Under the Median: Restocking After My Eat-From-the -Pantry Challenge

After a week of self-imposed kitchen creativity, I was ready to hit the grocery stores. We were seriously out of nearly every kind of food except a few left over onions and four heads of garlic. My list was mammoth.

This post certainly doesn't represent the totality of my list. It's just the first leg in this week's grocery shopping journey. In fact, we went shopping late at night after shopping endlessly for tile for our bathroom remodel project.Want to test the bounds of marital compatibility? Then just remodel a room and you'll soon find that it's not easy to come to a decision when it comes to style - vs - price or form - vs - function! I'll share our choices with before and after photos soon. But, I digress.

You might remember that when I opened the refrigerator on Saturday morning, it was nearly empty. But, being an adventurous blogger on all things related to money, I challenged myself to create a week's worth of meals, using only items that I had on hand.

Since I will be gone all day on Saturday, I filled part of our grocery list on Thursday night and the rest will be purchased on Friday evening. Here is the result of "Grocery Stop #1": our local HyVee.

Regular priced HyVee Items:

I've not tried HyVee almond milk before. But, I poured the last 3 or 4 tablespoons of milk from the container this morning to "lightly" anoint my bowl of oatmeal. So, I definitely needed more almond milk before tomorrow morning.

The $2.88 a half gallon was pretty decent. I generally pay about $2.50 for almond or soy milk that isn't on sale. So, I felt pretty satisfied with the purchase price.

Misfit sweet potatoes - 5# bag for just $3.99. I've written several times, singing the praises of the HyVee Misfit Produce program. I consistently purchase these sweet potatoes and have been happy with the quality every single time!

HyVee Sale Items

On sale through - Tuesday, February 26th:

Cottage cheese - 24 oz. - $ 1.68 each

Eggs - 2/$3.00

Mandarin Oranges - 3 pounds - $1.98.

It's citrus season! This is the second time this month that HyVee has put these divine orbs of flavor on sale at this price! My kids LOVE them! I got 6 pounds and may very well buy more before they go off sale on Wednesday.

If you want the inside scoop on how and when to find the lowest prices on produce every month of the year, then download our FREE 8-page produce savings book!

Two day sale! FRIDAY and SATURDAY, February 22-23 only!

Chicken breasts - $.97 a pound.

I don't eat meat, but this was perfect for my son, John's 20th birthday party on Sunday. What a fantastic price! You don't see chicken breasts for under $1.00 a pound too often.

HyVee Markdowns

Yay for the markdown cheese bin! These nice-sized chunks were just under $2.00 each!

Pumpkin Seeds - $1.00. These were in the magic markdown bin at the front of the store. I am one of the chaperones for my son's class field trip on Saturday. At just $1.00 a package, these pumpkin seeds will be a perfect road trip snack.