Where do you get those coupons? When we WERE in a coop one year we got them through that, but now I don't have a source for them, do I???
Book it coupons and budget If you are a home educator and your child does not attend another educational facility, you are eligible to participate. Please visit our Web site in March, 2005 for enrollment information or call the BOOK IT! Hotline at 1-800-426-6548 to be added to the mailing list. Or you can be eligible if your co-op or umbrella school participates as a school in the program. Enrollment for K-6 is in March (see website) and enrollment for PreK has a deadline of February 11, but we are only eligible for it through our daycare, umbrella school or co-op. For some reason, they do not allow individual families to enroll in Book It Beginners like the day the Book It for older kids. (I am the Book It Coordinator for our co-op.) Hope that helps! On another note, I have really enjoyed this budget topic. My dh and I have fallen of the wagon on our budget and are trying to get going again. It is neat to find out how much others spend with similar sized families and to realize I'm not spending that much after all! We budgeted $300 per month for a family of four, but that was before my dh took a new job with a cut in pay. I don't know yet what our budget will be now. We were sometimes under, but most often over, as I guess you can imagine! Anyway, cool conversation!
Thanks Nicole, that's a big help! Gotta get that going---my kids read a LOT, so they might as well get something for it!!! 8)
We spend some where around $200 (give or take $50) for a family of four. I hate going to the grocery store. I like going to Dollar General to buy my can foods, rice, noodles, spices, and dried beans they are a whole lot cheaper. We also have a garden so we put up a lot of veggies during the summer. I buy my meat only when it is on sale. I try to go to Wally World once maybe twice a month, and Sams once a month.
With a teenage boy, and a tween boy, I don't think I could get my grocery budget any lower! We do get a lot of out food at Costco, which gives us 2% back at the end of the year. The milk, fresh veggies, fruit, Feta and regular cheeses are WAY cheaper there! The milk there is $3.88 for a box with 2 1-gallon jugs in it--that's cheaper than one 1-gallon jug in some other stores! So we do what we can, but until our boys are not at home anymore, we can expect a good size grocery bill, despite all efforts! :shock:
DH and I are going out to dinner tonight while the kids are at AWANAS. It's sort of our "Valentine Date". I was thinking of making Mac and Cheese for the kids, but Rachael reminded me that they have their Book It coupons from January...... I've signed up for Book It for the last four years, and this is the FIRST YEAR I've gotten it together enough to set up goals for my kids, etc. They are THRILLED with it!!! Part of it is my kids are already big readers, so setting goals were hard. This year, I hit upon setting goals for NON-FICTION!!! (DUH!) So they have a goal of a certain number of science, history, nature, biography, etc. It's working well for us!
I haven't been talking in this thread up until now, because I have no idea what we spend on groceries! We buy most of our stuff at Wal-mart, and the rest comes from a little Mennonite store near us that has tons of stuff at reduced prices. I kinda look at groceries like I look at gas- we need it, so we have to buy it! I am, however, a huge "cheap shopper"- meaning I won't buy anything unless it's on sale!) Anyway, we love the Book It! coupons too! The Pizza Hut that we go to allows the girls to use their coupons for the buffet; so we often go there for our Sunday dinner! I highly recommend participating in the program! Heidi
You guys would all DIE if you lived in Canada LOL. Jackie ... I nearly spit out my tea when I read $180 every two weeks. :shock: We're a family of seven and I spend about $1000 a month, NOT including laundry supplies or milk. Incidentally, this is the highest taxed province in Canada with almost the highest unemployment rate as well. Just doesn't make sense, huh?
We are a family of 6, 4 boys ages, 17, 15, 13, 10. We spend around 400.00 every 2 weeks. I go to Walmart super center and take my grocery ads and get them to make prices on everything thats on sale at other stores, that way I dont waste gas by going to every store.
You just take the flyers from the other store with you, and show them, item by item, to the casheir at Wal-Mart. I don't do that much. Wal-Mart isn't convenient to us as far as location goes. And Meijer's not only is convenient, it also matches prices.
