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Wednesday, January 16, 2013

January grocery money journal -- mid-month

Jan. 5. Did well this month, didn't need to go to the grocery store until Jan.5. And even so, we could have done without, but tonight is our tree un-decorating party. We usually do this on Epiphany, but are going ahead one day early, due to scheduling conflicts tomorrow. So, for the tree un-decorating dinner, it will again be snack-y things, like mixed nuts, orange slices, carrot sticks, olives, pickles, pretzels, and crackers and crab salad. The crackers, pretzels and crab salad are what we picked up at the grocery store (Albertson's), along with 2 packages whole wheat tortillas, for vegetarian burritos for lunches this week. Total spent $10.24

Jan. 7. Stopped by Trader Joe's on way to daughters' school. Picked up mostly lunch supplies -- 2 jars peanut butter, 7 bananas, 2 containers tofu, 1/2 gal. soy milk and 2 doz. eggs. Spent $16.46 today. I'm hoping the eggs and peanut butter will last 2 weeks. Will need to stop at wholesaler for other items en route to school tomorrow. Total to date spent for month $26.70.

Jan. 8. Needed just a few things at the cash and carry wholesaler. Bought 10 lbs of onions (yes, I know, I only bought the small bag this time! No daughters with me to help lift the 50 pounder into the trunk), 10 lbs potatoes, 5 lbs carrots, gallon vegetable oil, 1 head of cabbage, box of plain tea. These are the foods needed to get through this week's dinner menus, as posted on  A Return to Menu Planning for January. Total spent -- $17.85. For the month to-date spent, $44.55

Jan.14. Monday morning stop at the restaurant supply/wholesaler on the way home from daughters' school (this is so convenient for me. It'll be a shame when they graduate from high school, and I'm no longer in this area of town every day. I'll just have to go back to what I used to do, head down there once a month for a big stock-up). Bought 2.5 pounds of sliced mushrooms (I'll sautee and freeze for soups and sauces), 4-pack of celery, 3 pounds frozen spinach, quart of soy milk, 5 pounds mozzarella cheese. Most of these items are for dinners for the week (My weekly menu plan).Total spent $28.16 Month-to-date spending $72.71

Our freezers are still well-stocked with basics like meat, fruits, pasta sauce and shredded cheese. I imagine I'll need to spend more on groceries later in the month, to fill gaps as we use up our supplies. But hoping to come in significantly under budget this month.

Stores I shopped at this month:
Albertson's (Mukilteo)
Trader Joe's (196 and H.99, Lynnwood)
United Cash and Carry wholesaler (H.99, Lynnwood)

Best deal(s) -- the mushrooms, 2.5 pounds for $5.83, or $2.33/lb. Mushrooms at a regular grocery store would cost us about $3/lb , and the tofu, 14 oz. organic firm tofu for $1.49, about half of the price charged by local regular grocery store

6 comments:

  1. What do the things mean in the parentheses after the name of the stores at the end of the post?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      That's the address of the stores. I know a few people locally who read this, and they like to know where I buy what. I can see how there would be something of a mystery. Mukilteo and Lynnwood are towns nearby, 196 is a major cross street in one town, and H.99 is the highway that runs north-south along the entire west coast. And I would have no idea what any of your major highways or interstates were!
      Thanks for asking.

      Delete
  2. I had planned on going to Sam's on the 20th but am now thinking about not going because I know I can do without it. You're doing a great job on your January groceries. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Belinda,
      Thanks! For me, at least, sometimes just staying out of the stores is a big help with our budget. It forces me to use what I have. It would be an interesting experiment, to eat absolutely everything in the pantry and fridge/freezer, just to see how long all our supplies would last. I suspect most folks have a lot more on hand than they realize.

      Good luck with your grocery budget this month!

      Delete
  3. It looks like you got some great deals, especially on the mushrooms. They are usually $10 a kilo here (around $5 a pound). I wish we had a wholesaler here. There is talk of a Costco opening (there's already one in Melbourne and Sydney), but I'm not holding my breath.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Economies,
      Yeah, the mushrooms are a very good buy if in restaurant quantities. Even less per pound if I'd been willing to deal with 5 lbs.

      Have you grown a kit of mushrooms before? One of the blogs I read regularly mentioned growing a kit, and I thought it might be you? If it was, did you think you got a fair amount of mushrooms from the kit?

      Delete

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