Not as easy as I thought

Day 3 of The $250 Challenge and I'm beginning to realize my addiction to shopping is much more serious than I anticipated.
This morning I had to squeeze the last of the toothpaste out of the tube and began composing a list of items to buy next week. But wait! I need toothpaste tomorrow - so I started writing a list of things to get today.

Toothpaste
Marsala wine - for Chicken Marsala tonight
Grated Parmesan Cheese - for appetizer tomorrow
Bacon - also for appetizer
Milk

So I headed to Fresh & Easy to pick up the items - intending to only spend 10 bucks.
Total - $18.28
And guess what I didn't get - yep, Toothpaste!
I'm so annoyed with myself. NO MORE SHOPPING!

Total left until May 15th - $54.79
We may be crashing my parents house next week for dinner.

One great find.

Marshall's and Ross are great stores for bargain hunters like me. Some people have zero luck finding clothing at these stores but I can usually find a comfy tee or dressy capri's for a steal. My greatest find to-date is without questions this Michael Kors Spring '09 shirt in Lemonade. Retail price $99.50, Ross clearance price $2.99. Unbelievable. I am wearing it in my profile picture to the right.

Breaking Tradition

"G" tacos were a hit as always around here. As you can see they really are just huge burritos. This was my taco, sans ground beef, which was delicious. Little G enjoyed her bean burrito and rice as well.

Sundays are lazy days in our house. We attend church at 11 then go to Taco Bell with my parents, the rest of the day consists of a long nap for Mr. G and Little G, then a walk to the park and a movie in our comfy clothes. Today, however, we saved around $12 by forgoing the traditional Taco Bell outing and making BLTA's (bacon, lettuce, tomato & avocado sandwiches on whole wheat).

Since taking out the $125 in cash I have become aware of every purchase. What I buy today takes away from what I can purchase tomorrow, and the next day. Until now, I have been swiping my debit card left and right not consciously thinking about my spending. Now that I have tangible bills in my wallet, I am understanding so much more about where I have been wasting money. All of this and it's only Day 2.

May 1st - The Challenge begins!

I woke up this morning eager to finalize my grocery list and see how well I will do at my first shopping trip for The $250 Challenge. I brought with me only $60 of the $125 allowed for the first 2 weeks of May, but my goal was to only spend $50.

*Remember the Challenge includes all necessities - I've already decided to not purchase any clothing for myself this month and no new toys for Little G*

After completing the grocery list and searching for coupons online, I headed off to Fresh & Easy then to WalMart Super Center. It is Saturday and the 1st of the month so it definitely wasn't pretty, but I survived.

Fresh & Easy was my first stop. I had a F&E coupon for $5 Off when you spend $25 or more and knew I would spend at least $30. The total was $31.50 but I saved $6.90 in coupons making the final total $24.80. I don't buy all the groceries at the same store because F&E has many Organic options but not everything I need. I also know which items are cheaper at each store. For example, lemons are 33 cents each at WalMart, and 89 cents each at F&E. Romain lettuce is 98 cents at F&E, and $2.29 at WalMart. Big savings are made if I shop smart and pay attention to how much I am spending on every item I put in my cart.

At WalMart I was able to control my urge to veer off the list and buy only the items needed. I did, however, remember that I am low on Vegetable Oil so I got that. I was unhappy with the price of the Ciabatta bread at WalMart. I usually get it for 98 cents but it was $3.00. Mental note to get it at F&E next time. My total at WalMart was $27.13.

I spent a grand total of $51.93 which leaves me $73.07 for next week. I know I can stick to this weeks meal plan, I'm just worried that my french fry and Cherry Coke addiction will kick in sometime this week - maybe I'll look around the house for some extra change. Wendy's has a delicious Chicken deluxe sandwich with fries and a medium drink for only $2.99. It's my weakness. Hey, some people spend more than 3 bucks on a coffee - now that's crazy!