Budget Time - How much should I allocate for food?

[awanama]

I am trying to start a budget and I'm unsure how much to put in the food category. We have 3 adults and 2 children ages 9 and 11 in the house. (My 11 year old is eating us out of the house!) We live in the Midwest which I am sure will make a difference in what you tell me. Also, we don't do organic or have any special diets. So how much should I give us for the family? And does your amount include soaps, toilet paper, etc or just food?

 

Thanks,

Erica

[Sue G in PA]

Take a month, purchase what you would normally purchase and see what it comes to at the end? OR, go back over your previous months purchases and see where you are? I don't know what midwest prices are to even venture a guess, sorry! As for including household...we keep it separate b/c we typically purchase those things at different stores. I include things like cleaners, toothpaste, paper products, diapers, wipes, soaps, shampoos, and anything else that isn't food! Sorry I can't give you a definitive answer!

[Deece in MN]

We budget $250 a month for a family of 4 (dh, me, ds ~ 13 & dd ~ 11).

This includes food and household items.

We do buy a side of beef every year and sometimes a pig and this fall we will be buying chickens. These are paid for from our tax return.

So our monthly budget does not include meat items, which will make a difference.

I do some organic but most of that is through a food buying co-op. I try to buy as much organic/local items as my budget allows, but we are not 100% natural/organic. I do try to stay away from prepared/boxed/convenience foods because that will eat up a budget pretty quick.

I know we are on the low end budget wise, but that is what we can afford right now so that is what I work with.

[Kris]

We spend between $100 and $200 a week, which includes everything (including clothes), as well as "stocking up" stuff for bad paycheck weeks. We have about one of those a month, so I guess it would be $300 - $600 a month total (me, 15 yo Hoover and Dad when he's home).

[hose]

We are in the midwest with an 11 yo and a 9 yo, too! We spend about $600 per month on groceries/paper products/cleaning supplies, etc.

 

HTH.

[choirfarm]

Just guess for now, but for April write down where EVERY penny goes. When we were first married, we bought a simple ledger book at Walmart. I wrote down our categories. By groceries, when I went to Winn Dixie I would write down 38.25 when I came home. I still do not carry cash as I learned I don't know where it goes and it is harder to track. Having to write down what you spend as you spend it also helps you to think about if you want to write it down (I spent a dollar for a coke at a vending machine:confused: ) and so you don't spend it. Now I do it on Microsoft Money, but it is a little more complicated now. Writing things down will help A LOT. Make it part of your routine to do every evening or first thing in the morning.

 

Christine

[jail warden]

My kids have been going through growth spurts and are eating TONS! We spend $400/month, that includes toiletries and office supplies, such as printer ink. With the prices going up, it's getting a bit tougher, but I'm just trying to make different choices and still make it work. I do go to Aldi and price shop a TON. I go to about 4 different stores every other week. But I live 5 minutes or less from them, so it's not a big deal. I could even come home for a break and go back if I wanted since it's so close.

[Quiver0f10]

I have read that $25 a week per person is a good figure, although we don't spend that much.

[Tracey in TX]

We budget $1600/month, which includes Costco trips (not just groceries), Target, and grocery store.

[LaMere Academy]

For 4 I'd do $150 a week.

 

I spend $200 a week for a family of 6. Sometimes more, rarely less.

[awanama]

I have figured out what we spent over the last three months at Walmart and our local grocery store. The problem is, I know we have been way over spending and so I'm wanting to get a more reasonable figure. Money is pretty tight this month and we plan to use our stock of food with minimal trips to the grocery store. I like to have my cupboards pretty full for occasions like this. I think I will try for $300 for April since I will be using up what's in my cupboards and then re-figure for May. That would only come out to $60 per person for the month.

 

Thank you ladies.

[Sandra in NC]

Household expenses add up. It's not only toilet paper and soap....it's batteries and ink cartridges and stamps etc.

[Kimber]

About 1300 per month. It was 1600 but I started going to wal-mart a few times per month.

[Susan in TX]

We have a family of 10 and I budget $500 a month for food. That is *just* food. I also budget another $200 a month for all the non-food stuff: cleaning supplies, paper goods, toiletries, over-the-counter meds, office supplies, and any other household needs that aren't large purchases or fall into the "repairs" category.

