Hello friends, and welcome back after a long while. I’m Rosaura, and today I’m sharing a post about how much I spent on a standard grocery run for three people. I bought meat, eggs, flour, bread, rice, and everything else we need for a week or a week and a half. Today, we’re going to find out if it’s possible to shop for groceries in Venezuela without spending a fortune. We’ll pick out the most affordable products, and at the end, I’ll tell you exactly how much I spent. Before we start, it’s important to note that product prices here in Venezuela don’t just fluctuate based on the dollar exchange rate—where prices might be one amount today and higher the next—but also depend on the city you’re in. Products in my city might be more expensive than in other cities, so I bought the essentials we need at home. I set out with a budget of approximately $100—which is generally a sufficient budget for any country in Latin America.

My mom, my brother, and I arrived at the supermarket—I usually go along with them. It was quite crowded; it seems that because the dollar exchange rate has gone up, people are rushing to buy products before prices rise further. We started picking out items: first was the *Harina P.A.N.*—a must-have—at $1.20 (21.42 Hive) per pack; a 500-gram tub of butter for $2.79 (49.80 Hive); and rice at $0.99 (17.67 Hive)—which, honestly, struck me as a pretty good price.

The butcher section was so crowded that we could only buy the chickens that were already frozen in the freezer case. The price was $2.79 per kilogram (49.80 Hive), and the chickens looked quite large and of good quality.

By this point, our cart was taking shape—flour, bread, rice, milk, pasta, the basics. Among the frozen items was skate, priced at $2.75 (49.08 Hive); I thought that was a good price.

Last month, eggs were $3.50 (65.48 Hive), and today they are $5.69 (101.57 Hive)—a 62% increase from one month to the next; that is what happens in a country with persistent inflation.

It was around 7 in the evening, and the supermarket was packed—there were—I don't know—so many checkout lanes, and every single one was full, with people waiting in line.

I want to remind you that the minimum wage in Venezuela is around $240. Honestly, considering everything we bought—and acknowledging that prices are a bit high for the Venezuelan economy—I found it affordable; I had expected to spend more, but the total price was reasonable. The supermarket was so packed that we had to park outside, and because it was so crowded, we had to carry all our purchases all the way out. There were cars parked everywhere, and the parking lot—which is huge—was completely full.

The total purchase came to 53,928 bolivars—or $67 (1,195.95 Hive). It wasn't a huge shopping trip: we bought a can of Margarita tuna for $2.30 (41.06 Hive), a 500-gram tub of Mavesa butter for $2.90 (51.77 Hive), and 1,300 grams of plantains—four of them—which cost us $2.23 (39.81 Hive). We also bought a 1-liter carton of milk; I find the milk incredibly expensive, especially since there isn't really a budget-friendly option, and it cost $2.50 (44.63 Hive). We bought a kilo of sugar for $1.50 (26.78 Hive) and wheat flour for $0.80 (14.28 Hive)—which was the cheapest item we bought.

We bought the essential item: Harina P.A.N. We picked up seven packs because, as you know, we’re Venezuelan, and it’s what we consume the most—for breakfast, dinner, and, well, absolutely everything. Those seven packs of flour cost us $7.90 (141.02 Hive). We also bought three 1-kg bags of Primor rice—a good brand—for $1.24 (22.12 Hive) each; the price had dropped a little bit. That’s great.

We bought a 1 kg package of long Primor pasta for $1.80 (32.13 Hive)—I think the price went up since the last time we bought it a month or less ago. We also bought two pretty big chickens; the first one cost $5.40 (96.39 Hive) and the second one cost $4.50 (80.33 Hive). We also bought four cartons of eggs—since we consume a lot of them around here—with each carton containing 30 eggs; they were priced at $5.26 (93.89 Hive) each, so the total for the four cartons came to $22.70 (405.20 Hive).

We also bought some skate—that’s a type of fish, for those who aren't familiar with it. The skate cost us $4.50 (80.32 Hive), which is a good price. And well, we also bought ingredients for hot dogs: cabbage, which cost $0.70 (12.45 Hive), and hot dog buns—a pack of 16 small ones for $2.70 (48.20 Hive).

So, readers, that was our little shopping trip; we spent $67—almost $68. What do you think? Do you think it was a good buy? Join in on this week's challenge—don't miss out! Give it a go. Much love, bye!