I picked up my grocery order, yesterday. The store substituted name brand butter for the store brand that I had ordered (store brand was on sale, but, they substituted the name brand for the same price, which is nice!) The only item they didn't have in stock was the shirataki noodles that my daughter had wanted.
Yesterday, I bought:
2 trays (10.91 lbs. total) chicken thighs @ $1.98/lb (reg. $2.19/lb) = $21.71
1 lb. bacon, on sale with digital coupon ($6.99 without digital coupon, $12.49 reg. price!) = $4.99
1 bag (21 oz) vegetable & chicken pot stickers (frozen) = $6.49
2 pkts. (12 oz. each) wonton wrappers @ $2.99 = $5.98
1/2 gal. whole milk (reg. $2.49) = $2.19
1/2 gal. half & half (reg. $4.69) = $3.99
3 lb. butter @ $1.97/lb (reg. $3.69/lb) = $5.91
1 doz. large eggs (reg. $3.79) = $2.49
12 oz. jar stone ground mustard (reg. $1.79) = $1.67
2 lb. red lentils @ $2.29/lb. = $4.58
1 can (13.25 oz.) mushroom pieces & stems = $1.79
1 box (40 oz) yellow corn meal = $3.99
2 x 5lb. bags flour (10 lbs) @ $1.99 = $3.98
6 cans (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk @ $1.33 (reg. price $1.79) = $8.00
1 box (6 envelopes) hot cocoa mix = $0.99
4 bags (@12 oz) ground coffee (reg. price $10.49; on sale @$5.99) = $23.96
1 (42 oz.) old fashioned whole grain oats = $3.59
1 loaf (24 oz) whole grain bread (reg. price $2.49) = $1.99
1 box (16 oz.) saltine crackers = $1.89
3 lb. bag onions = $2.99
5 lb. bag potatoes with digital coupon (reg. $2.99) = $1.49
1 bag (8 oz) mixed salad greens = $2.99
1 bag (16 oz) coleslaw mix = $1.79
16 oz. kale = $1.49
2 lb. bag whole carrots = $1.99
1 container (8 oz) whole mushrooms = $2.19
1+ lb green beans @ $1.99/lb = $2.13
.71 lb broccoli @$2.59/lb = $1.84
2.69 lb. apples (5 apples) @ $1.98/lb. = $5.35
3 lb. bag mandarins = $4.99
2 mangoes = $2.00
2.35 bananas (6 bananas) @ $0.65/lb = $1.53
Total = $142.95
According to the receipt, I saved $40 from coupons and sales, plus $6.95 pick up free that was waived because I spent more than $36.00.
The flour, corn meal, butter, etc., were stock up items in anticipation of holiday baking to come. Coffee was a stock up item, too, because I hate to pay full price for it! The condensed milk is also a stock up item (I use it for my tea and seem to go through a can every 10 days or so!)
The bacon was my splurge item, this time. Not something I need, but, I love bacon and I have accepted that it will no longer be on sale at earlier prices! I will divide up the package into smaller packages of 3-4 rashes per package and freeze it. Then, take out a package to have occasionally, as a treat!
The frozen pot stickers are also a treat - my daughter and I could go through a bag at a sitting, but, we usually make it stretch for a meal one day and an appetizer or a snack, another day.
My monthly grocery budget is $250 for two people. But, this month, I also have the $60 from the August grocery budget and the $51 from the September budget that I didn't spend and carried forward, so an extra $111 in my grocery budget. Part of that extra money will be spent to stock up on pantry items and part of it is earmarked towards donations.
Spent to date:
$138.44 (on 10/4) + $142.95 (on 10/18) = $281.39
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Today was sunny with an afternoon high of 73F. I felt cold in the morning, however, and decided to make a pot of beef and vegetable soup for lunch to warm me up! I cut up the leftover half of the beef roast that I had made earlier, added a container of beef broth that neighbor S's daughter N had given me, last year (wanted to use it up before it went out of date), some onions, green beans, zucchini (from the freezer), carrots, and potatoes and made the soup. I had a bowl of it for my lunch, took a portion of it to cousin P, a portion to neighbor S (she wasn't home, so I gave it to N), a portion to my friend R (along with some of the pickled vegetables that S had given us, yesterday) and a portion to neighbor T, who told me that she had been wondering what to have for dinner and the Lord provided! That really touched me! She called me a little later to say that the soup was delicious and thanked me, again.
