Ways I try to recession proof our grocery shopping

With the mess in the world continuously getting worse, I've decided to get even more creative with our grocery shopping. Prices keep skyrocketing and there's not much we can do about it. At least that is most people's mindset. I've decided to look at things a little differently. Take advantage of whatever good sales are available & get creative with paying for it. My new mindset is 'if it's a rock bottom sale, stock up (whether we need more right now or not. this is only for items that we use). Why? Because it's going to take a VERY long time for things to get better in the world. I'm going to make sure that we still have everything we need without breaking the bank. 

I've seen signs that reminded me of the last recession for quite some time now and my gut keeps telling me that things are going to get a whole lot worse. I've recently read an article about one of the Big 4 accounting firms laying off over 900 people. I told BF that this is a very, very bad sign, because accountants are always in demand. I worked at one of the Big 4 firms before moving here and that was one of the places where you actually had job security. So for them to start retrenching staff is bad news. People who have read about this might argue that it's due to government cuts, but I beg to differ because the government isn't their only client. Most big businesses use the top accounting firms. 

So how am I stocking up? I take advantage of all the great deals. There's nothing I can do about Aldi. I only cherry pick there anyway. Sams & Costco have monthly booklets. Wags sales have gotten more scarce, but I still try to stock up on what's available, so I make the most of the other grocery stores. They always run sales. Here's what I did this week.

Target

I was planning on stocking up on Dove deodorant for myself with Target's $10/40 Beauty deal last week. I had everything in my cart and just needed to check out. Then it wouldn't give me free shipping (despite my total being over $35 before the discount). I needed to add 2 more deodorants ($13.98 total) to score free shipping (shipping is 5.99). Just before going to bed on Saturday night, I told BF that I didn't have peace about purchasing the items, so I didn't. 

Good thing I decided to trust my instincts, because a far better deal presented itself on Sunday morning. I had a $20/100 Circle Q and checked to see what good gc offers I could combine it with. Here's what I did

3 x 149 oz Tide @ $22.99 each $50.09 (crazy Target math)

3 x OS deodorant 20.97

3 x Degree deodorant 14.97

1 x Dove deodorant 6.99

Less OS DQ (2.00)

Less Degree DQ (2.00)

Less $20/100 (20.00)

Tax 3.78

OOP $72.80 - Paid with Target GC (10% discounted gc, so that's another $7.28 savings) so no OOP for me.

Earned $10 GC ($5 OS, $5 Degree) and will submit for $15 P&G rebate. 

Total earned $25.00

The detergent is B2G1F, but Target always has some crazy math (you don't get the full value) when it comes to gc & Circle DQs. I still can't figure it out. My plan was to purchase the $19.99 Tide, but they were OOS. No problemo, cause the price per ounce is the same no matter what size bottle you purchase. My guys & I are now stocked up on deodorant for 2 years. 

Kroger

Select items are Buy 2 get $10 off instantly thru 4/15. My store sign said Buy 2 or more save $5 each, so you can probably purchase more than 2 boxes per transaction. This is great stock up deal, because it comes to $1 per box. We haven't seen that price in ages. 

2 x 6 pk Kleenex @ $10.99 = $21.98

Less discount (10.00)

OOP $11.98 + tax

I usually purchase the highest count boxes (I'll never understand why people buy the cubes, because it contains far less tissues for the same price), but DS was not in the mood for shopping, so I was distracted & only noticed that one pack had 120ct boxes when I loaded it into my car. 

Meijer

Whoo! Meijer totally rocked this week. I had a plan to just do the Spend $50 save $15 P&G deal, because I needed dryer sheets. Then I noticed that there's also a DQ for Spend $30 on Oscar Mayer & Kraft products, save $10 instantly. Kraft cheese & dressing is part of the Buy 5 or more save $1 each deal. Double/triple dip you say? Count me in! 😂  Here's what the deals look like. 

