Grocery Breakdown: November 2018

In terms of groceries, November seemed like it went on and on and on. Read on to see what I mean…

Monday, October 29: Aldi – $179.55

Even though this trip happened in October, the groceries were for the first half of November. So I’m putting it here.

• Basket $6.99 (for our library books)
• Candy corn $1.99
• Peanut butter chocolate chips $1.69
• Onion powder $1.19
• Sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz.) x6 $1.69 each
• Mozzarella cheese (8 oz.) $1.69
• Grapes (3.27 lbs.) $2.91
• Wheat bread x3 $1.49 each
• Butter (1 lb.) x3 $2.36 each
• Multicolored peppers (3 pack) $1.49
• Snack bars x3 $1.39 each
• Old-fashioned oatmeal x4 $1.99 each
• String cheese (12 pack) x2 $2.69 each
• Sour cream $0.89
• Orange juice $1.99
• Tortilla chips $0.89
• Walnuts $4.99
• Pecans $4.99
• Cumin $1.19
• Canned crushed tomatoes (28 oz.) x2 $0.79 each
• Parmesan cheese $1.99
• Vanilla extract $3.55
• Celery $0.89
• Russet potatoes (10 lbs.) $2.99
• Syrup $5.99
• Butternut squash x2 (5.89 lbs. and 2.74 lbs.) $4.65 and $2.16
• Dawn dish soap $2.72
• Canned pumpkin x2 $0.79 each
• Canned diced green chiles x2 $0.65 each
• Salsa $1.19
• Canned tomato sauce x2 $0.25 each
• Onions (3 lbs.) x2 $1.59 each
• Canned diced tomatoes x5 $0.45 each
• Dark chocolate candy bars x2 $1.49 each
• Mushrooms (8 oz.) x8 $1.49 each (these are already sliced, so I just threw most of them in the freezer right away – super easy!)
• Sweet potatoes (3 lbs.) $2.59
• Bagged Italian salad $1.99
• Trail mix $4.89
• Carrots (2 lbs.) x2 $0.99 each
• Frozen peas (16 oz.) $0.95
• Frozen corn (16 oz.) x2 $0.95 each
• Chicken breast x2 $7.88 and $6.92
• Whole chicken $5.32
• Ground turkey (1 lb.) $1.99
• Ground sausage (1 lb.) x2 $1.89 each
• Bacon (1 lb.) $3.49
• Green peppers (3 pack) x2 $1.29 each
• Bananas (2.63 lbs. and 3.63 lbs.) $0.92 and $1.27
• Skim milk (gallon) $1.88
• Toilet paper (12 pack) $4.99
• Sales tax $1.21

Monday, October 29: H-E-B – $58.07

Again, technically in October, but finishing up food for the first half of November.

• Gum (3 packs) of various kinds: $2.24-$2.48 each, used B2G2 coupon, which took off $5.76 = paid $3.92 for 4 packages of 3 packs each (for the kids, which will last quite awhile)
• 5 dozen eggs $5.19
• Cheerios $2.98 (for Sarah to snack on)
• Pocky cookies x2 $1.89 each
• Larabars (6 pack) $4.39
• Gluten free rotini $1.77
• Whipped topping $1.78 (for Reformation pancakes [LINK])
• Coffee $4.48
• Dry lentils (16 oz.) $0.92
• Peanut butter (18 oz.) $1.47
• Canned black olives $1.38
• Flour tortillas (20 ct.) $2.18
• Dole spinach cherry almond salad $3.78
• Strawberry jam $2.92
• Honey roasted peanuts $4.98
• Vinegar (64 oz.) $1.80
• Eggplant (1.03 lbs.) $0.76 with a 50% sticker on it (I keep finding bagged produce that looks perfectly fine with these markdown stickers on it – my theory is it’s for pickup orders that get cancelled but I don’t know for sure)
• Bagged spinach $1.34
• Strawberries $1.88
• Tomatoes (1.49lbs.) $1.91
• Blueberries $3.28
• Bagged shredded lettuce $1.18

Sunday, November 4: Target $18.83

Halloween candy clearance. We totally bought too much. But Jesse took one bag to school right away to share, and some of it went into the freezer.

• Reese’s pumpkins $0.95/bag
• Child’s Play mix and Tootsie Rolls $2.39/bag
• Sea salt baking chips $2.49 (these were near all the fall clearance stuff, but they didn’t end up being on sale)
• Sprinkles $0.59

Monday, November 5: H-E-B $21.74 and $96.04 WIC

Fill in produce trip and picking up the rest of the baby formula for the month.

