One of the things I love about documenting how much we spend on groceries each month, is that some months I’m over and some months I’m way under but in the end, it’s really about keeping myself accountable.
I find what people spend on groceries fascinating. Some people spend most of their food dollars on convenience foods, others just stick to just the basics and some of us fit nicely in between.
The key to spending less money on groceries though, besides not eating a lot of junk of course, is to stock up when you can. If you see a good deal on something… buy as much as you can afford or what you think your family will eat in a reasonable amount for time.
Hide the good stuff if you have to to make it last longer, prep some freezer meals and tuck them away for those nights you know you won’t feel like cooking so you won’t be tempted to grab take-out.
Just have some sort of plan… And stick to it! 🙂
Market Basket $86.10
The HH was headed down south last week for an appointment so I quickly checked the Market Basket ad online and jotted down a few things for him to pick up.
Boneless, skinless chicken breast for $1.99 a pound, broccoli for $1.49 a pound and peppers for $2.29 a pound were the sale items I spotted, and everything else I had him grab were just basic things we needed.
Other deals he found while he was in the store were; Market Basket eggs $3.49 a dozen {Hannaford has them for $4.89 a dozen right now!} Cheddar Cheese $3.89 a pound, a 5 pound bag of carrots $3.49 and Almond Milk $2.50.
When he got back home after shopping HE WOULD NOT stop talking about how much more enjoyable shopping at Market Basket was than having to buy groceries at Hannaford {which is much closer to us}. And also how much better the selection and prices are as well.
I quickly reminded him that a new Market Basket is being built in Topsham and once it opens… we’ll be making the trip to the Market Basket there for our groceries.
Competition is a GOOD THING. Especially when it comes to grocery stores.
Scammaford $4.45
Avocados were on sale for $0.89 each so we loaded up.
80/20 ground beef was also on sale for $1.99 a pound {but they didn’t have any out. This has been a common occurrence at Hannaford for us. Most of the time we have to find someone in the meat department and ask them for the sale item as it’s often that only the higher priced items are well stocked out front.}
My husband saw the pictures of the chicken pot pie casserole I made on Fair Isle and wanted one for dinner so I whipped one up with the leftover roasted chicken I had made last Sunday.
That, along with some homemade chicken soup fed us until the AGA arrived.
In case you aren’t familiar with the AGA oven; the control panel {we have the all electric eR7} is on the upper left. The roasting oven is on the upper right, baking oven lower left and the simmering oven in on the lower right.
As soon as the delivery guys were gone, I popped in a pot roast for our first meal {Mrs. C’s Pot Roast to be exact}.
We had originally put the pot roast in the simmering oven {max temp 248 F} but after an hour we realized that if we kept it in there we wouldn’t be eating until 7 or 8 pm so we moved it over to the baking oven {at 356 degrees} and had dinner on the table by 4.
Next time I make a pot roast I’ll start it earlier in the day.
The pot roast turned out FANTASTIC!
It was so juicy and tender. I had a big smile on my face the whole time we were eating!
The next day I roasted some of the parsnips I harvested from the garden back in November along with some carrots and potatoes.
I put those in with some of the leftover pot roast and made a little gravy with the extra juices for individual beef pies. And topped the pies with some creamy mashed potatoes and popped the dishes in the simmering oven until we were ready for linner.
It was another winner!
There was still a bit of pot roast leftover so the next day I made pot roast stew. I started it on the simmering plate {the right side hob on the top of the AGA} and placed it in the simmering oven to finish it off.
While the stew was cooking I baked a batch of cookies {350F} in the baking oven. Just look at those crispy edges!!!
And a loaf of my Dutch oven cinnamon bread in the roasting oven {446F}. Three different foods at three different temperatures cooking all at the same time. HOW COOL IS THAT!? 🙂
Needless to say, I am pretty smitten with the AGA. I absolutely love it and I can’t wait to bake more homemade goodness in it this week.
As for my grocery budget, I may be a little over my target amount right now, but I have a feeling I won’t be leaving the house anytime soon to buy anything because I’ll be too busy baking up all my favorite recipes in my new oven.
I’m so glad it’s finally here!
~Mavis
P.S. How did YOU do at the grocery store this past week? Did you find any deals? Have egg prices come down in your area yet? Cindy mentioned that they were still high at $5.49 a dozen in Colorado last week.
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries $90.55
- Total Spent on Groceries in February $90.55
- Total Spent on Groceries in January $167.33 {this includes buying groceries on Fair Isle}
- Total Spent on Groceries in 2023 $257.88
Lana says
Eggs are down to $3.25 here. At Publix we paid $3.89 after sales, coupons and Ibotta for 2 Mission tortilla chips, a cake mix, a yogurt smoothie, a tub of cheese dip, a tiny pack of cookies, 2 Pringles and 2 boxes of Lipton soup. That is fun shopping!
Holley says
You got some amazing prices on all of your groceries!!! That’s almost a miracle in this day and age!
It seems as though you are enjoying that AGA just a little bit!!! LOL I’m so happy for you! It is an amazing cooker!
Amy says
Here on the frozen tundra of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (shore of Lake Superior) eggs are $4.92 for free range organic happy chicken eggs , and $2.86 for the sad chicken eggs.
Margo says
The AGA looks interesting. Have fun with it. Wish I could say egg prices were down. I was able to find a dozen for $5.49 this week, but I’ve seen them from $6.99 to 7.99 commonly. The 18 count was $10.99! Absolutely insane!
