Are you curious to see what food a single woman who’s watching her pennies is buying? If so – you’re in the right place today! It’s the Vegetarian Cowgirl’s July 2021 grocery bill!
Why am I a Vegetarian Cowgirl instead of a Pescatarian Cowgirl, which is more accurate? Not everyone is familiar with the term pescatarian. Basically, it’s a vegetarian who eats seafood, but no meat products. If it has claws or hooves and walks on the land, a pescatarian doesn’t eat it!
To break it down further, although I will eat seafood, I don’t eat it often. Too expensive is the main reason. Generally I follow a plant based diet, but it doesn’t bother me if foods contain eggs or dairy products.
I’m also an Urban Cowgirl. Kind of a play on words of an old John Travolta flick, Urban Cowboy. Generally these are people who like to dress up for the part, but not active participants.
Wannabe Cowgirl? Sometimes I think I’m a fake because I’m not a working cowgirl on a big cattle ranch somewhere.
When I track my spending on a spreadsheet, the grocery category includes all expenses I made at grocery stores and drug stores. That doesn’t mean everything is edible. I buy cleaning products, food wrap, dog treats and more that all get allotted to my “grocery” spending.
These tallies below only include the groceries I eat.
JULY 8, 2021 GROCERY BILL
My first grocery trip of the month was at Walmart in Grandview Corners, Surrey.
Walmart is STILL out of Silk Cashew milk. They’ve been out since June 26!!!
Walmart was also out of canned pumpkin. Like what’s up with that? It’s not Thanksgiving or Christmas!
And to top it off, when I headed down the International Foods aisle to pick up some plantain chips, you guessed it! Out of stock!
I’ve documented Walmart’s empty shelves for years before the pandemic. In fact, Walmart blocked me from their Twitter feed years ago – LOL! It’s not like I ever read their Twitter feed. I just tagged them while inside the store complaining about out of stock items. And that was cause for outrage. Walmart is a company unable to take critisim.
At any rate I’ll have to make a trip to the Real Canadian Superstore to buy the items Walmart can’t keep on the shelves.
| Chocolate Chips | 2 bags @ $9.97 | $19.94 |
| Pickles | 2 jars @ $2 | $4 |
| Krema Vanilla Yogurt | 1 | $4.48 |
| Pink Lemonade Drink Mix | 1 | $2.57 |
| Coconut | 1 bag | $1.97 |
| Sardines | 2 @ $1.17 | $2.34 |
| Total | $35.30 |
I bought a bag each or semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips and put them in the freezer. They didn’t do too well in B.C.’s recent heatwave! It didn’t occur to me what might be happening to them up in the cupboard.
When I made a batch of my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, I realized the semi-sweet chocolate chips were discolored. The dark chocolate chips had melted a bit and stuck to each other. A few whacks of the bag on the counter pretty much fixed that!
My recipe calls for two cups of chocolate chips. I had about a cup and a half left of the semi-sweet, and topped off the measuring cup with the dark chocolate chips.
Whenever I use up something, I put it on my grocery list so I can’t buy more. It’s just Walmart foiled me with the lack of canned pumpkin.
British Columbia is under revised health orders. As of July 1, 2021 the face mask law was lifted, but people who aren’t fully vaccinated are recommended to wear face masks in indoor public spaces. In conjunction with our health department’s recommendations, Walmart has removed the face mask signs and is not monitoring customers. I did wear my cap shield inside and noticed many customers wearing face masks. Habit?
JULY 10, 2021 GROCERY BILL
I needed to stop at Fruiticana in Cloverdale to pick up spinach, carrots, and bananas. Got a few other things because I’m getting low on cinnamon. Always love seeing grapes on sale!
| Baby Carrots | 1bag | $1.59 |
| Bananas | 2.63 lb @ .79¢/lb | $2.08 |
| Cinnamon | 200 gr bag | $2.99 |
| Spinach | 1 bag | $2.99 |
| Mushrooms | .65 lb @ $3.29/lb | $2.14 |
| Red Grapes | 2.12 lb @ $1.49 lb | $3.16 |
| Total | $14.95 |
Face mask update? Fruiticana has a sign saying everyone must wear a face covering inside all Fruiticana locations.
Boo!
That being said, due to the increase in the delta variant of Covid-19, and due to catering to ethnic communities who may have recently traveled or been in contact with someone who has been in infected areas, I was planning to wear a mask inside anyway.
JULY 11, 2021 GROCERY BILL
Today I drove over to my favorite Real Canadian Superstore in Pitt Meadows to pick up the items that were out of stock at Walmart. Often the Superstore has some good sales on groceries I like to buy, but generally their regular prices are higher than Walmart’s groceries.
Well, gee, Walmart can put any price tag on items they don’t even have on the shelves. They might as well have been giving away cashew milk for free!
| Wasa Crackers | 2 boxes @ $2.50 | $5 |
| Ryvita Crackers | 1 box | $2.78 |
| Triscuits | 1 box | $1.98 |
| Plantain Chips | 2 bags @ $1.08 | $2.16 |
| Cashew Milk | 2 @ $3.98 | $7.96 |
| Chocolate Almond Milk | 1 | $3.98 |
| Wax Beans | 1 can | $1 |
| Green Beans | 1 can | $1.18 |
| Pumpkin | 1 can | $4.48 |
| Salad Dressing | 2 @ $2 | $4 |
| Cookies | 2 boxes @ $1.28 | $2.56 |
| Tax | 5% GST on the plantain chips | .11¢ |
| Total | $37.18 |
So, was I bad on buying the cookies? I was in the International aisle finding the plantain chips, which are the same brand as Walmart, but .20¢ cheaper. Then I spotted Hawaiian cookies!
