What is your grocery budget?

[skimomma]

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. 

 

 

To get my budget down to that number, we would not be able to use the CSA or other shares we have.  They all cost a great deal more than what I could get in the bargain bins of our grocery stores.  We would seriously have to eat rice, dry beans, pasta, and cabbage for at least half of our meals to make that number work.  We would have to rely heavily on home-canned applesauce that I make from free roadside apples.  That kind of thing.  Even the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pears, and plums I pick at U-pick places for cheap and freeze/can would break this budget without even accounting for labor.  I do garden for cheap so we would get some variety in the summer and I might be able to put up the extras but by November, we would be eating cabbage and applesauce every day.

[historically accurate]

I thought of this thread while I was cruising the grocery stores today. I really watched what I bought, and I had a menu plan using up ingredients in the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator already. I still came in at $106. That did include cat food of $25, feminine products of $9, and shaving cream of $5. However, I am relying heavily on items previously purchased. I purchase meat from Zaycon every so often, and we have 12 pounds of ground turkey and 30 pounds of chicken breasts in the freezer, and for some reason, we have lots of stuff left over from last week, so I'm using that up. I don't know if I could ever get it down to $70 for more than occasionally (even if I only included food) and we don't eat all that healthy here. 

[foxbridgeacademy]

I think I live in a high COL but comparatively to the rest of the US it's actually average. I feed 2 adults and 2 who eat more than adults, a.k.a. teens.  My budget is 800-900 but I probably spend closer to $1000.  We like to eat well.  It includes everything but since I don't really keep track any more* I could be way under guessing how much I really spend.

 

*We have finally hit the big time, which is when I don't have to count every penny and the bills all get paid.... also known as my happy place/nirvana. 

[mommyoffive]

19 minutes ago, foxbridgeacademy said:

I think I live in a high COL but comparatively to the rest of the US it's actually average. I feed 2 adults and 2 who eat more than adults, a.k.a. teens.  My budget is 800-900 but I probably spend closer to $1000.  We like to eat well.  It includes everything but since I don't really keep track any more* I could be way under guessing how much I really spend.

 

*We have finally hit the big time, which is when I don't have to count every penny and the bills all get paid.... also known as my happy place/nirvana. 

 

We are there too.  I think that makes me get to spendy though, I just buy whatever I want at the store instead of being mindful. 

[amyx4]

On 5/30/2018 at 7:13 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

I am having a hard time with Crystal's posts.  She began blogging about how their entire budget was $1000 when her husband went to Washburn Law school. Washburn is in Topeka, which is a low COL town, especially in the sketchy parts. The house that they paid cash for was in Wichita (also low COL).   She also blogged at Biblical Womanhood, which she has since taken down. She drew a lot of criticism with some of her posts, and even admits as much here: http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/10/less-judgment-more-acceptance.html  She also has an eating disordered past, which she has blogged about, and alludes to here (under "giving myself permission to gain a little weight"): http://moneysavingmom.com/2016/07/weve-got-re-define-term-self-care.html

Right now, she's not even following the healthy eating guidelines that she recommends: http://moneysavingmom.com/2016/09/make-healthy-eating-priority-even-already-feel-overwhelmed-life.html

Given the number of people in her family and the ages of her kids, she's not posting meals with enough calories to adequately feed her family.  

I'm with Tibbie, there's nothing glorious about purposefully starving her family in the name of creating a clickbait post with a great tag for instagram or pinterest.  I really hope that she's just making up stuff.

 

 

I read that blog ages ago and because of this thread, I have recently started reading the blog again.  Please correct me if I'm wrong, but years ago I *think* the husband's law school was paid for out of an inheritance. (I don't remember how his undergrad got paid.)  I think they challenged themselves to not go into debt during law school. The idea was to live off the inheritance. I also now wonder if the house down payment came from that inheritance? Also, while living off that inheritance they started having kids.

