What is your grocery budget?

[Ausmumof3]

2 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

 

I generally despise disposable bottles of water.  However...

Sometimes I send them to camps with the kids or else they’ll lose their good water bottles.  If they come back to me for reuse or imaginary jet-packs, all the better.

We’re also going somewhere next week where we can bring water in but it has to be factory sealed and in disposable containers.  Or buy it there for $7.00/bottle.

And I also bought a few mini-bottles to use for a project when my niece and nephews were here last week.  They had to put their mouths on them (bubble snakes), so I didn’t feel comfortable asking for people’s trash/recycling for that even if they were washed.

But yeah, my mom buys cases of water on a tight budget and it drives me bonkers.  I think it’s a “feel rich” thing, I don’t know...

We buy cases of water for emergency rations.  Every now and then we use one when someone can't find a drink bottle or run late.  That said we spend a fortune on a good quality filter cartridge for our rain water.

[Ausmumof3]

32 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

Why is it a problem to believe that some folks might be able to do that?

you posted that pizza saying it wouldn’t feed your family.  Her menu says that pizza plus apples.  I am saying that pizza plus a snack (banana, apple, etc) feeds my family.  

AND my kids have actually been tested for nutritional deficiencies specifically because of their feeding issues.  We do OT, we food chain, etc.  So I KNOW my kids are not being deprived of nutrients.  

Just because her menu wouldn’t satisfy your family, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t satisfy hers, or that her kids are malnourished.  

My kids are so hard to feed.  Pizza and fried chicken are the only two dishes the entire family will eat.  Getting ANY produce into the younger 2 is WORK.  AND YET, they don’t have scurvy, or anemia, or any other nutritional deficiency.   

Because she's posting foods on the menu that aren't on the shopping list.  There are clear discrepancies.

as I already said I have an issue with this stuff because unrealistic expectations about what we can feed our kids on can contribute to mum guilt, husbands with unrealistic expectations or gov thresholds for aid set to high. 

I have regrets about trying to be too frugal with food at times to be honest.  I have friends with health issues due to an overly high carb diet during budget restrictions.

[LucyStoner]

10 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Because she's posting foods on the menu that aren't on the shopping list.  There are clear discrepancies.

as I already said I have an issue with this stuff because unrealistic expectations about what we can feed our kids on can contribute to mum guilt, husbands with unrealistic expectations or gov thresholds for aid set to high. 

I have regrets about trying to be too frugal with food at times to be honest.  I have friends with health issues due to an overly high carb diet during budget restrictions.

Yep. 

I can't tell you the number of times over the years I have seen a woman post oh-so-many-places-online saying she only has $(Insert some tiny amount) to feed a family of 6 for the month but her husband won't eat anything but meat but thinks she's spending too much groceries and diapers.  And the real answer is "tell your husband that it's not 1985 and that's not a large enough budget" but most of the answers women are posting are more like "just cook from scratch and COUPON, I can feed TWELVE PEOPLE  an all organic super healthy diet on HALF that budget, what's wrong with you?!!!"  It's unrealistic bs and I really don't mind calling it out where I see it.  

[Ausmumof3]

Also I notice whenever the "what's your food budget" threads come up for where I live everyone with our family size and age posts something like $150 per week (cheap here).  But the bureau of statistics figures show the average as $330 or so.  So either only extremely small eaters and frugal families respond or they aren't honestly accounting for all the expenditure.  I suspect a mix.

[SamanthaCarter]

2 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

One reason I don't believe the super low amounts people cite is that, aside from couponing, I do all of the frugal grocery shopping strategies myself as second nature.  I am buying on clearance, meal planning to the circular, buying in bulk, stocking up on things when they are on super sale, cooking from scratch and so on and so forth.  And doing all that we can't go much below $4/person/day without rationing or be replacing meat, veggies and fruit with starch.  $70 for 5 people is $2/person/day. Doable in an emergency but not sustainable long term.  

Same here. I can’t seem to get below $4/per person per day, and that’s when I’m doing well with the typical strategies. I figure larger families might be able to get it lower just based on economy of scale. 

[LucyStoner]

6 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Also I notice whenever the "what's your food budget" threads come up for where I live everyone with our family size and age posts something like $150 per week (cheap here).  But the bureau of statistics figures show the average as $330 or so.  So either only extremely small eaters and frugal families respond or they aren't honestly accounting for all the expenditure.  I suspect a mix.

Most people are guesstimating.  And the people who are dealing with actual figures are often forgetting some major part of their food habits.  Classic example:  Mom spends $400 a month at Costco and thinks that is pretty much their food budget.  Well, dad is stopping at the store 3 times a week for a few items she texts him about.  Mom mentally calculates that as $100 for the month when really he's spending an average of $25 each trip, to the tune of 12 trips a month.  So she says she's spending $500, when really it's more like $700.  

[Annie G]

10 minutes ago, LucyStoner said:

Most people are guesstimating.  And the people who are dealing with actual figures are often forgetting some major part of their food habits.  Classic example:  Mom spends $400 a month at Costco and thinks that is pretty much their food budget.  Well, dad is stopping at the store 3 times a week for a few items she texts him about.  Mom mentally calculates that as $100 for the month when really he's spending an average of $25 each trip, to the tune of 12 trips a month.  So she says she's spending $500, when really it's more like $700.  

I agree with you. People also don’t think to add the amount they pay for kids to eat school lunches or money they spend eating out. The eating out is often considered entertainment, and I get that, but if you eat out a few times a week it definitely means you can get by with fewer groceries. 

