We're in the final week of our challenge. The challenge was not to see how much we can do without, or to save money (though that was definitely a nice perk), but to really make us think about our food choices. We have a pantry and freezer full of food from our harvest last year. By having such a limited budget, we really had to make ourselves eat what we grew or bought at the farmer's market. We also had to think about exactly what we were spending our limited money on. That benefit alone made it easier to eat well. Though I did end up buying our baby some snack food early on, it really wasn't a healthful choice when I read the ingredients. I'd much rather spend our money on fresh fruit, or cream (to make desserts, or ice cream), or anything that's Real. Rather than resort to fruit-flavored "puffs," we can just cut up some real fruit (yes, this means planning ahead because part of buying the puffs was to have something to snack on in the car). I've got to admit that the first month or so of the challenge was rather easy. I loved that we did such a good job at canning and freezing such a variety of food to feed us for so long. I knew exactly where the food came from because most of it was from our backyard. Talk about local. There were some weeks that I actually just bought stuff to get up to the $25 that we didn't even need right away. It became more challenging when we wanted things that that were Real and we don't make at home, but cost a bit more. We really enjoy aged cheddar and that generally put us over because the cost. We felt that it was worth the extra cost because of the taste and that it fit well into our diet.
Another benefit of this diet was that it was nourishing - in more ways than one. It feels really good to be connected to the food you eat. Back in the day, everyone grew their own food and the city life was exotic. Now, many people don't know even the basics of gardening and farms are exotic. Here at Main Street Homestead, we don't have a farm, but even with just growing our own produce it feels like an accomplishment. And, of course, it's much healthier for you to eat Real than it is to eat the processed junk. It's not just the word "healthier" but your body actually feels healthier.
This is how we spent our food budget for the last week of our challenge:
Flour - 50 lbs (yes, a lot, but we'll use it): $16
Vanilla extract: $1.99
Milk: $2.19 (the price went down!)
Brie cheese: $2.99
Brown sugar: $1.49
That's a total of $24.66
Jaimie wants to buy more vegetables the week after our challenge ends (those roasted parsnips and beets were just too delicious), but I highly doubt we'll be going back to the $100 or more a week we used to spend.
Showing posts with label $25 in groceries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label $25 in groceries. Show all posts
Monday, April 2, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Week 12: $25 in groceries
This week I didn't notice how much we spent and am just adding it up as I type, so we'll see if we made it under budget.
Eggs: $3.50 (the eggs are getting bigger now!)
Cheese: $5
Cream cheese: $1.98
Sour cream: $.99
Butter: $1.88
Peanut butter: $2.49
Parsnips: $1.93 (from a little grocery store that has all organic foods!)
Beets: $4.38 (Yes! I am so excited that there are fresh beets now. These are also organic and locally grown).
Dates: $2.34
And the total comes to $24.49. And we're under budget!
Eggs: $3.50 (the eggs are getting bigger now!)
Cheese: $5
Cream cheese: $1.98
Sour cream: $.99
Butter: $1.88
Peanut butter: $2.49
Parsnips: $1.93 (from a little grocery store that has all organic foods!)
Beets: $4.38 (Yes! I am so excited that there are fresh beets now. These are also organic and locally grown).
Dates: $2.34
And the total comes to $24.49. And we're under budget!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Week 11: $25 in groceries
We're nearing down to the last few weeks of our challenge. Though I'm looking forward to the end of the challenge, I don't believe that we will be spending quite as much on groceries as we used to before the challenge started. I love that we can live mostly off of what we grow or buy locally.
This is what we bought for the week:
Milk: $2.38
Coffee: $3.99 (Jaimie has been drinking a lot more, because our one cup coffee maker died so he started making a full pot. Now that we've bought another one-cup, hopefully we'll have less coffee consumption - not for the grocery budget but for his caffeine intake).