 

Susan in TX

[Athena]

We spend about $50 per week on food. We live in Missouri and are on a TIGHT budget this year. Poor DH had his salary cut by 1/2, he was a mortgage broker for 10 yrs. :(

I budget $10 per person per week for food since we sometimes have friends/family stay with us.

 

This does not count paper products or household stuff. I buy cleaning stuff from the dollar store and paper products from Sam's most of the time.

 

Hope that helps,

Christy

[debbiec]

We try to spend about 600.00 a month on food/household for a family of 4 (2adults, 2 teens), but it usually ends up about 800.00.

How do you guys do these low food budgets? I need some tips.

[Deece in MN]

We try to spend about 600.00 a month on food/household for a family of 4 (2adults, 2 teens), but it usually ends up about 800.00.

How do you guys do these low food budgets? I need some tips.

 

One of the ways (and I probably should have specified this before) is that when we get a chunk of money from something (unexpected refund or I babysit for someone or whatever) we use that to stock up on pantry basics/staples. This, combined with the way we buy our meat, makes a difference. I am able to use my $250 for fruits, veggies, milk, eggs, and whatever is needed to fill out our meals for the month. I also only buy toilet paper and paper towels (I only buy these once in a while) with our food budget. Things like printer ink, cleaning supplies, etc come from a different part of our budget.

 

I also make very simple meals. My dh and ds do not like ethnic foods or anything "fancy"; simple, down-home cooking is what happens here. :)

 

My dc and I have started making some type of bread item (no, I don't grind my own wheat ;)) every few days to have with dinner or for snaking. I don't buy packaged sweets (except for the Girl Scout cookies that were delivered today) and just work at keeping meals simple, but healthy.

 

It is not always easy and I do have to discipline myself while shopping. My favorite indulgence is chai tea, but it can be very expensive. I have found some recipes and make my own so I can still enjoy it while keeping in my budget. We have pizza every Sat. night and we make it from scratch; it tastes better and is cheaper than store bought.

 

Anyway, don't know if any of that helps, but that is how things are here. :)

[Pata]

We have two adults and one child. We spend about 200 a month on food and the other stuff. We buy as many generics as we can, most of the time they are made at the same plant as your brand names just packaged differently. Also we use bleach and vinegar to clean with, they cost alot less and are very effective. We make a monthly trip to Sam's to buy our meats(usually around 45-50) and laundry detergent. Then I make up a list for the week based on what's in the freezer and we usually keep that trip for around 30-35. If it's a bad week I can always make it less. It works for us! Also when we shop each person is allowed to pick out one item for a dollar or less, no questions asked, it sounds lame, but it has really helped us stick to the budget and not feel so bad about it.

[Tami]

I want to know how some of the other posters do it! We spend about $200 a week on groceries and consumables for 2 adults and 1 child, and don't eat out. I don't buy processed foods or junk food, but lots of fresh veggies, nuts and fruits (not organic though). WE do all of our shopping at Sam's and Wal-Mart and buy generics.

 

My husband tends toward refined tastes and gourmet food (he does a lot of the cooking and shopping), so we probably spend more a little more that those who cook more simply. But still - how can you eat on $25 per week per person? I'd love to hear typical menus for those eating on a shoestring.

 

I wonder if the food budgets are smaller if they eat out a couple of times per week? Are you factoring in eating out?

[Claire]

Since I purchase soap, toilet paper, paper products, etc. when I buy groceries, I have found it practically impossible to track those items separately from food purchases. I think I spend too much on the non-food items, but it's really hard to tell.

[Deece in MN]

I want to know how some of the other posters do it! We spend about $200 a week on groceries and consumables for 2 adults and 1 child, and don't eat out. I don't buy processed foods or junk food, but lots of fresh veggies, nuts and fruits (not organic though).

 

I wonder if the food budgets are smaller if they eat out a couple of times per week? Are you factoring in eating out?

 

No, because we don't eat out. :D

Occasionally on a Sat. I will go to a local take and bake pizza place (and only if I have a coupon) because it was a busy day and we just didn't have time to make the pizza at home. This doesn't happen often and I usually take it out of my play money (I get $40 a month to spend however I want) rather than our food budget.