P&G

1 x 154 oz Gain $15.99

1 x Tide 12.99

1 x Downy softener 12.99

1 x Bounce dryer sheets 10.49

Less Gain DQ (3.00)

Less Downy DQ (3.00)

Less 15/50 (15.00)

OOP $31.46

These items also qualify for the P&G rebate. Well, I had a huge pile of pop cans that I cashed in to pay for this deal. My bottle slip was $38.80, so free P&G for me. 

OM/Kraft deal

16 Kraft cheese/dressing @ $1.99 each (mix & match) $31.84

Less $10/30 (10.00)

OOP $21.84

There's also a $3.19 Ibotta rebate WYB 2 Kraft cheese. 

Total cost after Ibotta = $18.65 or $1.17 each

I bought a bunch of other groceries and my total came to $115. After discounts and my bottle slips, my OOP was $44.84 Three cheers for Meijer!

Total OOP : $57.54 for all of the above and a bunch of other items at Meijer

Total earned : $28.19

So you see, there's still good deals to be had. 

Have a wonderful weekend peeps!

CVS for the win!

 

Whoo! Last week was a good week at CVS. They had a great $10/25 beauty Q that printed for everyone and I had a 25% off full order DQ. Sadly, the discount only applies after all deductions. 

1 x Nivea lotion $4.99

2 x Coppertone sunscreen 25.98

Less $10/25 CRT (10.00)

Less 25% off (2.93)

Less EBs (7.00)

Tax 1.08

OOP $12.12

Earned $13 EB ($10 Coppertone, $3 Nivea) + $6 Ibotta (Coppertone)

Total earned : $19.00

I wanted to purchase other items, but the store was OOS on most of the sale items. My receipt printed a $2/12 Q, so I decided to buy it this week (thank you 2 week sale😊). 

There wasn't much happening at Wags last week, but I had RRs that were expiring. Here's what I did.

Trans 1

2 x Garnier mousse $8.00

Less DQ (3.00)

Less WC (5.00)

Tax 0.48

OOP $0.48

Earned $3 WC

Well, a $3 RR was supposed to print, but the Catalina machine was blinking and showed out of paper. So I pointed this out to the cashier & she said it's fine. I told her it's not so she opened & closed it, but I noticed that the paper was jammed. So I got her to open it again and she pulled the paper out, but didn't fix the problem. I asked her to get a manager, cause I needed my reward and still had another transaction to complete. Turns out she was the shift supervisor who didn't know how to fix a paper jam🤦 She added $3 WC to my account. 

Trans 2

2 x Garnier shampoo $8.00

4 x Dial b/w BOGOF 12.58

Less Garnier DQ (3.00)

Less RRs (7.00)

Less WC (10.00)

Tax 1.23

OOP $1.81

Earned $3 RR (Garnier)

There hasn't been a good Dial b/w sale price in forever and I noticed that the bar soap doesn't go on sale anymore. 

Back to Wags this week to redeem more RRs that were expiring. I just can't seem to get rid of this stuff. 

Trans 1 

3 x OS b/w $21.0

2 x Crest t/p 8.00

Less Crest DQ (2.00)

Less RRs (6.00)

Less WC (5.00)

Tax 1.74

OOP $17.74

Earned $9 RR ($5 OS, $4 Crest) + $6 OS (see below) + 2000 (approx $2) Fetch points (OS)

Total earned $17.00

My OS DQ didn't deduct (I knew it would happen, due to them only have 2 Captain b/w) so CS added $6 WC to my account. I had another $4 RR that the register rejected. The shift lead (different store) wouldn't accept it and told me to contact Catalina. WTH Wags? You refuse to accept rewards that you issue? 😡 I figured I'll just try it at a different store, cause I've had cashiers manually enter the RR when that happened before. 

Trans 2

2 x Colgate t/p $8.00

1 x Pantene 5.99

Less Colgate DQ (4.00)

Less RRs (6.00)

Less WC (4.00)

Tax 0.84

OOP $0.83

Earned $3 RR (Colgate)

I had a RR only good on shampoo, hence the Pantene. I hate these new item specific RRs.

