Today was pay bills day. I hate pay bills day. It sucks. I do it once a month (we only get one check a month anyway) and that day is usually the one day I'm in a really crappy mood. Today was a little different however; today was also grocery day. So, I paid bills in the morning and then went on my grumpy ass way to buy the weeks worth.
And you know what happened? I put A LOT of stuff back on the shelf or just walked right by it. Cookies? No. Cereal? No. Snacks for the boys? No. It was great - almost liberating. With the Christmas break (yes, it's almost February but it takes me a long time to break a trend) I got out of the habit of making things for the boys. Oh, sure I'd make the odd batch of granola and I still make tons of meals at home - from scratch (no boxes are usually hurt/opened) but I was relying on granola bars or store bought cookies as snacks for my kids. I even purchased the ol' 4/$10 cereal specials. I shake my head at myself.
Now, first, let me say that there's nothing wrong with that per se but I notice a difference in my mood (as with lack of exercise) and the moods of my children - Mr. S is especially susceptible to a sugar and processed foods - ie. he gets down right ignorant. With more grains, real fruits and veggies and less processed food we're all completely different people. I'm sure there's some study somewhere that backs me up... I'm not getting on a high horse believe you me, last night we ordered in pizza! (Note: Papa John's has a special 2/$20, Large and it's not bad - not great - but not bad)
And with that I'm happy to report that my grocery bill was only $67.90 today. Don't get too excited for me - I forgot sugar. Crap. That's a good $5.00 right there. I've got quite a bit of stuff sitting in the pantry as well (dried fruit, different flours, dried beans, etc). Right now I've got cookies baking, cupcakes cooling, a mixed fruit filling ready for date squares and sweet bread ready for the oven. That should last until the kids get home and eat them all.... Darn kids.
Way too many cans of tomatoes and one too many bags of Tortillas. But all in all a pretty good trip to the grocery store - $108.72. I got everything on my list - aside from toilet paper, dishwasher liquid and dish soap (those I got from Target and I had coupons and a gift certificate). I think I could probably stop buying those Dannon drinkables - yah, that's not going to happen... At some point convenience has to come into play. I used the eggs and the tortillas to make our breakfast burritos! Thanks Robin - I think I'm addicted to them... 
You may have noticed the box O' wine in the first picture and here it is even bigger! I hadn't tried this before and I'm feeling like I'm saving the environment just by buying it (made with recycled materials...). It's even good. That's an added bonus! Not listed in either pictures is the 12 Blue Light my husband has already broken into. Beer doesn't last long in our house. If you've got a recommendation for a good cheap beer I'd love for you to share it.