The only time we eat out anymore is for our dc birthdays. They get to choose what they want for dinner (including restaurants) and so we usually end up going out (sometimes they choose a home cooked meal). Even then I try to find a coupon to keep the cost down (we have some radio stations and periodic mailings that have some really good coupon deals to many area restaurants).

Have I ever gone over my $250 budget? You bet! But I work really hard to not do that because it eats into our savings. It maybe happens once or twice a year and I don't think has ever been more than $50. They are those times when I am just really craving something or my dh and I go shopping when we are hungry and everything just looks good. :) We try not to shop together or at least make sure we eat before leaving. Now if going over our budget was a regular occurrence, I would be adjusting our budget if I could. You do have to be honest and realistic with what you spend, but trimming the budget can be done.

 

Also, do you buy however much fruit, veggies, nuts, etc. that you want? Or do you go into the store with a certain amount to spend and only buy what you can with that? I will say that some weeks we run out of fresh fruit or veggies before the next shopping trip because our budget only allows that much to be purchased. I keep canned/frozen fruits & veggies on hand for when this happens. If I was to buy as much fresh fruits and veggies as my dc want to eat, I would not be able to keep within the budget I do. I would love to be able to do this, but right now I can't so I do what I can with what I have. We definitely are not going hungry here, so it works out. :)

[Tami]

Wow, I am amazed. You only spend $250? Can you give a sample menu for a typical day, including snacks?

 

Well, we spend a great deal of money on fresh veggies and fruit and whole grain products. We tend toward having a goal of 5 servings a day of fruits/veggies.

 

Here is a typical menu at our house:

 

Breakfast:

Kashi Cereal, an egg or two, and a 1/2 grapefruit

 

Snack:

Banana and yogurt with some nuts or cheese

 

Lunch:

Brown Rice salad

 

Snack:

Baby carrots and whole wheat crackers with organic tea

 

Dinner:

1 raw veggie or a salad

1-2 servings of cooked frozen veggies

Pork Picatta

 

Bedtime:

organic tea and maybe a few nuts or trail mix, but usually just tea

 

 

What is your menu like? I'd love to save some money, but have also worked very hard on healthier eating habits. We spend a lot more than we used to!

[Scarlett]

This thread motivated me to catch up on my Money program entries. I averaged my last 3 months and we are spending an average of $671 on groceries and household toiletries and $180 on eating out. So $851 a month for groceries/toiletries and eating out. Dh, myself and ds8.

 

So Tami I am closer in spending to you than anyone else. I CAN do better. I just don't.

[Jenny in Florida]

. . . that the average family of four in the United States spends $750 per month on groceries.

 

That sounded shockingly high to me . . . until I added up what we had been spending in the last year or so.

 

That was the impetus I needed to get us back on a budget. We have two adults and one 10-year-old (boy), and I'm now budgeting $530 per month.

 

We live in Florida and eat vegetarian/vegan but with few specialty foods.

 

--Jenny

[Deece in MN]

Wow, I am amazed. You only spend $250? Can you give a sample menu for a typical day, including snacks?

 

Well, we spend a great deal of money on fresh veggies and fruit and whole grain products. We tend toward having a goal of 5 servings a day of fruits/veggies.

 

 

What is your menu like? I'd love to save some money, but have also worked very hard on healthier eating habits. We spend a lot more than we used to!

 

A typical day at our house:

 

Breakfast

Dh usually makes his own breakfast because I am not a morning person. :)

He makes eggs and bacon or sausage and toast.

Dc have waffles, oatmeal or cereal and some type of fruit.

I have a cup of tea and usually oatmeal or a piece of fruit.

 

Snack

If dc didn't have fruit with breakfast, they have it now for a snack. Otherwise cheese, popcorn, carrots or celery.

