Two days ago J.T. and I ventured out to our first farmer's market. My mother would argue that this was technically not my first farmer's market experience. I, unfortunately, have no memory of going to the market as a child. I bought three different food items at the market, including ½ dozen eggs, sweet potatoes, and turnip greens. Although the prices are not cheaper than the grocery store, I would argue that they are no more expensive. I would consider not paying 9% sales tax on groceries as a huge incentive to head to the farmer's market. Doing research beforehand allowed me to make purchases from vendors that used organic and hormone/antibiotic-free practices. I was disappointed with the small amount of vendors at Home Grown Alabama. One of the main reasons I wanted to attend was to get prices on local beef, pork, and eggs. The eggs, along with a variety of produce, were the only items present on Thursday. I am not sure if the Farmer's market will be a weekly occurrence for J.T. and I, but I hope to eventually incorporate it into my shopping routine.
My shopping trip to Publix seemed small, at least in quantity, not price. Many of my purchases ranged from $5.00 to $6.00 an item. I am still building my "real food" pantry. Since I cannot stay within my budget and replenish everything at once, I have been gradually adding an item or two each week – hence the maple syrup and quinoa. If you go back and look at my first Publix blog posts, you will notice a big change in the foods I am purchasing now. I am most definitely not buying anything with GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Please watch this short video and get informed.
I was in the dark just a few months ago and now this is a subject that is dear to my heart. You have the right to know what is in your food. You will probably hear me speak more about this issue later, but that is an entirely different blog post. I spent $57.99 on groceries for the week (this total includes the $8.00 spent at the farmer's market). I only had $7.75 in coupons to put toward food items L. Although I used $5.55 in other coupons for toiletry items and dog treats, I have decided that since this is a food blog, I will only post my food purchases. Pictured below are my groceries from Publix and the Farmer's market (the large Ziploc bags are holding my clean turnip greens which I wrapped in paper towels).
- Dairy
- Publix Greenwise Organic Milk @ $5.99
- Silk Almond milk @ $3.49
- $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $2.49
- ½ dozen eggs @ $2.00 (Farmer's Market)
- Grocery
- (1) Publix Greenwise Organic Oats @ $1.99
- (1) Publix Greenwise Organic Coffee @ $5.99
- (1) Heinz Organic Ketchup @ $3.19
- $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $2.19
- (1) Spring Tree Grade B Maple Syrup @ $5.29
- (1) Arrowhead Mills Organic Quinoa @ $5.99
- Meat
- 2 lbs. Publix Greenwise Ground Chuck @ $5.49/lb. - $11.25
- Frozen
- (3) Birds Eye frozen peas @ 50% off - $3.00
- Cascadian Farm Organic Spinach @ $2.69
- $0.75/1 manufacturer coupon - $1.94
- Produce
- Organic bananas @ $0.99/lb. - $2.23
- 12 oz. Publix White Mushrooms @ $1.99
- 2 lbs. Sweet Potatoes @ $1.50/lb. - $3.00 (Farmer's market)
- 1 bunch Turnip Greens @ $3.00 (Farmer's market)
$5.00 off $30.00 purchase Winn-Dixie competitor coupon
Total before coupons $65.74
Less: coupons used (7.75)
Total with Tax $57.99
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