Hip Roof Barn offered up a blogging challenge which caught my eye.. and I have decided to join in on it.. Silver also joined in from the UK as well as H and family. This is a good as it gives us a snap shot of different areas and different dollars stores.

The goal was to fully shop from your own local dollar store for all your meals an snacks for a full three days. Hip Roof Barn did not give us a limited budget so that was nice.

The idea being two fold.. A) its recommended that you have at least 3 days of shelf stable food for a emergency on hand and b) a lot of of peaple live in food desert area’s and the local shop is the dollar store, a lot of elderly, or lower income do their shopping at the dollar stores as it allows you to buy small portions with limited heating required on most things and many are also pop the top or microwave an go

So the first thing I had to decide was which dollar store I was heading to.. I do not have a dollar store at either of the two closest villages.. and so I used Google maps to figure out which of the “next” over bigger towns was closer.. I will admit that I WISHED I go to the one with the dollar tree as its all 1.25 max but the dollarma was the closest store to me and it ranges from 1 dollar to 4 dollars per item

I headed into town and the first thing I figured out is that I never shop that row, i mean I do like to pick up the norway fished and packed kippers and fish and I do poke my head down it by 3 feet around christmas time to pick up some amazing UK or scottish cookies normally and that’s it..

So I was truly coming at this with fresh eyes.. the fact that I was to try for a balanced diet within reason while buying all shelf stable seemed and was a challenge for sure..

I do not know if I hit a bad day at my store but I came home with no bread, no crackers, no rice, I could have gotten potato chips but not in the food isle.. there was pasta and pasta sauce and some dried knorr soups that I passed on.

in the end for drinks, I got coffee, sugar and almond milk (I have never had almond milk unsweetened, so that is a new thing for me) i could have gotten powdered creamer but it was a massive bag and I just could not make myself buy it.. I had a choice between almond milk or oat milk.. anyone know both? should I have gone oat?

the meat section was lean, so I got some of everything they had, my canned kippers, one can of salmon, one can of white chicken breast meat chunks and one can of a version of spam.. again the shelves where not full..

Veggie spot.. I got one of each thing they had which is one can of aspargus tips, one can of peas(the last one on the shelf) black olives and a can of mushrooms.. the lady in front of me, snapped up the last cans of corn, pea’s and carrots, and green beans. I watched them go in her cart with a sigh as I waited my spot back

Fruit was easy.. they had fruit mixed cups and apple sauce.. that was it, so that was what in my basket.. I looked up and down carefully.. this was the only fruit I could find. I was sure I should have been able to find dried fruit, fruit roll ups, fruit gummys for kids lunches.. nope..

so as I stood there thinking breakfast and supper with a frown on my face, found my saving graces on the highest shelve and down the way on the lowest.. Breakfast, high up was cans of rice pudding lots of it and one last can of tapioca pudding.. snap!

Down low, beans and franks so many cans of beans and franks and two lone cans of mild chili.. it will do.. it will do..

I have to admit that I have a feeling from what the other folks have written that I might have gotten the short end of the stick at my store on choices.. I could see that many things were missing, empty areas and there was a huge stack of boxes waiting to be unpacked onto those grocery shelves

I certainly have enough to eat and I expect some things will be left over so I will let you know total cost at the end of each day and at the end of 3 days. I have cheese whis but nothing to put it on and I have coconut oil as my fat.. but again.. nothing to use it with.. and for my spices.. I got a set of salt and pepper..

Money wise I was pleased at least.. the almond milk was 2 dollars but everything else was 1 dollar or 1.25 each.. still costly in the end but better then I expected.

We will see what is left in my basket the morning of the 18th..