The town I live has enough poverty that the school system is part of a program where every student gets free breakfast and lunch. doctor’s kids, poor kids, everyone. The only money the school takes is if your kid wants extra milk or a second meal. That is a HUGE help to a family’s grocery budget!

[SamanthaCarter]

21 minutes ago, LucyStoner said:

Most people are guesstimating.  And the people who are dealing with actual figures are often forgetting some major part of their food habits.  Classic example:  Mom spends $400 a month at Costco and thinks that is pretty much their food budget.  Well, dad is stopping at the store 3 times a week for a few items she texts him about.  Mom mentally calculates that as $100 for the month when really he's spending an average of $25 each trip, to the tune of 12 trips a month.  So she says she's spending $500, when really it's more like $700.  

Unless your husband religiously updates his budget/actual spreadsheet and you can take actual annual spending in a category and divide it by 52. ? 

[LucyStoner]

8 minutes ago, Annie G said:

I agree with you. People also don’t think to add the amount they pay for kids to eat school lunches or money they spend eating out. The eating out is often considered entertainment, and I get that, but if you eat out a few times a week it definitely means you can get by with fewer groceries. 

The town I live has enough poverty that the school system is part of a program where every student gets free breakfast and lunch. doctor’s kids, poor kids, everyone. The only money the school takes is if your kid wants extra milk or a second meal. That is a HUGE help to a family’s grocery budget!

 

Yep, if my bank app shows much less than $800 for groceries in the last 30 days, I know we are slacking off and spending too much on eating out, which the app tallies as dining out rather than groceries. 

[LucyStoner]

3 minutes ago, SamanthaCarter said:

Unless your husband religiously updates his budget/actual spreadsheet and you can take actual annual spending in a category and divide it by 52. ? 

Your husband is a rare bird.  Most people just don't know.  

[LuvToRead]

3 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

One reason I don't believe the super low amounts people cite is that, aside from couponing, I do all of the frugal grocery shopping strategies myself as second nature.  I am buying on clearance, meal planning to the circular, buying in bulk, stocking up on things when they are on super sale, cooking from scratch and so on and so forth.  And doing all that we can't go much below $4/person/day without rationing or be replacing meat, veggies and fruit with starch.  $70 for 5 people is $2/person/day. Doable in an emergency but not sustainable long term.  

Don't forget the $70/week is for food and household products.  So, less than $2/person/day.

 

 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

8 minutes ago, LuvToRead said:

Don't forget the $70/week is for food and household products.  So, less than $2/person/day.

 

 

 

OK, that puts it into perspective. There have been charity challenges to try to live on a poverty food budget of less than $2 per day.

[LuvToRead]

Just now, Tibbie Dunbar said:

 

OK, that puts it into perspective. There have been charity challenges to try to live on a poverty food budget of less than $2 per day.

I don't get it.  I mean, if you truly only have $70/week then you gotta make it work.  I just can't imagine having more than that and feeding my family junk.  My grocery budget is top priority.  To be fair, we are debt free and live pretty frugally.   I hope I am not offending anyone, but why buy cheap Oscar Meyer ham and day old croissants and  eat sandwiches every day when you can afford better?  I wonder what her other spending habits are?  I have a friend who absolutely admits clothes are important to her, and she would rather feed her family on the dollar menu from McDonald's and have extra money to spend more on clothes.  But, she isn't making money on a blog sharing her success and teaching everyone how to save money on groceries.  

[SereneHome]

On 6/1/2018 at 2:09 PM, SamanthaCarter said:

About the first part of you quote, it is so amazing to me how much grocery costs can NOT be compared geographically. While you say groceries are high (I believe you), I say a CSA share and a milk and egg farm share would be $70/week alone here. Even though our grocery prices are mid to low. I attribute that to our 3 hour drive to major metroplex, where these local, niche farm products command super high prices. If we won’t pay it, our farmers can just drive it up the highway. 

About the second - pay now or pay later - so true! (Up to a point, like any goods, food can reach the point of conspicuous consumption where higher price means more elite, not better value) 

 

When I lived in MD there were abundance  of grocery stores within 15 min drive and at least 3-4 farmers markets as well.  There were numerous CSAs also, both conventional and organic.

Farmers markets and CSA were always much much higher. 

It's the same here in New England.  Produce, meat, eggs - much more expensive if you buy it from CSA or at the Farmer's market.

That's why I always rolled my eyes when I would read "how to save money on food" articles when they suggest "oh, just shop local and what's in season".  Yeah, may be in some other universe, but nowhere I have lived yet.

[LucyStoner]

26 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

 

DH and I update our budget spreadsheets multiple times a WEEK.  Shoot, if I had a working computer right now, I could tell you how many times i updated it TODAY.  I logged into our bank like 4 times today, not counting the stop at the ATM at 6pm.  The bank account is the second thing I check when waking up (weather is first.)

4

 

That is great.  It's also not typical.  My system doesn't require any updating (it's all synched to the actuals from the bank) but trust me when I say most people aren't tracking their household budget all that closely.  

[Tsuga]

5 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

 

Of course, 40% of the kids are on free school lunches and there is heavy reliance on church run food pantries and clothes closets. This year, they have convinced the local CSAs to allow gleaning and donation of imperfect/excess produce...kind of that overlap that Tibbie was talking about.

If people are not counting benefits and free food in their braggable budgets, that is total BS. I mean you don't have to say "I bought this with food stamps" on your blog, but you should include it. 

5 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

Costco shoppers skew pretty upper-middle class in our area.  $55 plus the organic premium for what they carry is a lot when you aren’t even making it paycheck to paycheck.

