Costco $56.52
So I kind of have this policy of not walking into a grocery store {or pretty much ANY store for that matter} the week before, or the week after Thanksgiving. I get claustrophobic, cranky, disoriented and it basically makes my skin crawl. Did I mention it makes me dizzy and I pretty much want to vomit?
Martha Stewart could be standing in my local grocery store handing out autographed copies of her entire encyclopedia of cookbooks for free and I would still rather stay at home, in my pajamas sipping tea and surfing the web than walk into a grocery store around Thanksgiving. Maybe I’m a party pooper, or weird. I don’t know, I just don’t get the appeal of being surrounded by a bunch of people frantically buying stuff off the shelves like there’s no tomorrow. I can’t handle it.
Blah Blah Blah… I went to Costco and loaded up on supplies. 🙂 By the way, that chicken and apple lunch meat is delicious! Expensive, but a nice treat. And when did they start selling SHELLED pistachios? Seriously, I’m totally willing to pay a couple of extra bucks for that.
Albertsons $13.97
Doughnuts for Monkey Boy, cherry pie filling for Grandma’s Cherry Cola Jell-O salad, Life cereal for the HH and eggs.
Albertsons $12.97
I actually gave up sleeping in and got up at 5 am on Saturday so I could peacefully pop in Albertsons and get the last items on my grocery list before the mad rush of shoppers arrived. Yes, I am that weird.
So, have you bought all your groceries for Thanksgiving yet? Please tell me you did. I don’t want to be the only one who hates crowds. 😉
~Mavis
Total Spent This Week $83.86
Total Spent Year to Date $1686.22 {$140 a month average so far this year.}
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Karen Kline says
I am with you on not shopping this week or next. I have mini panic attacks or take a risk of going to jail over punching someone in the face this time of year and I’m not a violent person. I think rudeness comes out in hoards with the holidays. I know people are pretty stressed I get that, but it is not my fault, don’t be grumpy with me or knock me out of the way for that last can of pumpkin.
Cecily says
I have panic attacks in regular grocery store crowds so holiday crowds are like my worst nightmare. I occasionally go to the mall but it is out of the question from now until after January first. I did two weeks worth of shopping last week so I don’t have to deal with the craziness.
Mavis says
Smart thinking stocking up ahead of time!
Susan says
I went yesterday to Chuck’s Produce to finish up my Thanksgiving shopping. Have to have mashed rutabagas – it is a New
England tradition. Always had them growing up.
And guess what!?!? They cost MORE than my turkey did!! 🙂 I have tried to grow them- I never have good luck at all.
Chuck’s has local Honey Crisp apples for .50! lb Bought a bunch of those and made Vanilla Rum Apple Butter. Just finished canning it. Smells delicious in here!! Had the crockpot going all night.
Also have my dehydrator full of pear slices. Bosc Pears- really nice ones- .59 lb.
Diane says
I have finished, but only because I have work until Thursday, so I won’t have a chance. Oh, I need to pick up some eggnog for my son to drink while watching the parade!
I’m nearly done with my Christmas shopping too.
Mavis says
Yum! Eggnog!
Krista says
I can’t stand crowds of any kind. I try to do the majority of my grocery shopping and errands at odd hours, however we are now without a vehicle for the next year, so I opted to do Safeway.com grocery delivery. It was hard for me to let someone else pick out my produce and next time I might just walk to the store for those things and order the heavier stuff for delivery. I still can’t believe how stress-less the experience was and how much freaking time I saved by doing that, though. The couponer in me cringed a bit, however the Just4U ecoupons work with the online delivery orders, so that was nice. Not having to deal with rude, pushy, inconsiderate a-holes was SO worth it to me.
Mavis says
I think your home delivery strategy is genius!!
Heather says
I am with you… I HATE shopping most days in stores and this time of year makes be breakout in hives! I will say that my dear Hubby wanted to look at a big ticket item at Costco and we could only go last Saturday right as they opened. I felt calm because I didn’t have a list of anything to buy and not a timeframe to be done, because I give myself only a half hour at Costco max! We did buy a few things, but it wasn’t as nutty as usual. I did feel myself getting cranky, so we promptly left 🙂 Our holiday shopping was done at 6am yesterday…it was us and the stockers…loved it! Happy Thanksgiving Mavis to you and yours in your new home!
Mavis says
6am shopping is the best!
Kathy says
We are adding a snow storm on Wednesday to the list of reasons why the stores will be crazy around here this week!
Kathy G says
with the projected snowstorm along with Thanksgiving it should be a zoo. Battle plan in the making right now…..
sarah says
I had to go to the local walmart to get a cake yesterday morning and it was nuttier than usual. I did go to the local store this morning, at 9 to get in and out. I have no plans on going back until next Monday morning. I know it will get crazier this week.