All I keep thinking is that it's a very different kind of "poor" to challenge yourself to live off a pile of money. I'm guessing it must also be a different kind of "poor" to start working as a lawyer with no student loans.  I'm impressed they stretched the money during school but that early start that someone else gave them is a huge push forward in life.

[BarbecueMom]

56 minutes ago, foxbridgeacademy said:

I think I live in a high COL but comparatively to the rest of the US it's actually average. I feed 2 adults and 2 who eat more than adults, a.k.a. teens.  My budget is 800-900 but I probably spend closer to $1000.  We like to eat well.  It includes everything but since I don't really keep track any more* I could be way under guessing how much I really spend.

 

*We have finally hit the big time, which is when I don't have to count every penny and the bills all get paid.... also known as my happy place/nirvana. 

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.

[mommyoffive]

22 minutes ago, amyx4 said:

I read that blog ages ago and because of this thread, I have recently started reading the blog again.  Please correct me if I'm wrong, but years ago I *think* the husband's law school was paid for out of an inheritance. (I don't remember how his undergrad got paid.)  I think they challenged themselves to not go into debt during law school. The idea was to live off the inheritance. I also now wonder if the house down payment came from that inheritance? Also, while living off that inheritance they started having kids.

All I keep thinking is that it's a very different kind of "poor" to challenge yourself to live off a pile of money. I'm guessing it must also be a different kind of "poor" to start working as a lawyer with no student loans.  I'm impressed they stretched the money during school but that early start that someone else gave them is a huge push forward in life.

 

Anyone know this for sure?  I have read her blog for years, but I don't know this part of it. 

I know that they have rental homes.  Paid for this house for cash in full.  It looks like a really nice home, not a buy a home in full for 25k.  The husband was in a law firm and quit his job to work for MoneySavingMom.  

[ktgrok]

 I just left the grocery store and spent $240. There are six of us including one teenager and one one-year-old. I did not buy diapers but I did buy wipes. Got cat food and cat litter but not dog food. And I went to the more expensive grocery store, because I’m tired and the customer service is so much nicer. And they give the baby a balloon and a cookie. We will probably need another half gallon of milk, and some snacks before the end of the week. So maybe another 20 bucks. Had I gone to Walmart this would probably have been more like 200 instead of 240 I bet. I did splurge on to nice back to salads and some chicken tenders from the deli.

[prairiewindmomma]

This is posted on the Dave Ramsay website regarding their back history: https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/the-paine-family-living-debt-free-is-not-a-pain

Look, I don't have any problem with someone inheriting money or getting a leg up on life. It happens for some.  I don't want to contribute to ragging on her personally. My criticism is aimed squarely on the fact that I am not convinced that her numbers add up or that she adequately feeds her family. It's one thing as an adult to scrimp and save by choice (by avoiding loans), and quite another to force your kids to experience the consequences of your choices. It's posts like this http://moneysavingmom.com/2014/10/ready-48-hour-giveaway-3-month-meal-fit-silver-package-5-winners.html that make me cringe where she talks about how she didn't raise her grocery budget because she was stubborn and felt like she was a fraud if she raised her budget because she felt like she "owed it" to her readers to keep her food budget "insanely low" to the point of where she was "making life difficult for (her) husband and kids".  Look, inflation happens, kids grow, needs change....and post like these http://moneysavingmom.com/tag/blogging-income-report tell me that she is doing well financially (to the point of where if she wants to do that as a personal choice, great, but feed the kids well, iykwim).

 

 

[amyx4]

My post wasn't intended to attack the blog writer personally. I do agree that the food budget just seems a bit "off"  IMHO the "off" grocery budget is just a smaller part of the financial piece of that blog that is also a bit "off" 

The Dave Ramsey link says,   "So with a few thousand dollars from an inheritance and money saved up from part-time jobs, they trusted God to provide while Jesse attended law school for three years."  That law school is currently at $21k at year. In my world, $63k for three years of school is not "a few thousand dollars".  (I know that he went to law school about 10 year ago, so the price would be slightly different)

For me, I think all blogs are bit of smoke and mirrors.

