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| Part of the August20 Groceries |
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| The Rest of It |
I ordered some groceries online on Wednesday and they were delivered on Thursday morning.
This is my second grocery order for August. I bought groceries during the first week of August on August 7 but I didn't buy any groceries during the second week of August.
This particular grocery order includes some stocking up of pantry staples. Not because the items in question are on an especially good sale/offer, but, because prices have gone up, are going up, and will, in all likelihood, continue to go up for various reasons. Today's prices are probably going to be the lowest price it's going to be when compared to next month's prices.
Coffee, for example. Last year, in October 2025, I stocked up on my daughter's favorite coffee when it went on sale at $7.99 per12 oz. package. We are coming to the end of that stock, now, and I am looking at coffee prices to replenish the stock. The current "on offer/sale" price for the same coffee is $9.99 per 12 oz. package, provided one buys 3 or more ($10.99 per package if one buys fewer than 3 in the same transaction). I am by no means good at maths, but, according to my calculations, that is a 25% increase in the price of coffee, for the same size package, in less than one year. At least the package size has remained the same! I'm thankful for small mercies!
I'm pretty sure that's the lowest price it's going to be, given the coffee production reports I've been reading. Yes, cheaper coffee is available and my daughter has tried several of them. But, this particular brand is her favorite. She drinks just one cup of coffee per day (only very rarely will she drink a second cup of coffee) and having that one cup be a coffee she truly enjoys drinking is one of life's little pleasures, isn't it? She will pay full price for it, if she has to. But, I don't like to pay full price if I can help it! If this same coffee goes on sale at a lower price in the future, I will happily stock up more of it.
The other item I stocked up on is all purpose flour. I have one 5lb. bag of flour in the pantry, right now, and one opened 5lb. bag, which is about half full. I paid full price ($2.99/5 lb., store brand) for the three 5lb. bags of flour I bought, today. If flour goes on sale for less than that, perhaps in time for Thanksgiving and holiday baking (it didn't go on sale last year from what I recall), then, I might stock up a bit more.
The bottle of ketchup is the last stock up item (it was on sale). I finished the bottle I was using, earlier this month and just this week, took out the bottle I had in the pantry. The new bottle I bought today will replace that bottle in the pantry.
This week's splurge item is a piece of beef chuck roast (on sale this week for $6.99/lb.) and the treat item is a package of cookies!
Here's the receipt:
Order Summary
Item Details
13 Items
Order Coupons
-$2.00
Other Fees
$0.60
I spent a total of $75.33
My August grocery budget (for food, only) is $250 plus $8.95 carried over from July = $258.95
Spent to date = $0.52 + $45.51 + $75.33= $121.36
Balance left in the August grocery budget = $258.95 - $121.36 = $137.59
I might or might not go back to the other store to see if they have their boneless pork chops for $1.99/lb. as advertised in their grocery ad, this week (they didn't have it when I stopped by the store on my way from the pharmacy to the library on Wednesday). If I do go, it will mean a separate trip, but, pork chops at that price is a good deal.
I am grateful for:
- Being able to order groceries online and have them delivered
- The availability of groceries
- Being able to stock up on pantry items
- Sales and store coupons
- The occasional treats and indulgences
How are you coming along with your August grocery shopping? Are you finding any good deals? Do you keep a pantry? Are you stocking up?
I am amazed at your prices, Bless. We have $2 bread, but seriously, it's not the best. $48 per kilo for roast lamb or beef. Luckily, I know how to live mainly vegetarian. No coupons, but we do have phone apps or plastic cards for supermarket specials.
ReplyDeleteHi Ratnamurti. Some people will assure you that the store brand sandwich bread I buy is not really bread and they will never eat it! :D But, I don't mind it. We don't have a lot of lamb for sale, here, at least not in our regular grocery stores, and beef is pricey, especially the better cuts. I shop the sales and buy the cheapest cuts. We eat more chicken than any other meat, and even then, I buy the drumsticks which are the cheapest chicken. Eating vegetarian is probably a healthier option as well as being less expensive. :)
DeleteThose prices are not bad, dear friend. I love the photos of your grocery order! I do buy grocery brand bread, I just opt for the wheat or multi-grain one! It is perfectly fine, and it makes great toast and sandwiches. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. I'm glad you enjoy the grocery photos. I, too, enjoy seeing photos of other people's groceries. :) I buy a multi-grain bread sometimes because my daughter likes it, but, neither of us like whole wheat bread as much. :)
DeleteI was wondering if you think you spend less because you order your groceries online? I would think it would cut down on impulse buys. Or maybe not. It’s very easy to click away.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm more likely to spend more money when I am at the store because I enjoy browsing along the aisles and seeing what deals there might be. I tend to be a visual shopper when I am at the store. It is definitely easy to click away when shopping online, but, I try to be quite specific when I search for an item to buy (a specific brand of yogurt, for example, instead of yogurt in general) which limits the options I might see and when I'm shopping online, I don't see all the other items on the shelves in the refrigerated section on the way to the shelf with the yogurt, either. So, I'm not tempted to buy the cream cheese which might be on sale, when I don't really need any cream cheese that week. :)
DeleteThe way food prices are increasing is brutal. Even decent deals are getting thin on the ground.
ReplyDeleteGrocery prices are going up and will continue to do so, I fear. I am shopping the sales to the extent that I can and will cut back on various other areas as needed to accommodate higher grocery prices. One does what one has to do. :)
DeleteYou did good, I think. I agree about the coffee. It is one of the little joys in life and I love my Starbucks. I need to place a grocery order today, too. I am not as good at it as you are! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteThank you, Diana. I prefer my cup of tea over coffee, but, I'm fussy about the type of tea I drink. I have my favorite brand and that's what I buy! Hope you were able to order your groceries, today. :)
DeleteI tend to bulk buy coffee when it is on sale also, and my stash has gotten low. I am waiting for a sale on my preferred brand so I can stock up again. I know when that happens the grocery bill will take a big hit, but I tend to have a yearly rather than monthly budget so it saves me a good deal in the long run.
ReplyDeleteEvery so often, I keep saying I am going to set aside $50 per month for stocking up, but, that doesn't really happen. It doesn't matter too much if I go over budget some months, though, because things even out over the course of the year. I hope your coffee goes on sale soon so you can stock up, Anne. :)
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