Grocery Shopping and Cooking
Oh a post about my two most favorite things....NOT!!! LOL
And I am sure this will interest no one but me anyway.
I was reading over at Sue's blog about her grocery budget, and I was in awe. I really must be doing something wrong since I don't make very wonderful gourmet meals, but we spend a small fortune on groceries. I am not even sure exactly how much, nor do I have any idea how much stuff like butter, eggs, milk, or anything else I buy costs. I just put stuff in my cart and be on my merry way, LOL. Very fiscally responsible I am.
And so I decided to go through my last shopping list to see what exactly I am buying and how much it costs.
Bisquik 4.29
Romaine Heart Lettuce (4 heads) 2.99
MiniBelle Cheese 6.99
Tostitos 20oz 2.99
BJ Cesaer Dressing 320z 4.29
Italian Dressing 36 oz 3.49
Honeynut Cheerios (double box) 6.99
Total (double box) 5.99
6 pack cake mix 4.99
Life Cereal (double box) 5.59
Penne Pasta (6 1lb boxes) 4.59
Baby carrots 4.99
Granola (2 packs) 6.99
Raman Noodle Cups 5.99
Frozen Chicken patties 7.99
Hamburger patties (20 count?) 12.07
4pack frosting 4.99
Cheddar cheese 4.99
Hamburger buns 1.69
Hotdog buns 1.69
Flour (2 5lb bags) 3.99
Total: 108.57
I bought this stuff on Friday at BJ's (big warehouse club). I bought a bunch of other things as well, but they don't count towards any sort of grocery budget since they are things for our trip that I would not ordinarily buy, like a 50ct box of fruit snacks.
And then my friend karen asked me WHY I was buying the kids sugary snacks and then locking them into the conifines of a car for a 20 hour trip. I really have no answer, other than I am obviously a masochist.
I have to admit it was rather depressing to add up the numbers and realize that I spent $108 on groceries and another $200 on complete non-essentials... $36 on batteries for the kids electronic toys, $90 on dvds and books, and I can only assume the other $80ish is junk food.
I am aspiring to have some sort of budget instead of just going to the store and buying whatever strikes my fancy. Then returning to the store a few days later because I am missing ingredients for some of the recipes I want to make, where I end up buying even more stuff.
So today I went through my freezer and pantry and compiled a list of meals to make based on what I already had. I put together a shopping list for my husband, who is much better at sticking to a list than I am, to get the remaining things that we need.
Here are the prices from his grocery store trip:
2 packages hamburger buns 2.19 each
4 loafs generic sandwich bread 1.19 each
3 packages bagels 1.89 each
1 pack hotdog buns 1.29
margarine 2.09
French vanilla non-dairy coffee creamer 3.19
8oz cream cheese 1.59
2 18 ct large eggs 2.95 each
4 Soy milk 2.99 each
2 Stoneyfield Organic Vanilla Yogurt 3.29 each
bit over 1lb American cheese 6.80
1/4 lb salami 2.27
1/4 lb pepperoni 1.40
Bag of rice 3.29
Coffee 6.99
Canola Oil 3.39
2 can cannellini beans .50 each
2 can red kidney beans .50 each
4 1.5lb packages of ground turkey 3.89 each
3lb granny smith apples 3.99
5lb yellow potatoes 3.99
Total: 86.28
Several of the items were on sale, including the ground turkey which was buy one get one free, so the total shown is 11.47 less than it would be if those items were not on sale.
I have all the necessary ingredients to make the following meals.
grilled chicken Cesear salad with homemade bread
chili with Tostitos
beef and broccoli stir-fry with rice
sloppy joes
lentil soup with homemade bread
peanut butter chicken served with rice (recipe from rachel)
grilled London broil with mashed potatoes
hot dogs with tater tots
pasta salad
spaghetti with meat sauce
chicken picante served with rice
grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (usually this is a lunch)
chicken patty sandwiches (usually this is a lunch)
For breakfast we have a choice of:
cereal with soymilk a few times
pancakes or waffles a few times
bacon/egg/cheese sandwiches on English muffins
bagels with cream cheese twice
coffee cake, muffins, blueberry cake etc
For lunch here we usually have sandwiches, more often than not the PBJ variety during the week.
I also already have snacky foods on hand...fruit, crackers, carrot sticks, string cheese, etc
If all goes according to plan the roughly $195 will be enough to last us the two weeks, with only stops at the store for milk, bread, and some produce. We figured out last night that we have been spending almost 3 times that amount lately, so this will be an incredible improvement.
I am optomistic about us sticking to a budget. This is uncharted territory for us, but now that we have a common goal in mind for our money I think it will work.
And I am sure this will interest no one but me anyway.
I was reading over at Sue's blog about her grocery budget, and I was in awe. I really must be doing something wrong since I don't make very wonderful gourmet meals, but we spend a small fortune on groceries. I am not even sure exactly how much, nor do I have any idea how much stuff like butter, eggs, milk, or anything else I buy costs. I just put stuff in my cart and be on my merry way, LOL. Very fiscally responsible I am.
