At Whole Foods the other day, I did not waste much money. I still did spend a lot, but these days, groceries seem quite high. We stick mostly to ShopRite for better prices, but I had gotten a writing paycheck and stocked up on (mostly) healthy things, including:
- 1 pack Bell & Evans chicken cutlets (sale*)
- 2 packs ground beef
- 1.5 lb. Alaskan salmon fillet (sale)
- pack of 5 rainbow peppers
- corn tortillas
- everything bagel seasoning
- baby spinach
- pint of heavy cream
- romaine lettuce
- box Annie’s mac and cheese
- Back to Nature woven wheat crackers
- 2 bags excellent organic ground Guatemalan medium roast coffee (Whole Foods brand, one caramel and one mocha). This is good because I have been making my own coffee so much of the time now and spending less on cups of coffee in places other than my home. The cream and organic milk go with this.
- potatoes
- organic blueberries
- 5 nice ripe mangos on sale, for Punchy to eat as is or make smoothies
- bananas
- a “slicer” tomato
- Parmigiano-Reggiano (big-ticket item)
- Immaculate Baking Company biscuits for young one to bake (I realize now that I could have gotten refrigerated biscuits way cheaper at ShopRite)
- pound of butter
- bottle of Thai peanut coconut sauce
- gallon of delicious Whole Foods brand organic whole milk ($6.99. Dan gets nonorganic milk at a much lower price at ShopRite but this is so creamy and good)
- 2 frozen pizzas on sale, one with vegs and one with prosciutto (both pies made in Italy!?)
- orange juice, no pulp, four-pack of small bottles
- box of pasta
- jar of pasta sauce
- Spanish rice
- bag of Bob’s Red Mill organic polenta
- refrigerated anchovies (I sometimes want to put them on pizza)
- Honey Nut Cheerios (I see that I could have paid far less for this at ShopRite)
- A single LA FERMIÈRE French yogurt (pressed lemon), true treat in little blue pottery pot
- Calabro ricotta
- Vermont Creamery mascarpone (on sale)
- Amy’s veg burgers
- Frozen pretzel bites
- 2 Nounos glass jar baby yogurts
THE BIG SPEND ALSO INCLUDED THESE EXTRAS:
- A box of six “clean” burning fire logs ($27.99)
- Mini no sugar added/soy ice cream pops on sale
- 2 mini Junior’s no sugar added Little Fella cheesecakes, one for Dan and one for me (pricey, $4.29 each)
- Can of Bon Ami cleanser
- Method bathroom cleaner spray
- Pacifica makeup wipes for Punch (on sale)
- Tom’s of Maine toothpaste (sale)
- Birthday card for Meggy
WHAT I DID NOT GET:
- A tube of lipstick in the beauty aisle, a pop of pretty color. I toyed with it, looked at a few shades, thought of how they would look good. Considered the names, tempted. Pictured myself wearing the lipstick when I come shopping next time, with a skirt. But the thought occurred to me, “You have a lot of lipsticks at home to use up.” I paused long enough, I guess, to listen and hear. Perhaps next time, as this Mineral Fusion formula is stylish and flattering.
- Fancy Hu dark chocolate bar, low sugar but v expensive per ounce
- Cookies
- Good-looking cakes
- Pricey pure vanilla extract ($22 plus for smallish bottle)
- Sushi
- Prepared fruit salad--had it in my cart but with the mangos and blueberries, knew I could do without.
- The Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day (what a great name) scented soy candle in jar. The Honeysuckle smells so good and I knew it would give me and my family and my house a lift, but about $15? plus tax.
So I think all in all, I did okay. I’m curious if other people make close budgets and lists and resist splurges, trigger items at the supermarket? I always remember my friend young MTM posting on my blog that when she goes to Whole Foods, she doesn’t even get a basket or a cart, just the salmon, which she considers so good. She puts on blinders to get to the seafood counter.
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You bought my absolute favorite ingredient of all time: Vermont Crème Fraîche! Sometimes I crave a creamy goodness, and I’ll eat a couple of spoonfuls with chocolate chips! But more often, I’ll stir a little bit into a chicken dish or a curry, to balance the heat of the spice. I find it keeps well past the sell-by date on the lid. If I don’t see fuzz in the container, I use it!
ReplyDeleteI shop often at Whole Foods. It’s very convenient and I think their vegetables are better quality, and I know their meat is audited for some (still sadly minimal) humane standards. I’ve always prioritized organic and humane for reasons of reduced environmental impact, not because I think they are better for my health. It’s easy to be sucked in to their displays of beautiful and delicious things, but I go there often enough I can get what’s on my list and get out again.
Im trying to be more frugal, so lately I’ve played a little game with myself: I try to go longer between visits, making sure I’ve used up all my perishables and raided the freezer before I go back to the store. Since I have only myself to please, I only buy things I like! But I need to be careful when I do go not to overbuy things that go bad quickly.