I can see that. I guess my thought is, they have a ton of non-organic stuff too. 

5 hours ago, happysmileylady said:

My point is, our kids are different.  That doesn’t mean either of us are lying.  

...

Every single one of my kids would guzzle like half a gallon of milk every day, if I let them. 

I don't think anyone is lying but that is very few calories and while there is a range of metabolism, this is at the very low end. On the other hand, I personally am on the ultra high end and eat like 25% more calories per day than average, so I don't judge. Some people are just very efficient and light eaters.

4 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

 

out.   We always did the Feeding the Whole Family approach of pulling out portions for those who didn't want the sauce or veggies rather than making one very plain meal for everyone or cooking totally separate meals.  So, I'd make bacon mac and cheese, salad and garlic roasted broccoli for dinner but set aside some cold cheese, some bacon, some raw broccoli and some elbow macaroni so those who wouldn't eat the entire meal as assembled could still fill up on a range of options.  

I can't believe I have never heard of this before. I am going to start doing it right away with Blue Apron. Thank you for sharing.

3 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

Yep. 

I can't tell you the number of times over the years I have seen a woman post oh-so-many-places-online saying she only has $(Insert some tiny amount) to feed a family of 6 for the month but her husband won't eat anything but meat but thinks she's spending too much groceries and diapers.  And the real answer is "tell your husband that it's not 1985 and that's not a large enough budget" but most of the answers women are posting are more like "just cook from scratch and COUPON, I can feed TWELVE PEOPLE  an all organic super healthy diet on HALF that budget, what's wrong with you?!!!"  It's unrealistic bs and I really don't mind calling it out where I see it.  

Agreed. It implies that somehow, there is more poor people could do to save. The reality is, even if you have normal metabolism and no disabilities and you want long term health, these budgets are absurd unless you have 40+ hours per week to devote to making food plus the infrastructure to do it (kitchen garden soil, yeast, sourdough starter, adapted tastes, jars, etc.). If you have any special needs or infrastructure limitations, you are up a creek. And of course, it is always used to shame...

2 hours ago, LuvToRead said:

Don't forget the $70/week is for food and household products.  So, less than $2/person/day.

Yeah. Poverty sucks. But I am not going to voluntarily subject myself to that except when necessary.

 

I can't find the post in which someone questioned what she's getting out of it. You get a cut of ad views. Grocery stores advertise there as do others. So making extreme claims absolutely benefits the blogger. It is definitely a media business, not personal testimony. It could be 100% entertainment for all we know. She hasn't sworn it to be true, so she could just come out at some point and say, "yeah it was entertainment to inspire people, I had to make ends meet, don't blame me." I would not be surprised. 

[LucyStoner]

37 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

I suspect that someone who’s blog name is “Money Saving Mom” probably is tracking their household budget that closely.  

 

I said this in reference to the scores of people who understate and underestimate their grocery budgets, not about this blogger. 

I am an accountant.  I know the degree to which people underestimate variable expenses.  

I will say this:  it is irresponsible for a lawyer and a blogger claiming FT income from her blog to shrink their grocery budget to less than $2/person/day.  She was spending $140/wk several years ago.  $140 is cheap for a family of 5.  $70 is a self-imposed poverty level and it's bullshit unless there is literally nothing more to spend.  And if there is literally nothing else to spend:  get food stamps and/or go to a food pantry.  

Your budget appears to be closer to my $4/person/day rule of thumb than this woman's LESS than $2/person/day.  Your oldest is the same age as my youngest.  I have 4 kids living here, most of whom are not teen boys. I promise you that you and this blogger lady are not in possession of any budgeting savvy that I lack.  I have been around the block with food budgeting since I was a child pulling change out of the couch for enough brown bread to keep us in toast and sugar sandwiches until the first of the month.  I've tracked food budgets from the very thrifty to quite robust.  I am presently feeding 7 in a HCOL area on a very modest income.   I am not blowing smoke when I say I know what less than $2/person/day looks like and it's not healthy or sustainable in the long term.  

[Carrie12345]

11 hours ago, BarbecueMom said:

 

I generally despise disposable bottles of water.  However...

Sometimes I send them to camps with the kids or else they’ll lose their good water bottles.  If they come back to me for reuse or imaginary jet-packs, all the better.

We’re also going somewhere next week where we can bring water in but it has to be factory sealed and in disposable containers.  Or buy it there for $7.00/bottle.

And I also bought a few mini-bottles to use for a project when my niece and nephews were here last week.  They had to put their mouths on them (bubble snakes), so I didn’t feel comfortable asking for people’s trash/recycling for that even if they were washed.

But yeah, my mom buys cases of water on a tight budget and it drives me bonkers.  I think it’s a “feel rich” thing, I don’t know...

Bottled water is part need, part habit started by that need in our house. We're often in places without access to water (sports fields, area parks, long drives, etc.) and some places with questionable water, so there's always a case in my trunk. We store water at home for power outages, and that has to be rotated out periodically, so we tend to take its usage (mostly above, but then creeping into other scenarios) more lightly than I'd like to.

It definitely doesn't make me feel rich, though.  My kids losing their fancy water bottles does make me feel poor.  Replacing them, especially if more than one at a time, hurts!

[lavender's green]

I don't currently do the grocery shopping, but when I did, I often spent around $140 a week. The kids are bigger now. This did not include our sizable Costco runs, ethnic markets, farmer's market, produce box, or DH's grocery store runs later in the week. When I went much cheaper than 140, we'd just go through the pantry more quickly, or the Costco/DH shopping mysteriously went up. Now we're more of an "it costs what it costs" family.

