What I Have Been Buying and Thoughts on a Second Refrigerator

I have been stocking up with some tax return money. It has felt so decadent to buy so much but it will be used. I am back to my normal budget for groceries this week though, so only buying what I need and what is on special.

Thought you might be interested in what I stocked up on with a little extra money. I am increasingly interested in stockpiling dried foods. I would love to go longer between shopping trips and rely more on my pantry. Things like dried veggies and such that could be used for pizzas and such.

Here is what I bought at Sam's club:
Powdered milk (I use this whenever milk is called for in recipes)
Flour
Bread Flour
Rice
Olives
Tuna (But I often find it cheaper on sale at the market and stock up then)
Nuts
Cheese (You can freeze cheese wonderfully for grating and melting later. Sliced does not freeze well.)
Dried Fruits
OTC Meds we use
Scrubber Sponges
Butter

                                                                                My eclectic and small fridge.
Also, my husband and I have been going back and forth over buying a new fridge. The one we have is very small and we have a twin in the garage which we had turned off so we were getting by with the tiny fridge in the kitchen. It is a constant source of frustration and very limiting on what I can make and freeze ahead and buy in large quantities. We thought maybe we would buy a new larger fridge and for the size we want that makes much difference, we would have to spend a minimum of $1500.
     We had unplugged the garage refrigerator because of the cost of running it in the summer but after looking at the numbers, we have decided to plug it back in and use the existing refrigerators until one goes out on us. Even if you spent an extra $30 a month to run the fridge in the garage, it would only be for the three hottest months of the year but even at that amount per month, you could run it for 50 months to spend the $1500 it would take for a new one. Obviously it does not cost that much for most of the year so we feel with this size of family and the peace of mind it gives me to be prepared with frozen meals and lots of meal options given our busy schedule, it is worth the money to run the second fridge.
     We have made a conscience decision to use our possessions as long as we can. One of the smartest, self made men I personally know, once mentioned to my FIL who wanted to buy a new smaller car, to save on gas, how much gas he could buy for the cost of a new car to replace a paid off one. That really rang home with me. We justify spending money to buy things when we often could get by and repair what we have. We maintain our cars, appliances and such to put off having to spend the money to replace them. That is money still in your account for each day you don't have to buy something new.

What to Buy This Week and Linen Stock Up Time

What to buy this week and linen stock up time is January/February.

Traditionally January begins the annual white sales which includes all types of linens. I usually go through and see what we need to stock up on for the year. I always buy bath towels and always only in white. We seem to go through bath towels the most so I replenish my supply yearly. This year I do not need hand towels. I will buy new wash cloths and kitchen towels though.

I love the white stack of washcloths from Target (above). This is how we use them. First they are bathroom washcloths. As they get dingy they become kitchen washcloths, and when they are embarrassing, they become cleaning rags. This also a great time to organize your linen closet. I always find towels that are hidden when I clean the shelves.

Okay, onto what I am buying this week. The grocery sales are lack luster this week. We are getting low on meat so I will be buying some whole chickens. I see them at .79 (my buy price) and .89 this week. A whole chicken in the crock pot can be used for so many dishes.

I am noticing sales on:

Coffee Creamers

Toothpaste (Colgate)

Toilet Paper

Pasta

Pasta Sauces (.99 is my buy price but my stock up price is when I can get it lower)

Oranges (We have trees so I am not buying but you might want to)

Canned Tuna (This has recently climbed in price. I see .79 this week which is a good price around here)

What to Buy This Month - February Grocery Sales Cycles

What grocery items are on sale in February in the grocery sales cycles.. These are food items to stock up on in February.

It is national hot breakfast month so I am seeing a lot of sales on all things breakfast.
  Time to stock up on cereals. My buy price for a box of cereal is $1.50. If I find it lower than that than     it is a stock up price.
  Granola bars
  Hot Cereals
  Frozen waffles (Make them yourself though and they will be cheaper. You can even freeze extras for     later and pop them in the toaster)

Because of Chinese New Year look for sales on Asian food items like soy sauce. This is a great time     to stockpile items for easy stir fries. Try my Hawaiian fried rice recipe or my Easy Asian Noodle         Salad. 

I have been noticing lots of sales on pasta still around .99 sale price.
 The lowest I have ever seen it is .48 per lb. two weeks ago at Food 4 Less. That is definitely a stock  up price around here where .99 cents is the normal sale price. I will buy twenty pounds as we eat lots  of pasta dishes. It helps spread the protein around I always say. Meat is the condiment these days........

I am updating this to add that February is National canned food month. Time to take advantage of this     grocery sale cycle and follow my tips for saving money with canned foods.
  I am a fairly frugal cook. Check out my recipes page some of our favorites.

What to Buy This Week, Frugal Challenge - Grocery Spending Update

Grocery shopping for last week. What a haul right? I spent just over $180 at three stores. Stocked up on many condiments and meat as well as snacks. We did use a lot of the snacks on SuperBowl Sunday as my kids had friends over and raided some of my stash. That is what it is for but as well it does not save me money to have a lot of it ate in one day. I shall build a bridge and get over it. They had a good time and were home and safe. However, I will keep more of the snack stash in a bin under my bed. They have yet to discover that spot.

Because I spent over my allotted amount last week, I am only picking up milk, veggies and fruit and dog food this week plus any good stock up deals I see while out. Gas is climbing high here so I have to be vigilant about my driving. All shopping must be done on the way to pick up or drop off kids so I do not pull the car out for an extra trip. To follow up, I did start stashing some goodies in my closet if you can believe it. I had a shelf that was empty in there so I will keep the tastiest treats in there that I stockpile.

So here I am a few days later. Spent $71 so far this week. It is canned food month so you will see lots of canned goods at good stock up prices. Figure what you will need for months or even a year and stock up. I am trying to grab as much as I can while staying in my budget. I do need to run to Target today for some over the counter meds. If you want to have a little one sick all the time, put them in preschool. I am over it!

So this is a good week to stock up on:
Canned goods
I did not see huge deals this week but some things I bought were dog food at good prices, baking supplies seemed to be on sale at a few stores. I bought bread flour and regular flour.
We tried corn 4/$1. It was what we call "horse corn" so the chickens got the leftovers. Too early.
Strawberries are on sale here.
Dressings

Also February is a good month to buy linens. The best sales of the year on towels should be this month. I always buy kitchen and bath towels this month. I only buy white bath towels any longer. Between teens with make-up and acne medication, my towels would get ruined. Now they all can be bleached and they don't get  unsightly.

Am I focusing on money matters too much? If this all bores you, let me know. I am fascinated by it and love to read other frugality blogs so that is what I am drawn to.