[Jean in Newcastle]

So, according to the later blog post, the budget is actually $130 a week?  Does the OP know this?  So she doesn’t try to emulate what the blogger even admitted wasn’t working?  $130 is still too low for where I live but at least it isn’t as dangerously low (in my opinion). 

[prairiewindmomma]

Her budget was $130/wk four years ago. Four years ago, I was spending $250 less a month for food because my children were younger. I think it reasonable to project that even a modest creep from inflation and children growing bigger would put her at $150/wk realistically.

[LuvToRead]

15 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

So, according to the later blog post, the budget is actually $130 a week?  Does the OP know this?  So she doesn’t try to emulate what the blogger even admitted wasn’t working?  $130 is still too low for where I live but at least it isn’t as dangerously low (in my opinion). 

I checked her blog and it seems these $70 are recent.  She posted one today. http://moneysavingmom.com.  I am a bit confused.

Eta:  The date where she doubled her grocery budget was 2014 and 3 years later she cut it in half.  Yet she says she makes more than a full time income with the blog.

Edited June 3, 2018 by LuvToRead

[Jean in Newcastle]

6 minutes ago, LuvToRead said:

I checked her blog and it seems these $70 are recent.  She posted one today. http://moneysavingmom.com.  I am a bit confused.

Eta:  The date where she doubled her grocery budget was 2014 and 3 years later she cut it in half.  Yet she says she makes more than a full time income with the blog.

Sounds like she gave into her compulsion to have the lowest budget no matter what.   This doesn’t sound emotionally healthy in addition to my feeling that it isn’t really nutritionally healthy. 

(My opinion on the inheritance etc is that it is irrelevant unless she’s somehow dipping into it to stock her freezer and pantry. ?. )

[LuvToRead]

7 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Sounds like she gave into her compulsion to have the lowest budget no matter what.   This doesn’t sound emotionally healthy in addition to my feeling that it isn’t really nutritionally healthy. 

(My opinion on the inheritance etc is that it is irrelevant unless she’s somehow dipping into it to stock her freezer and pantry. ?. )

I agree with you. Why spend so little if you don't have to?  

[threebyme]

I've read her blog off and on for years, I know in the last couple years they moved to a new state.  I can't remember which states though, in the south I think?  Maybe where they live now, food is cheaper?  Hence the ability for a lower food budget?  Regardless, her current budget is too low for us as we live in a high col area.  2 adults and 2 teens, 1200 a month, and that includes household items and pet food.  Sometimes higher and sometimes lower, it's more than our mortgage ?.

[Carrie12345]

9 hours ago, amyx4 said:

My post wasn't intended to attack the blog writer personally. I do agree that the food budget just seems a bit "off"  IMHO the "off" grocery budget is just a smaller part of the financial piece of that blog that is also a bit "off" 

The Dave Ramsey link says,   "So with a few thousand dollars from an inheritance and money saved up from part-time jobs, they trusted God to provide while Jesse attended law school for three years."  That law school is currently at $21k at year. In my world, $63k for three years of school is not "a few thousand dollars".  (I know that he went to law school about 10 year ago, so the price would be slightly different)

For me, I think all blogs are bit of smoke and mirrors.

Well, DR isn't exactly someone who operates (or at least teaches) from a very healthy perspective, either.  And I actually DO consider myself a fan of his... just not to the full obsessive extent of his ideas.  It doesn't surprise me that he would downplay a sum of money that comes in in order to highlight the sacrifices going out because he does it all. the. time. There's a righteousness associated with painful sacrifice that I'm just never going to understand.

Funny enough, I did blog about couponing for a little while, ages ago.  Not a pretty, professional, monetized blog, just a journal-y type one.  But I do remember there being times that I wanted to buy things that would throw my savings percentage out the window and refrained so I could keep the percentage high.  Then there were a few times that I went ahead and did it because we're humans who need to and like to eat.  I drove myself nuts either way.

