Hello, everyone! If you read here often then you know that I missed my Wednesday post for the next kidney class. I worked all day, and it was a rough day, and I was exhausted. I just plain forgot. I do have to work again next Wednesday, but it is mostly meeting stuff, and I will be bored and thinking about other things I need to do, lol.
The other day I blogged about the really high gas prices. It cost me 40 dollars to almost fill my tank this morning. That is about 8 dollars more than typical. 8 dollars may not sound like a lot, but even if it was 8 dollars a week, that is 32 dollars a month, plus another probably 35 for my husband’s car, extra each month. It will add up pretty fast.
Today is the start of week 10 of my 63 dollars per week grocery challenge budget. That equals 21 dollars per person per week. We pretty much have been able to stick with it, mostly because I shop smart, make a list, shop my pantry first, and have an idea for meals from what we already have on hand. Our on-hand foods are dwindling, and soon this will just be a budget of 63 dollars per week. The budget is for food items only, and not for pets, or other home supplies. You can see the picture of the items I bought this week. I checked all of my local stores for the best deals, and Walmart had the best deals. I mean I could get one or two things elsewhere but to me, it isn’t worth it to go to several stores, and it was pouring rain today too. Anyway, I stuck to the list and it was 5 dollars over. Since these are typical of what I will buy each week, this is probably going to happen each week. So, I will have to put something back each week to stay within budget. Since we are a family, all with different eating needs, and styles, it is hard to follow a strict budget. I have CKD and am on a weight loss journey. My husband eats what he wants, and I have a teen, so yeah teens, lol.
Walmart had the best price on boneless skinless chicken breasts, at 1,99 a pound. Yes, I know I can get another variety of chicken for less, but again, I have to buy what everyone will eat. I could do boneless skinless chicken thighs, but apparently, they didn’t have any. You will also notice I did not buy much fresh stuff. I needed onions, I use them in everything, and that bag of onions was 4.98 and the more affordable yellow onions were sold out. I bought frozen veggies instead, which I prefer over canned. No organic purchases either, this week. Everything is at least a little bit more expensive. I did buy more brown rice because for the price and the nutrition profile it works for me. I can add some beans and we will have a complete protein. I also have the bag of lentils from last week that can be added to rice. In my pantry is also quinoa.
What will be on the menu this week? Tonight, we are finally going to eat the ham steak, some pineapple rice, and a veggie. If I decide I don’t want the ham, I will stir fry up some onions, and mushrooms to put over my rice. Nobody else will eat that but me, lol. Tomorrow we are eating out because of our anniversary. Sunday, my son will be visiting and we will have kielbasa, mac n cheese, baked beans, and green beans. I have some apple chicken sausages in my freezer, that I will eat instead of kielbasa, though I love kielbasa. I may or may not have the mac n cheese. I still have one package of ravioli left and that is why I bought the sauce. I can have my whole grain pasta with sauce. I don’t really like ravioli anyway, but my husband and daughter do, and price-wise it is a good deal. Beyond that, I have not really planned much out. My biggest struggle right now is breakfast, and lunch, on the days I work. I did some prep and got some potatoes done in the air fryer. I can just heat these up and have an egg or two over them in the morning. When you walk 15,000 steps a day at work, I need breakfast to start my day. If I had a desk job it would be different. Lunch is harder. I don’t want to prep a meal for the next day when I get home from work, and I don’t want to take leftovers that will need to be warmed. That is why I bought the whole wheat bread. I really like the Ole Wellness low-carb wraps, as does my husband. But, you only get 8 wraps, and the price of them has gone through the roof. The whole wheat bread was only 1.48 and I didn’t check, but I hope it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup. My husband will not use whole wheat bread, so I had to get regular sandwich bread for him. I still have not had time to try making my own bread, but after next week, my weeks should quiet down a little. I can pack a sandwich and a piece of fruit for lunches. I still have apples and oranges on hand.
I am still contemplating shopping every two weeks, at 126 dollars, instead of weekly. I have not decided if that will be more cost-effective. If gas continues to rise, most likely it will be.
Are food prices high where you live? Let me know in the comments what you are doing to save money on food. There were a lot of empty spots on the shelves at my Walmart too, this week.
Please remember that we are doing this as a challenge, to save money, avoid food waste, and challenge ourselves. If you have food insecurity that is not by choice, please reach out to local organizations that can assist you to get food.
Living Life With CKD 