In previous years, I hosted the monthly prayer gathering for October in memory of my mother's birthday and prepared a big meal for everyone who attended. There have been no monthly prayer gatherings since the pandemic, but, I am glad I was able to make a simple meal of soup to share with others. I really didn't make a huge pot of soup, but there was enough to share and there is still another portion for my lunch, tomorrow (my daughter is not much of a fan of beef and vegetable soup, but, there's enough for her, too, if she likes).
For dinner, I am planning to make a casserole with egg noodles, a can of cream of celery soup, and some ham I have in the freezer. I'll probably add a handful of frozen green peas, too. Mix it all up and bake it for 30 minutes or so.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to share some of the soup with family and friends
- A full freezer and pantry
- A safe drive to friend R's and back
- Medications being delivered by mail
- Sunny days
Today's joyful activity was making and sharing soup!
Today's decluttering included three food storage containers (although, I received three others from neighbor S, yesterday!)
Tomorrow, M will be here to tend to the garden. I think we will pull up the rest of the okra plants and clean up that bed.
How is your October grocery shopping coming along? How was your Tuesday? What are your plans for tomorrow?
I hope your soup was good. I laughed when I read your comment about cornbread. I found a keto muffin in the freezer so I had that and TheHub had toast. No cornbread for us!
ReplyDeleteI had the soup for lunch and it was very good, I think, and at least two people with whom I shared the soup have called and told me that it was good. :) I didn't bake cornbread, either. I considered it, but, I am making a casserole for dinner in the square baking pan I usually use for cornbread. :)
DeleteHow lovely to make your soup to be shared and be complimented on. I pay for a monthly delivery pass and choose the day and time that suits me best for my weekly grocery delivery and it works out cheaper doing it this way too. We have had our groceries delivered long before the pandemic struck as it works well for us and I rarely have to visit a supermarket. It's raining hard here right now so will wait for it to ease off before venturing out.
ReplyDeleteIt felt good to share the soup with others. :) There is a delivery option available for a fee, here, too (and an option to pay an annual fee for unlimited free deliveries during the year, if I am not mistaken). For now, however, I will keep to the free pick up. I hope the rain stops long enough for you and Tilly to go out for a walk! :)
DeleteI love soup and homemade vegetable beef may be my favorite.
ReplyDeleteIt is one of my favorites, too! :) I kept a portion for my lunch, today, and am looking forward to having it! Next soup on the meal plan is ham and lentil soup - I have not made it before, but, I have a couple of ham bones (from a ham I bought and cooked in the spring when it was on sale - we ate some of the baked ham, I froze some and the bones) and lentils, so, want to try it. :)
DeleteI had soup today as well - chicken and vegetable for me though as beef is a no-no. It's definitely soup weather here, today's high was 15C and I've had the heating on all day so far.
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of your casserole ... I'll have to try that, so thanks for the idea.
I, too, often make chicken and vegetable soup. It's a favorite, too! Brr! That sounds cold! We went down to 49F, last night - it was 55F around 11:30 p.m., when I wrote to an email to a friend of mine (I had made a note of the temperature). The house was 60F when I woke up; it has gone up to 66F now! Outside, it is 73F! I'm glad the furnace inspector is supposed to be here, next week! :D
DeleteI made the casserole last night and it turned out really well. Next time, however, I will add a dash of chili powder to it - I sprinkled some paprika on top, but, it wasn't enough! :D
You did a nice stock up of groceries.
ReplyDeleteIt feels good to have food and supplies at a level that is comforting - at least to me. That was a good price on the 5lbs of potatoes.
$36 is a pretty low requirement for free pick up service.
Your apples seem really high. Is that accurate?
Yes; it does feel good to know I have plenty on hand! I am not a "prepper" as such, but, I like knowing I have enough rice and lentils (and coconut milk for the lentils) to live on for weeks if I needed to! Yes, the price on the apples is accurate. Sigh. It was almost $2/lb. This week, a different kind of apple (Honey Crisp) is on sale for $2.99/lb! Grapes are $2.49/lb. (or $3.99/3 lb. container with digital coupon). I bought enough fresh produce on this particular grocery shopping order that I don't need to buy anything this week. Hopefully, there will be better deals, next week.
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