May Grocery Shopping: Week 1

I went grocery shopping twice in the first week of May.   Once on May 1 and again on May 5. 

May 1 Groceries

On May 1, I went to one of the dollar stores and bought:

3 bananas, @$.49/lb. = $.60
1 packet of chocolate wafers = $1.00
2 packets of gelatin, @$.50 = $1.00
Total = $2.60:
 

May 1 Receipt

The receipt also includes the package of clothes hangers I bought, but that is not part of the grocery budget.

May 5 Groceries

On May 5, I went to the grocery store and bought:

1flavored coffee creamer = $2.99
2 boxes macaroni and cheese, @$1 = $2.00
1 can pasta sauce = $1.00
1 bag (14 oz). frozen meatballs = $1.99*
4 ears of corn, @$.25 = $1.00
1 package (9 oz.) chicken & turkey cold cuts = $1.99*
2 bolillo rolls, @$.25 = $.50
Total =  $11.47

(In addition, I bought 2 bags (16 lbs. each) of cat food, on sale for $9.99* each plus tax, which came to a total of $21.73; it is reflected in my receipt, but is not part of my grocery budget).

 

May 5 Grocery Receipt

* The store was having a "buy 4 participating items and save $4 ($1 per item)" sale.  The prices I've shown are the final sale price.  The two bags of cat food, the meatballs, and the cold cuts were the four participating items I chose to buy.

The meatballs had a regular price of $4.99, was on sale for $2.99, but, the final cost was $1.99 because it was one of the four participating items.   I wouldn't have bought them at the regular price.  I probably wouldn't have bought them even at the sale price.  But, at $1.99 for 14 oz., they become an acceptable convenience food to keep in the freezer for an evening when I won't feel much like cooking something from scratch.  I could either make a quick spaghetti and meatballs dinner, or, if I felt a little more energetic, make a meatball curry with them. 

The same with the cold cuts.  I didn't check what their regular price was, but it was on sale for $2.99 and cost $1.99 as one of the four participating items.  Convenient for sandwiches to take to the office for my lunches or to have with tea when I come home from work.

I was laughing to myself about the ears of corn, though.  There was a pile of unhusked corn selling for 4/$1, or $.25 each.  Right next to it, there were cleaned ears of corn, with the husks and the silk removed and the ends trimmed, arranged on styrofoam trays and covered with plastic wrap - priced at 3 for $3.99 and 5 for $5.99! (Or, it might have even been more, but I can't remember; should have taken a picture!)  And there were people actually choosing to buy the pre-cleaned ears of corn, apparently unconcerned about the price difference!  Or, maybe they didn't realize it?  Maybe, because the cleaned ears of corn were next to the unhusked corn with the sign advertising 4/$1, they thought the cleaned ears of corn were the same price?

Actually, I know several people (family and friends) who'd buy the cleaned ears of corn because it was more convenient.  At least one of them wouldn't even buy the ears of corn because she wouldn't know how to cook them and would buy only the frozen corn.  But then, I'm the person who just bought boxed macaroni and cheese and frozen premade meatballs instead of making my own, so I probably shouldn't say anything! People in glass houses and pots calling the kettles black, and so forth!  LOL. 

I did, however, buy myself 4 unhusked ears of corn at $.25 each.  It took me less than 2 minutes to strip the husks and silk off of one ear of corn, last night, which I boiled and enjoyed as part of my dinner.  I will add the corn husks to my compost pile.  When my daughter was little, I used to make her corn husk dolls to play with; maybe I should make one for Dancer (but he'll probably try to eat it!)  

I know that some of you will look at what I bought in the first week of May and think it lacks some, if not several, of the major food groups.  No fresh fruit other than the few bananas, no vegetables other than the corn which is considered a carbohydrate for someone who needs to watch her blood sugar levels, mostly prepackaged convenience foods and snacks, etc.  I acknowledge that all that is true.  But, this week, this is all I really needed and wanted.  I still have a serving of cooked green beans, some lettuce, some carrots, more than half a cabbage, a tomato, and a cucumber in the fridge, along with a mango, a pear, a banana, several apples, and a crisper drawer full of oranges from the tree.  There are also some beets and a yam that probably should be tossed, as they are rather wrinkly, but I hate having to toss food that I buy and don't eat!  I want to finish eating the fresh produce that I have on hand before I buy more. 

I made some gelatin on Wednesday, using one of the packets I bought on Monday, just in case I had any dental work done on Thursday and couldn't eat solid food.  I didn't have any dental work done, however, so I've been eating the gelatin for dessert!

I treated myself to some Chinese food, yesterday ($7.00), and there's enough leftover from that for at least a couple of meals!  I budget $25 per month for eating out/take out.  Although, this month, with daughter coming home for mother's day, next weekend, I might go over that eating out budget (in which case, I'll use some of my "miscellaneous" spending budget to cover it).

For brunch, today, I made myself a sandwich with half a bolillo roll, some of the turkey cold cuts, and lettuce:

Cold Cuts Sandwich

My May grocery budget is $75.00

Spent to date: $2.60 + $11.47 = $14.07
Amount left in the budget: $75 - $14.07 = $60.93

Have you done any grocery shopping yet, in May?  Would you have bought the unhusked ears of corn at $.25 each or bought the cleaned ones for between $1.19 and $1.33 each (depending on the size of package)?   Would you have bought the frozen meatballs for $1.99?