As it's been the last week of the month, you can guess that we are down to the produce in my garden, some very old looking bananas, canned tomatoes, and a large bag of carrots. Which means, I've had to be somewhat inventive with meals. I'm also cleaning out the freezers, trying to make room for ground beef-10 lbs and fish-5 lbs (on sale this week at Cash & Carry). Chicken leg quarters on on sale again for 50 cents/lb. I'm on the fence as to whether or not to pick up another 40-lb case. But I can't buy any of those meats if there's not room to store them.
So here's what we had for dinner this past week:
Wednesday
chicken smothered in mock pesto (basil, garlic, olive oil, salt and black pepper, a mix of provolone and mozzarella -- no Parmesan, here, and no nuts)
rice topped with marinara sauce
fresh cherries
banana bread
Thursday
refried bean tostadas w/ lettuce, cheese, quickie salsa, plain yogurt, fried corn tortillas
fresh cherries
Friday
ham and cheese sandwiches, with mock pesto as condiment (it was a hot day, and didn't want to heat the kitchen)
fresh cherries
greens topped with oven-roasted tomatoes
Saturday
pbj sandwiches
spinach salad
cherries
ice cream sundaes
Sunday
chicken, tomato, radish greens, cheese and pasta stove-top casserole
more ice cream
Monday
potato salad (using up leftover egg salad from last week)
marinated garbanzo beans and roasted tomatoes over lettuce
herbed rice "polenta", topped with quickie marinara sauce
Tuesday
radish greens, swiss chard and cheddar quiche
cream cheese and chive mashed potatoes
lettuce topped with leftover garbanzo bean-roasted tomato salad
blueberries and raspberries for dessert
What's been on your menu this last week of June? Do you find that you run out of any particular ingredients during that last week of the month?
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
June 2015 Grocery Spending Journal
Oh, how very sad. For the month of June, I have just $145.32 in grocery money. I've got to get myself together for this. I can, and I will!
June 1. Dollar Tree for peanut butter (2) and soy milk (1). Spent $3
Cash & Carry for 40 lbs of chicken leg quarters, $19.99. Chicken legs are not my favorite, but at just under 50 cents per pound, I'll find ways to make them taste delicious. With all of this information about chicken/turkey and egg prices rising, I thought buying 40 lbs of chicken might be a good idea for right now.
The chicken quarters were packaged in 4 10-lb bags. Not horrible (could have been one solid block of frozen chicken), not as easy to deal with as IQF chicken pieces. But I'll figure something out. Meanwhile, we now have a very good supply of meat, here. 40 lbs of chicken, 10 lbs of ground beef, 1 whole turkey and 2 hams.
I've been thinking about our milk supply. I can get milk with a senior discount, one Tuesday per month, at an okay price ($2.51/gallon). Some months, milk is also on sale, so I can buy it for even less, as this month, it was $1.78/gallon, but limit of 3 gallons. I have figured that we go through about 9 or 10 gallons of milk per month, including the milk I use for making yogurt twice per month. So, my new fill-to amount, for the first week of the month is 10 gallons. That amount will get us through till the next senior discount day, when I can purchase more at an "okay" to "good" price.
June 1. QFC -- right next to the bank, so I run in and buy some milk, 4 half-gallons whole milk at 99 cents each (on sale, limit 4), and 2 gallons whole milk, on markdown ($1.98 each), 2 gallons skim milk on markdown ($1.99 each). Spent $11.90. When I have a choice, I buy whole milk, as I can use it either for family drinking or for making yogurt.
June 2. Senior Day at Fred Meyer. I use my discount to buy 6 half-gallons of whole milk (89 cents each), 1 packet of lettuce seeds for 96 cents, 4 16-oz bags of marshmallows for $1.35 each, 2 48-oz cans of shortening (for pie crusts), for $4.04 each, 1 large can of decaf coffee for $6.29, and 3 dozen eggs that were repackaged for $1.07 each dozen, plus I found 5 gallons of 2% milk on markdown for $2.00 each. I spent $39.28.
