Frugal Forward

Food Rescue Org Abundance Box ($55 Spent)

This Abundance Box was incredible. I’m so grateful. This box included so much good stuff. Not pictured is a massive restaurant sized bag of seasoned French fries. These had gluten, so I gave them away to someone else.

As a reminder, these boxes are of food that has been rescued before going to the landfill. Some items are at or near their expiration dates. Others, I have absolutely no idea why they are being disposed of as they are perfect.

Here’s what this box included:

• 6 dozen eggs
• 8 bottles of Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce (expiration date approaching)
• 3 half gallons of Almond Milk (expiration date was approaching)
• A huge bag of orange sauce (for asian inspired dishes) – contained gluten
• 3 bags of sweet mini-bell peppers
• A huge bag of onions
• 3 containers of cherry tomatoes (the stems were molding, but the tomatoes were perfect)
• A bag of beefsteak tomatoes
• A huge can of Salsa Verde
• A jar of buttermilk ranch salad dressing
• A handful of mayo packets
• A box of antiseptic wipes
• A ginormous bag of cucumbers
• 2 cantaloupes
• 2 honeydew melons
• A huge bag of seasoned chicken thighs
• A case of sugar free Body Armour fruit punch
• 15 pounds of potatoes
• A grocery sack full of individual snack packs of goldfish crackers
• A huge bag of pizza dough balls – contained gluten
• A huge bag of pre-made cinnamon roll dough – contained gluten
• A bag of 7 GLUTEN FREE PIZZA CRUSTS!!!!!
• A bag of tapioca beads for boba tea – passed their expiration date

We were able to share with 3 different people, 2 of whom are in need. It makes me happy to both save food from going to the landfill *and* help people who are in need and set to lose their SNAP benefits.

I made an enormous batch of hard boiled eggs and I’ll be making egg salad. We had eggs for dinner a couple of times. I gave away 18 eggs and will be making some banana bread.

Aldi ($126.78 Spent)

I’ve had 2 Aldi trips. The picture above is of Trip 2. I didn’t take a picture of Trip 1.

Trip 1 ($32.65 Spent)

The first trip was primarily to get stuff for a charcuterie board for my daughter’s birthday party for her friends. This comes out of a separate line item in our budget and is not included here. However, I purchased some items for our personal use and those items were as follows:

• 2 pints of blueberries ($8.38 for both)
• 8 ounces of Genoa salami ($3.29)
• 1 pound of deli meat – turkey ($4.55)
• 1 box of Honey Nut Cheerios ($4.45)
• Sliced Colby Jack Cheese ($1.75)
• Feta cheese crumbles ($2.05)
• 2 containers of greek yogurt, 32 ounces ($8.18, $4.09 each)

Trip 2 ($94.13 Spent)

For this trip, I actually went into the store instead of getting curbside pick up. Y’all, the prices are marked up in the app for curbside delivery. I had no idea. And it’s not just a few cents per item. I’ll be going in from now on, because WTF. Here’s what we got:

• Medium Roast Cold Brew ($4.99 plus $0.10 CRV)
• 3 containers of greek yogurt, 32 ounces ($11.07, $3.69 each)
• Half gallon of organic milk ($3.99)
• Half and Half ($2.65)
• One pound of butter ($3.49)
• 3 packages of sliced cheese – Provolone, Pepper Jack, Swiss ($1.59 each)
• 2 packages of sliced cheese – Gouda, Havarti ($1.49 each) – why these were less than the other kinds, I don’t know
• Shredded Mexican cheese blend ($2.59)
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 2 pounds ($6.85)
• Pizza sauce ($1.25)
• 2 Goat Cheese logs ($1.79 each)
• Feta crumbles ($1.99)
• 3 pounds of honey crisp apples ($2.98)
• Raspberries ($1.49)
• Romaine Hearts ($3.96)
• Shredded lettuce ($1.29)
• 1 pound of organic turkey deli meat ($5.39)
• 14 ounces of whole almonds ($6.15)
• Raw mixed nuts ($3.99)
• 3 pounds of rice ($2.65)
• Jar of queso ($2.19)
• Block of cheese melt ($4.69)
• Lime tortilla chips ($1.89)
• 3 bags of Kettle chips ($1.79 each)
• Wavy potato chips ($1.79)

Costco ($19.11 Spent)

I received my annual rebate check from Costco. This year it was $98.86. I used it towards my $117.97 total, bringing my out of pocket spend to $19.11. I’m only counting the $19.11 in my total since that’s what I actually spent.

This is what I got:

• 25 pounds of white rice ($10.89) – definitely a better price per pound than Aldi
• Microwave Popcorn ($14.99)
• Gluten free crackers ($10.99)
• Kirkland sparkling water, 35 cans ($11.99 plus $1.75 CRV)
• Hint Water, 21 bottles ($13.99 plus $1.05 CRV)
• 2 rotisserie chickens ($4.99 each)
• Avocados ($4.49)
• Jar of Kalamata olives, 52 ounces ($8.99) – MUCH better value than Aldi
• 2 pack of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire ($8.99)
• 2 huge double boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios ($8.69 each)

Thrive Market ($49.86 Spent)

We are completely out of our bulk gluten free oats from Azure Standard. The next delivery window isn’t until mid-November, so I needed to get some. We eat greek yogurt with homemade granola and fruit every day.

Here’s what we got:

• 6 Chomps Beef Sticks (FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE)
• 3 gluten free oats, 28 ounces (with flax and chia seeds) ($6.17 each)
• Avocado Oil, 16.9 ounces ($10.44)
• Nature’s Path Sweetened Corn Flakes Cereal, 26.4 ounce bag ($10.09) – Do Not Recommend
• 2 Thrive Market Pasta Sauce, 25 ounces ($5.41 each)

Other ($7.68)

I also bought a box of Cheerios at my discount grocery store for $2.99 and my daughter picked up a 10.5 ounce bag of raw almonds when she was at Target for $4.69. I would not have gone there, but she’s an adult who makes her own decisions and she was doing me a favor.

October Totals To Date

In the first week of October, we spent $1,023.30. From then until now, we spent $258.43, bringing our monthly total to $1,281.73. Actually, $258.43 for more than 2 weeks is pretty good, I think.

There’s one week left in the month. I will be buying another Abundance Box for $55 and will need to go to Aldi for yogurt and nuts for granola.

Given that this also includes filling some needs for 3 other people in addition to my own family, I’m feeling pretty good about it. And, since SNAP benefits will be ending 10/31 (don’t get me started on how short-sighted and downright wrong that is), I have “adopted” a single mom and her young daughter and will start dropping off food for them, too, on November 1st. I committed to providing her food every other week through the end of the year. So, next month I may need to start breaking out what I give away vs. what I spend on my family alone. Thoughts?

• Bluesky
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