Add it up...

I decided to add up all my receipts from 2010 thus far and see exactly how much I've been able to save by being more frugal. This is an imperfect science as there's no way to figure out how much I've saved by shopping grocery store sales-- since not all the grocery stores give us that lovely "you saved" section like Shaw's does. But I can figure out how much I saved using coupons. And figure it out I did.

I took the giant, messy mound of receipts sitting on my desk and added it all up. Here's the data:

$947.80 saved with coupons on groceries & household items (Shaw's, Hannaford, Whole Foods, Rite-Aid, and Babies R Us (baby wipes))

Not bad! Especially considering it's still July and you know there's a margin for error as I'm not too organized and there are bound to be random receipts hanging out under the mud mats in my car, random coat pockets and other places. And $302.25 of those coupon savings were at Whole Foods. Likey. And like I said, that's not counting $ saved shopping sales or $ saved on non-grocery/household items.

How about you-- do you know how much you've saved?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 7/28 to 8/3

To see all of this week's advertised sales at the Portland Whole Foods, click here.

• Avocado, 5 for $5
• Organic white nectarines, $1.99 each
• Tazo Iced Tea, 5 for $5, use $.50 off here
• Annie's Natural salad dressings, $3.99. Use $.75 off from May/June/July Whole Deal and $.75 off from 2010 Annie's calendar
• Back to Nature chocolate delight granola, 2 for $7. Use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book
• Nature's Path chocolate chip granola bars, 2 for $3. Use $1.50 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal
• So Delicious Coconut milk creamer, 2 for $4, use $1 off here
• Boca Burger Original Vegan, 2 for $7. Use $1 off 2 from 6/20 Smart Source insert
• Michael Angelo's Baked Eggplant Parmesan, 2 for $7. Use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts coupon book

Alexia Foods coupon

Got a nice new $1 off coupon from BzzzAgent on any Alexia frozen product. I haven't actually tried these yet but I always look at their sweet potato fries... anyone like these products?

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 7/21 to 7/28

To see all of this week's advertised sales at the Portland Whole Foods, click here.

• Organic bunched carrots, $.99 each


• Organic Braeburn apples, $1.79/lb.


• Organic Red Italian onions, $.99/lb.


• Stonyfield Farms nonfat yogurt, 10 for $5, use $.50 off 3 yogurts here


• Ben & Jerry's ice cream, 2 for $7, use $1 off from May/June/July Whole Deal


• Food Should Taste Good sweet potato chips, use $1 off 1 or $1.50 off 2 from 5/23 Smart Source


• Seeds of Change organic tiki masala sauce, 2 for $6, use $1 off here
• Blue Diamond Almond Milk, original unsweetened, $1.99. Use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts booklet, or from 5-23 Smart Source, $.50 off here , or $.55 off here
• Kiss My Face Liquid Hand Soaps, $4, use $1 off here

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 7/14 to 7/20

I know, I've been a total blog slacker lately. Maybe it's the swampy heat, or the teething toddler, or some sort of celestial interference (moon in Uranus?). In any case, here are this week's Whole Foods sales/coupon goodies. To see all of this week's advertised sales for the Portland store, click here.

• Olympus Greek Yogurt, 4 for $5
• Boneless Sirloin Steak, $6.99/lb.
• Cantalope, 2 for $4
• Organic Figs, 2 for $6
• Organic Pink Lady Apples, $1.79/lb.
• Annie's Natural Salad Dressings, 2 for $5, use $.75 off from 2010 Annie's Calendar and $.75 off from May/June/July Whole Deal (Good deal alert!)
• R.W. Knudsen Black Cherry Juice, 2 for $6, use $.75 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts book
• Food Should Taste Good Tortilla or Sweet Potato Chips, 2 for $4, use $1 off 1 or $1.50 off 2 from 5/23 Smart Source insert
• Seeds of Change Organic Tiki Masala Sauce, 2 for $6, use $1 off here
• Blue Diamond Almond Milk Original Unsweetened 32 oz., $1.99, use $1 off from Spring Mambo Sprouts book or here (goes right to printer) or 5/23 Smart Source insert
• Kiss My Face Liquid Hand Soaps, 2 for $8, use $1 off here
  

Whole Foods Sale and Coupon Match-ups, 7/5 to 7/13

To see all of the advertised sales this week at the Portland store, click here.

• In-store made Chicken Kabobs, $4.99/lb.
• In-store made Salmon Kabobs, $9.99/lb.
• Organic Yellow Peaches, $2.49/lb.
• Stonyfield Organic Lowfat Yogurt, 10 6 oz. for $5, use $.50 off 3 here
• Snikiddy Snacks Baked Fries, 2 for $4, use $1 off here
• Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookies, 2 for $6, use $1 off from Mambo Sprouts Spring coupon book
• Honest Tea Organic Kids Berry Good Lemonade, 2 for $7, use $.75 off coupon here
• Nature's Path Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, 2 for $6, use $1.50 off 2 from May/June/July Whole Deal
• Soy Delicious Creamer Coconut Milk, $1.79, use $1 off here
• Kiss My Face Liquid Rock Deodorant, 2 for $9, use $1 off here

Frugal F&$!-up

It's been awhile, both since I've posted at all, but especially since I've shared any assinine financial mistakes with you. Well, this isn't a huge one, but it seems that I've surpassed my grocery budget every single week of June. What's up with that? Well, a few things:

• Trying to hit that sweet Neutrogena rebate vortex that recently occured at both Rite-Aid and Neutrogena
• A bunch of personal crap conspired and left me with a little attitude -- "eff the grocery budget! Just eff it!"
• The hubster got a grill. So we've been getting stuff to cook on said grill, which is awesome. However, it does mean that he is eating less Clif bars (purchased at Whole Foods with stacked coupons, baby) over the sink for dinner and more pricey flesh o' the cow.
• My kiddo is eating more. I know, blame it on the baby.

It's not the end of the world, and those are mostly legitimate reasons. But it doesn't feel great to this perfectionist. So July, you sweet blank slate, I'm going to try to stick to the budget...