So, how did I do this week? I have commited myself and our family budget to $50 per week on groceries and household needs. Keep in mind, I have created a nice stockpile of various items which I will not need to purchase on a regular basis such as toilet paper, paper towels, shaving gels, diapers and wipes and various other food and household items. Now, I can purchase these products only when they are on sale, instead of paying retail. This week I shopped various stores but only purchased a few items that were either free or were rockbottom prices.

I started my week at Albertsons, as usual. Typically, this is where I spend most of my weekly budget. I bought:

3 bags of Lays Potato Chips: $1.67 each using Fred Meyers in-ad coupon, used a $1/1 printable Lays coupon (Thanks to Elisa for having an extra coupon for me!)

3 boxes of Wheat Thins: $1.99 each, used $2/2 coupon from last Sunday's paper

2 Culinary Circle Pizzas: $6.29, BOGO free at Albertsons this week and get 2 - 2 liters of Dr. Pepper free!

3 Chlorox Wipes: $2.50 each, buy 2 get 1 free using Albertsons in ad coupon. I also used (2) $.75 off coupons from previous week's papers.

1 Package of deli sliced Swiss Cheese. FREE with the purchase of 3 Nabisco products.

Total purchase value: $45.14
Total Saved: $28.91

OOP Total: $16.23

My next stop was Walgreens. I had a $10 off Catalina from a previous purchase that I needed to use before Feb. 2nd. There really wasn't anything I was eager to get this week from Walgreens, but I didn't want to forget to use my $10 coupon, so I purchased (2) 12oz. packages of Starbucks Espresso. It was on sale for $6.99 a package, which is a decent price and we go through coffee like crazy around my house with the recent purchase of our espresso maker. I also bought a One Touch Mini glucose monitor. No one in my house will use this as none of us have diabetes. However, it was on sale for $14.99 and I had a $20 off coupon for it so it was free. I didn't make a profit on the product as the coupon was an "up to" $20 off coupon, but again it didn't cost me anything but a few minutes of my time. I will donate this item to my church's food bank.

Total Purchase Value: $28.97
Total Saved: $13.98

Total OOP: $5.72 after using my $10 Walgreens Register Rewards from a previous purchase.

Rite Aid was next on my list. Again, not too much from this week's ad interested me. I did see one item that was a real good deal. Rite Aid had Huggies Goodnights on sale for $9.99 with a $5 mail in rebate. (You can file your rebates on-line at riteaid.com. This is an electronic rebate and it is so quick and easy. You just register for an account and enter your receipts after your shopping trips.) I also had a $2 off coupon for Goodnights making the deal even sweeter. I usually save these coupons for my sister-in-law, but since she doesn't shop Rite Aid much I purchased the product for her and will file the rebate in my account. Her total price for this product: $2.99! Good deal. While I was there, I picked up a container of Gilette Mach 3 shaving gel that was on clearance for $1.85. I had a $.55 coupon for this product making my total $1.30. I also found Gilette Mach 3 4-pack of disposable razors on clearance marked down from $7.78 to $3.89. Plus, I had a coupon from a Sunday paper, buy one get one free! So, I bought 2 packages for a total of eight razors for $3.89. I also spend $.50 on some Quaker rice cakes for my 3 year old, Adin, while we shopped.

Total Purchase Value: $20.11
Total Saved: $10.73

Total OOP: $9.88 after $5 Rite Aid rebate

Wal-mart was my last stop for the week. I don't shop Wal-mart on a weekly basis any longer. However, often times I will purchase items there which I need and haven't found on sale elsewhere. This week I purchased:

2 packages of Kotex: $1.00 each, used $1/1 and $.75/1
1 Lysol Wipes: $2.00, used $1/1
1 Lysol Kitchen Cleaner: $2.00, used $1/1
Cascadian Farms Granola: $2.92 (that's the most I've paid for cereal in a long time! We love it in yogurt though.)
2 boxes of Pillsbury Cake Mix: $.88 each
2 boxes of Arm and Hammer Soda: $.54 each, used $1/2 coupon from Arm and Hammer's website
Rubbing Alcohol: $1.42
Suave 3oz Hand Lotion: $.97, used $1/1

Total Purchase Value: $14.15
Total Saved: $6.55

Total OOP: $8.45 (taxes included)

Woohoo! This was the first week I planned carefully and stayed within my $5o budget. My total spend for this week: $40.28!