Publix – November 16, 2012

     I am a day late getting my weekly grocery blog post up.  We have been dealing with a sick doggie the past few days.  Otis has an infection on his foot.  We noticed a few days ago that he was excessively licking his paw, an unusual behavior even for him.  Saturday morning resulted in a visit to the vet and I am so thankful we went.   The vet gave him a steroid shot, fluid medicine for his ears, and a two week round of antibiotics.  I found it hilarious that we had to pick his medicine up at Publix Pharmacy.  The medicine bottle even read “OTIS SPANN (CANINE).”  With this little medical scare, I have come to realize that I treat our dog more like a child, than a pet.  I even stayed home with him this morning during the early service at church.  My sweet doggie slept with his head in my lap and he was finally able to get a little rest.  The antibiotics have made Otis feel lousy, but he did perk up for a little fetch later in the day.   We are hoping our boy will get better soon!  I am going to try to keep up with my biweekly blog posts during the holidays, so hopefully I will do better next week! 

·         Dairy

o   1 gallon Publix Greenwise Organic Milk @ $5.99

o   Eggland’s Best Organic Eggs @ $4.69

§  $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $3.69

o   1 lb. Organic Valley unsalted butter @ $5.99

§  $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $4.99

·         Grocery

o   Publix Greenwise Organic Coffee @ $5.99

o   Publix Greenwise Organic Oats @ $1.99

o   Publix Greenwise Organic toasted oats cereal @ $3.79

o   2 lbs. King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat flour @ $2.42

·         Meat

o   2 lbs. Springer Mountain Farms (antibiotic free) boneless, skinless chicken breast @ $4.99/lb. – $10.88

·         Frozen

o   (2) Bird’s Eye frozen peas @ 50% off - $2.00

o   Pictsweet Frozen Brussels @ $2.50

·         Produce

o   Crushed Red Pepper Flakes @ $1.00

o   5 ¾  lbs. Sweet potatoes @ $0.49/lb. - $2.81

o   Organic bananas @ $0.99/lb. - $2.14

o   Del-Monte Pineapple @ $2.99

§  $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $1.99

·         Other

o    Reynolds foil @ $2.99

§  $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $1.99

Total before coupons              $63.26

Less: coupons used                    (4.00)

Total with Tax                        $59.26

Publix & Home Grown Alabama Farmer’s Market – September 28, 2012

     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

 

Changes…Publix – September 14, 2012

     My trip to the grocery store this week was definitely different. One of the biggest changes I made was increasing my grocery budget to $60 a week. I am contemplating allowing this $60 to go toward both food and toiletry items. This will allow me to put extra money toward food, during the weeks that I do not purchase any toiletry items. I am happy to report that everything I purchased this week, with the exception of my almond milk, has less than five ingredients or is a whole food in itself. Many of the items on my grocery list were organic – probably more than I have ever bought before. Publix has a great store brand line of organic products, but it is still frustrating to not be able to find things such as organic cheese, dried beans, canned Pumpkin, etc. I refuse to shop 5 different places for groceries, so I guess I will take what is available. 
     I was able to find J.T. organic cereal (that only has 4 ingredients!) for $1.96 a box. I know, I know, I have said before that you should not pay more than $1.50 for a box of cereal, but my logic has changed recently. According to Robyn O' Brien, author of Inspired Bites for Prevention Magazine, organic "standards include a national list of approved synthetic and prohibited non-synthetic substances for organic production which means that organically produced foods also must be produced without the use of:

• Antibiotics
• artificial growth hormones
• high fructose corn syrup
• artificial dyes (made from coal tar and petrochemicals)
• artificial sweeteners
• synthetically created chemical pesticide and fertilizers
• genetically engineered proteins and ingredients
• sewage sludge
• irradiation"

The second to last point - sewage sludge - really got me. Why would I pay more for organic food? The 9 reasons listed above, along with the desire to reduce future medical expenses, serve as my motivation. That is enough about organic food for now. I spent a total of $57.12 on groceries this week and even managed to scrounge up a few coupons!

• Dairy
  • (1) gallon Publix Greenwise 2% Organic Milk @ $5.99
  • (1) 6 oz. container Fage 2% Greek Yogurt @ $1.50
  • (1) block Cabot Vermont Sharp Cheese @ $2.50
    • $1.00/1 manufacturer coupon - $1.50
  • (1) ½ gallon Almond Breeze Almond Milk @ $2.50
• Grocery
  • (1) container Publix Greenwise Organic Oats @ $1.99
  • (3) boxes Kashi Simply Maize Organic Corn Cereal @ $8.97
    • (3) $0.70/1 manufacturer coupon & $1.00/3 Target coupon - $5.87 or $1.96 each
  • (1) bag Publix Greenwise Organic Coffee @ $5.99
  • (1) can Publix Pumpkin Puree @ $1.49
  • 1 lb. dried Black Beans @ $1.69
  • (1) can Publix Greenwise Organic Diced Tomatoes @ $1.49
  • (1) can Giorgio Organic Mushrooms @ $0.95
  • (2) cans Bumble Bee White Albacore Tuna @ $3.00
    • $1.00/2 manufacturer coupon - $2.00 or $1.00 each
  • (2) Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds (BOGO)@ $3.39
    • $1.00/2 manufacturer coupon - $2.39 or $1.20 each
  • (1) container Publix Greenwise Organic sunflower seeds @ 20% off - $2.15
  • (1) 2 lb. bag King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat Flour @ $2.79
• Meat
  • 1 lb. white shrimp @ $6.99/lb.
• Frozen
  • (1) 16 oz. package Publix frozen peas @ $1.59
• Produce
  • Organic bananas @ $0.99/lb. - $2.34
  • 1 lb. Organic peaches @ $1.65
  • 1 lemon @ $0.67
  • 1 lb. Publix Greenwise Organic Carrots @ $1.29/lb.
  • 2 onions @ $0.89
  • 1 bunch scallions @ $0.60
  • 1 garlic bulb @ $0.36
   
  $5.00 off $25.00 purchase Save-A-Lot competitor coupon
  
  Total before coupons         $68.22
  Less: coupons used            (11.10)
  Total with Tax                   $57.12