Grocery Haul - It's Been a Hot Minute

It has been at least six months since I have done any major shopping at Sam's Club or Azure Standard or anywhere for that matter. It was definitely time to place an order at both places. We picked up our order from Sam's Club after my appointment on Friday in the city. 

There were a few things that we could only get if we had them shipped, so I have placed an order to be delivered along with a modest Azure Standard order that I will pick up. I had to go inside the store to pick up a few things that I wanted to hand pick myself. The store was packed. I think that some people we panic buying. It sure looked like it anyway. The line to get to the eggs was deep. I was in and out in short order because I knew what I wanted and where it was. I maneuvered through the store and around shoppers with ease. 

I did notice that there are less options available, again. Mayonnaise was one of those items that I had to order. What store doesn't carry Kraft Real Mayo? They only had brown beans in 12-pound package, and I wanted black beans. They are carrying smaller packages with less options these days. This seems to be the new trend. If stores like Sam's are not going to carry large bulk items, what is the point? 

I also noticed that they were low on most meats, eggs and milk. Milk was definitely not bargain at all. I didn't peruse the whole store because I just wanted to get out of there asap! Bread flour was another item that I had to have shipped along with the black beans and mayo. I haven't been able to buy bread flour at Sam's for several years now. At least I can have it shipped.  

When I tried to put peanut butter in my cart, the only option I had was to have it shipped. I was certain that that couldn't be, and I was right. I was certainly wrong about the mayo. The store had plenty of peanut butter and it was on sale for $2.00 off. I bought two. I think all in all that I went over my budget by $10 and this was one of the reasons why. Dang sales!

It was also time to buy meat. Ugh! Beef has really shot up in price, so Number One Husband decided that we would purchase a whole beef chuck roll and hand trim it into the cuts we need. This made the price $5.98 a pound for premium cuts of chuck. I also purchased a 10-pound roll of ground chuck at $4.38 a pound and a boneless leg of lamb for $4.98 a pound.  

Hand trimming a chuck beef roll coming soon.

I ran into the Walmart that was next door, also packed, to pick up cabbage, bell peppers, Romas, and celery. I was only able to find four Roma tomatoes that were decent enough out of the miniscule amount that they had to offer. They only had three heads of cabbage that were well formed out of the seven heads available. I really needed four, one for soups and stews and three for preserving. The bell peppers were okay, and the celery was good at a great price of .96 cents. 

Fermenting whole cabbage heads coming soon!

We topped off the tank and headed back into the mountains. It was good to get home, but then I needed to get everything put away before the Sabbath started. Getting an almost 23-pound chuck roll and a 10-pound roll of ground chuck to fit in the refrigerator along with everything else was no easy task. 

Until we process the meat, the fridge is just going to be bursting at the seams. I cooked up the rest of our old eggs from the refrigerator and fed them to the chickens. They were getting dried out, so I made the hens and the raven very happy this morning. 

I started the process of organizing the freezers this morning. This time of the year I am able to use our antique propane and kerosene refrigerators that we have in the shop as freezers. They give us additional freezer space in the winter months without using any fuel. I carried out extra items from the inside freezer to our makeshift winter freezers this morning to make room for 38 pounds of meat. This should give us enough freezer space inside the house for the chuck roll and the ground chuck. 

Once the meat is processed, I will finish up re-organizing the fridge and the freezers. It's a good thing that we are not picking up our Azure Standard order for a week or so. I should have plenty of time to process our first haul. 

Happy Day!

Mrs. Smith 

Azure Standard - March Grocery Haul

We picked up a small grocery haul from Azure Standard for March. We purchased a larger amount in January during their sale, so we didn't need to purchase anything in February. I probably won't place an order in April. The trips, yes, I said trips, went well, only one close call, one wreck and we only witnessed one road rage incident. 

I ordered a 5 LB bag of organic kelp powder. It is an easy and inexpensive way to get the minerals we need from a natural source. This will last a very long time, since we will only use 1/4 teaspoon a day for both of us. The rest of the order is self-explanatory.  

We also received our Azure Cash from the last order we placed. It covered most of the shipping fee. We will probably only order every other month or quarterly from here on out to save on the cost of driving to our pick-up spot. It is well over a hundred miles round trip. I will also try to schedule grocery shopping and appointments around the pick-up times. This is easier said than done. We ended up having a six-hour layover in between my appointment with the oral surgeon and our pick-up time. We did our regular shopping, had our tires rotated and came back home. This cost us over $30 in extra fuel. UGH!!!

It was late when we got back home, so I didn't take pictures. I was tired, the new stitches in my mouth were hurting and I needed to get the frozen food put into the freezer. I made space when we got back home after the first trip, so it went smoothly. I also put up and packaged up our other groceries that we purchased. We don't have a large freezer, so our freezer space is limited. It all fit perfectly without any room to spare. We didn't buy a lot of groceries, but it was sure expensive. Every time we shop, we get less and less, and it costs more and more. We will still need to pick up fresh produce, milk and fuel about every other week or so. 