 

Lunch

PB & J is the most common (I buy Skippy Natural and our Cub Foods had it for $1 a jar a while ago so we stocked up, I think I bought 30 jars or so).

leftovers from the night before

grilled cheese

soup

pancakes w/frozen blueberries

applesauce or mandarin oranges (these are my ds favorites)

 

Snack

homemade bread of some type (banana, sweet bread, rolls/buns, etc.)

nuts

granola bar (I am working on finding a homemade recipe we like because this is one of the things my dc love, but they are expensive to buy and not overly healthy)

 

Dinner

beef, pork, venison, fish or chicken of some type(mostly beef or pork right now because that is what we have most of, my dh and brother fish all summer so we have some fish from that and dh and ds hunt every year and bring home venison)

rice, pasta or potatoes

fresh or frozen veggie

 

Snack

We don't usually snack after dinner, but if we do it might be popcorn with a movie or we have dessert if I make one.

 

We do need to get better at eating veggies, but my kids only like raw carrots and celery and corn. They will eat peas or green beans if I make them. My dd will eat broccoli, lettuce and tomatoes, but my ds won't touch them (yes, I continue to have him try it in case his tastes change, but so far it hasn't happened). My dh doesn't eat much fruit or veggies and I know I can't change him. :)

 

I am sure we could be healthier with what we eat, but we could be worse, too. :) The biggest thing is that I only buy fruits or veggies that are on sale and I make as much as I can from scratch. These two things are probably what has helped us trim our budget the most. I also set a limit of $10-$15/week for fresh fruit and veggies so I buy what I can with that. If we have some leftover in the budget I get more fruits and veggies.

 

ETA: I forgot about yogurt; we will have that as a snack, with breakfast or with lunch.

[Jenny in Florida]

I'm honestly trying to wrap my brain around the idea of spending half of what I do on groceries. Admittedly, we have a couple of "staple" items that are kind of expensive (soy milk, for example, and a few convenience items my husband can't live without). However, we don't buy certain typical high-ticket items, like meat. So, I'm truly just dying of curiosity to see how others do this.

 

Here's what I bought today:

 

Fat-free Refried Beans, 2 cans

Store-brand Tortilla Chips, 1 bag

Store-brand Orange Juice, Calcium Fortified, 2 cartons

Store-brand Chocolate Soy Milk, 2 cartons

Salad Dressing, 1 bottle

Salsa, 4 jars (two-for-one sale, so I stocked up)

Cheddar Cheese, 4 blocks (two-for-one again, so I froze three)

Store-brand Frozen French Fries, 1 bag

Store-brand Diet Soda, 3 bottles

Pita Bread, 1 package

Soy "Bacon," 1 box

Frozen Potato Patties, 1 package

Tofutti Soy-based "Ice Cream,", 1 package (My son is in a show this week and wanted a celebratory treat.)

Margarine, 2 tubs (won't need to buy for two or three weeks)

Bananas, 5 pounds

Frozen Strawberries, 1 large bag

Rye Bread, 1 loaf

Crackers, 1 box

Lettuce, 1 head

Tomatoes, 2

Fresh Strawberries, 1 package

Onions, 3 large

Fresh Parsley, 2 bunches (for the guinea pigs)

Carrots, 1 bag

 

I spent $93. This--along with what I already had at home--will provide breakfasts, lunches and day-time snacks for my son and me, plus dinners and evening snacks for all three of us. Occasionally, my husband will take leftovers for lunch at work.

 

This is a tough week for cooking at home, because my son is in a show that opens Friday. That means this is "tech week," and he is out at a rehearsal every night except Thursday . . . when we have theatre tickets to a different show. So, the three of us won't eat dinner together until next Saturday. Therefore, I have to make sure my husband has things he will actually take the time to fix for himself.

 

By the way, dinner tonight, made with last week's groceries, was "sloppy lentils" (think sloppy Joes but made with lentils) served with toasted burger buns and mashed yams. My son is not a big lentil fan, so he ate the bread and yams and had some fruit and a glass of soymilk.

 

Anyone else want to play? Especially those clever ladies who spend so much less?

[mcconnellboys]

For two adults and two children, I allow $100 per week for food and $40 for other household supplies.

 

Regena

[Scarlett]

I'll play! I go tomorrow and will post my receipt when I get home.

 

I'm not one of the ones who does it inexpensively though. I am at around $600 for 3 of us. I know I can do better though. 5 years ago I was only spending $400 a month and not eating out at all. Now we spend the $600 on groceries and another $250 on eating out.

