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 November 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.
Those are the items you won’t see here. If it’s not something I’d put in my mouth and chew, it’s not included on the Vegetarian Cowgirl’s grocery bill.
November 7, 2021 grocery bill
The first grocery shop of the month was inadvertently at London Drugs in Cloverdale.
I needed to run in and buy body wash and noticed the Celestial Seasonings holiday teas were still on sale. No big surprise to see the Candy Cane Lane flavor was out of stock. I decided to pick up the other two flavors. I’m making the switch of taking hot tea in my Contigo when I go to the boarding stable to visit Cajun. Cold, rainy weather these days. Brrr! Just trying to keep the calorie count down. I feel like I’m losing the battle of the bulge lately…
Then I noticed a few other things on sale that are all part of my grocery shopping: Ryvita crispbread, cassava chips, and Tic Tacs. In my post Motivated by Fear: my Weight Loss Plan, I talk about how I’ve been popping Tic Tacs to stop myself from snacking.
And isn’t this package on this cinnamon holiday flavor of Tic Tacs the cutest?
I thought the package said “Naughty Villain”, but then I realized there was only one “l” in this villain. Then I wondered if “Vilain” might be the French word for “Naughty”. I plunked it into an online translator, and yup, I’m right. Bilingual Tic Tacs. Wonderful! Merry Christmas!
| Ryvita Crispbread | 2 for $5 | $5.00 |
| Celestial Seasonings Tea | 2 for $6 | $6.00 |
| Fitbite Cassava Chips | 2 for $5 | $5.00 |
| Tic Tacs | 1 | $3.49 |
| Tax | 5% GST on chips and Tic Tacs | .42¢ |
| Total | $19.91 |
I do not recommend buying the Fitbite Cassaba Chips. Oh, they taste just fine. They’re good. They’re a rip off for what you get. It’s a good size bag. Open it up, and the chips take up about 25% at the bottom of the bag. What a waste on packaging!
November 9, 2021 Grocery Bill
I haven’t had salad for a few weeks now and my body is feeling it. No reason why other than I’m trying to eat my pantry. Eat what’s in my freezer.
I stopped at Fruiticana in Cloverdale to pick up a few things. And enjoyed a spinach salad for dinner!
| Red Pepper | .24 lb. @ .98¢/lb | .24¢ |
| Ginger | .36 lb. @ $1.49/lb. | .54¢ |
| Baby Carrots | 1 bag | $1.59 |
| Mushrooms | .35 lb @ $3.79/lb | $1.33 |
| Spinach | 1 bag | $2.99 |
| Bananas | 2.93 lb @ .69¢/lb | $2.02 |
| Total | $8.71 |
November 11, 2021 Grocery Bill
Today is Remembrance Day and normally I go to the cenotaph in Cloverdale for the ceremony to honor those who served our country fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today. Due to Covid, for the second year in a row, the Remembrance Day ceremony is closed to the public. A small gathering of 50 invited guests congregated there today.
It always rains on Remembrance Day, and today is no exception. The rain did hold off until the afternoon, so the veterans in attendance today would have stayed dry.
I got wet and that’s because I took my dog for a very short walk on the Fraser River dyke before shopping at the Real Canadian Superstore in Pitt Meadows. And I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. Even with a shopping list, I still missed a few items.
| Condensed Milk | 1 | $2.97 |
| Craisins | 1 | $4.97 |
| Pumpkin | 1 | $2.48 |
| Becel Oat Margarine | 1 | $4.49 |
| Frozen Sweet Potato Fries | 2 @ $1.97 | $3.94 |
| Perogies | 1 | $2.39 |
| Cashew Milk | 2 @ $3.47 | $6.94 |
| Tofurky Roast | 1 | $7.94 |
| Olympic Krema Yogurt | 1 | $4.99 |
| Pink Lady Apples | 1 bag | $6.99 |
| Bananas | 1.055 kg @ $1.46/kg | $1.54 |
| Tax | 5% GST on the craisins ??!!! | .25¢ |
| Total | $49.89 |
Very happy to see the Tofurky Roast on sale! Normally it’s around $15 at the Superstore, though occasionally on sale for $11 or $12 and that’s when I buy it. This roast sells for over $20 at other stores that specialize in organics, so I saved some money!
