Walmart
A birthday card....44 centsHungry Jack Pancake mix..... 3@1.64
Kraft Mac N Cheese.....5@1.08
Boys Socks.....5.50
Lemishine.....2@3.66
Clean & Clear facewash.....5.17
Toddler Wipes.....3@.97 cents
Total spent.....33.56
Sams Club
Milk.....3@2.62
Bagel Bites.....8.86
Carnation Flowers.....5.88
Valentine Fruit Snacks.....6.88
Fruit Snacks.....7.87
HOney Bunches of Oats.....6.37
Shredded Cheddar.....12.77
Butter.....7.46
Total spent.....63.95
Winco Foods
Total Spent 159.51
(Way too long to type out)
My point?
I don't like grocery shopping. I like Sams Club, because of the massive quantity I can purchase stuff in...like the shredded cheese. 21 cups of cheese/5 pounds of it! It's now in my freezer, at my command. It is the same cost as buying the 5 pound brick, so why wouldn't I? Who wants to spend extra time shredding it, when you can buy it for the same cost? Same with the butter. Plenty of it in one shot. But, boy, does it add up fast. (Mind you, not all the grocery bags are in the photo.)
Then comes Walmart. You know, if Winco carried the above listed items, I wouldn't even shop at Walmart. Granted they have the card, but I can't find the right pancake mix, mac n cheese, or toddler wipes at WInco, so I go to Walmart.
So, after two hours of grocery shopping, comes the tough part for me. I can't put groceries away with out doing my fly lady stuff. I have to clean the fridge as I go. It's a major process, but it only takes me about an hour. If you clean your fridge twice a month, {and by this I don't mean just take out the food that is bad, but actually wash shelves and drawers and walls...} it really isn't a daunting task. Plus I have a habit of wiping drawers and shelves as I make dinner....
Anyway, we spend anywhere from $500-550 a month on 'groceries'. This includes items like diapers, wipes, toiletries, detergents, small items like hair clips or socks, etc. a month.
AM I THE ONLY ONE?? Kyle and I try to be pretty frugal. It's insane though to think we go through that much 'stuff' a month. Some of my friends probably live on less. Some on more. It also depends on the size of one's family. And the foods your family enjoys/prefers.
There are a few items that I purchase name brand: like diapers, saran wrap, and Mac N Cheese, and Tomato Soup. Other I go as cheap as possible, like tin foil, milk, cream of mushroom soup, and brown sugar. I also purchase what I can in bulk, like spices, goldfish, chocolate chips, some pastas, and the occasional jelly bean or candy bar. Some items that I can purchase in bulk I have found to be too much of a hassle, like flour and sugar. I also buy all our bread from the bread store, usually 7-15 loaves at a time and put it in the deep freeze.
I also try to add a little bit to our food storage. Hard to do when you are trying to not overspend.
I shop only twice a month, on payday or the day after, and rarely need to hit the grocery store in between the two weeks. If so, its usually for milk, or an ingredient for some recipe I wasn't planning on making for something like enrichment or recipe swap.
I know I could cut some of my spending costs in this area, and I always try to do a little better. But the balance is usually the same. If I don't buy any candy or treats or crackers, it's no cheaper to by apples, bananas, or granola bars. It's just healthier.
Now that I have rambled on and on about grocery shopping, I mostly want to add that I posted this for me, as a reminder. I am grateful we are living in abundance, convenience, and luxury. {And by luxury, I don't' mean caviar or shrimp!} We are able to feed ourselves and our children every day without worry and have enough that should we come across hard times we would be okay for a little while. And I am grateful that the Lord has blessed us with a good job for Kyle, a wonderful home that meets and exceeds our needs not wants, and healthy family.
I just don't like grocery shopping.
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