Suburban Sticker Shock!

This past weekend, Mr B and I did something we have never done before: we bought a house and moved! Some of you might remember the Bellingham abode I featured in my Functional Kitchen Update a few months ago. Well, the deal went through and that gorgeous kitchen is now my new favorite place. With the help of my bestie Lauren, I got right to work setting up my kitchen this weekend, imagining all of the meals I would create there!

On my lunch hour yesterday, I sat down with the sale circular for our nearest grocery store and created my menu of dinners for the week. As I scanned through the week's offerings, I realized with a start that an unexpected budget bonus had come our way. The B household was going to experience some sticker shock, and not in the bad way. Apparently, it is much more costly to cook in the city than it is in the 'burbs, because these Bellingham prices were much lower than the ones I was accustomed to in Jamaica Plain. Some examples:

Item                                                  JP                                        Bellingham
Bananas                                       $0.60/lb                               $0.44/lb
Avocados                                    2/$5.00                                $0.88 each
Limes                                            2/$1.00                                3 pound bag (maybe 20 limes), $2.69
Plumrose Baby Back Ribs        $6.99                                   2/$8
Store Brand Wheat Bread        $2.19                                   $1.00

I was almost as pleased by this as I was to learn that our car insurance had dropped about $300 annually (this was not a surprise to me, however: it doesn't take a genius to figure out that on-street parking in Boston is riskier than driveway parking in the middle of nowhere). Buying a house is a costly endeavor, but I will take those food savings any way I can get em!

It's a give-and-take, of course. For Thursday night's Curried Apple & Lentil Dal that I am planning, I couldn't find any garam masala in the ethnic aisle. Why? Because there is no ethnic aisle in Bellingham, that's why. No delightful aisle full of varied treasures to ogle over, from India, Thailand, Latin America, and Japan. At my old grocery store, there was a half aisle devoted to Irish specialities, due to the significant off-the-boat-Irish population in West Roxbury. Although I wasn't ever adventurous enough to try some of them (uh, Spotted Dick anyone?), I appreciated their presence. I was sad to see that the cans of Goya beans were as exotic as it gets in Bellingham.

Nonetheless, I am fully appreciative of the savings I will see on my grocery bill in Bellingham, and will head off to Whole Foods for any of the goodies I can't find in the regular store.

Now that I am cooking again, stay tuned for more recipes! This week's lineup includes Shrimp n Grits, Curried Apple  & Lentil Dal, Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken with mashed coconut sweet potatoes and mango/avocado salad, and a special dessert somewhere in there: warm polenta pudding with wild blueberry compote.