Cheese: $1.79
Aged cheddar cheese: $4.29
Steak: $12.12 (yes, for one steak. We were thinking we might go out to dinner on Saturday night so we wouldn't need to cook, but then we thought it'd be nice to have something on the grill to enjoy the weather. We didn't have any steaks thawed, so Jaimie bought one from a very reputable meat shop. He said that it was worth the price. It was certainly less than eating out).
That totals $24.57 for the week.
This is what we bought for the week:
Milk: $2.38
Coffee: $3.99 (Jaimie has been drinking a lot more, because our one cup coffee maker died so he started making a full pot. Now that we've bought another one-cup, hopefully we'll have less coffee consumption - not for the grocery budget but for his caffeine intake).
Cheese: $1.79
Aged cheddar cheese: $4.29
Steak: $12.12 (yes, for one steak. We were thinking we might go out to dinner on Saturday night so we wouldn't need to cook, but then we thought it'd be nice to have something on the grill to enjoy the weather. We didn't have any steaks thawed, so Jaimie bought one from a very reputable meat shop. He said that it was worth the price. It was certainly less than eating out).
That totals $24.57 for the week.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Week 10: $25 in groceries
This week we went over the $7+ that was from the week before last's overage, but I knew that would happen so I'm not all too concerned. Also, I noted in a previous week that Jaimie spent $6.99 on coffee, but it was $6.50.
This week we bought:
Clementines: $3.48 (on sale, with coupon)
Grapefruit: $1.99 (5 lbs, on sale)
Bananas: $1.30
Heavy cream: $3.79
Peanut butter: $2.85
Coffee: $13.00 (organic, free trade). Jaimie noted that if we really only had $25 a week to groceries all the time, he would give up coffee. I suggested that we could probably still afford coffee but it'd be a different brand. He said he'd give it up rather than drink something he doesn't like. He said that he felt guilty that he's the only one who drinks coffee and it always makes us go over budget. I don't think it's that big of a deal considering that he doesn't go out and buy a cup (or two, or four) of coffee every day, and making it at home does save money if you're a coffee drinker.
That totals $26.41. I think we will have to call it a wash for week 8's overage. Everyone goes over budget at times.
This week we bought:
Clementines: $3.48 (on sale, with coupon)
Grapefruit: $1.99 (5 lbs, on sale)
Bananas: $1.30
Heavy cream: $3.79
Peanut butter: $2.85
Coffee: $13.00 (organic, free trade). Jaimie noted that if we really only had $25 a week to groceries all the time, he would give up coffee. I suggested that we could probably still afford coffee but it'd be a different brand. He said he'd give it up rather than drink something he doesn't like. He said that he felt guilty that he's the only one who drinks coffee and it always makes us go over budget. I don't think it's that big of a deal considering that he doesn't go out and buy a cup (or two, or four) of coffee every day, and making it at home does save money if you're a coffee drinker.
That totals $26.41. I think we will have to call it a wash for week 8's overage. Everyone goes over budget at times.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Week 9: $25 in groceries
With going quite a bit overboard in week 8, we're trying to make up the difference in the next couple of weeks, rather than going without any groceries this week at all.
These are our groceries for the week:
Eggs: $3.50 for two dozen. They are for sale for .99 a dozen elsewhere this week, but I like that the eggs we buy are local, organic, & free-range.
Bananas: $.55
Avocados: $3.56 (4 at .89 each)
Milk: $2.10 with coupon
Butter: $2.94, on sale. We didn't need it with some still in the freezer, but with a one-day sale for $.98 a pound, I bought 3.
Alaskan Pollock: $4.64. We haven't tried this before, but it's cheaper than tilapia so I thought we'd give it a try.
This week's total: $17.29. That leaves only $7.16 for next week (the $24.45 it was originally after week 8's budget, minus this week's. I think that we will likely end up going over again next week and taking it out in a future week).
These are our groceries for the week:
Eggs: $3.50 for two dozen. They are for sale for .99 a dozen elsewhere this week, but I like that the eggs we buy are local, organic, & free-range.
Bananas: $.55
Avocados: $3.56 (4 at .89 each)
Milk: $2.10 with coupon
Butter: $2.94, on sale. We didn't need it with some still in the freezer, but with a one-day sale for $.98 a pound, I bought 3.
Alaskan Pollock: $4.64. We haven't tried this before, but it's cheaper than tilapia so I thought we'd give it a try.
This week's total: $17.29. That leaves only $7.16 for next week (the $24.45 it was originally after week 8's budget, minus this week's. I think that we will likely end up going over again next week and taking it out in a future week).
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Week 8: $25 in groceries
This week we had some traveling to do, so we wanted snacks for part of our budget. So far, we bought:
Sweets & Beets chips: 2 bags for $5
Coconut oil (for both body use and cooking): $5.84
Potatoes (with coupon): $.99
Apples: $1.71
Parmesan cheese: $3.29
Kefir: $2.79
We're at $19.62 and that leaves us enough for onions and bananas. Since we were over a couple of times and under other times, I figured what we actually spent for the total amount, and after 8 weeks we should be at $200. I want to make it so that we are at or under that $200 figure. That means I have $3.74 to spent for this week yet.
[We totally busted our budget this week. We went to Milwaukee and there are a lot of cheese shops along the way to and from. As everyone knows, WI has the best cheese. We stopped at a cheese shop and got a brick of 4-year-old cheddar (not the kind with artificial orange coloring) for $9.56 and a small brick of Swiss cheese for $4.55. They totaled just under $15. We also bought sorghum for $6.99. All of it was local. I know there's the feeling you get, just like when people say they get when losing weight, that, since you went overboard that you just feel like going way overboard, but I will reign in that feeling and get back on track for next week. I do realize that with a $25 a week budget we really can't afford really good aged cheese, so that's one thing I'll be looking forward to again when we're done with our challenge.]
[Onions and bananas were $1.20. Jaimie then bought Fair trade organic Ethiopian coffee for $6.99. We are so over budget this week.]
Week 8 total: $48.91. Since we were already $1.64 over when we started the week, we certainly went a bit overboard. Even without buying any groceries week 9, we would start week 10 with a budget of $24.45 for the week. I am uncertain as to whether we want to go without this coming week (I do love fresh fruit), or whether we're just going to call this week a bust. We'll see what the coming week brings. Honestly, over the past several weeks, I have thought that we don't even need all $25 in groceries and was buying stuff we already had just to stock up. This week, though, was the first time I was irritated at the challenge because it's nearly impossible to buy something I really look forward to getting on rare occasion (the good aged cheddar). Then I told myself to get over it. It is a challenge after all.
Sweets & Beets chips: 2 bags for $5
Coconut oil (for both body use and cooking): $5.84
Potatoes (with coupon): $.99
Apples: $1.71
Parmesan cheese: $3.29
Kefir: $2.79
We're at $19.62 and that leaves us enough for onions and bananas. Since we were over a couple of times and under other times, I figured what we actually spent for the total amount, and after 8 weeks we should be at $200. I want to make it so that we are at or under that $200 figure. That means I have $3.74 to spent for this week yet.
[We totally busted our budget this week. We went to Milwaukee and there are a lot of cheese shops along the way to and from. As everyone knows, WI has the best cheese. We stopped at a cheese shop and got a brick of 4-year-old cheddar (not the kind with artificial orange coloring) for $9.56 and a small brick of Swiss cheese for $4.55. They totaled just under $15. We also bought sorghum for $6.99. All of it was local. I know there's the feeling you get, just like when people say they get when losing weight, that, since you went overboard that you just feel like going way overboard, but I will reign in that feeling and get back on track for next week. I do realize that with a $25 a week budget we really can't afford really good aged cheese, so that's one thing I'll be looking forward to again when we're done with our challenge.]
[Onions and bananas were $1.20. Jaimie then bought Fair trade organic Ethiopian coffee for $6.99. We are so over budget this week.]