I went and looked up the USDA numbers for our family size. Thrifty is $161 per week, and liberal is $316 per week. That's about $4.60-9.00/person/day, though it's a little wonky to calculate it that way when there are small kids. I just did it for curiosity's sake. Again, I don't exactly what we spend because DH does most of it, but we certainly fall in between those two figures.

I take food and money blogs with a huge grain of salt. I remember a blogger, huge fan of Money Saving Mom, who bragged about spending $20 a month on groceries when she and her DH were newlyweds. Turned out she wasn't counting the CSA with its bumper crops, the half cow in her deep freezer, or the extraordinarily well-stocked pantry. The $20 was spent on topping off the pantry with good deals. Which, good for them, but it's hardly a measure of the cost of the nutrients they were consuming.

[Annie G]

10 hours ago, LuvToRead said:

I don't get it.  I mean, if you truly only have $70/week then you gotta make it work.  I just can't imagine having more than that and feeding my family junk.  My grocery budget is top priority.  To be fair, we are debt free and live pretty frugally.   I hope I am not offending anyone, but why buy cheap Oscar Meyer ham and day old croissants and  eat sandwiches every day when you can afford better?  I wonder what her other spending habits are?  

I was scratching my head because her blog is mostly posts about how to spend a whole lot of money. One recent post was about Happy Hour at Starbucks. A half price drink is more than she spends to feed one family member for an entire day. Another post was a Shopkins sale for $15 or so.   I came to the conclusion that her real high comes from saving money even if it’s on stuff that’s unnecessary. I know she’s not buying all the stuff she blogs about- nobody could buy that much stuff- but she seems to get a rush from buying something-anything- at a discount.  

Living within your means or below your means is fine- a lot better than living way beyond your means. But there’s no prize for not spending the money necessary to keep your children adequately nourished. 

‘Even the Frugalwoods have loosened up their pursestrings now that they have children. 

[BlsdMama]

13 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

 

We have two 9-year-olds, a 10-year-old and a 14-year-old who eat here all the time and an additional 12 and 16-year-old (my nephew and oldest niece) who visit.  1/5 of that pizza wouldn't be enough for any of them.  Only one of the kids will drink milk.  When we have pizza night, each kid usually makes their own and we save the leftovers for lunch on Saturday or Sunday.  A typical spread of available toppings would be mushrooms, onions, garlic, goat cheese, olives, artichoke hearts, pineapple, ham, sausage.  Pizza is served with a salad (which 3 of the 4 kids won't eat) and there are snacks available for movie night (generally fruit, popcorn and often but not always a dessert.)  All of the kids who live here except for the 14-year-old play sports. I am the only person who lives here who is carrying extra weight- the kids are all very lean and healthy.  $2/person/day just will not feed any of these kids.  

$2/person a day wouldn't feed most people  - I can't imagine? 

Breakfasts are so inexpensive, lunches - soup, sandwiches, leftovers, etc.  But suppers?  Nope, nope, nope.

I write down $1,000 for my monthly budget because it looks pretty.  And then recognize that is just my Costco budget and not the local grocery store where I generally drop another $500-$600. 

I have gotten so bad about planning menus and planning sales.
Our food budget and mortgage (with insurance and taxes added in) run neck and neck every month, generally with groceries coming out on top. :/

The good news is that when the kids leave I think we have the budget for a summer home, lol.

[Annie G]

5 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

The good news is that when the kids leave I think we have the budget for a summer home, lol.

I know you’re joking, but for real, dh and I recently were talking about how much money we’ve saved in the past few years and how budgeting isn’t even an issue. We were patting ourselves on the back for finally figuring out this money thing...and then we realized we are no longer raising kids or paying college tuition. Food, clothes, tuition, extracurriculars...not paying all those are the reason our savings account is so healthy these days. Not our superior budgeting abilities. 

[LuvToRead]

5 minutes ago, Annie G said:

I was scratching my head because her blog is mostly posts about how to spend a whole lot of money. One recent post was about Happy Hour at Starbucks. A half price drink is more than she spends to feed one family member for an entire day. Another post was a Shopkins sale for $15 or so.   I came to the conclusion that her real high comes from saving money even if it’s on stuff that’s unnecessary. I know she’s not buying all the stuff she blogs about- nobody could buy that much stuff- but she seems to get a rush from buying something-anything- at a discount.  

Living within your means or below your means is fine- a lot better than living way beyond your means. But there’s no prize for not spending the money necessary to keep your children adequately nourished. 

‘Even the Frugalwoods have loosened up their pursestrings now that they have children. 

Yes! Especially if you can afford not to.  To me, that is the key.  I saw the Starbucks thing too. I am not a fan of Starbucks, and live too far way, so I won't be taking advantage.  

 

 I believe in being a good steward of our money.  Buying the absolute cheapest is not the same as getting the most for your money.  I could buy my family 2 pairs of dollar flip flops for the year and write a blog article on it.  "How I only spend $8 on shoes my entire family this year!"    I don't (and I think many would agree) believe this is being a good steward of our money, especially if I had a hefty savings account.   (I am not suggesting MSM has a hefty savings account)  You can be debt-free, live below your means, and still manage healthy food at the grocery store. 

[mommyoffive]

50 minutes ago, BlsdMama said:

$2/person a day wouldn't feed most people  - I can't imagine? 

Breakfasts are so inexpensive, lunches - soup, sandwiches, leftovers, etc.  But suppers?  Nope, nope, nope.

