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grocery shopping with ration books during WWII image source: https://flashbak.com/the-rationing-years-in-britain-1939-1954-21011/ |
In August, I made 3 curbside pick-up orders at our local Walmart and placed 3 online orders to be shipped to my home at Walmart.com, spending a total of $364.48. In some cases, it made more sense (and cents) to order items online. For other items, buying in-person (either in store or pick-up) was the only way to make those purchases. So that's why I take a hybrid approach when shopping.
With our garden producing so well, I was able to buy less produce and spend more in other food categories. So I stocked up on meat, nuts, flour, and a couple of other pantry items. I'm still working on completing my stock-up for the fall and winter months, thinking ahead to holiday menus and what I might need for those.
Here's a comparison of previous month's grocery spending:
Aug 2020 $92.18
Sept 2020 $182.30
Oct 2020 $304.52
Nov 2020 $189.45
Dec 2020 $77.98
Jan 2021 $54.07
Feb 2021 $184.66
Mar 2021 $152.77
Apr 2021 $447.19
May 2021 $285.53
June 2021 $127.98
July 2021 $293.58
August 2021 $364.48
My spending in August is on the high side (but not the highest ever) for my family. However, almost $150 of that was on fresh and frozen meat.
I'm just beginning to stock up on canned vegetables (carrots and pumpkin) for the winter. We went through a lot of canned carrots last winter. Not only are they easy, but they store on a shelf instead of the fridge, and the price is comparable to fresh. I'll pick up some more canned veggies this month.
Here's what I bought:
2 heads green cabbage, Walmart, 58 cents/lb
14 bananas, Walmart, 46 cents/lb
2 bundles celery, Walmart, $1.28 ea
.58 lb jalapeno peppers, Walmart, 98 cents/lb
3-lb bag onions, Walmart, $2.47
2 5-lb bag carrots, Walmart, $3.44 ea
3 packs turkey bacon, Walmart, $2.48 ea
2 24-oz packs bacon, Walmart, $5.98 ea
2 32-oz rolls pork sausage, Walmart, $4.78 ea
3 16-oz turkey Italian sausage, Walmart, $3.23 ea
20 1-lb rolls ground beef, Walmart, $2.88 ea
4 family packs boneless skinless chicken breasts, Walmart, $2.04/lb
jumbo pack (20-ct) Hebrew National kosher beef hot dogs, Walmart, $9.98
5 dozen eggs, Walmart, $7.47
3 gallons fat-free milk, Walmart, $3.07 ea
16-oz heavy cream, Walmart, $1.98
2-pack cream cheese, Walmart, $2.87 (for making blackberry cheesecake ice cream)
12 cans pumpkin, Walmart, 97 cents ea
12 cans carrots, Walmart, 48 cents ea
48-oz vegetable shortening, Walmart, $3.12
32-oz raw honey, Walmart, $7.93
8 20-oz raisins, Walmart.com, $2.94 ea
5 16-oz whole almonds, Walmart.com, $4.96 ea
2 35-oz containers cocktail peanuts, Walmart, $4.23 ea
32 oz pecan halves, Walmart, $18.68
4 boxes graham crackers, Walmart, $1.26 ea
4 bags chocolate chips, Walmart, $1.74 ea
4 10-lb bags all-purpose flour, Walmart.com, $2.50 ea
2 5-lb bags corn meal, Walmart.com, $2.36 ea
2 64-oz jars peanut butter, Walmart.com, $4.34 ea
8 lbs split peas, Walmart.com, $1.02/lb
12 cans tuna, Walmart.com, 74 cents ea
3 jars mayonnaise, Walmart.com, $1.94 ea
5 boxes bran flakes cereal, Walmart, $1.98 ea