Organic Shopping on a Budget

     Ok so here is the deal for this month. Usually my grocery budget is $400, and I broke it down for you in the last post where that money usually goes. This month I did my usual big shopping trip at the beginning of the month at Superstore, spending $270.81 so I could get the 25$ gift card. Now, unfortunately, this shopping trip took place BEFORE I decided to overhaul the way we eat. Though about $70 of it went towards things like diapers, cat litter and toilet paper, about 200$ of it was wasted. Wasted? Maybe lets not call it that... lets call it a $200 donation to the food bank! So, if you want you can count the full $270.81 but I am only going to count $70.81. Call it a grocery shopping Mulligans.... So now, here is how the rest of the month has gone so far:

First stop, Costco! First trip there I spent $93.94 on these goodies:

Best deals? The giant box of wipes on sale for 15$. Plus Kirkland brand doesn't use animal testing, so I like them! Also the coconut butter and Lara Bars, which I mentioned last post. 

That same day I also went to Save On Foods and picked up all of these goodies for $168.63. Though the organic whole wheat flour was on sale and I had a store coupon for 2 for 1 toilet paper, I will definitely save my shopping there for 15% off Tuesdays. Right there I would have saved about 25$.

They had not a bad selection of organic produce. Definitely better than Superstore's. 

That shopping was done on the day that I cleaned out my kitchen. Upon seeing how bare it was, I went back to Costco the next day and spent $35.80 on these goodies:

That huge bag of organic coconut sugar was a steal for under 12$. Cheaper than the other places I looked. 

I also stopped in at Big Bend Market that day, since it is on the same side of town as Costco. It is an awesome store that stocks products from local farmers. Sylvan Star farms is where the cheese is from, and I drive past it on the way out to Sylvan Lake. Great products that are local, and lots of organic, antibiotic and hormone free options. It is more expensive though I won't lie, here is what $32.83 looks like shopping there:

Have to say, the cheese is amazing!

My last shopping day included a trip to Superstore and then to Bulk Barn. I went to Superstore last, and wish that I wouldn't have because I went a little crazy at Bulk Barn and bought some stuff that I could have gotten for a little cheaper at Superstore, not to mention that I had a 25$ gift certificate that I used. Though my total at Superstore was $54.29, I only paid $29.29 because of the gift card (I also had a coupon for the Almond Butter!). Here is what I got:

I needed the big jug of bleach to do laundry with. Haven't been able to find organic yeast anywhere (is there such a thing?) so I had to go with the regular stuff. I also picked up a bag of Vital Wheat Gluten for 7$ that is supposed to help my bread be more fluffy and less like a hockey puck. 

Lastly, I went to Bulk Barn and let loose. The whole time I walked around and put things in my cart I had an overwhelming feeling that it was going to be a pricey trip. Now that I've been there once I have a little better handle on it and I know what I need to get there, what is a good price for what I'm getting, etc... As you can see I got lots of nuts and seeds, some pasta, dried beans, cereal and flour. Here is what $75.41 looks like at Bulk Barn (after I used my 3$ coupon from the newspaper flyer... love my coupons!)

One thing I will say is that they had a few really hard to find items. Best buy was that big bag of whole wheat pastry flour for about 4$. I made pizza dough with it last night as well as brownies and they both turned out awesome! 

      Now for those of you adding along with us at home, my total for the month thus far is $506.71 ($706.71 if you count my food bank donation). So yes, I made some allowances this month and had to dip into my own pocket money to make this month work. I had to buy a lot of "start up" products that I won't normally have to buy every month. The real test is going to be next month, to see how far $400 will go when I have a fresh start with the budget and a properly stocked pantry. If you are wondering how I am going to make the rest of the month work right now, well I have a little trick up my sleeve! I actually have another 25$ gift card to Superstore that didn't get used a couple of months ago and is still kicking around in my purse. I plan to use it for some milk and produce towards the end of the month, and maybe some cheese and yogurt too. I have a bit of meat in my freezer that was also bought before this kick started, so I plan to use it up by the end of the month. Call it cheating if you will, a Momma's gotta do what a Momma's gotta do.... 

In a few days I will do another post on some of the meals we have been eating. How easy they are to make and if my family eats them or not! Now, time to go start thinking about supper....

Update: I just realized that all those numbers I crunched aren't right. I actually spent 15$ on a pizza stone at Save on Foods and $3.50 on a chocolate mold at Bulk Barn. Because I would't count those items as groceries but instead as "household misc." they would come out of a different budget. So, what I have actually spent on groceries thus far is actually $488.21 and not $506.71.... hey, every penny counts!

