November 2017 grocery shopping journal

I have $221.68 going into the month for groceries, and a pretty empty refrigerator. November will be a very busy month for me, so I will need some easy to prepare foods. That will cost me.

Nov. 3. We need produce, cheese, and some easy to prepare supper foods. Cash & Carry is the spot for cheese at a good price, and they have okay prices on many other items I need. I bought 5-lb block of sharp cheddar (11.98 ), 5-lb bag of white rice (3.29 ), 5-lb bag of gala apples (4.15 ), 10-lb bag of small red potatoes (6.60), 17 bananas (49 cents/lb), 1 head cabbage (1.42 ), 1 large head of Romaine lettuce ($1.49), 4 #10 cans of diced tomatoes (2.40 ea ), 1 #10 can refried beans (5.98 ), 12-oz dried onions (3.77 ), 16-oz garlic granules (5.29 ), 5-lb bags of green peas, green beans, mixed vegetables (4.68 each), 4-lb bag of mixed Asian vegetables (5.88 ), 5-lb bag of beef meatballs (11.89 ), 5-lb bag of potstickers (10.58 ), quart of lemon juice (2.37 ), chicken soup base (3.17 ), 10-lb bag of carrots (4.07 ), 1-lb shredded Parmesan cheese (5.73 ), 3-lb block frozen spinach (3.08)

My daughters were both home when I drove in, and when they saw what I bought they were delighted. Lunches will be easy to make, again, and full of yummy items. Both daughters like having veggies and fruits to take for lunches. I forgot to get more tofu. I'll get that another time. If I'm going to buy prepared foods, like meatballs and potstickers, Cash & Carry is a good place to buy them. What I didn't buy at Cash & Carry was a 50-lb bag of sugar and a 35-lb box of cooking oil. I don't go through that stuff fast enough anymore. So I will be picking up smaller sizes of those items at Fred Meyer.

Spent - $117.50

Nov.7 Senior shopping day at Fred Meyer (10% discount on store-brand items and housewares)
I knew going in this might be expensive, and it was. I bought whole wheat saltines crackers, 2 boxes ($1.34/16-oz), natural peanut butter, 15-oz, 3 jars ($2.06 each), store-brand canned fried onions ($2.24--I normally don't buy these but make my own for green bean casserole, but someone else will make the casserole for me if I have the canned onions for them), 5 loaves of part whole wheat bread (80 cents each), bologna (90 cents), 2 packs cheap hot dogs (80 cents each), 1 package marked down Italian hot link sausages ($1.79), 1 turkey smoked sausage ($2.99), 5 lbs of summer squash marked down to $2 total (40 cents/lb), 2 packs tofu ($1.61 each), 4 cans of Campbell's mushroom soup (coupon + sale, 29 cents each), 2 cans c of chicken soup, (49 cents each), 11 lbs of raw almonds, year supply ($3.59/lb), 4 lbs assorted pasta shapes, (49 cents/lb), 2 large cans coffee, and 2 large cans decaf ($4.49 each), 64 oz soy milk ($2.51), 3 12-oz bags Seattle Best coffee (coupon and sale, $3.90 each), 10 half-gallons milk (89 cents each), 4 large jars applesauce, unsweetened, ($1.97 each), 4 cans green beans, 4 cans corn (44 cents each), 3 48-oz bottles canola oil ($1.79 each), 1 package whole wheat hot dog buns ($1.12), Uncle Ben's Spanish rice (freebie), 5 4-lb bags of sugar ($1.61 each), box of decaf tea bags ($2.24), 4 bags of marked down apples, 16 apples total, and about 2.25 lbs each bag ($1/bag, or about 45 cents/lb), 1 bag of 3 peppers ($1),  3 bananas (39 cents/lb), 1 chocolate cookie pie crust (80 cents). I bought a lot. So much that it didn't all fit in my trunk but I also loaded the back seat. I completely fill the grocery cart, and if there had been more room, I would have bought even more, I am convinced. We just needed a lot this time around.
Spent $149.13

Spent for the month, so far -- $266.63  That's a lot, but we are super well-stocked, now. I think we could get through a couple of months, if we had to.

