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Does anyone else

2K views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  Julzyann7 
#1 ·
think they are going to have to change their grocery and hba budget on account of higher prices? Mine is low $200. but the last 2 months i have gone over and i need to stock pile so i am increasing mine to $275.Just wondering if anyone else is finding it hard to stay with in budget.
 
#2 ·
I have always been really squirelly with our grocery budget but I'm finding it harder and harder to keep things at least in the "manageable" category. We Do Not eat extravagantly. While I do experiment with recipes they are all pretty basic. We have been leaning on a lot more meatless meals than in the past...beans, lentils, seasonal veggie based dishes, etc.
 
#3 ·
The same amount of money is sure buying less every week. So far it has not been a hardship. We're eating less this summer though, a combination of the heat and some conscious health choices.
 
#4 ·
I am not even sure what a normal budget for this household is anymore. The few extra dollars I been making this summer has been going into the stockpile.
The garden turned out decent and we been eating from that Finally found some decent new pototoes at a fair price. And only been buying meat when I can catch it on sale and or marked down. Found some good deals at the dollar store recently for the freezer.
I am hoping this winter, it will only be things like milk, bread, and only what is absolutley needed. Wants maybe a thing of the past.
The hubby wants to early retire and we are at 18 months to go. A few more truck payments and it will be paid off, and then I can add that money to the snowball for the HEL. The grocery budget is going to play second fiddle to the snowball.
 
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#6 ·
Prices always go up. I think we're all just hyper-aware of every little uptick now. Add that to some of the BIG upticks and it does get harder.

We haven't found it to be a real hardship either, but I know it is for others. We're changing the way we eat but have been for twenty years. I'm constantly tweaking our diet to try to make things healthier. Some of that coincides with saving money, like trying to find new meatless recipes, but some of it means higher bills, like eating more fresh fruits and veggies.
 
#7 ·
yes ,I was just discussing this w/ DH. I was trying to hold off until the first of next year when our primary mortgage payment is gone and loosen up them. Part of it is I am being bratty and want more junk and better meat. and part is just rising costs. The farm market produce stinks this year and is so much more. My other market never opened.
We are feeding DD's BF seeing he takes her out all the time and she isn't working but I have told the kids no free feeding now w/ friends.
Coupons haven't worked either. I am not buying papers as they aren't worth it.
The clearance areas of the stores are usually picked clean too.
I allow $500. for 4. This week I had to dump most of the fridge so $185. and 135. these 2 weeks. Just annoying. I will try $600. and make due until Jan. then reevaluate.
 
#8 ·
Up date i went up to $275. on grocery & hba now i have went over that today went to Dollar General spent $26.48 then went to a cash saver in a small town and spent $56.74.At cash saver got.
1-big can folgers coffee for $6.74
1-big can Maxwell coffee for $6.82
box nabisco crackers for $2.36 at walmart they are $2.50 box
riceland long rice 1 lb .88 cents
2-24 oz hunts ketchup $1.10 each
1-lb Oscar mayer ham and cheese loaf $3.25 {on this i paid .75 cents more then walmart}
red seedles grapes $2.89 they were $1.08 lb.
2 yellow onions were 0.51 cents
3 bell peppers was 0.46 each
10 lb no 1 red potatoes $2.68
10 lb bag sugar best choice $5.58
1 20 oz dr pepper $1.25 { walmart $1.58}
1 green cabbage $1.58 .047 cents lb {walmart 0.48 cents lb
Bananas $1.41 0.47 cents lb {walmart 0.52 cents lb
2 -28 oz cans diced tomatoes .88 cent a can
12 cans del monte vegetables 0.69 cents can $8.28 {5 cans sweet peas 3 cans whole kernel corn 2 cans cream style corn 2 cans green beans
Will list later what i got at Dollar General
 
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#9 ·
I had to raise ours to just keep buying the same stuff. I didn't add goodies. We're talking Aldi's staple items. Pretty depressing. I cut out the house phone, reduced our limited entertainment and only used the window air when it got over 85 to make up the difference.
 
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#11 ·
I have up mine to $300. but that the limit.When i get a stockpile built up again i am hoping it want take it all each month.I fell bad for everone especially the ones with big family when i was raising my children we lived on farm raised garden i can and froze a lot of things.
 
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#12 ·
Still budgeting $600 a month for food/hba/household items/misc, but I don't think I am going to be seeing any savings coming up this fall. See I budget $600, but only take out $500 cash for the month to use for these items, then I always have an extra $100 cushion. Most months I don't end up breaking into that $100. Last month I ended up using $30 of it. I think this is going to become more of the norm for the next 6 months. Things just keep going up and up. The other issue is gas is creeping back up and if I go over budget on gas I also have to tap into that $100. So far I have managed to keep my gas budget in check, but this fall I am watching my niece after school and driving her to her afternoon activities and my girls are now going to Pre-K 5 mornings a week, so I see a lot more driving in my future. Luckily my SIL is paying me for providing aftercare for my niece, but I was hoping to put most of this money on my debt instead of in the gas tank.
 
#14 ·
I was, a few months ago, spending about 200 to 250 a month for 3 and a small dog...including HBA, cleaning ...everything bought period. Now it's more like a solid 300 to 325. BUT a lot of the stockpile items that are used a lot are gone and I'm having to restock those including expensive stuff like Splenda, coffee, TP etc. In the meantime I'm trying to use up the stuff I stockpiled that I wish I hadn't stocked so much of while rebuilding the stuff that we use more of.

Prices here are going up FAR more than the 3 to 5% they talk about. I don't know where they get the 3 to 5. Must be somewhere else, a month maybe. I've seen some stuff jump a buck at a time.

So yes, I'd say I spend $50 to $75 a month more. All said I guess that's not bad for 3 people, dog and including HBA, paper, cleaning.
 
#15 ·
I really want to know how to save money at the grocery. We are spending $200 a week and I'm not talking steak every night. This is crazy. I even used $22 in coupons yesterday. I really don't know how people do it. We have 2 adults, two girls and a dog.

I need to do more couponing or something.
 
#16 ·
Generic generic generic :)
And shopping from store ads
COOKING from store ads
Cheaper meals - hot dogs, spaghetti, soup, sandwiches, etc.
Make sure you use what you have before you load up at the grocery store. I was notorious for buying and buying then when I finally cleaned out my pantry and cabinets found tons of stuff that I then had to throw away because it expired. Same with my fridge and freezer. Use what you have first (aside from staples like milk) and you won't have to buy as much each week :)
 
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