Trans 3

3 x OS b/w $21.00

1 x Crest t/p 4.00

2 x Snuggle BOGOF 4.99

Less OS DQ (6.00)

Less RRs (12.00)

Less WC (10.00)

Tax 1.80

OOP $3.79

Earned $1 Ibotta (Snuggle)

I didn't expect to earn any RRs, cause these new item specific RRs don't roll (you don't earn rewards on the same deal, but you have to use the RR on those specific items. Ugh). 

That silly $4 RR got rejected again. They must have a new policy, because this cashier used to manually enter anything that doesn't scan. They just hand you the RR back and tell you to call Catalina. Well, I'm happy to report that I have ZERO RRs to redeem and can now take a Wags break. Next week's ad is rather disappointing. The deals are so scarce lately. Only toothpaste and OS/Olay b/w are on repeat every week. Everything else is just on sale without rewards. I've also noticed that the sale prices are now much higher than before. So many changes (not for the better) during these trying times. I'm so very thankful for stockpiling while deals were still good. It's becoming much harder to stay within budget every month. 

However, CVS came and saved the day again. They issued another $10/25 Beauty Q this week and they don't have a ton of exclusions like Wags does. I decided to stock up on my favorite skincare items, because we have more than enough sunscreen.

Trans 1 

1 x Loreal moisturizer $19.49

1 x Loreal cleanser 8.99

Less 10/25 Beauty Q (10.00) 

Less DQ (3.00)

Less EBs (13.00)

Tax 1.11

OOP $3.59

I was so happy with this deal, until the receipt printed. Wait a minute. Where's my EBs? Darn, I didn't pay attention. I added the items to my cart online to see what would work best for the beauty deal (I always do this before heading to the drugstores). Well, it turns out the online prices are higher than in store (so weird, cause it's normally the other way around) and that's why my total was below $30 and I didn't earn my $12 EBs. So I headed back inside to get another cleanser and use my $2/12. 

Trans 2

1 x Loreal cleanser $8.99

2 x Garnier shampoo 8.00

Less Garnier DQ (3.00)

Less $2/12 CRT (2.00)

Less EBs (0.46)

Tax .87

OOP $12.40

Earned $15 EB ($12 Loreal, $3 Garnier)

In hindsight, I should've purchased a moisturizer instead, cause I have a $5 DQ on my account. This is my go to brand and the cleansers are only available at Meijer & the drugstores. I'm still happy with that price, cause it's still way better than paying full price

Breakdown:

Number of items purchased: 30

Total Qs used : $46.93

Total Rewards used : $75.46

Total Rewards earned (RR, WC, Ibotta, Fetch): $61.00

Total OOP : $52.76 ($1.76 per item - this includes sales tax)

Total Retail value : $186.73 (excl tax)

Have a wonderful weekend peeps!

Menu Plan Monday 03/23/25

It's crazy how time flies. It feels like I just wrote a menu plan post. Here's what I cooked for this week.

Monday : Lasagna, salad, mini garlic naan bread

Tuesday : Chicken pot pie, veggies, salad

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Haven't decided yet

Saturday : Red Robin (DS)

Breakfasts :  Blueberry pancakes, bacon, breakfast sausage, eggs or omelets, toast, chocolate brioche or raisin bread french toast, cereal, muesli

Lunch : Leftovers or protein from freezer with salad 

Dessert : Sams chocolate muffins

DS is on break, so we didn't bake any muffins this week. There's still a few left from last week, so we'll eat those.

I do enjoy having the food all cooked for the week. 

Bon Appetit Peeps!

Meal Plan Monday 03/17/25

Happy St Patty's day! I'm totally loving all this nice weather that we're experiencing lately. Herewith our meal plan for this week.

Monday : Frikkadel, baked beans salad, carrot pineapple salad, potato salad

Tuesday : Roti & chicken curry

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Haven't decided yet

Saturday : Red Robin (DS)

Breakfasts :  Banana oatmeal muffins, blueberry pancakes, bacon, breakfast sausage, eggs or omelets, toast, chocolate brioche or raisin bread french toast, cereal, muesli

Lunch : Leftovers or protein from freezer with salad 

Dessert : Sams chocolate muffins

There's always fresh salad fixings and a variety of fresh fruit & veg available. 