Jackie, I'm chicken but I might try that. There are five big grocery chain stores around here. I wonder if they would fuss if I brought all four other sales ads :roll: ..? Walmart here is the slowest most unorganized, huge, horrible parking lot, store. (Can you tell, I don't love it?) I wonder if Target or one of the other big chains does the same. I can't bear the thougth of doing all my grocery shopping at Walmart. Even with the savings. Thanks, Tammy
Around here you cannot beat the prices at theWalMart Supercenter, but it is true how big it is. My beef with it is how it's set up. You have all your grocery aisles, then you come to children's clothes. If you want shampoo or pet food you have to go all the way to the end of the store.
Yes, Becky, yes. I'm drained every time I leave that store. Then there is the parking lot which is grated (sp?) up-hill away from the store.
Jackie I thought of you today when we left WalMart, after spending 197.00. How on the planet do you make do with what comes out to 90.00 a week for your whole family? Do you make your own things? Do you have an Aldi out that way? Did you ever read Miserly Moms?
Yes, I have an Aldii's, but I never go there. I look at what's on special, and write a list based on that. I stick to my list as much as possible. We don't buy pop unless for a special occasion (ie: my stepsons are coming to dinner, or we're having someone over to play cards). We don't eat out very often. I try to keep to one bag of chips per week. I've also stopped buying expensive convenience foods such as Fruit Rool-Ups, etc. or frozen pizza. Don't even buy things like "Hamburger Helper", or RIce-A-Roni, etc. Ice cream is a special treat (usually when I can get it Buy One, Get One Free!) I buy my cheese and lunch meats at a farm market for REALLY cheap. We've a freezer, so I will buy ten pounds of chicken or hamburger at once while it's on sale and freeze it. I might buy three or four gallons of milk at a time if it's on sale, and won't buy milk that isn't on sale unless I'm totally out, and then I'll only buy one at the ridiculous price. I buy fruit on sale only, bought 12 dozen ears of corn last summer from a friend's dad and froze most of it, also froze several quarts of pick-your-own strawberries (from above-mentioned farm market), and froze applesauce from about four bushels' worth the kids and picked in the fall. There's an orchard not far from here, but I've always thought they were high; last year I found a place farther away, but it is much cheaper and the apples are just as nice. In addition, it's right down the road from an icecream factory that also has outdoor picnic tables for our lunch and a playground. Needless to say, my kids don't want to go back to the first place anymore, LOL! I think probably the biggest two is knowing what you want to buy where, and going to each place only once. OH!!!! And the MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL.................... NEVER, NEVER, NEVER go shopping with your husband or send him out by himself for things!!! He'll buy what's on your list (maybe) and a dozen other things that are NOT, LOL! The last time I sent Carl out, I gave him a list because I was sick and it was the last day of the sale. Instead of buying OJ in a 64 oz carton at $1.50 each, he bought two 96 oz. containers at $3.99 each. I wanted two bags of French Fries for 1.99 each; he bought three bags of Tater Tots. Plus chips, cookies, etc. Oh well! Gotta love them :roll: !
Give Aldi a try Jackie, you'll flip over their prices. Peek at their website, I think it's www.Aldi.com They are super, super cheap, but the hassle is you bag your own stuff and you pay for a cart, but you get the coin back when you return the cart. Let me say this- it would be hard to spend that 197.00 at Aldi unless I really stocked up. That's how cheap they are.
Aldis The Aldi's here is dirty. It is a new store but not kept clean. It has bugs in it and I want buy there. It may be fine but grosses me out. Some of my friends do and don't mind.
The Aldi's here vary depending on where they're located. The one was within walking distance from my old house, and I would shop there on occasion, but mostly for bread and milk, etc. I don't like the incredibly long lines, having to pay for bags, and needing a quarter to get a shopping cart. Their never looked good. Since we've moved, it isn't quite as convenient, so I never shop there.