The Coupon Queen Goes Organic....

      OMG I have been grocery shopping more in the last week than I have in the last 2 months combined.... Though I've only been on this kick for a week now I can tell you that there is a learning curve. It has been a little hard for me because I usually take my grocery budget quite seriously, and this month, well... some allowances had to be made. When I started out last year with a 400$ budget for groceries, including food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, pet needs, diapers, paper products, etc... it was tricky. (Yes... 400$ for EVERYTHING... ALL HOUSEHOLD NEEDS! INCLUDING DIAPERS!) But, I learned how to shop sales, coupon, take advantage of 15% off Tuesday and most recently, the deal that goes on at the beginning of the month at Superstore. If you are unaware, during the first week of the month, Superstore will give you a 25$ gift card when you spend over 250$ (which is easy to do, especially when buying diapers!).
      Normally what I have been doing is spending about 250$ in the first week at Superstore, then another 100$ the next week at Costco. That leaves me with 50$ for the next 2 or 3 weeks (depending what month it is) to buy things like milk and some produce. I am able to make it work because, when money is tight towards the end of the month, I can always go back to Superstore and use the 25$ gift card that I got at the beginning of the month. I am careful to check the flyers every week so as not to miss a deal anywhere, but really most of my shopping as of late has been happening at Superstore and Costco. And boy do I love my coupons! I am hoping that soon my same thrifty-ness (is that a word?) will be applied to our new lifestyle. Already I have learned so, so much in only a week. Here are my top tips thus far:

1. When making a switch like this, expect to spend about 100$ more the first month that you usually would due the change, for things like changing over to organic condiments and organic whole wheat flour, pasta, etc... as well as some new odds and ends such as coconut oil (something that I only learned about last week.) These are things that you don't necessarily buy every month, but you need them to get started. I suppose if you were less manic than I am you could just slowly make those changes, buying the new stuff as you run out of the old... I seem to like to jump into things head-first for some reason...

2. Costco has some great deals on organic stuff. My favorite so far? A toss up between the giant tub of coconut oil for 17$ (I saw one today that was the same price but less than half the size!) and my box of yummy Lara bars, 18 of them for less than 16$ (which works out to less than .90 a bar, when usually they are sold for 2$ a bar!)

3. Superstore has a surprisingly good selection of organic stuff... not so much produce but tones of baking supplies, cleaning and beauty products, dairy products, frozen stuff, etc... I was actually amazed a little today... and glad that I will still be able to do a lot of my shopping there!

4. It is very easy to go a little crazy at Bulk Barn... be warned!

5. You don't have to do all your shopping at Nutters, I actually have yet to go there!

6. Expect to spend more on your meat and cheese, you get what you pay for!

7. Organization at dinnertime is key. I was in the habit of planning dinners a week at a time, but now I am seeing that I will need to plan a little for lunches as well. I noticed when I cleaned out my fridge that I had two bad habits. Firstly, I tended to buy too much produce without much of a plan for it, and some of it would inevitably go bad (better meal planning needed!) Secondly, I have a habit of making too much for dinner, winding up with leftovers. Not such a bad thing, but if I didn't "revamp" them for lunch or dinner the next day or so, they wouldn't get eaten and would inevitably go to waste. Not only do I need to plan my dinners, but I need to plan my leftovers as well so that there is less waste!

8. Organization during shopping is also key. This one I already had down pat. My system is to, each month, put the 400$ in an envelope. As I shop, the money leaves the envelope and the receipts go in. This way I can keep track of everything. I also always shop with a list and my coupons. I am so proud of my little system that I just had to take some pictures!

The folder that my mom got me. I love it! 

I have it broken down into sections. The first part is where my grocery list and envelope with money goes (as you can see, no more money and lots of receipts!) The second section is for food coupons, the third for non-food coupons, and the fourth for coupons on baby or pet products. In the back of the folder is where I keep store-specific coupons. 

9. Lastly, you can't be afraid to bake or cook. Already in one week I have made banana bread (little dry but tasty), granola that turned out fabulous, berry sauce to flavor plain yogurt and a loaf of bread that resembles a hockey puck. The point is, there is a learning curve here too. In a way, you kind of have to learn how to bake all over again. Some of the things you make will turn out and some won't. The point is to just keep going until you get it right! (or at least until you husband will eat it!)

That's all for now. I will be back again in a few days to let you know in detail about all the shopping thus far!

PS... for all of you out there that are wondering about what I feed my fur babies, well, unfortunately right now it's Fancy Feast and Purina. I am hoping to convince hubby to let me buy them the good food soon, but first I have to convince him to let me buy it for us! It is on my radar to make this change as well, I am just trying to go about it in a way that will also keep my marriage intact!