We enjoyed the salads so much last week that I decided to just do the same again this week. 

I had a craving for pancakes and it was oh so yummy! I haven't used syrup on my pancakes in years (I don't eat much sugar) and don't even miss it. I just add butter, cinnamon and top it with banana. 

Things are still hectic here, so please forgive me for not checking in on everyone's blogs.

Bon Appetit peeps!

This week's Wags shopping 03/09/25

Hi everyone

It's been a busy week at Wags. I had oodles of those item specific RRs expiring this week, so I had to come up with a serious game plan. Not an easy task, because I couldn't just redeem it on anything. I'm happy to report that it actually went well.  Here's how my week went. 

Trans 1

3 x OS b/w $21.00

1 x Crest t/p 4.00

1 x Oral b t/b 3.50

1 x Kinder chocolate 1.99

Less OS DQ (6.00)
Less Crest DQ (2.00)

Less Oral B DQ (1.00)

Less WC (20.00)

Tax 1.71

OOP $3.20

Earned $9 RRs ($6 OS, $3 Crest/OB) + $1.69 Ibotta (Kinder)

Total earned $10.69

I added the Kinder to get my total to over $20, so I could redeem that amount in WC. 

Trans 2

1 x Neutrogena moisturizer sunscreen $13.99

1 x Neutrogena mascara 11.49

Less moisturizer DQ (7.00)

Less mascara DQ (3.00)

Tax 1.53

OOP $17.01

Earned $15 WC ($10 WYS $25 Beauty, $5 WYS $15 paper booster I picked up last week)

The beauty was supposed to print a $10 RR, but didn't. Got the manager who read the big sign that says it's after all deductions. I explained that it's after store Qs, not manufacturer Qs. I knew that it worked, because I added the items to my cart online before going shopping. That way I knew what would qualify for the reward. There I go having to educate Wags managers again 😂 Manager added WC instead, which works better for me. 

When I cleaned out my purse when I got home, I noticed that the rest of my RRs all expire 3/13. Nooooo! That meant I had to come up with another scenario to redeem $27 RRs

So back to Wags today

Trans 3

3 x Pantene shampoo $15.00

2 x Tresemme shampoo/conditioner 14.00

Less Pantene DQ (5.00)

Less Tresemme DQ (5.00)

Less RRs (12.00)

Less WC (5.00)

Tax 1.74

OOP $3.74

Earned $7 RR ($3 Pantene, $4 Tresemme) Thank goodness these are the old type that aren't item specific.

Trans 4

3 x Pantene $24.00

2 x Axe b/w 10.00

2 x Colgate t/p 10.00

Less Axe DQ (7.00)

Less RRs (15.00)

Less WC (20.00)

Tax 2.64

OOP $4.64

Earned $6 RR ($3 Pantene, $3 Colgate) + $5 WC (see below)

Total earned $11

When I got my shopping list out of my purse's side pocket, I discovered another $4 item specific RR. So I added the Colgate, knowing that I clipped a Colgate Q earlier this week (no wifi in Wags to check my account). I did this, because I knew that the Pantene DQ wouldn't deduct, because it has different scents (Wags never keeps enough inventory on the shelf so our DQs can apply) and I wanted my total over $20 to use WC. Turned out my Colgate Q was for a different type of Colgate t/p. Ugh. 

The big Pantene bottle purchase was intentional. I've discovered that I really like the Classic Clean scent. I've liked & used Pantene since I lived in SA, but they keep changing the fragrances. Well, the big bottles (27.7 oz) are on sale for $8 vs 12 oz bottle for $5. Good thing I'm such a geek, because it's a better deal per ounce (not that much when you figure in rewards, but a deal's a deal 😂) and I've always calculated unit cost. CS added $5 WC for my DQ that wasn't applied.

When I got home and put all my RRs together, I discovered that there's a $4 RR expiring on Saturday (3/15) and $5 (3/17). Bloody hell. Do I really need to make another Wags trip? Good thing I had to run more errands, so I stopped at a store on my way.

