What does it cost??

I finally remembered to save a receipt from my "grocery" shopping at a local supermarket on Friday and I thought it would be fun to share with you what I pay for weekly items!! I usually make a run to EMart once a week and my ayi goes probably every other week to buy the meat, laundry detergent, and anything else she uses. She goes to the fruit and veggie market almost everyday - it gives her a little break out of the house! Plus, she finds delicious fruit, so I don't mind at all! I also have to go to one of the import stores every Monday to pick up organic milk that comes from Beijing!! And then, of course, I go to Jenny Lous at least once a month if not twice to get more food from "home"!!

Below are the US price of the items, because I don't think the price in RMB will make any sense!!

Mango Juice $2.25
1/2 Liter Milk $2.25
Fish Crackers $1.10
4 Containers of Yogurt $1.40
Oreo Straws $.70
Ritz Crackers $1.80
Hormel Mini Hot Dogs $2.40
Hormel Cooked Ham $3.10
Land of Lakes Pepper Jack Cheese $5.50
Orange Baby Tomatoes $1.00
Cherry Tomatoes $.70
Kraft Singles $4.80
Parmalat Drinkable Yogurts (8) $1.20
Colgate Toothpaste $1.60
2 8 Packs of AA Energizer Batteries $4.70
Case of Coke Zero $6.20

Grand total was about $41.00

The way I look at it is that some things are definitely more expensive due to the fact that they are imported (like cheeses) and then the local items and foods that are made with joint venture companies are considerably less expensive!! The biggest money saver for me is that EMart is not Target!!!! Usually I go in and get what I need and leave, unlike Target where I used to go in and come out with what I needed plus another $100 worth of things that I "might" need!!! Don't get me wrong, I miss shopping at Target, but it is scary to realize how much money I spent there! During this economic downturn, maybe it is best that I am in China, away from all of my favorite stores!! Danny's happy about that anyway!!