Where I Shop-Part 2

Where do I shop?  I live in a really great spot for purchasing real food for a great price.  In the Des Moines area we have Whole Foods, Hy-Vee, Dahl’s, Fareway, Campbell’s Nutrition, Aldi, Trader Joes, Target, Wal-Mart, Costco and Sam’s Club.  (Did I forget any?) We are also just a hop, skip and a jump away from great local farms. 

I am a very busy home school mom with four children 7 and under.  I do not have time to go get three things at each store chasing each deal and sale.  Instead I choose one store each week (two if it makes sense) and get everything that I need from there for the month.  In order to do this I plan our menu for a month at a time and bulk shop.  I have chosen to shop at Costco, Fareway, and Trader Joe’s.  I am part of a co-op that purchases directly from Picket Fence Creamery, and I order online from Azure Standard. 

Do you want to peak at my shopping list? Today we will look at my lists for Trader Joe’s, Fareway and Picket Fence.

Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s is still relatively new to our area.  I like the food selection and the price.  I like the atmosphere.  (The kids try to find “Bacon” the pig hidden on the shelves.  When they find him they get a sucker; it keeps them entertained!) I have a couple of problems at TJs.  A lot of the produce is imported.  I don’t buy grapes there because I am too cheap to buy organic, and the conventionally grown grapes are from Chili.  It is easy to justify some of TJ’s packaged food because they usually claim it is healthy.  It is still more expensive than making it from scratch and often times is still just processed food.

·         Organic applesauce

·         Taco shells

·         Frozen mini tacos (A processed food we indulge in for convenience!)

·         Organic yogurt

·         Lunchmeat

·         Shredded cheese

·         Beef hot dogs

·         Bananas

·         Ice cream

·         Sprouted bread

·         Butter

·         Dishwasher detergent

·         Dish soap

·         Organic carrots

·         Organic lettuce

·         Dark chocolate (My weakness)

 

Fareway

I grew up shopping at Fareway.  It is significantly cheaper than Hy-Vee or Dahl’s and will honor competitor prices.  Each Tuesday I check the Aldi ad to see what is on sale and then bring the flier with me when I shop on Thursday.  Fareway does not have a lot of organic foods, but they are trying.  I vote with my dollars and try to support their efforts.  I will buy boneless skinless chicken breast there as well as roasts.  It is not organic, but it is also not gassed or injected with water solutions, and they do not use iodine or finely textured beef.  I try to buy fruits and veggies that are not on the Dirty Dozen from Fareway and any extra baking supplies I need.

·         Thick skinned fruits (bananas, pineapples, oranges and melons in season)

·         Domestic Grapes

·         Raisins (California)

·         Noodles and Pasta

·         Tomato sauce

·         Low sugar jelly

·         Frozen veggies

·         White, brown and powdered sugar (we don’t go through a lot of these so I do not purchase in bulk)

·         Al Fresco chicken sausage

·         Fresh chicken breasts and roasts (when on sale)

·         Triscuits

·         Ketchup

·         Mustard

·         Organic apple cider vinegar

·         Dry Beans

·         Sour cream

·         Sheeder milk

·         Sweet potatoes

 

Picket Fence

I am part of a co-op that takes turns making once a month trips out to Picket Fence Creamery.  I am currently out of ground beef (I order ground beef and whole chickens from Tom’s Ranch when they are taking orders), so I am purchasing it from Picket Fence.  They had eggs on sale this month so I stocked my fridge with 8 dozen!  That will last 2-3 weeks for us depending on the amount of baking that I do.

·         Milk

·         Eggs

·         Ground Beef

·         Bacon

·         Raw Honey

·         Sausage

(If you missed Part 1 yesterday you can find it here!)

 

This post is linked up at http://mamaldiane.com/ and http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/