Monday, March 14, 2022

March Grocery Shopping - Part 2

Today, I picked up the groceries I had ordered, yesterday.  There were no substitutions and they had everything I ordered.

I bought:

6 bananas (2.17 lb. @ $.65/lb) = $1.41
2 pears (.88 lb. @ $1.49/lb.) = $1.31

1 cucumber = $.99
Green beans (1.12 lb. @ $1.99/lb) = $2.23

1 tray chicken thighs (4.71 lb. @ $.99/lb) = $4.66
1 pk. Italian sausages (5 ct; 3.6 oz@), reg. price $6.99 = $3.99

1 doz. large eggs = $1.90

1/2 gal. milk = $2.29
6 cans (14 oz. @) condensed milk @ $1.79 = $10.74
1 lb. cheese (mild cheddar; store brand) = $4.79

10 lb. rice (long grain, white) = $5.79

1 packet chocolate wafers (5.82 oz.) = $1.19

Total = $41.29

As I mentioned earlier, the rice and condensed milk were stock up items.  I suppose the package of sausages, too, was a stock up item as it is for the freezer.  I was very happy to see them on sale for $3.99, because, last week, they were "on sale" for $4.99 and I was wondering if that was going to be the new sale price and was I willing to pay that price (I figured that at $1 per sausage, it would still be an acceptable price, but, $3.99 is definitely better!)

In case anyone thinks that 6 bananas and 2 apples aren't enough fruit for 2 people for a week, I still have some apples, avocados, and grapes in the fridge, and plenty of oranges on the tree.  

In addition to the green beans and cucumber I bought today, I have another half a cucumber in the fridge, some broccoli, kale, carrots, and peapods and greens from the garden.


March grocery budget (food items only) = $200, plus $11.21 carried over from February = $211.21

Spent to date = $63.42 + $41.29 = $104.71

Balance left in the budget = $211.21 - $104.71 = $106.50


My daughter is scheduled to leave at the end of this month.  Starting in April, I will be budgeting $100 for groceries for myself.  My pre-Covid grocery budget was $75 and, if I needed to, I could go back to that, but, for now, I will keep the budget at $100, as it will allow for some splurge items from time to time.

How is everyone doing with their March grocery shopping and budget?  Are you still able to find some bargains?  What are some of the typical prices you are paying for the groceries you are purchasing?  I've been comparing the prices I pay to prices some British bloggers are paying and I find that we often pay more for our groceries!  But, then, I know we pay less than what people in Canada tend to pay.  I find it all very interesting.  

14 comments:

  1. Seems like you did well! Glad there are no substitutions. I bet you will miss daughter when she goes back. Is she pleased to be going back or would she rather stay? I know that now daughter works entirely from home a part of her misses going in to work, while another part enjoys working from home!

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    1. Thank you, Sharon; yes, I think I did OK. Oh, I am going to miss her so much! She would rather stay down here, I think, and she says she is going to be homesick! For now, I think she will go into the office 2 days a week and work from her apartment the other 3 days (something about the office building occupancy having to be only a certain percentage of its capacity due to health restrictions), but, she doesn't know which days she is expected to be in the office.

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  2. I am impressed you got the entire order with no substitutions. I have found the grocery stores here are out of the most obtuse items. I can find sliced water chestnuts but no whole ones. I am sure I could at the Asian market, but I am not familiar enough with it to know when their "off" hours are and I only shop when I know the crowds will be light.
    The bargains I find now are the former regular price. I guess that is just how it is going to be, but when I do find something worth buying I stock up.

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    1. I was both surprised and happy that they had everything I ordered. I hope it continues to be so! Yes, a lot of the sale prices now are the former regular prices! I think we can assume that prices will continue to increase, so, stocking up when you find a bargain is the way to go. :)

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  3. I'm finding there is less on offer now at the supermarket I buy online from and those items that are on offer are more expensive than they used to be. I tend to stick to my favourites list so notice the increased prices. I fear things are going to get worse but it is what it is and we will have to adjust. You are going to miss your daughter so much she has been good company and a good help to you.

