Budgeting

1. Teriyaki salmon with onion and garlic. 

Fresh thyme Teriyaki 20oz- $3.99

Aldi teriyaki 12oz- $1.89

Fresh Thyme salmon- $5.99per lb

Aldi salmon- $5.99 per lb

Aldi white onion- $.1.29 per lb

Fresh thyme white onion- $1.49, on sale for $.99 per lb

Aldi garlic clove- $.50 each

Fresh thyme garlic clove- $.69 each

2. Pomegranate, apple, goats cheese, mixed greens, honey 

Fresh thyme pomegranates- $2.99 each 

Aldi pomegranates- $1.79 each

Fresh thyme gala apples- $1.49 per lb

Aldi gala apples- $1.49 per lb

Aldis goats cheese- $2.25

Fresh thyme goats cheese log- $3.09

Fresh thyme spinach 8woz- 2 for $4

Aldi spinach 5woz- $2.69

Fresh thyme honey 12woz- $3.99

Aldi honey 12woz- $2.49

Walgreens honey 12woz- $3.99

I couldn’t find most of these ingredients at a corner store. 

Overall the prices were pretty comparable, but there were some differences between the two stores. The honey, garlic, teriyaki, pomegranates, and goat cheese were all cheaper at aldis. The biggest difference was the price of the pomegranates. I am not surprised that there were a lot of cheaper items at aldis because I usually think of aldis as really affordable. Whereas with fresh thyme, some of their stuff is priced really low or comparable to aldis but other items are more price. Most of my items were not available at a corner store but usually when I go shopping for food I avoid them because they are usually more expensive. 

Some things I was surprised by were that there were a few items that were cheaper at fresh thyme. Even though the onion was on sale from $1.49 which is more pricey than $1.29, there was a sale at fresh thyme for $.99, making it cheaper than the white onion at aldis. I was also surprised at the sale for spinach from fresh thyme making the 2 for $4 a better deal than aldis, and aldis spinach was in a smaller container. 

In the future, I will go online to see how much everything on my list is and compare it to another store to see where I can get the most product for the least amount of money. Overall I will be more mindful when selecting products to purchase and focus on the price rather than just putting it in my cart without thinking if I could get a better deal. Also in the future, I will look up the deals and sales each place is having to see where I can save money. 

I saved some money by looking up prices first and comparing the costs. I went to fresh thyme first because it is closer but I waited to get some products that I knew would be cheaper at Aldis, such as the pomegranate.

Overall the shopping experience was enjoyable. I like to go grocery shopping but I am usually not as mindful of the price when picking things out. It felt good to know that I was getting the best value this time as I was being more mindful and comparing costs to another store.

The recipe I decided to make was the teriyaki salmon. It is a very simple recipe so I didn’t follow one and just used my intuition. First I let the salmon thaw in cold water. Then once it was thawed I dried it with a paper towel before seasoning it with salt and pepper. On a cutting board, I finely sliced half a white onions and 1 clove of garlic. I put some butter on the pan and put it at medium heat. I placed the salmon on there and covered it with teriyaki sauce. I let the salmon cook for several minutes before I flipped it so it could be cooked all the way through. I wait to add the onions until I flipped the salmon so I wouldn’t burn them. I waited until the salmon was only a few minutes away from being done to add the garlic, again so as not to burn it. Overall it was a super simple and enjoyable process. Salmon is my favorite protein to cook with. Usually, I do everything the same but this was the first time I pan-seared it with teriyaki sauce. It makes a huge difference and was delicious!! I will be making this again. Maybe next time I will bake the salmon in teriyaki and see how it compares.