Black Friday Shopping

Last week I posted a list of ways we cut our grocery bill down to only $600 a month to feed our family of 8. I started thinking it might be helpful if I posted some actual numbers and meals.

As I mentioned in my post last week we vary our grocery budget throughout the year:

 Six months of the year we spend $400 a month
Six months of the year we spend $500 a month and stock up on pantry items
Two months of the year we spend $900 a month and stock up on meat items

This month is a pantry stock up month so we have a budget of $500 for the entire month. I break that down to $100 a week for meal items and $100 for pantry stock up items. I usually do our stock up shopping on the first of the month and this month I wasn't letting a little thing like Black Friday stand in my way. I did however sleep in till noon (thanks hubby!) and take my sweet time getting to the store. I had no interest in joining in with the insanity of Black Friday shopping so I stuck with just Costco and Aldi.

Costco 

Pantry Items:
25lbs sugar $10.49
25lbs flour $7.99
5lbs broccoli $6.39
5lbs green beans $5.99
3lbs coffee $10.99Chicken Base $5.99
10lbs rice $4.99

Meal Items:
5 lbs Mozzarella $14.39
#10 can tomato sauce $2.69
64oz eggnog $4.29

Total: $74.20

Aldi

Pantry:
10lbs potatoes $1.99
3 dozen eggs $4.77
Baking cocoa $2.19
Black pepper $1.99
Olive oil $2.99
3lbs butter $6.87
Freezer bags $1.69

Meal Items:
10 loafs Wheat bread $4.90
Turkey Deli Meat $3.29
Ham deli Meat $3.29
Iceberg lettuce $1.19
Diapers $4.99
Carrots $1.39
Salami $2.99
Breakfast sausage $4.78
Baby carrots $1.29
Biscuits $4.36
Bell peppers $1.59
2 gallons Skim milk $5.62
Peanut butter $3.49
Pancake syrup $1.79
Oyster crackers $0.89

Toiletries:
Deodorant $2.59
Mouthwash $1.79
Body wash $0.99
Toilet paper $6.99

Total: $82.19

 While I am buying bulk items I like to plan that weeks meals around at least one of the bulk items I purchase. This week I planned my menu around a $2.69  #10 can of tomato sauce. For those unfamiliar with the #10 cans available at Costco they are MASSIVE cans usually meant for use in a cafeteria or restaurant. The #10 can of tomato sauce is 105 ounces, or 6lbs 5oz, of sauce. That is a lot of sauce! You have two options when dealing with such a large cans, portioning it out into individual baggies and freezing them for later use or using the food item in several meals. I think it is much easier to just store the food item in the fridge and use it throughout the week. So this week I am planning to use the sauce in pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, and sloppy joe's,

Some of the meals we have planned this week include:
Breakfast:
Baked Oatmeal
Pancakes
Sausage Biscuits
Sausage gravy and Biscuits
Scrambled eggs with turkey and cheese

Lunch:
Sandwiches
Chicken noodle soup
Leftovers

Dinner:
Pizza
Sloppy Joes
BBQ Brisket
Spaghetti
Italian Pork Chops
Chicken sliders
Leftovers

Did you do any amazing shopping this holiday weekend? I am quite happy with my pantry stock up items!