August was a very expensive month here.
I started the month with an order of powdered soy milk. In order to get the lowest unit price, free shipping, and a free 3-pair pack of socks, I purchased enough for 6-8 months. I spent $103.92.
August 1. The trifecta of grocery shopping, a run to WinCo, Walmart, and Grocery Outlet, all along the same highway in the town next to me. I spent $84.05 at WinCo, $2.50 at Grocery Outlet, and $7.44 at Walmart, for a total of $93.99. I bought 1 pack of bacon, 2 packs of turkey snack sticks, 2 frozen peas, 2 frozen broccoli, 2 butter, 3 lb onions, large pack chicken breasts, gal milk, 24-ct string cheese, 2 lb cheddar, 2 liquid soy milk, 10 tuna, mustard, lemon juice, bread flour, mayo, peanuts, 5 lbs carrots, bananas, iodized salt, garlic powder, baking powder, natural peanut butter, sea salt, Himalayan salt. This was for the most part a week to 2 weeks worth of groceries for us.
August 2. We were wanting some summer-y treats. So we bought a carton of ice cream and 2-liter of root beer at Walmart to make root beer floats at home. We spent $4.56, which may sound like a lot for those treats, but compared to getting similar summer treats out, this was a bargain for 4 people. And the ice cream would also be used the next week when we made peanut buster parfaits, using. homemade fudge sauce and peanuts we had at home.
August 10. This was my off-week from running all the way down the highway to WinCo. So I just did a quick shop at Walmart and Grocery Outlet. I bought bananas, turkey snack sticks, and milk at Walmart and non-dairy vanilla ice cream at Grocery Outlet. I spent $14.56 total.
August 12. Out running errands and I stopped by World Market to get some whole cardamom pods. I spent $3.99.
August 18. After church we swung by Fred Meyer to pick up something for my daughter. While there I bought a jar of instant decaf coffee. I spent $6.49. I'm down to a half-cup of coffee/decaf per day, most days. Occasionally I have a second half-cup of decaf only. So this jar should last a while.
August 21. Went only to WinCo this day. I bought 2 frozen broccoli, 10 frozen peas, frozen turkey breakfast sausage, 24-ct string cheese, 2 lbs Italian sausage, 1 pack pepperoni, 4 butter, gal milk, mayo, bananas, 2 natural peanut butter, bread flour, 3 10 lb all-purpose flour, peanuts. I spent $109.16. Our car will be in the shop for 10 days beginning next Tuesday to repair damage done in daughter's accident. So, I shopped for 4 weeks of the foods I normally buy at WinCo.
August 29. Maybe the last grocery shopping for a bit. I may be able to get a bus to Walmart or Fred Meyer to pick up milk and bananas in a week. Today I went to Chef'Store (a restaurant supply) and Walmart. I bought 1 lb yeast, 6 lbs mozzarella, 5 lbs sharp cheddar, 1 lb shaved Parmesan, 50 lbs onions, 50 lbs, whole wheat flour, 50 lbs sugar, gal milk, turkey breakfast sausage, ketchup, 2 doz eggs, bananas, jalapeño peppers. I spent a total of $136.77. Some of these items were stock-up foods, such as the whole wheat flour, the yeast, the sugar, and the onions. The cheese will also last us a couple of months. Prices were up on everything I bought today. It's shocking to pay $4 for a dozen eggs and feel like that's the best price around. Sugar has doubled in price since 2020. Cheese is up by about 50%. It's just all shocking.
Our next delivery of beef will be arriving in a week. It's been charged to my card already, so I'll include it in August's total. The charge is $359.00.
The only not-totally-necessary treat foods this month were the root beer and ice cream. We enjoyed those a lot, though. And a bargain compared to going out to Dairy Queen for similar treats. Thankfully we have a large garden to supplement the groceries. Otherwise it would look like the only produce we eat are onions, carrots, and bananas. We bake often using the fruits that we harvest and forage. So no deprivation around here. I do buy some "healthier" snacks, like the string cheese, turkey snack sticks, and roasted peanuts. We all enjoy having an easy-to-grab protein snack, even if those are kind of pricey per pound. I expect that a fair amount of what I bought will last for several months. September's grocery shopping should be on the light side.
The grand total for this August's food-only groceries comes to $832.44.
How did you do with grocery spending this month?
Well, you had a 'stock-up month' ;) Eggs just jumped past $3 per dozen here ... I've read that prices are rising because there's been another resurgence of bird flu.
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteThese prices are so frustrating for all of us. I also read a report from Perdue University that the price for laying hen feed has almost doubled since 2007. That would also drive the cost of eggs significantly higher. Keeping my fingers crossed that we'll see a change in 2025.
This was a little lower month that others but I'm intentionally trying to use up some things that have been lingering for a long time. One grocery bill was almost $200 bucks but those were items we wouldn't eat all in a month like ground beef (several packages) and other meat. We did have more restaurant foods due to visiting out of state kids and we also buy groceries for them so not technically ours although I count it in my totals. Going out for breakfast with dad has become expensive. A breakfast for 2 of us is over $25 and that's not a good deal. Might have to cut down on Saturday breakfasts. I will be trying to cut down on groceries moving into the remaining part of the year.
ReplyDeleteAlice
Alice
Hi Alice,
DeleteI'm sure your dad really appreciates the breakfast time with you. $25 does sound like a lot for 2 breakfasts. I've read that restaurant meals have gone way up in price. Still, I think you're bringing a lot of simple joy to your dad by taking him out regularly. And breakfast is always considered to be the least expensive meal to eat out. You're so kind and thoughtful to help your kids with groceries. Again, I'm sure they appreciate this.
It was sort of an odd month for us. We brought much (but not all) of our vacation food with us. When we got home, both my husband and I got sick, so we did the bare minimum to get by in terms of meals. Too tired to care. Now that my daughter has moved onto campus, we're going to go through another adjustment period with how much food to buy. I feel like my life consists of figuring out grocery needs for me and my family. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Kris,
DeleteWell, at least you weren't feeling sick while on vacation.
You know, every time my family has gone through a change in size, even temporarily, it's been hard for me to gauge how much to cook for dinner. I'm sure you'll go through a similar adjustment in shopping and cooking during the school term while your daughter is away. How much milk to buy seems to be a sticky one for me. My son was a big milk drinker. When he moved out it took a month or two to figure out I just didn't need to be buying so much milk any more. Another one is bananas. One daughter was away all last week. She must be the banana eater in the family, because I now have a bunch of overripe bananas in the fruit bowl. Good luck to you in this area!
I just got done with my grocery shopping and I know just what you mean! Milk and cereal are what my son eats a lot of ..... I'm trying to figure out downsizing our groceries with my daughter and as you say, it will take a little bit of time.
DeleteI'm curious. What are turkey snack sticks? Sounds like something we might be interested in here.
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteThe turkey snack sticks are like Slim Jims but made with turkey, so they're not greasy or fatty.
Here's a link to the Walmart ones I buy:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Original-Turkey-Sausage-Sticks-Resealable-Plastic-Package-8-oz/868677321?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1200
We really, really like these. They are the first snack food that we run out of each week.