Super Savings Saturday: My Frugal Failure

Let me just be honest. I failed this week on my super savings. I didn't get a picture of my shopping trip either.

If you read last week's Super Savings Saturday, you know that I have joined up with many other bloggers for an "Eating From The Pantry" challenge for the rest of January. We had guests in town for quite some time, went over budget some, and really need to scale it down for the remainder of the month.

Our guests left Wednesday morning, so I figured I would count this past week's grocery trip in with the challenge. That would make 3 grocery trips worth of eating from the pantry, technically.

Based off of my Eat From The Pantry goals (which are to come), I decided I would mostly focus on buying absolute necessities over the next few weeks: produce, dairy, fresh foods, etc. I'm also starting a weight loss plan (more info on that to come as well). I've been on a fruit and veggie kick for the past 3 days, just to get myself back to a normal eating schedule before I start dieting on Sunday. Oh, and my husband and I decided to do a picnic in the park on Friday afternoon, which meant we needed to buy fresh bread and cheese. =) Hehe...I'm sure you can see where this is going...

So, on Wednesday afternoon I decided to jot down a "few" items I needed. I started to grab a "$5 off of $20 purchase" CVS competitor coupon, but I thought to myself, "yeah right. I won't go over $20 for a few items."

Yeah...totally should have grabbed it! I ended up paying $26.49 for a handful of items, and only saved $12.05 (all of which was on cranberries that were on clearance).

I really couldn't deal with it. I am used to walking out of Publix with a cart full of groceries for that price! (examples HERE, HERE, and HERE! haha!)

It was so refreshing to just up and go to the grocery store without one thought of coupons. Wow, was it ever nice. My husband was thrilled. But the walking out of the store paying more than I saved was not so fun. Here's what I got, in case you're interested:

Bananas
Italian loaf of bread
4 packages cranberries ($.29 each)
1 Yoplait yogurt (for a fruit salad)
1 Cucumber
1 water (2.5 gallon)
1 package walnuts (gotta have nuts on a fruit salad)
1 package mixed raw veggies
1 block cheese
1 gallon milk
1 bunch of grapes (SEVEN DOLLARS!!!)

This completely messes up my yearly savings totals, as I am about to start a new feature where I keep track of my savings all year. And, it kind of puts me in a bind with my budget goals for this Eat From The Pantry Challenge. You know what, though? It's okay! I did it. I'm moving on. I'm finding ways to stretch my budget over the next 2 weeks. I will make it work. Our picnic was wonderful, all of the fruit was yummy, and I'm pumped to start my diet!

Stay tuned for the "Eat From The Pantry Challenge!"

Also, I know that $26 might not seem like a lot to you, but for us it is. Our weekly grocery budget is normally $35, and it feeds us wondefully. For us to spend $26 on some odds and ends is...well...terrible, especially when I'm trying to cut the budget for the last 3 weeks of January.

New to saving money on groceries? Try this series for helpful information on how to save.

Not sure how to use coupons? Try this post for couponing basics!

Want to start saving at Publix? Check out the Publix Basics post to learn all about it!

What about you? How did you do this week? Share your deals and scenarios below! If you are new to saving money, I invite you to e-mail me with a picture and explanation of a great deal you got, so that I can share it with everyone! Go here to see some readers' savings. They do so great! We're all in this together!!! =)

Want to see how others save as well? Many bloggers join Money Saving Mom in her "Super Savings Saturday" every week! Check it out!