November 14 2021 Grocery Bill
Here on the Wet Coast of Canada we’re being hit with heavy rain. Mud slides, flooding, major highways closed! We’re being drenched!
I wasn’t planning to ride Cajun today due to the unsafe wet conditions. When I arrived at the farm, all the horses were in the barn. The owners decided to keep them inside because everything outside is flooding. Seeing as how Cajun was in a stall and I was spending time with him anyway, I cleaned his stall. Except I couldn’t take the wheelbarrow out to the manure pile due to the flooded field and the muck. I did let them know up at the house. That’s all included in the board price, but I’m good with helping out when I can.
When I was done I went to Walmart. On December 1 I want to surprise my co-workers with advent calendars – so shhh don’t tell them that I’m the Christmas elf! I bought one for myself too. The one I’m keeping has After 8 mints. Yummy! And I had a few groceries to pick up. Was happy to spot chocolate chips on sale at $6.97, marked down from $9.99.
| Frozen Strawberries | 1 | $3.77 |
| Mushrooms | 3 cans @ .97¢ | $2.91 |
| Potatoes | 2 cans @ .97¢ | $1.94 |
| Tuna | 6 cans @ $1.17 | $7.02 |
| Condensed Milk | 2 cans @ $1.97 | $3.94 |
| White Sugar | 1 | $4.97 |
| Cocoa Rice Krispies | 1 | $3.67 |
| Gingerbread Kids Cookies | 1 | $1.87 |
| Candy Cane Viva Puffs | 1 | $1.97 |
| Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips | 1 | $6.97 |
| Dark Chocolate Chips | 1 | $6.97 |
| Sunflower Seeds | 1 | $3.00 |
| Hellman’s Mayonnaise | 1 | $4.47 |
| Pam non-stick spray | 1 | $4.99 |
| Brown Rice | 1 | $3.17 |
| Crystal Light Strawberry Lemon | 1 | $2.97 |
| Lemon Lime Drink Mix | 1 | $2.57 |
| Lemonade Drink Mix | 1 | $2.97 |
| Pineapple Juice | 1 | $1.37 |
| Coconut | 1 | $1.97 |
| Plantain Chips | 3 @ $1.27 | $3.81 |
| Crunchy Peanut Butter | 1 | $3.97 |
| Blue Tortilla Chips | 1 | $3.97 |
| Cranberry Ginger Ale | 1 | $6.47 |
| Beverage Deposit on ginger ale | $1.20 | |
| Tax | 5% GST on drink mixes, chips, and ginger ale | .81¢ |
| Tax | 7% PST on ginger ale | .45¢ |
| Total | $94.16 |
So what did I get ripped off on today at Walmart?
The tortilla chips were priced on the shelf at $2.97 and rang through at $3.97. The ginger ale price on the shelf was $5.47 and rang through at $6.47. The only reason I bought it is because it’s the cranberry flavor.
Yup. I’m still ahead of the game because of the screw ups at Walmart Canada website refunding me on a product I did a chargeback on, but we’re getting closer all the time to evening out.
November 21 Grocery Bill
I’ve been hearing a lot on the news about grocery stores with empty shelves because people are stockpiling. Reminiscent of the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring of 2020. This time the empty shelves has been caused by the flooding in British Columbia including Abbotsford, about a 30 minute drive from me.
I don’t think the rest of the Greater Vancouver area is having problems keeping grocery shelves stocked. Today I didn’t notice anything different in the two stores I stopped at.
I had to pick up an item at London Drugs in Cloverdale, and I’m always tempted to look for specials. Found the hazelnuts marked down $2 and the Ryvita crispbreads on a twofer deal.
| Hazelnuts | 1 bag | $7.99 |
| Ryvita Crispbread | 2 boxes @ 2 for $5 | $5.00 |
| Tax | 5% GST on the hazelnuts | .40¢ |
| Total | $13.39 |
Then I walked next door to Save On Foods to see if they had any gingerbread men in the bakery.
