Bi-Weekly Grocery Budgeting Tips, Valentines Day Fun
- Chelsea Stolte
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Onto another week of cold dreary weather. The good news is, we have Valentines day coming up. Don't have a valentine? Be your own, budget a little and get yourself a box full of chocolate candies as a pat on the back.
Please note coupons are for the tri-state area of MD, WV, PA - Food Lion, Martin's, Aldi, Sam's Club, Save A Lot.
I know it sounds easier said than done. If you need help budgeting, check out this FREE DIY Daily Planner & Budget Sheet. If you want to get even crazier and start the new year off with in-depth budgeting - see here for self-assist budget spreadsheet. This thing overhauls your whole year for you.
All About the Savings
What are we saving for? Well, most Americans deal with lack of money to save or put away for an emergency fund. Luckily you can save some mullahhh $$ when you learn how to shop sales and meal prep for the family.
This Weeks Recipe - Easy Tomato & Mozzarella Crostini
This week's recipe for the books is: Easy Tomato and Mozzarella Crostini
Why? It is super easy if you buy the (on sale) pre-cut mozzarella cheese slices from the deli section.
1 Log of Mozzarella (sliced)
Salt (to sprinkle)
Olive oil (to drizzle)
Balsamic Glaze (optional)
Tomatoes (could be leftover mini tomatoes diced or whole tomatoes sliced)
1 Loaf French Bread (toasted slices)
Oregano (optional)
Assemble in layers, and slap on a piece of oiled or buttered toast. I eat it without the butter on the toast :). Make this for a light lunch or a quick family hors d'oeuvres.
Cost? 4.99-5.99 Mozzarella, Bread1.99, Tomatoes 1.99 = $10
Make sure to follow me for updates on sales and budget-saving ideas in the tri-state area.
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Gardening Tips for Winter
End of February I will switch over to garden planning for 2026! Just about time to start your seedlings!
As we transition into fall and winter, it’s time to think about your garden. Here are some seeds to plant (START INDOORS at 55°F at night):
Kale
Spinach
Lettuces
Beans
Snap Peas
Cauliflower (1" tall seedlings)
Cabbage (1" tall seedlings)
Root Veggies (beets/turnips)
Get a Zone 5 or 6 Garden Planting Zone Planner for yourself here:
Let’s dive into the sales for this week. This is for my local folks in the tri-state area of Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Maybe some of my fellow Virginia friends will find this helpful too!
Food Recalls: Stay Informed 2.12.2025 Update
Today I want to notify everyone that you can actually sign up to get all these notifications emailed to you in real time. The FDA has a website I signed up for, and I am ON TOP OF IT NOW! You can sign up here: Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts | FDA
*Newest additions are now at the bottom*
Company | Product | Recall | Note |
Mountain West Food Group LLC | ground beef | E.coli | forward farms ground beef - use or freeze by 1/13/26 |
Lorraine Quiche | did not pass inspection | did not get inspected | quiche with pork |
Olympia ready to eat holiday Kielbasa | kielbasa | foreign matter, metal | |
La guadalupana Foods LLC | Ready to eat frozen tamales | undeclared allergy | mislabeling |
Live it Up | Supergreens organic and wild berry pouches | salmonella | |
Genova | Yellowfin Tuna | Botulism | |
Spring & Mulberry | Multiple Flavors Chocolate Bars | Salmonella | |
Ambriola, Locatelli, Members Mark, Pinna, Boars Head | Multiple Cheeses | Listeria | |
Karison | Panjiri, pinni, laddoo | Undeclared milk allergen | |
True Sea Moss | Sea moss gel superfood | Botulism | |
Klong Kone Shrimp Paste | Shrimp Paste | lead contaminant | |
Outside the bread box | Bread Crumbs | Undeclared Milk Allergen | |
Chips Ahoy | Baked Brownie Bites | product safety choking threats | |
Ashfiat | Honey Product energy support | contains tadalafil | |
Gerber | Arrowroot Biscuits | presence of soft plastic or paper pieces | |
Why Not Natural | organic morninga Superfood | salmonella | |
Wellsley Farms | Salmon | Listeria monocytogenes |
Always check the FDA's full list for previous and still active recalls.
