Anyone spend more on groceries in the summer?

[my4littlebuffaloes]

I have found that my grocery bill actually goes up in the summer instead of down. yes I have a garden and I buy from farmer's markets and such. But the thing is, I buy a ton of extra stuff, at great prices, and freeze or can them for the winter. This means I am eating better foods in the winter, bought at lower prices than I would have bought them in the winter, but I am still spending more now. And I don't have lower grocery bills in the winter because of going over in the summer.

Am I the only one that deals with this? $25 in pick your own strawberries was money well spent in fresh eating, frozen for winter and jam for the year. But it threw me over my budget that pay period. I guess I am just struggling with going over my budget, but I really want to take advantage of the fresh, locally grown, lower priced foods available right now. Any thoughts?

[DJ1972]

I spend more in the summer too, mainly because the kids are home all day. I also don't use my oven much in the summer, so no casseroles that last a couple of days, I am ready for fall.

[Grayce]

I spend more because we tend to eat more convenience foods as it is too hot to cook.

[shadomoon]

I find that we eat less in our household in the summer, because we are going places and also because we eat light in the heat.

Winter-time we are home more and near the food when we are bored.

[redhead68]

I spend more because we tend to eat more convenience foods as it is too hot to cook.

That's the case here, too.

[Daisygirl]

YES!!!! We are spending a fortune on food.

I chalk it up to:
*Kids are home and I am not so I cannot be my usual control freak self, doling things out into lunch pails
* More company, can't really feed guests $1 potato soup
* Eating at home instead of dining out - makes a big difference in the over all budget but the food bill has definitely risen

[YankeeMom]

Ours goes up a smidgen. Partly because the kids are home for lunch and will only eat leftovers so many times before they organize a mutiny

Mostly it goes up because we eat a lot more meat in the summer with the grill going 2-3 times per week. Also the fresh produce that is available, I try to take advantage of that ....which even when it's in season is NOT cheap lol.

[dcompton]

I think I do, because I spend so much on fruit in the summer. In the winter it's pretty much the staple apples, oranges (well, until the crops are wiped out and they're $1 each), and bananas. At the moment I have plums, grapes, watermelon, mangos and peaches at home. I went by a store last night with a stunning pear sale and, thank goodness, they were sold out -- I got a rain check which is best of all since I have PLENTY on hand for right now. I was so happy to see the empty bin! is that perverse?

[PB&J]

Ours goes up a bit, too. My kids are at home, of course, and their friends come over to play quite a bit. I don't cook in the oven because it heats the whole house up, so that means I can't cook things like a big ham or brisket, which would feed us for many days. Plus we spend a lot on fruit, melons and such.

I did cut out buying sodas, so that has saved a bit on our bill. DH used to drink 2-4 Cokes a day and now he only has 1 or none! (He has lost almost 10lbs in a month because of this!) MOst of the time the kids drink water, but I do make Koolaid sometimes as a treat.

[baxjul]

I do, because dd and dh snack all the time. School starts Aug. 20, so it'll get better after that!

[jlaporte]

yup it goes up here too. i am always cooking and with my guys they like to eat just all diffrent foods! i also stock pile a lot in the summer. we have some real good sales and that is when i have a problem. i just cant pass em up!!

[kabin63]

Yep, spending more here too. We also have two more people living with us now, so we are defininitely spending more.

[Persimmon Lace]

I budget for more produce and groceries during the summer so I can have lots of veggies and fruit in the freezer for the winter. It all evens out though over the year.