Thursday, February 15, 2007

Not Much To Say

Today was the member appreciation day at our local food co-op. To celebrate, members get 10% off all purchases. However, because we volunteer 8 hours a month, we received 25% off, instead of our usual 20% discount. We still managed to spend $124 after the discount. Yikes! There are a couple things I shouldn't have bought.

Can you spot the culprits to driving up the bill? Which item cost $30, $20, $10, and $7.



Give up?

The coffee on the far right cost $30. I usually buy the sale coffee, but I sprung for the local expensive roast and bought 3 pounds. Whoops.

The maple syrup on the far left cost $20. I bought it in bulk and it still cost a fortune. It was cheaper in Oregon. This spring I'm making my own so I will no longer be a slave to the maple syrup price fluctuations.

The raw organic almonds in the center cost $10. Next time I'll buy the non-organic. They are a third the cost right now for some reason. In fact, the sliced ones pictured to the right of the whole almonds in the glass jar with the red lid, only cost $5.

The Cedar Grove organic mozzerella cost $7. This one I don't regret. It's the best moz I've ever had-and from Wisco.

So my lesson learned? I really have to set up a grocery budget and keep track of our monthly grocery spending. But I won't give up coffee.

10 Comments:

At 12:05 AM, Blogger Carla said...

Yikes, your maple syrup sure is pricy. I thought it was pricy here...it's about double what I pay in Quebec. I just bought a litre and it cost me $14 Canadian. Non-organic almonds are probably an okay choice. I don't think nut trees are sprayed. At least around here they're not, so they tend to be fairly safe even if they're non-organic. Good cheese is definitely worth the money.

 
At 12:06 AM, Blogger Carla said...

Oh, something to add...I love lemonade made with fresh squeezed lemons and maple syrup mixed in water. Simple but delish...I'm sure you already have a multitude of uses.

 
At 8:31 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

yeah,good organic coffee is bonkers in price but for me too it is justified. Maple syrup is pricey here too. We just use it very sparingly between the five of us. We do go through alot of honey which I buy by the 5 lb. jars. Cost is around $13 or $14.
Good cheese is a must.
Really,I don't think your total bill was too bad. How long will this big purchase last you?

 
At 2:20 PM, Blogger Stephanie Appleton said...

$124 Yikes!

Can't wait to hear about the maple syrup making. Do you need any taste testers?

 
At 4:24 PM, Blogger BurdockBoy said...

Carla:
I have no idea why the local maple syrup was so much. I know other places where it's a little cheaper. I guess I'll buy it there next time.

I used to make lemonade with maple syrup, but haven't for awhile. It is great. I have a great vegan cookie recipe that uses maple syrup. I'll have to put it on here.

Kim: Often times one of the roasts are only $6.99-$8.99 lb. on sale. I need to stick with the sales or buy from a buying club and get like 10 lbs.

A lot of the stuff will last awhile and I have several meals planned. I am curious what I spend in a month.

Stephanie:
I made 2 gallons of maple syrup a couple years ago, but then moved out west where maple syruping doesn't exist. I cook it on an open wood fire in an old barrel cut in half. It's a bit smoky and has some iron content, but I still like it-especially for cooking. Check in April, I will be posting the process.

 
At 12:16 AM, Blogger Carla said...

I hope you do post that cookie recipe that uses maple syrup. I love good recipes that don't use refined white sugar. I'll be watching for it.

 
At 11:27 AM, Blogger peppylady (Dora) said...

A person must eat.

I'm one who 98% time takes my list and buys what is on it.

But their plenty of time I've passed up a good bargain.

 
At 12:43 PM, Blogger The Fool said...

Burdock: Cool post. When this came up on the screen, the framing was just the first paragraph and the photo. I was ready to play. Then I read on. It might be fun to try this again sometime as a "Price Is Right" w/o immediate disclosure. It would have been real interesting to check guesses aginst the facts...as prices depend on availability regionally as well as the organic-inorganic factor. It'd be cool to see how neighborhoods compare. Just a notion. Have a great day.

 
At 8:33 PM, Blogger Dancingfarmer said...

Yep, I agree with the maple syrup---and the price is about that around here (maple syrup milk on ice is one of my favorites!). We also splurge on Point Reyes brand blue cheese. Only blue I really like--so I can appreciate your mozzarella expenditure too.
Have a good one---hope that colic is better.
Monica

 
At 12:33 AM, Blogger BurdockBoy said...

Carla:
I'll be sure to put the cookie recipe on soon. It really is great. I'll also put it metric.

peppylady:

I usually stick to my list, unless I go there with out one. Then I'm in trouble.

T.Fool:
I actually wanted to put numbers on all of the products in photoshop. Then have a list of all of the prices to compare. I wasn't very motivated so this was as far as I made it. Maybe a future project....

Monica:
I put maple syrup on a lot of my food. I haven't tried Reyes blue cheese. Of course I am more of a feta fan. Also in the picture is Valpraiso Sheep Feta from France. The king of feta cheese.

The colic is a bit better. The swing has helped. Thanks.

 

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