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| February Groceries |
I ordered and picked up groceries, today (Monday). I had better luck with my order, this time, although I made a few changes to the list of groceries I ordered and I forgot to order the gallon containers of water! I also specified substitutions to make it easier (although they substituted only one item and it wasn't what I had specified! LOL! I think it was an honest mistake, picking one each of two different varieties of smoked sausage instead of two of the same variety; I'm fine with that.) I changed my mind and didn't order a single item on their "mix and match: buy 5 and get $1 off each item" sale, this time.
I use a store loyalty card which gives me discounts, digital coupons, and customized "best customer" coupons to get the best deals and I stock up when things go on sale. This time, the big stock up item was chicken at $0.99/lb. My splurge item was the frozen breaded shrimp at $7.99 for 32 oz. According to the package, a serving size is supposed to be 3 oz. or about 6 shrimp; I usually eat more than 6 shrimp and a package makes about six servings for me, which comes out to about $1.34 per serving and, in my opinion, that is a very affordable splurge!
I know that my readers are not judgmental, but, just in case anyone is wondering about the frosted cornflakes, I got it free with a coupon and I don't turn down offers of free food from the grocery store! I don't eat it as it contains too much sugar for me; instead, it will be added to the items I will be donating to the food bank when the postal service holds their annual food drive in May.
Here's what I bought and how much I spent:
1 cucumber, reg. price $0.89, with $0.40 off coupon = $0.49
3 bananas, 1.05 lbs. @ $0.68/lb. = $0.72
2 packs (8 oz. each), pork sausage, reg. price $2.49@; on sale with coupon for $0.99@ = $1.99
2 packs (14 oz. each) smoked sausages, reg. price $5.49@, on sale with coupon for $2.99@ = $5.98
(they gave me 1 regular smoked sausage and one hot smoked sausage; that was the only substitution)
2 trays chicken thighs, 6.28 lbs. total, reg. price $2.49/lb. on sale for $0.99/lb. = $6.23
1 bag (32 oz.) frozen breaded shrimp, reg. price $12,99, on sale for $9.99, with coupon = $7.99
1 box cereal, 13.5 oz., reg. price $4.99, free with coupon = $0.00
1 box pancake mix, 32 oz., reg. price $3.29, on sale = $2.50
1 loaf sandwich bread = $1.79
1/2 gal. milk = $2.69
10 cans tuna in water, reg. price $1.29, on sale @$1 = $10.00
(I'm including this in my grocery budget, even though I will be sharing this tuna with a certain kitty cat!)
Total spent = $40.36
According to the receipt, the original/regular cost of the groceries I bought = $72.65
The amount I saved with coupons and sales = $32.29
My monthly grocery budget (food items, only) = $100
(I am starting out with a new grocery budget in February because the January budget included almsgiving food purchases and things for my daughter to take back with her; not carrying over any funds from January.)
Balance remaining in the February grocery budget = $100 - $40.36 = $59.64
I froze the sausages and the breaded shrimp. At the same time, I took out the package of smoked sausage I already had in the freezer and made a stir fry with it (with onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes, all from the freezer) for dinner, served with rice.
I will portion out the trays of chicken, tomorrow. I will make a curry with one tray and freeze some of the curry. I will probably sauté the other tray of chicken and freeze most of that, too.
As always, I am grateful to be able to buy the groceries I want.
How are you coming along with your grocery shopping and grocery budget, this month?
I will confess, about once a year I like a bowl of Frosted Flakes. I don't keep them here but if we are at a hotel with a continental breakfast I have been known to have them.
ReplyDeleteI like frosted flakes, but, as I said, too much sugar for me! It qualifies as dessert, for me! :D
DeleteI'm glad you received your order this time and I know you were keen to have the chicken while it as on offer. I'm totally with you on accepting anything free and donating it to the food bank. It's Shrove Tuesday here today otherwise known as pancake day. Do you celebrate that today and guess what I will be having for my meal this evening :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. Yes, I'm glad I was able to get my groceries and stock up on the chicken at that price. If the grocery store wants to give me something free, I'm not going to argue with them about it! :D
DeleteI don't observe Lent and don't really observe Shrove Tuesday, either, but, sometimes, I do make pancakes on that day. I have some leftover American style pancakes, so, I might eat them, later. But, brunch was bread and bananas and a persimmon. I hope you enjoy your pancake meal! :)
Budgeting and meal planning is a job in itself. It is good to be organised, however, and I'm glad you had better luck with your order this time. Xx
ReplyDeleteThat it is, Jules. I cooked some smoked sausage, last night, and I plan to make a chicken curry, today. Those two dishes, plus leftovers in the fridge, will form the basis of this week's meal plan. :) Thank you; I'm very happy that I received the groceries I ordered! :)
DeleteI'm glad that you had a more successful trip this time, and I see some tasty meals in your future.
