Staying under our weekly budget - Meal Planning June 20th - 26th

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This week I got to enjoy something I haven't been able to do for over three years - all the grocery shopping in peace and by myself!  Since we're doing our grocery shopping with cash now, Jon stayed home so Michael could get his much needed nap.  Because I was on my own, I was able to do comparison shopping and my eyes were completely opened.  Things that I thought were cheaper at one
store really weren't and vice versa.  It really helped me see where we might be able to save a few more dollars in the future.  Let's start with what Jon and I decided on for our dinners for the week:
  1. Pizza (had pepperoni and pizza sauce leftover from last week)
  2. Wings (already have)
  3. Grilled Pork Chops
  4. Hot Dogs
  5. Chicken Enchiladas (already have the chicken)
  6. Hamburger Helper (already have the hamburger)
The sides for most of the meals we already have and will probably be Kraft mac-n-cheese for Jon & Michael and some type of vegetable for me.  All of the sides we already have on hand.

I started my trip out at Walmart mostly because it's the furthest store.  This day it also happened to be the longest list, which I found rather odd.  Here's the list along with the prices for both Walmart (dark blue) and Wegmans (gold):
  • loaf of whole wheat bread  $1.48    $1.99
  • marinade  $0.98    $1.19
  • enchilada kit  $2.50    $2.89
  • Hamburger Helper  $1.50    $1.39
  • chicken strips  $3.47    $3.99
  • apple juice  $2.48    $2.79
  • hot dog buns  $1.18    $1.29
  • french fries  $1.25    $1.19
  • pop tarts  $3.68 (16 ct)    $2.89 (12 ct)
  • quart size bags  $1.76    $2.99
I spent $23.36 before tax at Walmart.  If I would have purchased the same items at Wegmans I would have spent $22.60 before taxes.  Making a difference of $0.76.  As you can see, there are some items that are cheaper at Wegmans than Walmart.  In the future, I'll probably start buying some of these items at Wegmans instead of Walmart.  With tax, I ended up spending $24.01 at Walmart.

I went straight to Wegmans since it's on the way home from Walmart.  Here's the list along with the prices for both stores:
  • cookies  $3.50    $3.48
  • pizza dough  $2.49 (1lb 12oz)    $0.88 (16oz)
  • shredded mozzarella cheese  $2.79    $2.64
  • spreadable butter  $1.99    $1.98
  • pork chops  $4.19 (2 chops)    $4.08 (4 chops)
  • onion  $0.32 ($1.39/lb)    $0.88/lb
  • shredded sharp cheddar cheese  $2.79    $2.64
Before tax, I spent $18.07.  If I would have bought all of these items at Walmart I would have spent $16.58 before tax.  Making a difference of $1.49.  As you can see, there are some items that are not that different in price and other that are.  I know I spent more on the pork chops, but they are actually of better quality and extremely thick.  The produce maybe a little more at Wegmans, but it is also of better quality.  Sometimes it's worth paying more for better quality.  With tax, I spent $18.52 at Wegmans.

Our weekly budget was $50 and we spent in total $42.53.  That makes us under our budget by $7.47 which we will put towards next week's grocery budget.  Now that I was able to look at the comparison of both stores, I can  now readjust our lists to try and help us save even more.  How are you doing with your grocery budgets?  Do you shop at more than one store?  Have you ever done comparison shopping?  I know this has really helped me out.  Look to see how this has helped with our shopping next week.
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