Grocery Challenge

I love to read. I would pretty much rather read than do anything else (and too much, I do). Lately I've been following a few more blogs than usual, you know how it goes, you read your friends favorite sites, etc. It's so interesting to see other writing styles, the trends in the food world, and in a voyeuristic way, to peer into the world of someone else. I think that's the reason I enjoy reading so much, for me it's an escape. Let's face it, I am beyond blessed and I don't really need an escape, but I've been struggling a little bit lately. I always notice around this time of year I become weary of winter, weary of gray, and craving an escape. Usually Rob and I are able to vacation for nearly a week sometime in the spring. This year he is taking a ski trip and I'm feeling a little wistful (that's a lie, it's really just a step below envy) that I don't have an escape to look forward to.

I know, I promised you the short story and here it is: I keep reading about these grocery challenges. The suggestion is to start by cleaning out your pantry and eating everything that has been stockpiled for months/years. While I agree that this is probably a pretty economical way to get free groceries for a week, I'm not that committed. We require so much produce that it's hard for me to deprive my kids of that just to clean out my [five] cupboards. And, really, I don't have too much that's just sitting around. The other problem with this is that while I consider myself kind of frugal, I don't have a budget for food. I do put a priority on local meats, dairy, and produce (though that's mostly in the summer for obvious reasons).

What I wanted to share with you today were my purchases at our downtown "Farmer's Market". This is where I shop for my meats (pork and beef). My boys really dislike chicken, so we eat more of this than anything else. I realize that sometimes it is more expensive to eat locally, but if you're willing to make one extra stop, (and if it's important to serve your family local meat) it might be worth the time and effort. (and I kind of think that my butcher shop has great prices, way less than our chain grocery store...plus, I know where it's coming from!)


Here is what I bought today: (I did buy less because Rob will be gone)
3/4 lb sliced sweet bologna (my butcher makes it)
1 ham slice
1 1/2 lb arm roast
1 lb ground sausage
1 doz eggs
1 pt pickled beets (they do this in-house as well)
1/2 lb stew meat
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 qt local apple (stayman winesap)
my total= $29.55

add this to my total today at Price-Rite= $64.80
I'll need to get milk at Perrydell -1 1/2 gal (approx)=$5.00
that's less than $100.00!
I'm going to try to not go the grocery store this week, but if I need to stock up on produce, it's worth "losing a challenge" with myself. By the way, these pics are from the market, but in the fall. Now the choices are: potatoes, beets, turnips, cabbage, and apples. sigh.



Here's what I plan on making:
-Roast beef, mashed potatoes, and steamed corn (frozen from the summer)
-Ham, baked sweet potato, and green beans (frozen from the summer)
-Chili-topped baked potatoes, broccoli, applesauce (frozen from the summer)
-Cheeseburgers, oven fries, grilled zucchini
-Penne with bacon, shrimp, and peas in a cream sauce (I have leftover bacon and shrimp in the freezer)
-a dinner at my mom's :)
-leftovers
-spaghetti squash with sausage, mushrooms, and onions with marinara sauce

what do you think?