Fresh-Start Challenge Shopping List, Classic Weeks 1 and 2
Here's the shopping list for both weeks of the winter Fresh-Start Challenge, Classic Style. It shows what my cost was for both weeks, which will give you an idea of what your cost will be. The shopping list also shows how many of each unit to buy each week and in total. This list supports the Fresh Start Classic menu ,which uses dairy and eggs. Here's the week one menu, with week two coming soon.
The shopping list also shows the percentage left at the end of every week. Use this to buy smaller packages than listed if you want, but you may not get the "mini-bulk" prices. The prices are the green prices. For the thrifty plan, two items are different: bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemons and conventional, family-size tea bags instead of single organic tea bags.
Save Big by Cooking from Scratch
During the second week, when you cook all of your food from scratch, meals averaged just $5.33 a day per person in February 2012. You could cut costs to under $5 a day by serving celery sticks instead of bell pepper sticks, by having bananas as a snack instead of walnuts and raisins, and by making pasta sauce with winter greens instead of bell peppers. These menus match the ones in Wildly Affordable Organic and make a smooth transition from the 20 Minute a Day Started Plan to the full winter menu. The total costs include the cost of stocking a bare-cupboard kitchen, right down to the salt, plus the ingredients for a bonus large pizza for a celebration after the challenge, using dough you made in week 2.
| price | quantity | |||||||
| ingredient | category | green unit | total week 2 | week 1 | week 2 | total | buying unit | % left |
| baking powder | baking | $1.49 | $1.49 | 1 | 1 | 10 ounces | 90% | |
| baking soda | baking | $0.59 | $0.59 | 1 | 1 | 8 ounces | 93% | |
| brown sugar | baking | $1.19 | $1.19 | 1 | 1 | pound | 54% | |
| cocoa | baking | $2.99 | $2.99 | 1 | 1 | 8 ounces | 78% | |
| corn meal | baking | $1.19 | $1.19 | 1 | 1 | pound | 47% | |
| corn starch | baking | $1.49 | $1.49 | 1 | 1 | pound | 89% | |
| flour, all-purpose | baking | $4.69 | $4.69 | 1 | 1 | 5-pound bag | 34% | |
| flour, white whole wheat | baking | $2.99 | $5.98 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2-pound bag | 34% |
| sugar | baking | $3.17 | $3.17 | 1 | 1 | 5-pound bag | 71% | |
| walnuts | baking | $9.99 | $9.99 | 1 | 1 | pound | 0% | |
| yeast, rapid rise | baking | $1.79 | $1.79 | 1 | 1 | 3 pack (2.25 teaspoons each) | 0% | |
| oats, old fashioned | cereal | $1.29 | $1.29 | 1 | 1 | pound | 0% | |
| wheat germ | cereal | $2.69 | $2.69 | 1 | 1 | pound | 75% | |
| tea | coffee and tea | $3.99 | $3.99 | 1 | 1 | 80-bag box | 40% | |
| butter | dairy | $4.69 | $4.69 | 1 | 1 | pound | 17% | |
| cheese, mozzarella | dairy | $3.99 | $11.97 | 3 | 3 | 8-ounce package | 0% | |
| cheese, parmesan | dairy | $4.49 | $8.98 | 2 | 2 | 5-ounce package | 20% | |
| eggs | dairy | $3.99 | $7.98 | 1 | 1 | 2 | dozen | 0% |
| milk, fresh 2% | dairy | $3.55 | $3.55 | 1 | 1 | half-gallon | 41% | |
| yogurt for starter | dairy | $0.99 | $0.99 | 2 | 0 |
2 |
6-ounce container | 21% |
| raisins | fruit | $2.99 | $5.98 | 1 | 1 | 2 | pound bulk | 13% |
| beans, black | grains | $1.69 | $4.23 | 2.5 | 2.5 | pound bulk | 4% | |
| beans, chickpea | grains | $2.39 | $2.39 | 1 | 1 | pound bulk | 20% | |