Trans 5

2 x Axe B/w $10.00

2 x Crest t/p 8.00

2 x Maybeline baby lips 11.98

Less Axe DQ (7.00)

Less Crest DQ (3.00)

Less Maybelline DQ (5.00)

Less RRs (9.00)

Less WC (5.00)

Tax 1.80

OOP $2.78

I knew I wouldn't earn anything, because someone reported that the RRs no longer roll and that $4 RR had to be used on Crest or Oral B only. Double ugh! I added the Maybelline to use that $5 Beauty RR, because I knew it had a $5 DQ. I spent a lot of rewards this week, but that's what it's there for 😊

When I got home again (2nd trip out today), I told BF that I'm so happy to be able to take a 2 week break from Wags. Well, that was short lived. Cleaned out my wallet and discovered RRs that expire next week. You've got to be kidding me!! I can't stay away from Wags. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing. Wags have had very little inventory on their beauty/personal care products shelves. I've also learned that the company's been sold, so who knows what changes the new owners will bring. So I'm stocking up while the going is still good. 

Breakdown:

Number of items purchased: 26

Total Qs used : $51.00

Total Rewards used : $86.00

Total Rewards earned (RR, WC, Ibotta, Fetch): $43.69

Total OOP : $31.37 ($1.21 per item - this includes sales tax)

Total Retail value : $191.74  (excl tax)

Happy shopping peeps!

Menu Plan Monday 03/10/25

Happy Jet lag savings week everyone! That time change hit me hard when my alarm went off this morning, but I've had a great day (thanks to BF) so I'm enjoying all this energy 😊

Monday : Korean BBQ Beef stir fry with brown rice

Tuesday : Garlic parsley chicken 'sausage' rolls, baked beans salad, carrot pineapple salad, potato salad

Wednesday : Same as Monday

Thursday : Same as Tuesday

Friday : Haven't decided yet

Saturday : Red Robin (DS)

Breakfasts :  Lime blueberry muffins, bacon, breakfast sausage, eggs or omelets, toast, chocolate brioche or raisin bread french toast, cereal, muesli

Lunch : Leftovers or protein from freezer with salad 

Dessert : Sams chocolate muffins

There's always fresh salad fixings and a variety of fresh fruit & veg available. 

We're having really nice temps and sunshine all week, so I decided to make salads for a change.

I've been using lime zest instead of lemon in our muffins and boy what a difference that makes. It started when I didn't have a lemon to zest for the muffins one day and used lime instead. It's so delicious! We are hooked 😊

I started buying organic chicken breasts at Aldi and what a huge difference that is. I've been so sick of the so-called non-GMO chicken at Sams that looks like a string of something (it doesn't even look like meat anymore). The best part is that there's no funky smell to the organic chicken. I'm guessing that smell is from the 'broth' that they inject into the meat. I sure as heck don't miss that junk. The organic chicken only costs $1.71 more per lb than the non-GMO Sams chicken. I'll gladly pay that price, cause I'm a food snob. I feel a whole lot better about eating the organic chicken. I've checked the price at Kroger and they charge $6.99 lb! Crazy! Aldi for the win!

Bon Appetit Peeps!

Two weeks of Drugstore shopping

Hi everyone

I apologize for my lack of posts and responses to comments. I've just had a full plate lately. Here's what I did at the drugstores the past 2 weeks. 

Last week 

Trans 1

3 x OS b/w $21.00

2 x Pantene conditioning spray 12.00

1 x Pantene heat protector spray 5.00

2 x Colgate t/p 10.00

Less OS DQ (6.00)

Less Colgate (4.00)

Tax 2.88

OOP : $40.88

Earned : $10 WC (WYS $45) + $5 WC (Pantene - see below) + $13 RR ($5 OS, $5 Colgate, $3 Pantene)

Total earned : $28.00

Trans 2

3 x Pantene shampoo $15.00

Less WC (10.00)

Tax 0.90

OOP $5.90

Earned $3 RR + $5 WC 

My Pantene DQ didn't deduct on either transaction, because of the mixed scents (stupid Wags rule). The problem is that they didn't have enough inventory on the shelves to purchase enough of the same scents. I contacted CS and they added WC to both my accounts. 

