I have 90 cents leftover from May, which means that I have $125.90
for June’s grocery budget. I’m including a couple of Father’s Day menu items in
the budget, which squeezes things a little, but I think that we’re okay. The
stock-up items for June are 50 pounds of sugar, 15 dozen eggs, and 25 pounds of
brown rice. The sugar and eggs were on special, while the brown rice is a
regular item for us, and I typically buy this in 25 or 50 pound bags. In about 2 weeks, I'll freeze about 10 dozen eggs to use in July and August.
It’s really good to see that my pantry is looking a wee bit
more stocked these days. The garden is producing enough
for us that I don’t need to buy much at all in the way of produce. In June, I
should be able to harvest Swiss chard, kale, lettuce, snow peas, sorrel, strawberries, rhubarb, beet
greens, and lentil sprouts. (You’ll notice that I skipped the raisins this
month, as we’re using the dehydrated rhubarb in its place.) Plus, I still have
some canned and frozen fruits and vegetables. I’ll be adding more rhubarb
to the freezer throughout the season, plus I’ll make several jars of vanilla-rhubarb
jam to add to refrigerator storage.
This morning, I compared 6 stores online as I made and then whittled my list. I didn't have to make as many compromises as I have had to in the previous 3 months. In this list, I am $1.52 under budget, so I have a tiny bit
of spare money this month.
June Grocery list (124.38 out of 125.90 budget)
SmartFood Service Cash and Carry (71.59)
White Satin granulated sugar, 50 lbs, 21.98 stock-up item
Golden International mushroom soy sauce, 3.09, 5
lbs
First Street almond extract, 16 oz, 5.98
Simply Value imitation vanilla 2.99
Simply Value whole tomatoes, #10, 2.89
First Street large loose eggs, 15 dz, 8.30 (55
cents/dz)-- limited availability, stock-up item
yellow onions, 10-lb bag, 4.84
First Street medium grain brown rice, 25-lb,
10.97, stock-up item
First Street mozzarella cheese, 5-lb, 10.55
WinCo (12.19)
lentils, 4 lbs. 3.32
83 cents/lb bulk
soybeans- $1 worth
garlic granules – $1.15 worth (1/4 lb)
chocolate chips- Winco 1.68
graham crackers, WinCo, 1.68
bananas 8 lbs, WinCo/Walmart, 3.36, 42 cents/lb
Fred Meyer - senior discount day, (23.26)
hot dogs, 3 packs, 75 cents ea, (2.25)
milk, 10.43, 5 gals, (get 1 whole, rest 2 %)
butter, 2 lbs, 2.51 lb (5.02)
orange juice- FM 1.61,
smoked sausage, Father’s Day, 3.50
biscuit dough 45 cents, donuts on Father’s Day
Walmart (12.44)
Great value decaf, 3.52 (or 2 at Dollar Tree)
Gold Leaf chicken leg quarters, 10-lb Walmart $5.98
Great Value cocoa powder, 8-oz, 1.98
Great Value marshmallows, 96 cents, 10-oz
watermelon, Sprouts or Country Farms, 49 cts/lb 10-lb (4.90)
I pre-spent/purchased the sugar and eggs, as they were on sale or of limited quantity at a very low price. Since we're not using these two items at all in May, I am still counting these them as part of June's budget. This month, we'll be trying mushroom soy sauce for the first time. It worked out to be less expensive than the regular soy sauce, so we'll see how we like it.
For meat, I'm buying chicken leg quarters, smoked sausage, and hot dogs. I still have ham, two chicken leg quarters, ground beef, and smoked salmon in the freezer and cans of tuna in the pantry. I have green beans, peas, spinach, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, tomato paste, whole tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, onions, carrots, orange juice, apple juice, pineapple, raisins, and corn for fruits and vegetables in the pantry, freezer, or refrigerator. In grains, I have all-purpose and whole wheat flour, coarse corn meal (polenta), steel cut and regular oats, barley, popping corn, and quinoa in the pantry. And I still have a lot of pinto beans left from April's shopping.
I have a separate budget for the reception after my daughter's graduation, and I expect there will be some nice treats leftover, including some fruits and vegetables, meats, and cheeses to round out our supplies. Knowing this in advance gave me some freedom in making out this month's grocery list.
That's about it for June's grocery list.
