August Grocery Shopping

I've been gone for a couple of days -- who's made something yummy while I've been away? At my house, we've been preparing for school, which starts this coming week. One of my kids is in uniforms this year, and the other isn't, meaning I had double shopping to do. Folks claim that uniforms help cut clothing cost, but I strongly disagree. I don't know about you, but I never see uniforms on clearance racks! I was able to get shirts for $2.99 and shorts for $4.99 at Justice for my little one, but my oldest, who's in uniforms, cost me $13 each piece. No savings there. And don't get me started on finding the right items! Try finding forest green polo shirts. It's harder than it seems. And plain belts with no decoration! Almost impossible! But we did it -- we're all done. Everyone has everything they need for back to school.

I also did some grocery shopping for August. As usual, here's my list and what I spent.

Store 1:

• Soft drinks for sleepovers
• Hello Kitty snacks for lunches
• Rice Candy just because it looked interesting
• chocolate chips
• 3 # black beans
• French dressing
• potato chips for sleepover
• salsa
• mini chocolate chips
• tiny ring-shaped pasta
• penne pasta
• 3 boxes of organic cereal on clearance
• grape juice
• 4 jars of tomato sauce
• egg noodles
• orzo
• tomato paste
• pink beans
• pinto beans
• cashews
• 2 cans of tuna
• granola bars
• energy drinks
• brown rice
• pistachios
• crackers
• spaghetti
• orange juice
• eggs
• soy milk
• tortillas
• cheddar (3#)
• mozzarella (1#)
• Parmesan
• Gouda laughing cow
• original laughing cow
• 3# butter
• sour cream
• slider buns
• wheat bread
• ground beef
• sirloin (3#)
• 4 sweet potatoes
• butter lettuce
• iceburg lettuce

Total spent = $147.74 (including tax)

Store 2:

• whipping cream
• 1/2 & 1/2
• chocolate soy milk
• dish soap
• safflower oil
• pure maple syrup
• agave nectar
• honey
• dishwasher detergent
• yeast
• eggs
• Swiffer liquid
• 2 cucumbers
• cauliflower
• almond milk
• parchment paper
• almond bark
• American cheese
• bacon
• Canadian bacon
• stewed tomatoes
• confectioner's sugar
• brown sugar
• broccoli
• trash bags
• cornmeal
• toothpicks
• sugar
• rolled oats
• 4# Vidalia onions
• 10# all purpose flour
• instant pudding (chocolate and vanilla, for recipes)
• evaporated milk
• cooking wine
• balsamic vinegar
• beef stock
• vegetable broth
• Nutella
• 3# apples
• 5# waxy potatoes
• portobello mushrooms
• white mushrooms
• carrots
• celery
• bananas
• hamburger buns
• English muffins
• car air freshener
• pint of blueberries
• mini sweet peppers
• cabbage
• lemons
• toilet paper

Total spent = $166.22 including tax

total for August so far = $313.96

I won't need much mid-month. I'll need a few fruits and veggies, and some eggs, and some non-dairy milk. That's it. Not too bad. It makes me feel better about all those school supplies I spent too much money on. I'm a sucker for high-quality school supplies. It has to be Crayola for crayons, and Mead Five Star for folders and notebooks, and Pink Pearl erasers, and Dixon or Ticonderoga for pencils. I lean toward the more expensive supplies, because it makes my kids' lives easier and the supplies last longer. But it sure isn't cheap.

Look for some school lunch menus this week, along with some tasty treats. :) See you tomorrow for breakfast!