• Milk $2.48 (WIC)
• Orange juice x2 $2.78 each
• Bananas (5.81 lbs.) $1.98 (WIC)
• Butternut squash (4.03 lbs.) $3.95 (WIC)
• Spinach $1.34 (partially WIC)
• Zucchini (2.07 lbs.) $2.03
• Round steak (2 packages) $3.79 and $5.00
• M&Ms $1.48
• Wheat bread (16 oz.) $1.58 (WIC)
• Chobani yogurt (4 pack) $3.27
• Similac formula x5 $16.77 each (WIC)
• Peanut butter (18 oz.) $1.47 (WIC)

Saturday, November 10: Walmart $11.88

Even though big shopping would happen in 2 days, we were at Walmart for other things, and we were out of a couple things anyways. Like coconut milk to make the pumpkin pie for my husband’s birthday, which was that day.

• Bananas (5.32 lbs.) $1.81
• Toddler arrowroot cookies $2.24
• Canned coconut milk x2 $2.18 each
• Cream cheese (8 oz.) x3 $0.80 each
• Eggs (1 dozen) $1.07

Menu plan for first half of November, using groceries listed above

Thursday, November 1
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Tangy Pasta Salad from here 
Dinner: Chicken Salad Bar

Friday, November 2
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Sandwiches, Fruit, Veggies
Dinner: Pizza

Saturday, November 3
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Baked Sweet Potatoes with Bacon and Veggies
Dinner: Crockpot Mexican Chicken Chowder

Sunday, November 4
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Sandwiches/Leftovers
Dinner: Sausage Spinach Skillet 

Monday, November 5
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Black Bean Tortilla Pizzas
Dinner: Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie Stew and Biscuits 

Tuesday, November 6
Breakfast: Muffins
Lunch: Leftover Stew and Biscuits
Dinner: Asian Beef Zoodle Bowls

Wednesday, November 7
Breakfast: Leftover Muffins
Lunch: Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Quinoa 
Dinner: Veggie Spaghetti 

Thursday, November 8
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Sandwiches, Fruit, Veggies
Dinner: Chicken Pepper Bake 

Friday, November 9
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
Dinner: Pizza

Saturday, November 10
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Chicken Butternut Quinoa
Dinner: Double Smothered Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Pumpkin Pie (Jesse’s birthday dinner)

Sunday, November 11
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Sandwiches/Leftovers
Dinner: Instant Pot Lentil Dinner 

Monday, November 12: Aldi – $105.12

Grocery shopping for the second part of the month. The kids actually did pretty well with shopping. Some days it’s hit or miss.

• Grapes (2.55 lbs.) $4.05
• Gluten free bread $3.99
• Wheat bread x2 $1.49 each
• Turkey and ham lunch meat (16 oz. each) $3.19 each
• Cranberries $1.49
• Canned corn x5 $0.44 each (for the 4 big kids and Jesse to go to a Thanksgiving dinner where they get food in exchange for canned goods)
• Kleenex x3 $0.99 each
• Orange juice x2 $1.99 each
• 3 pack multi-colored bell peppers $2.99
• Sliced provolone cheese $1.79
• Roma tomatoes (0.47 lbs.) $0.37
• Sharp cheddar cheese (8 oz.) x5 $1.69 each
• Gluten free crackers $1.99
• Old fashioned oats x2 $2.39 each
• Sour cream (16 oz.) $0.89
• Peanut butter puffs cereal $2.39
• Mini chocolate bear cookies (12 packs) $3.99
• Powdered sugar $0.95
• Brown sugar x2 $0.95
• Chocolate chips $1.69
• Sugar $1.09
• Snack bars x2 $1.39 each
• Sweet potatoes (3 lbs.) $2.59
• Onions (3 lbs.) $1.49
• Mickey Mouse veggie chips $2.89
• Tortilla chips $0.89
• Garlic (3 pack) $0.99
• Russet potatoes (10 lbs.) $2.99
• Crackers $1.39
• 85% beef patties $9.79
• Dark chocolate bars x3 $1.49 each
• Bananas (2.18 lbs.) $0.74
• Cinnamon $1.19
• Ground turkey (1 lb.) $1.99
• Salt $0.39
• Pistachios x2 $4.49 each
• Sales tax $0.25

Monday, November 12: H-E-B $108.69

The rest of the big shopping trip. The kids brought their piggy banks and attempted to buy little things for themselves. One kid did not have enough money.

