Having to cut sodium down to the bare minimum in my diet and having decided to incorporate juicing into my way of eating, my grocery shopping looks somewhat different from what it use to.
I made my first trip in May to the grocery store on Thursday. I spent a whopping $113 plus change.
Here is what I got.....(I tried to group the items by category)
Produce
*12 Apples
*1 Jicama
*1 large Ginger Rhizome
*1 bunch Asparagus
*1 bunch Kale
*1 bunch of Parsley
*1 bunch Red Leaf Lettuce
*1 red Bell Pepper
*1 Watermelon
*2 Cantaloupes
*1 box Grape Tomatoes
*5 lb. Carrots
*2 Grapefruit
Meat
*1 package Chicken thighs
*2 packages natural Bacon(low sodium/no nitrites)
*1/3lb. low sodium deli Turkey
Canned & Bottled
*3 cans Crushed Tomatoes
*1 bottle Sesame Oil
*1 bottle Mediterranean blend Spices
Frozen
*2 bags frozen Ravioli
Dairy
*1 container Sour Cream
*1 qt. container Greek Yogurt
*1 cup Yogurt w/almonds(sweet snack)
Beverages
*8 bottles of 100% Juice
*3 2ltrs. Diet Soda(Sucralose sweetened)
*2 pt. size diet Sodas(ditto)
Breads
*3 packages Bakery dinner rolls(small sized rolls)
Now here is the stuff I bought for the family that I can't eat....
Stuff Sluggy can't/won't eat
*3 small frozen Pizzas
*2 packages Lunchmeat
*2 boxes Belvita breakfast cookies
*2 1 ltrs. of Diet Soda(not sucralose sweetened)
*2 x 1lb. blocks of Cheese
(Except for the cheese and diet soda, all of the above was for #2 Son's consumption only.)
Here's about all the types of processed food I bought......
I brought a coupon for only one item(2 boxes of Belvita), but I still bought some items now because they were needed AND they were on sale, even if I had no coupons. If an item wasn't on sale and could wait until next week, it stayed in the store for now.
The Northland brand juice was a great buy. They were the dark fruit varieties that go for $5 a bottle around here so at 50% off, it was a deal I couldn't refuse.
All the bakery products were off the 50% rack.
The chicken thighs and natural bacon had Instant Discount Stickers making them 50% off as well.
I would have bought none of those items if they weren't 50% off. The meat will be frozen for later use and I incorporated the rolls into this week's meal plan.(We used some for SloppyHoe's Joe's last night and will find uses for the rest of the bread or freeze the leftovers.)
This is my new normal.
I still will use a coupon, buy on sale, and stock-up on items if the item fits into our new way of eating.
You probably won't be seeing savings rates of 50%, 60% or more like in past years.....unless I need to go back to Rite-Aid for the deals and start getting toiletries and such for free again. lolz
For now, a savings rate of 30% off regular retail on the food I buy is what I'll be shooting for.
And I'll still buy some junky snack foods for the family within reason. I think I can resist the urge to devour it all if it's in the house with me.
My resolve is high......at least for now. ;-)
Sluggy
I made my first trip in May to the grocery store on Thursday. I spent a whopping $113 plus change.
Here is what I got.....(I tried to group the items by category)
Produce
*12 Apples
*1 Jicama
*1 large Ginger Rhizome
*1 bunch Asparagus
*1 bunch Kale
*1 bunch of Parsley
*1 bunch Red Leaf Lettuce
*1 red Bell Pepper
*1 Watermelon
*2 Cantaloupes
*1 box Grape Tomatoes
*5 lb. Carrots
*2 Grapefruit
Meat
*1 package Chicken thighs
*2 packages natural Bacon(low sodium/no nitrites)
*1/3lb. low sodium deli Turkey
Canned & Bottled
*3 cans Crushed Tomatoes
*1 bottle Sesame Oil
*1 bottle Mediterranean blend Spices
Frozen
*2 bags frozen Ravioli
Dairy
*1 container Sour Cream
*1 qt. container Greek Yogurt
*1 cup Yogurt w/almonds(sweet snack)
Beverages
*8 bottles of 100% Juice
*3 2ltrs. Diet Soda(Sucralose sweetened)
*2 pt. size diet Sodas(ditto)
Breads
*3 packages Bakery dinner rolls(small sized rolls)
Now here is the stuff I bought for the family that I can't eat....
