Okay ladies. I realized I've never actually tracked our grocery spending So I decided to set myself up a budget and get started on saving money here. I did a spread sheet and listed the things we buy pretty much every month. Here's what it looks like

ITEM Weekly Amt Monthly Amt Total

In these columns I listed the things we always buy and the amount I have budgeted for each week or month depending on how often we have to buy it. Then the total amount. Then I have columns for each week of the month to list what I actually spend and then a column to figure the difference to see if we went over or stayed under the budgeted amount.

But holy crap that's a lot of money!!! So now I know I've got to start cutting down here. In all honestly my budgeted amount is likely a little hight but until I figure out how much we really spend I didn't want to under budget myself.

Now $110.00 of it is baby stuff: diapers, wipes, formula, etc. And $45.00 of it is dog and cat food. So those items aren't really going to get any lower. That is a total amount of $155.00 for those categories leaving me with $213.00 per month for food and paper goods for me and dh. That still sounds like it could be a lot but in our defense dh eats a lot...he's a big guy. So that makes a difference but still...

HELP! lol

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Well, I sure can't help seeing that our budget is $700 per month. That's for a family of five. I can't imagine getting your budget lower--that's only about $50 a week.

Ours is high too- higher than yours with 4 people. Hubby works from home, I'm home all day, and the kids refuse to eat nasty cafeteria food- so they bring thier lunch every day. Plus we rarely ever eat out- except birthdays and 2 for 1 night pizza delivery. We do a heck of alot of eating at home- and no one here likes things like beans, homeade oatmeal, and most casseroles.
Don't worry, I'm sure you're doing the best you can- the amount you stated doesn't really soundall that outrageous to me. We save alot by doing many meatless dinners- not that we are vegan or anything. We just do things like pasta dishes and sauces with 1/4 of the amount of meat that recipies call for. Who needs a whole pound of ground beef in the spaghetti sauce? bleh. We do salads, eggs, breakfasts for diiner, and soup and sandwhiches.

Over time by stockpiling you will notice your grocery bill starting to decline.

I have been tracking my grocery receipts every month. I am still in the stockpiling mode but I am only spending the same amount that I used to spend before couponing and stockpiling, so I know I am saving a little money and over time my receipts will get smaller.

What I have in stockpiles now are:
Rice milk- enough to last a couple of weeks
FF Organic milk- enough to last a couple of weeks
tooth paste- enough to last us the rest of the year
tooth brushes- enough to last us a couple of years
deodorant- enough to last us the rest of the year
fresh veggies that I have frozen- enough to last us a few months
frozen fruits- enough to last us a few months
boneless, hormone and antibiotic free chicken breasts- enough to last us a year (40lbs! that I got on sale for over 50% off). I only paid $70 for a whole year's worth of chicken!
ziploc bags of various sizes- enough to last me through the end of this year
hand sanitizer- enough to last me the rest of this year
vinegar for cleaning- enough to last me the rest of this year
paper products- enough to last us a few months
organic juice bozes- enough to last my son a few months
similac formula for my DD- enough to last about 5 months
jarred baby food- enough to last DD about 3 months
Lean Cuisines- enough to last us a couple of months for those nights when I don't want to cook.
Apple and orange juice- enough to last us a few months
Fruit snacks- enough to last us a few months
toilet paper- enough to last us a few months
napkins and paper towels- enough to last us 6 months
kids vitamins- enough to last my son through the end of the year
adult vitamins- enough to last DH and I through the end of the year
canned veggies and soups- enough to last us a few months
pasta- enough to last us a couple of months

And since I got everything on sale plus a coupon, I spent the same amount each week that I would have normally spent without coupons and without watching the sale ads and I am stocked up on most things for a few months if not to the end of the year.

So now I only need to buy seasonal veggies, fruits, ground beef, tofu products, diapers, wipes, bottled water, snacks, yogurt and cheese on a regular basis.

I know that as you watch what you buy more closely, pay attention to the sales, and match up your coupons, you will see ways that you can lower your grocery receipts and stay on budget.

Sandra

I agree, once you start the stockpile, your grocery bill will go down.

I would say you're doing okay, but that's just me.. we spend around $800 a month on paper goods, toiletries, and food. That is a family of 5, but I think you're doing ok. Or, I wish I was doing that well with my budget

I think you are doing pretty well honestly. Here is Ca I know I can spend that in about 2 weeks, then again I have 3 growing girls too! I agree with the stockpiling advice...it can seem expensive at first but once you get going with it you will find that it really does make a big difference!

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~~Shawn~~ Wife to John 7/6/95~~Mommy to Sydney, Jordan and Brooklyn~~

That has been my experience, all of the above. I need to pick up some cheese & hamburger--I've been waiting for the low price point on those to restock and they've hit bottom this week at last--but otherwise, I am shifting over to the point where I almost don't have anything to buy each week, and grocery bills are dropping dramatically. And yet we always eat very well, in fact considerably better than we did when we were spending a fortune without thinking it through. WAY better, even.

It does help that I genuinely like to cook and almost never use convenience foods. I would rather make most things from scratch than have to stop by the store (faster, cheaper, tastes better).

Your actual grocery bill isn't that bad. It is just a little over $50 a week. You could cut down on the paper goods by using reusable items, everything but TP ~ ~ that is. I also agree that watching your sales adds will make a huge difference. It will be a little higher in the beginning, but you will make up for it in the end.

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