Groceries for the Week

So I did my shopping for the week early this morning. I go once each week to Costco and once to my local grocery store. I will soon be going to Walmart instead to see how the veggie freshness compares. Here's how I figure out what I need for my family of four:

Each week for breakfast I need:

• 3 dozen eggs. This is enough for my husband to have 3-4 eggs each day, 1 for myself, and 1 that my kiddos share. If any of my lunch or dinner recipes call for eggs, I buy more. $2.59 for a cage-free dozen of Eggland's Best. I usually have a $.50 off of one coupon to help keep the price down.
• 2 packages of bacon. In late Spring I purchased a whole pig for my family and we have been eating on that bacon. I will blog about the purchase and cost-benefit of it soon.
• 1 bag of sausage. Sometimes we won't go through all this and I have more for next week. I really like Jones Dairy Farm if I am not eating sausage from the pig we bought.
• 3-4 sweet potatoes for my husband if he has an intense workout that morning. Poke a potato with a fork a bunch of times, throw in the microwave for around 5 minutes or until soft. Good to go.

Each week for lunch I need:

• 1 box of organic spring mix salad. My kids don't eat salad, but they like what goes on top. My one son loves olives.
• 6 or so bell peppers
• 1 3-pack of cucumbers from Costco
• Red onion. Buy a big bag and save. They stay well in a cool, dark place for a pretty long time.  
• Celery. Buy a big bag and save. This will keep for a couple weeks as well.
• Tomatoes
• Olive oil & Balsamic vinegar to top.
• 3 or so lbs of chicken thighs. I grill these ahead of time to put on the salad or for my husband to eat whenever he is hungry. This costs around $7.00.
• Cans of tuna. I buy a four pack for $2.80 and if that disappears by the next week, I just buy another.
• 2 8oz packages of Ham lunch meat. Each package is $2.00

Miscellaneous:

• Milk. My kids and husband go through about 3 gallons of milk each week. Trader Joe's, Target, and Wal-Mart are the cheapest places to purchase. Around $6.00 for a gallon of organic milk.

FOR DINNERS THIS WEEK:

• 1 5lb chicken, Perdue Cage-Free $5.60
• 2 packages of sirloin around 3lbs total $7.18
• Mushrooms 1lb $2.19
• Steamfresh Broccoli - $1.50
• Steamfresh Brussels Sprouts - $1.50
• Spaghetti Squash - Small one cost $3.16. I have spent around $5.00 after picking out a large one if I want leftovers.
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce. Bertolli Tomato/Basil $1.99 and I had a $.50 off of one coupon
• Kale. $.99 for a bunch
• Bok Choy $3.06 for a big bunch.

I didn't have a list so I forgot to buy:
Shrimp
Roast Veggies.. but I have carrots in the fridge already so I will probably just roast those with onion
Salmon

Things I already have on hand:
Broccoli leftover from last week
Lemon
Fish Sauce
Canned coconut milk from Trader Joe's
Ground lamb in the freezer
Ground beef in the freezer


Next week I will do a complete, fresh list shopping like I have nothing on hand to give you a better idea of how much a week costs.