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    1. Yes, prices are going up, but, I suppose we have to expect that considering all that is going on in the world, from climate change to pandemics to wars! Given all that, I suppose we should be grateful that food is still available! We will adjust and do what we need to do to accommodate those price increases. Oh, yes, I'm going to miss having my daughter at home! But, we will video chat online every evening as we used to and look forward to her next visit home! :)

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  4. Prices are going up here. It's a shame that your daughter will be moving away, but perhaps there will be a chance for remote working at a later date.

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    1. I guess prices are going up, everywhere! My daughter stayed for one year longer than first intended and that time has been so wonderful! I was especially grateful to have her home last summer when I was practically bed-ridden with the sciatica pains! I will miss her once she goes back, but, we will video chat every night as we used to and look forward to her next visit home. :)

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  5. I just know every time I go to the grocery store, the prices are higher than the last time I went. The shelves are generally okay with a few empty spaces.

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    1. I noticed that the price of flour has increased by $0.20 for the 5 lb. bag that I usually buy, from $1.99 to $2.19. I didn't need to buy flour, this time around, but, I looked it up - now I know that, if it is offered on sale for $1.99, I should buy some!
      I'm glad that you are not seeing too many empty shelves. I remember how empty those shelves were just before the first lockdown! No bread, no bottled water, no toilet paper, no rice or pasta! And then, the supermarkets put limits on how much of one item could be bought at a time and that helped, I think.

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  6. That was a nice surprise to find a further reduction on the sausages.

    Our internet kept dropping out and we called Bell Canada, and a representative came this morning with a new modem, offered to install it for DH (yes, please) and now we even have increased speed. Such good service!

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    1. Yes, I was very happy to see the additional price reduction on the sausages! I was tempted to buy 2 packages, but, I limited myself to 1 because I had another package in the freezer, already.

      I'm glad you received a new modem and the rep installed it for you and DH; that is very good service, indeed! :)

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  7. You are stocking up well in the last few weeks. I am feeling a need to do the same.
    Let's see - you asked about prices. I mentioned a couple prices on your yesterday's post but in addition to that, my eggs were $1.45 - that's about standard. Last year they were usually $1.29 so they've gone up. I paid $1.85 for a half gallon of milk.
    That used to be $1.65 not that long ago. A quart of half & half is 2.35.
    I got 1 lb strawberries this week for $2.65 and thought that was an ok price. They used to go on sale this time of year for $1.99 but I haven't seen that price yet. My bananas this week were .55 lb.
    We eat fruit every night after dinner & I defer to canned fruit when fresh fruit is too expensive. I enjoy canned fruit so it's not a problem for us to eat it.
    As you know, it was easier to spot a deal when shopping in person. I would often find "ugly" fruit on the markdown rack that was perfectly fine.
    We like Italian sausage too and I am still able to get pretty good sales on them where I live.
    Usually a sale for 2 packs for $5.00 (1 pound packs - 6 links) will appear and once in a while I still see them for $1.99 a pound and I buy several packs when that happens.

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    1. I have been stocking up recently, haven't I? It's all stuff I will use. A friend of mine who is LDS says that according her church's teaching, one should have 1 year's worth of groceries on hand at all times. I don't have that much, but, I try to have maybe 3-4 months worth on hand and, if I need to, I could probably stretch it to last for a bit longer (rice and beans or lentils can get pretty monotonous after a while, but, it will keep you fed!)
      Thank you for sharing your grocery prices! They seem to be less than what I pay now, on average, even if your prices have gone up. I do know, however, that, if I go back to shopping in person at the ethnic markets and the dollar store, I can find cheaper produce prices than what I pay when I buy from the major supermarket. Our daily Covid case numbers do seem to be coming down, nicely. Now, if they continue to stay under 1,000 daily average for about a week or two, I might consider going shopping in person, again.

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