Super Savings Saturday: Kroger and Walgreens (and we're temporarily raising our grocery budget again)

As some of you know, I had severe anemia last pregnancy, so severe, in fact, that I ended up being hospitalized for a week to run tests and monitor me because the doctors and specialists were sure I must have some kind of disease or disorder other than pregnancy for my body to be in such bad shape and unwilling to respond in any way to the many different varieties of supplements, iron pills, and other such remedies they gave me for weeks in order to get my hemoglobin and platelet levels to bounce back up to a somewhat decent range.

The final verdict, after more poking and prodding and testing than I'd ever desire to endure again, was that I was healthy as a lark in all respects except for my hemoglobin and platelet counts and those were directly related to nurturing a life inside of me. And so I was induced early last time around and within a few days of the baby being born, my health had almost returned to normal levels. Which was a huge praise!

With this pregnancy, we've taken a number of precautionary measures to, if possible, avoid the difficulties I had the last time around. I've been eating a high-iron diet and taking double the normal iron supplements, in addition to a number of things.

And now that I'm 20 weeks along and starting to feel some anemia coming on, we're upping our grocery budget in order to allow me to buy extra meat each week. I'm not usually a meat eater--especially a red meat eater--but since it seems to be one thing my body does find helpful in warding off anemia, I'm eating it and lots of it. And it's very worth the extra $20 per week we've decided to spend if it means that I'm able to stay more healthy this time around.

So all that said, yes, we're temporarily raising the grocery budget to $60 per week as opposed to our usual $40 per week. The plan is to do this for the next 18-20 weeks or so while I get through the rest of my pregnancy. And then we'll re-evaluate and see what would be best for our family.

I wanted to openly and candidly share about this because I think it is important that all of us don't become so stuck upon a certain budgeted dollar amount for groceries that we overlook the needs of our families. $40 usually works pretty well for us, but I'm flexible if we need to raise it for a season--or even permanently--to better accommodate needs in our family or our current life situation.

For you, maybe $80 is what works best. Or $100. Or $150. I hope that our lower grocery budget can serve as an inspiration to many of you, but I don't ever want anyone to feel as if a certain dollar amount is the "gold standard" of grocery budgets. Because what works for one family, will likely not work for many other families. Do what works for your family and challenge yourself to do the best you can do with the time, energy, and resources you have. That's truly what frugal living is all about!

Now, with all of that said, here was our shopping trip from yesterday:
(isn't my daughter cute? She asked if she could please be in the picture!)

We hit Kroger (Dillons) and Walgreens and spent $42. I still need to hit Aldi for cheese, eggs, butter, frozen veggies, and a few other things so I'll likely spend most of the remaining $18 of our budget there.

At Dillons, I did the cereal promotion (buy 4 boxes of cereal bars or cereal, get $4 off instantly) three different times. They were $0.50-$1/box after coupons and the sale--which is a great price for our family since these are special treats for us!

I also got 8 packages of frozen meat that was reduced and Horizon milk and yogurt that was reduced and I had a coupon for. In addition, I got a free bag of Steamfresh meals for two (they had sent me a coupon as part of a promotion), toilet paper, whole wheat flour, and spinach, apples, and bananas all reduced.

All totaled, I spent $42 at Dillons and was very happy with all I was able to snag for that!

At Walgreens, I did a very sweet transaction: 2 Sure deodorants (free after coupons), aspirin (free with a coupon Walgreens sent me), a Schick Quattro razor (free after coupons), and two bottles of Arm and Hammer detergent (on 4-day special for $1.99 and I used one $1/1 coupon).

My total before coupons was $26 and after coupons was $3.98. But here's where it gets really good: Walgreens had sent me a $5 off check because we'd just moved to the area. So they were able to run the $5 off check to cover my $3.98 and I paid nothing out of pocket. Plus, I got a $5 Register Rewards back for spending $25 at Walgreens during their 4-day sale. Yay!