I write down $1,000 for my monthly budget because it looks pretty.  And then recognize that is just my Costco budget and not the local grocery store where I generally drop another $500-$600. 

I have gotten so bad about planning menus and planning sales.
Our food budget and mortgage (with insurance and taxes added in) run neck and neck every month, generally with groceries coming out on top. ?

The good news is that when the kids leave I think we have the budget for a summer home, lol.

 

Thanks for the laugh!

[mommyoffive]

7 hours ago, LucyStoner said:

I said this in reference to the scores of people who understate and underestimate their grocery budgets, not about this blogger. 

I am an accountant.  I know the degree to which people underestimate variable expenses.  

I will say this:  it is irresponsible for a lawyer and a blogger claiming FT income from her blog to shrink their grocery budget to less than $2/person/day.  She was spending $140/wk several years ago.  $140 is cheap for a family of 5.  $70 is a self-imposed poverty level and it's bullshit unless there is literally nothing more to spend.  And if there is literally nothing else to spend:  get food stamps and/or go to a food pantry.  

Your budget appears to be closer to my $4/person/day rule of thumb than this woman's LESS than $2/person/day.  Your oldest is the same age as my youngest.  I have 4 kids living here, most of whom are not teen boys. I promise you that you and this blogger lady are not in possession of any budgeting savvy that I lack.  I have been around the block with food budgeting since I was a child pulling change out of the couch for enough brown bread to keep us in toast and sugar sandwiches until the first of the month.  I've tracked food budgets from the very thrifty to quite robust.  I am presently feeding 7 in a HCOL area on a very modest income.   I am not blowing smoke when I say I know what less than $2/person/day looks like and it's not healthy or sustainable in the long term.  

 

From the looks on her blog she isn't in a spot where this isn't more to spend.  They just bought a home in cash.  It looks really nice inside. They have been buying lots of brand new furniture.  Having someone finish their basement.  Hiring someone to come in and build built in shelving for a library.  

I think it is the advertising.  

[HomeAgain]

I'm now wondering if we could do $2/day/person with cheap, healthy meals.  There would be a lot of relying on the Tightwad Gazette, I think, and doing a diet filled with shelf staples like lentils, black beans, and chickpeas (both $1.50 a bag here), and homemade breads/tortillas.  Greens would be stretched with dandelions and fiddlehead ferns, both of which grow in abundance in my yard.  And my garden/bartering would supplement quite a bit, too. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 hour ago, Annie G said:

I was scratching my head because her blog is mostly posts about how to spend a whole lot of money. One recent post was about Happy Hour at Starbucks. A half price drink is more than she spends to feed one family member for an entire day. Another post was a Shopkins sale for $15 or so.   I came to the conclusion that her real high comes from saving money even if it’s on stuff that’s unnecessary. I know she’s not buying all the stuff she blogs about- nobody could buy that much stuff- but she seems to get a rush from buying something-anything- at a discount.  

Living within your means or below your means is fine- a lot better than living way beyond your means. But there’s no prize for not spending the money necessary to keep your children adequately nourished. 

‘Even the Frugalwoods have loosened up their pursestrings now that they have children. 

If the blog was advertised as one where she finds and publishes “good deals” that might benefit some of her readers, then I don’t see a problem with this. Different people have different budgets and a good deal for someone with a higher budget can include Happy Hour at Starbucks.  

The problem comes when you tie it all to one very low budget number which couldn’t possibly include splurges like that.   Because some people hyper focus on the weekly number and to try to make it all fit is going to require at the very least some mental gymnastics (large sums in other budget categories that really cover part of the cost of food) or in a worst case scenario, shortchanging necessary nutrients to cover the empty calories from a frappichino.  

[LucyStoner]

6 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

I'm now wondering if we could do $2/day/person with cheap, healthy meals.  There would be a lot of relying on the Tightwad Gazette, I think, and doing a diet filled with shelf staples like lentils, black beans, and chickpeas (both $1.50 a bag here), and homemade breads/tortillas.  Greens would be stretched with dandelions and fiddlehead ferns, both of which grow in abundance in my yard.  And my garden/bartering would supplement quite a bit, too. 

 

We shop very much as described in the Tightwad gazette.  Lots of bulk items, lots of cooking from scratch, lots of inexpensive picks for fruit.  We get a lot of great deals and even free or nearly free food from bartering.  When we are on point, that’s still right around my $4/person/day, with a very well stocked pantry underpinning it.  IME, the gap between $2 and $4 is varied/abundant produce and pretty much any meat/fish.  Assuming ample caloric intake, $2/person/day is pretty much limited to starches, legumes, eggs and enough greens, onions and the odd fruit to avoid acute malnourishment.  

[LucyStoner]

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

If the blog was advertised as one where she finds and publishes “good deals” that might benefit some of her readers, then I don’t see a problem with this. Different people have different budgets and a good deal for someone with a higher budget can include Happy Hour at Starbucks.  

The problem comes when you tie it all to one very low budget number which couldn’t possibly include splurges like that.   Because some people hyper focus on the weekly number and to try to make it all fit is going to require at the very least some mental gymnastics (large sums in other budget categories that really cover part of the cost of food) or in a worst case scenario, shortchanging necessary nutrients to cover the empty calories from a frappichino.  

I agree.  It’s unlikely she uses all or even most of the deal she links.  Each “deal” is usually tied to an affiliate link so the blog is getting revenue from sharing the deal each time someone uses it.  

