Do any of you ever watch Haul videos on YouTube, where people video and describe everything they just bought from a grocery store or Dollar Tree or similar store? I have no idea why they are so popular but they are popular. I must confess that I've watched quite a few myself.
I have no plans to start making videos but I did take photos of our trip to the commissary on Friday.
Commissaries are grocery stores aboard a US military base. They sell name brand and some commissary brand items. Most of them are very nice and have great prices.
We have to drive an hour to get to either of the 2 commissaries closest to us. We usually go about 1 time a month and we usually buy quite a bit.
My husband shops with me and he likes meat, which will be evident in the photos.
We are empty nesters but we feed company often and we sometimes share purchases with our family.
We budget $600 a month for all grocery and household items. Occasionally we go over that amount but the last 2 months we have been significantly under.
I'm sure our budget sounds so high to many of you. For most of our married life, our budget was much lower. But at this stage, we can afford that much and it's what works for us.
So, here is what $378 bought this week - I expect most of this will last close to 2 months.
I have no plans to start making videos but I did take photos of our trip to the commissary on Friday.
Commissaries are grocery stores aboard a US military base. They sell name brand and some commissary brand items. Most of them are very nice and have great prices.
We have to drive an hour to get to either of the 2 commissaries closest to us. We usually go about 1 time a month and we usually buy quite a bit.
My husband shops with me and he likes meat, which will be evident in the photos.
We are empty nesters but we feed company often and we sometimes share purchases with our family.
We budget $600 a month for all grocery and household items. Occasionally we go over that amount but the last 2 months we have been significantly under.
I'm sure our budget sounds so high to many of you. For most of our married life, our budget was much lower. But at this stage, we can afford that much and it's what works for us.
So, here is what $378 bought this week - I expect most of this will last close to 2 months.
Lots of dairy- we like cheese and this should last much longer than a month.
The Cooper brand cheese is only sold at commissaries, I believe.
The Tillamook is slices for sandwiches.
The flavored Philadelphia cream cheese is nice in celery and on crackers.
The yogurt drinks are not something we always buy 2 of the grands asked for them but in some areas, I do try to spoil them.
Produce - 3 pounds onions, celery, 5 pounds carrots, bananas, tomatoes on the vine
4 pounds of really nice strawberries, red grapes and my favorite kinds of yogurt.
And eggs as always
Donald Duck orange juice - hopefully a months worth
A sack with 5 packs of yesterday's 93% ground beef. They packs are almost 2 pounds, frozen, and marked down about 20%. I left them all tied up in a bag and put them in the bottom of the freezer. I think I already had a few packs bought before Christmas in the freezer and will use them first.
Melanie at Comfy House asked what kind of roast beef I buy. We like lean roasts and we really these Top Round cuts. Sometimes we buy similar ones called Eye of Round.
We bought 2 because they looked so nice. Roast makes a good meal to feed a crowd too.
Above is a pack of 4 strips steak that my husband will grill sometime, 3 packs of cube steaks to make chicken fried steaks, a pack of apple chicken sausage, and not shown is pack of Cajun chicken sausage.
We bought 3 big jugs of Snuggle fabric softener, 2 canisters of gravy mix, hamburger pickles,
6 pounds of breakfast sausage, a big Cure 81 ham that my husband will slice and then freeze for lots of sandwiches, and some jalapeño beef sausages.
We have learned to keep some convenience foods in the freezer.
We really like the Tyson chicken strips. We bake them and they are a crowd pleaser. We also like Marie Callander pot pies and some of Marie's dinners. Another shopper told us the French bread pizzas were very good so we got a couple to try.
The cheese sticks were free as my coupons exceeded their value. I would of got more but there were only 2 in the freezer.
Assorted canned goods and condiments
Some baking mixes, more condiments, a huge bag of raisins, squeeze fruit packs, drink mix and a big pack of tortillas.
I don't usually buy brownie mix but our son in law was recently craving brownies and was looking in our pantry for a brownie mix but there wasn't any. I planned to just buy 1 brownie mix but they were all on sale and looked so good so I ended up buying 4.
My favorite crackers - they are not always in stock so I got 4 because they had a good supply of them. 
Most all of these health and beauty things were bought with coupons and cost very little. I like these Presto gallon size food bags to store produce in the fridge inside, with the air squeezed out, of course.
Not shown are 3 50 count Hefty plates, 2 of the bottles of fabric softener and a giant case of 48 packs of Ramen noodles for our oldest son.
I didn't buy many canned foods, dry goods or baking goods as there are plenty still in our pantry.
I get most of our household cleaners and papergoods at CVS.
I buy milk in shelf stable cartons at Dollar Tree.
We eat chicken often but I got so much chicken on sale at the commissary right before Christmas that we didn't need to buy any more yet.
We will need more fresh produce in a week or 2 and I will probably shop for it at Aldi or Sprouts, depending on what they have on sale.
Oooh, I want some of those mini saltine crackers! I'll be on the lookout for those!
ReplyDeleteTammy, hope you find some. I don't know why they taste so much better than regular size saltines but they do!
DeleteGreat buys and you did score a lot of food for those bucks!
ReplyDeleteThank you Anne. I'm thankful we can keep a well stocked kitchen,
DeleteWow! That is a haul! Great job! =)
ReplyDeleteThank you TraceyBee, nice to meet you 😄 I visited your blog and like it so much,
DeleteFYI-Cooper cheese is sold outside of commissaries. I've only seen it sold in blocks and/or sliced at the deli counter here(or slicing cheese sold in whole 5lb. blocks at the restaurant supply store). I've never seen it sold shredded in bags or Cooper brand cream cheese out East.
ReplyDeleteI was drooling at the roasts....great price too!
Thanks for the info on Cooper cheese.
DeleteYes, the commissary roasts are drool-worthy. This store has the nicest fresh meat counter.
I don't think that budget is excessive. You have lots of grands and seem to take food to others quite often.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo shoot of your haul! I think its useful to see how others shop....you can always pick up a tip or two.
Thank you. For 2 people, it does sound like so much but you are right that we are feeding others very often.
DeleteYou know I love those hauls too! Looks like the makings of a lot of great meals there. It may be only the two of you, but have you ever just had the "two of you" for dinnertime, with your lovely big family? I'm glad that you can enjoy your meals with so many. Now I must go eat, you're haul has made me hungry. Ha!
ReplyDeleteHugs
Jane
Hi Jane, watching those haul videos is interesting. I like learning what other people think of products.
DeleteYou are right that meals with just 2 of us are pretty rare.
Too bad you live so far away as I'd be glad to share this haul with you ❤
Our son is in the Air Force and I am always amazed by the great prices when we have gone with them. Can you tell me about the Country Gravy mix? I have seen it at Sam's and wondered how it tastes.
ReplyDeleteLana, we like the gravy mix. It's not gourmet but it works for us. Sometimes I add more black pepper, it's also a lot faster and fewer calories than making cream gravy the traditional way with dripping, flour and milk.
DeleteThe gravy mix in the canister is the same as the gravy mix in the envelopes. You might want to try a small package before you try a canister full.
This is the gravy I make whenever I make chicken fried steaks and mashed potatoes, it also reheats perfectly.
Thanks for the feedback! I don't think I have ever seen small packs of that brand so I may just give a canister a try.
DeleteYou did really great. My sister talks about going there too and what great deals they get. It really helps the budget.
ReplyDeleteThank you Vickie, we like the prices at the commissary. We also like the atmosphere at the commissary, it may be busy sometimes but it's not crazy like Walmart can be. Nobody wears pajamas, the shoppers are polite, that kind of stuff,
DeleteHi Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteI read this post with excitement. Our grocer is currently having their semi-annual case lot sale. I've circled needed items on the sales flyer, also known as my grocery list, and I'm on my way to stock up until the next case lot sale in September.
Blessings,
Mrs.B
I don't think your monthly budget is excessive...you're always feeding grandkids or having a lot of people at your house for family meals! It was interesting to see your grocery haul.
ReplyDelete