Market Basket Shopping Trip $365.34
Well, I finally made it to Market Basket for a big stock up trip. I totally forgot to get a Boston cream doughnut though until I was already on my way home so I was pretty disappointed about that. Oh well. There’s always next time I guess. I suppose if I can go 6 months in between major shopping trips I’ll survive.
But it would be nice to find a good donut shop close by.
Olives for the HH, beets for me. That container of Fluff is his too.
I think we already have 40 pounds of beans in the pantry. But hey, what’s a few more?
Snacks!!! They were sold out of the HH’s beloved “Extra Toasty” Cheez-Its. 🙁
For the most part, I basically drink tea, water and hot chocolate and the HH drinks coffee, water and the occasional iced tea, so we aren’t big soda people. But I wanted to have some other choices on hand in case someone stopped by so I picked up a small variety of soda, sparkling water and fruity juices.
I totally forgot to get Mrs. HB her beloved Diet Coke though so I’ll have to have the HH pick that up for her at the little general store at some point before May.
But otherwise, between last weeks trip to Market Basket and all the stuff from Costco the week before, I think we’re pretty set in the pickety bits and snack food department for guests a while. 😉
Here are a few of the things I ate last week:
Haddock and sprouts.
Half a ham sandwich with a side of Dave’s pickles {so good!}
Avocados rule! I could eat them everyday.
But I’d have to leave the house to get them.
Cheesy bread and a scoop of lasagna the barely made it to the plate.
And last but not least… pickety bits.
The second time around I made a half batch of bacon wrapped water chestnuts {soo good!}
So how about YOU? Did you eat anything exciting last week? How are you doing on provisions? How long do you think you could go if you couldn’t make it to the grocery store? A week? A month? A year? Curious minds want to know.
Keep Calm and Carry On,
~Mavis
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home $365.34
- Total Spent in March on Groceries and Bakery Treats $686.70
- Total Spent in February on Groceries and Bakery Treats $230.98
- Total Spent in January on Groceries and Bakery Treats $128.60
- Total Spent on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home in 2021 $1046.28
Cathy lynch says
I’m a one big salad a day, Our milk delivery now brings bags of salad with my Soy milk , ( my husband gets chocolate milk) I survive the lock down better.
Mel says
Since we currently have both a vegetable and fruit CSA and just restocked on local meat, we could go quite a while without leaving the house, but we run out of milk about every two weeks, so we go out for that. I’m getting my second dose of vaccine this week, so I’m going to do a quick run for Gatorade, elbow macaroni (to add to frozen chicken noodle), and tea.
I’m not caught up on sleep, but I’m at least getting a little bit now instead of none, so I made more interesting meals this week. I thing the best were Cheeseburger rolls (unexpectedly good) and homemade lasagna (I needed to use up eggs, so I made homemade noodles as well). I have an extra batch of homemade pasta dough, so that might be dinner tonight. I also made Easter cookies and oatmeal zucchini muffins.
I’m debating whether to continue buying flour in bulk (50 lb bags from our local bakery) or whether to go back to buying normal size bags. I love the convenience of the large bags since I make all our bread and baked goods, but it just takes so much room to store.
Mavis Butterfield says
Mel, what are cheeseburger rolls?
Mel says
I used egg roll wrappers but filled them with cheeseburger-esque filling (ground beef, onion, cabbage instead of lettuce, soy sauce, Worcestershire, and garlic with American cheese). I fried them in the air fryer and then served with Shake Shack sauce (basically mayo/ketchup/dill pickle brine/mustard). I had my doubts, but my husband requested it, and it was actually quite good.
Mel says
Oh, and yes, we also have far too many beans on hand. We still had 4 lbs, but I just ordered another 8 lbs from Rancho Gordo because that’s what my husband likes in his Easter basket instead of candy. We will use them, but it seems like a lot at the moment.
Dr. Laura2 says
Mel, don’t forget that you are not at peak immunity until 2 weeks after your second vaccine injection. Don’t drop your guard just yet.
