Busy, busy, busy

Yesterday was our once monthly trip into the big city for groceries, with the added bonus of $100 from our tax return to stock up on staples. So, early yesterday morning I packed the kiddos into the station wagon and took hubby to work downtown and we started our excursion. Here I'd like to relate a few rules I have for grocery shopping:

1. Ask the family what they'd like to have to eat, then plan meals accordingly. (This saves on having to be creative and having to listen to complaints.)
2. Plan out your dinners in detail and at least have a general idea of breakfasts and lunches. It helps to have the family's schedule to look at so you can plan.
3. Check the sale flyers for all the stores in your area. If you don't get them in the mail or the paper, you can find them on the store's website. Try to plan meals around the loss leaders.
4. Make out a detailed list of what you need to buy, including the prices you expect to pay, and total it. (I use excel for this.)
5. Only take cash to the stores. Leave the checkbook/credit cards behind. It's a lot easier to stay on budget if that is literally all you have.
6. Leave a little room in the budget for price changes or special treats you wouldn't normally buy.

Let me now say that this week I broke every single rule on this list. As a result, we went over budget (not a huge concern because of the extra tax money) and I forgot about ten important items (like light bulbs and soap). On the upside, I got to Sam's at ten, right when they open, and was able to get a whole pile of reduced-for-quick-sale meat to stock the freezer with. Also, the kiddos were mostly good (an all day grocery excursion tires everyone out and makes us all cranky), so I count it as a success.

We did get the inevitable homeschooling questions when we hit Burger King (they have the biggest play area near where I shop). We had about 3 hours to kill until hubby got off work, so we saw a lot of people come and go. I had Mary bring her Greek and Latin to work on, and there were the inevitable homeschooling questions. I am by no means an expert, but I try to help out where I can. Last month it was book recommendations to a mom who was considering homeschooling her 3yo when he is old enough. This month it was curriculum recommendations for a bi-lingual mom who wanted to afterschool her kids and step-kids in Spanish. I speak Spanish, but I'm not using any curriculum with the kiddos right now, so I directed her over to the Latino/Spanish board at WTM.