[Scarlett]

Dh and I began tracking our spending in earnest when he got paid Friday. It is very easy to not be realistic about what you are spending.  I bought 2 whole chickens and no other meat and yet spent $166 on groceries this week.  We also overspent on household items and liquor......

[HomeAgain]

1 minute ago, LucyStoner said:

 

We shop very much as described in the Tightwad gazette.  Lots of bulk items, lots of cooking from scratch, lots of inexpensive picks for fruit.  We get a lot of great deals and even free or nearly free food from bartering.  When we are on point, that’s still right around my $4/person/day, with a very well stocked pantry underpinning it.  IME, the gap between $2 and $4 is varied/abundant produce and meat/fish.  Assuming ample caloric intake, $2/person/day is pretty much limited to starches, legumes, eggs and enough greens, onions and the odd fruit to avoid acute malnourishment.  

See, I think it would depend on being more creative than shopping.  I live in an area with an abundant amount of fish and low cost fishing/clam digging licenses.  I have several friends with chickens who are willing to barter for eggs.  We don't drink milk, but I would buy powdered to keep on hand for baking more.  And I'd stretch my dollars at the grocery store with the sale meat (only buying chicken or beef when it's under $2/lb).  I grow herbs, potatoes, peppers, onions, squash and garlic to put aside for winter, so I wouldn't have to spend on that.

We already do much from the TG, but not nearly as frugal with our grocery budget as several of those folks are.  I'm really okay with that, but I do wonder if, I had to, I could eat healthy for $2/day.

[Tsuga]

6 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

My kids losing their fancy water bottles does make me feel poor.  Replacing them, especially if more than one at a time, hurts!

 

For real. ?

4 hours ago, Annie G said:

 I came to the conclusion that her real high comes from saving money even if it’s on stuff that’s unnecessary. I know she’s not buying all the stuff she blogs about- nobody could buy that much stuff- but she seems to get a rush from buying something-anything- at a discount.  

 

Her real high comes from the checks she gets in the mail from the ad revenue. She makes money off those links.

3 hours ago, Annie G said:

I know you’re joking, but for real, dh and I recently were talking about how much money we’ve saved in the past few years and how budgeting isn’t even an issue. We were patting ourselves on the back for finally figuring out this money thing...and then we realized we are no longer raising kids or paying college tuition. Food, clothes, tuition, extracurriculars...not paying all those are the reason our savings account is so healthy these days. Not our superior budgeting abilities. 

I suddenly got WAY richer when i was no longer paying for daycare. The amount of money I am now able to put into savings is stunning. It's not budgeting. It's just lower expenses.

[LucyStoner]

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

See, I think it would depend on being more creative than shopping.  I live in an area with an abundant amount of fish and low cost fishing/clam digging licenses.  I have several friends with chickens who are willing to barter for eggs.  We don't drink milk, but I would buy powdered to keep on hand for baking more.  And I'd stretch my dollars at the grocery store with the sale meat (only buying chicken or beef when it's under $2/lb).  I grow herbs, potatoes, peppers, onions, squash and garlic to put aside for winter, so I wouldn't have to spend on that.

We already do much from the TG, but not nearly as frugal with our grocery budget as several of those folks are.  I'm really okay with that, but I do wonder if, I had to, I could eat healthy for $2/day.

 

I think it is totally possible but not long term. In the long term, people do better physically and mentally with some variety and many people can’t eat high carb like that.  People do like their treats, and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

I don’t consider gardening/fishing/hunting/gleaning etc to be exactly free because in the time I spend saving that money, I may well be forgoing income. Also most of these activities come with some costs.

We pick “free” berries because it’s fun, because it’s a family tradition etc.  Because if it were just about money, the 6 hours we spent berrying comes at an opportunity cost of not billing people for accounting work and 6 hours of accounting would more than pay for buying those berries in bulk somewhere.  We don’t hunt and fishing is a recreational activitity here because there’s just not a lot to fish for that can be legally kept that is not a long drive from the city.  

ETA: To be perfectly clear I guess I would say we acquire food very similarly to the methods described in the Tightwad Gazette except for we are suburban apartment dwellers with little space for gardening (we do benefit from the gardens of others quite a bit though).  We are pretty creative and resourceful.  I still wouldn’t be able to hit $2/person/day month in and month out without compromising the amount of fruits and veggies my kids have access to.  I’m admittedly very intense about this.  My kids will not be eating the budgeting blog equivalent of sugar sandwiches to get enough calories into their bellies.  If they want apples, grapes, cherries, melon, pineapple etc they will get them.  I ration maple syrup and smoked salmon for budget reasons but I’m not going to ration fruit and veggies absent a medical need to do so.  

 

[lavender's green]

The more I look around Money Saving Mom and similar blogs, the more uncomfortable I feel with them. Just do what I do, and you too can have a fabulous paid-off house, fabulous hair and makeup, fabulous everything! No, she doesn't come out and say it that way, but it's really implied, especially in the pictures. It's easy to think of her as just another mom at the playground because of the blogging platform. But she's a businesswoman and she is selling a certain lifestyle. Not directly, but through ad revenue, book deals, speaking fees, etc. When someone's trying to sell you something, especially something so emotionally-laden and overarching as a whole lifestyle...it's smart to be wary.

Whatever's going on behind the scenes, I hope her kids come out of it healthy.