Nope. The above photo was taken a couple of years ago. Memories!
I’m getting low on yogurt so that’s the other reason I needed to shop here. My favorite brand, Olympic Krema Vanilla was $5.99. Yikes! If it’s on sale, I’ll buy it here. But that price is at least a buck more than other stores. As you can see above when I bought it at the Real Canadian Superstore on November 11 for $4.99.
See my Review of Save On Foods. Is it too Expensive?
Anyway, I bought a smaller tub of Save On’s brand name of Vanilla Greek Yogurt that was on sale. At least it was cheaper today than Krema.
| WF Vanilla Greek Yogurt | 1 | $3.49 |
| Veggie Crisps | 1 | $9.99 |
| Total | $13.48 |
As for the veggie crisps – believe it or not, they were marked down from $11.49 so I thought I’d give them a try. I found them in the bulk aisle. Save On has packaged goods down that aisle too like nuts and chips.
November 23 grocery bill
After work I headed to the farm to see my horse. Then I took Shadow for a walk around Cloverdale. On the way home I stopped at Fruiticana for my usual produce that pretty much lasts me a week, so good value.
| Baby Carrots | 1 bag | $1.59 |
| Spinach | 1 bag | $2.99 |
| Bananas | 2.34 lb. @ .79¢/lb | $1.85 |
| Total | $6.43 |
November 27 grocery bill
Today I finally stopped by Vegan Supply. It’s been on my radar for ages, but it’s one of those places that lends credence to the argument that vegan foods are expensive. Today everything in the store is 10% off.
Between noon and 2pm today they’re advertising there will be samples from Wize Teas, Nina’s Perogies & Wild Mountain Chocolates. All of that sounds yummy!
And it’s pouring rain today. British Columbia is having more extreme weather with more threats of flooding. Did you see my post a couple of weeks ago with photos from Twitter on the BC floods. We’re just not getting a break to dry out here.
I didn’t ride today, because it’s too dangerous to take my horse out on the road. So I visited a very wet Cajun and then headed out to Vegan Supply in Surrey, about 20 minutes from my house.
It’s located in a strip mall and I was surprised how tiny it is. I was expecting a store maybe the size of 7-11. Nope. It’s about 15 feet wide and maybe 20 feet or so long.
I wanted to try the vegan smoked salmon, made from carrots. It’s actually pretty good. Everything was 10% off today. I got a free can of mango Wize tea, got to try a perogie (not so great) and a sample of Wild Mountain chai latte, and ended up buying the chocolate bar.
I also wanted to try the holiday flavor of another chocolate bar.
| Gingerbread Almond Chocolate bar | 1 | $6.49 |
| Chai Latte Chocolate bar | 1 | $7.99 |
| Smoked Carrot Salmon | 1 | $8.99 |
| 10% off | -$2.34 | |
| Tax | 5% GST on the chocolates | ,65¢ |
| Total | $21.78 |
Stores like this are OK for an occasional treat.
Tally it up!
And the final amount for my groceries in November, 2021 is … ta da!
$227.95
And eight times I went inside stores to do grocery shopping. So I’m pretty much the same dollar amount and shopping trips as October.
But still… Wow! This is another high month in dollars spent. I felt I did normal stocking up, but I also felt I bought more junk that I should have. Cassava chips, veggie crisps, and expensive chocolate all healthier snack choices. But really, I should be sticking more to popcorn and making my own chocolate treats.
I really need to get a handle on my willpower thing and keep the trigger foods out of my house. That would be sweet snacks.
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 September 2021 Grocery Bill
The Vegetarian Cowgirl’s August 2021 Grocery Bill
The Vegetarian Cowgirl’s July 2021 Grocery Bill
The Vegetarian Cowgirl’s June 2021 Grocery Bill
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 |
| August | $246.84 |
| September | $77.37 |
| October | $225.97 |
| November | $227.75 |
| 2021 Total | $1,978.34 |
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 December 1, 2021.
