Today’s $29 grocery budget shop showed me just how important it is to track how much I am spending and how helpful it is to break it down by department.
I had most of my grocery list in the Acme app so didn’t take the time to write it down. Phone service was lacking inside the store so I was left with no grocery list. Knowing the average amount I spend per department made my trip much smoother than it could have been. It took me the same amount of time to grocery shop because I was able to shop each department, utilizing what was on sale and knowing approximately how much I would need in other departments to come out on budget.
I still didn’t come out the greatest for this week. We are going to have to be a bit creative. Granted, buying cherries wasn’t the most economical decision, but the kids and I have been waiting for them so we bought the smallest bag we could find and skipped the pricier apples. I did forget that we finally ran out of carrots, so thankfully there is a little money left because I will likely need to pick some up later this week.
We also have a few things left over from last week but we did a good job of eating most of our produce so we don’t have too much left – we have some onions, jalapeños, green onions, a few lemons (still!), a few oranges, and a few apples.
I wasn’t really looking forward to grocery shopping at Acme this week because I didn’t remember them as having the greatest selection of organics. They have more than they use to but the selection and prices are still not the greatest. I definitely preferred last week’s shop at Trader Joe’s even though I was a bit unfamiliar with shopping for more than a few odd and end items there.
This week we were going to buy graham crackers for the summer. It was a good deal at $2.49 a box and Buy 3, get (2) 1/2 gallons ice cream free. I realized we needed to put the deal back and buy more produce so I sent my oldest to return the graham crackers to the shelf. My son put them back and a gentleman said, “Said no to the graham crackers, huh?” He replied, “No. We don’t have enough money.” We agreed that a better answer would have been, “We are on a tight budget and decided not to get them.” He was the one that said that would be a better reply. Love that kid and he really is right. We didn’t have the money to get them. Sometimes we have to make no fun choices and choose QUALITY over WANT.
Grocery List
Acme
MEAT
- Organic Chicken Thighs, 1.5 lb. – $8.87 (-$2.00 coupon sale sticker)
- Sockeye Salmon, 12 oz. – $5.99
- (2) Organic ground beef – $6.99 x 2 (- 2 $2.00 coupon sale stickers)
TOTAL: $22.84
PRODUCE
- Cherries, 1.6 lb. – $4.01
- Baby Bella mushrooms, 24 oz. – $3.99
- *Earthbound Spring Mix – $5.00
- *Earthbound Spinach – $5.00
- Greenline Green Beans, 12 oz. – $2.50
- Asparagus, 1 lb. – $1.99
- Raspberries, 6 oz. – $2.50
- Organic Grape Tomatoes, 16 oz. – $3.00
- Garlic, 5 ct. – $1.99
- Bananas, 1 lb. – $0.57
- Peaches, 1.8 lb. – $1.80
- (2) Seedless Mini Watermelon – $2.99 (Buy 1, Get 1)
TOTAL: $35.34
DAIRY
- Ricotta, 32 oz. .- $3.50
- Mozzarella, 16 oz. – $3.50
- Butter, 16 oz. – $3.49
- Stonyfield Yogurt – $4.29
- Organic Milk $4.39 x 2 ($4.39 per 1/2 gallon – ouch!)
- (2) Organic Eggs – $3.99 x 2
- Cheddar, 16 oz. – $4.99
TOTAL: $36.53
BAKERY
- Whole grain bread – $1.99 (reduced bakery shelf)
TOTAL: $1.99
GROCERY
- (2) O Organic Penne Rigate – $1.59 x 2
- Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter – $3.49
- O Organic Beef Broth – $2.00
- (2) California Ranch Olive Oil – $4.99 x 2
- Pure Leaf Tea – $1.00 (had a coupon but bought wrong one)
- Lipton Tea Bags – $3.99
- Herr’s Tortilla Chips, 13 oz. – $2.00
- O Organic Pasta Sauce – $2.00
- (2) Chunk Tuna – $0.88 x 2
- (3) Thomas English Muffins – $4.39 (Buy 1, Get 2 Free)
- Rice Sticks – $2.29
- Florida Crystal Sugar – $2.99 (- $0.65 x 2 for doubled coupon)
TOTAL: $37.77
FROZEN
- Essentials Tortellini – $2.50
- *Essentials Broccoli – $3.49
- Essentials cauliflower, 16 oz. – $1.00
- Essentials corn, 16 oz. – $1.00
TOTAL: $7.99
SHOPPING TOTAL: $142.46
Ibotta Savings: $0.40
Meal Plan Week 6
Breakfast
- Peach Melba Smoothie and toast (recipe coming)
- Fried eggs and pancakes
- Oatmeal with raisins
- Egg Sandwiches
- Parfaits
- English muffins and fruit compote
- Pancakes and fruit
Lunch
- Salad with rice, cheese, and black beans
- English Muffin Pizzas, celery sticks
- Spinach Ziti, salad
- Nachos, watermelon,
- Ziti
- Grilled Cheese and broccoli
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup, garlic bread (recipe coming)
Dinner
- Buffalo Salmon Salad
- Beef and Mushroom Soup over rice, sauteed spinach
- Braised Chicken thighs w/ a cherry balsamic sauce, steamed broccoli, homemade creamed corn (recipes coming)
- Mushroom and Beef Tacos, salad (1 lb. beef, 1 lb. mushrooms, processed, onion, chili powder, jalapeño, and garlic fried together)
- Spinach Ziti, salad (recipe coming)
- Ziti, steamed cauliflower (recipe coming)
- Noodle Bowl with asparagus (Rice Noodles, beef broth, garlic, onions, herbs, spices, asparagus)
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