How'd you do this week? Post about the deals and bargains you were able to snag this week or other ways you saved money on your blog (with pictures, if possible!) and then come back here and leave your link below. **To make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.**

Comments

[Shawn]

Wow. And I thought my wife was a superstar. We bow at the alter of Money Saving Mom. Great job. I never thought we'd be so excited about getting the Sunday paper, but with your helpful advice, it's a well spent $2.

[Marianne]

I hope the red meat helps; has anyone seen any super coupon codes for Omaha Steaks? Leave 'em here for Crystal (or her family) if you do!

Thanks for the chance to link, as always, and for your honesty about raising your budget. We all have different families/needs; you really do have to do what works best for you.

Take care, and yes, your little pixie is a cutie pie (and apparently not a bit camera-shy!).

[Hopefulone]

Awesome Wags trip!!!!:) Best wishes with the new baby.

[Jill Foley]

I really need help....I live in the upper peninsula of Michigan and we just don't have any of these stores you all have! We have Super One and Econo Foods for grocery options (no grocery game lists for those stores). We do have a Walmart, but our prices are significantly higher here. We don't even have CVS, but they are building a Walgreens.

I budgeted $450 this past month for groceries and household items...total spent...around $600! And that was with tons of coupons and shopping store sales. HELP!!!!

[Jennifer]

Thank you so much for your honesty and openness. I hope that this pregnancy is a lot smoother, and healthier for you. I've been following your blog since I moved to the US (from Australia) in June and have been very inspired and challenged. That said, I have wondered lately after seeing your weekly shop (and others who link to your site) where the meat and fish are? We are very blessed with a good income that affords us many "luxuries", but that doesn't mean we just spend, spend, spend. In fact, it's only been through careful budgeting (and listening to much ridicule from friends and family about our budgeting) that we've remained debt, and now mortgage, free. One area I've always struggled with is our grocery bill. After following your blog I've learnt the secrets of couponing, stocking up on sales, etc and I can say things are better - but I've realised we'll never be a family that grocery shops for less than $150/week (especially as we living in Santa Monica where the deals aren't that great). So thank you for your comments on everyone's needs being different - I don't feel so "bad" anymore!

[Anon]

This post came at a very good time for me, as I just spent $100 at the store yesterday. Our budget for food and household supplies is $50 per week, but I am in my first trimester of pregnancy, didn't go to the store at all last week, left all of my coupons at home, and could only bear the thought of going to one store due to exhaustion. I am also craving juice, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables (we usually only buy canned since they're cheaper). I felt really guilty for spending so much money, but this post makes me feel much better.

Thank you for your honesty!

[grocery mama]

Hi Crystal, I think the most important thing is that you are healthy and that you have a healthy pregnancy. There is no dollar amount that will ever be worth that!
Good for you and eat up!

[Bridget]

Thanks so much for the inspiration! Also for alleviating my guilt that our $120/week budget for a family of 5 must be pitiful compared to all you "seriously frugal" people! Love this site and really appreciate your openness and candor. God Bless you and your precious family.

[Kristi]

I too suffered from anemia during pregnancy and after giving birth. My prayers will be with you while you work to keep it balanced with proper diet and iron pills.

[Deborah]

This is where money becomes unimportant...when it directly relates to your welfare and health AND an unborn baby!

Congrats on all the great deals :)

[MarriedSAHMof3]

Best wishes to you and your baby! Glad you worked things out!

[Deborah]

The photo is much better with your daughter in it!

She's a cutie pants :)

[Liz]

I have problems with anemia that started when I was pregnant with my first. Make sure to keep an eye on your B12 levels too, I ended up being deficient. I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes smoothly!
Blessings,
Liz

[Melodie]

Yay! That means I'm not so far off of frugal living after all. Not that I expected to be just like you, but since your family and mine are about the same size and growing at about the same rates (I'm expecting my third too), I was using your budgeting sort of as a gauge for my own as I get the hang of couponing.

