Thrift stores. We all know what they are. Some people love them. Others wonder why on earth you would ever want to shop used clothes.

 I love thrift stores. OK, I may be slightly addicted to thrift store shopping!

It is like a treasure hunt to see what you can get for the cheapest price.

I will just give you an example.



So I have been thrift store shopping for many years. Because of that in our area I know what stores I can find the best deals at and what ones really are not that great of a deal (especially considering sometimes you can get something new on clearance for cheaper then they are asking at the thrift store).

For our local Salvation Army stores every Wednesday is family day. This means that every tag except one is half off the ticket price.

I am currently 38 weeks pregnant and am down to once a week doctors visits. Since there is a Salvation Army one minute away from the doctors office I have made it a point to try to schedule my appointments on Wednesdays as much as possible so I can take advantage of the half off day.


Today I went wanting to get some stuff for Jason but then I ended up getting some amazing stuff for me! Things I can wear now as well as after baby girl makes her appearance. OK, so I got a lot of cardigans! ;)

I am digressing though.

Here is one of the reasons I would still thrift store shop even if I became a billionaire:


This is a New York and Company shirt that still had the tags on-completely brand new. The original price on the tag was $49.95. Salvation army had marked it down to $6.99-which is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to a good deal.

The greatest part came when the cashier was ringing it into the cash register as I was checking out-$6.99 minus 50% all the sudden became $3.50.

$3.50 for a $49.95 shirt. This is adorable.

See why I adore thrift shopping so much?

That was not my only deal from today however!

I love Ann Taylor Loft. Like seriously if I could ever go on a shopping spree unlimited it would be in that store. It is classic yet elegant fashion and I love it!

So when I found these I was so excited:


Not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE cardigans from Ann Taylor Loft. These average between $40-$50 per sweater on their website.  Today however, that is not the price I paid!

One of the sweaters had the tags on it and was brand new! That was the most expensive one at $1.50 after the 50% discount! The other four were a mere $0.99 cents a piece!

So I got five sweaters for a grand total of $5.50! WHAT!?!?

Talk about a blessing from the Lord!

$75 a week for groceries.
Is that even possible today in the world we live it!?

Our budget is pretty tight right now and we are trying to save for a house as well. My goal is to save as much as possible wherever we can.

Living frugally has always been a part of our marriage. I love thrift store shopping, finding the best deals etc...it is like a game-how much money can I save this time.

Now that Jason is gluten free things are a little more difficult (oh the days of buying 3 lbs. of pasta for a mere dollar).

We have also been going mostly dairy free and mostly sugar free.

On $75 a week.

Some weeks we make it and other weeks we go a little bit over but we are still in the beginning stages of it and learning new things every week which helps!

Did I mention I have so much fun with it?

I know I may seem really odd because of that BUT saving money really can be FUN!

So how do I do it?

I think the thing that has helped me the most is:

Meal Planning.

I make a list of meals that I am going to make for the week (a lot of people do monthly but right now for our family we are sticking with weekly shopping more on that later).

I am addicted to love Pinterest. A lot of times when I am browsing I will pin meals I want to try later on my Healthy Eating Inspirations board. When it comes time to choose meals (I normally plan at least six meals) that is normally the first place I go for inspiration. Any meals that I don't make during a particular week I will roll over to the next week.

Once I have my meals I then go through the recipe ingredients. Anything I don't have on hand gets written down under that meal.
Example:

Meal #1: Cornflake Chicken
Veggie: Broccoli
Starch: Mashed Potatoes

To Buy:
-3 Chk. breasts
-Box of Cornflakes (1)

I don't list anything else because I know I have a package of frozen broccoli in the freezer waiting to be used, potatoes in my pantry waiting to be used and extra butter in the freezer.

I repeat this process and then, once I am finished with all of my meals, I transfer it over to my big shopping list which I divide up by store.

I am planning on sharing my weekly shopping trips with you on here. I think it will be fun but also help keep me motivated!

So look for a post coming soon!

What about you?

How do you save money on your grocery bill especially if you have food allergies or special diet needs in your family? I would love to hear about them or any questions you all may have!

Blessings!