Super Savings Saturday: Vacation Budget, My CVS Trip, and Eating From The Pantry Challenge!

Sadly, I didn't get a picture of my Publix trip this week. I got some good deals, but also spent a lot more than usual because of our friends being here.

The extra money that I spent came out of the vacation budget. In order to get a value for my grocery spending this week, I basically looked at what I bought, took off the items that I normally would not buy from week to week (and counted them as money subtracted from the vacation budget), and then subtracted $20 for what my friend paid. I got an estimate value of about $28.58 spent and $50.02 saved.

I also went to CVS this week (pictured below).

I bought:
1 super size package of toilet paper (20 double rolls)
1 Nivea body wash
2 Nivea lip balms
1 package Bic disposable razors (rain check)
2 Johnson Soap Buddies (for a baby gift basket I'm putting together)

Coupons Used:
(2) $1/1 Johnson's Baby Product
(1) $2/1 Nivea Body Wash
(1) BOGO free Nivea Lip Care ($2.99 value)
(1) $5/$30 coupon

Extra Bucks Used: $10.50

Total Paid Out Of Pocket: $12.76
Total Saved: $27.30
Extra Bucks Received: $13.00

So, it wasn't a great CVS trip, but it was decent. My extra bucks were expiring, so I had to use them. I decided to take advantage of the Bonus Pack ECB Deals going on right now (more to come on that. I will post the deals in the next week or so. It runs for over a month).

***With CVS and Publix combined, I spent a total of $41.34 out of the grocery budget this week. I'm a little over, but I have a plan! You'll see...

January Totals:

1st Week: $41.34 (off to a rough start!)

Total spent for month of January so far: $41.34
Total savings for month of January so far: $77.32

(To see December Monthly Overall Totals, go HERE)

Now, on to my plan...

In a nutshell, I have spent way more money than I expected while our friends have been in town. Yes, we set a vacation budget, but I'll admit that we went over it. Unfortunately, in our situation, when we go over a set budget, we have to pull money from somewhere else in order to pay the bills. We don't have a stash of extra cash lying around.

Many bloggers out there are doing the "Eating From The Pantry Challenge" right now. If you were around when I did my October Grocery Challenge, that kind of gives you an idea of what this is all about. Well, I've decided to jump on board with this group of bloggers and do another grocery challenge for the rest of the month of January.

We've gone over budget, we need to cut back, and we have an abundance of food overflowing from our pantry and refrigerator. Therefore, we are going to "eat out of the pantry." We will live off of our stockpile, and only go to the store when absolutely necessary.

This should get us back on track financially. Stay tuned for a special post about this challenge that will include our goals and budget for the month of January...

Whether you are another blogger or a reader, feel free to join in for this Eat From The Pantry Challenge! It's always a lot of fun to see how far you can stretch your budget and stockpile. If you've been couponing for a while, you'd be surprised how easy it is to live off of what you already have. As for me, the hardest part is ignoring the store deals. We'll see how I do with that! Haha!

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!!! =)