Date Night & The Grocery Game

First, Mike and I went on a date on Saturday... a real live date, just the two of us. It's something we do twice, maybe three times a year, so it is hugely monumental when it happens. We went to the movies to see (500) Days of Summer (a movie that I give two very enthusiastic thumbs up by the way) while the kids played with their grandparents. We ate candy, drank gigantic sodas, and just generally enjoyed a care-free hour and a half. It was guilt-free too, as we paid for the whole thing with survey money! Ideally we should have "play" money built into our budget, but we don't. All our left over money (if we have any) goes towards necessities: new shoes for the kids, birthday presents, car repairs, etc etc. When it's at all possible though, the extra money I bring in is just that - extra- and I am so thankful for it. Sometimes you need a movie - or a pizza or a Jamba Juice - to stay sane. And you just can't put a price on sanity.

Yesterday, we did our big, multi-store grocery shopping trip. We just joined The Grocery Game again, and WOW! We will do better as the weeks go on and we build up more of a coupon base, but our first foray was not bad, not bad at all....

Much of what we got will last a month, some things (such as milk and eggs) will need to be replenished in a week or two. Keep in mind that we are a family of six! We spent $269, and saved $45 in coupons. Total savings with coupons and sales - $239, plus $9 ECBs to spend at CVS on our next trip. It always strikes me as sort of funny the things that make me happy as an adult, but I am so excited to see how well we do next time.