Groceries

We finally made it the the store for our month's supplies...did pretty good and found some bargains. Our first stop was Aldi's to restock some of the canned goods and check out the produce. We found strawberries for $.99 a pound and they were very nice...got 2 pounds. Fresh mushrooms were $1.29 a carton and celery was $1.19. We bought corn to roast on the grill for $.99, 4 ears. Three pounds of Vidalia onions was $1.99, and bagged salad was $.99. Fresh cantaloupe was $.99. We got 2 cases of canned veggies, this time green beans, peas, kraut and tomato sauce. I bought 2 dozen eggs @ $.89 each, 2 pounds of real butter @ $1.99, wheat crackers, frozen waffles, pasta, 2 bottles of salad dressing, soup, graham crackers, a jar of spaghetti sauce and a bag of large frozen raw shrimp (Hubby's birthday) and a few odds and ends. The total bill at Aldi's was $46.89, less than half our budget.

Country Mart was the second stop where I used my coupons. We got a 10 pound sleeve of 80/20 ground chuck for $19.14, 10 pounds of chicken leg quarters for $3.79, a double package of pork tenderloin $5.68, 2 pounds of bacon, $5.00, 2 pkg. hot dogs, 2 pounds of  sliced ham, on sale and a coupon for $3, a large pack of country style ribs for $5.68, and a whole fryer. I had coupons for the condiments they had on sale...I got Hunt's Ketchup for $.80. All total I had $6.70 in coupons and by using the Country Mart card and additional $18.46 was taken off for a total of $25.16 in savings. Hubby also received a birthday coupon from Country Mart for $5 off the total purchase price, bringing the savings to $30.16. We did splurge (birthday) on tri tip steak for $10.89, enough for 2 meals. We used the entire remaining balance of food stamps for $68.11. We went over our budget by $15.37...non-food items.

With the things I am putting in the freezer...okra and berries, and the canned tomatoes and salsa I have been able to put up so far, we have plenty to go on. We are going to Conrad's Produce for corn soon, it is usually under $20 a bushel for first day pick. A bushel contains 60 ears of corn. I am also looking at a bushel of green beans for the freezer. My recipe for sweet pickles calls for 7 pounds of cucumbers. Two batches make us enough pickles for the year.

It is a lot of work, but nothing in a can tastes the way our fresh produce does in the middle of winter. We always have fresh corn and green beans for Thanksgiving and my home grown sage seasons the dressing. How lucky we are!