[Claire]

$93 for all of that sounds pretty good to me. If this were my shopping list, I'd likely be buying a lot of it at Sam's Club. It would probably mean buying more in bulk, but cost per item would be less. Here are the things on your list that I know Sam's Club has at low prices:

 

brand-name tortilla chips (2 bags for something like $4.50 total, but you have to buy 2 bags)

gallon jug of calcium-fortified orange juice

1/2 gallon jug of salsa (keeps forever in fridge)

blocks of cheddar cheese (they have Cabot brand, which is tops)

bananas

frozen strawberries (I think it's a 5-lb bag)

onions (bag)

pre-washed organic baby greens (huge carton for about $5)

 

There may be other items on your list at Sam's too, such as the refried beans, diet soda, frozen french fries, etc.

 

I wish I had recent sales slips to identify the prices on these items. I know the gallon of OJ is much less expensive than 1/2-gallon cartons at our grocery store. Also, the cheddar cheese is top-quality yet costs much less than our grocery store. Our problem is being careful not to overbuy, as things like salad greens and bananas can get old before we get to them.

[Quiver0f10]

A typical menu here:

 

Breakfast:

DH and I: Oatmeal with raisins, walnuts and OJ

Kids usually have an egg or two , toast or eng muffin or oatmeal and bananas( we go through tons of bananasd lol)

 

Lunch:

DH: Left over dinner brought to work

Me: Brown rice or a whole grain wrap and beans/lentils, veggies

Kids:

homemade soup

left overs

ocassionally tuna or grilled cheese, carrots or celery with ranch dip

 

PM Snack:

Me: tea and toast

Kids: my 13 yo usually bakes something or if we have fruit they have that

 

Dinner:

Beans, rice, veggie of some sort

2 nights a week I serve chicken or beef to DH and the kids, usually some sort of casserole or shredded chicken with salsa or BBQ sauce in the crock pot with brown rice

[Antonia]

This was my shopping list for last week. It is fairly similar each week.

 

2 gals. milk

pound butter

2 cans orange juice

2 loaves ww bread

3 dozen eggs

bag each pretzels, corn chips

olive oil

2 cans tuna fish

2 pound box spaghetti

2 jars spaghetti sauce

bag rice

corn tortillas

2 lb. bag dried beans

2 cans refried beans

string cheese

block cheddar

32oz container yogurt

box 10 granola bars

pound bag of coffee

two pounds ground turkey

2.5 pound bag frozen chicken tenderloins

bag frozen salmon filets

fresh broccoli

5 lb. bag potatoes

bag assorted apples

bag baby carrots

tomatoes

romaine

2 lbs. bananas

avocado

2 lb. bag onions

frozen peas, green beans

bag shortbread cookies

four rolls t.paper

toothpaste

shampoo

paper napkins

roll paper towels

dish soap

 

 

This came to right around $82, and will feed the four of us all week. I did have such things as condiments and spices, etc. on hand, and did not need laundry supplies this week, but I also don't buy toiletries every week, so it balances out pretty well. I shop at Aldi's, so it is quite inexpensive. I know I would spend much more at our regular local grocery stores.

[mcconnellboys]

I also allott $60 per week for eating out, snacks, etc., which is mostly for just me and my youngest son.

 

Regena

[Deece in MN]

Here is my food purchases for this 4-week budget period (we have 1 week left to go).

 

Bread store: $6.68

4 loaves of bread

(we started making our bread since this purchase)

 

Local natural food co-op: $13.97

2.25# bananas

1.75# pears

1 bottle maple syrup

1 pack toilet paper

 

 

Cub Foods: $80.81

3 containers spag. sauce

1 pack pepperoni

2 packages ring sausage

2# bananas

2.2# red grapes

1 pack fresh mushrooms

3# bag organic apples

2# bag organic carrots

1 bunch organic celery

1 5# bag red potatoes

1 5# bag yukon gold potatoes

2# strawberries

.75# fresh salad from salad bar

1 container hummus

1 bag pita chips

3 18 count eggs

1 dozen eggs (to color for Easter)

2 boxes cereal

1 5# bag ww flour

2 5# bags whole grain flour

5 boxes instant pudding mix (mostly for making homemade chai tea mix)