For the record, my store receipt said I saved almost $6,000 in 2017, and I threw away my coupon binder at least 8 years ago.

[ktgrok]

And...just saw the receipt for the liquor store. Ugh, there went my satisfaction with the current grocery budget. Although I'm thinking maybe expensive local bourbon needs to go in the "fun money" category. I'll keep the everyday Jameson's that he normally drinks in with groceries, but $40 for a small bottle of micro distilled bourbon - yikes. 

[mommyoffive]

23 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

So, according to the later blog post, the budget is actually $130 a week?  Does the OP know this?  So she doesn’t try to emulate what the blogger even admitted wasn’t working?  $130 is still too low for where I live but at least it isn’t as dangerously low (in my opinion). 

 

The blog post is from a few years ago, when they decided to up their grocery budget.  She has now gone back down to wanting a $70 grocery budget a week. 

[LarlaB]

13 hours ago, amyx4 said:

My post wasn't intended to attack the blog writer personally. I do agree that the food budget just seems a bit "off"  IMHO the "off" grocery budget is just a smaller part of the financial piece of that blog that is also a bit "off" 

The Dave Ramsey link says,   "So with a few thousand dollars from an inheritance and money saved up from part-time jobs, they trusted God to provide while Jesse attended law school for three years."  That law school is currently at $21k at year. In my world, $63k for three years of school is not "a few thousand dollars".  (I know that he went to law school about 10 year ago, so the price would be slightly different)

For me, I think all blogs are bit of smoke and mirrors.

 

I agree.  The blogs become about the blogs after a certain point....and it IMHO delegitimizes the content to an extent.

[unsinkable]

She might be lying about what her family actually eats. Or she might be lying about what she actually spends.

Just like any one else can lie on the internet, including message boards.

?

[LucyStoner]

There is a picture of a homemade pizza on her blog that she says will be their dinner for the night.  Five people?  My 14-year-old son would eat 1/2-3/4s of that entire pizza, a couple of apples, carrots and a bowl of popcorn and probably some dessert on any given Friday night (which is pizza and movie night here).  1/5th of that tiny pizza wouldn't even feed my 9-year-old son, much less my husband.  

I think she is not being completely honest.  If she is being completely honest, I think that she has an unhealthy obsession.  

[Annie G]

41 minutes ago, LucyStoner said:

There is a picture of a homemade pizza on her blog that she says will be their dinner for the night.  Five people?  My 14-year-old son would eat 1/2-3/4s of that entire pizza, a couple of apples, carrots and a bowl of popcorn and probably some dessert on any given Friday night (which is pizza and movie night here).  1/5th of that tiny pizza wouldn't even feed my 9-year-old son, much less my husband.  

I think she is not being completely honest.  If she is being completely honest, I think that she has an unhealthy obsession.  

I felt like that pizza was mostly crust. That wouldn’t work for us. 

[Wheres Toto]

Sounds like she's trying to stay extreme because the blog is the source of income for her entire family (her husband works for her someone said above) and if she isn't doing something that is extreme and special, why would anyone read the blog?  Although I agree that it's pretty easy to lie on the internet so maybe they are eating healthier.

Our budget runs $250-$350 a week depending on what's on sale and what items are needed.  That includes all toiletries and household paper products, but not pet foods.  It may include a bottle of wine or bourbon here and there.  We eat quite a bit of meat, usually chicken and pork but steak if it's on sale, fresh fruits and veggies, snacks.  We don't really scrimp on food.  We buy seafood and fish a lot, especially special occasions.  We eat out very rarely, unless it's the kids and I grabbing a drive-through lunch.

I have one kid that is extremely picky, with SPD.  He likes things that are bland, easy/not messy to eat, and of a given texture.  Lots of forms of pizza (pizza bites, bagel bites, frozen pizzas), taquitos, other prepared foods.  We make him eat peanut butter for the protein since he's not a fan of meat.  Dh makes pasta sauce loaded up with veggies and we make him eat that at least twice a week.  Bananas since they are the only fruit he'll eat.  Anyway, my point is my budget didn't go down since I have a picky eater.  It's probably more than it would be if he just ate what the rest of us did.  He's also 12 years old, 5'6" tall already and is at the stage of eating huge amounts of food.  