Mel says
My husband is an essential worker who has not yet been vaccinated, so it’s much longer than two weeks for me. To minimize his exposure, I have only been to the grocery store and the dentist in the past year. I have done contactless curbside pickup but have not gone inside anywhere else or done outdoor dining or anything else. That’s the plan for the foreseeable future.
Brianna says
What are the orange dot stickers on the beverages?
I had plans to grocery shop this weekend, but I got the 1st jab and have been sick and I have a pretty lovely and noticeable rash. Benedryl and Tylenol and a cup of tea have been my weekend go-to. Hopefully tomorrow morning I can do a big trip if I feel up to it. I am going to try a ‘cheaper’ grocery store to see if I can save some money. I am normally a Safeway shopper, but my groceries have been getting so pricey and I haven’t done anything different.my spending last year increased almost $250/mo. On average for groceries.
Heidi P says
I’m so sorry you had a reaction from your 1st shot. Hope the second one goes better.
I live in Oregon and our grocery budget is crazy high now. Between the price of groceries going up and having 2 boys (19 & 24) back at home because of the pandemic it’s been hard to keep food stocked as I hate the whole grocery shopping process right now. And to think I thought we’d be empty nesters for the first time in 32 years and downsizing everything!
Kris R says
I live in Oregon too and I make everything from scratch and my grocery budget is crazy over the moon. The prices ate terrible.
Kris says
* are terribly high
Kathy says
My husband has been dealing with hives since his second vaccine. He was put on Benadryl first but then our Dr switched him to Allegra. It seems to be controlling them.
S says
Market Basket puts an orange sticker on any item that isn’t bagged ( they give them to kids for fun, too, haha).
Brenda says
I am from MA, here in NC hardly anyone knows what FLUFF is… You can find little jars of marshmallow creme in the grocery stores but it is a score when you find the big FLUFF container.
Elle says
I generally go 2-3 weeks between Costco runs. I prefer fresh veggies. If I would live on frozen I could easily go once a month.
Last week: peanut butter on celery or apple, clementines and string cheese, freezer ratatouille over my last 2020 garden spaghetti squash, grilled chicken/roasted broccoli and I have a pot of garden tomato/cabbage soup in the fridge for this weeks lunch/snacks. (I generally eat 1 meal a day and snack if needed).
Erin says
I’ve decided to start getting groceries monthly instead of weekly. For a family of 4 that takes some planning! I’m tired of wasting 2 hours a week (and gas is getting expensive) driving to town and getting groceries so this is my new plan. Now I just have to keep my 13 year old son from eating all the groceries in the first week.
Heidi P says
I love the idea of shopping less often. I think you might need a snack hiding space to keep your 13 year old out of the goodies or start baking as needed. Good luck:)
ronda says
A good hiding spot for snacks will be a must with a hungry 13 year old around. I would love to know your planning as I’m pretty good for every 2 weeks but not quite there yet on monthly shopping trip.
Erin says
I figured out the entire month of main dishes and a common list of side dishes. I then made 2 aldi lists (perishable and non), a walmart list and a costco list. I laminated all the lists so I can reuse every month. The walmart order is pretty small and is ordered online so I’m not in the store grabbing extra crap. I also figured in snacks and extras for when we have guests. I know in the next hear our family will be expanding due to adoption And I wont have the time for weekly trips. As for the hungry teen, hes pretty respectable about food and I make plenty for supper so he is filled. Hiding food wont be an option once we adopt as the kids come with food insecturies.
marie says
Once after a huge weekend Costco shop I arrived home on Monday to find our daughters/sons/and friends had consumed over 1/2 of the monthly snacks! I now have a “snack container” in my trunk where I keep most of the treats as i disperse them evenly over the month. (They are driving themselves crazy attempting to find my “hiding place”!)
Thanks for the hint Mom!
Lynn from NC Outer Banks says
I hide snacks in my car trunk as well, though instead of hiding them from the kids, I have to hide them from my DH! If not, like kids, he will eat all the snacks straight away!
