Grocery Budgeting Grade Cards

Well, I told you I would update on how our grocery budgeting has been going over the course of January.  Did we save money or was it splurge central?  Here’s the rundown:

First, I have a bad and somewhat dangerous habit of straying from the grocery list.  When it comes to shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, I find myself doing this.  So, I need to be more disciplined.  Overall, I only deviated from the list five times for high quality Callebaut Chocolate, snack foods, and beer. 

The other thing I have noticed that we do convenience shopping.  With Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s right near our apartment, I find myself making frequent visits for ingredients that I forgot to pick up during the major trip.  These little trips add up quick.  However, things have improved, and these trips have dwindled over the course of January/February.  

Lastly, the coupon clipping has improved.  We have saved more this month, than in previous months.  We have also joined Costco, which has helped us save in terms of pantry goods and meats.

Overall, the grade is a C.  We still have room for improvement, especially in terms of the number of nights we feel lazy and decide to go out to a restaurant.

Off the Rack…Wine Review for the Weekend

In the past, I have been kind of neglectful when it comes to posting.  It is sad, but of course, life happens…which is good, right?  Well, there are times for relaxation in my world through running, yoga, and entertaining.  Entertaining is one of my favorite things to do, and so one night, my boyfriend decided to bring a bottle of wine over that was reminiscent to the one we had on our first Valentine’s Day together.  This is the basis for the Wine Review for the Weekend series.

Source: Trump Winery

This week, the wine of the weekend is Kluge Estate (now Trump Winery)’s New World Red.  It is one of the best red wines I have tasted, and it is versatile enough to pair with steak and chocolate.  While the wine we had on our first Valentine’s Day was from the Kluge Estate repertoire (Albemarle’s Simply Red), this red was full bodied with hints of oak, black cherry, and currant.  Of course, we chose to celebrate Valentine’s Day with chocolate and this wine.

There is no doubt that we will be adding more bottles of this, and the Albemarle Simply Red to the wine rack shortly.