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Longest post about groceries ever.
By Kristen | June 7, 2007
As much as it sucks to have one’s finances in chaos, I do like the adventurous aspect of seeing what I can buy at Key Food1 that I can still feel okay about buying without going broke.
This week in groceries…
Buying bread without high fructose corn syrup is becoming a challenge. Right now, I’m in love with Pepperidge Farms’ German Dark Wheat for being tasty and fairly free of artificial crap.
Finding an acceptable white bread for the kid is another story. I used to buy the white bread Whole Foods produces, but spending four dollars2 to get to WF seems vaguely ridiculous. I’ve been buying Country Morning White from Rudi’s Organic Bakery but it’s a little overpriced and really dry.
I could (and really should) buy bread at the bakery in the next neighborhood over. It’s about the same price, and it’s better bread; it’s just way the hell up at the top of this steep hill, but seeing as I’m prone to “fatigue and weakness, even after slight exertion,” I really fucking hate schlepping up and down that giant hill. By the time I get home, I’m usually wiped out for the rest of the day.
I am all about the Malt-O-Meal cereals. Seriously. In addition to being about half the cost, they also tend to have less artificial ingredients in them than the name brand cereals. Examples: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes is sweetened with HFCS while Malt-O-Meal’s Frosted Flakes uses corn syrup. Honeycomb from Post contains Yellow 5 and Malt-O-Meal’s Honey Buzzers is colored with turmeric.
Local(ish) produce is a challenge. My neighborhood Greenmarket is still yet to start — and again, it’s like a four dollar surcharge to go to one further away — so I’m stuck with what I can find nearby. I passed on the California peaches and nectarines, despite being on sale for a mere 88¢ a pound, because California just seems too far, but I did buy blueberries from North Carolina.
Key Food was advertising “locally grown” salad greens — escarole, romaine, chicory — but when I brought it up to the register, it was as if I deposited a leafy green alien on the belt. No one knew what it was or how to price it. And, as I now look at my receipt, I can see she charged me for (then subsequently voided out) parsley, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, and something listed as “PORTUGUESE LONG/ROU” before settling on romaine lettuce… when I actually bought escarole.
Yogurt makers can bite my ass. “June is National Dairy Month!” according to the Key Food circular. I was going to buy Dannon’s Fruit on the Bottom yogurts (on sale this week), after recently reading that Dannon’s Danimals line is now free from HFCS as well as artificial colors and flavors, but evidently adults only care about their kids consuming HFCS. I think a letter to Dannon may be in order.
- The mid-range grocery store chain here in NYC. It’s not that fancy, but it’s not that shabby either. [↩]
- Two subway rides at $2 each — I’ve stopped buying the monthly pass to save some money. [↩]
Topics: Gezellig Groceries |
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June 7th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
You’re going to hate this suggestion, but you can bake a loaf of really fantastic white bread for about 35 cents . . .
June 7th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
I don’t hate that suggestion!
Thanks to the tutelage of Lisa several years ago, I’m actually a pretty decent bread baker… in the winter, anyway.
The heat and the extra humidity of summer weather makes the dough such a globby bitch to work with — to say nothing of the freakish way my kitchen traps heat — and I end up sweaty and swearing for the better part of an afternoon.
Although, now you’ve got me thinking… I’ll have to leaf through my copy of ‘Beard on Bread’ and come back to this idea.
June 7th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
I know things are right right now, but you may want to consider a bread machine. It won’t heat up your kitchen, and over time it will save you money.
You may even be able to find a used one somewhere.
June 8th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Regarding the yogurt thing, consider buying plain yogurt and stirring in fresh or frozen fruit. No fructose, high or low.
June 8th, 2007 at 1:09 am
Dude.
I am totally embarrassed for not having thought of that myself. [Although I generally eat plain yogurt — especially that lovely Greek yogurt — with a nice blob of jam/preserves.]
June 17th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Girlfriend!
I am totally investing in one of these! Given the amount of yogurt I eat, it’ll practically make me money.
Does something like this interest you??