Aldi
1 Loaf Bread – $1.29
1 Gala Apples – $1.88
1 Red Grapes – $1.58
1 Flour Tortillas – $0.99
1 Corn Tortillas – $1.29
2 canned Green Beans – $0.48 each
2 Cheddar Cheese – $1.79 each
1 Frozen Orange Juice – $1.29
1 can Black Beans – $0.59
1 Cauliflower – $1.69
1 Cabbage – $1.29
1 Roma Tomatoes – $1.59
1 Lime – $0.25
1 Avocado – $0.79
Total with tax ($1.36): $20.42 (I think this is the most I have ever spent at Aldi but with prices seeming to be so high at Dillons these days, I’m going to have to start spending more money at Aldi and less at Dillons.)
Dillons
1 Green Onions – $0.69
1 Honey Nut Cheerios – $1.99, used $0.50/1 e-coupon – $1.49 after coupon
1 Multigrain Cheerios – $1.99, used $0.75/1 e-coupon – $1.24 after coupon
1 Kroger Brown Rice – $1.29
1 Simple Truth Milk (gallon) – Marked down to $1.99
1 can Pinto Beans – $0.67
1 Big K Ginger Ale – $0.84
1 Kroger Chocolate Pudding – $0.69
1 Kroger Frozen Chopped Onions – $1
1 can Black Olives – $1.50
3 Noxzema Razors – $2, used 3 $2/1 coupon from the 9/29 RedPlum insert – Free after coupons
2 Breyers Ice Cream – $2.99 each, used $1.25/2 e-coupon – $2.36 each after coupon
2.65 lbs Bananas @ $0.35/lb – $0.93
1 Cucumber – $0.75
1 Romaine Lettce – $0.99
1 Dillons Eggs (dozen) – $1.69
I had a $3 e-coupon come off my card and I have no idea what it was attached to. (Anyone know if there’s a way to find out?) I also used my $3 catalina from last week’s Dillons trip.
Total before sales and coupons: $39.92
Total with tax (1.77) after sales and coupons: $16.26
Total for all grocery items: $36.68
Menu Plan for this Week
Breakfasts
Smoothies, Cereal, Toast, Baked Oatmeal to Go
Lunches
Cheese Quesadillas, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Tossed Salad, Tuna Sandwiches
Dinners
Apple Turkey Picadillo, Rice, Banana Muffins, Green Beans
Black Bean & Salmon Tostadas (I’m substituting Chicken for the Salmon), Tossed Salad, Sliced Apples
Hot Chile Grilled Cheese, Fruit Salad, Steamed Cauliflower
Marmalade Chicken, Rolls, Green Beans
Dinner with our Sunday School class (we are bringing dessert)
Dinner with family x 2
Susan says
I, too, am trying to economize in the midst of West Coast food prices. My hints: Costco for milk if you can use two gallons at a time. Otherwise, the dollar store.
For produce, I stick to the weekly loss leaders (which will be peak of season fruits and veggies).
Would read any guest posts from West Coast shoppers with great interest.
Jamie says
Log into your e-coupon account and click on “my coupons” then “my reedemed coupons” that should show you what the coupon was for.
Banana’s here are $.56/lb but the one’s Gretchen bought were managers special marked down to $.19/lb we generally won’t buy those for eating but they are great for baking.
My trouble with the grocery haul posts is that it’s not realistic for my family, we eat mostly whole organic foods whenever possible and maintain a good size stockpile. But each family is different and not every post on every blog will be for me, read what is useful and move on.
ClareC. says
If the hot chile sandwich really does taste like chile rellenos then I’m going to have to try that one! Thanks for sharing your shopping trip and menu info, Gretchen.
Jennifer says
I would be really interested in seeing someone’s real food grocery haul who lives in my local area (Southern California). The trouble I have with some of these inexpensive hauls is that the prices are just nowhere near what they are out here. For example, bananas are usually $.67 lb or $.19 each. In this post, they are $.35 a pound. That’s a big difference! I worked out what the Aldi haul would cost out here and figured it would be at least $8 more. When the total is only $36, eight dollars is pretty significant. Does any of that make sense?