Week 8 total: $48.91. Since we were already $1.64 over when we started the week, we certainly went a bit overboard. Even without buying any groceries week 9, we would start week 10 with a budget of $24.45 for the week. I am uncertain as to whether we want to go without this coming week (I do love fresh fruit), or whether we're just going to call this week a bust. We'll see what the coming week brings. Honestly, over the past several weeks, I have thought that we don't even need all $25 in groceries and was buying stuff we already had just to stock up. This week, though, was the first time I was irritated at the challenge because it's nearly impossible to buy something I really look forward to getting on rare occasion (the good aged cheddar). Then I told myself to get over it. It is a challenge after all.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Week 7: $25 in groceries
It's the first date into our week, and we've spent almost all of our $25.
This is what we bought:
$1.99 yogurt (normally we make our own, but sometimes it's good to have a fresh starter batch).
$1.51 flour
$1.99 oats
.49 baking soda
$6.19 goldfish crackers. I didn't want to really get them, but that's the hazard of shopping with a toddler
$1.12 ketchup. Again, shopping with a toddler
$1.35 tea
$2.33 cocoa powder. We needed more chocolate ice cream (some of which we just ate, and it was delicious)
$3.59 heavy cream
That adds up to $20.56 so we have enough for milk for $2.29 and eggs for $1.75, which will bring us under budget!
[We didn't get milk, but we did get Parmesan cheese for $3.29, so that put us $.60 over].
This is what we bought:
$1.99 yogurt (normally we make our own, but sometimes it's good to have a fresh starter batch).
$1.51 flour
$1.99 oats
.49 baking soda
$6.19 goldfish crackers. I didn't want to really get them, but that's the hazard of shopping with a toddler
$1.12 ketchup. Again, shopping with a toddler
$1.35 tea
$2.33 cocoa powder. We needed more chocolate ice cream (some of which we just ate, and it was delicious)
$3.59 heavy cream
That adds up to $20.56 so we have enough for milk for $2.29 and eggs for $1.75, which will bring us under budget!
[We didn't get milk, but we did get Parmesan cheese for $3.29, so that put us $.60 over].
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Week 6: $25 in groceries
The last two weeks we went over, by .62 and $2. The previous three weeks, though, we were under budget, with $24.76, $24.32, and $24.53. I was determined to make it under budget this week, and we did. We said we'd do 3 months, which is about 13 weeks, so we're almost halfway through the challenge!
This is what we bought:
$4.78 for two gallons of whole milk, with coupon
$3.99 for clementines. Lily loves these and knows how to open them on her own. It's not local, but it's Real.
$2/2 bags of flax, on sale
$2.99 for wild rice, on sale
$2.99 for semi-sweet chocolate chips, 24 oz. I didn't really need these for a recipe, and, of course, they are not Real, but it is a good price and I know I'd use them. Since it's not Real food, it is taxed, and that comes out to $3.05.
$3 for 5 boxes of pasta, with coupon
$5 for 3 packages of cheddar cheese, on sale
That comes out to $24.81, and we're under budget. I wanted to get cocoa powder, just because we're out but not because we needed it for anything. We'll wait for next week for that. Jaimie also wants heavy cream, which we use in so many things, like creme brulee, ice cream, scones, etc.
This is what we bought:
$4.78 for two gallons of whole milk, with coupon
$3.99 for clementines. Lily loves these and knows how to open them on her own. It's not local, but it's Real.
$2/2 bags of flax, on sale
$2.99 for wild rice, on sale
$2.99 for semi-sweet chocolate chips, 24 oz. I didn't really need these for a recipe, and, of course, they are not Real, but it is a good price and I know I'd use them. Since it's not Real food, it is taxed, and that comes out to $3.05.
