Market Shopping Week #3

I imposed a weekly budget for myself at the supermarket. I really could spend more, but I really want to try and not be wasteful. So the goal is to reduce my spending as much as possible while keeping my cabinets more empty (instead of say, 3 open boxes of kashi crackers) and using up everything I buy.

I only could Monday breakfast through Friday lunch as my weekly budget, since I can never anticipate what my weekend will be like... dinner out, going to Philly to see my boy, wedding meetings in prov which = weekend lunches out, you get the idea.

Week #1 I spent $20, and used a lot of the stuff in my cabinets
Week #2 I spent $30, which included nothing too expensive, I guess I just bought more.
Week #3 I spent, er, $70!!!!! I couldn't believe it. And, I went back last night for a couple of forgotten items and a new mop which I never should have bought from the market, and spent another $30. Ew.

Here's why I think I spent more:
1. I made those cupcakes on Sunday which required a few $$ items that I don't normally stock in my kitchen
2. I had 5 girls over for dinner last night, and I really wanted to cook a nice, fresh, healthy meal.
3. I bought a bunch of Smartwaters, which is my beverage of choice at work, along with hot tea and seltzer water. I tried using a reusable water bottle but the water just tastes funny to me, even in one of those Sigg ones. At home I drink out of my Brita.
4. The blackberries were $4.99 a pint, but they just looked so amazing so I bought 2.
5. I bought a stupid mop from the market since Target and the other good stores are like 20 minutes away and I was really excited to polish my floors.
6. I went to the market hungry. 'nuff said.
7. My PhillyBoy is coming this weekend and I must have yummy goodies for him! Wraps and lettuce and cheese and veggies.. all of his favs

Is anyone else as inconsistent in how much they spend/week?

Grocery store shopping

I have been trying to spend less money at the store each week, especially since I end up throwing away a lot of fresh produce, or not having room for boxes of snacks etc. I started a few weeks ago and now spend less than half of what I used to spend ($75/week). I guess my eyes were always bigger than my stomach!

Now I spend between $20-30 buying mostly organic stuff, but even the regular fruits and veggies are more expensive than in other places.. for example our bananas last night were $1.19/lb, and I read on a blog that someone just bought some from WHOLE FOODS for $0.39/lb. where is this magical place? I will add that my goal is to spend <$30 for Monday-Friday because it is simply too hard for me to buy food for the weekends with my love PB in my life.. although I HAVE been known to stick a half used package of english muffins in my travel bag hahaha

Anyway, here are my tips:

1. Think out your meals in advance and try to use the same few items to make a few different meals for the week.
For example, last night I had pasta with ground turkey, artichoke hearts (from pantry) and sundried tomatoes (pantry) with a teeny sprinkle of feta cheese. Today for dinner I am making mini turkey, spinach (from freezer) and feta burgers on mini bagels with a sliced tomato. In only 2 days I already have found uses for the ground turkey I bought and the feta as well. Tomorrow for dinner I will probably make a turkey version of KEFTA, baked ground meat with onions + parsley, topped with sliced tomatoes. Then I will be done with the package of ground turkey without wasting it all or having to eat the same meal a few days in a row.

2. Don't be afraid to freeze food!
I made a batch of brownies last week as my cousin had her boyfriend over for dinner, but two girls can't eat a whole batch themselves (well, usually) so I just froze the rest in single serving portions that I will take out when the craving strikes. This leads me to my next point...

3. If a food you eat OFTEN is on sale, buy a few!
When the english muffins are buy 1 get 1 free I obviously take my free package, but there is no way I can eat 2 packages before they go bad so I simply freeze the second package! Works like a charm.

If you have any other tips, please feel free to share them with me!