ETA:  I"m in a HCOL area but we have a lot of grocery options here, including small ethnic markets.  I don't think our grocery prices are that high compared to the rest of the country.  We shop at a local chain grocery store, BJ's, and occasionally Walmart.

[HomeAgain]

59 minutes ago, LucyStoner said:

There is a picture of a homemade pizza on her blog that she says will be their dinner for the night.  Five people?  My 14-year-old son would eat 1/2-3/4s of that entire pizza, a couple of apples, carrots and a bowl of popcorn and probably some dessert on any given Friday night (which is pizza and movie night here).  1/5th of that tiny pizza wouldn't even feed my 9-year-old son, much less my husband.  

I think she is not being completely honest.  If she is being completely honest, I think that she has an unhealthy obsession.  

LOL
I think I have your kids over here! ?  I just made lasagna to fill the bellies here.  It's about 3lbs, feels like, between everything.  And I made a mini one for dh's lunch since I had enough dough to make the noodles for it.  The big one, along with a salad, bread, and dessert, will disappear tonight - mostly by the teen.  A small pizza would not cut it here!

[LucyStoner]

10 minutes ago, myblessings4 said:

I can't find the pizza post.  Maybe I'm looking on the wrong blog.  moneysavingmom?

 

Scroll down from here.  

http://moneysavingmom.com/tag/my-70-grocery-budget  

[Lang Syne Boardie]

SOAPBOX ALERT

There's so many ways to look at spending...right this minute, I'm spending more on food than absolutely necessary, because I live in a city food desert with a grocery monopoly. I'm driving farther and spending more, and working toward supporting the relief center in my community, because fighting corporate fascism takes time AND money. 

The Walmart-i-zation of America has taught us that "cheap" and "convenient" are more important than anything - more important than what happens to a local economy, or whether a system designed for a double-income, middle class family will really work for the elderly and poor. Cheap and convenient are more important than how we treat the environment, and how we treat the animals whose products we eat, AND the people in other countries who sew our clothes. This is all bad enough. Cheap and convenient should definitely not be more important than filling our children's bellies with ample and nutritious food!

I would like to see a return (or a first foray) to real values. Frugality and thrift that exist to provide for our families and leave us with something to share. Knowing where things come from, and the truth about the cycle of goods and services, so we can make choices. Avoiding waste. Working in community to reduce consumerism. There's this place where thrift, environmentalism, and social justice converge. Even if we can't fulfill all of our ideals, due to lack of funds and the mental energy for the daily grind, shouldn't we start to HAVE some ideals...?

 

[LucyStoner]

1 minute ago, HomeAgain said:

LOL
I think I have your kids over here! ?  I just made lasagna to fill the bellies here.  It's about 3lbs, feels like, between everything.  And I made a mini one for dh's lunch since I had enough dough to make the noodles for it.  The big one, along with a salad, bread, and dessert, will disappear tonight - mostly by the teen.  A small pizza would not cut it here!

 

Exactly.  And where he's putting it, I have no idea.  He wears 28x34 pants that are getting too short, not too tight.  30s are comically large on him.  

[BarbecueMom]

Interestingly enough, my grocery bill this weekend was just about $70.  $67.72 before tax to be exact.

