Why you NEED a Deep Freezer & VIDEO Grocery Haul

Let me tell you - I think I have finally gotten into a groove. I have become familiar with the layout of the grocery store here and I'm pretty sure I have decided what my go-to stores will be. I would still love to find an organic store like Sprouts, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods near me but until then I'm pretty satisfied with where I'm shopping.

I have grown to dislike the commissary here less. It's still a zoo but knowing where things are has helped tremendously.

Our meal plans have been weekly instead of monthly. That seems to be working for us right now. We also got a deep freezer when we moved that I have been slowly stocking. It has been a huge help to me to have the space and extra things on hand. It has saved me from making many trips to the store.

We don't even have a super huge one but it does the job and I LOVE it.

Here's why I love my deep freezer and why you should get one:

1. It holds an insane amount of stuff. I put everything that should be frozen in mine with the exception of fun things for the kids like popsicles, ice cream, waffle sleeves and frozen veggies.

2. When I open my freezer in the kitchen things are not falling out all over the place anymore. You know I use to grocery shop once a month, right? I use to cram ALL that stuff into our tiny fridge freezer. There should be a statue in my honor somewhere.

3. A deep freezer allows you to stock up on things. I know, duh. But it's worth mentioning. Having the extra space means that if ribs go on sale I can grab a few extra slabs and store them properly. It's a great way to save money.

4. I can plan ahead now. This kind of goes with the tip above but I'm actually looking forward to the holiday season now. I can buy a turkey WHENEVER I WANT TO. I don't have to wait until all of America is shopping for them. Again, money saver.

5. Lastly - I just have to say that anything that keeps me from running to the store with three kids will always have a special place in my heart. Even when I don't feel like cooking it feels good to know that I don't have to load them all into the car to get takeout. I can go to that deep freezer and "take out" (see what I did there?) some hot dogs or a pizza! It is glorious.

Do you have a deep freezer? Am I crazy for loving mine the way I do? My latest grocery haul is below if you'd like to see what's going down in my deep freezer!

V I D E O: Costco and Commissary Grocery Haul

I haven't made a meal plan since our move. I have yet to get to that place where I'm planning meals because I'm still trying to get everything settled. I'd like to start meal planning again in July.

We recently purchased a deep freezer and it is my new favorite thing. I no longer have to cram everything into my freezer and things aren't falling out on me when I open it. I am in love.




The commissary here is always super busy. At our last duty station one thing that I actually liked about the commissary is that it was never "packed" or crazy busy. There were absolutely times where the line would be a little long but the store never felt like a zoo to me. This commissary is a zoo.

The Costco here has a weird layout. It will take me a few more trips to learn the store. The strawberries and mushrooms that I bought had furry mold on them the very next day - very disappointing. My goal is to check out the Farmer's Market for produce from now on. There's one every Tuesday not too far from the base.

Not that this has anything to do with groceries but I finally checked out the Target closest to me and I am not a fan. I didn't even know it was possible to not like your local Target. I'll be venturing out a bit more to check out another one soon.

I hope you all had an amazing Father's Day weekend. If you have any questions about my grocery haul feel free to ask me in the comments!

May 1-9 Family Meal Plan & Grocery Haul VIDEO

My grocery shopping this month will be very different. We begin our move this month so I'm trying really hard to only buy what we absolutely need. With that said, I feel like I spent more money during this haul than what I normally do.

Between trying some new items, restocking spices and grabbing some things for the kitchen I wasn't able to stick to my goal budget. Not worried about it though. Everything will balance out towards the end of the month.

So here we are. I never made the white chicken chili from the last menu so that carried over to May. I love it when that happens. Less to buy, less to plan. Because we are moving my goal is to make sure we are completely emptying the fridge and freezer. 

What did you think of the haul? I can't believe we are in the final days of our time in Texas!

April 16-30 Grocery Haul VIDEO

This grocery haul turned out pretty good. I was able to stay on budget leaving some money leftover for some of my room Mom responsibilities that are coming up. I spent $147 at the Commissary ($152 with the bagger's tip) and about $44 at Costco.



If you have any meal planning or grocery shopping questions for me feel free to leave them here or email me.

April 1-15 Grocery Haul VIDEO

Thanks so much for all the good feedback on our family dinner menu for the first half of April. It has been such a relief being able to scratch grocery shopping off my to-do list.  Here is the video for my shopping haul. In it you'll hear me say that I spent $105 at the commissary but I actually spent $109.

You'll also hear me make reference to our pantry. I keep it stocked with chicken broth, sugar, flour, rice, potatoes, bread and whatever snacks I plan to get for the kids. Let me know if you have any questions. It is my goal to not spend more than roughly $150 a week on groceries and that includes cleaning supplies, paper goods and healthcare items.



If you have any grocery tips please give them to me! I'm in the process of looking for a coupon class on Youtube. If I add coupons to what I'm already doing we could be saving so much money. How do you grocery shop and save money?