Spike in Spending--Eileen, Don't Read This

My friend Eileen is a lovely younger mother of three, a writer who works in Philly--we met a while ago at Good Housekeeping.

Eileen has posted here; she avoids Whole Foods at all costs. She says the salmon is really good, so she goes for that, but will not take a basket or cart--just in and out for the salmon.

I also thought of Liz, who comments here, and said--Why list groceries, as they are a necessity, not a splurge? I explained that I have a tendency to splurge even when grocery shopping, so I keep track here. [Please note, I did NOT buy a $25 Dr. Hauschka lipstick at Whole Foods today. Progress.]

I was thinking of Eileen when I filled my cart. With Rachael, my fabulous friend and health coach, I had planned five healthy meals for the week, a couple of them with vegan/vegetarian options for Dan and Figgy. I had made a careful list. I chose more affordable 365 brand whenever possible. I did get some organic vegs and fruits, and some that were not organic. Rachael is about eating best quality, and not too much.

I spent a lot. But I am hoping this will mean fewer trips to the store. I might do this once a month and see how far it takes me.

Because the bill was so high--$298.72 for 65 items--I want to list some of them. I got everything from rainbow carrots to celery, eggs to part-skim mozzarella, almond milk to coffee beans, broccoli crowns to a head of organic cauliflower. Snow-white cauli, snow-white natural kitchen sponges, a fat organic orange pepper. Even a bunch of fresh beets, because I'm going to make those beet brownies again. A lot of the items should last for a while--parchment paper, vanilla, EVOO, Parmigiano-Reggiano wedge.

1. One gallon 365 brand organic whole milk, $5.99.
2. Large [3 pound] bag frozen Wyman's wild small blueberries from Maine, $11.99. 
3. Six oz organic fresh raspberries, $5.99.
4. Fresh haricots verts, $5.99.
5. Four oz bottle pure vanilla extract [price has skyrocketed], $19.99.
6. Local [Pennsylvania dairy] Trickling Springs organic heavy cream in glass pint bottle, $6.99 plus $2 deposit on returnable bottle. Or use cute retro milk bottle as vase.
7. One lb. smoked salmon/lox, $19.99.
8. Gorgeous .41 lb. raw milk Parmigiano-Reggiano, all craggy and just waiting to be grated over spaghetti squash strands topped with turkey Bolognese, $8.61.
9. Mrs. Meyer's dishwasher packets, $9.99.
10. Callebaut bittersweet chocolate, thinking ahead to chocolate-dipped strawberries I will bring to women's group Monday [we take turns bringing snack], .56 lb, $5.59.
11. Three lbs. lean ground turkey breast, $6.99 per lb., $21.
12. Large 365 brand extra-virgin olive oil, $9.99.
13. Two lbs. organic Honeycrisp apples [I plan to bake a couple and drizzle with #6], $8.10.
14. One lb. fresh stuffed grape leaves for Fig and Dan, $5.94.
15. Four large cans San Marzano tomatoes, two diced & two crushed, $15.96.
16. Two shiny half-pound boxes of wrapped Kerrygold Irish butter sticks, $6.58.

The big 15 above add up to $170.69, to put things in context. I wanted to get the Toby’s Estate Ghost Town--delicious decaf beans--but $15 or $16, so gave that back to cashier.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• La Maison du Chocolat, I bit for the free shipping email for International Women's Day--big dark baking bar [see beet brownie reference, above], $18.

  

  It's a large bar, .55 lb.

• Montclair parking meter, 50 cents.
• Garden State Parkway tolls, driving back and forth to Hackensack and later, to Montvale, about $5.
• Gasoline, $20.
• Smashburger, turkey burger, $2 extra for GF bun, unsweetened iced tea, $13.63.
• Pink Bungalow gift shop, pack of 6 supercute folders for Punch [school], me and Fig to share, $14.93.
• Whole Foods for family of four, $298.72.
• Wegmans cafe, in between visit and sleepover for Punch, dinner for both of us and some treats for her to bring to sleepover, $34.50.
• Wegmans, bottle of Green Machine Naked Juice, $3.19.

DAILY TOTAL: $408.47.

RUNNING TOTAL FOR MONTH OF MARCH AS OF MARCH 8: $1195.30.
SO FAR, THAT'S AN AVERAGE DAILY SPEND OF: $149.35.
THE HAIRCUT AND Whole Foods DROVE IT UP.

SOBERING MONEY THOUGHT: I WANT TO EAT HEALTHFULLY AND LIVE LONGER AND I WANT THE SAME FOR MY FAMILY. I HOPE I COOK ALL OF THESE HEALTHY GROCERIES AND DON'T LET THEM GO TO WASTE!