I am financially unable to transition to foods that have a very long shelf life, so normal grocery items are what are on my shelf and in my "Buckets of Holding" emergency gear. I've mentioned in many posts that the products in my pantry get rotated out before the Sell By date (even if we all know that does not affect quality) and I give them to my Food Bank, which is need of donations right now.
In With Some New
This is a one-for-one swap of the listed items. The next scheduled time for checking the other things in my stores is October/November.
Pacific Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup
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| Soup in a box, in a box! |
- Roasted red pepper and tomato creamy soup
- Gluten-free
- USDA organic
Trader Joe's Macaroni
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| 1 lb Pasta |
Here's what I've always wondered: How can this be sold for a buck after being manufactured and then shipped from Italy? What's the difference between this and similar brands selling for twice the price? Maybe someone can explain it to me.
Trader Giotto's Three Cheese Sauce
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| Really tasty! |
There are several different sauces on the shelves there but this is my current favorite. Once again, this is priced within pennies of the national brands found in Sams's Club or Costco, and I can buy a jar at a time instead of a three pack. One jar over one pound of pasta works for me.
No one in my current group has any food sensitivities, so wheat, nuts and dairy are not an issue.
Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety 52 Pack
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| Oatmeal |
I know, the added sugar in the flavored varieties makes this nutritionally similar to a donut, but I like to think the oats balance things out!
Everything is dated at least one year out, with the pasta listed as good until 2021! Nothing will stay in the buckets that long, since I pull from them fairly regularly to save myself a trip to the store. Doing this means I've got to stay on top of the inventory -- which is simple, since I'm doing the pulling so I know which bucket is now short.
There's also a paper inside each bucket listing what is in each one. This is not a problem now as the member of the group with dietary restrictions moved and I don't need to worry as much about stomach issues.
Later this year I plan to start moving to some freeze-dried meals and doing some more product taste tests.
The Takeaway
- I have to buy what I need for the money available each month. Sometimes that is not much, and other times a little more.
- Check your shopping lists for the month. Having a membership to Costco could potentially save you cash if you are buying the same items every trip to the store.
The Recap
- Eight 1lb packages of pasta from Trader Joe's at $0.99 each: total of $7.92
- Eight jars of pasta Sauce also from Joe's at $2.49 each: total of $19.92
- Two cases (24 total) Tomato Basil Soup from Sam's Club: $11.98 ea for a total of $23.96
- One case (52 count) Quaker Instant Oatmeal also from Sam's: $9.87
Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!
If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!
NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.
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