I realized recently that it’s been a long time - a really long time - since I’ve updated you all on our OAMS (Once-A-Month-Shopping) experience. It’s been almost 3 years since I last shared a sample monthly shopping trip with you, which is a bit too long, don’t you agree? A lot has changed since then - our location, our shopping habits, and even our diet to a certain extent.
For those of you new to the concept (you can read about it more at length in my eBook, Your Grocery Budget Toolbox, or by browsing through the OAMS archives), OAMS is a method of grocery shopping that saves time and money because you’re only shopping once a month, as the name suggests. Technically, though, I shop twice a month, because I usually include a mini-trip mid-cycle to re-stock produce and milk. However, the bulk of my grocery shopping is done in one weekend every month, and that’s what we eat on until the next monthly shopping trip.
This past weekend was my OAMS trip for March/April (I do my shopping in the middle of the month because that’s when we worked it into our budget), and it involved 6 stores over a span of about 4 or 5 hours (including a pit stop for lunch and a quick trip to the dollar store). Also included in this list is the meat and eggs delivered to me from a local farm. Here’s what I hauled home:
MEAT & SEAFOOD
1.6 lbs Wild Alaskan Pollock $6.42
1.3 lbs Ground Lamb $4.58
2 6oz cans Skipjack Tuna (pole-caught) $2.98
8 oz Black Forest Ham $3.49
2 lbs Grass-Fed Ground Beef $11.21
2 Pastured Roasting Chickens $23.81
PRODUCE
5 lbs. Grapefruit $1.99
2 lbs. Strawberries $3.99
3 lbs. Organic Apples $4.49
2 pkgs Blueberries $3.18
2 pkgs Blackberries $2.78
1 Mango $0.99
3 lbs Bananas $1.31
5 lbs. Pears $4.49
2 lbs. Organic Carrots $1.78
1 Onion $0.89
4 Organic Avocados $3.99
1 Pineapple $1.99
2.3 lbs Green Beans $2.98
1 bunch Cilantro $0.50
.5 lb Ginger Root $1.24
2.3 lbs Broccoli $2.26
1 Cantaloupe $2.49
.6 lbs Persian Cucumbers $0.63
1 Cauliflower $1.99
1 lb Sweet Potatoes $1.47
2 lbs Grapes $4.24
5 lbs Potatoes $1.99
1 Napa Cabbage $1.12
DAIRY & NON-DAIRY
2 cans Coconut Milk $2.58
2 cans Coconut Milk Cream $4.58
1 pt. Organic Heavy Cream $2.99
2 lbs Organic Yogurt $2.99
2 6oz cups Coconut Milk Yogurt $2.98
<1 lb Goat Cheddar Cheese $4.80
1 pt Open Nature Coffee Cream $1.79
1 gal. Low-Temp Pasteurized Pastured Milk $5.69
1 box Coconut Cream $2.49
DRIED, FROZEN & CANNED FRUITS/VEGGIES
1 lb. Raisins $1.89
1 can Pumpkin $0.89
Organic Banana Chips $2.99
1 bag Frozen Spinach $1.49
1 bag Frozen Organic Corn $1.79
1 bag Frozen Organic Peas $1.99
8 oz Dried Cranberries $1.99
1 lb Prunes $3.29
BAKING, ETC.
5 lbs White Whole Wheat Flour $2.99
1 lb Quinoa-Brown Rice Pasta $2.99
12oz Spelt Pasta $2.49
1 lb Organic Coconut Sugar $3.99
1 lb Cashew Meal $4.99
1 bottle Organic Ketchup $1.99
12oz Fair Trade Coffee $3.99
2 lbs. Local Maple Syrup $15.99
2 lbs Coconut Oil $15.99
1 large bottle Cinnamon $2.59
4 bottles Organic Grape Juice $10.00
TOTAL COST: $236.41
A few notes about this month’s shopping trip:
I was unusually under my $250 budget - typically I go over by a few dollars!
Yes, this is really all the food we will eat for the next month, EXCEPT that I will go buy some more produce (apples, bananas, pears, etc.) in about two weeks and I will also probably buy another gallon of milk. Do keep in mind that I’m also working off of food I already have here at home -there’s more meat in my freezer left over from previous month’s shopping, as well as potatoes, pasta, rice, beans, and other staples.
Also note that I purchase grains in bulk about twice a year, and that is not included in the regular grocery budget. One of these days I’m going to start buying meat in bulk as well, and that also will come out of a separate budget.
I didn’t think to take pictures of my shopping trip, so the pictures here are just randomness.
