The $45 Shopping Trip That Wasn't

I was right in thinking it would cost more than $45 to buy all the supplies for Hillbilly Housewife's $45 menu. Her prices were based off 2006 figures, not today's figures.

The menu plan was also based off of stocking an empty kitchen. So if you already have flour and sugar you might not have to purchase those thus making yours a wee bit cheaper. However, I recommend buying them all because you can always start to build up your food storage that way a little at a time.

Following this plan is also a good way to learn to cook using these types of ingredients. I came home with a lot of dried beans. And last night I started a batch of overnight homemade bread. Mmm! Can't wait! But I don't bake homemade bread very often, so this is good for me to do.

But anyway, I digress...

Here's a breakdown of the ingredients, her price, then my own price:

10 lbs all purpose flour
2 5lb bags for $1.92 hers
2 5lb bags for $1.88 mine

3 pack of yeast
.62 hers
.98 mine

Baking powder
.77 hers
.88 mine

Oatmeal
$1.77 hers
$1.92 mine

3 lbs long grain white rice
.99 hers
$2.29 mine

2 lb bag of cornmeal
.88 hers
$1.24 mine

5 lbs of sugar
$1.88 hers
$2.34 mine

Vegetable oil
$1.50 hers
$2.28 mine

2 cans frozen OJ concentrate
.88 each hers
$1.52 each mine

20 quart box of instant nonfat dry milk
8.87 hers
$14.28 mine

2 lbs lentils
$1.20 hers
$1.44 mine

2 lbs pinto beans
$1.30 hers
$1.56 mine

1 lb black beans
.60 hers
.98 mine

1 lb lima beans
.60 hers
.92 mine

3 boxes macaroni and cheese
.33 each hers
.42 each mine

3 packs of ramen noondles
.10 each hers
.16 each mine

2 dozen eggs
.69 a doz hers
1.38 a doz mine

2 lbs margarine
.48 ea hers
.68 ea mine

1 lb hot dogs
.89 hers
.67 mine

1 28 oz can tomatoes
.89 hers
.94 mine

15 oz can tomatoes
.50 hers
.46 mine

15 oz can green peas
.42 hers
.48 mine

15 oz can corn
.45 hers
.50 mine

15 oz can greens
.40 hers
.52 mine

15 oz can spinach
.42
.58

5 lb bag carrots
$2.00
$2.86

3 lb bag onions
$2.00
$1.98

1 bunch celery
$1.20
$1.32

6 oz can tuna
.44
.54

18 oz jar peanut butter
$1.50 hers
$1.32 mine

Jelly
$1 hers
$1.08 mine

Pancake syrup
$1 hers
$1.38 mine

Vinegar
.50 hers
.53 mine

Cinnamon
.50 hers
$1.12 mine

Garlic powder
.50 hers
$1.44 mine

Chili powder
.50 hers
.94 mine

salt and pepper
.75 hers
.84 mine

bouillon cubes
$1 hers
$1.78 mine

100 count tea bags
$1 hers
$1.76 mine (if I had gotten them, but I add them here for comparisons sake)

Some of my prices were cheaper than hers, but some were definately more expensive but overall, it was definately more expensive. Prices of food have gone up. Instead of the $45.16 HBHW spent for all the ingredients, I spent $67.24. That's a 49% increase in food prices.

You could always try to find the prices and ingredients on sale and stock up, but if you had to stock your empty kitchen and buy all these at once then I would plan on more like $70. I chose to shop at Walmart for my shopping trip but you may choose to shop elsewhere. If anyone else has shopped this meal plan, I would love to hear what your totals were.