• Green peppers (4 pack) x2 $1.28 each
• Bagged shredded lettuce $1.18
• Canned black olives x2 $1.38 each
• Lunchables x4 $2.35 or $3.57 each (for the big kids for one lunch while I’m out of town)
• Flour tortillas (20 count) $2.18
• Bagged spinach cherry almond salad $3.78
• Brown rice (2 lbs.) $1.25
• Gluten free rotini x2 $1.77 each
• Milk $2.48
• Kashi bars x2 $2.98 each
• Honey $6.82
• Ice cream half gallon x2 $5.88 each
• Ham $29.44
• Chicken breast x 3 packs $5.46, $6.22, and $6.27
• Turkey (just under 12 lbs.) free with coupon to get a free 12 lb. or under turkey when you buy a ham
• 5 dozen eggs $5.19

Thursday, November 15: Aldi $16.33

My husband bought a bigger turkey. The free one I got at H-E-B just wasn’t big enough for his liking. Ha! He cooks the turkey though so I don’t mind. This one was around 24 lbs.

Monday, November 19: Walmart $13.36

We bought another turkey because they’re super inexpensive right now and we had the freezer space. If you’re keeping track, that’s 3 turkeys and 1 ham. It’s a good time of year for buying extra meat. This turkey was around 21 lbs. We will probably end up having one of these turkeys for Christmas dinner, and the smaller one we will just cook up some time in place of a couple whole chickens and use as we would use the meat and broth from those.

Monday, November 19: Dunkin Donuts FREE

I brought home 4 containers of spreadable butter from work because they were dated 11/18/18 and we couldn’t sell them any longer. They were all sealed and still perfectly fine, so I put 3 in the freezer and used one for baking.

Wednesday, November 21 $17.46 and $2.48 WIC

Quick fill-in shopping trip to grab a few things for the holiday weekend meals.

• Milk gallon $2.48 (WIC)
• Orange juice x2 $2.23 each
• Bananas (1.49 lbs.) $0.51
• Sliced provolone cheese $1.79
• Gluten free chocolate cookies $3.69
• Russet potatoes (5 lbs.) $1.68
• Baby carrots (2 lbs.) $1.84
• Bananas (2.98 lbs.) $1.01
• Flour tortillas (2o ct.) $2.48

Menu plan for the second half of the month, using the groceries listed above

This menu ended up shifting slightly since I was out of town for 5 days for my Grandma’s funeral and family time while Jesse stayed home with four of the kids. But it was nice to know what was available in the house, and they only changed a few of the meals while I was gone!

Monday, November 12
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Homemade Lunchables
Dinner: Sweet Potatoes, Chicken, and Veggies

Tuesday, November 13
Breakfast: Muffins
Lunch: Tangy Pasta Salad from here 
Dinner: Turkey Lentil Tacos

Wednesday, November 14
Breakfast: Muffins
Lunch: Black Bean Tortilla Pizzas 
Dinner: Thanksgiving Dinner at Baylor

Thursday, November 15
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Veggie Spaghetti

Friday, November 16
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Crockpot Quinoa Minestrone and Biscuits
Dinner: Pizza

Saturday, November 17
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Leftover Minestrone and Biscuits
Dinner: Instant Pot Baked Potatoes and Veggies

Sunday, November 18
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Sandwiches/Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Fajitas 

Monday, November 19 (Elizabeth’s 4th birthday)
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Gluten Free Mac and Cheese 
Dinner: Pancakes with chocolate chips

Tuesday, November 20
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Black Bean Tortilla Pizzas
Dinner: Crockpot Italian Chicken and Veggies over Rice

Wednesday, November 21
Breakfast: Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Lunch: Homemade Lunchables
Dinner: Crockpot Mexican Chowder

Thursday, November 22
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Leftover Chowder
Dinner: Thanksgiving feast – turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, ranch baby carrots, corn, stuffing (my husband makes Stove Top because he likes it)

Friday, November 23
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Cranberry Mayo Turkey Melts 
Dinner: Instant Pot Chicken with Veggies and Rice 

Saturday, November 24
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Instant Pot Lentil Dinner 

Sunday, November 25
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Sandwiches/Leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Pepper Bake 

Monday, November 26: H-E-B $169.85 and $57.11 WIC

This was a shopping trip for one week’s worth of meals to get to the end of the month. Except it wasn’t, because there were several “stock up” pantry things that I usually buy at the beginning of the month that I went ahead and bought this week, even though budget wise I should have waited until next month. I figured if I was at the store anyways, and they were already on the list, why not? So some of this shopping trip will carry over to next month.