$3 for 5 boxes of pasta, with coupon
$5 for 3 packages of cheddar cheese, on sale
That comes out to $24.81, and we're under budget. I wanted to get cocoa powder, just because we're out but not because we needed it for anything. We'll wait for next week for that. Jaimie also wants heavy cream, which we use in so many things, like creme brulee, ice cream, scones, etc.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Week 5: $25 in groceries
This week we didn't really need much but we wanted a few things so we each got something that we wanted that we didn't need to make or was just a splurge.
We bought crackers for $3.99, pretzels for $1, and two more cans of coconut milk for $1 each, for a total of $7.99.
Later we got milk for $4.88 (2 gallons, with coupon).
I mentioned how I was thirsty in a store, and of course, Lily said she was thirsty too, just as we were walking past the juice aisle and right on a package was Cookie Monster. It was 100% juice, but I usually don't buy it anyway just because water is sufficient. But, we spent $3.32 on that, and $1.94 on green tea drinks for Jaimie and me.
We'll be picking up two dozen eggs again tomorrow, for $3.50. Then we'll be getting butter for $1.99. IF I can get brown sugar for under $1.38 (what is remaining of our $25), then I will get that.
We're still eating well all week long, and loving every bite.
I did buy brown sugar, and we ended up .62 over budget this week, for a total of $25.62.
We bought crackers for $3.99, pretzels for $1, and two more cans of coconut milk for $1 each, for a total of $7.99.
Later we got milk for $4.88 (2 gallons, with coupon).
I mentioned how I was thirsty in a store, and of course, Lily said she was thirsty too, just as we were walking past the juice aisle and right on a package was Cookie Monster. It was 100% juice, but I usually don't buy it anyway just because water is sufficient. But, we spent $3.32 on that, and $1.94 on green tea drinks for Jaimie and me.
We'll be picking up two dozen eggs again tomorrow, for $3.50. Then we'll be getting butter for $1.99. IF I can get brown sugar for under $1.38 (what is remaining of our $25), then I will get that.
We're still eating well all week long, and loving every bite.
I did buy brown sugar, and we ended up .62 over budget this week, for a total of $25.62.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Week 4: $25 in groceries
With a plethora of decent coupons and sales, we got more than I expected we'd be able to with this week's $25.
We paid $15.29 on 2 bags of tortilla chips, grapes, clementines, heavy cream and cheddar cheese.
We spent another $4.16 on 2 avocados, one (more) bag of tortilla chips (we tend to go through a lot), and carrots.
Later, we spent $.79 on bananas. I bought some last week thinking we'd make banana cream pie, but the bananas disappeared into little girls' bellies.
I still have just enough to buy 2 gallons of milk with a 2/$4.88 coupon! I think we'll make more cheese out of it. Ok, we're really .12 over, but I think it's pretty darn close.
[We didn't end up getting the milk, because we still had some, so we still made it under $25 with more bananas, - still need to make the pie - garlic, and lasagna noodles. Our toddler didn't feel well though, so we did buy some grapes which made us exactly $2 over. I know we're slightly over, but the grapes were worth it for a sick babe].
We paid $15.29 on 2 bags of tortilla chips, grapes, clementines, heavy cream and cheddar cheese.
We spent another $4.16 on 2 avocados, one (more) bag of tortilla chips (we tend to go through a lot), and carrots.
Later, we spent $.79 on bananas. I bought some last week thinking we'd make banana cream pie, but the bananas disappeared into little girls' bellies.
I still have just enough to buy 2 gallons of milk with a 2/$4.88 coupon! I think we'll make more cheese out of it. Ok, we're really .12 over, but I think it's pretty darn close.
[We didn't end up getting the milk, because we still had some, so we still made it under $25 with more bananas, - still need to make the pie - garlic, and lasagna noodles. Our toddler didn't feel well though, so we did buy some grapes which made us exactly $2 over. I know we're slightly over, but the grapes were worth it for a sick babe].
Friday, January 27, 2012
Week 3: $25 in groceries; free food!