— Nan
Hi Nan. Thanks for that thoughtful reply. I think you are the person who inspired me to get Vermont Creamery mascarpone to have with berries. (I am not sure what the difference between crème fraîche and mascarpone but I have used the former for cheesecake, I think.) I think the former is sour cream like and the latter is cream cheese like? Anyone, they are very good, yes. Expensive but feel like a luxury that is not a pint of ice cream, you know? I want to be more frugal also and have been making an attempt. And then there is attempt to have less of an environmental footprint; that’s a biggie. I was looking at the Mrs. Meyer’s plant-based honeysuckle laundry detergent but it was about $25!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hope all is well and have a good day. :)
DeleteDon't have a budget, but I shop Costco and supplement at Shoppers, a discount grocery store, and I am pretty aware of prices, often buy generics. I have subscription with an imperfect food delivery service but selection is hit or miss. Since I eat a 10 oz box of frozen spinach every day, I really hate that it has climbed from .89 to 1.89 in the last 5 years. I wanted to join a meat subscription for cruelty reasons but Peter reminded me we are practicing austerity for retirement. [This does not mean Peter is cruel.] I will bring it up again next year.
ReplyDeleteLiz
Liz, I have to tell my sister! A box of frozen spinach every day! That is right up her alley, as she loves spinach. I did that imperfect food delivery service for a while during the pandemic and liked it, but stopped it to save the money. Thanks and have a good day :) Alice
DeleteI'm not the food shopper in the family, F is. He is very cost-conscious and has the luxury and flexibility of going several places for good buys. He shops Chinatown a lot for fish and produce. Costco maybe quarterly now for paper goods and some excellent Kirkland products (our detergents and shampoos, etc.), and things there that are a good buy--goat cheese and Locatelli cheese, for instance. We also buy nuts and some products at Trader Joe's. There are a "chain" of produce markets in Brooklyn, Mr. Mango, Mr. Kale, etc. (I kid you not). Their produce is VERY cheap, but ready to et quick. We get a lot there. We buy smoked salmon from a fish factory on their Friday retail days (Acme, located in Bklyn). Then he rounds it out with a run-of-the-mill supermarket. It used to be a Key Food in our old nabe. I honestly can't remember the name of the nearest one to us in our new place. We also cook a lot from scratch--dried beans, etc. Very little processed food. Honestly, we avoid Whole Foods. We find it too pricy overall. That all being said, we spend $$ on what we love--expensive bread comes to mind. On occasion, lovely salamis from Italian delis. Sushi grade fish occasionally for poke bowls. That kind of thing. It all balances out, I think.
ReplyDeleteoh also butter in bulk on Costco. That's a biggie. And we buy some meats at Costco and freeze them in smaller portions. We have a chest freezer, which I think is very helpful when you're trying to shop frugally. Also helpful for freezing meal-sizes of big batch soups, etc.
ReplyDeleteKim, these are great tips. Would not expect anything less from my sunny former Woman’s Day colleague who knew even then about the ins and outs of “corn can be tricky.” A chest freezer! Even in the new apartment? That’s cool, no pun intended. Mr. Mango, Mr. Kale? Never heard of that and love it. And I love Acme lox, made in Brooklyn, but yes it is super expensive around these parts of NJ. I like the way F. shops. xox
Deleteand both those comments were me! Kim!
ReplyDeleteWhew. I woke up this morning thinking I should not have reported how much I spent, that I must look like a waster/spendthrift, which I often have been in my life. But I like to think I am changing, more accountable for my spending, and more aware of big-picture family expenses. In the far past, spending this much would have even been astronomical for a one-stop holiday hosting grocery shop (when we were newlyweds and then new parents, in the early to mid 1990s). But now, it is possible to spend $50 in a blink even at ShopRite on nonsexy groceries. I am glad for my supportive reader friends. xoxox
ReplyDeleteYup! A chest freezer! LOL. In our house we kept it in the laundry room. We took it to the apartment and wedged it in our office. Don't be too hard on yourself, Alice. We all have our weak spots when it comes to spending. I did not account here how since I've gone back to work I spend an ATROCIOUS amount of money on lunches and coffees out. I've kinda licked it by bringing in a nice iced coffee from my own very good house coffee (which we spend a lot on, btw), but more times than I should I eat lunch out and it's way expensive.
ReplyDeleteand by licked it, I mean licked the pricey coffee out habit. And even then, 1x every 2 weeks or so I run out of iced coffee at home or I forget and I go trooping into the super bougie coffee place to plop down a cool $5 a pop like a dummy.
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha, I did my "no cart" trick this week! Honestly, our local grocery store is probably almost as expensive as Whole Foods right now. Prices are awful ... though possibly stabilizing? Miss you, Alice!
ReplyDeleteHi Eileen! So good to hear from you. I miss you, too. And yes, grocery prices are out of whack. Love Alice
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