I stood in my kitchen on Saturday morning after my houseguest left and saw the cupboards and fridge were bare. Our staples: fish, rice, apples, cabbage, kale (or some sort of leafy green veg), spinach, beets, carrots, lentils, bananas, peanut butter, tahini, crackers, almonds, eggs, frozen peas and cheese were going, going, gone. And while it will take a few weeks to replace all, I decided, no matter how much I wish we didn’t need to, we needed to do a big shop! I’ve decided I’m going to write more about frugal living in Canada (or, my own definition of frugal, which for the most part includes many fairtrade and ethical products!). I hope sharing my spending brings more accountability, and helps me keep my eyes on the prize!
Grocery Shop – July 21
Cat food $2.76 (wet, we still have a couple of weeks of dry left)
Beets $1.99
Parsnips $2.49
Avocadoes $3.00 (2 organic)
Carrots $1.99 (organic – on sale)
Baby kale salad $3.49 (organic)
Brussel Sprouts $2.04
Pineapple $4.50 (fairtrade)
Cheese $4.99 (on-sale – normally $7.99)
Cheese $4.99 (on-sale – ditto above!)
Apples $4.50 (organic)
Berries $5.00 (organic)
Creme Fresh $4.50
Fish $9.62 (from sustainable fishing practice)
Vinegar (for cleaning and pickles) $3.99
Cucumbers (for making pickles) $4.49
3 Coissants $2.37 (a very rare treat but my children love them!)
Baking supplies $2.50 (organic)
Strawberries $2.99 (organic)
Potatoes $3.18
Feminine Products $2.99 (I prefer to use reusable, but couldn’t squeeze more reusable into the budget this month and these were 1/2 price)
Fairtrade co-op $9.50 (bananas (fairtrade), eggs (free range), almonds (organic), mango (fairtrade)).
Total: $88. 06 = £55.86
All in all an expensive week, but we really were out of almost everything! And all the above food, plus what we already had left (squash, green beans, stock, orange juice, barley, organic flour, fairtrade sugar, fairtrade tea and spices), should at least last us the week!
I was wondering how you got by on such a small food budget, but I can see from your list that produce is much less expensive on your end of the country that mine. Cat food is also a killer for me, with my cat’s special diet, I spend $80-$90 a month on cat food alone! Oh well, cheaper than the vet.
Yes, so much is regional! Having said that, I shop around, purchase what is on sale and this week many were small quantities.
Should also say sorry O has to be on a special diet. I think, in a month my cats (2) cost about: $45 to $50 in food and litter.
You mentioned reusable feminine products . . . have you ever tried the DivaCup (http://divacup.com/)? Though it costs a bit up front, you only need to buy it once. It’s so convenient, inexpensive (over its life), and environmentally friendly! I love it.
Your list of yummy groceries made my mouth water *lol*. When I came back from a week away 10 days ago I had a friend with me for a couple of days and I needed to do a big grocery tour too, I still had lentils and rice and couscous but nothing else…and fresh veggies and fruits are a must at this time of the year.
I’ve got a mooncup (the british one) and am very satisfied with it. It’s greatly reduced the amount of trash each month and I think it paid for itself by now too.
What happened to your lovely white dog? Did you have to give her away?
greetings from Germany!
That’s about what I usually spend each week, although I’m on a high protein diet (140 grams a day!). This weekend I spent way more since I also needed to replenish after guests (and no energy to shop the week before). Also I started on my make ahead crockpot meals this week. My shopping list:
Farmers Market
Onions, radishes, bell peppers, potatoes, 2 eggplants $18
Pork roast, ground pork $30
6 pork chops, organic pastured eggs $50 (and the pork was on sale!)
Bread $3
Ran out of steam before getting to the coop but husband said he spent nearly $100! Ive tallied up the cost of what I asked him to buy and come up with $50. On my list was organic chicken (thighs and breasts) stew meat, canned tomatoes, coconut milk, red bell peppers (weren’t available at the farmers market) and sweet potatoes (wouldn’t you know I had just run out). Never send a hungry husband to the grocery store…but we did end up with yogurt, cheese, milk, salami, granola, and olives.
I also harvested garlic, tomatoes, raspberries and carrots from my garden and still have plenty of greens leftover from my csa. I’ll get more veggies on Wednesday (although paid up front, the csa comes to about $20 a week) and I should get my biweekly box of organic fruits this week ($30) and I still have plenty of beans and grains from my grain csa (sprouting spelt right now!).
I made 8 make ahead meals and have food for the week. Despite the high bill I think my make ahead week cost only about $6.50/meal. The rest goes into my desperate attempt to eat more protein. Meat is *expensive* and I try to buy primarily from the growers or at minimum organic/pastured. I don’t eat any beef so you see a lot of pork on the list, the other meats were just too costly. Sorry if this comment is overkill but thought I’d share so the world would know what an absolutely fabulous shopper you are.