As I mentioned yesterday, my Once A Month Shopping trial is officially over, and has been more or less of a success. Once again, I don’t have time to go into the details of my experience, but trust me; I’ll share all the juicy details with you soon.
We were so low on seemingly everything - at least everything we use regularly - this past week. I kept adding things to my list, and the list kept lengthening. It was something of a challenge to keep the total to a decent minimum, leaving me enough money for the rest of the month to spend on produce at the farmer’s market and any other necessities that may arise.
My shopping trip this month was quite extensive, covering 8 stores in 2 days! Oh, and the farmer’s market the day before that, where I indulged in a package of local bacon. I’m going to change up the format a little as I show you what I bought, listing first the foods by category, then pictures grouped by store. I’m not sure if that will make it clearer or muddier, or if it will be more organized or not. Let me know which way you prefer.
Meat
7.5 lbs chicken leg quarters ~ Harris Teeter ~ $3.49
1 lb smoked bacon ~ TLV Farms ~ $7.00
1 lb ground turkey ~ Safeway ~ $1.99
1 dozen Eggland’s Best eggs ~ Giant ~ $0.78
Produce
1 cucumber ~ Safeway ~ $0.79
2 green bell peppers ~Safeway ~ $1.00
4 white corn ~ Safeway ~ $1.00
1 mango ~ Safeway ~ $1.00
3 lbs strawberries ~ Safeway ~ $4.50
2 organic garlic bulbs ~ Trader Joes ~ $1.49
2 lbs organic Fuji apples ~ Trader Joes ~ $2.49
1 lb organic carrots ~ Trader Joes ~ $0.89
8 bananas ~ Trader Joes ~ $1.52
5 kiwi ~ Giant ~ $1.00
2 cantaloupe ~ Bloom ~ $2.99
Dry & Canned Goods
1.5 lbs corn meal ~ Dutch Country Farmers Market ~ $1.44
4.5 lbs raw sugar ~ Dutch Country Farmers Market ~ $6.65
1.5 lbs red popcorn ~ Dutch Country Farmer’s Market ~ $1.48
cilantro ~ Dutch Country Farmer’s Market ~ $1.90
1 can coffee ~ Giant ~ $2.50
1 lb raisins ~ Trader Joes ~ $2.29
1 pkg chocolate chips ~ Trader Joes ~ $2.29
8 oz dried cranberries ~ Trader Joes ~ $1.99
16 oz sunflower seed butter ~ Trader Joes ~ $3.99
16 oz raw organic honey ~ Trader Joes ~ $5.99
24 oz clover honey ~ Trader Joes ~ $4.49
2 lbs Besan flour ~ Walmart Supercenter ~ $4.92
2 cans Thai Kitchen coconut milk ~ Walmart Supercenter ~ $2. 84
1 bag dry chickpeas ~ Walmart Supercenter ~ $1.42
1 bag dry Northern Beans ~ Walmart Supercenter ~ $1.08
31.5 oz coconut oil ~ Walmart supercenter ~ $5.62
2 64oz Langers juice ~ Safeway ~ $3.99
16 oz vanilla ~ Costco ~ $6.75
8 oz dried organic coconut ~ Bloom ~ $2.00
Dairy and Non-Dairy
48 oz Polly-O String cheese ~ Costco ~ $8.79
2 64oz Silk coconut milk ~ Walmart Supercenter ~ $6.50
20 6oz yogurt cups ~ Walmart Supercenter ~ $7.70
1 32oz rice milk ~ Trader Joes ~ $1.70
GRAND TOTAL: $125.67
Whew! Glad that’s done for another month!
I seriously hope this is for 1-2 people only. I don’t see how this amount of food could feed more than that.
Four people, actually, but at the time, one of them was exclusively breastfeeding, so I guess he doesn’t really count. And, of course, there was other food in the pantry, fridge and freezer. I don’t stock up on every single thing every single month - some things I buy one month and they last for 2-3 months or more (depending on what it is). Don’t worry; we don’t starve
Hey, any chance of sharing your Google Docs formatted spreadsheet? I want to try the OAMS and keep track of pricing, but it would take me FOREVER to set up a spreadsheet.
There is only 3 of us but that would not do us 2 weeks. The list seems very skimpy to me, 1 cucumber? For a month? I like your blog a lot but this list doesn’t quite seem real for once a month shopping
Hi Shannon! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. This list reflects only my family’s experience; everyone’s lists will look a little different. For example, I’m the only person who eats cucumbers in the house, so buying more than 1 in a month would be excessive. If you read all my once-a-month shopping posts, you’ll find that I typically do one big shop a month, and then weekly quick trips for fresh produce at the farmers’ market. I assure you, this was my actual monthly shopping trip and that food did indeed last us for a whole month.