I will admit right off the bat that we did dine "in" one night with ordered pizza. I was considering including that cost against the $25 for the week, but I know that there will be other times in the next several months that we will go out to eat and it will not be counted. Plus, we used a gift card that we had before we started our $25 a week budget. It was an evening where I worked and Jaimie's appointment went a couple hours longer than expected, so the girls were picked up two hours late from day care. Jaimie mentioned that it would take an hour to boil the beans and I suggested that we just bake a pizza. I've got to say, it really was delicious. I love the Gourmet Veggie pizza at Papa Murphy's. It's one of the very few places where we can get Real food.
This is how our week went:
2 gallons of milk (no rBGH), with coupon: $4.58
Bananas: .69 & .56
Coconut milk: $2.98 (for making sticky rice, or maybe coconut ice cream)
puff snacks for June (not natural, and not real, but I got them because they are convenient for the car and she likes them): $3.34
eggs: $3.50
flour: $3.00
Tortillas and cheese: $6.11 (I didn't split this up because I don't recall what the exact separate amounts were).
That comes to $24.76, 24 cents under budget.
We also went to a swap this week. There was a food swap in the cities that I have wanted to go to but it was shut down because trading homemade foods is "selling." It's unfortunate that I didn't get to attend because I really wanted to try out other people's things and have people try some things from us (especially the coveted violet jelly). Anyway, we went to a swap at the SPC. Basically, you could bring your things that you wanted to get rid of and swap them with other things people brought. After everyone has gone through and taken what they want or need, the rest is bagged up and donated to Goodwill. Well, one person brought a large amount of nuts (I don't know that Goodwill would have taken them, but it made sense to bring them to the swap if anyone wanted them). I got over a gallon of nuts (still in the shell). I'm certain we will be making some more crack granola soon, at least by next weekend when it was requested of me to specifically bring it.
Would you like some free food too? Try entering the Whole Foods Pantry Stock-up Contest. You must enter by January 31st and write them an e-mail telling them what items are must-haves in your pantry. They will select e-mails at random. There is a grand prize of a Whole Foods Gift card for $599!
This is how our week went:
2 gallons of milk (no rBGH), with coupon: $4.58
Bananas: .69 & .56
Coconut milk: $2.98 (for making sticky rice, or maybe coconut ice cream)
puff snacks for June (not natural, and not real, but I got them because they are convenient for the car and she likes them): $3.34
eggs: $3.50
flour: $3.00
Tortillas and cheese: $6.11 (I didn't split this up because I don't recall what the exact separate amounts were).
That comes to $24.76, 24 cents under budget.
We also went to a swap this week. There was a food swap in the cities that I have wanted to go to but it was shut down because trading homemade foods is "selling." It's unfortunate that I didn't get to attend because I really wanted to try out other people's things and have people try some things from us (especially the coveted violet jelly). Anyway, we went to a swap at the SPC. Basically, you could bring your things that you wanted to get rid of and swap them with other things people brought. After everyone has gone through and taken what they want or need, the rest is bagged up and donated to Goodwill. Well, one person brought a large amount of nuts (I don't know that Goodwill would have taken them, but it made sense to bring them to the swap if anyone wanted them). I got over a gallon of nuts (still in the shell). I'm certain we will be making some more crack granola soon, at least by next weekend when it was requested of me to specifically bring it.
Would you like some free food too? Try entering the Whole Foods Pantry Stock-up Contest. You must enter by January 31st and write them an e-mail telling them what items are must-haves in your pantry. They will select e-mails at random. There is a grand prize of a Whole Foods Gift card for $599!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Week 2: $25 in groceries
This week we bought:
2 gallons of whole milk (for the cheese making we're doing today): $4.88 with coupon
onions: $1.79
2 dozen local free-range (but for winter's protection) eggs: $3.50
garlic clove: $.90
4 avocados: $3.96 (on sale)
3 packs local cheddar cheese: $5.00/3 on sale
That totals $20.03, so we have $4.97 left for anything else we might want later in the week.
And quick-rise yeast: $2.29 (we only had the regular yeast). We have $2.68 left, enough to get some more flour.
