So long Walmart

Well since I am still on my food storage kick I'd thought I share some of my recent accumulations. Perhaps this is a new hobby? It is kind of fun getting things for free or almost nothing. Perhaps it's related to our new situation here in Cache Valley. We are far from stores and money is tight especially with all the bad weather month after month and Brandon unable to fly.

Something that has really been great for me is I am no longer dependent on Walmart. In fact I maybe stop in once a month now. I have always known that Walmart really does not have the lowest prices. I know the argument goes both ways but if you are wise and know when and how to buy things you can beat Walmart's prices on almost everything even their Great Values brand. I can hear you all now. "What about diapers?" Even diapers are cheaper if you know when and how to buy them. For instance, right now at Walgreens when you buy $25 in Huggies products you get $10 back. Online there are $5 & $3 off coupons. Using coupons and Walgreens Register Rewards it is possible to get 3 jumbo packs of Huggies diapers and a giant pack of refill wipes for $11 out of pocket. Recently at Albertsons you could get Pampers for $2.50 a pack. Don't let Walmart fool you into thinking they have the lowest prices.

In the past I think I relied on Walmart so much because of convenience. It was 2 minutes from my house and they seemed to have the best prices. There is no such thing as convenience when it comes to shopping for my family here. It doesn't matter where I go, all the stores are the same distance so I might as well shop around and wait for the rock bottom prices. It certainly seems to be paying off. :)

This month I decided to spend the bulk of our food budget on our food storage. Every Associated Food store is having their case lot sale right now so it was a good time to stock up. I really researched and found that my Dad's store, Ridley's in Hyrum, had the best prices, beating Walmart and Macey's by a land side. I made my list and paired up coupons with the ad.

Each month our total food budget is $300 (up from recent years) which to some seems like very little but if you follow any of the Utah coupon mom gurus my budget is very generous for my family of five. And if you haven't figured it out by now we do not eat Hamburger Helper dinner. I actually cook almost every night. We also budget another $100 per month for other household items like diapers, paper products, personal Hygiene items, cleaners, etc.

Here is what $170 got me this month:

6 lbs of spaghetti

25 more lbs of flour

25 lbs of sugar

Case of 24 Chef Boyardee Ravioli

Case of 12 jars pasta sauce

12 cans mushrooms

12 cans sliced olives

Case of 48 cans tuna fish

Case of 24 cans diced tomatoes

12 cans black beans

12 cans red beans

Case of 24 corn

Case of 24 green beans

12 cans peas

12 cans pineapple

24 cans Cambell's Cream of Chicken soup

12 cans tomato sauce

72 rolls of TP

15 rolls of paper towel

Case 24 Mac & Cheese

24 assorted seasoning pouches

12 cans garbanzo beans

2 lbs dry pinto beans

12 cans Manwich

12 cans refried beans

6 boxes Pop Secret microwave popcorn

1 Gallon jug Pancake Syrup

5 more lbs ground beef. (I know I have a ton of meat but I couldn't pass up $1.30/lb)

This will last us a long time and save us lots of money in the long run.

I used some of my new food storage for dinner last night.

Taco Soup

1lb Ground Beef $1.30

1/2 onion chopped $.10

3 cans beans $1.50

1 can vegetable soup FREE from my Albertson's trip
1 can corn $.33

2 cans diced tomatoes $.90

1 packet taco seasoning $.30

1/2 jar salsa $.75

1/2 cup sour cream $.22

Some crushed chips $.25

1 cup shredded cheese $.80

Total for the whole pot $6.45

Feeds my family 2 meals so 1/2 will be frozen for another night.

Total cost for one dinner to feed my family of five using food storage $3.25