The Price is Right

I guess with an accounting degree you could say that I like numbers. And memorizing things. I definitely have a lot of useless knowledge memorized. Back when I was on the BYU tax team, my friend Lauren and I memorized hundreds of Internal Revenue Code sections (could I be any nerdier? The team did come with a free trip to Florida and $$, so I feel a little better.)

Now that I am doing the mom gig full-time, I have decided to put my love for numbers and memorizing to good use in my grocery shopping!

We probably live in one of the most expensive places in the US, and I am pretty proud that we are actually spending LESS on food here then we did in Provo. And we have even added another little mouth to the mix. Steven does get free lunch at work, so that helps, but I would say that our food budget is pretty darn low.

We live really close to lots of stores, so I don't waste a ton of gas going around. So I do all my shopping between Target, Fresh & Easy, Costco, and Safeway. Usually all of them.

For example, I know that Yo Baby Yogurt (a staple in Aubrey's diet), is $2.54 at Target, $2.69 at Safeway, and $2.99 at F&E. Combine Target with 50 cent off coupons from the company website, and I get a darn good deal. If you live in the Bay Area and want to know grocery prices, I can definitely help out!

If I get coupons, things definitely change, but here is a general mix of what I buy from where:

Costco- diapers, cheese, tortillas, sour cream, milk, chicken. There might be more here that has a lower unit price, but these are the only things we eat enough of to justify.

F&E- most produce, ground beef, granola, canned goods.

Target- household items, cleaners, baby clothes/items, yogurt, bread, pasta.

Safeway- cereal, berries (usually have a 2 for 1 deal), salsa.

Grocery shopping may be a slightly dorky "hobby" but I find it to be a game to stay within our budget and still cook good, healthy, interesting food.

And, quite honestly, as a mom, it feels good to keep my brain working. Even if it is working memorizing hundreds of different prices. I should so be a contestant on the Price is Right.