Nov. 26. Sale on butter for today only at Fred Meyer, with downloadable coupon limit of 5. I buy 5 lbs for $1.99/lb. I also pick up 2 Friday freebies, a bag of Mother's Circus Animal cookies (will use for coffee hour at church on Sunday) and a package of Mentos candy. Total spent $9.95

Nov. 29. Low on fresh produce, so while out I stop at WinCo and buy 3 Fuji apples (98 cents/lb), 2/3 lb of broccoli crowns ($1.28/lb), 1  3/4 lbs red grapes ($1.78/lb), 1 bundle of celery (88 cents), 5 bananas (52 cents/lb), 1 cucumber (48 cents). Total spent $7.43

For the month, then, I spent $284.01, which is $62.33 over my budget for the month. I did buy a lot this month, so maybe I still have quite a lot in stock to carry me through a good chunk of December. we shall see.


What I bought:

Produce
17 lbs apples
25 bananas
10 lbs small red potatoes
1 head cabbage
1 head Romaine lettuce
4 #10 cans of diced tomatoes
12 oz dried onions
16 oz garlic granules
5 lbs green peas, frozen
5 lbs green beans, frozen
5 lbs mixed vegetables, frozen
4 lbs mixed Asian vegetables, frozen
3 lbs spinach, frozen
quart lemon juice
10 lbs carrots
5 lbs assorted summer squash
4 large jars unsweetened applesauce
4 cans green beans
4 cans cut corn
3 sweet peppers
2/3 lb fresh broccoli
1 cucumber
1  3/4 lbs grapes
1 bundle celery

Meat
5 lbs beef meatballs
5 lbs pork and veggie potstickers
1 package bologna
2 packs cheap hot dogs
1 package Italian hot sausages
1 large Polish sausage

Pantry
5 lbs white rice
1 #10 can of refried beans
chicken soup base
32 oz whole wheat saltines
3 small jars natural peanut butter
1 can fried onions
5 loaves whole wheat bread
1 package whole wheat hot dog buns
6 cans of cream soup for casseroles/meatballs and noodles
11 lbs raw almonds
4 lbs pasta
2 cans reg coffee
2 cans decaf coffee
3 bags better quality coffee
144 oz canola oil
1 package seasoned rice (freebie)
20 lbs sugar
1 box decaf tea
1 chocolate cookie pie crust
1 bag frosted animal cookies (freebie)
1 package Mentos candy (freebie)

Dairy
5 lbs sharp cheddar
1 lb shredded Parmesan
2 containers tofu
5 gallons milk
1/2 gallon soy milk
5 lbs butter

Pumpkin Cheesecake

We have a new holiday favorite in our house. I made a pumpkin pie, and my daughter made a pumpkin cheesecake. I'm afraid that the pie tasted rather ordinary in comparison to the cheesecake. I think we have a new holiday dessert.  This was a New York-style cheesecake, tall, dense, and very decadent. A nine-inch New York cheesecake makes about 16 servings, so this is also a great dessert for a large gathering. Sorry, no photos as we ate the whole thing!

Cheesecake tips --

• New York cheesecake recipes often call for a water bath. A water bath helps the cheesecake bake evenly, which minimizes cracking. Wrap the springform pan in foil before filling, then set in water bath for baking. The foil prevents water from seeping through to the cake when baking in a springform pan placed in water.
• If you bake until all but the very center 2 inches are firm, but center is still a tiny bit jiggly, the cake will continue setting as it cools. Shut off the oven, crack the door open, and allow the cheesecake to sit in the cooling oven for 30 minutes. The texture will even and it will be creamy throughout.
• To prevent lumps, use room temp cream cheese, not cold.
• Allow to cool before removing the springform ring. Run a knife all around, then undo the latch on the side of pan.
• Cheesecakes freeze well, if ungarnished. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temp (70 degrees F) for 30 minutes before serving.
• Cream cheese goes on sale in November and December. You can freeze cream cheese, then use for baking cheesecake later in the year. For this cake, we used cream cheese that had been in the freezer for over a year. Still creamy and delicious.