By Thursday, $2 in tortilla chips (no, I didn't want to make them), and we're under $25, with a total of $24.32!
2 gallons of whole milk (for the cheese making we're doing today): $4.88 with coupon
onions: $1.79
2 dozen local free-range (but for winter's protection) eggs: $3.50
garlic clove: $.90
4 avocados: $3.96 (on sale)
3 packs local cheddar cheese: $5.00/3 on sale
That totals $20.03, so we have $4.97 left for anything else we might want later in the week.
And quick-rise yeast: $2.29 (we only had the regular yeast). We have $2.68 left, enough to get some more flour.
By Thursday, $2 in tortilla chips (no, I didn't want to make them), and we're under $25, with a total of $24.32!
Friday, January 13, 2012
How we spent our first $25
We got a lot more than I figured we would be able to.
Almonds: 4.95 (on sale, after rebate - for snacking and making granola)
Cheddar cheese: 3.98 (we use a lot)
Heavy cream: 3.67 (for making ice cream and whole wheat ricotta triple berry scones)
Vanilla extract: 1.99 (just because we go through a lot, even though I didn't realize we had 2 already)
Milk: 4.58 (2 gallons, with coupon, for making cheese, baked goods & for drinking)
sugar: 2.98
neufchatel: 2.38 (for cream cheese wontons)
That brings our total to $24.53. Pretty good! I don't think we'll need so much dairy every week, but I do like making ice cream. Notice how we learned pretty quickly that we won't be able to spend as we planned when we plan on buying non-essentials, like the Sprecher root beer that I wanted.
Almonds: 4.95 (on sale, after rebate - for snacking and making granola)
Cheddar cheese: 3.98 (we use a lot)
Heavy cream: 3.67 (for making ice cream and whole wheat ricotta triple berry scones)
Vanilla extract: 1.99 (just because we go through a lot, even though I didn't realize we had 2 already)
Milk: 4.58 (2 gallons, with coupon, for making cheese, baked goods & for drinking)
sugar: 2.98
neufchatel: 2.38 (for cream cheese wontons)
That brings our total to $24.53. Pretty good! I don't think we'll need so much dairy every week, but I do like making ice cream. Notice how we learned pretty quickly that we won't be able to spend as we planned when we plan on buying non-essentials, like the Sprecher root beer that I wanted.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
For $25 a week
Jaimie and I have recently decided that we need to use what we've got and stop buying groceries in the manner most people do. We are pretty stocked - between the freezers, the cold room (with our home canned goodies), and full cupboards. I don't really like to have the fridge full because I like to see what's in there and it drives me batty to waste food.
On another blog, A Year Without Groceries, their family of 3 only buys from a buying club, farmer's markets and directly from the farmer. We don't have a buyer's club around here that I am aware of, and there are no farmer's markets this time of year. We do buy some food directly from the farmer - specifically beef from my mother and chickens from someone I work with (however, my friend has inquired whether I would be interested in raising chickens with her on her land - that may be in the works for this spring). At the end of the farmer's market season this past year, we decided to do most of our shopping there for the months that it's open, but we do crave fresh produce on occasion.
On yet another blog that I frequent, a woman and her family of four are doing 100 days of Real food for $125 a week (she used this figure to show that a family can eat Real food with less than the $167 that a family of 4 would generally get on food stamps, to show that you don't have to spend a lot to eat well).
We decided to eat mostly Real, because we do have some foods that we just like and know that we'll want them even if they aren't Real. We'll also be eating whatever is already in the fridge or freezer, regardless of whether it's Real, because I dislike wasting (though we did end up donating almost all of the non-Real pantry foods in preparation for this challenge).
So, long explanation, we've decided that we willdo our best to spend only $25 a week on groceries. Here are the rules:
*Food directly from the farmer is not included in the $25 figure. Though we buy eggs from a person who sells them for her uncle, I am uncertain whether she takes a cut, and we buy them at her restaurant, so that is NOT direct from the farmer. The meat, as described above, is direct from the farmer, so that is "free" as far as the $25 a week budget goes. If there were a farmer's market open, that amount wouldn't count toward this budget either.
