Last Week

Fall/Winter is my favorite time of year to coupon.  This is when canned goods (i.e. soups, broths, veggies) plus baking supplies (i.e. sugar, flour, etc.) are at their lowest prices of the year.  So this is my time to stock up.  I try to get a good sense of how much I used from the year before, what things I ran out of, what things I didn't have enough of, so that I know how much to stock up on.  I also like to have  some extras in case we find a family in need or want to donate some.
This shopping trip I spent $30.11 and this is what I got:
4 bags marshmallows
1 loaf of bread
2 packets muffin mix
2 boxes Pop-Tarts
9 cans cream of mushroom soup
9 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans chili
2 bags potato chips
2 men's body washes
4 frozen juice concentrates
2 yogurts
4 boxes of stuffing
1 bottle fabric softener
3 boxes of butter
2 packages of pasta
3 boxes of oatmeal
2 toothbrushes

A few notes:
I do not pay for toothbrushes.  I have bajillions of toothbrushes that I have paid nothing for. I got the two above because the store actually paid me $1 to take them off their hands (coupons combined with catalinas) and I almost always take things that the store will pay me for.  I can then donate them next time Mack volunteers in a shelter or something.
Pop-Tarts and potato chips are luxury items.  They are not things we buy on any sort of regular basis or that I include in meal plans.  But for 50 cents a box/bag, I couldn't resist.  As a teenager, I lived off of Pop-Tarts (I was a super picky eater).  I love that because I coupon, we can have a few little extras like these, just for fun.
I paid $2.50 for that loaf of bread.  I am a bit of a bread snob.  If we really don't have any money, I will buy the $1 a loaf store brand.  But I try to avoid it.  The kids like the good stuff more, and I can barely stomach the $1 loaf.  I am not a snob about most things and am certainly not brand loyal in the slightest (except Crest toothpaste, which I can get free) but good bread is one thing I enjoy.
The above trip was last Friday.  Brisbane and I did run to the store again today to get milk, more butter, jello pudding (I needed a cheap filler), crescent rolls, shredded cheese, another bag of potato chips (another filler), and tortilla chips (for pile-ups).  We spent $15.51 today and got back $3 in catalinas.
So our out of pocket was $45.62 this week.  My budget is $40 a week, so I went a bit over.  I will make up for it next week though.  Stay tuned.