Grocery Budgets Anyone?

[dntd]

Quote:
Try that site, some recipes are really good as they are really old My family likes alot of cheaper meals like pancakes and homemade toppings. We make our own jams and pickles,salsa ect. My families favorite fast meal is rice salsa and blackbeans yumm. Of course actually baking helps with costs and so does eating what is in season. \\we seem to be increasing in food cost so this summer I vowed to bake and cook all foods from scratch, we have many bills to pay off!

 

[Dingleberry]

We shop adds. We design our food meals to what is in the adds.

 

[breezy]

My budget varies from month to month as my income isnt consistant. What doesnt vary is the $ 50.00 buck I set aside each month just for sale items. I stock up heavily on whatever is a great sale. For example Suave shampoo was on sale for .89 a bottle so was the conditioner. I bought 21 bottles...14 shampoo and 7 conditioner since we use 2 bottles of shampoo to every bottle of conditioner. 21 bottles at .89=18.69. I used the other 30 dollars on 15 boxes of pasta ( various types) @ $1.00 per box and 15 1 pound bags of frozen veggies also various types. The shampoo will probably last us about 3 years and the pasta will last us about 18 months. The veggies will be rinsed then dehydrated for use in stews and soups all winter long and will last for a long time in that fashion.

I fill in the rest of my list according to what I have available to spend. The items I stock up on let me skate during those times when grocery money is scarce plus I have a fairly serious stock pile. I can easily go about 8 months without buying anything and still eat decently healthy. I do a bulk trip where I get everything we need that we are low on about every 6 to 8 weeks spending about between 350 and 400 at that time. This includes food, paper products as well as laundry and personal care ect.
We shop weekly for milk and bi weekly for fresh stuff like bread when I dont bake or fruits and veggies.

Its very hard to budget when you dont know from week to week how much money is coming in so this is how I work around it. If I have an emergency and cant work or have to pay for an unexpected big dollar item I can eat my food storage for a long time thereby using any grocery money I would have used towards my expenses.
Its a peculiar system but it works for me. Sometimes I skip the sales and blow my 50 bucks on some indulgance like seafood or fancy cheese and salamis . Kind of a rare treat thing.

 

[ChikeeMomma]

I spend anywhere from $50.00 to $80.00 a week on groceries (family of 4). That includes diapers. Sometimes I even just spend $20.00 a week on fresh veggies and fruits. I cook almost exclusively from scratch and that helps. I stock up on 10 for $10.00 items like peanut butter or spaghetti sauce. I also stock up on flour, sugar, crackers, cereal, etc when it is a great deal. I grow and can/freeze from my own garden and local farmers market. I buy my laundry detergent, fabric softener, toilet paper, paper towel, chocolate chips, baking cocoa, butter, OJ, spices, yeast, and real vanilla only from Sam's club (those items tend to be cheaper than if they were on sale at the grocery store). I usually only buy what's on sale and make a list and stick very close to that list. Occasionally use coupons -- could be better about it, though. Rarely buy prepackaged food. I am not afraid to buy store brands. We eat leftovers around here. We generally buy our meat through local farmers -- roughly about $2.00 a pound any cut. Just a few ideas of what we do around here.

And I'm with Chickentoes -- I use white vinegar to clean and mop. At Sam's Club you can buy two big jugs for the cost of one big jug at the local grocery store.

 

[saddina]

The "budget" is $600/4 of us. However this month I've spent 1K, and have to purge most of it out. (I'm a fan of once a month shopping, and the a trip each week for milk and fresh fruit). Our oldest son has been put on a no gluten, no wheat, no dairy, no sugar, no nuts/seeds no fat diet by his doc. (wondering what I feed him, well so am I). So a week after shopping I needed to replace his 1/4th of the pantry with $$$ foods that meet his diet needs. On Friday after office hours his doc calls to take all nuts and fats off the list, so the sunflower butter, hazelnut granolia bars etc all are out now too. He's allowed 1 piece of fruit a day, unlimited vegitables, rice, beans, agave nectar, and oats. Absloutly nothing artificial.

 

[MandyH]

I am loving this thread.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Wow..whats wrong with him? Allergies??