Since my husband is a blue collar laborer and thus a big meat eater, (he usually has something to say about any meal that might be missing it), I had wondered how much I should add to the budgeting suggestions you've made without going overboard. Now I know that $60 a week is pretty good! Sometimes we hit $70 and more rarely even $80 (my husband allows for up to $100 without complaint) but that is only when I see some deals that I just can't pass up.

Thank you for posting this. It is very encouraging to someone like me who is fairly new at this yet.

[Heather L.]

I just wanted to say thank you for your comments about food budgets and the need to adjust them for your family's needs. We have had to adjust for a higher budget (still low compared to the average) after finding that the way I eat directly affects my health. After a 4 1/2 year bout of chronic fatigue and all the ways that affects a family, we've had to turn to a higher food budget that provides more meat and protein as well as lots of fruit and veggies. It is worth it to have a happy and healthy mommy. :)

[Mel]

You probably know about this, but just in case you don't, Floradix is a WONDERFUL iron supplement that is all natural without the side effects of iron pills. You can get it any healthfood store. I had anemia after my son was born and I chose to try this, because I read such great things about it, instead of the pills my doc wanted me to use. My levels shot up very quickly and I felt SO much better.
As always great job on the blog. It is such a blessing to us! Praying that you will have a smooth rest of your pregnancy!

[The Things We Say]

Crystal, another cheaper way to get more natural iron is by eating Cream of Wheat. You might already know this. It doesn't sound like much when you read the label on the box compared to taking an iron pill but your body can actually absorb much more of the iron in the Cream of Wheat compared to how much of it is being passed through your body and NOT absorbed from an iron pill. Anyway, I just thought I'd pass that on in case eating all the meat gets to you. Through my pregnancies I ate Cream of Wheat several times a week and my doctor was always shocked at my blood test every week. He was like "how much red meat are you eating!?" And I'd smile and tell him, "very little actually." I finally told him my little secret about Cream of Wheat. Beets are also high in iron. =0) Hope it goes better this time around for you! Blessings

[Alison Armstrong]

Have you thought of getting fresh beef or pork from a local farmer? It is much cheaper usually. We are pork and cattle farmers and when we process a cow all the meat averages out to the price of hamburger in the store. I don't know what port averages out to per pound but I do know we can get a whole pig bought and processed for under $200. That is a lot of meat. We often split up cows or pigs for butcher for our friends and neighbors. (some people don't want the whole cow or pig) We eat a lot of meat because I cook a full lunch and supper everyday. I think we go through 1/2 a cow and a whole pig every year. My kids and I's iron levels are always above average- I think it is from all the good meat we get. Oh, the steaks we get from our fresh beef are way better than a good steak at a fancy restaurant!

*************
Money Saving Mom here: Um, well actually, we tried this earlier this year. Bought a 1/4 of an organic cow from a local farm. Paid an arm and a leg for it. And then our freezer went out while we were on vacation and we lost the whole thing. Needless to say, neither my husband or I are too keen on trying again for a little while since our first experience at this was so disappointing! :)

[The Thrifty Mama]

I really hope that you read this and heed my advice.

Your body cannot properly absorb the iron in things that the doctor will prescribe for you. You must have a natural source of iron. I had this problem with my first pregnancy, and used Floradix Iron with Herbs. After trying for weeks to get my iron up with normal measures the doctor prescribed with no results, I turned to this. Within 24 hours my iron was normal and the baby and I were well and flourishing. It's a natural source of iron that your body is able to absorb. Please please please try it! I swear by it! It is a little pricey, but like I said, within 24 hours we were fine. You can get it at Vitacost.com for the cheapest. You can find it at Whole Foods and natural grocery stores as well, but the cheapest is vitacost. Plus you can use ebates (don't worry not spamming you) with vitacost to save even more. I really hope you will try it. You will think a miracle has happened. It also has a great source of vitamin C and other nutrients you and the baby need.

