Inflating Grocery Prices

Have you noticed grocery prices are up? I'm sure you have, but in particular I am noticing that lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers are really expensive! Those are our salad staples and we usually have salad about 5 nights a week.

I did a little research, and it's just like the signs in the produce department say: that freeze in Mexico last month damaged so many crops that the supply is drastically reduced. Thus prices are up. In addition, I read on the Amazon fresh blog that much of the fruit we're getting now was picked back as the freeze was starting - a sort of salvage effort on the farmers' part - so anything we buy is already old and will go bad much more quickly. The good news is that produce prices are expected to be lower by the end of the month when crops in the U.S. start harvesting.

It's not just produce. I have found it harder and harder to find eggs for $1 a dozen and butter for less than $1.67. I'm happy to pay up to $2 for 18 eggs now and $2 for a pound of butter is a great buy. What else do you notice is getting more expensive?

I saw that eggs were up 74% in this WSJ article! I hope this is not a trend, but am starting to realize how blessed we are in the United States to have such inexpensive food available. In the documentary King Corn it is reported that Americans spent less than 10% of our disposable income on food. This isn't entirely good news because the cheapest foods are the worst for you, but even healthy food, grown locally, is still available at a significantly lower cost (% of income) than most of the world enjoys. Maybe it's one the reasons America is the "land of opportunity."

Maybe next time you're cringing at the cost of produce, you can remember that we have it pretty good and thank God there is even food on the shelves!

Katie

Eve's Monday Menu Plan

We are starting a new 'chore' system at our house. Each week one of the older girls is the kitchen helper and the other older girl is the laundry & pick-up helper. This week Eve is the kitchen helper so she helped me plan all our meals. I felt like I was teaching her valuable skills as we talked about what needed to be used up in the fridge, what big thing should we should try to use from the freezer, and which of the dinners we chose would be best to travel with (to eat at Daddy's office). It's not just about what tastes good folks!

We made this list before I did all my grocery shopping yesterday and all the ingredients were available.

Dinners:
Sunday - dinner out
Monday - Sausage soup (to use up old celery, extra carrots, frozen broth & sausage)
Tuesday - Teriyaki chicken (to use 6 months expired (!) teriyaki sauce)
Wednesday - dinner at church
Thursday - Sour cream chicken - Eve's special request
Friday - Ham (to use up something big in the freezer)
Saturday - Turkey pot pie (easy, from freezer, mom won't be home at dinnertime)

Lunches:
Sunday - french chicken/rice (freezer meal swap)
Monday - nachos
Tuesday - pb&j for packed lunch at church (new strawberry freezer jam at Eve's request)
Wednesday - quesadillas (jack cheese at Eve's request)
Thursday - bagels & cream cheese
Friday - Finger food lunch (at Eve's request) - apple slices, cheese, crackers, frozen yogurt tubes
Saturday - ham sandwiches (with leftover ham)

Katie

Today's shopping $42.10 for the week

I shopped for the whole week today and really like that it's all done! I might try to do this Sunday shopping thing again - we'll see. I spent about 40 minutes with Eve, showing her the grocery ads, checking to see if I had additional coupons, et c. and compiling my list. I decided to visit three stores, all close to home, and I was away from home about 2.5 hours. All told, I don't think 3.5 hours-ish is too bad for menu planning, making a list, and going to three stores with a kid in tow.

Here's what I got for $42.10 (child not included):


At Fred Meyer:
2 Farmhouse Rice mix - $.79 each - QFC has Rice-a-Roni for $.75 but I don't mind a few extra cents for the more natural ingredient list.
2-18 eggs - $1.50 each
Sour Cream - $1.50 ($.40 MC) = $1.10
8-8 oz. shredded Tillamook - $1.00 each - For a sale like this I try to buy varieties that aren't often on sale so make the most of this price.
bananas - $.64/lb
syrup - 2.39 regular price
1# strawberries - $1.50
formula - $5.59 ($5.00 coupon) = $.59

At Safeway:
3 Kraft dressing - $.99 each
2 tortillas - $.99 each
2 cottage cheese - $1.50 sale price (50% clearance) = $.75 each
yogurt drinks $1.77 ($1.00 MC) = $.77 for six pack
dino-nuggets - $8.99

At QFC:
Buy 10/Save $5 Sale
4 Ronzoni pasta - $.99 after Buy 10 (2 - $1/2 MC) = $.49 each
5 Annie's Shells & Cheese = $.49 after Buy 10
(also got laundry soap as 10th item)
Dannon yogurt 6 pack - $1.29 clearance
3 Kiwi - 3/$1
Fruity Pebbles - $3.69 (FREE store coupon) = FREE

The good news: I had a gift card to cover $11.34 of these groceries. I also found a coupon for a free bag of Hershey Bliss candies in the coupon exchange basket at Fred Meyer. Yum!

