Grocery Shopping

I started the morning by taking stock of what I had spent already and coming up with a budget plan.  I can't let myself get casual about this.  It is too easy to forget that you are living on a very strict and limited budget as a student who is not yet working.  My rent, which includes utilities and internet comes to 2500DKK or around $400 a month.  I am going to limit myself for all other expenses to an additional $600 or 3600kr. (kroner same as above but not including the D for Danish)  a month so that means 900kr a week.  Sounds reasonable.  I hope.  If I can do less, then I will.

I had to spend 395kr. to get from Copenhagen to Haderslev,  and then another 83kr. to get a taxi to the apartment.  My first shopping trip, I was just trying to get a clue plus I had to buy a replacement alarm clock because I left mine in Copenhagen when I spent the night there.  Grrr.  All total for my first week was 1200kr. or $200.  A little over but way better than I had thought prior to putting it all down on paper.

Today, I went grocery shopping with my budget in mind and knowing that I had to carry the whole thing back in a bag for a mile and a half.  It took me about an hour and half to make this selection.  It is work to figure this out!

Here is what I bought and carried.  This little amount cost me 229kr.  That is $38.   It only weighed maybe 15lbs including the bag plus I had another 5lbs in a little bag on my back.  I swear that by the time I got that mile and a half that the bag weighed about 100lbs.  My shoulders are still hurting as I write this!

You can see that a couple of things are called "budget."  That is føtex's generic brand and much cheaper but they don't have it for everything.  I was having a really hard time with the prices.  I would translate it to $ by dividing by 6.  I wanted the US$ price to be less than it would turn out to be but nope.

 Those peaches, however, are super awesome and nicely ripe.  The tomatoes really are red red.  They are not sort of red like back home.  The hamburger that I bought the other day was amazingly fresh.  I didn't like that the smallest size was 2lbs.  I am only one person!  The bread is unbelievably healthy, dark, and tasty.  I can't remember ever having bread like that at home.

For those of you in France or from France reading this, you will see that even here in a small town in Denmark, there is the Alliance Francaise.  I found this pamphlet at the library today.

 

I got this map from the tourist office.  One side shows the town area and this second one shows the old town that is in the center of the map above it.  I thought you might like to have a wee look at it.  Where I live is way up there under the word føtex on the first map.  I hope that when I move from student housing in 6 months that I will be able to find something nearer to the center of town.