This is what it went toward in a moderate-low COL area (local chain once Friday morning and once today, plus a trip to Aldi today):

• 6-count cinnamon rolls (2.99 - day old markdown)
• 1 bag of ice (1.79 - stupid ice maker can't keep up anymore)
• 2 bags of mini marshmallows (2.50)
• 2 bottles of Taco Bell Mild Sauce  (3.00)
• 1 loaf of bread (1.69 after coupon)
• 1 jar of "natural" (non-hydrogenated, whatever) peanut butter (1.99)
• I package of habanero sliced cheese (2.49)
• 2 half-gallons of whole milk (2.86)
• 3.77lb peaches (2lb bag at Aldi - 2.49, 1.77lb at the other store - 3.52)
• 2 cantaloupes (1 at Aldi - 1.49, 1 at the other store - 2.99)
• 3 3pks of bell peppers (2 at Aldi - 4.58, 1 at other store - 2.94)
• 1 bag of mini bell peppers (0.99)
• 1 bag of shredded carrots (2.39)
• 2 watermelon quarters (5.72 - way too expensive compared to a whole melon, but I'm the only one that eats it and I have been sick since Thursday so I splurged)
• 1 5lb bag plus 2.5lbs red potatoes (5.12 after coupon)
• 2.11 lb bag of red grapes (1.88)
• 1.66 lb bananas (0.71)
• 3 seedless cucumbers (3.87)
• 2 pints of grape tomatoes (3.78)
• 6 lbs of strawberries (5.94 - on sale at Aldi for $0.99/lb)

So that's nearly $70, but does not include any meat, eggs, condiments other than the mild sauce, grains, cereal, snack items, beverages like coffee and juice, or the produce we already had on hand (salad greens and some frozen veggies).  I had all those on hand, but if I hadn't, my total would have at least tripled, maybe more.  Only about $10-12 of it was frivolous and unnecessary - the cinnamon rolls, the marshmallows (for rice krispy treats), the habanero cheese, and the price differences on the peaches and melon because I didn't wait until I could get to Aldi.

That being said, although I might have to go make a $20-30 produce run, I won't need to go grocery shopping again until June 13.

 

ETA:  Oh, rice and beans.  And yogurt.  I had those on hand, too.

[Wheres Toto]

4 minutes ago, LucyStoner said:

 

Scroll down from here.  

http://moneysavingmom.com/tag/my-70-grocery-budget  

 

I'm surprised to see she buys bottled water.  She says they refill them so it's not because of a problem with the quality of their water.  That seems like an unnecessary expense.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

2 minutes ago, Where's Toto? said:

 

I'm surprised to see she buys bottled water.  She says they refill them so it's not because of a problem with the quality of their water.  That seems like an unnecessary expense.

 

I saw that, too. That could have been a lot more pizza to go around! Bottled water is expensive!

[HomeAgain]

11 minutes ago, LucyStoner said:

 

Exactly.  And where he's putting it, I have no idea.  He wears 28x34 pants that are getting too short, not too tight.  30s are comically large on him.  

Tangent - I feel your pain.  I was the woman looking for 28x34 uniform pants two years ago.  When my kid finally outgrew them and moved to a 30, I nearly cried tears of joy....and had 3 other moms ask me what I was doing with his too-smalls.

On topic, my grocery budget so far this week is under $5 - for bread and ice cream.  My bread never turns out well here and I gave up today.  The tub of ice cream was yesterday's treat for doing a fantastic 5 mile hike that ended in a rainstorm.  We're intentionally eating from the pantry this week because if we spend $200 on a certain day, we get over the usual number of points for gas.  It'll be about $1off/gallon when we do shop.  So we're saving up this week's grocery budget for that day, using coupons, stocking up on things we always use and are shelf stable, and getting the most for our $200.
It's not as frugal as $70/week, but it's not spending willy nilly, either.

[BarbecueMom]

10 minutes ago, Where's Toto? said:

 

I'm surprised to see she buys bottled water.  She says they refill them so it's not because of a problem with the quality of their water.  That seems like an unnecessary expense.

 

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...

[LucyStoner]

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.  

[Tsuga]

16 minutes 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...

That is weird.

I can't believe someone would buy bottled water to feel rich, then post on the Internet about their $70/week food budget and PB&J on a hot dog buns though.

It must be some other reason. Maybe the kids need water bottles for school and they lose the expensive ones.

 

[BarbecueMom]

3 minutes ago, Tsuga said:

That is weird.

