Grocery Debacle

 I'm fine-tuning the budget.  As one does when prices go up.

Beyond tracking my grocery budget, which is at or below the "thrifty" level of the USDA food cost thingy. 

https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/media/file/CostofFoodSep2022Thrifty.pdf

For one old chick: 51-70 years $51.30/week  $222.50/month.

I thought I could do better.  I have in the past.  

So, I did a couple of things.

In the grocery budget, I made a subheading for spending called "crap" meaning candy, industrial kombucha, sugary treats at the farmers market.  Stuff I can live without or make myself.   

In October the "crap" category was about 27% of the spending!  That's about 50$ last month of my actual spend at the grocery store and farmers market.  Without that 50$ of crap, I had plenty of nutrition and calories and variety.   If I repurpose even 1/2 that amount into DIY treats or some local meat that will be a better option.  Cooking treats at home with the honey/cocoa/etc I have in stock is not "crap", for the record.

We'll see if I manage that this month.  The only trip to a grocery store this month I spent 3$ on crap!  Granted, it was a good deal for what I got, really high quality dark chocolate, but I did not need it.  Damn that discount grocery store.

NOOOOO!!!!! Leslie Jordan Has Suddenly Died

 I am so sad,

Here is a link to some of this megastar's best work:

https://youtu.be/SFbzbWnUgQs?t=190

Soooo...APPARENTLY....I had the 'Rona

 Also apparently, the Red Cross tested me for antibodies when I donated blood in May of this year.  They had stopped the antibody testing ages ago.  I didn't realize they had re-started for a short time to find "convalescent plasma" donor options.   I think they aren't testing again...

ANYWAY...I was booking or rebooking an appointment for the future and was looking through my old vitals and whatnot from past appointments because, why not.  I have great blood pressure and sometimes my heart rate is so low they have to call HQ for permission to drain my blood.  They say things like "no, she's fine, just calm" or "I guess she meditates" and then they can do it.

On the May appointment record was also a covid antibody test that said "Reactive +"

When one has the vaccine and an immune response to it, you get "Reactive" but no "+".  So I looked that up!  I had enough antibodies for convalescent plasma donations (to help those who are sick).  

You have to have "had" the disease or at least mounted a major immune response to it.

I had tested my nose several times through spring before travel or when I was seeing someone with a compromised immune system.   And in the spring when I sneezed once and once when I was tired on a Friday.  All negative.   Interesting.

As far as I know, I didn't infect anyone fragile!  I hope!!  There was a time when everyone at work but me and another woman were out sick.  She also has "never had" the 'rona.  But people she lives with have had it multiple times.

Probably she and I had those no-symptom cases I've heard about.  I figured I would be one who had that but was also enjoying that I might be the LAST person to get it.  Guess not!

I'm fairly glad to know I've had it.  More immune having had vaccine and the disease than either one alone and I've had my vaccines.  And a booster.  Cool.

In much much sadder news...Loretta Lynn died today.  

Here are links to a couple of songs that were banned from radio and something more recent:

Rated X about divorced women being treated poorly 

https://youtu.be/SVlnhB3xPtY

The Pill...about birth control and how important that is:

https://youtu.be/E2pd1l0i0A8

And something she did with Jack White because...why not!

https://youtu.be/11tjR5ZflSw

RIP Loretta.

Juanita Turns 200,000

 Miles that is...

Juanita being the Honda I bought in early 2021, like February or something.  I could look that up but I can't be arsed. 

Here's the blog post where I talked about it:

https://simplicityandfrugality.blogspot.com/2021/03/brand-new-extremely-used-car.html

SO...yesterday I had extra running around to do after work, which wasn't frugal but crap comes up sometimes and there you go.

Headed to Moscow and noticed that Juanita was at 199,982 a bit south of my place (which is north of Moscow).  Cool.  By the time I left Moscow, where the aforementioned run-aroundery took place, I was nearly at the big 200k.

Here are actual before and after photos: 

BEFORE

AFTER

Here's how she looks as of earlier this week

Note the new sticker...bit small but makes her look large and in charge

Closer view of the sticker:

I put one on each front door.  They look like the real agency stickers but smaller and with more 'sqatch.