Is it Possible? Here? In Red Deer Alberta?

      Change is a brewing here in the Stewart household this week. I am excited and have been acting like a person with bi-polar disorder during a manic phase, my husband is unsure, and my daughter is unaware. Something happened this week to our relatively quiet, average household. As CEO of this family, I decided to completely revamp how we eat, and I mean COMPLETELY. From this day forward, my home will no longer house any processed food.
      It started with a little harmless thought, and then snowballed from there. As a migraine sufferer since the age of 21, I had a bad week a little while ago and suffered 4 migraines in one week. If you suffer from migraines, you know how debilitating they can be. The thing is, I had changed so much over the last 10 years that it was really frustrating me that I was still getting them. I don't smoke, eat a vegetarian diet, I even cut out red wine and coffee (coffee was the hardest!). Hubby had bought me some bags of sugary candies for valentines day, which I happily scarfed down (he knows the way to my heart!). Sure enough, the 4 migraines followed. I began to wonder if I had been missing something, maybe its food dye that had been the culprit all along? I wondered, and inevitably found myself perusing the internet to see if maybe there could be something else in what I eat that could be causing my migraines. I stumbled upon a great blog (full of resources) http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/ and it was like I was in the Matrix. The more I read, the more I felt like I was about to swallow the red pill. Then I read (in one hour while hubby watched Escape from New York) a great little book, Food Rules by Michael Pollan (I highly suggest it, as it is such an easy, straight forward read http://michaelpollan.com/books/food-rules/). That was it, I swallowed the red pill and fell down the rabbit hole.
      What followed next was the manic phase. After finishing Food Rules I told my husband that we needed to change how we eat, that I wanted to cut out processed food. He commented that he thought it would be too expensive, I assured him that I thought it was possible. He silently finished watching his movie and I took it as a green light (maybe not the best decision on my part). The next day I completely overhauled our kitchen. Virtually all processed items were removed. If it came in any kind of packaging and had any "weird ingredients" out it went. I decided that "weird" was anything that I couldn't go to the grocery store and buy (excuse me, what isle can I find the Potassium Chloride in?) or anything that I wouldn't keep in my fridge, freezer or pantry (honey, where did you put the Sodium Citrate?). Upon cleaning out my kitchen, I discovered a few things:

1. My fridge was filthy
2. My pantry and freezer were mostly full of expired items
3. Virtually every condiment I had in my fridge had food dye in it
4. I had been eating things that I couldn't even pronounce
5. I had been feeding the people I love all kinds of ingredients that I have no clue what they are
6. Just because it is "vegetarian" or "vegan-friendly" doesn't make it healthy.
7. I was going to have to start cooking and baking more.... a LOT more...

As you can imagine, most of the food in my kitchen went. My husband came home at the end of the day and freaked out. I included some before and after photos so you can see why.

My "baking cupboard" before and after. I decided that the things like the baking soda, vanilla, coco, etc could be used up and then bought organic as I go. (as a way to help lessen the financial blow that such a big change makes!) The main concern for me was getting rid of packaged stuff full of chemicals, refined flour and refined sugar.

As you can see, a lot got hucked!

I had condiments that had expired last year and didn't even know it. 

I left Hubby's beer, because I value my life. 

So much of this was expired.... 

I kept a few jars of the homemade jam even though it is made with refined sugar. The lids have my late grandfather's handwritting on them and honestly, I just like looking at them when I open the door. 

I had a helper for this part :)

And now you know why my husband freaked out... this isn't even that bare because I had already gone to Costco and bought some Lara bars, organic peanut butter, Organic tortilla chips and coconut oil!

      After getting the silent treatment for a day, he eventually came around. But he did bring up a good point. Is it possible to eat a mostly organic, whole foods diet here in Red Deer without spending a fortune every month?  Sure its all well and good to read blogs and books about people living in the States who have loads of money to spend every month at places like Earth Fare and Trader Joe's (both of which WE DON'T HAVE HERE). Yes the girl in the blog lives in a climate that has a year round farmers market and gets local milk delivered to her door every week. Yes, they can do it. The question is, can we? Can we, an average family living in Red Deer, Alberta, eat like this without spending more than about 400$ a month? (what I currently spend on groceries) I want to find out. Thus, this blog was born. I want to be accountable for every penny spent. I want to see what eating REAL FOOD costs in a world of processed food. In a few days I will post what I have learned so far about making the switch, how much it has cost so far, and how things are going. Wish me luck!