Nancy Sadewater says
I did once a month when I was raising my 8 kids and loved it. It saved me so much time and money. I would go once a week to get milk and any needed fresh produce (we were going through 12- 14 gallons of milk per week when everyone was home). I still really only go 4-6 weeks per shopping trip with weekly milk and produce trip.
andrea d says
In our pre the-world-is-ending days, I was at the store weekly. Mainly because my kids had a small vending machine business so since we were at the warehouse store anyway, it was easy to grab things- and my budget suffered for it. Now, I try to hit the warehouse store once a month (though it’s seeming like 6 weeks might work), and the grocery store every 2- 2 1/2 weeks, with a run to the local farm for milk in between. My pantry and freezer are pretty well stocked so we could go longer, but with 5 teenagers in the house the fresh fruits/veggies don’t last long. Seriously- I buy anywhere from 6-10 lbs of apples and they’d be gone in 2 days if I didn’t hide some of them.
Rebecca in MD says
My husband also loves the marshmallow fluff and the extra toasty Cheez Its.
I could go 2-3 months without going to a grocery store, because I get fresh produce, dairy, and organic meats delivered. However, these sources do not have everything we like in these categories, so I go every other week to fill in spices, etc. that I can’t get from my other sources. I would go longer, but my husband needs his Cheez Its, etc. LOL.
Last week I made a new recipe and my husband raved about it – – – burritos. https://www.recipetineats.com/beef-burritos/
I really liked that one pound of ground beef made enough for 8 burritos, so we ate 2 for dinner and I froze the rest. Last night I pulled some out of the freezer and followed the directions for reheating (included in the recipe), and they came out perfect. Sooooo, I now have an easy recipe that makes 4 dinners.
I love dinners that provide enough leftovers so that it is two or more meals so I can make it and stockpile some freezer dinners for a day when I don’t feel like cooking.
Since it is just the two of us, for St. Patrick’s Day I am going to make Reuben sandwiches (deli corned beef and sauerkraut) and make homemade dressing for it.
StephanieZ says
Mavis I highly recommend making your own sausages. They are low cost to make, delicious and you control what gets added (no fillers or beaks and butts added).
Linda Sand says
Check your store’s freezer department. Ours carries Wholly Avocado in packages of individual-size servings. Contents: avocado. Thaw one, spread on toast or add dippers, eat. 🙂
Pam says
Aunt Millie’s beets are the best! Yum! I think we could easily go a month or two without going to the store. We just bought a 1/4 of beef in mid January so beef is good for the next 6-7 months for us and I still have plenty of frozen and canned veggies plus pantry staples to last us quite awhile.
Sue says
I made your baked brie in puff pastry using local cherry jam! Yumm it was so good.
At the same time (literally, both in the same oven) I made my favorite brussels sprouts recipe — https://www.panningtheglobe.com/roasted-brussels-sprouts-bacon-dried-cherries/
Since they both have cherries they went well together and several meals were just made up of these two dishes!
Sandra Cirello says
Hi Mavis,
I just made Pioneer Woman’s Recipe for Tuscan Chicken Soup with Burrata Cheese Balls from Costco. Wow was it tasty. Great dinner tonight. You’ve got to try it.
Lisa says
Glad to see you doing so well Mel (and family). Question: I’ve been following you for years and you haven’t actually got to $100 a month much, if any. Don’t you think it’s time to update your “precursor/concept ” to your website blog email etc? I understand the hardships you’ve been through, as have so many I know in the last few years, cancer, covid etc… don’t you think the title is deceptive? I encourage you to do it to something more relevant to your life now. Us that have followed you for years will follow on but it’ll free up the concept for others who TRULY ARE trying for less as in $100 A Month! Think about it. Thanks. Lisa
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Lisa,
I wrote about why I won’t be changing the name of my blog here:
https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/monthly-meal-planning-and-grocery-shopping-trips-week-18-of-52/
Pat says
It’s her blog and she can do what she wants, my dear. If you are offended or put off, go away and read somewhere else!
Janet says
We have been shopping Kroger about every four to six weeks since the mask mandate. There’s just the two of us and we are doing well and spending less on that schedule. We don’t shop Costco – my husband refuses “to pay to shop in any srore”. Since he does the majority of the cooking and shopping, I am okay with that.