I have had the vehicle for 19 months and put 34,000 miles on it.  That is an average of 1789miles per month, give or take.  About normal for me.  I used to average 30,000/year.  This would be 21,500 per year.   A few more on on the pick up, but with a busted odometer, no one knows how many.  

ANYWAY:  5000$ purchase price.  About 1200$ in tires and repairs (tune up earlier and brakes recently).  6200$ for 34000 miles...  Ownership and major repair costs as of now:  16cents/mile

IF she goes to 300,000 miles, assuming I will need more brakes and something else, and tires that would end up at about 7500$ total (because I did pads and rotors this time, rotors should last so next brake job should be less)  for 134,000 miles is 5.6cents per mile...nice!  We'll see if that happens.

Incidental Frugality

 I'm doing a month of "no industrial bread type products" as a diet experiment.  I do like my diet experiments...this one did NOT result in intestinal distress.   Suddenly-Keto...that one went bad on me. Oops!

Anyway, this month has been no industrially produced bread, wraps, tortillas, chips, pasta, etc.  No carby things from big factories.  I am buying a bit of bread and maybe a 1x per week sugary treat from local bakers at a farmers market.  As a result, the salt and the processed food are way lower.

As a side effect...my grocery costs are WAY down.

The grainy-carby things I have at home are whole dried hominy and chicos (corn stuff) from a past trip to Santa Fe, some wheat berries (the stuff that comes off the wheat plant before it is ground up into flour), and I recently added some millet because it was cheap and I wanted to try it.

I've been canning dry black beans with the hominy and/or chicos.  EXCELLENT!  It takes the same amount of time and butane to can 4 pints of beans an corn as it would to cook a meal's worth.  I end up with 4 instant meals.  So far I haven't even heated them up.  Just eaten right out of the jar.  I may try it with wheat berries too.  

Lots of lentils with wheat berries.  Cook up in about 30 min and then I take it to work the next day.

Breakfasts have been eggs.  Lately with grated carrot or kohlrabi thrown in and fried up together into sort of a hash thing.   Good.  

I bought a grain mill, manual and small, from thrift a while back and busted that out a couple of days ago.  Turned wheat berries into course whole wheat flour (it's not a great mill but it works and was cheapish).  I added some to a breakfast carrot hash and it made it into more of a fritter.  Then I mixed the rest up like a biscuit dough and slow fried it over a very low flame.  Brought it to work and it was a fine biscuit if a bit heavy.  I'll get better.

The possible downside...is...well...ENORMOUS amounts of fiber.  This is healthy.  And gassy.  Win win??  Not for my colleagues.  But I'm not hungry all the time.

It's making me eat mostly what I cook.  Think before going to a restaurant because there is crappy industrial bread everywhere.  And it's making me really appreciate the local bread makers, especially my favorite guy with his long ferment sourdoughs.  I'm only buying a bit since even artisanal bread is super salty. 

The few times I've eaten at restaurants I've gotten in the habit of going for salad, no croutons.  Then just ignoring any rolls or bread on the side.  Mostly it makes me think before I even go to a restaurant.   A brunch meeting for work was ok. I picked the veggie omelette and skipped the biscuit (those are usually gross anyway).  

My grocery bill is coming in on budget so far and I'd lowered the budget considerably to make room for the increased gas costs.

Good Lord! Food Costs!!!

 So I went in a regular grocery store for the first time in ages.  

And HOLY COW!   $9.19 for a 42oz (not even 4lbs) of quaker rolled oats.

I was going to drop some $$ for the tiny food pantry but not those $$.

Instead, I went to Winco, an employee owned chain with better prices.  Got bulk rolled oats for 1$/lb.  WAY better than those quakers at about $3.5/lb. 

What if I a) didn't have a decent income and b) didn't have access to multiple grocery options c) didn't have transportation to said stores???

I'd have to pay whatever was charged and apparently go broke.  Criminitly.

