November 2011, Week 3: Can I feed a family of 5 for $450/month?

So, last week I was left with $48.17 left for the month.

Well, I had to return the Black Jewell popcorn I purchased earlier this month. I popped some up for myself and the kids, and it had an odd smell to it....turns out it was moldy or something. At first it smelled like corn on the cob smells when you are shucking it...but it got worse when it was popping...on closer inspection of the kernels left in the container, there were little white hairy things around the tips of the popcorn kernels. Ick!  I've purchased this popcorn in the past and not had any problems. I'm not sure what happened. At any rate, it belongs to the store now.


So, I returned the popcorn, which raised my total to $55.66 left for the month.


And....then I went shopping. With a list. And it came to $53.03.


Insert Deep Breath here.


Here's what I got at the local grocery. (S= Sale item)


~S 8 half-gallons of non-rbgh milk for $10 (I rummaged through and made sure to get the dates furthest away, which happen to be Nov 29)
~S 1 1/2 lbs of Shredded Cheddar Cheese for $5.99
~S 3 bags frozen Bird's Eye broccoli, 2 bags Freshlike green beans, 1 mixed veggies, 1 peas for $.98 each
~S 1 turkey for $11.83 (I believe they are on sale for $.58/lb w/$15 food purchase--this one wasn't actually On The List, but I couldn't pass up a deal---this bird will be in many meals!)
~2 heads garlic $1.08
~Romaine $2.19
~Mushrooms $1.98 (I saw on Dr. Oz the other day how you can sub chopped mushrooms for half of your ground beef 1:1 and it's an extender and good for you. I'm going to try it! I've read that mushrooms can be a food source of vitamin D and we definitely need that up here in often-overcast OH!)
~Bag onions $4.99 (drat, I think I grabbed the wrong bag!)
~S Sweet potatoes $.67/lb--$1.91 to make sweet potato fries/add into roasted veggies or for a quick lunch for me
~Honeycrisp apples (ok, these were a splurge--tired of Red/Golden Delicious blahness) $6.20 for 5 apples (!) but better than soda, chips, or fast food, right?

Total came to $53.03


Which leaves me with $2.63 for the month.




I think the only thing I may absolutely NEED to get before the end of the month is eggs. The pastured eggs cost more than what is left of my food allowance for the month, so I may end up going to the local grocery and getting a dozen to tide us over. That is, if my  husband and I eat through the 10 eggs we have in the fridge between now and the end of the month. And if I do any baking.

Although, this may be a good time to try some egg substitute options.

We shall see...

The ironic thing is that I have purchased 2 turkeys this month to the tune of about $23.45. I didn't NEED them for this month, and probably won't actually cook them this month. They were purchased as sort of an investment for the future months, if that makes sense.  I'll cook them on a cold, snowy day in the wintertime.  If I'd not gotten those turkeys, I'd have plenty of money left for eggs! (still, not very sorry I got the turkeys. Some things are just worth it in the long run!)

I am still going to strive to stay within my budget. I will endeavor to persevere! :)