3 rolls 7th generation toilet paper

32oz yogurt

2 packages muffin liners

1.5# ham

.75# wildflower cheddar cheese

1 box push-pops

1# butter (usually stock up at Sams and freeze, but we ran out)

 

Once a month natural food buying co-op: $152.04

1 bottle toilet cleaner

3 rolls recycled paper towels

10# organic oatmeal flour blend

1 bottle shampoo

25# sweet brown rice

12 cans organic coconut milk

12 cans organic water chestnuts

6 boxes organic banana waffles

1 bottle olive oil/flax oil blend

1# baking yeast

1 package cranberry granola

1 package trail mix

12 bottles organic apricot applesauce

4 gallons organic milk (this was heavily discounted because it was close to expiration date. I froze 3 of them so they would last the month)

 

Total all together is: $253.50. Oops, I went over $3.50. :D

 

This is fairly typical of what we purchase (things rotate such as next month I might purchase 25# of oats, but not rice since I just bought that, etc). I tend to buy a bit more fresh fruit & veggies than this, but I had some left from last month. Also a few items this month were splurge items (ham because we hadn't thawed any when we needed it, ring sausage is not a normal purchase, the wildflower cheddar cheese and push-pops).

 

As I said, we buy our meat bulk and usually do 2-3 trips to Sams a year to stock up on some basics and then stock up at our local stores when there are good sales on items we use regularly. All the money that pays for these items comes from our tax return, the 2 months a year where dh gets 3 checks (the third check is not factored into our budget and we use it for a grocery stock up and put the rest in savings) and when other unexpected money comes into the household.

 

If these things were divided out over the year I would estimate our monthly average to be about $400 total (including our current $250 budget), so we would not be as far off from some of you as we seem.

 

A quick edit: I just realized that I added the toilet cleaner and shampoo in this amount. I pay for those from a different area of our budget so when I take those out we are actually under our budget about $5. I just wanted to clarify that.

[Susan in TX]

I want to know how some of the other posters do it! We spend about $200 a week on groceries and consumables for 2 adults and 1 child, and don't eat out. I don't buy processed foods or junk food, but lots of fresh veggies, nuts and fruits (not organic though). WE do all of our shopping at Sam's and Wal-Mart and buy generics.

 

But still - how can you eat on $25 per week per person? I'd love to hear typical menus for those eating on a shoestring.

 

I wonder if the food budgets are smaller if they eat out a couple of times per week? Are you factoring in eating out?

 

I feed a family of 9 (oldest daughter is only home on week-ends and she doesn't eat much so I can't really count her:) on $500 a month and we do not eat out. However, dh and two of my teens don't eat lunch at home and my teens do eat out sometimes. I try to keep the budget at $2 a day per person: $1 for dinner and .50 cents for breakfast and lunch. I don't buy much is the way of fruit and vegetables and we eat mostly convenience food. I used to cook from scratch all the time but I figured out that for what we were eating, that actually cost more. I make no claims that what we eat is healthy but when you have limited funds you do what you have to.

 

Breakfast

DH and two older girls eat store-bought granola bars (dh isn't into breakfast and the girls go to PS so it's all they have time for but they will sometimes eat bagels)

cereal: always bought on sale...I never pay more than $2 a box.

frozen waffles...$1 for a box of 10

bagels with cream cheese...bagels on sale for $2 for 6ct. package

pop-tarts $1.25/1.50 a box at Walmart (usually store brand)

Sometimes the younger kids will eat PB&J or toast with jam

 

Lunch

PB&J

frozen burritos $3.17 for package of 10

bolonga sandwiches when bologna is on sale for $1 for 12oz pkg.

other lunchmeat sandwiches when lunchmeat is on sale for less that $3lb

 

Dinner

frozen dinners that are less than $1. I buy what is on sale. This past week it was Banquet.

Frozen pizzas

chicken nuggets

chicken patty sandwiches...

 

There's more but I'll have to finish later...it's starting to thunder and lightning and my computer doesn't have a surge protector.

 

Susan in TX

[Susan in TX]

There's more but I'll have to finish later...it's starting to thunder and lightning and my computer doesn't have a surge protector.