Lynn says
When you stock up on avocados, how do you store them and how quickly do you use them? I love avocados but they frustrate me – either they are too hard & take forever to soften or they’re too soft & go bad quickly. What am I doing wrong? And, by the way, love your stove. Perfect for someone who loves to cook!
Amy says
I ripen mine, then stick them in the veggie crisper – I’ve found they last for at least 3-4 more days that way. I also cut some up and freeze them for smoothies.
RobininSoCal says
I buy avocados year round. I stocked up this week as they are .40 each at Aldi. They freeze beautifully. I peel, slice in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and pop into freezer bags. When needed I can pull out as much as I need (1/2 to top a burger). Also they thaw within minutes.
christina says
Let them almost ripen( just press slightly and if they give, that’s about right) then put them in fridge. I get mine from Costco usually 5 to a pack and they will last weeks in the fridge that way.
Peg says
Maybe you already are, but could you please write a post about the subtleties of using an Aga? Being able to bake at different temps at the same time is pretty incredible in my opinion.
Rosemary Calhoun says
A few days ago, I bought 2 dozen organic eggs for $7.59 at Costco (northern Florida). My exciting news for today is that my chickens finally laid their first egg! We have 6 chickens that are now at the age where they will start laying. So far, only one has done it. Hopefully the others will follow suit!
My grocery bill has gone down considerably since my granddaughter moved to her brother’s house last month. She lived with us for almost 2 years but decided that she wanted to live with her older brother and his wife. I imagine their food bill will increase . . . feeding a teenager is not cheap. (I did send a bunch of her favorite foods with her to help get them started.)
I do plan on starting a garden soon, so that should help us cut more off the food bill. I feel like I go on a “hunt” every time I go grocery shopping. I hunt to find the items and then hunt for the best price. I think I should get an award when I am able to get everything on my list!
Heidi N. says
Congrats on your chickens’ first egg!
KC says
Walmart eggs for $3.26 in Oklahoma; finally bought a dozen. (last time we bought eggs was October)
Susan H. says
We bought eggs for 3.49 here in northern Ohio. Have you noticed the ‘large’ eggs are the size as ‘medium’ eggs were a year or two ago? We bought medium eggs recently. Honestly they were the same size as ‘small’ eggs a few years ago.
Kristina says
Then that egg producer is breaking the law with their grade labels. USDA regulates weight/dozen, meaning that the size isn’t graded, the weight is, though I imagine a higher weight usually results in a bigger egg.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Shell_Egg_Standard%5B1%5D.pdf
Karen says
Is it time to tap your trees again?? Good Luck!
Mavis Butterfield says
We still have some maple syrup left from last year so we won’t be tapping this year. 🙂
Jennifer G says
Was able to get 6 dozen brown eggs for $1.50 per dozen from local Amish. They will raise to $2 per dozen due to feed costs. This is in rural NE MO. Will a sheet cake pan fit in the AGA?
Patti says
Can’t wait to hear more about your amazing AGA! We have been eating from the pantry and freezer since Christmas so our grocery bills have been mainly for milk and staples. I did plan to buy some Duke’s mayonnaise this week because it is on sale for $3.69 for the large size (regularly in the $4-5 range) but when I got to the store, it was all gone. Still gone when we checked again today. Guess we’ll go mayonnaise free for awhile. One thing I did try was Bob’s Red Mill egg replacement in some corn bread this past week and no one noticed. It is priced at $3.69/bag and that is the equivalent of 34 eggs. That helps with the egg costs.
Heidi N. says
Love to see you finally using your AGA! Eggs went down here in Southern Colorado, finally! $4.99 for a dozen at King’s (Kroger) this week. They were $5.99 two weeks ago when we shopped last.
CHRISTY ROSE says
Lucky me, I don’t live too far from San Francisco and have an avocado tree in my yard that bears fruit year round! They are delicious.
tc says
I have my own chickens and I sell about 6 dozen a week have just had to put the price up from $5 to $6 a dozen for Pastured eggs. The organic lay pellets, shavings and straw have gone up astronomically here in CA and if you are not buying egg boxes in huge amounts they cost at minimum 35c each more likely .58c each. Then when you add in your time feeding and taking care of the hens, collecting eggs, repairing fences and other things you really don’t make a profit. I do it because I love to have fresh eggs from happy hens, my customer loves that they are super fresh and from pastured hens. In fact I may have to start selling my used egg cartons on Amazon or ebay as I have a lot of them because people give me them to recycle which is why it has taken me so long to put my prices up.
Deborah says
It all makes sense to me. $6 for a dozen eggs is .50 an egg. I think that’s still cheap protein.
Nancy says
Just started following your site, I like it very much, especially this post.
Eggs here in central PA were just advertised at $3.49 for extra-large at our local farm market run by a Mennonite chain. I suggest shopping at local farmers markets, if there are any open now.
Nancy D says
Not sure if anybody mentioned it but you can mash avocados with a fork and put them in a quart ziplock flat without anything added. They thaw great and stay green and make awesome toast or sandwich spread or ready for guacamole! I do this when they are on sale!
Diane says
The oven compartments looks so small to me. Would you be able to fit a large roasting turkey in there? A large lasagna pan? Sheet pan?
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes to the turkey and lasagna, no to a full sheet pan.
NeeNee says
Love the new oven!! Question can you cook a whole turkey in one of those ovens?? The food looks wonderful
Joanna says
Hello Mavis! Here in south east Michigan …. 7.99 for a dozen of egg land eggs. Congrats on your new stove. Why did you go with electric?