What Was in My Grocery Cart for November 2024?

Nov 4  I did my shopping at Walmart this week. I bought a pint of whipping cream, head of cabbage, bunch of bananas, 1 can of apple juice concentrate (for making spice cider on Thanksgiving, mixing in some crabapple juice and a sliced tangerine), 4 packs turkey snack sticks, 2 3-lb boxes elbow macaroni, 1 gallon milk, 2 2-lb bags powdered sugar. Spent $34.62

Nov 10  Fred Meyer after church for instant decaf coffee. We also got 1 bagged salad for free with coupon, and 2 bags of tortilla chips. Spent $10.47 

Nov 17 My husband and I stopped at Fred Meyer after church for milk While there we also checked the clearance aisle. I bought 1 marked down jar of coconut curry sauce (my husband wanted this -- it'll make an easy meal), 4 dented cans of green beans, 5 large cans of mixed nuts (no idea why these were marked down, but they were a steal), and a bunch of bananas. Spent $34.11

Nov 18 My daughter was near WinCo in the AM, so she stopped in and picked up some apples for us. spent $4.

Nov 23 My big shopping for the month at WinCo. 10-lb bag of all-purpose flour, 5-lb bag bread flour, 10-lb bag potatoes, 1 acorn squash, turkey breakfast sausage, 1 lb sliced pepperoni (for pizzas), natural peanut butter, salt, frozen fish sticks, mayonnaise, 5 lbs carrots, 8 lbs butter, dried dates, 2-pack pork sirloin roasts, celery, bananas, mushrooms, tangerines, apples. Spent $97.88

Nov 25  I needed to get just a couple of last things for Thanksgiving Day. First I stopped at Grocery Outlet 12 oz frozen sausage (for stuffing), 12 oz bacon. Spent $5.49 at GO. Across the street, Walmart 2 packs turkey snack sticks, 1 canister onion powder. Spent $8.44 at Walmart.

My total in person spending for November was $195.01. Eek! That's a little more than I'd planned. We also paid for our next batch of beef this month, even though we won't receive it until December. That cost $359.00 So, my total spending for groceries in November came to $554.01. December's spending will be a lot lower, even with Christmas and New Year's to shop for, simply because December won't be a beef month for the budget.

What I bought:

fresh, frozen and canned produce

head of cabbage

3 bunches of bananas

bagged salad mix

several pounds of apples

10 lbs potatoes

celery

bag of tangerines

fresh mushrooms

5 lbs carrots

acorn squash

frozen apple juice concentrate

4 cans green beans

dairy

pint whipping cream

2 gallons milk

8 lbs butter

meat

6 packs turkey snack sticks

turkey breakfast sausage

sliced pepperoni

fish sticks (for busy days, cheaper than fast food for a family)

2 sirloin pork roasts (for smoking)

pork sausage

pork bacon

large order of beef

pantry foods

6 lbs dried pasta

4 lbs powdered sugar

jar of instant decaf coffee

2 bags tortilla chips 

jar coconut curry sauce

5 large cans mixed nuts

10 lbs all-purpose flour

5 lbs bread flour

mayonnaise

dates

small jar onion powder

from the bulk section

natural peanut butter

salt

This was a very heavy meat purchasing month. Not only did we pay for our next batch of beef, but I also bought a few pounds of pork, lots of sausage (for Thanksgiving sausage and for daily breakfasts), and enough pepperoni for 5 pizzas. The turkey snack sticks add up. But I'm willing to buy them because they make a healthier snack than carb-heavy cookies, cakes, and breads. 

I also stocked up on butter this month, adding to the stash each time I found it on sale. I now have about 20 lbs of butter in the freezer. If it's still at it's lower price of $3.48/lb later this week, I may buy another few pounds, enough to get us through all of the holiday baking and tide us over till Easter sales. 

There are some foods we could do without (like the tortilla chips). However, a little fun food goes a long way in keeping spirits upbeat. For example, I used almost one entire bag of tortilla chips to make beef and bean nachos one night for dinner. I was using up some of the last of the garden tomatoes and green onions in this meal, too. My family loved having nachos as the dinner that night.

I didn't buy a whole lot specifically for Thanksgiving, as I've mentioned before. I figure I save quite a bit by cooking so much from scratch for this holiday. As Thanksgiving is "just" a meal holiday in preparations (as opposed to gift-giving with birthdays, Christmas, and other holidays), I can find the time to cook for a week leading up to the big meal.

That wraps up November. How did you fare with grocery shopping this past month? How much butter is too much to keep on hand in your household?

Holiday Tip # 1

I have no idea how many holiday tips I'll offer this season. Could be this becomes a list of one. I guess I'll keep count now that I've begun numbering them. Anyway, here's my first tip for the holiday season:

Pumpkin-Spice Eggnog made with frozen, then thawed eggnog

If you buy or make more eggnog than your household can consume before it spoils (or you lose interest), you can indeed freeze it now and thaw it later for drinking (or cooking/baking). And it will keep at 0 degrees F for apparently a long time (a couple of years or possibly more).

The date on this container simply says 2022. I'm guessing this was late in the year 2022, like December, and not early in the year, like January. So, let's say this is 2 years old.

I thawed it overnight in the fridge the other day. When I took the lid off, it looked like this, a little separation going on.

However, when I poured it into a jar so I could use the immersion blender on it, it seemed to reconstitute itself. So the separation issues may have not been serious ones, and this may have been drinkable without using a blender.

But, I did blend it all together, restoring its smooth, creamy consistency. I also added a good dollop of homemade pumpkin butter, transforming plain eggnog into Pumpkin-Spice Eggnog.

I could only taste a tiny bit, dipping a spoon into the 'nog and licking it, due to sensitive digestive issues with cow's milk. But I thought it was very delicious. And my two daughters completely agreed. (My husband is not a fan of pumpkin-spice as a flavor and wouldn't even taste this.)

In my family, we rarely go through more than a pint or pint and a half of eggnog in a week. We enjoy it, but it is very rich. So we drink this beloved Christmas beverage in small cups. Whether I make my own or buy eggnog, I find it best to freeze leftovers in pint containers, which is what I have done here.