 

 

Okay, continuing with my post:

 

Dinner

canned soup, when on sale for $1.25 a can

canned chili

lunchmeat sandwiches, when lunchmeat is on sale

hot pockets

frozen burritos

taquitos

corn dogs

hot dogs (mostly eat these in the summer)

 

For drinks we have water. I reserve milk for cereal and don't buy milk at all if it is over $3 a gallon (or we use powdered). Dh drinks coffee. We rarely buy soda. We do drink a lot of hot cocoa and herbal tea in the winter.

 

The bread I buy is $1 a loaf. I don't buy snack food. We do sometimes have ice cream.

 

I buy very little produce. I do buy baby carrots when they are on sale for $1 for 1lb. The kids like to eat these with ranch dressing. I buy other fruit when it is on sale, but lately we have been getting free fruit from a friend who gets the bruised and over-ripe produce from a local grocery store. That has been a real blessing!

 

Susan in TX

[debbiec]

Same problem here ~ we've tried, but its not worth my time. So, I have to lump food/household together.

[Scarlett]

Ok, Here is my list from yesterday's shopping trip to SuperCenter

 

3 1/2 pounds chicken breast

Hamburger 1 lb

Chuck Roast

2 Breyers ice cream

1/2 gallon milk

half and half

Cottage cheese

3 individual yogurts

4 cups grated cheese

8 oz. sharp cheddar

hummus

8 individual puddings

gogurt

sandwich ham

frozen egg rolls--dh's supper last night

frozen chinese --dh's supper last night

tortilla shells

orange juice

3 single serve tuna

hot sauce

Tabasco sauce

cooking oil

salsa

seasoning

1 can refried beans

Chex mix

hamburger buns

cereal

fresh mushrooms

apples

poptarts

fresh broccoli

bag of fresh onions

Deli chicken wings--ds's and my supper

 

The above came to $100.04

 

I also spent another $22.75 on cleaning and H&B.

 

My supper menu for this week

 

Monday--Deli and Frozen chinese because I shopped on Monday and got to the store too late.

Tuesday--Hamburgers with fresh mushrooms sauteed and swiss cheese on whole wheat buns. With a salad

Wednesday--Roast/potatoes/carrots with homemade bread and salad

Thursday---Shredded beef tacos from leftover roast

Friday--grilled chicken breast/fresh broccoli/potatoes and salad

[Jenny in Florida]

What is your menu like? I'd love to save some money, but have also worked very hard on healthier eating habits. We spend a lot more than we used to!

 

Again, I'm not one of the really frugal folks, but just for purposes of comparison:

 

Breakfast

(My husband doesn't eat breakfast most days, just grabs a cup of tea or something when he gets to work.)

 

My son will usually have either oatmeal cooked with wheat germ and soy milk and topped with a little maple syrup or a couple of hash brown patties.

 

We both have smoothies made with frozen fruit, orange juice and vitamin/protein powder.

 

Snacks don't usually happen until at least afternoon. We tend to finish breakfast relatively late and just don't need anything else before lunch. Sometimes, I'll have a cup of coffee mid-morning.

 

Lunch

I retired from making lunches a year or so ago.

• My son frequently heats up leftovers. Spagetti is a favorite, so I always make extra when I do that for dinner.
  
• He also loves the vegetable samosas I get frozen from the Indian store.
  
• If he doesn't do either of those, he'll make himself some french fries and have some fruit on the side . . .
  
• Or, if he's not terribly hungry, something as simple as some chips and salsa.

I might do leftovers, too, or munch on some hummus and crackers or just grab some carrots and salad dressing.

 

Afternoon Snack

If my son ate lunch early enough to be hungry again, he might pop himself a bag of microwave popcorn or, if he didn't do chips and salsa earlier, have something like that. I also try to keep some kind of home-baked treat available. So, he might have a cookie or two in addition to or in place of the above.

 

Family Dinners

Because of my son's extra-curricular schedule, we eat family dinners only about four nights per week. Typical meals for those evenings would be:

• Black bean burritos with rice and corn
  
• Some kind of bean-and-vegetable-based curried dish
  
• Baked potatoes with glazed carrots or onion fritters or raw veggies and dip or salad
  
• The ever-popular pasta with tomato sauce
  
• Seasoned lentils served sloppy Joe style with some veggie on the side

Busy-Night Dinners

When we don't sit down to dinner together, my son and I eat before we leave, and my husband feeds himself when he gets home.