Grocery Savings: Maximize Your Budget
In-Season Fruit and Veggies
Base your meal prep around seasonal savings. We are back to looking for whatever is on sale these next couple of weeks.
What fruit seems to be on sale this weekend?
Couponing Tips (Updated 2.12.2025)
Save A Lot has a membership program now! Make sure you sign up to continue getting the best deals you can! If you can afford it this week, take advantage of the meat sales and stock up!
Save A Lot: Now Downloadable in a PDF.
Winners:
Boneless Beef Ribeye Steaks $9.99/lb
Chicken Breast Tenderloins $1.99/lb
Pork Tenderloin $2.99/lb
Whole beef tenderloin $12.99/lb
Center cut pork chops $1.99/lb
Spareribs $2.99/lb
Cantaloupe 1.99/ea
Strawberries 2/$5 Strawberries
Aldi: Now Downloadable in a PDF:
This might be the week to head over to Aldi for some produce if your budget is tight.
Winners:
Apples 2.49/ 3lb bag
Grapes $1.39/lb
$2.29 chicken tenderloins
White mushrooms $1.29
$5.99 Tulip Bouquets for Vday
$1.45/ 4oz feta crumbles
$3.29/lb thin pork chops
Sam's Club:
I usually shy away from here because even with my bigger family, I do not need the products they offer. However, I found some relevant savings. Just a casual update, I bought my membership in December and have yet to go. I think it is still beneficial to buy sales rather than in bulk at Sam's.
Winners:
The $5 Chicken (still the best deal there)
Food Lion: Sale Dates
Downloadable Weekly Ad
Food Lion has shop and earn rewards, if it fits in your budget, try to buy the things that can get you that extra bonus each month! You can see these on your food lion APP.
Winners:
Cold Water Lobster Tail - $4.99/ each with card
Ribeye $9.99/lb
Asparagus $1.99/lb
3 lb mandarins $2.99
Strawberries 2/4$
Chicken leg quarters 0.69/lb
BOGO COKE PRODUCTS
Dragon fruit 3.49/ea
Martin's: New PDF of Weekly Ad
Downloadable Weekly Ad
Winners:
$3.49/lb Lean ground beef 80%
$12.99 chocolate dipped strawberries
$2.99 chicken tenderloins
5.99 lobster tail or crab cakes <--food lion is cheaper
2/5$ our brand butter
blueberry and strawberries are buy 2 get 1 free
My Shopping List
So, how did I do with my $100 budget? I am right around 100 for this week. We went to save a lot for the last round of sales. Food lion had some problems keeping up with whole milk this past week so we splurged a little more on Maola brand milk.. it is absolutely delicious but runs around $3.99/ half gallon here. Some images below of the food we mauled this past week!
This week we ended up making:
Tomato / Mozarella Crostini
Fish Sandwiches
Whole Chicken
Lobster Tails (V-day deal going on at Food Lion!)
Chili Pork Chops
Some items I started stocking up on to keep as healthy snacks:
Celery
Avocado
Cherry Tomatoes
Baby Carrots
Pickles
Fruit on Sale (this week was strawberries)
Try cheaper meat cuts every other week:
Kielbasa
Hot Dogs
Bolonga
Sale Meat
Organize Your Budget
Don't forget you can purchase your own downloadable grocery budget sheet below:
So.. to sum it up, try it with me.... plan to spend only 100 a week and see what you can do to minimize waste, stick to the budget, maybe even share some new recipes with the rest of the crowd over here!
Happy shopping, my tri-state friends! The warmth is just around the corner!
~DIY With Chelsea
2.13.2026