vegetable to cook (in my humble opinion...)  What is broccoli's friend in the kitchen??  The microwave!  Yes, throw out your preconceived notions about "microwaving kills nutrients in food" because it's just not always true.  In fact, tough veggies (carrots, broccoli, etc) release MORE nutrients when they're cooked...  So there.

Here's how I do broccoli:

1. 1lb of broccoli, stems cut off so they're like little trees
2. place in a glass microwavable bowl, rinse broccoli and drain
3. sprinkle (generously) with dried onion and garlic.  (Yes, dried.  works way better than fresh for this!)
4. Cover and microwave on high for 5-6 minutes.
5. Broccoli should be fork-tender and BRIGHT GREEN when finished!
6. (more than 1lb of broccoli?  up your time... 5-6 minutes per pound)

Enjoy!
KDH.