*Home cleaning supplies, toiletries, alcohol and home maintenance are not included in the grocery budget. The budget is strictly for things that we eat. Plus, we have a lot of home maintenance.
*We will attempt to make as much Real food as possible, and local when we can (though it is winter right now).
*If we buy food that is not Real, it is included in the budget.
*Seeds, plants and orders for the garden are not included in the budget, mostly because we can't eat them directly and I don't want to buy garden stuff in spurts.
Why wait when deciding to do something? Now is as good as any other time to start.
This week our $25 goes to: So far, we spent $4.58 on milk (coupon for 2 gallons at 2.29 a piece). I'm planning on buying Sprecher root beer for $9.99 (nope, not a health food, but delicious, local and made with honey), almonds for $1.98 & eggs for $1.75. That leaves us $6.70 in case we want something else. I'm thinking in future weeks, we'll probably re-stock on staples. Milk and eggs are likely to be weekly expenditures, so at least we know those costs. (I think we'll be doing a lot of cheese making, so we'll need a lot of milk).
No, we're not doing this for a year, but we are planning on trying it out for 3 months and then we'll see if we want to continue from there.
On another blog, A Year Without Groceries, their family of 3 only buys from a buying club, farmer's markets and directly from the farmer. We don't have a buyer's club around here that I am aware of, and there are no farmer's markets this time of year. We do buy some food directly from the farmer - specifically beef from my mother and chickens from someone I work with (however, my friend has inquired whether I would be interested in raising chickens with her on her land - that may be in the works for this spring). At the end of the farmer's market season this past year, we decided to do most of our shopping there for the months that it's open, but we do crave fresh produce on occasion.
On yet another blog that I frequent, a woman and her family of four are doing 100 days of Real food for $125 a week (she used this figure to show that a family can eat Real food with less than the $167 that a family of 4 would generally get on food stamps, to show that you don't have to spend a lot to eat well).
We decided to eat mostly Real, because we do have some foods that we just like and know that we'll want them even if they aren't Real. We'll also be eating whatever is already in the fridge or freezer, regardless of whether it's Real, because I dislike wasting (though we did end up donating almost all of the non-Real pantry foods in preparation for this challenge).
So, long explanation, we've decided that we will
*Food directly from the farmer is not included in the $25 figure. Though we buy eggs from a person who sells them for her uncle, I am uncertain whether she takes a cut, and we buy them at her restaurant, so that is NOT direct from the farmer. The meat, as described above, is direct from the farmer, so that is "free" as far as the $25 a week budget goes. If there were a farmer's market open, that amount wouldn't count toward this budget either.
*Home cleaning supplies, toiletries, alcohol and home maintenance are not included in the grocery budget. The budget is strictly for things that we eat. Plus, we have a lot of home maintenance.
*We will attempt to make as much Real food as possible, and local when we can (though it is winter right now).
*If we buy food that is not Real, it is included in the budget.
*Seeds, plants and orders for the garden are not included in the budget, mostly because we can't eat them directly and I don't want to buy garden stuff in spurts.
Why wait when deciding to do something? Now is as good as any other time to start.
This week our $25 goes to: So far, we spent $4.58 on milk (coupon for 2 gallons at 2.29 a piece). I'm planning on buying Sprecher root beer for $9.99 (nope, not a health food, but delicious, local and made with honey), almonds for $1.98 & eggs for $1.75. That leaves us $6.70 in case we want something else. I'm thinking in future weeks, we'll probably re-stock on staples. Milk and eggs are likely to be weekly expenditures, so at least we know those costs. (I think we'll be doing a lot of cheese making, so we'll need a lot of milk).
No, we're not doing this for a year, but we are planning on trying it out for 3 months and then we'll see if we want to continue from there.
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