With my February grocery totals hovering around $102 for the month, my goal last week was to stay out of the grocery store. And I almost made it, but we ran out of milk. Clearly we could have gone without milk for 2 days, but it seemed kind of silly not to pop into Fred Meyer’s and pick it up while it was on sale. I mean really, why wait 2 days to pay full price just because I didn’t want to go over my budget in February? It just didn’t make sense to me.
I’ll do better in March. I know I will.
Can we talk about beans for a second? Have you ever made your own refried beans in the crock pot before? Not only are they so incredibly easy to make, but homemade refried beans taste a million times better than the canned stuff.
We make a big pot of them every couple of months and freeze the extras to pull out on busy weeknights.
You should try it. You’ll save a bundle in the long run.
Fred Meyer – $3.96
I feel zero need to walk up and down every aisle in the grocery store. The way I see it, the more time I spend in a store the more likely I am to buy something. More often than not, I don’t even take a cart or a basket in with me. Even when I go to Costco.
Is that weird? Do you go cartless too? Unless I am stocking up, I don’t see the point. Stick to your list. Get in, get out, and save a bundle of money. That’s my motto these days.
Here’s what we ate last week {minus snacks}:
Monday
Breakfast -Steel cut oats with dried cranberries and brown sugar
Lunch – 2 Smoothies, 2 lemon bars {yum, yum}
Dinner – Homemade soft tacos
Tuesday
Breakfast – Leftover tacos
Lunch – Quesadilla and a banana/orange smoothie
Dinner – Annie’s Mac and Cheese
Wednesday
Breakfast – Coffee/Tea and pastries from Whole Foods {used a gift card}
Linner – Pizza and salad with my parents
Thursday
Breakfast – I have no idea
Lunch – Biggest smoothie ever
Dinner – Chicken Curry and brown rice
Friday
Breakfast – Steel cut oats with brown sugar and blueberries
Lunch – Leftover chicken curry and rice
Dinner – Chicken and spinach soup with leftover rice tossed in
Saturday
Breakfast – Chocolate chip scone and a smoothie
Lunch – Small cup of bean soup
Dinner – Ham and Bean soup with popovers
Sunday
Breakfast – Big breakfast- potatoes, scrambled eggs with veggies and toast
Linner – Burgers and Fries {date day!}
I need to buy some fresh fruits and veggies this week. Anyone know of some good deals?
~Mavis
Total Spent This Week $3.96
Total Spent in February $106.85
Total Spent in Janaury $105.36
Freebies we’ve been gifted or were earned in 2016: $200
- $100 gift card to Whole Foods {Christmas gift from my parents}
- $100 gift card to Trader Joe’s {Christmas gift from my parents}
- 22 packets of vegetable seeds
Go HERE to read more Shopping Trip Stories.
Ilona Watzlawick says
Hi Mavis ~ Regarding my shopping technique … i do tend to peruse the aisles mainly because if there is anything i will definitely use and it’s on sale or clearance, i generally purchase it. However, it all depends on how much time and energy i have (shopping can be SO tiring) … it does take some self-control on occasion but i try to stick to my budget and in the long run, make a savings or two. i.e.: i make my laundry detergent and once found a major ingredient on clearance for a tremendous savings … it was not something i had planned on buying, but i now have at least a year’s supply. And i am proud to say that when necessary, i am capable of running in for a single or a few items. OFF TOPIC: Hey, i planted lettuce and spinach yesterday! : )
Mavis Butterfield says
Wahoo lettuce and spinach!!
Mavis says
Good point. I can totally see how taking advantage of unadvertised sales would save a bundle. Also, yay to lettuce and spinach!
Lisa says
Just out of curiosity, are you including your Zaycon orders in your $100/month calculations?
Mavis Butterfield says
When I get something from Zaycon I always show it on the blog. 🙂 Our freezer is pretty full right now though so I don’t think I’ll be ordering anything anytime soon.
Heather says
Thanks for sharing your shopping and eating for the week! Always helpful. 🙂 For fresh fruits and veggies, do you have Bountiful Baskets in your area? It’s $15 for roughly 15 pounds of in season fruit and vegetables, and there are add-on options for bulk deals too. In my area, it comes every other week. Here’s the website for info: http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/
Marcia says
I’ve always wished we had bountiful baskets. We have lots of farms and farmer’s markets. But, for example, 15 pounds of fruits and veg would be about $25 to 30 here.
I just joined a produce delivery service because our CSA is having drought problems and isn’t running. It’s $40 a week. But this week (first week), we did get quite a lot.
erin says
Mavis the best deals on produce are always at Aldi’s for me. 28 cents a lb for bananas in my area (Iowa) can’t be beat anywhere else. Do you ever shop at aldi’s?
Mavis Butterfield says
We don’t have an Aldi’s!!! I hear such good things about their prices though.
Crystal says
I very rarely grab a cart, even at costco, when I am food shopping. The only time I get a cart tends to be if I am going there for dog and/or cat food, which is a little absurd to carry around the store on my shoulder (not that I haven’t done that before). I do most of my grocery shopping at Grocery Outlet, and just grab a hand basket. Unless I am going overboard from what I should be getting, the handbasket is more than enough.
