Teacup sighting!
Last Kroger trip of the month and mistakes were made.
Firstly, I’m trying to come up with something creative to call the current health situation that is 1) not it’s actual name and 2) not ‘this current situation.’
Why, you ask? Well, because of the seriousness of this current situation, people who make internet content are tying not to use the actual names so as to not jam up the search engines with non-news related posts. And not that anyone would confuse one of my grocery posts for a scientific journal, but not using the technical name makes that slim possibility a non-issue.
I’ve grown bored of typing “this current situation”, so I’ll be trying out some different code words. Let me know if any work for you.
Back to the mistakes and how I made them.
Since the incident began, I’ve limited by shopping to Kroger only. I go on Mondays, because the new shipment usually comes in Sunday night or early Monday morning. I go at 8am on the dot, because senior time is 7am-8am, and arriving with the first crop of shoppers after restocking allows me the widest variety of selection. Easy.
However, the week of this shopping trip, I finally took the plunge and visited Costco, for what I am thinking will be a monthly occurrence. I went to Costco on Monday morning instead of Kroger because I figured the same rules applied (restocking, crowds, etc) and because in my brain Monday was already shopping day. Things have been so nebulous since the occurrence that I felt very strongly about keeping with the limited routine I had.
Costco went brilliantly, thank you for asking. You can read all about it here.
But “brilliant” takes on a new meaning since the fracas. Costco had many things, but not everything. After weighing the pros and cons, we decided that I would also do a Kroger trip. On Wednesday. Same protocol, same procedure. (Remember life when we didn’t have to have a family meeting over whether it was a good idea to go to two stores in one week?)
So I went to the store on Wednesday, naively thinking, “things have been pretty good on Mondays. Surely this won’t be so bad.” Oh, sweet, simple KB.
A mere two days off my schedule, I had arguably the worst grocery trip I’ve had since the early days of the donny-brook.
There was no chicken to be had. There was limited bread. Limited pasta. The shelves looked emptier than I had seen them in a while. It was substantially more crowded, even at 8am. Everybody was still very nice, people were looking out for each other, but the stress of peering around every corner to make sure you’re keeping your social distance in a crowded stores plus the stress of the stock issues and my panic at not having certain things I knew I needed equaled a rough trip.
It’s interesting, though, because I am writing this significantly after the fact. (I know, I am very behind on shopping trips. I’m trying to catch up!) But in this instance, the distance from the shopping trip has actually provided me with a little perspective. Was this my best trip ever? Certainly not. Was in my best trip since the argy-bargy began? Nope. But, on the flip side, was it my worst trip since the rumpus commenced? I don’t know…Was it even my worst grocery trip ever? Not even close. That is reserved for the time I was pregnant and got physically ill mid shopping trip. Never forget.
If brilliant has taken on a new meaning since the hurly-burly, then maybe success has, too? Because I was listing all my purchases and, honestly, I don’t see what I so upset about. Like, yes, okay, I wish there were chicken. And sure, it would be nice if the sausage or the almond milk were at sale prices. But other than that? Maybe mistakes weren’t really made. Maybe there aren’t mistakes during a melee. We’re all just doing our best with what we have.
- Angus Beef Steak, 2.75 lb-$16.47.
- Avocados (2)-$2.31. In-store sale, $.77 each.
- Bananas, 3.23 lb-$1.91.
- Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, pint (3)-$8.97. In-store sale, $2.99 each.
- Blueberries, pint (2)-$2.98.
- Boar’s Head Pepperoni, 1 lb-$9.58.
- Cadbury Eggs (4)-$1.32. I’ll keep buying Cadbury Eggs until they’re all gone. Which should be soon.
- Clementines, 3 lbs-$3.99.
- Creamette Pasta (1)-$1.25.
- Kroger Milk, .5 gal-$.99. Manager’s Special!
- Kroger Pasta-$1.
- Kroger Sausage, 1 lb-$3.49.
- Mangoes (3)-$2.31. In-store sale, $.77 each.
- Pepper Jack Cheese-$6.43.
- Private Selection Bread (1)-$1.99.
- Private Selection Wildflower Turkey, 1 lb-$7.71.
- Red Grapes, 2.54 lb-$2.51.
- Red Gold Canned Tomatoes (1)-$1.
- Red Leaf Lettuce, .95 lb-$1.59.
- Roma Tomatoes, 1.41 lb-$1.40
- Silk Almond Milk, .5 gal-$2.99.
- Simple Truth Almond Milk, .5 gal-$3.29.
- Simple Truth Baby Food Packets (5)-$5.95.
- Strawberries, 2lb-$3.99.
- Vidal Onions, 2.41 lb-$2.87.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, CoinOut, Ibotta ($.25 off Strawberries, $.10 off Any Item)
Little reminder that due to costs, lack of sales, etc, we hit our grocery budget for the month a trip or two ago. We’re putting the overages on our credit card, which we will pay off with cash from one of the untouched budgets at the end of the month. So don’t freak out when you see these numbers. I promise we’re okay. :) .
Total Budget: $-48.83
Total Spent: $105.56
Deducted from Other Budgets: $154.39
So for this second month of staying at home, we are over $154.39 for grocery budgets. Not too terrible, actually. How much have you been over budget?
More importantly, what is your favorite word for our “current situation”? Dazzle me in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey five years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!
Stella Boudreaux says
The prices where you are are sure better for meat than here. Wish we had a Krogers here. Will not complain because we have 2 good hometown stores that compete with Walmart. That’s our only other choice.
Kristen says
It’s so interesting that prices vary so much depending on where you are located. When we lived in the Southwest, meat prices were MUCH higher. But vegetables were super cheap!
Linda says
That is awesome
I can’t believe the price of your steak ours here is crazy one small steak can cost you $20.
We are buying 1/2 a cow and 1/2 a pig just to save and we will be getting chickens next week.
Thanks for sharing I love to read your write ups
Kristen says
Ohhhh Linda, I really want to know more about buying the meat like that! It seems like a great deal!