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| grocery shopping with ration books during WWII image source: https://flashbak.com/the-rationing-years-in-britain-1939-1954-21011/ |
In August, I made 3 curbside pick-up orders at our local Walmart and placed 3 online orders to be shipped to my home at Walmart.com, spending a total of $364.48. In some cases, it made more sense (and cents) to order items online. For other items, buying in-person (either in store or pick-up) was the only way to make those purchases. So that's why I take a hybrid approach when shopping.
With our garden producing so well, I was able to buy less produce and spend more in other food categories. So I stocked up on meat, nuts, flour, and a couple of other pantry items. I'm still working on completing my stock-up for the fall and winter months, thinking ahead to holiday menus and what I might need for those.
Here's a comparison of previous month's grocery spending:
Aug 2020 $92.18
Sept 2020 $182.30
Oct 2020 $304.52
Nov 2020 $189.45
Dec 2020 $77.98
Jan 2021 $54.07
Feb 2021 $184.66
Mar 2021 $152.77
Apr 2021 $447.19
May 2021 $285.53
June 2021 $127.98
July 2021 $293.58
August 2021 $364.48
My spending in August is on the high side (but not the highest ever) for my family. However, almost $150 of that was on fresh and frozen meat.
I'm just beginning to stock up on canned vegetables (carrots and pumpkin) for the winter. We went through a lot of canned carrots last winter. Not only are they easy, but they store on a shelf instead of the fridge, and the price is comparable to fresh. I'll pick up some more canned veggies this month.
Here's what I bought:
14 bananas, Walmart, 46 cents/lb
2 bundles celery, Walmart, $1.28 ea
.58 lb jalapeno peppers, Walmart, 98 cents/lb
3-lb bag onions, Walmart, $2.47
2 5-lb bag carrots, Walmart, $3.44 ea
3 packs turkey bacon, Walmart, $2.48 ea
2 24-oz packs bacon, Walmart, $5.98 ea
2 32-oz rolls pork sausage, Walmart, $4.78 ea
3 16-oz turkey Italian sausage, Walmart, $3.23 ea
20 1-lb rolls ground beef, Walmart, $2.88 ea
4 family packs boneless skinless chicken breasts, Walmart, $2.04/lb
jumbo pack (20-ct) Hebrew National kosher beef hot dogs, Walmart, $9.98
5 dozen eggs, Walmart, $7.47
3 gallons fat-free milk, Walmart, $3.07 ea
16-oz heavy cream, Walmart, $1.98
2-pack cream cheese, Walmart, $2.87 (for making blackberry cheesecake ice cream)
12 cans pumpkin, Walmart, 97 cents ea
12 cans carrots, Walmart, 48 cents ea
48-oz vegetable shortening, Walmart, $3.12
32-oz raw honey, Walmart, $7.93
8 20-oz raisins, Walmart.com, $2.94 ea
5 16-oz whole almonds, Walmart.com, $4.96 ea
2 35-oz containers cocktail peanuts, Walmart, $4.23 ea
32 oz pecan halves, Walmart, $18.68
4 boxes graham crackers, Walmart, $1.26 ea
4 bags chocolate chips, Walmart, $1.74 ea
4 10-lb bags all-purpose flour, Walmart.com, $2.50 ea
2 5-lb bags corn meal, Walmart.com, $2.36 ea
2 64-oz jars peanut butter, Walmart.com, $4.34 ea
8 lbs split peas, Walmart.com, $1.02/lb
3 jars mayonnaise, Walmart.com, $1.94 ea
5 boxes bran flakes cereal, Walmart, $1.98 ea
I have some of the ration coupons from WW II that my grandmother didn't spend. She was always saving for a rainy day. We are blessed to have so many things readily available to buy these days. Even when there's a shortage of one thing, there is usually another thing to take its place.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a treasure to have, Live and Learn!
DeleteYou're absolutely right about our abundance here in the US. My kids all had an English teacher all through high school that was from the USSR. She told them about how they would wait for hours in line to get something at the store only to finally get inside and the store would be sold out or rationing very tiny amounts.
I like your listing of the wide variation in money spent each month. It's very relatable! I was reminded of our cabbage experience last weekend. My husband's cabbage in the garden got infested with something and he had to pick two small heads of cabbage to salvage what he could. The cabbages he is growing in pots are doing much better.
ReplyDeleteHi Kris,
DeleteThe monthly spending comparisons do look somewhat crazy and haphazard. But it's just how it has worked out for me.
Thanks for sharing your husband's experience with growing cabbage in pots. I'll keep that in mind for the future. I'm sorry to hear that some of the garden cabbage didn't work out. That happens every year with at least one thing in my garden. This year, the corn is dismal. My "salvaging" might just be husks for making tamales.