And don't worry it's very safe to use. I used it with my son when he was having trouble after open heart surgery. His iron was up the next time he was checked at the doctor. Remember, Floradix Iron with Herbs.

*******************
Money Saving Mom here: Thanks, Thrifty Mama. I was actually on ten different natural iron sources last time (including Floradix) for a number of weeks and they did nothing for me, sadly. (I always prefer to go natural whenever possible, which you probably already know if you've followed my other blog.) I'm still hopeful they might help this time around but I've learned that what works for someone doesn't always work for someone else. :( But I'm glad they work for many people and I'm so glad it worked for you!

[Jennifer Caldwell]

I look forward to seeing your great deals every week. Thank you for saying what you did about your grocery budget. Sometimes I feel frustrated for spending more than I see others do, but I think you're right that we each have to assess what works for our family's needs. Enjoy the steak!!!

[Michelle]

Can you tell me where the General Mills cereal coupons are? Thank you. Love your blog - look at it everyday!

[Christina at Saving 4 My Family]

Crystal, you always do so well for Super Saturday Savings!!

This was by far my best trip for "Weekly Grocery Savings!" I try to spend $50 a week or less. I would really like to spend less than $30 a week on both Grocery & Household, but it's a goal I'm working on.

Thanks,
Christina

[MeghanM]

Yesterday I hit up Walgreens - I too got the sure deoderant for free, arm and hammer for $1ea, 3 50ct Ibuprofens for $1 ea using a 4 day coupon, I did the Maybeline BOGO and used the $4 off coupon from sunday's paper, I got the Schick razor for free. My total was around $44 dollars and I only paid $4.20. Better yet I got the $5 register coupon in the end. As always my husband thinks I'm crazy, but he's excited for a new razor.

[april]

Cute picture!
Glad to hear that you are taking care of yourself.

[*mindi*]

black strap molasses is a great source of iron as well. :)

[Janeen]

Just thought I'd mention that I had low iron during my first pregnancy and my midwife suggested taking some supplements and the one I did was Liquid Chlorofil. You can find it at health food stores (Whole Foods, etc). It's a little expensive but goes a long way. Just mix a tablespoon in with a drink and it takes like tea. Plus it's got other good stuff for you besides iron. She also had me taking alfalfa pills which you can find cheaply at Walmart- also good for tons of vitamins, calcium and fiber!

*********************
Money Saving Mom here: Yes, I tried that for weeks. In fact, I tried pretty much every single natural remedy under the sun (thanks to my midwife and doctor's recommendations) and nothing worked. Which is why I had all the medical professionals and midwives stumped.

But I'm so glad that many of these things work for others and if anyone needs suggestions on how to boost your iron in pregnancy, I can give you dozens of them. :)

[Alisha]

Yes, Crystal, she is very cute!! :) She is very proud to be in her mommy's picture. ;) You are a great mom.

[Claire at Choyster Cash]

The best deal I found this week was the 2009 Entertainment Book for a profit of $2 (although some people are getting it for a profit of $6)! This is *amazing* for a book I've spent $30 on in the past!!

Here's how: http://choystercash.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-2010-entertainment-books-for-profit.html

The $6.50 update:
http://choystercash.blogspot.com/2008/12/update-up-to-650-profit-on-each-2009.html

[Claire at Choyster Cash]

My best deal of the week?

The 2009 Entertainment Book for a profit!

See my Super Saturday Savings post on how to do it:
http://choystercash.blogspot.com/2008/12/super-saturday-savings.html

[Amanda]

Hi Crystal,

Just wondered how you are handling diapers since your move (no more CVS)? I haven't noticed any in your grocery pictures recently and was curious if you are working from a pre-move stockpile or are doing something different.

Thanks for all the inspiring grocery posts and I hope your new temporary budget helps with your iron issues.

[Amy - Cutting Coupons in KC]

I love the Walgreens Mid Week Sales!

