Stacy’s Price List

Some of you out there have been asking for me to make a master list of things that I buy, where I buy them, and how much I pay. I put it off for a long time, because I knew it would be a big job….but I finally did it. Now, I didn’t include ALL foods that we buy – just our staples and the things that most people buy on a regular basis: wheat, honey, butter, etc. I guest posted over at Modern Alternative Mama so I could share this list with more people. I hope you find it helpful for you and your pocketbook. 

Note: I know that some of these prices will be lower elsewhere. This is what I pay for what I can find. I wanted to give you something to go on, so you’d have a general idea of how much you should be paying. Also, I do not have access to Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or Costco where you can find great deals. Please leave a comment below if you’ve found a GREAT price on something somewhere so we can all benefit. :-)

Excerpt:

Hello. My name is Stacy and I don’t buy all organic foods. Would I like to? Yep. Can my budget take the hit? Nope. For the longest time I felt really bad about not being able to buy what Suzy Awesome Homemaker was buying. But guess what? I’m not Suzy Awesome Homemaker – I’m Stacy Who Lives on a Budget.

In order for my family to be able to buy all organic foods, I would have to get a job. And if I get a job, when will I have time to cook all the organic foods from scratch? For me and my house, it’s much more important that I stay home and take care of my household than it is for me to buy 100% organic. That being said, I do make most of my foods from scratch. I feel better about making it that way than buying it already made and full of preservatives – so if my scratch ingredients are NON-organic, then so be it. Ahhhh. I feel so much better after getting that off my chest. ;-) READ THE REST HERE.

 

*This post is linked at Frugal Days Sustainable Ways at Frugally Sustainable, at Simple Lives Thursday on GNOWFGLINS, at Weekend Whatever on Your Thriving Family, at Sunday School on Butter Believer, at Fat Tuesday on Real Food Forager,  and at Hearth and Soul Blog Hop at Penniless Parenting.

Disclosure: Some posts include links to sponsors or affiliates, which give me a small percentage of the sale. You are not obligated to use these links when you make a purchase, but when you do so it helps to support this site, so thank you!

About Stacy

Stacy is the author of Crock On: A Semi-Whole Foods Slow Cooker Cookbook and a stay-at-home mom to her two children, Annie (3) and Andy (newborn). After an “awakening” in March 2011, her family switched to a more natural, whole foods diet. She likes to blog about how to live on less than you make and how to eat good food while doing it. Her passion is teaching others how to save money and she tag teams with her husband in this endeavor. At Stacy Makes Cents you’ll find information on how to save money in the kitchen, how to have fun with your kids, and how to be thrifty in all areas of life. Her passion is teaching others how to live debt free. Make sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with her daily antics.

  • K Lunsford

    Thank you for the price list! I’m somewhat in your local area. Would you give more specific information on your stores, in particular the Amish, bulk and other less common sources that you have found here?

    • Stacy

      Sure! :-) The bulk food store I use is in Wytheville, Virginia and it’s called King’s Produce. The Amish store I like is called D&D Country Store and it’s located in Bristol, Virginia off Exit 5 beside the Harley dealership.
      I also shop at the Abingdon Farmer’s Market and Ingles. Ingles is my favorite grocery store.

  • K Lunsford

    Thank you!

  • http://www.flowersinhisgarden.blogspot.com Camille

    What a great post Stacy…thank you for sharing your finds! (I hopped over to the blog where you guest-posted to read it all)…it was very informative and very well received. :) I think many people do want to eat healthier and just don’t know where to begin. It’s been a LONG road for me…and each year I learn more. How wonderful it is that we don’t have to be pressured to do it ALL at once.

    Blessings to you!
    Camille

    • Stacy

      I think doing it all at once is what causes people to quit. I’m a huge fan of gradual changes. :-) They stick better that way.

  • melissa alder

    I just read the article on white/brown rice. What is the reason most people were commenting on giving up grains all together? I keep hearing about going grain free but am not sure why people are doing it? Are they bad for us? I love bread and rice so not sure I could do that?

    Thanks for your post :)

    • Stacy

      Melissa, a lot of people have reactions to grain and rice…so they avoid it all together for their health. For us, we find that eating it moderation is just fine. :-)
      Grains are carbohydrates – carbohydrates make you gain weight. That’s why it’s a good idea to eat them in moderation. :-) If you have any more questions, I’ll be happy to help!

  • Helen

    Well, now I can see why I am going broke! I pay far more than you for many of these staples, and do feel like I have shopped around and made good choices. We spend about a $1000 a month on groceries, for a family of 4, is this normal? Not including most household products such as cleaners, toothpaste, etc, that’s an extra $200 or so.
    I go organic first priority for meats and animal products, such as milk and butter. (Cheese I don’t buy organic, I am not consistent! It tastes weird and is very expensive, so I just go with a brand that says no artificial colors, etc., and hope they are telling the truth on their label.
    Butter I pay about $11 for a pound of organic, non-organic is about half that, but still twice what you pay.
    Milk I pay $8 for an organic gallon, grocery store brand, twice what you pay. (although I saw you went to raw milk, good for you!)
    Eggs I pay almost three times as much as you, sometimes I go organic, sometimes not, depending on what I find. I really need to find a local farmer for this!!
    And to confirm your idea that maple syrup is cheaper in Canada, apparently it can be: I live in Western Canada (where there are no maple trees, they are out East) and can find it at Costco for $12 (sometimes $10) a Liter, which is about the same as a Quart I think, slightly less than you pay. It’s 3 times that much as the health food store though.
    Meat I buy from a local farmer (chicken, beef, salmon) and it’s not labelled organic, but it is very clean and all grain feed (no animal byproducts) so it’s much less expensive than organic but still I can feel comfortable feeding it to my family. We can also buy regular non-organic chicken here, as no hormones are used in Canada in chicken, but when in the States I always go for organic chicken. (I’m sure there’s still antibiotics, but I try not to think about it.)
    Produce I buy the ‘dirty dozen’ organic, but things with low pesticide residue I just go for conventional and WASH IT.
    We don’t eat wheat, I go for spelt, and can buy a 12 kg (25 lb) bag of flour for $50. I make all my own homemade muffins, cookies, sauces, some bread, pizza dough, etc. so we use this a lot.
    Am I totally out of control? Or does decent food just cost this much?

    • Stacy

      Well, let me be honest…”decent food” is a relative term. :-) Your budget does seem a bit excessive, but I don’t know much about Canada. Since this post, our budget has gone up to $400/month for all four of us. I have never seen organic butter for $11/lb. It’s more like $5 here…that price would make me go into convulsions. lol
      I have a good friend who buys almost ALL her food local and makes sure it’s organic – she buys high quality food items online and at the farmer’s market…and even at that, she’s only spending $800/month for her family of 6.
      The most important question is, is $1,000 killing your budget? Can you AFFORD to spend that much? If not, then you’re spending too much and need to cut back. It’s not worth going into debt to buy “decent food.” Decent food can be had without breaking your budget.

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