This week

Trans 1 & 2 - I did the same transaction twice

2 x Garnier shampoo $8.00

Less DQ (3.00)

Less WC (5.00)

Tax 0.48

OOP $0.48

Earned $3 RR

Trans 3

2 x Garnier whole blends shampoo $8.00

Less DQ (3.00)

Less WC (5.00)

Tax 0.48

OOP $0.48

Earned $3 RR

The regular Garnier & whole blends are part of the same deal. I had to split the transactions to earn the reward each time. If you purchase multiples of the same deal's items in one transaction, you'll only earn the reward once. 

Trans 4

2 x Tresemme shine spray $14.00

2 x Garnier whole blends 8.00

2 x Colgate t/p 8.00

2 x Crest t/p 8.00

1 x OS b/w 7.00

Less Tresemme DQ (5.00)

Less Garnier DQ (3.00)

Less Colgate DQ (2.00)

Less Crest DQ (3.00)

Less B/W RR (5.00)

Tax 2.70

OOP $29.70

Earned $7 WC (WYS $40) + $15.00 RR ($4 Tresemme, $4 Colgate, $4 Crest, $3 Garnier)

Total earned $22.00

Wags now has a new way of printing RRs to be item specific 😡 The $5 B/W RR is from last week's OS deal, so I just decided to buy another OS item.

I hit 2 stores today. The first store had half empty shelves. I don't know what is happening there, but most of the shelves were bare and they didn't even have all the sale items marked, so I only purchased the Garnier. I hope this store isn't closing. 

I actually had a plan to purchase all of the above items, minus the Tresemme and use $20 WC to pay. After I got home, I realised that I could just add the Tresemme (cause it had a high value Q and reward) to get my total to over $40 to earn the booster $7. My total cost after rewards is actually lower on this new transaction, so I guess I should thank that store for not having everything in stock 😂 Otherwise, Wags worked slick as snot today. I told BF It's a miracle that Wags worked so well. 

When I left the 2nd store, I saw a RR laying on the ground. All I could see was $5, so I scooped it up. It's a $5 WYS $15 Booster Q that someone threw away. Whoo hoo!  This will be nice to stack with next week's digital booster, cause I have oodles of RRs to redeem. I'm all for free money. 

Breakdown:

Number of items purchased: 26

Total Qs used : $32.00

Total Rewards used : $30.00

Total Rewards earned (RR, WC, Ibotta, Fetch): $64.00 - haven't scanned all my receipts yet

Total OOP : $77.92 ($3.00 per item - this includes sales tax)

Total Retail value : $166.94  (excl tax)

I'm not too bothered by my high OOP. You'll notice that I earned $64 rewards vs only spending $30 rewards. That's leaves me a difference of $34, which would bring my total cost to $43.92 ($1.70 per item). However, I don't like to count my rewards twice (I count it when I spend the rewards), so I'll stick to my actual OOP cost. 

It's been a minute since I've been to CVS. We actually needed the Softsoap (we use it as foam bath), so I was very happy to find a good deal (I can't believe Softsoap now costs the same price as Old Spice b/w).

2 x Garnier shampoo $8.00

1 x Irish Spring b/w 6.99

1 x Softsoap b/w B1G40% off 2nd 3.95

Less Garnier DQ (3.00)

Less IS DQ (2.00)

Less Softsoap DQ (2.00)

Less EB (0.06) I had a whopping 6c on my account 😂

Tax 1.13

OOP $13.01

Earned $7 EB ($3 Garnier, $4 IS/Softsoap)

As y'all can see, I'm still stocking up despite us having a big HBA stockpile. There's just too many unknowns and that empty Wags store has me on edge. Wags is my go to store. I'd hate to see any of my local stores close. 

I hope everyone stays safe, healthy & warm

Have a wonderful evening peeps!