eating cheaply: grocery shopping

I finally (FINALLYYYY) went grocery shopping today.

$4.52 on health and beauty.

$4.74 on produce.

$4.91 on protein.

$5.26 on spices/condiments.

$10.03 on kitchen supplies. (Trash bags and a rolling pin, in this case.)

I feel really good about this. I also think it will be a little less expensive when I have a good stash of spices and condiments built up.

Two biggest things I'm excited about? Fresh produce (YAY!) and the dinners I'll be making.

• Pot pies -- homemade pie crust, canned chicken, sweet potato, cali mix vegetables.
• Lemon pasta -- homemade pasta, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, olive oil, basil, evaporated milk
• Stir fry -- raman, cali mix frozen vegetables, soy sauce, eggs.
• Tamale casserole (of sorts) -- masa, cheddar cheese, turkey stock, onion, chicken, beans, tomato, salsa

Yes, the pot pies and casserole are experimental, but they use primarily things I already have on hand. And "already on hand" means cheap! Hard to argue with that.