Week Two went very well, but Week Three had a couple missteps. Mostly, on-the-go purchases that were avoidable, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. The recipes this week did contain red meat, but minimal amounts purchased at discount prices.
This week’s lessons included brushing up “green” vocabulary and determining my carbon footprint and ways to reduce it. The good news? My carbon footprint is less than half the size of the average footprint in the United States. The bad news? While my footprint is less than most in industrialized nations, it is more than twice the worldwide average. The ugly news? The worldwide average footprint is twice the size it needs to be in order to combat global warming.
Here are the food purchases for June 15-21:
Splurges:
Bing Cherries ($12.37): Couldn’t help myself. Enough said.
Greek-Style Hummus ($3.29): This is the first hummus purchase of the month, which is a bit hard to believe, because I love hummus. The brand I normally buy wasn’t available, so I decided to splurge on the “fancy” brand. This was not a good deal, however, and I did not like the taste. Which brings me to…
Plain Hummus ($2.99): A much better deal, considering it was a larger portion than the above mentioned Greek-style disaster. I went back to the store a few days later and returned to my old favorite. It’s plain, it’s cheap, and it tastes great!
Dark chocolate squares ($2.50):This was on sale 2 for $5. I only purchased one bag, and they are delicious. These will last me quite a while, especially since I cannot remember when I bought the bag I just finished.
Sweet Basil Marinara Sauce ($2.25): While this is not an outrageous indulgence, the store brand was $1 a jar, but this sauce tastes incredible. Sometimes the generic brand does not taste the same and you need to fork over the extra dollar for a quality product.
Above: Cherries, my biggest vice, was almost half of my grocery bill.
Saves:
Eggplant ($0.98): What a deal!
Egg noodles ($1.44): A large bag, on sale from $1.60, which will make several meals. An essential for stir-fry and a great substitute for rice. I try to purchase a bag whenever they are on sale, because these are such a multi-purpose pantry staple.
Microwave popcorn ($1.67):On sale 3 for $5, I only bought one box. Popcorn is a great, healthy snack with lots of fiber. Look for low-fat, low-sodium popcorn and sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese for flavor, or buy salty-sweet kettle corn.
Yogurt ($2.00): A large 32 oz container, which will last me about 2 weeks, marked down from the $2.69 regular price. Like a gallon of milk, this seems like a lot for one person, but it lasts long enough for me to get my money’s worth.
Italian sausage ($2.19): This was a steal for 5 sausage, on sale from $3.49 and I can spread them over 2 meals, which makes it about a dollar a dinner.
Other items:
Bananas ($1.25)
Animal crackers ($1.25)
Black grapes (back on sale, $1.67)
Mushrooms ($2.00)
Canned hash (a moment of weakness, on sale for $2.00)
Total grocery bill: $29.94
On one hand, my grocery bill was awesome this week (my non-coupon savings were $10.87). On the other hand, my on-the-go purchases were a little out of control. Honestly, I am not quite sure why. Maybe it was a consequence of trying to go cold turkey. Maybe it was because James had been paying for everything on-the-go and it was my turn. Maybe I was just a little lazy this week. At any rate, I cringed when I saw the final total.
On-the-Go Food Purchases: $42.55
Rogue River Tavern ($19.65): An appetizer and drinks for James and myself, along with a generous tip for the waitress. This would have been fine, but it started a dangerous trend.
Misc ($22.90):A combination of iced tea, snacks, and an ill-advised iced mocha throughout the course of the week. To be fair, this might not even be a complete total because I have a tendency not to ask for receipts.
I’m sure that most folks spend far more on food during the course of the week, but I was a little shocked to see the final number (image the wine I could buy for $40!). So, for a little perspective, here are the running totals:
Three week grocery total: $126.82
Three week on-the-go total: $52.54
Three week food total: $179.36
My average is $8.54 a day, which is lower than my goal of $10 a day.
Above: Steamed broccoli is a quick and easy side dish for a minimal cost.
Food Waste: Minimal
This week’s food waste was mostly scraps of leftovers that were past prime. I did not toss the hummus yet, hoping that James will like it. After last week’s spoiled produce, I paid better attention to what was in the refrigerator and how long it would last.
For next week: Fewer on-the-go purchases, which will be difficult because I am out-of-town for a bulk of the work week. It does mean my grocery bill will be minimal, but also means I am on my own for dinner.