And so I decided to go through my last shopping list to see what exactly I am buying and how much it costs.
Bisquik 4.29
Romaine Heart Lettuce (4 heads) 2.99
MiniBelle Cheese 6.99
Tostitos 20oz 2.99
BJ Cesaer Dressing 320z 4.29
Italian Dressing 36 oz 3.49
Honeynut Cheerios (double box) 6.99
Total (double box) 5.99
6 pack cake mix 4.99
Life Cereal (double box) 5.59
Penne Pasta (6 1lb boxes) 4.59
Baby carrots 4.99
Granola (2 packs) 6.99
Raman Noodle Cups 5.99
Frozen Chicken patties 7.99
Hamburger patties (20 count?) 12.07
4pack frosting 4.99
Cheddar cheese 4.99
Hamburger buns 1.69
Hotdog buns 1.69
Flour (2 5lb bags) 3.99
Total: 108.57
I bought this stuff on Friday at BJ's (big warehouse club). I bought a bunch of other things as well, but they don't count towards any sort of grocery budget since they are things for our trip that I would not ordinarily buy, like a 50ct box of fruit snacks.
And then my friend karen asked me WHY I was buying the kids sugary snacks and then locking them into the conifines of a car for a 20 hour trip. I really have no answer, other than I am obviously a masochist.
I have to admit it was rather depressing to add up the numbers and realize that I spent $108 on groceries and another $200 on complete non-essentials... $36 on batteries for the kids electronic toys, $90 on dvds and books, and I can only assume the other $80ish is junk food.
I am aspiring to have some sort of budget instead of just going to the store and buying whatever strikes my fancy. Then returning to the store a few days later because I am missing ingredients for some of the recipes I want to make, where I end up buying even more stuff.
So today I went through my freezer and pantry and compiled a list of meals to make based on what I already had. I put together a shopping list for my husband, who is much better at sticking to a list than I am, to get the remaining things that we need.
Here are the prices from his grocery store trip:
2 packages hamburger buns 2.19 each
4 loafs generic sandwich bread 1.19 each
3 packages bagels 1.89 each
1 pack hotdog buns 1.29
margarine 2.09
French vanilla non-dairy coffee creamer 3.19
8oz cream cheese 1.59
2 18 ct large eggs 2.95 each
4 Soy milk 2.99 each
2 Stoneyfield Organic Vanilla Yogurt 3.29 each
bit over 1lb American cheese 6.80
1/4 lb salami 2.27
1/4 lb pepperoni 1.40
Bag of rice 3.29
Coffee 6.99
Canola Oil 3.39
2 can cannellini beans .50 each
2 can red kidney beans .50 each
4 1.5lb packages of ground turkey 3.89 each
3lb granny smith apples 3.99
5lb yellow potatoes 3.99
Total: 86.28
Several of the items were on sale, including the ground turkey which was buy one get one free, so the total shown is 11.47 less than it would be if those items were not on sale.
I have all the necessary ingredients to make the following meals.
grilled chicken Cesear salad with homemade bread
chili with Tostitos
beef and broccoli stir-fry with rice
sloppy joes
lentil soup with homemade bread
peanut butter chicken served with rice (recipe from rachel)
grilled London broil with mashed potatoes
hot dogs with tater tots
pasta salad
spaghetti with meat sauce
chicken picante served with rice
grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup (usually this is a lunch)
chicken patty sandwiches (usually this is a lunch)
For breakfast we have a choice of:
cereal with soymilk a few times
pancakes or waffles a few times
bacon/egg/cheese sandwiches on English muffins
bagels with cream cheese twice
coffee cake, muffins, blueberry cake etc
For lunch here we usually have sandwiches, more often than not the PBJ variety during the week.
I also already have snacky foods on hand...fruit, crackers, carrot sticks, string cheese, etc
If all goes according to plan the roughly $195 will be enough to last us the two weeks, with only stops at the store for milk, bread, and some produce. We figured out last night that we have been spending almost 3 times that amount lately, so this will be an incredible improvement.
I am optomistic about us sticking to a budget. This is uncharted territory for us, but now that we have a common goal in mind for our money I think it will work.
3 Comments:
Sounds like you've gotten a great start to this budget control thing! GOOD LUCK! Now I just have to get on the bandwagon too. Going grocery shopping today...have to make my list out still.
You're menu sounds yummy! (but then again, isn't most stuff when someone else does the cooking?) Now you'll have to keep us updated on whether you've stuck to your plan or not.
My margarine, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, is a 15 oz tub. I probably could get it cheaper at BJ's, but it only comes in a HUGE tub that I just cannot bring myself to buy. LOL, all that margarine at once seems so gross. And the fact that I own the world's smallest refrigerator.
The bagels are a 6pack, not frozen, but not fresh baked either. The fresh baked ones sell for $3 a half dozen, but I'll buy them when they go on sale for 1.99.
The beans are usually $1 a can, but they were on sale this week. The cream cheese is the store brand and is always the cheapest one.
Personally I was most surprised by how much eggs cost, once I looked at my receipt that is.
I always thought Hawaii was supposed to be SO much more expensive than anywhere else.
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