| beans, split peas | grains | $1.69 | $2.54 | 1.5 | 1.5 | pound bulk | 7% | |
| rice | grains | $1.59 | $1.59 | 1 | 1 | pound bulk | 20% | |
| honey | grocery | $4.69 | $1.17 | 0.25 | 0.25 | pounds bulk (4 ounces) | 0% | |
| peanut butter | grocery | $3.29 | $9.87 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 18-ounce jar | 22% |
| rotini or fusilli pasta, whole wheat |
grocery | $2.39 | $11.95 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14.5-ounce box | 13% |
| tomatoes, crushed | grocery | $1.99 | $5.97 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 28-ounce can | 0% |
| tomatoes, diced | grocery | $1.99 | $5.97 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 28-ounce can | 0% |
| vinegar | grocery | $3.69 | $3.69 | 1 | 1 | 16 ounces | 81% | |
| soy sauce | internat. | $2.49 | $2.49 | 1 | 1 | 16 ounces | 40% | |
| tahini | internat. | $8.99 | $8.99 | 1 | 1 | 16 ounces | 58% | |
| corn or canola oil | oil | $4.99 | $4.99 | 1 | 1 | 16 ounces | 58% | |
| olive oil | oil | $11.99 | $11.99 | 1 | 1 | 1 liter (33.9 ounce) bottle | 42% | |
| apples | produce | $3.99 | $3.99 | 1 | 1 | 3-pound bag | 11% | |
| bananas | produce | $0.88 | $0.88 | 4 | 14 | 18 | pound | 0% |
| bell peppers, green | produce | $1.69 | $13.52 | 7 | 1 | 8 | peppers | 0% |
| broccoli | produce | $2.99 | $8.97 | 3 | 3 | pound | 0% | |
| cabbage, green | produce | $1.49 | $2.98 | 2 | 2 | pound | 20% | |
| carrots | produce | $3.99 | $3.99 | 1 | 1 | 5-pound bag | 0% | |
| garlic | produce | $0.69 | $2.76 | 2 | 2 | 4 | head | 18% |
| ginger | produce | $5.99 | $5.99 | 1 | 1 | 8 ounces | 20% | |
| green beans | produce | $2.49 | $4.98 | 2 | 2 | pounds | 0% | |
| greens, chard | produce | $2.99 | $2.99 | 1 | 1 | pound | 40% | |
| greens, kale | produce | $2.00 | $2.00 | 1 | 1 | bunch (1 1/8 pound) | 0% | |
| lettuce | produce | $2.49 | $2.49 | 1 | 1 | head (7/8 pound) | 63% | |
| salad mix, prepared | produce | $3.99 | $3.99 | 1 | 1 | 5 ounces prepared salad mix | 0% | |
| lemons | produce | $0.99 | $3.96 | 4 | 4 | lemons | 20% | |
| onions, yellow or white | produce | $3.49 | $6.98 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3-pound bag | 39% |
| onions, green | produce | $0.99 | $0.99 | 1 | 1 | bunch (1/4 pound) | 25% | |
| oranges | produce | $1.29 | $10.32 | 8 | 8 | pound | 0% | |
| parsley | produce | $1.69 | $1.69 | 1 | 1 | bunch (3/8 pound) | 92% | |
| pears | produce | $1.10 | $4.40 | 4 | 4 | pear | 0% | |
| potatoes, all-purpose | produce | $3.99 | $3.99 | 1 | 1 | 5-pound bag | 20% | |
| potatoes, sweet | produce | $1.99 | $5.97 | 2 | 1 | 3 | pound | 0% |
| bay leaves | spices | $0.05 | $0.15 | 3 | 3 | leaf bulk | 63% | |
| chipotle pepper | spices | $5.99 | $5.99 | 1 | 1 | 1.8 ounces | 96% | |
| cinnamon | spices | $0.56 | $0.56 | 1 | 1 | half ounce bulk | 40% | |
| cumin | spices | $1.12 | $1.12 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 ounces bulk | 4% | |
| nutmeg | spices | $2.09 | $2.09 | 1 | 1 | half ounce bulk | 96% | |
| oregano | spices | $1.00 | $1.00 | 1 | 1 | half ounce bulk | 82% | |
| cayenne | spices | $0.50 | $0.50 | 1 | 1 | half ounce bulk | 59% | |
| salt | spices | $0.47 | $0.47 | 1 | 1 | 28-ounce package | 79% | |
| turmeric | spices | $0.94 | $0.94 | 1 | 1 | half ounce bulk | 92% | |
| vanilla | spices | $5.69 | $5.69 | 1 | 1 | 2 ounces | 63% | |
shopping list, vegetarian, winter | in challenge 
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