My last post was about critics and skeptics complaining about the time it takes to coupon and save money. The second criticism I get is what am I feeding my children and it can't be healthy. Yes, there are great deals on box meals, snacks and items like these but they are used in my house in a balanced way and added only a couple of times a week to our main meals. I've said this before but I have 2 perfectly healthy little girls that fall about 50% of their weight percentile charts for their ages. My girls ask for brussel sprouts so giving them boxed mashed potatoes or the occasional fruit snacks is okay in my book.
Sunday, Mike did the list for Kroger and spent $19, getting about 14 items. Included in this shop was a huge New York Strip about 2 inches thick and a pound of large shrimp. We got a manager special markdown on an Organic Spring Mix so we had steak, shrimp, a Green Giant Steamers (free from last week) and salad for 4 for less than $10.00 plus got 10 other items in our $19 shop. And I have to brag being the seafood lover I am and growing up in Charleston- it's cooler than anything to watch a 2 year old peel her own boiled shrimp which I think she ate at least a dozen. And I have 2 girls that know the real way to eat a steak...rare to medium rare! You can cringe but I love the foodies my children have become.
Tonight, we took advantage of several Manager's Specials for bakery specialty breads, cheeses, deli meat and produce for pannini night! Mike gets awards at IBM for projects, he gets to choose from a catalog and we received his latest today- a Cuisinart pannini press. We had turkey, havarti, avocado on oatmeal bread and ham, provolone and jalapeno on country white loaf panninis for dinner. Another organic mix salad with veggies and Mike did hashbrowns from the new Betty Crocker Skittles boxed potatoes. We easily ate for under $10.00 plus got a $75 press in the process.
I have a couple of points to our dinners the past couple of nights. First of all- obviously we aren't eating out of dented cans and over processed foods for dinner. Mike and I are foodies- we like to eat well and we both can cook very well. Second, if you do depend on the box items or foods that you can only get your children to eat- that's fine. You are saving money on those items. That's the important thing!
However... when you start noticing these manager's markdowns, the deals each week, a good stockpile that you can pick and choose from- you can get creative. We can get a great deal on bread and we may have sandwiches for a couple of nights especially if you find great deals on deli meat. My point- go in the store with an open mind, seek out the deals and go with the flow. You don't have to have the mentality that dinner has to be a meat, potato, side and dessert each night.
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