Saturday, November 21, 2009

...and the Big Shopping

Today was stocking up on a lot of things. Didn't score a bunch of deals, but did get the things I like to keep on hand.  Here's the list:

from Meijer -
about 2¾# mixed zucchini & yellow squash off the "last day" rack - 52¢
a quart of half'n'half for $2.33 (they were out of heavy cream)
a 12-pack of diet cola cans $2.58
a buck for a rutabaga
(2) 1# bags of cooked/peeled shrimp @ $4.99 each

from GFS -
52 oz can of dry roasted peanuts for Pete - $5.99
5.5# hard salami (sliced free) for $17.88
5# sliced american cheese - $9.99
16 oz. granulated garlic - $ 4.79
half-gallon jug of olive oil - $14.99
(2) 2½ bags of whole frozen green beans @ $2.99 each
 (NOTE: I can get 1# bags of frozen green beans for 99¢ but not nearly the same quality!)
(1) can alfredo sauce mix $10.49
several big bags of frozen vegetable mixes for $4.99 each
 (These are great for roasting!)
2½ dozen large eggs for $2.49
2# frozen cauliflower for $2.79
3# bag of cauliflower florets (my favorite snack, dipped in ranch!) for $9.99

There is enough olive oil, cheese, and garlic to last for months. We'll probably go through the vegetables by the end of the year, and the eggs, salami, peanuts, pop, and shrimp in less than a month. 

The remainder of this month's budget will be spent on Thanksgiving dinner for Pete and I and my mom. (Casey and Leelan will be spending it with her dad's family.)  And then leftovers which are CHEAP! :)  But our larders are full now, and the only things we'll need besides Thanksgiving food will be cream, fresh produce (if marked down or on sale), and maybe some meat (if marked down or on sale) if I see it for a great price, just to put into the freezer.

Now. Enough blogging about shopping! I want to get back to blogging about EATING! :)

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Friday, November 20, 2009

MIA, and More Shopping!

I've been gone for a week or so, if you've noticed. Well, not gone, just gone from here. After my laptop died, I was backing up everything onto my external HD and setting up my desktop which heretofore had been used only for recording with my electronic keyboard...but after a week of such nonsense, I'm ready to talk about cheap and easy low carb living again - or to talk about ANYTHING else but computers!

I've had several small shopping trips this week also, to fill in here and there where needed. I have of course saved the receipts so that I could report what I bought and what I spent, lest anyone suspect me of cheating in any way :). So that is what this post will be, simply logging in my purchases.

On 11/11 I went to Walmart and got (3) quarts of heavy whipping cream for $3.12 ea., or $9.36 total...(2) lbs of butter for $1.50 ea., or $3.00 total...and (2) cannisters of their SF drink mix (like Crystal Light) for $1.98 ea., or $3.96 total. My bill came to $16.32 but it felt free because we had sorted and returned over $40 in pop cans and bottles that we had accumulated, and that Pete had brought home from the hotel where he works, that guests had left behind.

Also on 11/11 I went to Sav-a-Lot and got a 3.33# pkg of pork steaks for $4.63 (or $1.39/lb), some pizza crust mixes for 49¢ each (more on that in a future post), 5 cans of mushrooms for 59¢ each, 2.5# of turkey lunchmeat for $3.99, 2.5# of roast beef lunch meat for $4.99, and 2 heads of cabbage (nearly 5# for 39¢/lb) for $1.90. Also all "free", paid for by the can and bottle deposit refunds.

On 11/12 I went to Sav-a-Lot again, and came home with (2) 1# frozen corn, a half-gallon of chocolate milk (for hubby although I had a little bit), several pounds of chicken leg quarters ($2 off coupons for each package), a yellow onion, a pound of frozen pollock, some frozen  sausage patties, 2.63 lbs of "produce" and a bottle of worchestershire sauce for 99¢; we were in a different town that day, and went to a different Sav-a-Lot just to see how it differed from our store here in Houghton Lake. I saved the receipt so I could post my purchases here, but it isn't nearly as detailed as our store provides. The total bill was $19.73 but $1.05 of that was dish detergent/tax.

Lastly, on the 18th we went to our local Sav-a-Lot and got a loaf of Sara Lee lowcarb bread ($1.99), a pound of butter ($1.79), 2 boneless chuck roasts @ $2.39/lb (Pete slices them across so they're thin, and we broil them like steaks), 1.61# of pork sausage for $3.20 (a splurge because I wanted my hash!), a bottle of honey mustard for $1.39, 2 packages of hot dogs (Pete loves them) for 79¢ each, a 10# bag of potatoes for $1.49, 4 packages of cole slaw mix for 79¢ each, and 2 yellow onions for $1.75. $27.05 in food.

So for the week of 11/11-11/18, we spent $81.93 on food. Of that, the chocolate milk and the potatoes aren't typical low carb purchases, but the chocolate milk was a treat for Pete, and the potatoes I use for Sunday dinners because Pete, Casey, my mom (who lives in a nearby nursing home but spends Sundays with us) eat them - and occasionally I do as well.

It was a pretty pricey week for us; but of course half of that food wasn't eaten, but rather purchased to have on hand.

Tomorrow will be a big shopping day, as we will be buying food to fill our freezer which is getting low on staples. And of course, that means the food bill will be high - but then it will be much lower in future weeks.

So if you're keeping track, consider yourself up to date on our food purchases :).


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