[Jan]

Hope the extra red meat helps you! The one thing my grocery store marks down is meat from the day before- I can always get good deals on beef, chicken and pork, often for only $1/lb. They never mark down milk or produce except old bananas though. So I find that meat is inexpensve for me to buy but prodcue and dairy especially cheese is way too much money. I try to stick to $60 a week for the 3 of us but usually end up more around $80. God bless.

[Jan]

I forgot about your freezer and your meat- oh that was terrible! I hope you find some good deals on meat. My friend was very anemic and it turned out to be Iron and B12 both and she had to get it by IV. again GOd bless

[Andrea @ Mommy Snacks]

Crystal, thanks for sharing the logic regarding your increase. Obviously, getting the little baby as healthy as possible is the most important thing!!

And, while you're increasing your budget, I think it's important to sometimes take a look at how we can also challenge the budget and spend less where possible. Over the summer, I challenged my buget and shed $25. But, when our son started back to school and lunches are being packed everyday (which saves us quite a bit), I added that money back in order to keep him eating what he likes.

It feels good to challenge that number occasionally to ensure the target is still accurate. And, it feels especially good to challenge the process you're using to find a better, more efficient, cost-effective way to doing our domestic duties.

Blessings for a healthy rest of your pregnancy!!

[Lee ann]

I too had severe anemia with my first pregnancy. Even required a blood transufsion. It ended up being Celiacs disease. An intolerance to gluten. Even though you return to normal following pregnancy, (I did too) you may want to have this simple blood test done. It's changed my life!

The advice on the iron was true for me as well. Your body really doesn't absorb many iron supplements. My hematologist went through all of this with me during the transfusions. Especially the ones that are easy on your stomach. They're easy because they're not being absorbed.

Anyway, love your site. Hope this pregnancy is smoothe sailing.

[Mercedes]

Your daughter is adorable! Take good care of yourself.

Mercedes

[Carrie]

It's funny -- earlier this year I wrote a post that ended up on MSN Money so hundreds of people commented on it. Many people seemed angry about my $80 grocery budget -- said it was ridiculous, that they could never do that because of x, y and z reasons. When, just like you, I was trying to explain the benefits of SETTING A BUDGET and sticking to it, not saying that everyone should have the same exact budget I do. I also laughed at the many people who said that $80 was flat-out impossible because I knew that to many, like you, $80 would be such a walk in the park!

Kudos for your decision about feeding yourself more meat. Since you've written that you are not on an "everything is covered" HMO healthcare plan, you're certainly saving money in hospital bills buy spending a little more on groceries.

[Honey]

I will pray for your health. I agree with Mel -Floridix is good stuff-took it with my twin girls and when I had my twin boys a year later, I had no-anemia! Other good non-meat sources of iron are of coarse the dark green veggies, but also blackstrap molasses. We eat it in our oatmeal. I also take a green food supplement because you can get way more greens than you could ever eat! A recommendation is Barley Life by Aim. It has brown rice and kelp (for trace minerals). It really helps with energy and restful sleep. B supplements are also so important especially for vegetarians or semis. Thanks for all the ways you serve moms!

[Honey]

I will pray for your health. I agree with Mel -Floridix is good stuff-took it with my twin girls and when I had my twin boys a year later, I had no-anemia! Other good non-meat sources of iron are of coarse the dark green veggies, but also blackstrap molasses. We eat it in our oatmeal. I also take a green food supplement because you can get way more greens than you could ever eat! A recommendation is Barley Life by Aim. It has brown rice and kelp (for trace minerals). It really helps with energy and restful sleep. B supplements are also so important especially for vegetarians or semis. Thanks for all the ways you serve moms!

[Honey]

I will pray for your health. I agree with Mel -Floridix is good stuff-took it with my twin girls and when I had my twin boys a year later, I had no-anemia! Other good non-meat sources of iron are of coarse the dark green veggies, but also blackstrap molasses. We eat it in our oatmeal. I also take a green food supplement because you can get way more greens than you could ever eat! A recommendation is Barley Life by Aim. It has brown rice and kelp (for trace minerals). It really helps with energy and restful sleep. B supplements are also so important especially for vegetarians or semis. Despite all our "advice" God is a wonderful counselor and will lead you to what will work well for you. Thanks for all the ways you serve moms. And your little girl is just darling!

