(I have to admit, this shopping trip is from 2 weeks ago, I just never got around to posting it yet, and since I have just a few days till my next shop, I decided to get this up now.)
I've come to terms with some "harsh realities". I knew that going on a gluten free (and oat free) diet would be more expensive than a diet that relied on the cheapest starches- wheat flour, wheat pasta, semolina, barley, and oats... but, no matter the expense, I've realized that I had no choice but to go on this diet, as my health depends on it (and going gluten free means being able to actually function). This shopping trip is the first of my gluten free shopping trips that I'm posting on my blog, and the second shopping trip where I've done a whole two weeks worth of shopping in one go instead of the bits and spurts I was doing during my first trimester.
So now comes the "harsh reality". This shopping trip, meant to last our family for the next two weeks, added up to 90 dollars. The shopping trip two weeks before that cost me 85 dollars, bringing our total monthly grocery expenditure to 175 dollars. Ouch! In past months, I've gotten our grocery bill for the month to be as low as 90 or 100 dollars, but those days are long gone, at least for now.
Then again, I know some families our size in our area, also not blessed with a lot of money, and not on a particular diet because of health reasons, who easily spend 500 dollars or more each month to feed their families. So I guess 175 dollars for the month for a healthy, gluten free diet isn't so terrible. And once I get more energy back and my nausea goes away even more, I'll hopefully be able to get the grocery bill even lower. Hopefully, but we'll see.
Oh, and one last thing- once I can actually eat cheaper cuts of meat again (chicken wings, chicken gizzards, etc...) without puking, my bill will probably be cheaper as well. Chicken breast is more expensive than those other cuts of meat, even once factoring in the bones...
So, what did I buy for my 90 dollars?
All this food.
Here's what I bought, and why I bought the things I did.