• My son is currently on a kick for couscous in a pita (with yet more fruit). He makes that himself.
  
• Otherwise, he might eat the same sorts of things he eats for lunch,
  
• Or I might make him some mashed potatoes or something similar.
  
• He pretty much always has a big glass of soymilk with dinner to add some protein.

I usually just tag along with whatever my son is eating.

 

My husband is not willing to put a lot of effort into cooking for himself. So, I try to make sure there is something really quick and simple for him. His staples for these nights are:

• Cheese and onion sandwiches on Hawaiian bread
  
• "B"LTs (soy bacon) on rye
  
• Frozen pizza rolls (I know, I know) or jalepeno poppers (with salsa and sour cream).
  
• When I have the time and energy (or I know he doesn't have any of his easy things on hand), I will prep something for him like the asian-inspired cold noodles or a burrito he can just microwave.

Evening Snacks

My husband tends to like something to snack on at some point in the evening. So, I keep bags of Doritos and Chex mix and so on around for him. He also likes crackers and soft cheese or potato chips and onion dip. All really healthy stuff, right?

 

On the nights when my son has more than one dance class in a row, he's usually hungry by the time we're heading home. So, we have learned to take something with us for him to nibble in the car. Favorites include snack-sized bags of microwave popcorn (popped at the dance school) or baggies of pretzels or plain old saltines.

 

If we ate dinner early enough in the evening to allow him time to get hungry again before bedtime, he might have something like this other nights at home. A couple of evenings a week, he'll have a serving of soy-based "ice cream" or, again, a cookie or two.

[jmgconner]

I'll play! We budget $80/week for DH, myself, DS 12, DS 4, DD 2, and newborn DS. This includes toiletries.

 

I won't post my grocery list, because it's terribly skewed depending on what's on sale. This week we bought quite a bit of cereal, but only because we could get it cheap. We do the 12-week cycle, stockpile, and use the Grocery Game.

 

My toiletries list this week was quite minimal. I shop at CVS. This week I bought two Colgate toothbrushes, two tubes of Colgate toothpaste, and two women's 24/7 Mennen deodorants. My total was $3.51 after coupons, and I received $3 in ECB towards my next purchase.

 

Breakfasts

cereal (never pay more than $2 box, and even that's my high limit)

oatmeal (generally instant oatmeal, but only because I got it near free using the Grocery Game)

granola bars (my staple breakfast)

eggs (usually on the weekends)

waffles/pancakes (I make these in large batches and freeze the rest)

 

Lunches

sandwiches (we buy 100% whole wheat bread at the bread store for $1.25 per loaf; peanut butter and jelly is bought while on sale - I think a previous poster mentioned the $1 peanut butter sale - we stocked up too)

left-overs

ummm, we're not terribly creative at lunch :tongue_smilie:

 

Dinners

stir-fry (buy rice in bulk, frozen organic chicken breasts from Costco, and I stock up on frozen veggies using the Grocery Game)

tacos or other Mexican-inspired dish (burritos, make my own Spanish rice, etc.)

breakfasts dinners

pasta dishes (stock up on pasta when on sale for $0.88 or less - on nights we're in a hurry I use a canned sauce, but other nights I'll make my own sauces)

pizza (homemade)

chicken-as-the-main-dish meals (Chicken Pomodoro, Balsalmic Chicken, Chicken Curry, basically, anything you can do with chicken, we've done it!)

anything we can grill (this week we're having hot dogs and brats on the grill - Oooh, I love summertime grilling)

 

Snacks

fruit (this week we bought grapes, canteloupe and bananas)

yogurt (super cheap when using Grocery Game and coupons)

cheese and crackers (this is my favorite snack, but we don't buy it often)

popcorn/nuts (buy it on sale)

 

We buy milk, both whole and skim, but we limit it to two cups per person a day. Otherwise, we drink water. Sometimes in the summer, I'll make lemonade, but we don't buy Kool-aid, soda pop, or much of any other beverage (except for this week - we bought 100% apple juice at a great price!). Oh, DH drinks coffee on the weekend.

 

I'm sure I'm leaving stuff out, but that's what I can remember off the top of my head.