[LucyStoner]

Tallying up the cost of our breakfast today, it was about $9 to feed 7 people sausage eggs (basically just scrambled eggs with a small amount of ground sausage and cheddar cheese +spinach for anyone who will eat their scrambled eggs with spinach), (very cheap) strawberries and 4 of the 7 also ate a very inexpensive English muffin (bread outlet, cheaper than homemade).  And lunch for me and my husband is leftover chickpea wraps.  2 of the 4 kids will get lunch at school, one is home from school and one is homeschooled.  So those two kids will eat crackers, apples, carrots and yogurt for lunch.  

Our dinner tonight is “free” because a friend made a 3 night a week meal train for us because our life is a shitstorm right now.  

Even with a totally free to us dinner (I suppose one could say it’s social capital?  We have been good friends to many and made a lot of meal train meals for people over the years), we are spending more than $14 for the seven of us.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

Poverty is not healthy.  There is a lot of sickness, untreated chronic conditions (like hbp and diabetes) that can cause higher mortality and loss of quality of life as they are left untreated or are inadequately treated, and even obesity tied to being poor.  People who are poor don't want to eat like they are poor if they can help it.  That is why communities put a lot of money towards helping the food insecure.  To make that a goal is unhealthy on a whole lot of levels.                   

[LucyStoner]

2 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Poverty is not healthy.  There is a lot of sickness, untreated chronic conditions (like hbp and diabetes) that can cause higher mortality and loss of quality of life as they are left untreated or are inadequately treated, and even obesity tied to being poor.  People who are poor don't want to eat like they are poor if they can help it.  That is why communities put a lot of money towards helping the food insecure.  To make that a goal is unhealthy on a whole lot of levels.                   

 

I always say poverty is something I survived, am happy to have escaped and know on a visceral level I am not immune to returning to it.  

It doesn’t make the tiniest bit of sense to me to voluntarily recreate one facet of it.  

I definitely have health issues and risk factors that were compounded by my pretty consistent poverty level food access as a child.  There are other things in play, such as a very high ACE score so I won’t chalk it all up to food but I don’t doubt one of the primary differences between my childhood and my sons’ childhood is plentiful, quality food.  

[TravelingChris]

I live in  Medium place for food costs

There are usually just 2 of us. 

Our food costs vary but just today, I went shopping and spent 150.  That won't be the only shopping I will do this week but it includes breakfasts for more than a week, several lunches, three dinners and various other needed food stuff plus garbage bags.  Could we limit it to 70 a week?  Yes but I like good food and healthy food so we don't since we do not have to.  Could I have done it for five people like when my kids were all living at home, maybe but it would be boring and not all that nutritious.

[foxbridgeacademy]

On 6/2/2018 at 6:34 PM, BarbecueMom said:

I was just re-writing my pantry and fridge/freezer staples list and discovered how much the increased budget grocery creep has set in over the years, probably because I also don't pinch pennies out of necessity anymore.  I put "gluten free french fried onions" on the list and then realized that's nowhere near a necessity.  Certainly nice to have on hand since they are cheap at Aldi, and I keep baking potatoes and salad greens on hand for quick meals, but they shouldn't be categorized as "keep fully stocked at all costs".  One can eat a baked potato or salad without canned fried onions.  They are tasty, though.

OMG, you are so right about the Aldi gluten free onions. I so-so like other brands but those things are amazing. I eat them on chicken curry, salads, and I even had a greek pasta salad I tossed some on the other day.  We usually have at least 1 back up can just in case Aldi is out.

[mommyoffive]

Dh shopped today.  

Aldi and Walmart. He spent almost $190.  A few things other than food today.  Toilet paper, towels (even though we don't need these at all), dishwasher tabs...

I may have to stop and get a few more things of produce.  

 

I just placed a $100 order on Amazon with GCs I had.  Bought expensive nuts in snack sizes for the kids to grab as they are going to things all summer.  

[Junie]

I just checked dh's spreadsheet.  We spend about $333/week on food in a HCOL area, including (infrequently) eating out.  It also includes my pricey gluten free food and my sushi obsession.

This is for 8 people.  This comes in at $6/person/day -- for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack.

[Tsuga]

Our grocery budget this week for 6 people:

$120 for two Blue Apron dinners which will feed 6 people each (we usually just add extra pasta/bread/whatever if needed, there is more than enough meat)

$100 on restocking snacks from Trader Joes (including, but not limited to, trail mix, dried fruits, samosas, mac-n-cheese balls, fruits like apples and cherries, and garlic fries)

$80 worth of pantry/ standby items including cereal, bagels, pasta, ravioli, whole wheat flour and white flour, individually packed applesauces I know we're practically Rockafellers out here.

$20 of eggs, milk, half and half, whipping cream from the local delivery place.

Drugs: Coffee ($10 / lb), wine 3 bottles $25 with tax ?

Then we went out for ice cream after the band concert even though we have food here. So about $320 for six people, per my initial estimate, but school lunches and eating out (particularly not teens eating out) are not included in that, nor are drugs like coffee and wine.

The awful part is that tonight for dinner we had poutine and that was it. I realize it's snack food but we had two sports practices, a music lesson and a concert. So yeah. It's not like spending more money gets you more health. To me, health requires time. But last night it was all about the lean chicken and broccoli, I promise.

[Carrie12345]

21 hours ago, LuvToRead said:

.  I could buy my family 2 pairs of dollar flip flops for the year and write a blog article on it.  "How I only spend $8 on shoes my entire family this year!"    I don't (and I think many would agree) believe this is being a good steward of our money, especially if I had a hefty savings account.   

 

I think that's an excellent comparison, as someone who loves Old Navy $1 flip flops, but finds she can't really get away with wearing them EVERYWHERE, nor would 2 pair get me through an entire year of trying to wear them everywhere.  And, considering I live in a long winter climate and spend a good deal of time on uneven ground, it would absolutely be a health hazard. 

