Purging and the Grocery Bill

I started my morning out purging and cleaning and trying to gather up all of the receipts that we need to send in for reimbursement. We haven't done a monthly financial report since May. They aren't my favorite way to spend time, but it is a necessary one that I've been neglecting. In the process, I've chased a few rabbit trails around the house as my mind is pulled into a dozen directions today. We have a team here this week and next and are going to be working on oral bible stories this afternoon and the next few days with them and another team here from a different mission. I also need to carve out time for lesson planning, meal prep, and language study. But for the moment, I'm mostly purging and thinking about what necessities to pack in our emergency bags. Our country faces another round of elections this weekend if everything goes as currently planned. With the instability and ethnic tensions that have plagued our country and this process, we live with several suitcases packed at all times in case a hasty exit is needed. Your prayers for our people during this time would be so appreciated.

I'm amazed this morning at the "things" we've seemed to collect since living here. I have a shelf under my kitchen cabinet that is overflowing with empty glass jars and other containers. There are old, random "to-do" lists found all over the house. I've found tons of papers with names and phone numbers that we've never put in our phones. And then there is a stack of loose scrap paper with random language notes that we've picked up here and there when we are out and about. As I was cleaning off our bookshelf, I came across a bunch of grocery receipts. We do our supply shopping every 4-6 weeks. I've gotten good at planning ahead and know just how much meat and cheese will fit into our tiny freezer. I buy most all of our fruits, vegetables and staples like flour and sugar here in our city. But we drive 5 hours and across the border into a neighboring country to shop for things like canned goods, milk, meat, cheese, dog food, etc. I was talking with several friends recently about the prices we pay for everything from gas to milk. Most of my friends have spent significant time in recent years and months in France and other places in Europe. In their experience, the prices we pay here are far greater than most of the same things in France and beyond. As I was looking at my stack of grocery receipts, I thought I'd post this real quick before I throw them away so you might have an idea of our cost of living. Some of these things, I don't remember the price for in the States. Maybe some of you could give me a comparison if you've bought any of these recently. For your reference, everything is sold in kilograms here. One kilo (kg) is equal to just a little over two pounds. One liter is about 1/4 gallon. I'm converting the price we paid into roughly the USD amount it would equal.

Mozzarella (in a block that I have to shred myself) - 1 kg - $20
Sliced deli ham - 1 kg - $26
Dog food - 4 kg bag - $16.50
Orange juice - 1/2 gallon - $6
Frosted flakes (an off brand) - $6
Jasmine rice - 5 kg bag - $9
Cooking oil - 1 liter - $6
Small bottle of listerine - $10
Milk - 1 liter - $3 (that makes a gallon of milk roughly $12)
Pert shampoo - small bottle - $4
Nutella - small jar 350 gm - $8
Cheddar cheese (in a block that I shred) - 1 kg - $30
Bama mayonnaise - lg jar - $4
Green beans - lg can - $3
Sliced cheese - 12 slices (not Kraft) - $5
Butter - 2 sticks - $2
Hamburger meat - 1 kg - $5.50
Pringles - reg size can - $4
Lays chips - small bag like you might buy at a gas station - $5
AAA batteries - 2 batteries - $2

At a restaurant:

Hamburger with fries & coke - $10
milkshake - $2
grilled fish (1 filet) with rice - $7
order of fries alone - $2.50
Cheeseburger alone - $5

Some random items that Rick priced but not things we bought:

blender - $89
Scrabble deluxe game - $120
mid-size ice chest - $60
PS2 game system - $300
Mint chocolate ice cream (1/2 gallon) - $13


Crazy, huh?