$185 for a month's worth of pantry and freezer goods!

Have you been watching Fox News? Reading articles on the inflation expectations? Seen that gas is going up? Then you'll know what I'm talking about. Stockpiling. I'm not someone who generally likes to stock up on things...I don't like the clutter or the full pantry and freezer of it. Maybe I'm weird, but I LIKE it when my fridge and pantry are on the emptier side of things...maybe because it feels more controlled, more open to my view, neater and tidier. However, since everyone is reporting that food prices are on the rise and I can easily see that gas prices are too, I decided to try an experiment. And boy was it fun! The picture above gives you a clue...just know that this isn't all of it...much of my purchase was already in the fridge and freezer.

I went to Aldi with the idea of buying a month's worth of pantry and freezer items. I stocked up on ice cream (my men-folk eat it nightly!) I bought 6 bags of frozen veggies and will get more at Walmart. I bought 4 cans of Fit and Active Chicken Noodle soup, 6 cans of beans, 4 cans of rings and meatballs (for my 13 year old's lunches), 4 boxes of kleenex and a package of papertowels. Cereal, chips, snacks, cheeses, tuna, and cans of Salmon. We also buy Aldi's cola now b/c we don't seem to get good sales on name brand cans of soda here in southern Indiana.
I bought 90% lean ground sirloin, frozen chicken, bacon wrapped beef fillets, frozen Flounder and Tilapia too. Wow...my cart was full and heavy! I purchased fresh produce for the week and yogurt, knowing I'll have to go back for more of those mid-month.
My husband also picked up these bottles of All at Menards for a steal of a deal...$2.99 each! So much cheaper than I have to pay at Walmart! Plus it has 25% more free in this size. I am excited that I won't worry about running out of laundry soap for months now.
My Aldi bill came to $185. That's a record setter for me! But it was so fun to bring it all home, lay it all out to see what I needed in the pantry for now, then bag up the extras in those cool reusable bags from Target, etc. Where to store them? Miraculously we still have a closet in our new house that isn't full. So these three bags are stacked one upon another in the corner of said closet. And I am feeling GREAT! Free as a bird! I have lots of meals on hand and don't have to worry that I might be out of canned tomatoes or beans for the chili that sounds good for supper. We got home from a big trip to Nashville on Wednesday night, and it was no problem to whip up some homemade pizza because I knew I had everything on hand.

I usually spend $300 a month for groceries (and a few paper goods) for the three of us. So it will be fun to see if this big stock up trip will end up saving money...I can't imagine that I will still need $100 worth of milk, produce, and dairy for the remainder of the month. Perhaps I can get by on $275 with this new method. And I figure that if prices go up in the next month at the store, I will be a month ahead of the game. Good savings in gas and time too. So are you game? Want to try this with me? Would love your comments. :)

Blessings!

Donna

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