I can't believe someone would buy bottled water to feel rich, then post on the Internet about their $70/week food budget and PB&J on a hot dog buns though.

It must be some other reason. Maybe the kids need water bottles for school and they lose the expensive ones.

 

No, *my* mom does that.  Not the blogger mom.  My mom barely knows how to find a blog let alone write one.

[Tsuga]

Just now, BarbecueMom said:

No, *my* mom does that.  Not the blogger mom.  My mom barely knows how to find a blog let alone write one.

Ah, I'm on a phone so my reading comprehension is impeded. Does your mom buy Evian? I knew a woman who did that. She also had a really old Mercedes that hardly ran.

[BarbecueMom]

4 minutes ago, Tsuga said:

Ah, I'm on a phone so my reading comprehension is impeded. Does your mom buy Evian? I knew a woman who did that. She also had a really old Mercedes that hardly ran.

Oh no, Costco’s Kirkland brand.  If you can shop at Costco, you’ve made it, you know?  ?

[prairiewindmomma]

Just now, BarbecueMom said:

Oh no, Costco’s Kirkland brand.  If you can shop at Costco, you’ve made it, you know?  ?

This is true in the small town I grew up in. ?.

 

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.

[Tsuga]

14 minutes ago, BarbecueMom said:

Oh no, Costco’s Kirkland brand.  If you can shop at Costco, you’ve made it, you know?  ?

But isn't Costco discount? Of course, the membership fee is a good $50, but I know for a fact that most of their profit is membership fees. They hardly clear anything over operations on grocery and retail. That stuff is very well priced for what you get!

[BarbecueMom]

3 minutes ago, Tsuga said:

But isn't Costco discount? Of course, the membership fee is a good $50, but I know for a fact that most of their profit is membership fees. They hardly clear anything over operations on grocery and retail. That stuff is very well priced for what you get!

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.

[LucyStoner]

27 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

And that pizza, it’s only smidge smaller than what I make every Friday than m family of 5. Now DS5 only just started eating pizza and I just commented to DH the other day that I was probably going to have to start doubling the dough recipe.  But right now, if I pair pizza with some other side, like she has apples, for us it might be bananas or a salad of cukes and tomatoes, it likely would feed us all. Especially if the kids have milk to drink. 

Now, as was pointed out to someone else earlier, my kids are young, not teens.  It’s true. But, in her pics, Silas doesn’t appear to be a teen either.  And, you can’t know what you don’t know.  If she doesn’t have teen boys,  how could she blog about the eating habits of teen boys?  That would be really dishonest.  

1

 

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.  

[BarbecueMom]

30 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

I almost never buy bottled water. I say almost never, but I stocked up on that bottled water.  Why?   It’s SO much easier to toss some of those in the freezer in the morning, then take them out and throw them in a bag to take to ball games.  And that water she bought, it was $2 for each package.  I got 4, specifically for ball games.  Most of the year we are tap water or milk only, but for ball games, I will bend for conveniences.  Especially if the cost of the whole case is less than 2 drinks at the concession stand.  

 

And that pizza, it’s only smidge smaller than what I make every Friday than m family of 5. Now DS5 only just started eating pizza and I just commented to DH the other day that I was probably going to have to start doubling the dough recipe.  But right now, if I pair pizza with some other side, like she has apples, for us it might be bananas or a salad of cukes and tomatoes, it likely would feed us all. Especially if the kids have milk to drink. 

Now, as was pointed out to someone else earlier, my kids are young, not teens.  It’s true. But, in her pics, Silas doesn’t appear to be a teen either.  And, you can’t know what you don’t know.  If she doesn’t have teen boys,  how could she blog about the eating habits of teen boys?  That would be really dishonest.  

My three kids split a Costco frozen pizza (the ones in the 4-pack, not the take n bake) Saturday for lunch.  DS8 and DS4 had played soccer games that morning, and DS4 also had a T-ball game immediately before lunch.  DS9 had been at baseball camp and had games all week, and had a double header Saturday night.