Month-to-date spent $74.17
June 7. The ethnic market, Imran's, for produce and corn tortillas. Bought 16 Red Delicious apples (39 cents/lb), 6 orange sweet bell peppers (25 cents each), 8 bananas (49 cents/lb), 1 head of green cabbage (49 cents/lb) ad 1 72-ct package of corn tortillas ($2.29). Spent $9.83. I figure I can afford to stop here one more time this month to pick up produce (and spend $10 again), and will otherwise use what's in the garden for the rest of our fruits and vegetables. The rest of the grocery budget is earmarked for other items.
Month-to-date spent $84.00
June 11. Cash & Carry for 4 64-oz jars of chunky peanut butter (it makes the best peanut butter cookies, IMO), $4.99 each. 1 5-lb bag of frozen cut corn ($3.49), 1 50-lb bag of pinto beans ($18.99). Spent $42.44 (I almost missed the pinto beans, entirely! They were in a separate ad, not the usual Hot Sheet, And when I was in the store getting the peanut butter, I walked right past them the first time. It wasn't until I pulled my cart into the checkout line that I spied them on an end cap. Pintos have been on my "buy" list for a few months, as they can be half the price of many other varieties of beans that I buy. So, thankful to see them this time!)
Month to date spent $126.44
We're doing okay, even thought I'm close to my budget limit, and it's only the 11th. Our freezer is so full, right now, that I am not wanting to bring anything more home that needs to be frozen. That will be a help, for me. And we're not needing too much in staples, either. So all's good for now. Hoping none of the stores have any spectacular deals in the next couple of weeks, so I won't be tempted to overspend.
June 17. Trader Joe's for 12 bananas, at 19cents each. Spent $2.28
Cash & Carry for 25-lb bag of carrots, at $7.98 and 1 29-oz can of coffee for $5.88. Spent $13.86
Total spent month to date -- $142.58
June 22. Fred Meyer for 4 half-gallons of whole milk (99cents each) and 1 pint of heavy whipping cream ($2.69) The whipping cream is for my one daughter who struggles with an eating disorder. I've been bumping up the calories that she consumes, to help her get her weight back up. Spent $6.65.
I'm done shopping for the month of June. I spent $149.23, over $3.91. Not bad! Not bad at all!
So for this month, I bought:
meat
40 lbs chicken leg quarters
pantry
20 oz. creamy peanut butter
16 lbs chunky peanut butter
1 quart soy milk
4 16-oz bags marshmallows
1 large can decaf coffee
1 large can regular coffee
6 lbs shortening (Crisco)
50 lbs dried pinto beans
dairy
9 gallons whole milk
2 gallons skim milk
5 gallons 2% milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
refrigerator
3 dozen eggs
72-ct corn tortillas
fruits and vegetables
packet lettuce seeds
16 Red Delicious apples
6 orange bell peppers
20 bananas (plus we received 8 additional bananas, free, from my son's office)
1 head cabbage
5 lbs frozen cut corn
25 lbs carrots
I've been reworking our overall budget this past week. While inflation has affected nearly every category of our budget, food inflation has had the most significant impact. I've decided to take $10 per month out of another category and transfer that amount to groceries. For July (and forward) we'll have $185 for groceries. I'll see if this increase will ease up some of the stress of planning meals and shopping, for me.
June 1. Dollar Tree for peanut butter (2) and soy milk (1). Spent $3
Cash & Carry for 40 lbs of chicken leg quarters, $19.99. Chicken legs are not my favorite, but at just under 50 cents per pound, I'll find ways to make them taste delicious. With all of this information about chicken/turkey and egg prices rising, I thought buying 40 lbs of chicken might be a good idea for right now.
The chicken quarters were packaged in 4 10-lb bags. Not horrible (could have been one solid block of frozen chicken), not as easy to deal with as IQF chicken pieces. But I'll figure something out. Meanwhile, we now have a very good supply of meat, here. 40 lbs of chicken, 10 lbs of ground beef, 1 whole turkey and 2 hams.
I've been thinking about our milk supply. I can get milk with a senior discount, one Tuesday per month, at an okay price ($2.51/gallon). Some months, milk is also on sale, so I can buy it for even less, as this month, it was $1.78/gallon, but limit of 3 gallons. I have figured that we go through about 9 or 10 gallons of milk per month, including the milk I use for making yogurt twice per month. So, my new fill-to amount, for the first week of the month is 10 gallons. That amount will get us through till the next senior discount day, when I can purchase more at an "okay" to "good" price.
