{"id":19716,"date":"2014-02-03T07:54:22","date_gmt":"2014-02-03T12:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/?p=19716"},"modified":"2021-02-13T12:12:44","modified_gmt":"2021-02-13T17:12:44","slug":"a-closer-look-at-our-rising-grocery-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/a-closer-look-at-our-rising-grocery-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"A Closer Look at Our Rising Grocery Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, besides being a sad excuse for a Super Bowl game (poor Broncos!), was also grocery day! ::confetti rains down from the ceiling::<\/em><\/p>\n

I sucked it up and took Hailey with me. She surprised me by being great at the store. She helped me find everything on the list, meaning shopping went at a snail\u2019s pace even though she didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\"toddler<\/a><\/p>\n

I actually enjoy it though and get a weird pleasure when she squeals and tries to eat the broccoli right from the shelf.<\/p>\n

\"toddler<\/a><\/p>\n

I noticed something else at the store though besides my eager, chatty toddler\u2026 the prices.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sabrina<\/a> posted an interesting breakdown of her weekly grocery budget<\/a> for her family and I found myself pouring over the details. I think it\u2019s fascinating to see what other people buy and how they make it work for their families. It\u2019s no secret that prices seem to be creeping up.<\/p>\n

In fact, by not watching very carefully the past few weeks, I\u2019ve noticed I\u2019ve been spending more on our groceries as well. I blame excessive new recipe experiments and more elaborate meals. So this week, I decided to reel things back in a bit and take a closer look. For the meal plan\u2026<\/p>\n

Sunday<\/span>– Chicken Fajitas with Chips & Salsa
\nMonday<\/span>– Sweet Potato Chili
\nTuesday<\/span>– Roasted Salmon with Kale & Quinoa Pilaf & Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds
\nWednesday<\/span>– Spinach Stuffed Shells & Salad (+1 to freeze)
\nThursday<\/span>– Salad\/Leftovers\/Sandwiches
\nFriday<\/span>– Homemade Vegetable Pizza & Salad<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lunches: Hummus Wraps, Salads, Leftovers
\nBreakfasts: Egg scrambles, Oatmeal
\nSnacks: Yogurt & Granola, Raisins & Almonds<\/strong><\/p>\n

I tend to bounce all over for grocery shopping but ended up this week doing all my shopping at Harris Teeter. I shopped slowly and tried to make reasonable decisions and my grocery bill ended up looking like this (red star indicates items that were on sale; sale price listed)\u2026<\/p>\n

\"detailed<\/a>\"details<\/a>\"details<\/a>\"details<\/a><\/p>\n

WOW<\/em>. $176.20 is a far cry from the $125ish I stayed under only a few months ago. I didn\u2019t buy everything organic and felt like I had a fairly conservative meal plan including vegetarian dishes and a leftovers night. So why is the bill so much higher?<\/p>\n

I have a few thoughts\u2026
\n– Hailey is eating a lot of food, which is great. I\u2019ll buy it if she keeps eating it. (PS- MUNCHKIN MEALS link up is this Thursday!)
\n– We\u2019re doing better at eating at home. We used to grab pizzas out on Friday nights and throw in a random lunch out and a breakfast or two. Now the grocery bill covers all meals for us except for Saturday night dinner and usually one weekend breakfast. I imagine this is actually saving us money overall.
\n– Prices are truly creeping up.
\n– I\u2019m unable to part with my beloved goat cheese.
\n– We are buying beer now until David can find time to brew again. And David likes his fancy IPAs.<\/p>\n

However, that money did buy us (& Koda- the green beans!) a lot of food.<\/p>\n

\"detailed<\/a><\/p>\n

Overall I found taking a closer look very interesting and plan to try and stay more mindful of spending at the grocery store. However, I don\u2019t believe I will be cutting much from the bill. Each family has their own priorities that dictate where they choose to spend their money and for us, good food is near the top. So while I\u2019m not thrilled with the rising bill, we do always end up eating it all. We don\u2019t throw away food and I feel good about the meals we do eat. Now I\u2019ll just stay more mindful that the bill is higher and adjust accordingly.<\/p>\n

\"quick<\/a><\/p>\n

Food prep was light- marinated chicken, washed and cut kale and breakfast sandwiches<\/a> for David.<\/p>\n

Do you track your spending on food?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you feel like it\u2019s gone up lately?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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