• Bananas (5.52 lbs.) $1.88
• Eggs (1 dozen) x3 $1.17 each (1 WIC)
• Gluten free bread $3.78
• Whole wheat bread (16 oz.) $1.58 (WIC)
• Orange juice x2 $2.98 each
• Carrots (2 lbs.) $0.98
• Russet potatoes (5 lbs.) $1.68
• Roma tomatoes (1.99 lbs.) $1.55
• Sweet potatoes (3.11 lbs.) $3.05
• Butternut squash (4.22 lbs.) $4.14
• Yellow onions (3 lbs.) $1.48
• Green peppers (3 pack) $1.38
• Multicolored peppers (3 pack) $2.98
• Chocolate chips x2 $1.69 each
• Medium cheddar cheese (16 oz.) $3.42
• Sharp cheddar cheese (16 oz.) $3.42 (WIC)
• Shredded Parmesan cheese (8 oz.) $2.50
• Spinach $1.34
• Zucchini (1.77 lbs.) $1.73
• Mini chocolate chips $2.24
• Flour tortillas (20 ct.) $1.88
• Syrup $6.98
• Gluten free rotini x2 $1.77 each
• Corn starch $0.89
• Peanut butter x 2 large sizes $3.49 and $6.98
• Yogurt (32 oz.) $2.48 (WIC)
• Sugar (4 lbs.) $1.19
• Gluten free Everything Bagel pretzel thins $3.97
• Milk gallon $2.48 (WIC)
• Mushrooms (8 oz.) x3 $1.48 each
• Extra virgin olive oil $14.88
• Multi-grain Cheerios (18 oz.) x2 $3.18 each (WIC)
• Apple juice (64 oz.) x2 $1.19 each (WIC)
• Similac formula x2 $16.77 each
• Chobani yogurt (4 pack) $3.27
• Malt-o-Meal Peanut butter cups cereal $5.12
• Bacon (12 oz.) $2.99
• Round steak (2 packages) $3.90 and $3.57
• Malt-o-Meal Fruity Dyno-Bites cereal $6.25
• Baby jar foods x32 $30.52 (WIC)
• Ground beef 90/10 (1 lb.) $4.38
• Whole chicken $5.57
• Ground sausage (1 lb.) $1.99
• Hot dogs $0.99
• Baby oats and rice (8 oz.) x3 $2.24 each (WIC)
• Paper towels (6 pack) $3.91
• Sales tax $0.32

Wednesday, November 28 – H-E-B: $13.83 Rewards Dollars ($0 out of pocket)

Snacks for me and the husband. Bet you can’t guess whose was whose!

• Blue Bell Peppermint Bark ice cream $5.88
• Ribeye steaks $7.95

Menu plan for last week of November, using groceries listed above

Monday, November 26
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Black Bean Tortilla Pizzas 
Dinner: White Chicken Lasagna Soup 

Tuesday, November 27
Breakfast: Basic Oatmeal Muffins from here, with trail mix toppings mixed in 
Lunch: Sandwiches
Dinner: Leftover Lasagna Soup

Wednesday, November 28
Breakfast: Muffins
Lunch: Gluten Free Mac and Cheese and Hot Dogs
Dinner: Beef Zoodle Bowls

Thursday, November 29
Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
Lunch: Oat Flour Pancakes 
Dinner: Ham and Split Pea Soup

Friday, November 30
Breakfast: French Toast
Lunch: Sweet Potatoes, Chicken, and Veggies
Dinner: Pizza

Saturday, December 1
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Eat Out
Dinner: Instant Pot Unstuffed Pepper Casserole (first test of a new recipe!)

Sunday, December 2
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Sandwiches/Leftovers
Dinner: Toscana Soup 

Total spent: $720.88

Total WIC: $155.63

November was kind of a weird month budget-wise, because I go “big shopping” every 2 weeks, and we hit that 3 times. We also got the “beginning of the month stock up trip” twice, and it showed in the budget.  So even though I know I’ll be doing extra baking and food-gift purchasing during December, I’m going to try to be a little more budget-conscious next month. We’ll see how that works out!