Bulk Yolks and Reward Points

Since my No Ramen Here post about grocery shopping, I have made some adjustments to the way we shop for food. I increased the frequency of our Costco orders to weekly when I realized that we were visiting the local grocery store very frequently and spending significantly more for basics - eggs, milk, juice, and fruit. I determined that it was better to order in bulk and get more bang for our buck. For example, a tray of 1 dozen eggs at our local supermarket costs about $3 but I can get 2 dozen eggs for $4.29 from Costco. We are at the end of the third week this month and still have about $60 left in our $700/month food budget. The fridge, freezer, and pantry are stocked such that we won't need to go to the store for groceries through the end of the month. Under budget months are my opportunity to stock up on baking supplies, canned goods, and bulk snacks.

Here is a breakdown of our shopping trips and spending:

3 x Costco - $436.82
3 x Whole Foods - $126.52
1 x Trader Joe's - $28.57
1 x Walmart.com - $46.18

Costco's Same-Day delivery has a $35 minimum for free delivery and their online prices are inflated to include service and delivery. For our family, the delivery option is ideal because we do not own a car and would have to pay for an Uber, both ways, if we wanted to shop in person. The online option also saves time and is much less stressful than shopping in store with three small children and a spouse who hates shopping. Our time and sanity are worth every extra penny.

Speaking of extra pennies, for several years we have used and loved the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. In the last year, foreign transaction fees were discontinued and just yesterday it was announced that we can now earn 5% back on Whole Foods purchases. At the beginning the month, I ordered $100 worth of groceries from Amazon Prime Pantry and it cost me nothing because I had reward points and gift card credit. The gift card credit was from Amazon Trade-In program payouts I received for some old, unwanted, Apple products, a camera, books and CDs.

I also just received a cash back check from Ebates for $132.79. I highly recommend signing up if you haven't already - it is easy, free, money.

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