The bad news: I walked away from the register at QFC without my change of $11.00. The cashier and I were discussing what I thought was a penny but was actually a coin from Cypress and I got distracted. I figured it out by the time I got home and called immediately (about 15 minutes after my transaction). They had my shopper card which I also left behind, but not my $11. They are supposed to call if the till is off tonight, but I'm not holding my breath. The cashier could have just pocketed it, then his till wouldn't be off! Rats!

p.s. we have 3 apples, 2 oranges, and canned peaches, pears and applesauce to supplement what you see in the photo. For veggies we're just eating frozen because lettuce, tomato, and cucumber are beyond the budget right now.

Katie

First Time Gardening?

Are you considering a garden this year? I say go for it! It costs very little to give it a try and you could save plenty by growing some of your produce yourself.

Some other thoughts:

• With our short growing season some plants will have to be purchased already started, but many grow quickly and can start as seeds sometime near the start of May. I've had good experience with green beans, snap peas, and lettuce from seeds. They grow so fast I can get two or three 'crops' of these.
• Pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, tomato, and strawberries I buy plants for. Corn should also be well on it's way by May 1, but I didn't have a lot of luck with corn.
• I've also tried eggplant, bell peppers, and canteloupe but I just don't think it's hot enough for those to do well.
• If you don't have a yard you can try growing a few things in a pot placed in a sunny spot. I'd recommend snap peas, lettuce, and/or cherry tomatoes each in it's own pot.

Anyway - there is a great article this week in USA Weekend about getting started gardening. It's called 'Garden of Eating' and worth the quick read.

Katie

Albertsons Deals from last weekend

OK - here are my Albertsons deals from last Sunday's double coupons. I didn't get anything super spectacular, but I got the remaining ingredients for my next freezer meal swap so I'm happy about that!

Double Coupon Deals:
Danonino Kids' yogurt - $2.59 regular price ($1.00 MC doubled)= $.59
Colgate ProClinical toothpast - $1.99 clearance ($.75 MC doubled)= $.49
Colgate Total toothepaste - $1.59 clearance ($1.00 MC doubled) = FREE + $.41 Overage
Cover Girl Mascara - $3.99 clearance ($1.00 MC doubled) = $1.99
McCormick Parsley - $2.29 ($1.00 MC doubled) = $.29

Other purchases:
Vegetable Oil- $3.99
Apricot Pineapple Preserves - $3.59 each sale (for meal swap)
Onion Soup Mix - $1.00 each 2-pack on sale (for meal swap)
Tea bags - $1.25 on clearance
Franks hot sauce - FREE with 'try it free' MC
Coffee Creamer - $1.00 clearance
bananas - $.69/lb
oranges - $.68/lb

I bought something else with my 6th double coupon but I have zero recollection of what it was and the receipt for that shopping trip is MIA. Mommy brain strikes again!

Katie

Do-It-Yourself Superhero Cape

I just saw a great idea for a 'do-it-yourself' superhero cape.

Using an old dress shirt (either from Dad's closet or a thrift store), cut off the front panels and the sleeves. If you leave the top button, collar, and back panel intact you're left with a kiddo sized cape complete with a closure button.

You could have a lot of fun with it if you found a silk or satin shirt or a longer cape from a "tall" sized shirt.

Katie

Alberston's Joy!

Today's Sunday paper has an Albertson's insert with double coupons. I was very pleased to find that my paper had TWO inserts while we were eating lunch today. Woo-hoo!

Hopefully I'll be able to post about the bargains I find - time has been short lately as I'm really making an effort to keep the house tidier (this takes much more time than I thought!).

Katie

Last Week's Shopping

Sorry I've been MIA! I was at my folks' for a week, then my aunt's for a couple of days, then had company here at home for a couple of more days. Phew!

My grocery shopping last week was out of town so I didn't buy a whole lot (thanks for feeding us Mom!). I spent $12.94 on:

Costco Romaine $2.99 (six hearts)
Costco Bananas $1.47
Sour Cream $1.45
Organic Squeezable yogurt $3.79 (50% off Clearance) = $1.89
Milk $2.29
Bananas $1.12
Similac liquid $5.99 ($5 coupon) = $.99
Similac liquid $5.49 ($5 coupon) = $.49
Ken's dressing $2.00 ($1.00 MC)($.50 double coupon) = $.49
BEST DEAL: 42 oz cannister of Quaker Oatmeal $2.50 on sale (50% off clearance for damaged lid) ($1.00 MC) ($.50 double coupon) = FREE + $.26 overage!

Lessons this week: Take advantage of Safeway double coupons when in Oregon! Whoo! and Don't leave bananas in the car when it's freezing out - they will freeze.

Katie