OT--Grocery Bill | Arthritis Information

 

How much do you spend a month on groceries?

Katie - its pathetic.  No one in American government is addressing the skyrocketing price of food because of skyrocketing oil prices, due to naked short selling and speculation on Wall Street.  We are being thrown to the wolves.  The free market, unregulated, capitalist theory has been proven to be a failure.  I am shocked that NOTHING has been done about these false oil prices which have trickled down to the grocery store.  I am in shock from shopping on Sunday.  Alot of families are having to choose between food or rent or the mortgage payment.  Disgusting, pathetic leadership.  Term limit these fools. 

I am just sick about food prices. We shop at  Sav a Lot, Aldis (when I am in that town) nd in our local regular supermarket. kathy_in_wlsv2008-09-30 05:35:54

I spend around that much for grocerys also.  I have to boys that are 4 and 2, we go through a gallon of milk a day if not more.  I have bought 30 gallons of milk this month which is 0 right there.  I agree that produce (and meat) are very expensive.   I love summer because I have been going to the farmers market once a week to get produce and we have a garden.  But there is only 1 farmers market day left because it is starting to get cold here.

This is a challenge for our family as well, and I think gas prices play the biggest role in the rising cost of food.  Restaurants are feeling it as well, and they have the dilemma of 'eating' the increase, or spending more money to have new menus printed with increased prices.

You will notice decreased portion sizes, less garnishes, etc., as they try to keep costs down without raising prices.

I dread grocery shopping now!  I keep threatening to send hubby, so he can see what it is like.

Having a dairy-free child isn't helping, either.   All my old standard casseroles and ziti and lasagna and Mexican stuff is history.

I now have a three store system to shop that seems to be working.  But half my garage looks like a Y2K bunker.

I can do this without wasting gas because I work somewhere different every time I work.  If I need to go to Costco, I pick a place that is nearby or on the way home, for example.  Super Walmarts are farther away, and sometimes I even bring a cooler to get stuff home safely.

The only fresh fruit or vegs that I buy consistently are bananas, potatoes, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes.  Unless there is a good sale on something seasonal, I buy frozen or canned.  You aren't paying for waste (peels, stems) and you don't have to toss anything that spoiled.

Costco best buys for us - milk, eggs, bread (I freeze some), cereal, coffee, bananas (but they are always very green at first?), chicken nuggets, veggie burgers, whole chickens, and GAS.

I go about every other week.  Membership is , but my mom gives me that for Christmas! 

I also go to Walmart about every other week.  Toiletries, juice boxes, spaghetti sauce,  Pop Tarts,  and my most recent best find - frozen ground turkey, 1 lb. for .74.    We will eat that twice a week in various forms!

I still use our neighborhood grocery store every week.  Apple juice and orange juice for the rest of my particular family, and whatever diet soda is on sale.  And I fill as needed with whatever they have on sale.

Cleaning supplies - some in bulk at Costco, others when they are BOGO at the grocery store.  I usually never even check them out at Walmart, for some reason, but maybe I need to.
I am so sick of eating pasta, and it used to be one of my favorite dinners.  But we are eating it a lot because it is cheap and it fills you up.  Not healthy at all, but I'm trying to stretch things as far as I can (so I can support my Coke addiction, LOL).  I just trying to get creative with the cheapest cuts of meats, and tenderize and marinate them, or disguise them with sauces where I can.  It's all we can do.  OUr groceries come in at around 0-200 a week and that is pretty much basics, meat, dairy and fruit and veg.  We eat lots of pasta and rice with lots of vegies and a little meat.  Milk is a killer though, we go through about 15-10 litres a week (a 22 year old boy drinks a lot of milk!).  I shop at discount warehouses and buy as cheap as possible.  It seems that the basics are going up wee by week.  Most bread is about .50 a loaf which is ridiculous! I must be in the minority here but i don't think that 5 a week for a family of 4 (and kids who drink milk) is astronomical. That also buys dog and cat food/supplies? I think it's pretty reasonable. [QUOTE=Honey]I must be in the minority here but i don't think that 5 a week for a family of 4 (and kids who drink milk) is astronomical. That also buys dog and cat food/supplies? I think it's pretty reasonable.[/QUOTE]

I spend about 0 every couple weeks at the grocery store.  2 adults, 2 boys (age 8 and 9), 2 cats.  It usually fluctuates by or so either way, and it's been like that for years.  Once in a while I go to Target to stock up on cleaning supplies and other incidentals, but usually I just get them at the grocery store.
Because we eat a lot of fresh veggies, fruit, whole grains and organic meats my grocery bill is huge for 2 of us and I don't plan on changing any of it.  We don't drink many sodas (just a few cokes a week) nor do we eat many snacks or canned foods.  I mostly shop at the local, large Mexican grocery store and the prices are less.  The fruits and vegetables are ripe and I love the cuts of meat.  I marinate beef cuts, make stews and casseroles.  Actually this summer I made my own bread but it was cooler in Washington state.  We're now in Yuma and it's 100 degrees and I'm not firing up the oven.  On cleaning supplies, I make my own. That's a huge savings. I don't use tons and tons of papertowels either. I use microfiber cloths and just rinse or throw them in with the laundry. Another huge savings. I would think that buying bigger cuts of tough meat, marinating and slow cooking in a crockpot would be a savings. We eat lots of homemade soups (my kids love split pea soup, - tonight is a 16 bean soup).

Judging by the age of your youngest I'd say you're still buying diapers. That's a huge expense.

