To-Do List

 

Busy day for Joe and me. Yes, I did get the drink coffee part of my day completed. We also got to check off "Costco Shopping" from our list, along with a stop at Lowe's for more garden/yard items. 

Then I came home and created a grocery spreadsheet to begin tracking costs of food items. Joe asked me, during dinner last night, if we were running over the budget on food and I told him we have not gone over budget. I have noticed increases in food prices when we dine out, but not in the grocery stores. I have been looking at weekly grocery receipts for years, so I know what we were paying for fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, cheese, bread, and other items that are standard for our household. So, I started thinking  that I should track the costs of our groceries by item so I can identify where the prices have increased since 2019.

We rarely buy processed foods. We do keep a couple of frozen pepperoni/sausage pizzas frozen for those nights that we want little fuss in the kitchen. My hope with the spreadsheet is to do an analysis by region and compare 2019 prices. I will let you know how that turns out. Also, we tend to buy what fruits and vegetables are in season except for greens for salads - we buy greens year-round - at least until Joe's garden grows next year. Oh, and ice cream is a processed food, as well. I do know that ice cream containers have gotten smaller (at Costco though you can still get half gallons of vanilla ice cream) so that is one way the price per ounce has gone up - we just buy less or only when on sale.

As I was finishing the spreadsheet, one of the women in the neighborhood stopped by to visit. We drank tea and she shared about her job at a local assisted living facility. I enjoyed listening to her stories. She is a mom of four children and works full-time. Fortunately, she and her husband are able to take care of the children without needing outside daycare. 

Joe had finished the terrace for the planter boxes - he has two or three other tasks to complete before he is ready to take a photo of his handwork. Maybe we will have it for tomorrow!