So you say you spend under $500 a mo on groceries?

[Stacia]

My bill for the 3 of us is about $500 a month, Keep in mind Mon-Fri they get School lunch and I'm eating my meals at work for free. Plus there is the occasional pizza here and there.

I would love to get down to $200 a month like some of the users on the board. Right now we are spending about $41.60 per person per week $124.80 per week for the 3 of us. We do not eat Pork or Seafood, we eat Chicken regularly and the occasional red meat. I like sheep meat and use to buy a whole sheep and freeze it, but that was when it was available in PA. It's about $150 for the whole sheep. One lady I worked with here had a farm and I asked her if she's selling any sheep and she looked at me in horror and stated "They are my pets" so I'll stop inquiring for now..lol

$124.80 a week ( about $17.82 a day) seems like allot to me for 3 people, so I'm going to see where we can cut back.

[HappyMama]

I thought I should add we do get a cow every year, a lamb sometimes, and plenty of chickens for meat. We don't eat pork or seafood. So those who eat meat have plenty. These are averaged in the monthly totals.

[brennasmom]

Honestly, I have no idea

We bought 1/4 of a cow from a local farmer last Spring.

I also bought 20#'s of wild salmon for $7.99 per pound. Yum.

We are feeding 2 adults, 12 year old girl, and a string bean 8 year old boy who eats like a linebacker

Fresh produce is a must in our home. I always have *at least* 2 kinds of fresh fruit (apples always plus pears or bananas in winter) plus fresh veggies (cucumber, peppers, broccoli, etc...) This really ups our budget. I try to bake when I can but I am a wohm so it's a time crunch.


Also, my kids school doesn't offer hot lunch except on Friday so they pack lunch at least 4 days per week (5 if they don't like the hot lunch offering).

I try not to buy too many processed items but we do use some for kids lunches.

I do shop sales and use coupons but it still adds up

[Missourimom]

I do a lot of scratch cooking and baking.
I did post quite a few of my suppers in the $ 5 thread.


.

Can you please direct me to that thread? I could really use it right now.

[Momto5RN]

640 a month for 6 of us that live at home + one that doesn't live at home but raids the pantry when her money is tight and rent is due- so i will buy non perishables she uses when on sale and a bunny - health and beauty paper and cleaning included.
dh and i 23 yo ,20 yo ( doesn't live at home ) 17 yo 15 yo and 11 yo .

11 yo- 15 yo and i have dietary issues - me due to FMS and IBS and latex allergy ( latex allergy eliminates alot of fruits that grow on trees similar to rubber trees ). 11 yo dyes and dairy issues - 15 yo allergic to shellfish and if a spice that is used to add yellowing color i think turmeric can cause her issues also .

i do the pantry principal- if something we use regularly is on sale i buy extra

i sometimes coupon when i have time and it works for some snacks cereals health and beauty aides etc

i have a freezer to stock up on meats when i see them at a great price or better yet a mark down of a sale price for quick sale .

i make my meals around what is on sale ,
i have a pantry ie shelves in my basement but not the one you see super couponers have. but it makes food a lot cheaper.
i don't pay full price - i dont care if its our favorite cereal and we are out unless its on sale or has a generic equivalent for less i dont buy it - if it doesnt meet what i think is the cheapest i can get something i also often dont get it .

IE someone posted a spaghetti dinner costing over 2$ from aldis
i can get a box of pasta 49c as a loss leader stock up and pair it with a jar of sauce when it was 99c and its under 1.50
thats about the only way i buy pasta and sauce .

we get our fresh fruits and veggies from a fruit distributor that has a stand - its not pretty cement floors etc but sometimes you pay extra for that pretty . we save 30 to 70% off store costs there can also get eggs and lunch meat cheaper there again not paying for the pretty overhead .

i can walk in a store and just get what i need without temptation - only temptation is to walk by the meat and mark down shelves to see what i can get there lol

i dont compare myself to others- there are so many variables to it . if people feel a need to compete or to find whats " wrong " with others budgets - to me that's wasted time . Not everyone who does it low cost though does the things people assume .

we do no soda except special occasions and even if we have it in the fridge because dh brought it home from a church meeting or ds2 did from church youth group it often sits

we dont do coffee we dont do wine or beer . we dont do ice tea or koolaide we are mainly milk oj or water people .


i am not a cook all my own bread grow all my own veggies buy a side of beef person and i am not a everything we eat is cheap but processed person either .

we have some processed as side dishes that i cant just find the magic recipe to make at home so i buy on sale or snacks on occasion - but honestly it would cost too much to make something like hamburger helper for a family of 7 it would take 3-4 boxes when i can make some beef add some tomato past and onions and peppers and pasta for less. plus i hate the taste of that stuff LOL

for me i know that many family of 4 spend 200-250 a week in my area . = 800-1000 a month or 50-60 a person a week if i
- i am doing 6/7 on 640 a month or ~ 22 a person a week .if we had no income coming in and went on food stamps according to the state site the most we could get was over 800 a month - more than what i spend .

i dont count lunches into the equation as my 2 high school age kids get a set allowance a month that is enough to buy a lunch each day if they prefer but they can do what they want brown bag it and save the money for clothes or go to the movies etc so less than 1/2 is being spent on lunch most times.
my dh uses his spending allowance on work lunches if he eats out and my oldest ds uses his own money and the one who doesnt live at home FT eats for free at work .

if i dont eat at home if i am busy with work then i may run thru a drive thru maybe once a week but again thats my free spending money .

i have been doing this my whole life when i was in nursing school in the 80s my mom gave me 25$ a week to live on and that was 3 meals a day - i couponed watched sales and ate discounted food at hospital to stretch it .

when i wasnt working and my 11 yo was a baby i was only spending 350 a month on food .

i probably could do a few months that low if i had to now - i know last month i spend under because i found out 1/2 way thru the month that dh was getting laid off .,

i know many are saying wow the increased food prices are killing me but i haven't felt a huge hit - when i look at the prices of non sale items i think are they crazy but if i stand by my rules of not buying it unless its under a certain price - eventually i get it for that .

