Even More Ways to Save
Zero to Stockpile
Well guys, I made it through the first week of my Zero to Stockpile challenge. I’m not gonna lie, it wasn’t easy leading up to it and it was certainly not easy this first week. Truth be told, I had a lot of anxiety giving up my entire stockpile, which also included my full freezer.
During the week, I was concerned about getting the staple items I need to make meals for my family. But, in the end, I managed to get, somewhat, stocked up on some of those important items.
What I Gave Up
Because my budget wouldn’t allow it, I had to give up on some items I wanted. Items like cashews, tortilla chips, chicken apple sausage, Kodiak Cake pancake mix my son loves (i’ve actually been researching a way to make it cheaper), pretzels, brussels sprouts and more. One thing my son has been bugging me for is the Kodiak Cake Power Cakes Pancake Mix he loves. Costco has it on sale this month but, to my surprise, I found it much cheaper on Amazon. Costco’s price per oz (with the coupon) is $0.36/oz. The large 6 pack on Amazon is just $0.22/oz (with subscribe & save) and the smaller 3 pack is $0.25/oz. Big difference in price. I’m probably going to buy that on Sunday, when my budget resets, and look into making the mix myself in the future, when I have a little more wiggle room in my weekly budget to get the ingredients.
(UPDATE ON THE KODIAK CAKES: Target has a cartwheel offer for 40% off. It’s for the pumpkin which I know my son won’t eat, however, they have 10% off for all the rest. They are priced at $4.99 for 20 oz box, with 10% off that comes to $4.49 or just $0.22/oz which is the same as the 6 pack on Amazon.) – Thanks Mrs. Claire for the tip!
We still managed to eat healthy, whole foods, which is always important to me. I really didn’t want to sacrifice our good eating habits while doing this journey.
I still have a huge list of things I need to stock up on as well as keeping up with our regular purchases of produce, dairy items and meat.
How I Hustled
As I mentioned in a lot of my Facebook and Instagram videos, it was a week of hustling. I mean guys, I had no stockpile. I had to hustle this week visiting stores almost everyday this week (except today because I have no more money and have to get back to my side hustles). I don’t see that slowing down for the next couple of weeks either. I have a lot to stock up on and there is a lot to shop for.
But, as I always say, that will change. Remember, good things don’t always come easy. The beginning will be harder. For sure. I never sugar coated it and said it would be easy sailing from day one. But, as the weeks go on, it will become easier and easier and require less of your time and less of your money. All good things in my book. As a matter of fact, I’m working on a challenge
My Plan for Next Week
As I’m planning my trip for next week, I’m seeing it unfold a lot different than this week. My plan is to do some couponing on Sunday at ShopRite and CVS and I will most likely be making a trip to Costco. Some items on my list there are Chicken Apple Sausage, Tortilla Chips, Cashews, Ziploc Bags (coupon savings this month),Cascade (also a coupon for this month) and the Kodiak Pancake mix on Amazon I mentioned above . As usual, I will also stop at my local markets or Aldi for a good portion of my fruits and veggies. And, of course, my eyes are always focused on Living Rich With Coupons for any great deals that pop up as the week unfolds. Because, you know, they always do. And, trust me, if you need or use that product, I’ll be doing the deal!
How I Challenged Myself This Week
If you aren’t following me on social media, you probably don’t know that my word for 2018 is Challenge. This year is my year to challenge myself on things I’ve been afraid to try, haven’t put the time in to try or even things I never thought I could or would do. This week, I challenged myself on two things.
- Using my Instant Pot. Believe it or not, the Instant Pot was something I was afraid to try. I’m not sure why but the thought of that pressure cooker scared me. I’ve had my Instant Pot for over a year and never pulled it out. So many great followers on Instagram kept encouraging me to try it, that I would love it. So, I challenged myself and I dusted it off and put it to work. OMG, I love it. Like what was I afraid of? I have no idea. But wow, is it a time saver. And, I havne’t even tapped into all it can do. I’m excited for more cooking adventures.
- Replacing my napkins with cloth: Again, on my social media account, I’ve challenged people to put away the paper towels and use rags. I use the Nano Towels (although I’m testing out some other brands at the moment) to cleaning and regular rags for quick clean ups. Someone in our Zero to Stockpile Facebook group challenged me to give up napkins. My first reaction was no way. That’s nuts. Then I let it sink in and realized, what is nuts about it? I use cloth napkins for dinner when extended family is over for holidays and Sunday dinner, why not adopt something for everyday use. And, so, the challenge was on. I did some research on the type of cloth I wanted and I opted for a 12×12 waffle weave cotton dish towel as our everyday cloth napkins. I found a set of 8 at Homegoods for just $4.99. For washing, I already keep a bin in my laundry room for the rags I use so all we have to do it toss the napkins in the bin and, as I did with the rags, just wash them along with my towels. I’ll be doing a more detailed post on getting rid of paper products in your home shortly so stay tuned.
Now It’s Your Turn
So, now it’s your turn. How did your week go? Did you have goals you wanted to reach? Did you reach them? Did you stock up on some important items your family needs? Did you challenge yourself with any new challenges or any of the ones I posted during the past two weeks?
What You Might Have Missed
In case you missed my shopping trips, you can see each one of them below. I also show my budget as well as the items currently sitting in my stockpile and freezer.
I Challenge You
And, I challenged you with five things to make this an even more successful journey for you:
- Challenge #1 – Finding Space for Your Stockpile
- Challenge #2 – Getting Ready For Your Coupons {or not?!}
- Challenge #3 – Preparing Your Grocery Budget & Goals
- Challenge #4 – Prepare Your Shopping List Early
- Challenge #5 – Meal Planning Made Easy
Zero to Stockpile Giveaway Winners
This week’s Zero to Stockpile Giveaway Winner is Anca Fabiszewski. She won a $50 Amazon Gift Card. Remember, head to our Zero to Stockpile giveaway page to find out how to enter.
Tips to Follow My Journey
- Follow me on my Instagram account where I post, via my IG Stories, all my day to day!
- Join our Zero to Stockpile Facebook Group.
- Sign up for the Zero to Stockpile Newsletter
