quesitons about grocery spending - Page 2

MontseinIL · 07-21-2007, 11:24 AM

I think you're doing fine considering you're really feeding 4 adults. Little kids eat less and usually only like certain meals. My daughters usually split an apple as a snack and If i buy a $0.99 can of pringles at Aldi's it'll last a week of lunches for my older dd, but that's because she doesn't eat a whole lot. A chicken breast is usually split as is a steak or sometimes even a hamburger. My cash budget for groceries is $350/month this includes paper products, personal hygiene, laundry soap, everything. I shop at Aldi's, Costco, and a local grocery store that has great prices on produce and meat. We do eat out alot though (nothing fancy, Mcdonalds, pizza, sometimes Italian) and I know that this is where we need to shave the budget. This realization comes after only 3 weeks using my cash budget. I ended up using the cash for the eating out (which I wasn't supposed to) and I realized we probably spend as much on eating out in a month as we do buying everything else for the house.

maggie · 07-21-2007, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlscoutmom

op- I think I spend the same as you- and you know what- it's OKAY. Sometimes the grocery budget is one area that you just can't shave anymore. I live in the land of triple coupons, 10/10 sales, grocery store wars and super Target and Super Walmart. I still spend about the same as you do. We have kids and pets and cleaning supplies to buy too.

we don't live an extravagant lifestyle, we don't eat king crab all the time or expensive wines. But I do buy alot of cheese. I buy loads of fruit and 100% juice. we drink scads of milk. I buy foods that are sort of similar to what I would order if I went out to eat. I like steak, I like baked potatoes with tons of toppings, I like huge chef salads. so I buy those things at the grocery store. Not cheap. It's not beans and oatmeal. but it is cheaper than eating out-which is what I'd really rather do than cook.

I suppose if we liked to eat foods like the menu suggestions on Hillbilly Housewife we would save so much money. We just cant eat those foods. no one here likes those things. My kids bring lunchboxes to school I just don't make homeade muffins and things for them. I do send chips and apples and things. I don't like to bake and cook from scratch. no one here loves leftovers. I know that sounds snobbish , and if I REALLY wanted to save money then I could do that, but I find there are better ways to shave off 50.00 from my food budget than prepare foods I don't like or spend tedious time baking which I hate to do.

I'd rather fire the landscaper and mow my own lawn and trim my own trees. I'd rather fire the bug guy and spray myself. I'd rather buy clothes at garage sales, change my own oil or paint my own house rather than cut my grocery budget. I'd rather take my bike and save 50.00 permonth in gas than shave the grocery budget and eat beans and ice tea.

I guess it's all about what you hate to do and like to do. If you love to bake, by all means, it makes sense to buy ingredients in bulk, bake all day and freezze those muffins and cookies for lunchboxes. But if spending the day in the kitchen makes you weep, then don't worry about it, Buy a couple packs of oreoes and little debbies and save money elsewhere. As long as you shave SOME money from your budget someplace, why does it have to be the grocery budget?? try insurance premiums, services you pay for, gas, nails, hair, ect.

Oh my gosh you sound EXACTLY like me!

This is how I feel about it too, however, in the last year I have started buying as much organic as possible - not just produce but dairy and meat and everything - and now my bill has crept up from $100 a week to $200 a week!!! So now I am needing to reevaluate things and figure out a way to still buy all the healthy stuff I want and that my family likes to eat and get the bill back down to a reasonable amount. If I could get it down to $150 a week I would be so pleased.

Karol · **I spend about the same...**

I spend about the same as you. I am finally to the point financially (I'm 42) that my husband and I don't eat mac-n-cheese with canned green beans , scrambled eggs with homemade hashbrowns, and spaghetti each once a week for dinner.

I make a weekly menu based on what I already have, what is on sale and what I can get at Grocery Outlet (a discount chain). I use some coupons, but am not a coupon queen by any means.

In my 20's and early 30's, I had to cut every penny I could from every area of spending. As I have gotten older, things have gotten easier financially. I no longer have to worry if I buy juice, crackers and yogurt all in the same week.

I am pretty careful, but do eat differently than when I was younger when we had less money. I live in a small rural area and the coupon clubs you can join on the Internet like the Grocery Game do not work in my area. Most of the coupons I come across are for things I don't buy. My grocery stores do not double or triple coupons. I do what I can, but do not stress myself out about what I spend at the grocery store. I lived like that for so long out of necessity; I just can't do it anymore.

Do what is right for your family and what will work where you live. I would do the Grocery Game or other programs like that if I could...