Grocery/Supply list

[Van-Tramp]

After 6 weeks of not living in my van I am about to restart my van-living. For the first time in years my van is completely empty of all supplies, so I have been able to go through the van and eliminate a lot of redundant items in preparation of restocking my stores.

I have been working on a list of all the consumables that I have regularly gone through during my past. Since I have been asked more than a few times about a grocery list, I thought I would share what I came up with.

I do try to buy the smallest quantity of every item, choosing to pay a little more to have a smaller item to store in the van. For example, I may choose to buy a 6-egg package for $1 instead of buying 12-eggs for $1.50 simply for the smaller package.

Hope it helps

Some things I will not buy until they are on sale; Chicken breast can be had for less than $2 per pound if you just wait. Same with beef, I always get the "mangers special" for half the sticker price. Dented cans, or "day old" breads will all be discounted to maximize savings

 

[akrvbob]

Great information!! Thanks!
Bob

 

[Patrick46]

Ask at your supermarket's meat counter where they have their discount rack.

Our store here has a shelf full of meat that's a couple days old, but not old enough to be bad. Ribs, lots of steaks, pork chops...Usually at 1/3 to 1/2 off the original price. (much like the day-old bread rack.)

I call it the "used meat shelf" (which my wife can't stand!!)

 

[sl1966]

Van-Tramp. I was curious how often you buy and how much of a variance there is in your grocery bill from place to place. By place to place I mean a state to state average. I know some full timers travel nationwide while others seem to stick to a particular region like the southwest.

 

[Van-Tramp]

"Used-meat" LOL, that's funny.

@sl1966 - I restock, generally, every week. I never burn through everything I have in the van so I'd say I have about 2 weeks worth of food with me when fully restocked. I do tend to only buy one-of-each to prevent having too much in the van; 1 can of beans, 1 roll of paper towels, etc. So I'm always on the edge of running out, but never have to store extras.

My grocery bill can fluctuate by as much as $50 per month, but that has more to do with beer or candy purchases, not the price of individual items. When certain items are noticably higher at one location, I simply do not buy them. Often times it give me the opportunity to buy something else instead.

 

[PastTense]

Why baby wipes?

 

[Van-Tramp]

It is the easiest way to keep clean (hands, face, ... and um... cracks & crevasses) without wasting water (I carry only 12 gallons of water). I did recently buy a solar shower, but have yet to try it out.

 

[caseyc]

Thanks for the useful info Van-Tramp. I second and third the baby wipes!! I keep lots on hand. I have found there are 2 types of baby wipes that I use. One type of wipes are for cleaning "things" other than myself. These tend to be stronger, industrial use wipes made by Clorox or other brands. I used the "industrial" wipes to clean the carpets, sleeping bags, bird poo on windows, etc. The industrial wipes tend to be a bit too rough on the skin from what I've found. The other type of wipes truly can be used on babies, hence the term baby wipes. I get the Walgreens brand in a blue bottle that is very gentle to the skin and also has aloe vera conditioner added to it. So when I'm wiping myself down, my skin is also "softer" (hopefully) from the aloe vera added to the wipes. I use these "baby" wipes even to "wash" my hair, including face, hands, feet, and "under" parts, haha! I usually keep at least 2 containers of each wipes, the industrial type for general cleaning, and the softer baby wipes for my body.

 

[Mac J]

One thing to remember about Baby Wipes is that they DO NOT break down in septic or sewer systems. They are definitely not flushable.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Correct! Mine go in the trash.

PS - There are "flush-able" wipes... they are flush-able I assume? I have never tried them since I do not flush my wipes anyway since my porta-potty is so small.

 

[Zil]

I recommend baby wipes. I also keep a pack of antiseptic Wet-Ones. Great to clean a toilet stall when needed. Can be used for personal clean up too. But baby wipes are necessities.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I got to go shopping today and bought nearly everything on the list (including a few extra items) for under $40. I did still have a few items in the van so I did not have to buy every single item, but I round up to $50 for everything and still have a few dollars safety net. I easily have a full week's worth of food, and could stretch it further depending on how often I can eat Oatmeal and such.

One of my goals in this list was to buy healthy(er) foods while trying to keep my cost-per-meal under $2. In fact, most meals cost under $1 (oatmeal, PB sandwiches, bean burritos, homemade stew, etc) so I can allow my dinners to cost more.

 

[sl1966]

How long was the stretch between now and when you last bought?

 

[Van-Tramp]

Not really fair to answer that as I have not been living in the van for over a month. Normally, I would restock my food each weekend, but not everything needs to be replaced each weekend. My grocery bill over the past year has been about $160 per month but also includes my nightly beer.

 

[sl1966]

Oh ok, fair enough. I've yet to gauge what mine will be but I occasionally like to drop into a costco (when available) and stock up on dry or canned goods. Certain items bought there helps to save long run for me.

Beer = very important!

 

[caseyc]

and chips, lots of potato chips to go with the beer!