June 1. QFC -- right next to the bank, so I run in and buy some milk, 4 half-gallons whole milk at 99 cents each (on sale, limit 4), and 2 gallons whole milk, on markdown ($1.98 each), 2 gallons skim milk on markdown ($1.99 each). Spent $11.90. When I have a choice, I buy whole milk, as I can use it either for family drinking or for making yogurt.
June 2. Senior Day at Fred Meyer. I use my discount to buy 6 half-gallons of whole milk (89 cents each), 1 packet of lettuce seeds for 96 cents, 4 16-oz bags of marshmallows for $1.35 each, 2 48-oz cans of shortening (for pie crusts), for $4.04 each, 1 large can of decaf coffee for $6.29, and 3 dozen eggs that were repackaged for $1.07 each dozen, plus I found 5 gallons of 2% milk on markdown for $2.00 each. I spent $39.28.
Month-to-date spent $74.17
June 7. The ethnic market, Imran's, for produce and corn tortillas. Bought 16 Red Delicious apples (39 cents/lb), 6 orange sweet bell peppers (25 cents each), 8 bananas (49 cents/lb), 1 head of green cabbage (49 cents/lb) ad 1 72-ct package of corn tortillas ($2.29). Spent $9.83. I figure I can afford to stop here one more time this month to pick up produce (and spend $10 again), and will otherwise use what's in the garden for the rest of our fruits and vegetables. The rest of the grocery budget is earmarked for other items.
Month-to-date spent $84.00
June 11. Cash & Carry for 4 64-oz jars of chunky peanut butter (it makes the best peanut butter cookies, IMO), $4.99 each. 1 5-lb bag of frozen cut corn ($3.49), 1 50-lb bag of pinto beans ($18.99). Spent $42.44 (I almost missed the pinto beans, entirely! They were in a separate ad, not the usual Hot Sheet, And when I was in the store getting the peanut butter, I walked right past them the first time. It wasn't until I pulled my cart into the checkout line that I spied them on an end cap. Pintos have been on my "buy" list for a few months, as they can be half the price of many other varieties of beans that I buy. So, thankful to see them this time!)
Month to date spent $126.44
We're doing okay, even thought I'm close to my budget limit, and it's only the 11th. Our freezer is so full, right now, that I am not wanting to bring anything more home that needs to be frozen. That will be a help, for me. And we're not needing too much in staples, either. So all's good for now. Hoping none of the stores have any spectacular deals in the next couple of weeks, so I won't be tempted to overspend.
June 17. Trader Joe's for 12 bananas, at 19cents each. Spent $2.28
Cash & Carry for 25-lb bag of carrots, at $7.98 and 1 29-oz can of coffee for $5.88. Spent $13.86
Total spent month to date -- $142.58
June 22. Fred Meyer for 4 half-gallons of whole milk (99cents each) and 1 pint of heavy whipping cream ($2.69) The whipping cream is for my one daughter who struggles with an eating disorder. I've been bumping up the calories that she consumes, to help her get her weight back up. Spent $6.65.
I'm done shopping for the month of June. I spent $149.23, over $3.91. Not bad! Not bad at all!
So for this month, I bought:
meat
40 lbs chicken leg quarters
pantry
20 oz. creamy peanut butter
16 lbs chunky peanut butter
1 quart soy milk
4 16-oz bags marshmallows
1 large can decaf coffee
1 large can regular coffee
6 lbs shortening (Crisco)
50 lbs dried pinto beans
dairy
9 gallons whole milk
2 gallons skim milk
5 gallons 2% milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
refrigerator
3 dozen eggs
72-ct corn tortillas
fruits and vegetables
packet lettuce seeds
16 Red Delicious apples
6 orange bell peppers
20 bananas (plus we received 8 additional bananas, free, from my son's office)
1 head cabbage
5 lbs frozen cut corn
25 lbs carrots
I've been reworking our overall budget this past week. While inflation has affected nearly every category of our budget, food inflation has had the most significant impact. I've decided to take $10 per month out of another category and transfer that amount to groceries. For July (and forward) we'll have $185 for groceries. I'll see if this increase will ease up some of the stress of planning meals and shopping, for me.
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