The $270 Grocery Bill

I knew it would be bad, but this-- this was quite bad.

It was that last grocery trip before the start of the school year, and I was at one of my favorite stores, Super Target. Contrary to other (frequent) trips to Target, I wasn't buying clothes, books or accessories. I was buying food for the hungry mass that is my family.

What was different about this trip is that I had to really buy breakfast foods.

In the summer, my kids don't usually get up until it's really possible to have brunch. With early mornings for school, we needed foods that would tempt sleepy tummies into eating at least a little something before that 10:15 lunch time. I got Bagelfuls, Nutrigrain Waffles and Jimmy Dean's D-Lite breakfast sandwiches. Hopefully one of them will be a winner.

Then I had to get foods for lunches. Lots of turkey (thanks for the sale, Target), ham, cheese, chips, Juicy Juice for the younger ones, Coca Cola for the older ones.

Of course, we needed something to put the lunches in. Baggies, and lunch boxes were on the acquire list.

Fall sports season is also starting, which means that in the next 10 evenings, there are 2 where I don't (currently) have somewhere to take some kid or another, typically right at dinner time. Enter Stouffer's frozen entrees and anyone else's quick and easy cooking meals.

Okay, I did buy deodorant, but really, didn't you want me to?

I went to Target, even though it's less convenient than my plethora of nearby grocery stores because the prices are generally lower. Nestle's chocolate milk? $3.59. In my fav grocery store? $4.29. Really?

What I'd love is price matching. Harris Teeter-- I love you because your fruits and vegetables are always so fresh and plentiful. but that much more for milk? If you matched Target's prices, I wouldn't have to cheat.

I should cut coupons, but frankly, half the time I'm running to the grocery store from someplace that's not home, so even if I had searched, clipped and stored coupons, I wouldn't have brought them.

Can you email me relevant coupons instead, and just let me scan them from my phone? Maybe then, my grocery bill would have been only $265.