Brandy says
I LOVE shopping for Thanksgiving. But, like, days before! The money saving scenarios drive me crazy, I could shop for 5 families lol. I also buy a lot to donate and stock up on organic baking items for cheap.
Tina B says
Brandy, you are a gem. It is wonderful that you buy extra, especially at this high need time of year, to help those less fortunate.
Jenny says
I had everything purchased for what I planned to make and then last night my husband asked if I would make a broccoli salad that he liked. I don’t have anything for that salad so I guess I get to go back tomorrow (in the middle of a mild snow storm today and another forecast for Wednesday.)
Mavis says
The things we do to keep our husbands happy!
Crystal says
Hi Mavis!
I noticed that you didn’t get Smith Brothers milk this week. Are you going to continue with them? Did you find the quality and price worth it? I’m just wondering if it is really worth the extra expense. I’ve been considering ordering from them but they are quite a bit more than buying by the gallon. I hate the grocery stores but I need to keep my budget in check too. Thoughts are appreciated.
Mavis says
We loved the quality of Smith Brothers but found that with only 1 child at home now, we just weren’t going through enough product to justify it. But I highly recommend them!
Mary Ann says
I get out of Dodge for Thanksgiving because I don’t want to get stuck cooking for the whole family (I do the family Xmas party on Xmas Eve). It’s happened in the past where someone else who planned to host the event couldn’t at the last minute and I got stuck, so now we go to Vegas for a few nights beginning Thanksgiving day! I shopped last week to make sure I needed NOTHING before we leave.
I also got all of our family, friends, and business Xmas gifts wrapped (we put together towers of chocolate boxes and wine wrapped in cellophane for our 50+ customers each year, so it’s a LOT of work). Everything is done and ready for distribution beginning after December 1. The only things left to do before Christmas is to put up the tree (after Dec 10 to make sure it stays fresh), put a few Santa hats on the chainsaw carved bears around the house, and order the catered food for the party.
No more stress for me this holiday season!
Carol says
You are now my new hero! Enjoy Vegas, Baby. 🙂
Ellen in Clackamas says
I also hate grocery shopping right before Thanksgiving but one year (during hard times) I was living check to check and didn’t get paid till the day before. I had most of the dinner items but was missing a few and I could not face going that night so I waited till early Thanksgiving morning. It was so nice in the store! Yep, me and the shelf stockers and then…all the men and children sent to the store to pick up missed items. Of course a great many of them had no idea where the “cranberries, pumpkin, gravy mix” were so I spent quite a few minutes directing them to the right aisles! I was probably the least stressed out person in the store!
Tina B says
I don’t know where you all live with such rude people at the crowded holiday shopping season. It gets crowded in my town of 55K, too. There are a few rude people, as they seem to be everywhere, but it isn’t like it’s an epidemic and I don’t generally have troubles with them unless I’m in massive, full-on PMS mode. That’s when I try to avoid shopping.
I did my Thanksgiving shopping last week at Winco. I went again this morning for just a couple more things, but there weren’t many people there at 9:00am.
Mavis, how many family members are you feeding for $140/month? As of September, my household shrank to 3, but I haven’t managed to stop shopping like there are more of us. I am making a pact with myself with the start of the new year to try to cut my current actual average expenditure of $380/month down by $100/month. Making that pact practically guarantees that one of my kids will need to move back in sometime during the year, though. :-/ That’s the way life goes, although maybe it will just be my college son home for the summer, as he is in his freshman year. He is enjoying the college life, though. How about your girl?
Mavis says
I fed 4 until September, and now just 3. It will be interesting to see what next year looks like for us with one less person to feed all year!
Dena H says
I love the shelled pistachios!!!!!!! I found them last Christmas. I do a lot of baking and they were awesome!!!!!
Mavis says
They are soooo good!
Kathy says
Seeing as I had most everything in my pantry for dinner Thursday this past Friday, except the bird, I’m going nowhere.
Now comes the fun part. I was gifted not one, not two but THREE turkeys over the weekend. Plus all the fixings for a complete dinner as well. Kept one bird, regifted the other 2 to deserving families, onerecieving everything for a nice dinne, except pie..
Not shopping this week is the best; helping these families is even better.
Carol says
Way to go, Kathy!!!!
Lesa says
Do you like the Raskas cream cheese? I’ve bought it a few times at Costco but it doesn’t seem as soft as Philly cream cheese. I’ve made dip with Raskas and there are little lumps of cream cheese all in it, even when at room temp.
Mavis Butterfield says
I do like it. I don’t think it taste exactly like Philly, but then again it’s a few bucks less too. I like to use it in baking. 🙂
Jesse says
those shelled pistachios are a menace! I ate that whole bag, one handful at a time, in about a week. did not feel good about it.
sharon says
Have you considered that you are missing bumping up against those people who have to be out, even when they have a nasty cold or flu.