Replenishing my Stockroom :)

2 days ago: "One can of vegetables, 2 boxes of pasta, a bit of rice and a can of sauce. Oh ya, and a 2 lb bag of frozen corn (why so much corn???) and ~5 lbs of raw onions. I guess I can make a couple dinners... Time to restock!

Now since I was out of almost everything, I decided it was time to invest in large quantities of food and get it for cheap. I want to make my own breads, rolls and desserts (I don't have an obsession with carbs at all, I swear). I also want to cook cheap. These two things go well together, and my list of baking goods is posted below. On the topic of cheap, and healthy, I decided to add to my list some beans, lentils and split peas. For the serving size, these guys stick to your bones, can be added to many dishes and have a good chunk of your daily protein. I don't like to eat meat a lot, so that helps me out! (Though Dan will surely eat what I do not). I researched meat, and what was cheapest and decided whole chickens, rump roast and chuck are the best bang for my buck. I also added the basic staples: canned veggies, milk, eggs, margarine (for baking), butter (limited use) and cheese. Below is a comprehensive list of what I bought (though not comprehensive as to what I have in my pantry), as well as costs and where I bought it. I compared the local grocery store (G) to a wholesale store (W), and an international food store (I) to see who had better prices per pound, oz, quart, etc. Units will be marked :)

Veggies and Legumes
White Potatoes $0.40/lb (G)
Sweet Potatoes $0.76/lb (W)
Fresh Carrots $0.80/lb (G)
Celery $2/head (G, W did not have what I wanted)
Split Peas $1.49/lb (G, none at W)
Lentils $1.07/lb (I)
Black Beans (canned) $0.92/lb (G)
Refried beans $1.79/lb (G)
Diced Tomatoes (canned) $0.71 (W)
Beets (canned) $0.80/lb (G)
Green Beans (canned) $0.76 (G)
Wax Beans (canned) $0.76 (G)

Fruit
Diced pineapple $7.49/120 oz canned

Meat
Chuck Roast $2.99/lb (G, for 4+ lbs)
Rump Roast/Stew Beef $3.89 (W)
Whole Chickens $1.19/0.99 (W, large/small chickens)

Dairy
Milk $3.00/gal (G)
Margarine $1.09/lb (G)
Butter $2.00/lb (G)
Cheddar Cheese (shredded was cheaper than block) 3.10/lb (W)
Eggs (not quite dairy... not quite meat) $1.46/dozen (W)
Evaporated Milk (for baking) $0.99/12 oz (G)

Grains
Rice $0.49/lb (W)
Baking Supplies
Lime Juice $1.99/12oz (W)
Vinegar $1.69/qt (G, small bottle needed)
All-Purpose Flour $0.50/lb (W)
Bread Flour $0.66/lb (G)
Whole Wheat Flour $0.80/lb (G)
Cornmeal (stone ground) $0.80/lb (G)
Quick Oats $1.52/lb (G)
Instant Yeast $1.25/lb (W, HUGE savings here)
Kosher Salt $0.76/lb (W)
Confectioner's Sugar $1.00 (G, but cheaper at W, did not want that much though!)

That was my list. Considering the weights of the items (i.e. flour comes in 10 lbs at wholesale, 5 lb bags at grocery), my total for food this week was: $136.78

Now I'd like to mention, I got 3 chickens, 4 lbs of chuck and 3 lbs of stewed beef. The chickens I can also use to make stock! But yes, this is a lot of meat. Not a weeks worth, but probably could last us a month. Notice I didn't get any bread? I will only be baking my own. I have 25 pounds of flour, and 5 of cornmeal. That will make quite a few loaves, and tortillas! As the weeks go on, I will keep you all updated as to how long this food will last. I'm pretty sure I can make it a month easy, with the meat as my limiting reagent :)

I will try to incorporate prices per meal as well, since some people like to compare how much food would cost in a restaurant to making it at home.

Thanks for reading!