Ah man, I’m a big sucker for anything Hawaii! Love those aloha shirts! Those were coconut cookies and the other box is ginger cookies. To keep at work in case I get the munchies. I thought there should be tax on them because they’re snacks, but I wasn’t charged GST and I ain’t looking back!
Mask update at the Real Canadian Superstore? They’re also following BC health guidelines and recommending to wear a mask indoors if not fully vaccinated, but they’re not the vaccine police. Nobody is checking or enforcing. I wore my cap shield because I like the little extra protection in a busy store.
JULY 19 GROCERY BILL
Today I stopped at Dollarama in Cloverdale to buy mints.
| Mints | 2 bags @ $1.00 | $2.00 |
| Tax | 5% GST | .10¢ |
| Total | $2.10 |
Nothing exciting to report. I wore my mask shield, but others weren’t wearing masks, so hopefully they are following BC’s healthy guidelines and are fully vaccinated.
JULY 21 GROCERY BILL
I need salad fixings, so a stop at Fruiticana in Cloverdale. Despite their sign requesting customers wear a face covering, the lady at the cash register ringing me up wasn’t wearing one! Ha ha! I was wearing my cap shield.
| Baby Carrots | 1 bag | $1.59 |
| Spinach | 1 bag | $2.99 |
| Bananas | 3.3 lbs @ 79¢/lb | $2.61 |
| Total | $7.19 |
JULY 24 GROCERY BILL
Today is just a fast stop at Save On Foods in Cloverdale. I needed more yogurt, and I’d received an email that their store brand of ice cream, Western Family, was on sale.
I know I don’t need any ice cream, but it’s been hot, drought conditions in BC.
And then I really sucked at being good and bought two cartons of ice cream. I couldn’t decide between the Cinnamon Chill and the Strawberries Jubilee, so they’re both chilling in my freezer now!
Good thing the ice cream was on sale because the price on my favorite yogurt sucked. The sale price on my Krema Vanilla Yogurt was $4.89, which is higher than the regular price at Walmart or the Real Canadian Superstore.
I’ve already covered in a previous post why shoppers don’t always “save” money at Save On Foods.
| Krema Vanilla Yogurt | 1 | $4.89 |
| Ice Cream | 2 @ $3.49 | $6.98 |
| Total | $11.87 |
GROCERY BILL JULY 27, 2021
Tonight after work I had to gas up my Suzuki Burgman, check on my horse, and then pick up a couple of things at Walmart. There’s only so much I can carry in the scooter’s trunk!
I had Carnation Breakfast Essentials on my list because I was out at home, and use it for making my favorite smoothie.
Click here for the recipe for my chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie.
I was also out of chocolate rice krispies that I need for my chocolate peanut butter crunchies. Now all I need to make them is honey!
But I got blindsided by a cookie display on an end cap with boxes of cookies labeled “limited edition”. I am such a dupe! They get me every time with limited edition cookies.
FOMO!
Fear of missing out!
How could I resist coconut mango and coconut lime cookies? I should have worked harder on willpower. Eat two cookies = 160 calories. Two! Only two cookies with high calories!
The real sucker is me! Those cookies saw me coming a mile away! Just keep repeating to myself: If I don’t open them – I can’t eat them!
| Carnation Instant Breakfast | 1 | $14.97 |
| Cocoa Rice Crispies | 1 | $2.97 |
| Mango Lime Cookies | 1 | $1.87 |
| Coconut Lime Cookies | 1 | $1.87 |
| Total | $21.68 |
TALLY IT UP!
And the final amount for my groceries in July, 2021 is … ta da!
$128.47
And seven times I went inside stores to do grocery shopping.
Wow! This is one my lowest months of the year in dollars spent and visits.
I think August is going to start off with a bang, because I already know I need salad fixings and honey. Two different shops.
LAST MONTH’S VEGETARIAN COWGIRL’S GROCERY BILL
OLDER GROCERY BILLS
To check out previous monthly grocery bills, click on the links below. This is a new feature on The Lifestyle Digs starting in 2021, so not too many to click yet!
The Vegetarian Cowgirl’s May 2021 Grocery Bill
The Vegetarian Cowgirl’s April 2021 Grocery Bill
The Vegetarian Cowgirl’s March 2021 Grocery Bill
The Vegetarian Cowgirl’s February 2021 Grocery Bill
The Vegetarian Cowgirl’s January 2021 Grocery Bill
2021 MONTHLY TOTALS
Here’s how much I’ve been spending on groceries in 2021.
| January | $173.86 |
| February | $122.38 |
| March | $196.85 |
| April | $156.79 |
| May | $207.52 |
| June | $214.54 |
| July | $128.47 |
| 2021 Total | $1,200.41 |
How are you doing with your grocery shopping? Do you still shop or have you switched to deliver or pick up service? Do you find you’re spending more money or less money on groceries?
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on August1, 2021.
MORE READING:
