Shopping Report #1

3.5 c oats and 1.5 c bulgur wheat: $2.74 at Yes! Organic Market

Last night I went for my first shopping trip in keeping with one of my strategies: bulk foods. As I posted earlier:

Savings Strategy #1: Bulk Foods

I will go to my local organic market to see if I can save money on some items. I am not sure they will be cheaper than the supermarket, but I know what to look for in the bins: 

Bulk Foods		Price to beat
rice (1 lb)		1.29/lb
black beans (1 lb)		1.29/lb
bulgur (1.5 c)		3.00/lb
oats (2 c)		2.00/lb

   

Especially with the oats and bulgur, where I don’t need to buy a whole pound, I might find some savings over supermarket packaging that starts at one pound. If I save money here, I might be able to afford a small amount of bulk tea costing much less than the $3 the supermarket will charge.

The organic market involved walking 1.2 mi. round trip, for four items. In my day to day life I would have paid more for these items at my regular grocer for convenience.  It was exactly as I predicted: rice and beans were each substantially more than $1.29/pound ($1.99/lb for beans; cheapest rice was $1.49/lb but the kind I want to use for gallo pinto is $1.99).

The good news is that I was able to obtain my 1.5c of bulgur wheat for $1.39. The even better news is that I nearly doubled my oats purchase and bought 3.5 c for $1.35. This should help me feel more full in the mornings before lunch. I spent $2.74 of my $32.14. I have saved $2.24 over my original spending plan, which gives me a little breathing room. 

But I am anxious that my grocery store won't have a 1-pound package of rice to sell me, or that prices will be higher than posted online. I can go back to the organic market if need be for the rice and beans, but other items don't have cheaper alternatives. More later from me as I head to the farmers' market and the grocery store with my $29.40.