Grocery Day

Today was grocery day, so I thought I would share my thoughts on grocery shopping. I plan my meals for everyday. When I have enough left overs then we have a left over night. Usually once a week. Then I have one extra meal "in the poke", so to speak. After a few weeks I can use these extra meals to shorten my grocery list. This is the week that I buy staples, seasonings etc. and put the meals back in my meal plan. I did this a lot and we had the really cheaper meals a couple of times a week for a couple of months to be able to build up a "pantry" for emergencies. I haven't added to it lately. . .I need to do that.

Staples: Things you always have on hand and use regularly.

My staples are pretty standard stuff. The list does change a bit depending on the season, ie. colder vs warmer weather. I have a few things that I use that only certain brands will do. For example, I can not stand the store brand sandwich cheese. It's like eating wax on bread! I also budget for this. This isn't one of those just buy the cheapest brand and use that things. If you don't like it or won't eat it then it's a waste of money no matter how good the deal! I also think it's a shame to look at food in a way that makes you feel "poor". I really don't know how to explain that other than to say your food budget shouldn't make you feel like you are so broke you can't afford to eat decent food. Sometimes you have to shop around and see how much things cost at different places to get a good deal.

Staples:
All purpose (plain) Flour 25 lb bag from Sams
Baking Powder Also from Sams (costco type store)
Dry beans 10 lb bag of pintos at Sams all others from the dollar store (cheaper)
Corn Meal 5 lb bag from grocery outlet or dollar store
Sugar 4 lb bag from grocery outlet
Shortening Yeah I use it for biscuits
Milk We use about 2 gallons a week
Buttermilk 1/2 gallon a week
Elbow Macaroni
Potatoes
Rice 20 lb bag from Sams
COFFEE We don't compromise on this one, we just buy it in on sale often
Butter
Oatmeal
Grits
Eggs
Onions
Garlic

Seasonings: I have 2 shelves full of spices. There are a few that I use a lot. I will only list those.

Seasoning salt - Mostly Lawreys, There is one brand of soul food seasoning that I like-ONLY ONE! Most of the others that I've tried have been too salty.
Cumin
Granulated Garlic
Mrs. Dash
Black Pepper
Fresh Cilantro - you can use the dry cilantro in a jar but it just isn't the same

Vegetables change depending on what is in season. What I can get fresh at a good price or grow is used as much as possible. Winter usually brings less fresh vegies and more frozen vegetables. I grow as much as I can during the warm months and I can or preserve stuff too. The end of the summer is a crazy busy time around here.