Doctor's Appointment and April Grocery Shopping Week 2

Today, I took the day off from work because I had a doctor's appointment.  Yes, I could have gone to the office in the morning and then, gone to the appointment, which was at 1:00 p.m.   But, taking the day off meant I could have a relaxed morning.  I left the house a little before 12 noon and got to the clinic a little after 12:30 p.m.  But the clinic was running late, so I didn't get seen until 1:30 p.m.  It was a routine follow-up check; doctor examined me, noted that the treatment site was still somewhat red and swollen, but thought it looked better than on the previous visit.  I am to return in 4 months' time for another follow-up.

On the way home, I put gas to the car.  Gas was $3.40/gal.; I put $36 worth of gas.

Then, I did some grocery shopping:

April 18 Groceries

I went to the regular Kroger-affiliated grocery store, because they had advertised  strawberries for $.99/lb.  I also needed bread, milk, and bananas.  In addition to these, I bought a few other items that were on a mix and match sale (buy 5 participating items and receive $1 off each item), including a bag of potato chips as a treat!

I bought:
1/2 gal. milk = $1.99
1 loaf white sandwich bread = $1.29
1 package (6-ct.) bagels = $1.99
1 bottle unfiltered apple juice = $1.49*
2 packages meat balls @ $1.99 = $3.98*
1 package potato chips = $1.99*
2 lb. strawberries @$.99 = $1.98
4 bananas @$.59/lb = $.79
1 smoked sausage (14 oz) = $2.49*
1 roast beef cold cuts (7 oz) = $2.50
Total spent for groceries = $20.49

*Asterisked items were participating items in the mix and match deal.

I also bought two tubes of toothpaste for $1.00 each, but that is not part of my grocery budget (comes under Toiletries, budgeted at $10 per month).

April 18 Receipt

My April grocery budget is $75 - $.69 (that I overspent in March) = $74.31
Spent to date = $27.05 (week 1) + $20.49 = $47.54
Balance remaining in my April grocery budget = $74.31 - $47.54 = $26.77

There were other good deals at this grocery store, this week - asparagus was $.99/lb. and English cucumbers were $.88 each (Sandy, I thought of you).

The bagels are for breakfasts.  There is a cafe in the lobby at the new office building and I checked their prices, the other day.  A plain bagel is $2; a bagel with cream cheese is $3.  In comparison, the package of 6 bagels was $1.99 and a package of store brand cream cheese was $1.79 (I didn't buy cream cheese because I still have some leftover from the last package I bought).  Even if I needed to buy a package of cream cheese, I'd have enough bagels and cream cheese for a week of breakfasts for $.78 more than what a single bagel and cream cheese would have cost if I were to buy from the cafe in the office building.

I might go to the ethnic grocery store, later this week or during the weekend, as I want to buy some chicken and a few other things to make some soup and a few other dishes to take to my aunt.

By the time I got home, took the pictures and put away the groceries, it was about 4:00 p.m.  I hadn't eaten anything, yet (had a cup of coffee in the morning before I went to the doctor's appointment), so, I made myself a roast beef sandwich and had it with some potato chips, a banana, and some of the apple juice.    Later, I had a cup of tea.

I called my aunt and checked on her; she said she is recovering, slowly.  She feels weak, she said, because she didn't eat much when she was in the hospital - apparently, the food was not to her liking! I have promised to bring her some soup and some curries, this weekend.

Then, daughter called to say she was home and we chatted a bit.  She has apparently received a call from someone who left a message on her phone stating they were from the IRS and asking her to call back to discuss some missing information on her tax returns!  She called me to confirm that this was probably a spam, because the IRS always says that they contact people by mail.  She said she wanted to check with "an adult adult"!  LOL!  She said she didn't call them back and I told her not to.  I did tell her to send the information to our tax consultant, so she will be aware of it.  Daughter called, again, later, to say she's booking her flights home for the Memorial Day weekend and the 4th of July weekend.  She is still nervous about flying, in general, and she usually flies Southwest Airlines, which just had a situation with an engine explosion and a fatality as a result.  I usually keep the altar lights on from the time daughter boards her plane until she comes home as a prayer for a safe flight; I will definitely be doing that, when she flies, next.

Later, friend R called and we had a nice, long chat.

Dinner was another roast beef sandwich.   

I ran the dishwasher and washed a few other items by hand (my china tea cups, the pots and pans, etc.)  Took the opportunity to wipe down the stove top and counters, too. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- The doctor's appointment went well
- A safe drive there and back
- Validated parking
- Gas is available, even if the price is going up
- Phone calls and emails from family and friends

How was your Wednesday?  Are you on track with your grocery spending for this month?