[known2him5]

We do $60/week for 3 people. . . yes, I garden -- but it's with heirloom seeds that we save from year to year, and manure that we get for free from neighbor's sheep farm. . . I either dehydrate for freeze most of the excess - freeze in plastic freezer containers that were my mom's, or obtained free at yard sales, freecycle, etc. and used year after year. . . dehydrated items go into mason jars that are also used year after year. . . Just because someone gardens, doesn't mean there are huge expense each year for it.

[HappyMama]

We do $60/week for 3 people. . . yes, I garden -- but it's with heirloom seeds that we save from year to year, and manure that we get for free from neighbor's sheep farm. . . I either dehydrate for freeze most of the excess - freeze in plastic freezer containers that were my mom's, or obtained free at yard sales, freecycle, etc. and used year after year. . . dehydrated items go into mason jars that are also used year after year. . . Just because someone gardens, doesn't mean there are huge expense each year for it.

I agree my garden more then pays for itself! Now the energy I expend on it to do the work, then later processing the harvest and produce that I buy in bulk is tiring but lasts me all season and worth it Health wise. I use heirloom as well.

[known2him5]

I agree my garden more then pays for itself! Now the energy I expend on it to do the work, then later processing the harvest and produce that I buy in bulk is tiring but lasts me all season and worth it Health wise. I use heirloom as well.

Saves $$$ on a gym membership

[ladytoysdream]

Can you please direct me to that thread? I could really use it right now.

I found the $ 5 meal thread. Had to do a little searching



January Dinner Challenge: Five Bucks, Five Times a Week

[brennasmom]

[SIZE="2"]I was just at the store yesterday for a few supplemental items to get us thru the next several dinners/lunches/snacks. This was $25

* 10 apples (on sale .68 per #) (3 are gone already)
* 5 pears (1 gone already)
* head of kale (gone)
* 1 cantalope (gone or close to it)
* 10# potatoes (cooked 6 for dinner + lunches)
* cottage cheese
* 1/2 gallon organic milk
* 8 bulk carrots
* 2 small heads broccoli
* 1 loaf of bread

The fruit and veg will be gone before the end of the week /SIZE]

[mndtrp]

This is why I think a better thread would be, "How much did it cost to feed your family this month?"

It would include items used from your pantry, the cost of bulk meat used from the freezer, groceries, as well as eating out. It would give people a more realistic idea of how they are doing.

For what it's worth, I took the groceries and restaurants categories out of Mint, from the time I started using the program. Averaged out, it comes to $380 a month for two people. However, this includes pet items, beauty products, home cleaning, as well as the occasional meals we provide friends (be it restaurant or at home). It also takes into account the side of beef we buy every so often, as well as the lids used to can meals to be eaten later. I feel that this gives me a better view into the actual costs involved with food.

[mombottoo]

"But what are you actually buying and eating for that amount?"

Lots of chicken, pork and beef.
Bacon & sausage patties, eggs, cheeses, milk, bread, cereal, sugar, coffee, potato chips, fresh mushrooms, bananas, apples, organges, grapes, potatoes, fresh yams, tomatoes, celery, onions, pre-packaged salads and the list goes on.

My grocery total also includes toilet paper, cleaning products, paper towel and pet food/cat litter.

For me, I have at least 3 months worth of food stocked up at any given time. I use my monthly budget to buy things we use regularly (fresh stuff, milk, bread) and to restock what we have used. Some months if I go over my budget it is generally because I have found some really great prices to good to pass up.

[Stacia]

This is why I think a better thread would be, "How much did it cost to feed your family this month?"

That would be a great idea, It would give me more motivation to cut back.

[227melissa]

I spend 140 a month for 2, that's only for groceries. I have different categories for cleaning supplies, pets, and personal. I coupon, buy marked down or sale meats only. I do stockpile and if I have no overage on past groc budgets, I do spend extra, but make it up the next month. We eat pretty much what we want, no organic etc. if I want organic I buy local produce. We do smoke and have a budget for that. Anyone who says they spend 50 a month for 4-6 people either only eat beans and rice or is full of it.

[ladytoysdream]

This is why I think a better thread would be, "How much did it cost to feed your family this month?"
It would include items used from your pantry, the cost of bulk meat used from the freezer, groceries, as well as eating out. It would give people a more realistic idea of how they are doing.
For what it's worth, I took the groceries and restaurants categories out of Mint, from the time I started using the program. Averaged out, it comes to $380 a month for two people. However, this includes pet items, beauty products, home cleaning, as well as the occasional meals we provide friends (be it restaurant or at home). It also takes into account the side of beef we buy every so often, as well as the lids used to can meals to be eaten later. I feel that this gives me a better view into the actual costs involved with food.

You are spending $ 380 a month, and this includes pet items, beauty, home cleaning, and meals out. Plus side of beef and canning lids.
If I understand correctly, why are you including pet, beauty and home cleaning in a food budget ? Sounds more like a monthly household budget. But then again, maybe I misunderstood.