Honestly, I think on days/weeks like that they get too hot to eat much.  They had fruit and cucumbers with the pizza and some of those yogurt squeezies before and/or after games, and drank a lot of water.  But the heat and humidity tends to suppress their appetites.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don’t see any complete dinners there in that list. 

[LucyStoner]

15 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

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

I would cut that pizza into 12 slices.  Each of us would get 2.  DD7 would eat a third piece, as would DH.  DD 7 would also eat a banana, and DD9 might grab some berries, or might not.  DS5 might snack on my crusts, but he is just a picky kid and refuses a lot.  We are in the process of food chaining pizza and I suspect once he is happier with it, he will eat like 3 or 4 pieces lol. For me, 2 pieces is totally enough.  DH would likely pull some snack out of the pantry. 

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

 

No one is saying anyone is lying about their kids. 

That pizza looks like it's about 14 inches based on the burner the pan is resting on.  12 slices would be tiny.  

I do think that bloggers like this tend to exaggerate and yes, fabricate some posts to make them more marketable.  I know what $2/day/person looks like and it doesn't include 5+ servings of fruits and veggies a day.  People underestimate their variable costs.  They just do.  And her posted menu plans aren't healthy.  There's ONE green veggie the entire week and it's peas.  Sorry, not buying it as a legit, healthy, long-term arrangement.  

[BarbecueMom]

6 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I don’t see any complete dinners there in that list. 

Are you talking about my list?  Because that was the point.  $70 didn’t buy dinner ingredients, and if I didn’t already have that stuff on hand, $70 wouldn’t have covered it and still bought enough healthy, in-season and on-sale produce for this family of five relatively light eaters.

But for interest’s sake, that’s what $70 will buy here, as far as prices go.

[Jean in Newcastle]

There is a reason why I totaled up an entire month’s worth of receipts and divided to get a weekly figure - because like many of you, I stock up on different things on different weeks.  Even a month doesn’t show the whole picture because I only shop Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s quarterly  

 

[LucyStoner]

13 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

I think pretty much everything online is not exactly as it seems.  

But that doesn’t mean they are all lying either.  I honestly feel like she is blogging what’s going on and of course editing for max viewership.  

 

Why is it a problem for people to disbelieve the unbelievable?  I hope for her kids' sakes she's lying rather than rationing food to the point that she can feed people on $2/person/day.  

[LucyStoner]

28 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.   

 

Why is it unbelievable?  Because the shopping list doesn't show enough fruit for all the times it's listed on the menu.  We make fruit available on an unlimited basis and that's the $70 right there and then some, shopping all the sales.  I have a lot of experience shopping and cooking on a budget and I know what $2/person/day feels like.  It's not a long-term solution.  

Three of the four kids who live here are autistic, one of those children survived on nothing but fruit, dairy, carrots, olives, bread in its various forms and some meat until he was 12.  He wouldn't even eat pizza or fried chicken or any of the standard kid's meals like mac and cheese.  Feeding him that way for a decade cost us more than $2/day.   

I still cook and serve plenty of veggies.  Because there people here who want them and need them (all three of the adults and then each kid has several veggies they will eat).  One of the main things about having picky eaters for me was for their issues to not limit our diet.  And because they need to see us eating a wide variety of foods to help them acclimate to eating more kinds of foods.  I opted not to make it a power struggle and now my 14-year-old, because different things are available and because he sees us eating them, has branched 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.  

[LarlaB]

What now?  A 1.5” slice of thin crust (14” pizza cut into 12 slices), cheese pizza would not be considered a serving in our home nor anyone else I know IRL.  That’s about 250-300 calories IF served with an Apple- not anywhere close to balanced or nutrient dense.

As a snack? Served with large loaded salad, fruit, milk?  Sure. Believable a 1.5” slice of pizza works for a 14 year old? Or 42 year old? As a filling, nutrient dense meal? Um no. 

I can see where she (blogger) is coming from but it doesn’t seem realistic to me. Way to vague for me which reads as unreliable.