Stuff Sluggy can't/won't eat
*3 small frozen Pizzas
*2 packages Lunchmeat
*2 boxes Belvita breakfast cookies
*2 1 ltrs. of Diet Soda(not sucralose sweetened)
*2 x 1lb. blocks of Cheese
(Except for the cheese and diet soda, all of the above was for #2 Son's consumption only.)
Here's about all the types of processed food I bought......
I brought a coupon for only one item(2 boxes of Belvita), but I still bought some items now because they were needed AND they were on sale, even if I had no coupons. If an item wasn't on sale and could wait until next week, it stayed in the store for now.
The Northland brand juice was a great buy. They were the dark fruit varieties that go for $5 a bottle around here so at 50% off, it was a deal I couldn't refuse.
All the bakery products were off the 50% rack.
The chicken thighs and natural bacon had Instant Discount Stickers making them 50% off as well.
I would have bought none of those items if they weren't 50% off. The meat will be frozen for later use and I incorporated the rolls into this week's meal plan.(We used some for Sloppy
This is my new normal.
I still will use a coupon, buy on sale, and stock-up on items if the item fits into our new way of eating.
You probably won't be seeing savings rates of 50%, 60% or more like in past years.....unless I need to go back to Rite-Aid for the deals and start getting toiletries and such for free again. lolz
For now, a savings rate of 30% off regular retail on the food I buy is what I'll be shooting for.
And I'll still buy some junky snack foods for the family within reason. I think I can resist the urge to devour it all if it's in the house with me.
My resolve is high......at least for now. ;-)
Sluggy
Just balance the cost against medical care.
ReplyDeleteI love the Northland juices. They are the only juices that are 100% whatever fruit they advertise. I got really tired of buying 100% juice that had GRAPE on the front and apple juice as one of the main ingredients on the back. I am going to check and see if it is 50% off here. I don't drink much juice at all, but Northland is the only one I buy IF I can afford it.
What brand bacon has no nitrites? I am trying to avoid pancreatic cancer since it killed my grandmother and father. Nitrites are implicated in pancreatic cancer.
You are inspiring me to eat better!
This is the way I generally shop. I figured it was better to spend the money up front than pay the medical bills in the end. You'll adapt. Don't worry!
ReplyDeleteJust a quick question. I pay $5 for 32 ounces, a mere quart. That makes it $20/gal. So, does yours come in the quart size, too?
ReplyDeleteI have only bought three of these quarts in the last 5 months or so since I cannot afford the price. The glass jars are an added bonus--free water container for the refrigerator.
Knudsen is the juice that is $5/qt glass jar, not Northland, the one I have been looking for all over.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Knudsen here, but then again, I haven't been looking for it. The Northland is 64 oz. bottle.
DeleteThat's pretty much how I shop - lots of fresh fruits & veggies, some dairy, lean meats. I make our bread (save for bagels - can't find a good recipe & the kids split one each morning). For snacks, I make smoothies, muffins, granola bars, power bars, & the occasional homemade popcorn (I do like that salty though, so that probably won't help you).
ReplyDeleteI do have one unhealthy splurge ( a Greek yogurt dip that I could easily make myself, but don't). I can never get the consistency right. Probably because I'm not using a bunch of crap in mine. ;-)
Good luck with the low Na+ diet- the stuff is everywhere and so hard to avoid..
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's the bad thing about buying non processed stuff... there aren't as many coupons for fresh/frozen basic stuff, and produce, you're at the mercy of sales. I've only seen coupons for apples when they're at peak season, but greens? Not one.
ReplyDeleteYou poor kid. It was pretty miserable when I had to cut out dairy so I know your pain. But this does seem to be a bit worse.
ReplyDeleteChin up and all that!