[Carrie12345]

On 6/4/2018 at 2:09 AM, LucyStoner said:

 

I am an accountant.  I know the degree to which people underestimate variable expenses.  

 

I was thinking I'm pretty accurate b/c dh uses our joint debit card when he picks things up for me.   BUT, I forgot that he often grabs a Wawa lunch and enough energy drinks to kill him not too long from now, which comes out of his personal account. Granted, I buy enough food that he doesn't *need to do that, so my brain tends to think of it as his personal fun expense instead of a food expense, but it is food.  Well, parts of it are food.  Please ignore the dumb emoji I can't seem to erase. ?

[HomeAgain]

12 hours ago, foxbridgeacademy said:

OMG, you are so right about the Aldi gluten free onions. I so-so like other brands but those things are amazing. I eat them on chicken curry, salads, and I even had a greek pasta salad I tossed some on the other day.  We usually have at least 1 back up can just in case Aldi is out.

 

We make something similar at home: sliced shallot dusted with rice flour, salt, and pepper, then lightly pan fried with Tbsp olive oil until crisp and golden.  They have become our new go-to over canned ones.

[SamanthaCarter]

Grocery budget related question: when you stock up on something you find on a good sale, do you find that you use it more freely than you would had you bought it as you needed it? I find this the cases particularly with yummy stuff. For instance, if I by a dozen 6 packs of individual applesauce and put them in the basement, kiddos eat them freely, and then they are gone. Same with something like popsicles or crackers. For me, the cook, its the same with things like chicken nuggets. If I can choose between making chicken nuggets or sandwiches or Mac and cheese for my kids for lunch, I’m probably going to reach for the bag of nuggets.

My examples are snacks and convenience foods, but I find it’s the same with other things like baking nuts or dairy, etc. 

How do you deal with this, so that you actually realize significant savings from bulk purchases? 

[Scarlett]

Just now, SamanthaCarter said:

Grocery budget related question: when you stock up on something you find on a good sale, do you find that you use it more freely than you would had you bought it as you needed it? I find this the cases particularly with yummy stuff. For instance, if I by a dozen 6 packs of individual applesauce and put them in the basement, kiddos eat them freely, and then they are gone. Same with something like popsicles or crackers. For me, the cook, its the same with things like chicken nuggets. If I can choose between making chicken nuggets or sandwiches or Mac and cheese for my kids for lunch, I’m probably going to reach for the bag of nuggets.

My examples are snacks and convenience foods, but I find it’s the same with other things like baking nuts or dairy, etc. 

How do you deal with this, so that you actually realize significant savings from bulk purchases? 

I do see that happening.  I guess it is why people limit their kids on that stuff. 

[ktgrok]

This thread reminds me of something funny from my childhood (money was tight....my father admits now he often woke up in the morning not knowing how he'd feed us dinner that night...thankfully he's a born optimist, and a hard worker, and was a fisherman so if all else failed we ate a LOT of fish). 

Anyway, one time I was complaining, again, that he bought the wrong kind of peanut butter. That we preferred the crunchy instead of the creamy (or vice versa, can't remember now). And he smiled and said, "I know...that way it lasts longer."

God love him, lol. 

(and we liked both, and were NEVER ever hungry, so this wasn't a cruel thing, just a funny thing, looking back.)

[HomeAgain]

2 minutes ago, SamanthaCarter said:

Grocery budget related question: when you stock up on something you find on a good sale, do you find that you use it more freely than you would had you bought it as you needed it? I find this the cases particularly with yummy stuff. For instance, if I by a dozen 6 packs of individual applesauce and put them in the basement, kiddos eat them freely, and then they are gone. Same with something like popsicles or crackers. For me, the cook, its the same with things like chicken nuggets. If I can choose between making chicken nuggets or sandwiches or Mac and cheese for my kids for lunch, I’m probably going to reach for the bag of nuggets.

My examples are snacks and convenience foods, but I find it’s the same with other things like baking nuts or dairy, etc. 

How do you deal with this, so that you actually realize significant savings from bulk purchases? 

We have an out-of-sight/out-of-mind policy here.  After the holidays dh and I stocked up on the baking chocolate and chocolate chips that were still on sale/clearance.  3 of the items went to refill the glass jars in the pantry.  The rest of the bags/boxes went above the fridge in the little cabinet.  I don't go up there all the time.  I go to the pantry first, grab the jar I need, and then use that.  My brain registers that there's only a quart's worth in the house at any given time, no matter that it's not true.

I don't tend to stock up on perishables. Only shelf stable items.

[Scarlett]

3 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

We have an out-of-sight/out-of-mind policy here.  After the holidays dh and I stocked up on the baking chocolate and chocolate chips that were still on sale/clearance.  3 of the items went to refill the glass jars in the pantry.  The rest of the bags/boxes went above the fridge in the little cabinet.  I don't go up there all the time.  I go to the pantry first, grab the jar I need, and then use that.  My brain registers that there's only a quart's worth in the house at any given time, no matter that it's not true.

I don't tend to stock up on perishables. Only shelf stable items.

Yep.  Out of sight.  We don't buy chips as a rule....except for pool parties.  This past weekend we had 3 bags left over.....I noticed yesterday that dss was eating them....which he does not need AT ALL....before I left for work this morning I put them in a bag in the coat closet.  Feels weird, but hey I will have chips for a pool party come the weekend.  ?  And dss can stick to his diet.  win/win.