Grocery Challenge: Week 1

I know I said I'd start in July, but patience is not a strength. Points of note: Bill was not in on this grocery trip, therefore his food for the week is not included. A is also not around for a few weeks (she's off doing her summer thing), so theoretically, I should only be feeding Claudia & I this week. Also, there is no meat in this week's run as I bought a few whole chickens to cut up last week and I'll be using them this week.

** Pre-post-script: After writing this post, I had the distinct feeling that I'd hung my underwear out to dry on the front porch. I had no idea I would feel so vulnerable posting my grocery list -- good thing this isn't the "house cleaning" challenge!

From Whole Foods

Calder's Dairy Milk - 2 Half-gallon bottles (they only come in half-gallons) 2.99 each plus $1.25 bottle deposit
Yellow Tail Cabernet 7.99
Casillero del Diablo Carmieniere 9.99 (my favorite red wine, on sale)
365 Calcium-enriched Orange Juice 4.99
Organic dry bulk pinto beans 1.27
Goat cheese 4.95
Cheddar cheese 4.84
Corn muffin mix 2.50
Oatmeal muffin mix 2.50
Kashi Go Lean Crunch 3.69
4 cartons of Organic Stonyfield Yogurt @ .99 each
Chihuahua cheese 8.99 (YOWZA!)
Organic fresh spinach 2.49
.36 of a pound of organic cremini mushrooms 2.16
Organic bulk carrots .87
Bunch of fresh local kale 1.99
Bunch of fresh local asparagus 6.46
5 organic potatoes 4.04
1 yellow onion 1.57

Bridge Card Total: 69.23
Cash Total: 21.56
Total: 90.79






Now, to pick it apart:

Calder's Dairy Milk - I realize that each time I buy a gallon of milk, it's $8.50 out of pocket, but I'm willing to do this because 1) it's hormone & antibiotic free; 2) it's local; 3) I get bottle deposit money back each time. My kids drink a ton of milk -- about 2 gallons a week.

Wine - Yellow Tail is my standard "every day" wine. It had been being 5.99 at Meijer but recently they raised the price to 6.99. I paid 7.99 for the convenience because I wasn't going to Meijer on today's run but I could have saved a dollar here. $3 if both bottles of wine had been Yellow Tail from Meijer.


OJ - I wish I could find another way to do this. Milk, water and OJ (and wine!) are the staple drinks in my house, and OJ is the one that I'm not satisfied with. I tried buying the frozen kind, but it ended up costing just as much because they added less water than recommended to make it "taste right". I despise the amount of waste that is inherent with this plastic carton, but at least it is recyclable. If anyone has any suggestions on a good OJ that comes in a glass bottle for a reasonable price, I'd love to hear it.

Cheese - I spent more on cheese than any other one thing this trip. And guess what? We will eat it. I only drink milk in cereal so cheese is my primary dairy. And I've never met a cheese I didn't like......except Processed American Cheese Food or anything that comes in a can.

Muffin Mixes - These things are so yummy and easy to make. But, I could make corn muffins out of corn meal and egg for a fraction of the cost.

Produce - I'm pretty sure dude charged me for an organic onion and it wasn't. Onions are actually on the 12 LEAST contaminated list so I don't bother with paying extra. I didn't realize how stinking cheap local kale is, so I need to work that in a couple times a week (kale chips, stir fry with soy sauce & honey, soup). Carrots too...eat more carrots. Asparagus was pretty pricey, but I'll get 2 meals out of it. Potatoes are a staple and go pretty far.

Pinto beans: This is for my attempt at making my own bean burritos rather than eating them from Taco Bell each day. I can also make burritos for the kids to eat during the day while I'm working (if there isn't something easy and quick, they'll eat anything that isn't nailed down claiming there was 'nothing to eat'). I have not yet decided whether to make the tortillas or buy them, though.

Overall, I am neither dissatisfied with the amount that I spent or the quality of food that I bought. I realize that I'll be supplementing quite a bit from the freezer this week -- and probably most weeks. Maybe I'll post what I actually MADE for dinner each night as well so that we can dive in to how well I'm making good use of the food I buy.