Lisa says
Btw, I say this as I’ve promoted your blog to many. I’ve been patient as I’ve understood your hardships but comments coming back to me who are truly wanting advice on thriftiness in daily life are not seeing it and not benefiting from your title any longer. You’ve changed and been through much. Change your title, it’s deceptive and people I’ve promoted you to such as my niece and her friends think it’s all click bait as they’re looking for true help not someone on a different path from the titles promotion.
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Lisa, {again}
I wrote about why I won’t be changing the name of my blog here:
https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/monthly-meal-planning-and-grocery-shopping-trips-week-18-of-52/
Have a great day,
Mavis
Pat says
Again, Lisa, it’s Mavis’ prerogative to call it what she wants! If you are offended or put off, go away, go criticize something IMPORTANT and don’t be such a stuffed shirt!
Joely says
Mavis, I love avocados too! I order them from a farm in California every so often to satisfy my unending avocado cravings! If you google “california avocados direct” you should find them. They arrive well packaged and unripe. I leave them out and enjoy as each one is ready!
Vy says
I like to have at least a couple month’s provisions on hand, considering I am within viewing distance of a volcano or two lol. Oh yeah, I have three (now young adult) kids, and I want to be prepared to feed them too if need be. Also, I have two months worth of emergency rations out in the garage, and 25 gallons of water. Living in earthquake land is a real thing.
Lace Faerie says
Something I enjoy is wrapping a pickled asparagus spear and a smear of cream cheese in deli ham slices. For party trays I cut then into bite sizes with toothpicks and they always go quickly! But when I eat them, I just leave the roll up whole and gobble it down!
Annette says
Sounds good with a dill pickle instead of asparagus.
Sue says
Darn, I put a link in my earlier comment and I don’t think that’s allowed so it didn’t post.
A week or so ago I made Mavis’ baked brie and puff pastry using locally-made cherry jam. YUMM!
And in the very same oven I made a brussels sprout dish that Mavis might like since she likes them. It’s got brussels sprouts, bacon, and dried cherries, and is found at the panningtheglobe dot com site. O.M.G. it is good!
I had several meals made up entirely of those two dishes.
Also, Joely, thanks for mentioning the avocados direct — I might just try that! My local grocery doesn’t always have them, and besides, I try not to shop that often now, and in a tiny grocery that is a recipe for having them be sold out on the day I go.
Sue
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Sue,
I haven’t been on the computer much today but it looks like your previous comment with the recipe link is there. 🙂 That looks SO GOOD! I will be sharing the recipe for the Brussels sprouts we made last weekend on the blog tomorrow. 🙂 Great minds think alike. Ha!
Sue says
Oh thanks! Guess I jumped to a conclusion too soon about whether it was ok to post a link in comments.
Yes it is amazingly delish, hope folks will look it up, and I can’t wait to read your recipe as well (because I might want to eat brussels sprouts a wee bit more often than I should be eating all that bacon… 🙂 )
Dianac says
Mavis – I enjoy reading your blog and appreciate the time you put into it. I like seeing pics of your groceries since I like to try new foods(to us) and we have been trying to eat more healthy this year. I like that you combine healthy foods with splurges – and I love seeing your pickety bits. I have a persnickety husband but I think he would like the variety of foods on the plates that you show. And while some months appear to be more expensive than others in your grocery shopping, it seems to average out about a hundred dollars a month over the year. Thanks for all you do!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thank you Dianac. 🙂 While we spend more than $100 a month on groceries these days, we are spending WAY less in so many other categories that splurging on cheese and treats is a fun way to add a little excitement to our lives. 🙂
lynne says
I know you’re not a coffee drinker, but that marshmallow fluff and the Andes mints….Recipe: One cup of delicious hot coffee, one spoonful fluff, one Andes mint. Stir together. Add desired amount of frothy milk or 1/2 & 1/2. Results? A delicious Fluffy Mint Latte. My favorite go-to cuppa as a special Saturday morning treat!
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks for the recipe! I will tell my husband. 🙂
Sharon D. says
It made me smile to see that container of Fluff 🙂 It brought back memories of growing up in Massachusetts, when my brothers and I would play in the snow mom always made us Hot Chocolate with a scoop of Fluff for when we came inside 🙂