ReplyDeleteThank you, June. Yes, I am glad I was able to get all the groceries I ordered! I will post my meal plan, later. :)
DeleteTuesday morning I have awakened to a winter wonderland. We have 2 1/2 to 3 inches of snow and it’s still coming down. Our neighbors shoveled our sidewalk as well as their own. 😇 That made it so nice for me taking the dogs out and I started my day with gratitude for their kindness.
ReplyDeleteYour grocery shopping is exemplary. I always read the sales circular, plan meals, and make a list. I spent $94 this week. In an average month, I spend $500 or more at the grocery store, including pet food and cleaning supplies. I have been thinking I should set a weekly budget before we retire and see if I can realistically stick to it. My husband packs his lunch for work, and the deli meat and cheese is about $20 a week. 😬 I don’t see any other consistent splurges. Convenience foods are something I usually only buy on sale and we rarely entertain so I’m not sure where all the money is going. 🤷🏻♀️ I used to spend even more, but this is definitely an area I want to focus on as I try to be more spending-aware and intentional.
I cleaned the refrigerator yesterday. Thoughts become actions. It’s rewarding to open the fridge door to a shiny clean space. ☺️
I thought of you when I watched news, last night, and they were saying that New York was going to get a snow storm. That was very nice of your neighbors to clear your sidewalk as well as their own. :)
DeleteMy grocery budget is only for people food (although, occasionally, Dancer will eat half my tuna!). I have a separate budget for household supplies and pet food/kitty litter, etc., although, lately, I've been going over budget on the pet supplies! The reason why I set it up this way is because I want to track exactly how much I spend on food.
I think that $125 a week/$500 per month is perfectly reasonable for everything for two people and two dogs. Plus, it all depends on the price of food where you are. My daughter pays a higher price for groceries up in the Bay Area (chicken rarely goes below $1.99/lb., for example), so she spends more on groceries than I do. Maybe keep track of what you are buying over the next few weeks; save the receipts and see where the money is going. :)
Well done on cleaning the fridge! I cleaned mine, too! :)
Love Frosted Flakes.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
They are tasty, aren't they? I need to eat a relatively low sugar diet, otherwise, I'd eat frosted flakes, myself! :)
DeleteI would never judge your Frosted Flakes. lol. Once I got a pkg of keebler cookies for free with two coupons, and I was very proud. I didn't even care for the cookie flavor. But also good to donate. I bought (last year at this time) chicken thighs and legs at 99 cents/lb. At that time, I heard that they were on sale because wings are so popular for Super Bowl snacking, that there are so many thighs and legs and thus they go on sale. Don't know if that is true or not! andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. :) It's always exciting to get something free, isn't it? One time, the free item was a cake mix and I kept that for myself, but, lately, they seem to be giving away the frosted flakes.
DeleteI don't know about the chicken going on sale because the wings are popular during the Super Bowl, but, this particular store seems to offer whole chickens, thighs, and drumsticks at this sale price every so often and I just try to hold out and stock up when it goes on sale. :)
I think I see lots of cans of tuna, were there any cheerful miaows nearby when you unpacked them? Good idea to accept the free Frosted Cornflakes in order to donate them. It all counts.
ReplyDeleteLOL, he actually doesn't care much for this particular brand of tuna (store brand) and prefers the more expensive brand name tuna, but, I'm not going to buy tuna for $1.25 and $1.33 (depending on the brand) when I can get store brand for $1. Maybe, with Lent starting, the other brands of tuna will go on sale for $1 each and I can stock up on them if they do. :)
DeleteYes, in addition to the free frosted flakes, I will buy some other canned and packaged items as things go on sale to donate.
A picture of your grocery shopping has returned to the blog :)
ReplyDeleteI always like taking a look lol
You did well with shopping the sales and I agree - for a splurge, the shrimp price is pretty good.
You are nice to donate the cereal you got. I wish our store did free things like the cereal you sometimes get. But, as you know, I like to shop the markdown rack and often get good deals on cereal. Cereal I wouldn't buy normally but still, it often comes home with me.
If it's too sugary I will just sprinkle a handful on top of plain bran flakes and it all plays well together.
Yes, a picture of the groceries after a long time! I stopped during the pandemic because I felt guilty about buying groceries when so many couldn't afford to do so. Of all the splurge items I buy, the shrimp is one of my favorites and if I buy it when it's on sale, it's a good buy, I think. :)
DeleteI think adding the sugary cereal to the plain bran flakes is a good idea! Maybe I'll add some of the frosted flakes as a topping to a less sugary cereal!