Erin says
I hear you! That’s one of the reasons I don’t really care for grocery trip posts, though I do love the weekly menus. It doesn’t seem to matter which blog I read, the prices ALWAYS seem to be higher than my area–and I don’t live in New York–or California, for that matter 😉 I just bought that Simple Truth milk. It was $6.49–even a manager’s special wouldn’t bring it down anywhere near $1.99. Cheese is $1.79 only after sale and/or coupons (no Aldi here yet), eggs are around $1.99, and bananas .49/lb. That said, the prices here are closer to what I pay than previous posts. Guess that means my prices will be going up. 🙁
TopPic says
Jennifer: I am assuming if you are paying .19 each for bananas, that you are getting them at Trader Joes (its a great price). In general, that will be the best price for Southern California . When others are paying the .35 cents a pound, they are generally paying .14-.16 cents per banana pending on the size. (When I am at Trader Joes, I usually buy the large ones which is two servings and eat 1/2 at a time). When I am in Southern Ca. I find shopping at Target Trader Joes, and Costco are the better prices overall. Costco has some great prices on milk, eggs etc. but that would depend on if you need bulk in items like the eggs and want to pay for the membership . Also Costco has those See’s candy coupons you can buy at a discount. I am from Chicago, and we do not have them at ours (we only have a couple of See’s candy shops out this way.) Safeway on many occasions have great buys on cheese (my Safeway out her is called Dominick’s). For consistent pricing in Southern Ca. that would be again Trader Joes (when others raise prices, they do their own thing) From what I have been told, Trader Joes pays cash for their products thus passes the savings onto the consumer. Also some of them (Long Beach on PCH) has the BEST salads I have ever found anywhere in any state! I counted over 50 different types of salads..my favorite the Loui and Pasadena. I can not get those here nor do we have even close to that selection. Also if you go to Costco, check out there prices on meat and chicken. Here, Costco has excellent quality of meat and their prices are cheaper then sale prices at grocery stores (not sure if this is true where you are though). Also look at Walgreens, Rite-Aid etc. ads each week for some great buys especially stacking coupons with the sales.
Angela says
Absolutely. I’d love to start seeing someone do a similar weekly post for west coasters. Prices are way different here than where Gretchen is… just for milk we pay 3.25, and that’s the lowest price I can find. The weekly menu plans are great for getting ideas of things I can look for on sale in my own stores, but if I bought everything on this grocery list, even if I went to several stores (wasting more gas), I would be spending right around $50.
Crystal says
I know there are lots of fantastic West Coast blogs out there. If you have one and are sharing your weekly deal trips, I’d LOVE to have you share your blog link!
Melanie says
Agreed, I’d love to see some good West Coast deal blogs. I live in northern NV not far from CA and the prices here are higher than what I usually see posted. Though I appreciate your blog in every way Crystal. You have helped and encouraged me!
Laura says
Jennifer,
I also live in SoCal and I generally will shop at Cardenas or El Super for produce (or price match at Walmart). There are great deals on Wednesdays, this past week bananas were 33 cents/lb, pomegranates 33 cents each, grape fruits 7 lb/$1, sweet potatoes 33cents/lb, and so much more. Do you have any Mexican markets nearby, they have the lowest prices for produce? I shop at Trader Joes for organic fruits/veggies on the dirty dozen list, but anything with a think skin or on the lowest pesticide list I get at the Mexican market. I usually spend only $5-10 and bring home many bags of produce!
Jenni says
I’m curious about something – it seems like your purchases usually reflect enough food for one week at a time, i.e. you don’t seem to stock up too much on a lot. The reason I’m asking is that I’ve tried shopping more for what we need in one week, and have noticed my grocery budget come down ALOT. Do you find that it saves you more money to shop for just what you need versus stocking up on big sales?
Karen says
I really like reading your grocery posts Gretchen! I will be doing my Aldi’s trip tomorrow and look forward to seeing what deals I can find!
Traci says
Kroger on the receipt an e coupon shows right under the applicable item
Erin says
But there’s nothing $3 or over for the ecoupon to attach to. Maybe it was an adjustment from customer service or a prize from one of their instant win sweepstakes?