As a matter of discipline, I did not shop until this morning, when it is actually the first of the month. My $300 has already been sorely compromised by my plan to go low-carb. (In a previous post, I talked about the book "Why We Get Fat," and my decision to go low-carb.) I spent $185 at the grocery. Now some of that is household goods and pet supplies -- I haven't split it out yet -- but even so that's a lot more than I've spent on food in a long time.
I was stocking up, and I grabbed everything that was meat and on sale. I also bought some low-carb ice cream, whole grain pasta and fresh low-carb veggies. I know I will have to do some filling in this month, but this should be the bulk of my shopping. It will have to be.
I'm going to have to learn how to do this more cheaply.
I also filled up the tank. Gas is only $3.49 a gallon, that will help the bottom line. I paid $35.
Yesterday I stayed home except for a short time I spent at a visitation. One of my co-workers lost her adult son -- so sad; it was just heartbreaking.
Otherwise, I spent the day cooking. I made two low-carb casseroles and carrot soup, which is not low-carb, but I had to use up the carrots. I'll eat it in small amounts. I watched a number of episodes of Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, read, and worked crossword puzzles. It was a scorching day, so no temptation to go outside.
No word on the condo; I'm just not thinking about it. This weather is making me uninterested in moving, anyway. Actually, I feel pretty lucky that I'm in air-conditioned comfort, with so much of the country out of power. I hope all of you are safe and cool today!
Whoa! Low-carb is expensive!
July 1st, 2012 at 03:40 pm
July 1st, 2012 at 06:35 pm 1341167747
I also have a low carb meatloaf I make that is a pound of hamburger, 4 eggs, handful of cheddar (1/4 cup), handful of parmesan (1/4 cup), one bunch of green onions, chopped and 4 cloves of garlic, minced. Mix well. I make it in the microwave in a stack cooker made by Tupperware so that all the meat fat drips down into the bottom, but it could easily be made in the oven like a traditional meat loaf. I used to make it that way when I had more time. That gives me six portions for about $4.
Farm stands are popping up (not the more expensive farmer's markets) now and their produce tends to be a lot cheaper than other places. Also I have found that Trader Joe's often beats out any other grocery store for price.
When protein cost was more of an issue I would watch the sales flyers like a hawk. I can still find chicken quarters on sale in the ten pound bag for .79 a pound about once every six weeks. Or .99 a pound for thighs or legs. Or whole chickens for .99 a pound. Just stock up when the price is cheap. Whole chickens I'd roast, pick off the meat and eat off for a week. I'd freeze half for the second half of the week.
I find that starting the meal with plenty of veggies, salads, cabbage, etc. and then eating the protein fills me up faster and I eat less of the more expensive stuff.