Another totally off topic idea for you - since you mentioned you are making chicken pot pie: I make mine without a crust. I put the chicken/veggie/roux mixture in a casserole dish and top w/mashed potatoes. It's healthier than a crust, probably cheaper given the price of taters and the kids, well, I don't know about you but I can put mashed potatoes on anything (even on top of meatloaf) and my kids love it. Have y'all noticed that the size of the containers food is sold in as well as the amount in the container is reduced by up to 25% but yet it costs the same as it did previously.  The food companies are trying to scam you into thinking you're getting the same amount of food as before and paying the same price for it but in reality there's less food and you're paying the same price, so they are making 25% more money off of us without "increasing" the price.  I first noticed this about 6 months ago, Breyer's Ice Cream used to come in a half gallon container and cost roughly .00, now it's a little less than a half gallon and still .00.  Cereal is another one I noticed was doing that.  Obviously they have to put the measurement of food on the package but they're hoping you don't really read it and that you don't notice the subtle difference in the size of the package.  It really pisses me off.My 0-0 does not include anything but the basics milk, bread, meat, veggies/fruit, cheese and cereal...  Everthing else I did not include in my figuring.  My children are also little 4 and 2, so my bill maybe is less than it will be!!Its def. a global thing. I spend around £150 a week on groceries with 2 dogs and a cat included and one week out of the month I spend around £170 ( thats for 5 of us) thats about 0. 4 months ago I was spending around £120 for the same groceries. We use a farmers market for our veg and fruit. I cook a lot of chicken, soups, stews and we have a roast once a week ( normally a leg of lamb or a topside beef) and  fish once aweek. Its silly things that have got expensiveI spend at least 0 a month on food (including cleaning supplies, cat and dog food, and toiletries). That is for 5 people. We have tax on groceries here which a lot of places don't. I buy only store brands, and I HAVE no choice to eat healthy because my husband has a huge history of heart disease (everyone on his mom's side has had a heart attack before 40), his mom is 54 and has had 3 already, his grandmother has had 10 heart attacks and 2 bypasses, plus all his uncles (one was 37 and died from the heart attack), and I refuse to kill him by eating junk.

I am really trying to cut back but it is hard since we're trying to eat healthy because the healthy foods are the expensive ones.
[QUOTE=jennmommi]I spend at least 0 a month on food (including cleaning supplies, cat and dog food, and toiletries). That is for 5 people. We have tax on groceries here which a lot of places don't. I buy only store brands, and I HAVE no choice to eat healthy because my husband has a huge history of heart disease (everyone on his mom's side has had a heart attack before 40), his mom is 54 and has had 3 already, his grandmother has had 10 heart attacks and 2 bypasses, plus all his uncles (one was 37 and died from the heart attack), and I refuse to kill him by eating junk.

I am really trying to cut back but it is hard since we're trying to eat healthy because the healthy foods are the expensive ones.
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Audrey, yes the size and ounces of the containers have changed over the last year or so.  Because it's just the 2 of us I usually buy the smaller of the containers and I'm sure that's one of the reasons  my grocery bill is higher.  I also make all of my cleaning supplies except for clothes washing and then I use one of the green supplies.  I use castille soap, baking soda and essential oils for cleaning supplies. 

When my boys were in High school and playing sports, my bill was astronomical. We also made our house the house to hang out at, so the kids and their friends would always feel welcomed. It meant a high food budget as we sometimes had their friends for weeks at a time, but it was worth it to keep everyone safe and where we knew they'd be. I recommend this for everyone!. At the time I probably spent 0 a week. Lately we have been spending about 0 a week and that is shopping sales and using coupons. Now that hubby is not with us, I'm sure I can cut that way down. Today will be my first time shopping for just the 4 of us. Oh and two big dogs and a kitten.... I wonder if I can get critter support, lol. I also do not buy cleaning products beyond lemon juice (costco has a 2pk of giant bottle) vinegar,bakingsoda, laundry soap, dish soap, We do not eat out, or eat prepared food at all. Everything is from scratch and is stretched for other meals. As an example. I will buy the cheapest cut of pork roast that has lots of bones and fat and cook it in the crock pot with spices to make pulled pork. I pick the meat out using my CLEAN hands and we eat it in a bun, on a salad, rolled in tortillas, etc. same with cheap cuts of beef. I put it in crock pot and use it for burritos, tacos, soups, stews, pot pies, etc. Towards payday when money is low, I will cook pancakes or top ramen  with egg drop in it and frozen peas and any leftover meat we have. It doesn't take much and with a side of bread, is filling. I use ground turkey meat in my chili, spaghetti sauce, tacos, burritos, etc At the end of the week, I always make a soup with whatever leftovers we have. It might have stew, spaghetti, shepherd's pie, mac n cheese, etc. Everyone loves it and it never comes close to being the same twice. I raid my freezer for mini amounts of veggies, not enough for a meal, and I always save the carcass of chickens and turkeys and freeze them for a later date and make the kind of dumplings that are strips of dough. Yummy. I have one son who has never eaten anything from a box or can, so I get creative. We have a grocery oulet a couple of blocks from home. I never know what they have, but it is ususally close to the sell by date, so I freeze it. Sometimes they just get huge shipments. One time I got pepperidge farm cookies, the soft double choco ones for 88cents so I bought two cases. I never know what I will find and whatever it is, is what we eat. They get a lot from costco, too, which is nice.Wow!!!  I will never complain again about food costs here!