I think this month will turn out well, grocery spending-wise. Keeping fingers crossed!!!
October 3. Senior Discount Day at Fred Meyer. This is such an awesome deal for my area. I can use the discount, plus coupons and/or on sale, and on store-brand products (price already competitive). I checked the e-coupons and made my list. This is what I bought: 3 cans of Kroger crescent roll dough ($1.30 each), large bottle canola oil (48 oz maybe?) for $1.79, the last 4 48-oz jars of applesauce ($1.30 each), 2 15-oz cans of pumpkin ($1.29 each), 16-oz jar peanut butter ($1.25), 32-oz pure maple syrup ($11.24), trident gum (freebie), about a pound of freshly ground Seattle roast coffee (dark roast, the good stuff), $4.45, 1-lb whole wheat saltine crackers (90 cents), 3/4 lb of sunflower seeds ($1.07), 1.39 lb of raisins ($2.59), 10 lbs potatoes ($2.99), 1/2 gallon soymilk ($2.06). 2 dozen eggs (71 cents/dozen), 5 lbs carrots ($2.69), large head each of green and red cabbage (49 cents/lb), 3 packages flour tortillas (89 cents each), green onions (79 cents), radishes (79 cents), head each of red leaf and Romaine lettuce ($1.29), 4 bags of marked down apples, mix of Rome and Granny Smith (each weighing about 2 lbs) for $1 each, or about 50 cents/lb, about 14 bananas at 49 cents/lb, 4 loaves of whole wheat bread (81 cents each), 1 2-litre bottle of lemon-lime soda (69 cents), 7 anjou pears (99 cents/lb), 1 package whole wheat hot dog buns ($1.12). Total spent -- $71.23, plus I used a coupon for 200 extra fuel reward points.
Oct. 9 My son was coming over and I wanted to show him how easy it is to make pizza at home, using some commercial ingredients. I made a special trip to the store, and lucked out with the marked down produce. They had just put a shopping cart full of bagged produce out. Fred Meyer bags the marked down produce in small net bags and sells the bags for $1 each, except bananas, which are 39 cents/lb. I weigh several bags to get the best price per pound. This time around, I got apples and tomatoes at about 50 cents/lb, and winter squash for about 30 cents/lb. I also bought a bag of 3 Asian pears for about 66 cents/lb. For the pizza, I bought 1 Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust for $2, a jar of pizza sauce, 99 cents, 1 large green pepper, 99 cents, 3 mushrooms (yes, just 3 mushrooms, I love that you can buy just a couple of mushrooms at a time), 1 Italian sausage from the butcher, $1.25, 1 small can sliced olives, 99 cents, 2 packs of English muffins for 69 cents each, and 1 yogurt, freebie. My homemade large pizza cost about $5 to make, as there was leftover sauce, mushrooms, green pepper to use in another dish, and the crust was very good, I thought. Total spent -- $21.48
Oct. 12. A family dinner night, and wanting some beef. I bought a small roast for $4.99/lb. I have never in my life paid that much for beef. I also bought frozen pie crusts, for $1.50, a 4-lb bag of sugar for $1.89, and a head of Romaine lettuce for $1.29. Total spent -- $13.86
Oct. 17. Dollar Tree for tortilla chips and salsa, spent $2
Oct. 25. Yes, another family dinner night, and wanting to make grilled cheese sandwiches, so need cheese. I bought a 2-lb block of cheddar for $5.99, 2 13-oz turkey Polish sausage links/loops for $2.50 each, head of cabbage for 49 cents/lb, head of red leaf lettuce for $1.29, 8-oz sliced mushrooms for $1.19, 4 bags of marked down apples at $1 each (worked out to about 50 cents/lb again for apples), 4 half-gallons of 2% milk marked down to 99 cents each, 1 half-gallon of pumpkin eggnog marked down for $1.50, 2 dozen eggs for 79 cents/dozen, 1 package potato and broccoli soup mix, freebie, and 1 package of peanut M & M's, freebie. Total spent -- $25.66.
For the month of October I spent a grand total of $134.23
Even though I made several trips to the store, just to buy a special dinner or lunch worth of ingredients, I still did not spend much. We are trying to use up what we have in the freezers and pantry, still. I had $180.91 going into October, so this means that I have $46.68 leftover. Woo hoo! Personally, I haven't had much of an appetite this past month, the effect of that being that I don't buy much. I am keeping lots of produce on hand. I enjoy salads for lunch. I am also buying a few convenience products, such a the refrigerator roll dough and commercial bread. I should add that mid-month, one daughter and I volunteered at a luncheon/tea for the day and were gifted with enough produce to last us about 5 days of salads and fruit, plus milk and lots of bread products. Those items did not go onto my list of what I bought, but did help us stretch our budget. I have no idea of what November will cost.
A bonus this month -- I thought that we were completely out of all-purpose flour. There is a large container in the pantry that I thought was all whole wheat flour. Turns out it's white flour. I have a partial bag of whole wheat flour, still, so I've got plenty of both! That was a bonus! I wonder what else I'll find as we plow through the freezer contents.
What I bought
Produce
4 large jars of applesauce
2 cans pumpkin
1.39 lb raisins
10 lbs potatoes
5 lbs carrots
head red cabbage
head green cabbage
5 lbs carrots
bunch of green onions
bunch of radishes
3 heads of lettuce
36 apples
20 bananas
7 anjou pears
1 large green pepper
8 assorted small winter squash
3 Asian pears
8 lbs of tomatoes
3 mushrooms
8 oz package mushrooms
Meat
1 Italian sausage
2 lbs beef roast
Dairy/Fridge
3 cans of crescent roll dough
half-gallon soymilk
2 dozen eggs
individual container yogurt (freebie)
pizza crust dough
Freezer
pie crusts, 2
Pantry
48-oz bottle of canola oil
1 jar peanut butter
quart real maple syrup
package of gum (freebie)
1 lb of ground coffee
16 oz saltines
.74 lb sunflower seeds
3 packages of flour tortillas
4 loaves bread
1 package hot dog buns
2-litre lemon-lime soda
small jar pizza sauce
12 English muffins
small can sliced olives
1 jar salsa
1 bag tortilla chips
4 lbs sugar
package of M&Ms (freebie)
