Monthly Shopping-Part 1

This has to be done in 2 parts because although I said I would be shopping just once a month, I actually have to split it up into multiple days because I go to multiple stores.  And today I took four kids to Costco with me (WHY?!) and I'm definitely not doing that at Wal-mart too!!!!

Happy Snow Day!  We had a HUGE blizzard yesterday, so today Lincoln decided to shovel the backyard.

So today was the Costco run.  I planned and made my lists, got CASH, and was ready to roll.  I really had no idea how much I would spend.  I also am not completely sure how much I use of certain items, so I'm thinking that some of this stuff may last us more than a month.  I will know more as the month goes on, obviously.  Also, some of this will be used to replenish food storage, so I'm feeling pretty good. Here's the run down of what I got:

Little peppers, fruit bars, a huge chunk o'cheddar, honey, cinnamon, about 5 million tortillas, butter, yeast, hot chocolate, 5 dozen eggs, mozarella, brown sugar and honey-smoked salmon (NOT cheap, but my guilty pleasure.)

Romaine (I think this will stay fresh for the whole month--fingers crossed), granola, cereal, canned green beans, albacore tuna, chocolate chips, almonds and ground turkey

50 lbs. of upside-down flour

Vinegar, mandarin oranges, sugar, 2 bags of frozen berries, mini bagels, 2 gallons of milk (to make yogurt--I get organic milk delivered from the local dairy for the kids to drink), steel cut oats, a bag of frozen green beans, 2 bags frozen mixed veggies, powdered sugar

These I got at other stores because they were on sale--turkey cold cuts, pork chops and chicken breasts (@$1.49/lb.)

As I was making my monthly list, I noticed that I was going to be buying a lot of yogurt and I realized it would be a heck of a lot cheaper to just make it.  I have been making my own Greek yogurt for years--it's super easy and soooooo much cheaper!  For about $2.40 I can make 4 quarts of regular yogurt for the kids.  Also, I have started making my own bread again.  Cheap, but very dangerous for my diet plans.

And what did you think of that cheese?!  Enough?  I hope it will last us!  Thank goodness for my Bosch!!

I just had to include my adorable antique scale in the picture.  Don't you love it?!

I shredded about 3/4 of it and will freeze that as well as one of the leftover blocks.  My kids like cheese, what can I say?

Alrighty--total spent so far: $309.56.  (A few things weren't pictured--toilet paper and baby carrots.) Tomorrow I am heading to Wal-mart to finish it up!!!  I have pretty high hopes that we will be saving mucho dinero!!  I want to stay as close as I can to $400...and not shop again until March 29th or so.