And watch those quantities on your food containers, and other packaging, for this nutso shrinkflation.  The container appeared to be the same size as the old 4lb one, which I also would not pay that much for, but must have had empty space.  I'm not spending my money to check the empty space quantity.

My weekly exercise of reviewing the grocery store flyers I can't seem to prevent from jamming my mailbox (my actual physical one) to see what I would be eating using the "dollar a pound all year round" guideline.  It can still be done.  If one had a freezer, and power and etc to keep it going, one could save a boatload stocking up on loss leader sales of meat (mostly chicken parts and pork) when it hits 1$ or less per lb.  There is usually basic veg (potatoes, onions, carrots) for that.  And a bit of fruit.  I also know that NOT in the flyer are the regular things like bananas that are generally under the price guideline and past-the prime fruit and veg at good prices.  The "reduced for quicksale meat also often hits that.

You have to work for it, but it can be done if you have some infrastructure.

Canned beans are close most weeks, dry beans usually, and given that they cook up to 2x the dry quantity, are always a better deal than canned (also no salt on the dry ones...) if you have a cooking method available.

Anyway, I'm sorry to those with fewer options, in food deserts, and in urban areas without decent stores and transportation. I will be seeing if my donating or activisming could address the issue in some small way.

SHRINKFLATION: I actually noticed it

 Even though I rarely shop "normal" stores like supermarkets and bigbox stores, instead preferring thrift, salvage (Ross, TJ, Grocery Outlet), and other options, I have noticed shrinkflation.

I check the clearance food aisles at Ross and TJ and I shop Grocery Outlet for groceries.  You'd be surprised what you find at Ross and TJ.  Like whole bean coffee.  I figure decent coffee for 5$/lb is doable for me.   Since I shop based on price per volume, I always check the amount listed on the package and in the case of bagged produce, I weigh the bags as there is quite a bit of variation.

Coffee is the case in point.  A while back, years?, I noticed that what looked like a 1lb bag listed 12oz as the weight.  That would be 3/4llb, not 1lb.  NOPE.  $3.75 is max for 12oz.   It has to be a full lb.  That is getting rare.  

This weekend at one of the discount/salvage stores I noticed 11oz bags of coffee beans.  Since I am shopping where merchandise goes to die, this must have arrived on "normal" store shelves months ago  Do let me know!

I await the 10oz of coffee beans in the 1lb size bag.  Cripes.

In June, didn't go in July, I found 2lb bags of coffee beans at Grocery Outlet for $9.99 so that met the 5$/lb price point.  I don't worry too much about the blend or roast at that price.  I do avoid flavored types. These almost always cost more and so far have never been the only option.

With prices going up, I bought a brick of "dollar store" type coffee.  It is well under the 5$/lb rate even in an 8oz, or is it 6?, size. We'll see if it is drinkable.

TP is another one.  I buy a regionally sourced off-brand.  It is under 5$ for 24 rolls.  Not fancy, soft, scented, lotioned, etc.  JUST TP.  I haven't bought any in a few months as I can store 2 packs at that size (thanks dead camper fridge that is still mouseproof!) so haven't looked at it of late.  I should keep the size label portion of the current pack and date it so in the future I can see if my TP rolls are shrinking.  At one point I calculated price per square foot but it was a lot of calculating.  I am rethinking "family cloths" (wipe rags) and rotating in newspaper now and then at least for #1s.   The savings is real now.  We'll see...

I went for 5gallon buckets at various hardware stores now and didn't buy any.  7-8$ per bucket.  Last time I bought them they were $3.50ish per bucket.   So, I did not buy any new buckets.  I am going to sort through what I have and glue up some of the old ones with glue I have.  Those that are beyond gluing but still bucket-like, will get the tool-toting duty.  Those that are glued and water tight can be non-potable water toting type tasks.  Glued but not water tight can haul dirt-like things.  Those that are still in good shape will get rotated in to laundry and other duties I consider high-end.

As for Shrinkflation with buckets...some of the "5-gallon" buckets are 4 gallon!  This is fine, but ends up with a non-standard height or lid size and mess up my system.  Also, less hauling/storage capacity for the price.