Ashley says
I went into Kroger with no cart, just my son in his stroller, last week. I only needed coffee filters. I totally got side eye from several employees. Haha!
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! Good for you Ashley!
Beth says
Mavis,
Depending on what fruits and veggies you want- I think the big bag of fresh broccoli and big bag of romaine hearts are a good deal at Costco. I don’t think apples are usually a good deal there so I would probably check out Winco for apples, oranges, and bananas and other vegetables. I also buy the big bag of frozen corn and frozen peas at Costco because they are a good deal for our household and last for a long time. I was at Fred Meyer with my husband Saturday evening to get more of the butter that was on sale and he stopped in front of the strawberries that were marked 2 for $7.00 ($3.50 per pound for strawberries!!) and I said no way- they will be on sale tomorrow…and they are- 2 for $6.00 ($3.00 per pound!)….so no strawberries will be purchased by us this week. I got the big bag of frozen berries last week at Costco and made individual berry crisps that were amazing- I think I will do that again this week.
Ashley says
Yikes! We got strawberries for $1.50/lb this week! My youngest is a berry monster and went thru them in 2 days so I definitely need to buy more. I’m hoping it means the strawberry sale season started early and it wasn’t some random sale (I’m in Wisconsin so who knows where our strawberries come from this time of year).
Marcia says
It’s super warm here in CA, so yes I think strawberry season has already started.
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t think apples are a good deal at Costco either. We still have some Granny Smiths in the fridge, but my husband likes Honeycrisp. I just checked the local ads and there are not any great deals this week so I think I’ll pop into Costco like you suggested.
Carrie says
Try harbor greens. They almost always have honeycrisps for 99 cents a pound this time of year. If not in there ad it would be worth a call as they have so many unadvertised deals
Marcia says
See that’s funny, because Costco has some of the best apple prices here in CA! My faves are pink ladies or pinatas. Costco and TJ’s you can get them for $1.50 a pound, or close to that.
Kathy says
I live in Alabama and we have Aldi’s which has good sales on produce. Also, there is a Dollar General store in a neighboring town that has produce and sometimes they have a good sale. If I don’t want to drive to that store, I take the ad to Walmart and they price match the produce. I’m not particularly fond of Walmart produce though so I don’t do that often unless it is for onions or potatoes. We also have a lot of produce markets down here and I get good buys there. We have grocery store “wars” going on and two stores are having select items on sale for just Saturday or Saturday and Sunday. One store has a special different item for Thursday through Sunday. I went to that store Saturday and got quart containers of Florida strawberries 2/$3. That is a good price for now. They will get cheaper, .99 each, when it gets a little warmer. I have strawberries planted as an edging around my flowerbed and in one end of a raised bed but it is too early for me to have blooms much less berries. I’m keeping my fingers crossed though because I planted them last year so this will be my first harvest. It will be a race between me and the birds, chipmunks and squirrels.
Kari says
Freddie’s has broccoli crowns .99/lb, and oranges 69/lb. Ours also has a reduced bin of produce where I get even better deals!
dawnelle says
Can you post your chicken curry recipe, it looks so good!
Mavis says
Here it is: http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/freezer-meal-recipe-curry-chicken-and-brown-rice/
Let me know what you think.
Marcia says
I am so impressed. I came in Feb around $415, a little under January.
It’s funny because I actually have refried beans in the crockpot RIGHT NOW. I make them every few weeks. They are cheap, esp when I can get 10 lb of beans for $6.
But I’m intrigued by the fact that you use 4 cups of beans. I use the recipe from 100 days of real food, and I only make 2 cups. So it’s never enough to freeze extra. Sometimes I puree the beans, sometimes I mix with spanish rice (made in the rice cooker) and make a big batch of beans and rice. I might have to just try and make a double batch next time!
Carol @ Lake Tapps says
As far as making my own refried beans in the crockpot – YES! I saw your recipe last year and then was addicted to making them…they taste so good and are so stinkin’ easy to make. When they are done cooking, I use an immersion blender to make them nice and creamy. My fav quick lunch is to warm some of the refried beans, pour them over a bowl w/ tortilla chips, top with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream and salsa. Presto, Yummo!
Mel says
I didn’t know you could freeze beans. I’m pretty excited about this, cause I love beans & they’re so cheap & easy to make in the crockpot. Do you ever freeze them whole?
Mavis Butterfield says
I have frozen black beans in freezer meals before, but never a jar/bag of them. Hmmm.
Stacey says
I cook all types of beans and then freeze them in 2C increments. Right now in my freezer I have black, kidney, pinto, and black eyed peas (which I guess is technically not a bean).
Wynne says
I’ve frozen whole cooked beans, too–usually 1.5c of chickpeas with some cooking liquid. Like a homemade can of beans but cheaper and better tasting.
mdoe37 says
I do make my own pintos/refried beans, except I can them in a pressure canner. They are seasoned with all sorts of spices and a bit of tomato sauce. I can either use them whole or smash them up. The canner holds 17 pints something…..I can at least a dozen at a time.