[Lisa]

Making and eating chili with hamburger & pinto beans has a very high iron content :) Also, not sure how the iron is affecting you going to the bathroom but I know that taking ground flax seed helps me with that part of the added iron. Praying for you and your family.
Lisa

[SciBirg]

@ Jill in Michigan:

We are in the same situation. We live in a small town in the southwest and we have 1 grocery store that has no store loyalty card and only have sales on their store brand, and then we have Walmart where the prices are way higher than the Walmart deals posted online. We do have a Walgreens here, though, and that helps a LOT. So hang in there, and read up on how to coupon at Walgreens and that will help out the health and beauty portion of your budget at least. And if you are able to get a deal at Walmart with your coupons, that is a bonus. :)

[Amy]

I had anemia my last 2 pregnancies too. The iron pills didn't seem to help a whole lot. Towards the end of my last pregnancy a friend told me about Floradix liquid iron supplement. It is quite expensive (the dose I was taking was around $40/mo) but it really helped. It's not constipating like many iron pills are.

http://www.amazon.com/Flora-Floradix-Iron-Herbs-liquid/dp/B000R15O5S/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1229199888&sr=8-1

[amanda]

You are an inspiration with all you do and I always look forward to your helpful hints on helping me save. I think every family is different and we all need to do what's best for us. Thanks for all you do and I pray this pregnancy is very easy or atleast easier! Good Luck and God Bless.

[Honey]

I had frugal fun on Friday again. Again with my kids, and again at Target. Bought 3 boxes crackers, 2 boxes cookies, 2 bags candy, 2 mini first-aid kits, and 6 pks batteries. After gift card from last week, coupons, and $5 gift card for this week, Target paid me $3-which I spent at the snack bar for popcorn for my kiddies. Two bags of goodies, 3 bags popcorn...freefreefree! Saturday my husband and I went to Target (because our wonderful church kept all the kids and fed them lunch -for free so the parents could go shopping:) I went back to Target to get the luminairs they had been out of earlier in the week. Thanks for the posts about those!

[lydia grewell]

Hi,
I have been enjoying your blog very much and learning lots of great tips from you! Thanks so much!
I am wondering if you have ever considered WIC (Women, Infants and Children), it's a program, depending on your income and size of family that helps pregnant or nursing moms with certain free groceries such as milk, eggs, cheese, and other things. One of their concerns is that the mother gets enough protein and iron, this could help you out and keep your budget low!
Just wanted to share that in case you weren't aware of it.
Thanks again!

[Sarah]

Hi Crystal-
I too suffered from anemia during my pregnancy. I nver had luck with supplements, and eventually started eating red meat for two of my three meals a day. I even started taking a vitamin C pill before the red meat to help with absorption. It was nasty, and I gained 68 pounds, but I was able to overcome the exhaustion and have a healthy baby.
I will continue to pray for you to have a healthy and happy pregnancy. Your blog is an ispiration to me as I make monetary changes in my household!!

[Glenda]

I love your blog!

As a nutritionist, I recommend that whenever you have a protien food, also include some high vitamin C food with it to increase the absorption of iron from your diet.

Wishing you a healthy pregnancy!

http://thelittleredhenfoodsite.blogspot.com/

[Marie]

Thanks for being so transparent about your life, Crystal! I really do hope that this pregnancy goes well for you. I think it's sort of funny that people keep telling you what kind of things to eat (I'm sure you're an expert by now) so I won't do that. I just wanted to also say thanks for reassuring everyone that the budget that works for one family might not work for another. The point is that we're sticking to a budget and not spending more than we have.

Take care!

[Jennifer]

Thanks for your honesty! You and your family are doing great with sticking to your grocery budget!