Summer Grocery Stock Up

  Well I finally got out and did my big stock up trip for the summer. I had pretty much stocked up the freezer with meat, poultry, fish last time. This time I filled in the edges of the freezer (you literally cannot fit another thing in there), stocked up the pantry items, and bought some fresh produce and dairy. In June and July it should be strictly produce, dairy, and eggs (as well as tri colored pasta which I forgot to get this time and will need for my youngest son's grad party). I will be keeping to a $250 or under food budget for those months, using money earned from my twice a month office cleaning job.

I went to five locations. My first stop was Gordon Food Service (GFS)'s marketplace store. This is a company I deal with for work on a delivery basis. In their stores they sell large sized quantities of items (similar to a wholesale club) but without any membership fees. I have a 'fun funds' card that I use there for personal purchases that goes towards my school. Similar to the program Target has. I stocked up my pastas this trip, as  spending $25.35 in cash and bringing home a 5 lb. bag of thin cut egg noodles, a 3 lb. bag of thicker "amish" egg noodles, a two and a half pound bag of farfalle (bow tie pasta), a two and a half pound bag of penne, a two pound bag of fettucine, and a jar of horseradish. I used cash, funds earned from cleaning.

My next stop was BJ's Wholesale Club. I had a coupon book and needed some nonfood items here that I had coupons for. I spent $80.52 (after saving $6.00 in coupons) on these items and brought home a 100 count box of Finish dishwasher soap (the cube kind), a case of paper towels (should last us three months or more), a large bottle of Gain detergent, a two pack of Crest Pro Health mouth rinse, and a 320 count bottle of Aleve (I've found this to be the best deal on this item which I take regularly for some arthritis in my shoulder). I also spent $16.99 on a very large bag of organic cat food which will last our kitty about two months or more. (we also have two dogs but my oldest son is in charge of buying their food). Foodwise I spent $79.95, saving $2.50 in coupons, and brought home a 2 pack of Smart balance spread, 1 container of edamame salad, a four pack of Ball Park franks, a 12 count box of Bubba Angus burgers, a 6 can case of Bush's baked beans, 1 lb. roast beef from the deli, 1/2 lb. turkey breast from the deli (we love their deli meats and the prices both these items were on special this week), a loaf of Pepperidge Farm hearty white bread (figured I wouldn't have time to bake until the weekend), and a two pack of Hidden Valley Farms ranch dressing (the only bottled dressing I will buy since I cannot find a recipe for homemade that comes close). I used my debit card here, using funds saved up for summer.
My next stop was the small year round farmer's market that I love here. I spent $39.21 and came home with 8 nectarines, 8 plums, 2 red bell peppers, a bag of shredded carrots, a bag of broccoli slaw, 1 container of strawberries, 1 container of blueberries, a bag of cherries, a pineapple, two mangoes, a cantaloupe, a small hand of ginger, 3 lbs. vidalia onions, 1 english cucumber, one pint grape tomatoes, and a stick of herb de provence covered dry salami (a luxury item ). I spent cash from cleaning.
My fourth stop was Aldi. I spent $161.33 in cash, money earned from cleaning. $18.32 was for nonfood items, a bottle of dish soap, a box of large freezer bags, a box of trash bags, and four reusable cloth shopping bags (we use these for lots of purposes and needed a few more). The remainder of $141.73 was for food and I came home with 4 'slim jim' snacks for the kids, 1 head of cabbage, 5 lbs. russet potatoes, 1 box rosemary flavored 'triscuit' style crackers, 2 lbs. elbow macaroni, 2 lbs. spaghetti, 2 packs neufchatel cheese, 1 bag faux crabmeat, 1 bag string cheese, 3 boxes cold cereal, one container old fashioned oatmeal, 2 packs hard salami, 3 packs of organic bacon, 2 packs cheddar brats, 1 block colby cheese, 2 blocks white NY sharp cheddar, 2 lbs. butter, 2 cans pineapple chunks, 1 can crushed pineapple, 3 cans mandarin oranges, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 2 bottle red grapefruit juice, 1 bottle 100% apple juice, 1 bottle 100%grape juice, 1 bottle 100% cranberry juice, 1 bottle 100% cranberry-pomegranate blend juice, 1 bunch bananas, 1 bag shredded mozzarella, 1 bag shredded cheddar, 1 bunch carrots, 1 bag baby carrots, 1bag romaine hearts, 1 bag baby spinach, 1 bag spring greens mix, 3 boxes cake mix (for son's grad party), 1 case ramen noodle soup, 1 bunch celery, 4 bottles steak sauce, 2 jars maraschino cherries, 2 can black olives,  1 jar Miracle whip, 1 bottle spicy brown mustard, 1 jar raspberries preserves, 1 jar apricot preserves, 3 heads garlic, 1 jar strawberry preserves, 1 quart lowfat cottage cheese, 1 jar orange marmalade, 1 bag whole unsalted almonds,  1 box cinnamon graham crackers, 1 bag lemons, 1 bag croutons, 3 containers coffee creamer, 1 bag veggie straws, 1 bag brown sugar, and 2 dozen eggs.
My final stop was a small local Italian deli/grocery store. I spent $18.48 on my debit card and brought home two cans chick peas, a jar of tahini, two envelopes hollandaise sauce mix, a loaf of their wonderful unsliced Italian bread with sesame seeds, a box of garlic and herb grissini, a box of mini sea shell pasta, and a wedge of gorgonzola cheese.
Total expeditures: Nonfood items: $98.84 (over my budget of $75 but I hadn't spend a dime on these items in May), $16.99 on cat food, and $304.72 on food. Since I budgeted $350 on food for stocking up purposes for June I am very satisfied that I was under this goal. I will still have to go out for a few cleaning supplies that we need to stock up on but I have a $25 gift card to Target that I received at the end of the school year that will cover these.