2016 Groceries Week 5 - $396.53

It didn't take long to bounce back from the Pantry Challenge. Yowza it was a big week.  I'll likely have to have an unofficial pantry semi-challenge in February to cover all this spending.

First up was a trip to Champion Grocery Outlet in Issaquah.  I was out of oatmeal (thanks to the pantry challenge) and was 90% sure they'd have more.  They did! a 25 pound bag was just $14.25.  i also got organic salsa, ketchup, peanut butter coconut oil, garbanzo beans and baby food.  I bought conventional crackers, GF pasta, "OO" flour for pizza dough, and a GF pizza dough mix.  I spent $66.10.

Then I went to Costco.  The veggie straws were on a sale ending that day so I maxed out the deal.  I also bought organic mac'n'cheese, rice crackers, artichoke hearts, organic tortilla chips, guacamole and organic hummus. I spent $72.29.

I stopped into Fred Meyer for milk and found a bunch of clearance deals on summer sausage, chicken breast, cereal, spaghetti sauce, enchilada sauce, refried beans, and corn.  There was also the Simple Truth nitrate free sausage still on sale for $1.99 so I bought 6 packages. We use 1-2 packages each week so it's about a month's supply. I spent $44.42

I went to QFC for rice cereal since I forgot it at Fred Meyer.  I found a bunch of clearance deals here, too, including enchilada sauce, cereal, refried beans, sour cream, gf muffins, black beans and a bunch of bratwurst for $0.99 each in 20 oz packages.  In retrospect I should have skipped the bratwurst.  I have lots of sausage right now and these aren't particularly "clean" as far as food goes.   I was lured by the low price and justified it because the ingredient list didn't say anything about nitrates.  I also bought a 3 pound bag of organic potatoes for a whopping $4.99.  These are much cheaper at Fred Meyer and I will not buy buying them a QFC again.  I spent $27.40.

Next was another trip to Costco for produce.  I had promised some girlfriends healthy snacks for an overnight get-together.  I bought the bell peppers and carrots I intended, but bought gf pizza, lettuce, tortilla, organic peas, organic green beans, and eggs.  The best deal I found though, was for organic boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Normally this is $5.99/lb at Costco but they had a deal for $8 off per package.  The packages are usually 3.5 to 5 pounds.  We searched for the smallest packages we could find to maximize the $8 off.  I figured I could spent about $100 to stock up on this deal so we bought 7 packages for a total of 25.14 pounds and about $95.  It worked out to $3.78 per pound.  Altogether I spent $147.70.

Next was QFC for last minute cucumbers.  I had a short list that I stuck to except for the bacon I found on clearance for $1.99/lb.  This all cost $30.39.  I skipped the $6.00 golden raisins and popped into TJs next door to check their price.

Sure enough, Trader Joes had the golden raisins for only $2.79.  I also grabbed zucchini and a few oranges.  I spent $8.23 to end a ridiculous week of grocery spending.

Week 5 Total: $396.53  Huge Ouch.  And this will skew my weekly averages, too. Yikes.  
YTD 2016 Total: $462.46
Weekly Average: $92.49

Katie