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!