My last year of high school, I took an Economics class. I remember one thing about this Economics class, and that was our final project. With a partner, we were assigned a topic and told to create a presentation about that topic in whatever way we chose.
My best friend and I were assigned “Supply and Demand.” We made a video that I am pretty sure involved her older brother’s car and lots of posters with puffy paint. We got an A on our video, and on the feedback form, our teacher wrote: “Very nice work. You two clearly understand the concept of supply and demand.”
I did not.
And maybe am only just fully understanding the concept today, May 18, 2019, because of my grocery trip.
This week I came down with strep throat. Strep throat is my life long arch-nemesis. I get it every three -four years, usually within the time frame of something very important. The last time, it was the week I found out I was pregnant with the Frying Pan. The time before that, it was five days before my wedding. Strep throat is an enemy I know well, even if I am powerless to stop it. And yes, I take Vitamin C. But Strep Throat doesn’t care about my vitamin intake. It only cares about wreaking havoc.
After 48 hours of extreme pain, my medications kicked in and I was kind of on the up and up. While I was no longer feeling like the walking dead, I wasn’t exactly ready for show tunes or solid foods. The milkshakes were fun at first, but there are only so many liquid based foods you can stomach before you start contemplating how cheeseburgers would do in the blender…
What I wanted more than anything, what I was craving so bad it brought me to tears, was my Creamy Green Chicken Chile Soup. I would have to go very easy on the chicken: small, tender bites, and the Green Chile, so as not to agitate my poor throat, but I could manage.
When I headed to the grocery store, my voice barely above a whisper, there were three things I needed for my soup: milk, heavy cream, and chicken. Everything else I had at home. And I tell you now that I finally understood the concept of supply and demand because I would have paid anything, ANYTHING, for that milk, cream, and chicken.
Milk was full price, $2.19 for a gallon, and I. Did. Not. Care. $45 cream? Whatevs, baby. Put it in that cart. I wasn’t even looking at chicken prices, to be honest. Just, fine, whatever. I demand and Kroger supplies. Gimme those soup ingredients.
Everything else I bought during that trip was food I would eat eventually, when my throat has recuperated. Fancy cheese and salad dressing were not essential for my soup, but they will be of the utmost importance in four days when I am enjoying a delicious salad with this giant, elegant, yellow tomato that I certainly did not need and certainly do not intend to share. I can’t have anything with citrus right now because it hurts my poor little torn up throat, but you best be believing that as soon as this throat is healed I will be drinking all that Lemonade. And of course, a T-Bone steak is out of the question currently, because of the texture, but what else do you think I am going to pair with my delicious, citrusy salad?
And I would have paid $400 for all of it. Supply and demand.
- Bananas, 2.01 lb -$1.19.
- Blueberries, 18 oz-$3.99.
- Boar’s Head Sandwich Pepperoni, 1 lb -$8.99.
- Bell Peppers (4)-$3.96. In store sale for $.99 each.
- Heritage Farm Chicken Breasts, 9.39 lb-$18.69
- Kroger Sausage, 1 lb-$2.50. Mother’s Day Coupon for $.50 brought it down from the in store sale price of $3 a pound.
- Kroger Heavy Cream-$1.99.
- Kroger Milk, gallon-$2.19. worth every penny!
- Kraft Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing-$1.99. No sale, no problem.
- Private Selection Honey Turkey, 1 lb-$7.49. Hooray! It’s back. Just in time for me to blow all my dough on soup ingredients.
- Private Selection Whole Wheat Bread-$1.99.
- Private Selection Ice Cream, 16 oz (2)-$3.34. In store sale brought these down to $1.67 each.
- Robusto Gouda-$6.
- Red Vine Tomatoes, 1.85 lb-$1.83.
- Simple Truth Organic Almond Milk Pudding-$1.99. In store sale $2.49 stacked with *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off.
- Simple Truth Organic Chocolate Almond Milk-$2.29. *Digital Coupon* for $.50 off.
- Simple Truth Organic Fettuccine-$1.09. Mother’s Day Coupon for $.40 off.
- Simply Lemonade (2)-$2.49. Buy One, Get One Free Promotion. Technically $1.24 each.
- Strawberries 2 lb-$3.99. Not on sale. Supply and demand, Frying Pan Edition.
- T-Bone Steak, .7 lb-$7.01.
- Yellow Tomato, .80 lb-$1.59.
- Apps I’ll submit to: Fetch Rewards, Ibotta ($.20 Off Any Item), CoinOut
Total Budget: $79.66
Total Spent: $84
Total Saved: $21.41
Deducted from Next Trip: $4.34
Luckily, I did not have to pay $400, and I peeked out just a smidge over budget. Still hacking away at my budget shortage after I went overboard on the first trip of the month. Luckily, this is a month with five shopping days in it, so there are still two more trips for me to get that budget on lock.
Does supply and demand play a big role in your grocery shopping? What is your go-to comfort food when you are sick? What’s your reward meal for when you get better? Inspire me with your amazing food choices 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!