I don't care for shopping days although I am grateful to be able to buy groceries. Shopping days are usually long days. It's really tough when I can't find what's on the list. I then have to make on the spot substitutions or abandon my meal plans completely. This can blow up a budget fast. I was able to find everything this time even though I had to take a chance and drive across the city for one item that I couldn't do without nor substitute. It was a must have medical product. 

Traffic is always heavy, especially in the summer months. I despise the actions of tailgaters and driving bullies. Like tailgating is going to make someone go faster. These people are dangerous and only care about themselves. There were lots of patrol cars out on our route this time. This is unusual for this remote part of the county. All the highway and freeway signs warned of the impending snowstorm that was heading our way. So far, it has been a bust here at the ranch. 

It was worth the effort and overall, a nice uneventful trip for which I am grateful for. I am glad that I don't have to do it every week!

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith

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HS614 - Azure Market Organics Kelp Powder, Organic
1 of 1 shipped @$35.01 each / 5 lb

$35.01

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FG1111 - Azure Market Organics Sweet Potato, Diced, Frozen, Organic
1 of 1 shipped @$12.53 each / 5 lb

$12.53

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FG749 - Azure Husbandry Cherries, Bing, Pitted, Frozen, Transitional
1 of 1 shipped @$21.75 each / 5 lb

$21.75

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FG1117 - Azure Market Organics Red Beets, Diced, Frozen, Organic
1 of 1 shipped @$14.40 each / 5 lb

$14.40

---

CO730 - Wildbrine Kimchi, Raw, Fermented, Korean Style
1 of 1 shipped @$22.40 each / 4 lb

$22.40

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Product Subtotal: $106.09

Shipping: $9.02

Outstanding Credits and Balances

Azure Cash: $-6.26

Total to Charge: $108.85

How To Save Money Using Grocery Store Pickup And Delivery Service...

 

We decided to order groceries and other supplies online for pickup and delivery some time ago This seemed very foreign to us at first. We have always enjoyed finding bargains in the isles. If you are a fellow bargain hunter don't worry, bargains can still be found in the online isles. After some time went by we noticed that we were saving a lot of money by utilizing these services. This has helped us offset some of the costs associated with inflation. And now, we wouldn't  go back to in store shopping. Free Pick up and delivery fits our rural (remote) living lifestyle, saves us time and money. 

Grocery stores have weekly sales and big box stores have monthly sales. We take advantage of these sales online just like we would if we went into the store in person. We check out the sales flyer online, place our order and set our pick up date and time. Next, we hold our breath and hope they have everything in stock. We never know what is out of stock until we get an email or text telling us to come pick up our order and what is missing. This is not the case with delivery orders. We are told immediately if an item is out of stock. This gives us an opportunity to try to find a substitution before we place our order.  

The grocery store is where we find and buy most of  our bargains. They tend to have the lowest prices when items are on sale. They are way to expensive otherwise. Sam's and Walmart are our "go to"  shopping places for lower consistent prices.

When we go to town to pick up our grocery order we also run any errands that we might have. This saves us time and money by doing it all in one trip. The closest grocery store is about an hour away along with most everything else. We do have price gouging gas stations about thirty minutes away, so we are already planners out of sheer necessity. This is nothing new to us. We take this up a notch or two in the Winter. An unexpected blizzard is not uncommon. It's not an easy task planning around an ever changing weather forecast.

We also order groceries and supplies that we need from a big box store in the city. It is a four hour round trip to the closest major city, so we benefit the most in this case by using their free delivery service. 

We are also order from  Misfits Market. This is where we get our fresh organic produce delivered to our home. I will be doing a blogpost on this service soon. 

If we need anything during the in between times we will place an order for delivery from Walmart, Sam's Club or Misfits Market. We like this option the best. This is the "We don't have to leave the ranch" option. 

Sam's Club has free delivery and pick up for plus members. Sam's prices are just better than most places. They have better meat and produce too. We actually spend enough money to get our membership for free with their cashback program. I just had a partial order delivered today. I have one more package on the way. Deliveries seem very slow right now. I think it's because more people are ordering online. Keep this in mind for upcoming events like birthdays. Shop early and ship early. 

Here's the rundown:

We save money because we stay home...

We save money because we are not in the store impulse buying...

We save money because we don't have to stop to pick up something to eat during the long trip to the city and back...

We save time by ordering online in the comfort of our home. We don't have to wander the isles looking for the items that we need that are not in stock. Time is money...

We save money and time, because we are not burning up the road...

We save money because we keep a accurate shopping list that includes everything we use from groceries to motor oil... 

We save money by using our vehicle less. Gasoline inflation is up 41.8%, used car inflation is up 48% and the cost of tires have been steadily increasing...

Pickup and deliveries are usually free. Walmart has a $35 minimum purchase order to qualify for free shipping and pick ups. There is a $5.99 fee if you do not meet this criteria. We can't drive to Walmart for $5.99. So far, we have only placed an order when our purchase was eligible for free delivery or free pick up... 

There are plenty of printable freebies online.
Just Google it...

Buyer Beware: Bigger packaging does not mean that it is a better price. I have noticed this at Walmart. I checked several items and the smaller items were the better deal. Be sure to compare the different sizes. Some packaging is the same size with less product. They call this "Shrinkflation"...