The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good

Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien - Voltaire

Psst. We should get something out of the way right now. I'm not a purist. I like Cheetos and Milky Way Candy bars. I grew up on a mixture of New England fare and Mexican food. I like to use (gasp!) a boullion cube once in a while instead of the tasteless carrot water that passes for broth in the natural foods section. The best corn tortillas are NOT the organic "handmade" ones at Trader Joe's and I don't have a compost heap (even though I know I probably should).

That said, when I shop, I like to shop well. I like my basket to look like I've been gathering special treats from little street shops in Paris - beautiful fluffy bread, green leafy vegetables and freshly wrapped brown packages of meat and cheese. Too many boxes with gaudy lettering and I start to hyperventilate.

This morning I set out with a simple mission: Buy groceries for two weeks with about $150 bucks. That's about $75 a week, $25 per person. Difficult, but not impossible. As I took stock of what was left in my pantry after Christmas, I was happy to discover that most of my staples (olive oil, spices, canned goods - I'll do a separate post on how to gather these cheaply) were well represented and I really just needed to get the fresh, vitamin-y stuff like fruits, vegetables and my boyfriend, Dairy.

When I shop, I try to take Michael Pollan's advice and shop around the edges of the store to avoid the less healthy and more expensive packaged foods. The outer walls in the supermarket are your friends. Stick to them and you'll end up with fresh produce, meat, cheese that takes a little more time to prepare but is better (and CHEAPER) for you than freeze-dried and boxed food-like stuff.

Here's the list I started with:



And here are my receipts:




I felt a little like I was cheating on my first shopping post by going to Trader Joe's because they have a huge selection of affordable organics. But, lucky for you readers, every last sucker in Portland had gone or was going to our Trader Joe's this afternoon and many of the things I'd normally pick up were gone OR only one or two tattered packages were left strewn carelessly on the floor.

I picked up organic apples, potatoes, sweet potatoes and lettuce. Gave the evil eye to an oblivious woman in a black hat who squeezed every Anjou pear while I waited patiently to get some onions. Yogurt, preservative-free hot Italian sausages for spaghetti (yum!) and cheese, glorious, fabulous cheese! The rest of the meat section was picked over and the crazy post-snowpocalypse vibe was too much for me so I hopped over to Fred Meyer for meat and more veggies.

All in all, I spent about $130, leaving me $20 for extra milk, bread or produce when we run out next week. I bought organic when I could afford to. I bought a few things I love like Fresh Mozzarella for a bargain basement price at TJ's (2.99 vs. 5.99 @ Fred Meyer). A few things for easy, kid friendly dinners like Annie's Microwaveable Organic Mac & Cheese - three minutes worth my sanity every time. I couldn't find everything I wanted, but I remained calm and shut down my inner control freak by substituting with other affordable, pretty-looking items.

Now that you know what I buy and what I love (Trader Joe's Buried Treasure Cheddar Cheese Corn Puffs, Boo-ya!), you can follow along as I use these ingredients to make tasty, affordable meals for my family. I'll post recipes and itemized cost for each meal so you can create your own affordable and green(ish) grocery lists at home.

Until next time,

Mommycrat