I am trying to figure out why I spend SO much money at the grocery store...

We just moved into a new place with NO food, spices, any basics. So, I know it will take a bit of money to re-stock up. BUT, I haven't even been buying spices, or any of that... just kind of day to day food. fruit, veggies, bread, milk, juice (kids MUST have juice, or so they think), pb, jelly, cheese, eggs. We live right across the street from the store, so I walk over every morning and get whatever we will need for dinner and if we are out of milk or bread, I get those too. It costs about $30 per trip. YIKES!! $30/day!!

How much per week do you spend on groceries?? We are a family of six, spending like $160/wk

Well, $30/day/6people= $5/day/person. That doesn't really hit me as out of line. That's what- $1 for breakfast, $1 for lunch, $1 for snacks, and $2 for dinner, per person. Does that sound right to you?

I think you'd pretty consciously have to chisel away at a single meal, bit by bit to get it lower. Like, they like juice. You'd have to get rid of juice, maybe. That's really a judgment call. Like, dh buys OJ, in the refrigerated paper cartons- literally the most expensive form of OJ around. He doesn't buy it often. I won't- I'll buy giant bags of oranges in season, and squeeze it by hand- but only in season. I'm sure the kids could use more vit C than what I buy. And your kids like it, so do you want to deprive them?

Or, say, snacks. Do you do really healthy packaged snacks? What do you do? Like, I'll make stovetop popcorn, very mindful of the fact that it's 1 cent per giant bowl, 2- 5 cents with oil and salt, or oil and yeast. Now, ds2 likes microwave popcorn, and he's not going to get it until he's paying for it himself in college. It's 25 to fifty cents per serving. My kids envy the homeless guys eating from the Mobile Loaves and Fishes van b/c they get Doritoes. The neighbor's kids get cheese crackers- paradise. Too rich for my budget right now. I can't really assert that popcorn is the healthiest snack ever.

The summer gets cold cereal, but in winter- oatmeal, or barley- that's in penny range. Eggs add about a ten cent charge. Bacon- as if, occasionally.

It's pretty hard to gear up to this, and I'm not sure it makes an enormous happy face difference, though. I think our bill is about $500/month for four people. You are at that, right around that, anyway. It gets kind of crazy feeling, doesn't it, though? All that money, and not even brilliant food. I think that's why I was so happy figuring out the Thanksgiving-ish dinner. It's south of $10 for six servings:

99cents *2 ( generic stovetop stuffing)
1.00 a zucchini
50 cents can of broth
75 cents can of cranberries
1/3 of $7 frozen chicken breasts package
1/4 of $4 frozen chicken thighs


So, approximately $8. Oh, and steamed carrots- 66 cents per package, with additions- so, say $1. But, that's still within your range of $2 per person, nothing to get excited about.

I know Val is a genius when it comes to budgeting and grocery shopping and food stuff. Maybe she'll chime in.

hth,
ari

I don't think it sounds out of line. But...where do you shop?

We moved last November and we shop at larger grocery stores now instead of the hometown smaller grocery store and OMGoodness, our grocery bill has been slashed like crazy.

i don't nec. think that is out of line...

we budget $800/mo for a family of 5 and that includes eating out 2-3x a month...so about $650/mo at the grocery, give or take...

Yeah, my budget's like Tracey's. Every time I try to get it lower, DH nickels and dimes me $200 on trips for stuff he wants, so I just spend $600 on real food, and the rest is for eating out and crap.

We have lots of threads on this subject in the Simplifying and Thrift forum, too. :)

Doesn't sound off to me either. Grocery prices have really gone up a LOT in the last year or so.

Yeah, my budget's like Tracey's. Every time I try to get it lower, DH nickels and dimes me $200 on trips for stuff he wants, so I just spend $600 on real food, and the rest is for eating out and crap.

We have lots of threads on this subject in the Simplifying and Thrift forum, too. :)

exactly. every time charles tried to lower it on me we ended up spending more on crap. so...we upped it to a happy amount and thus we eat out less...and in the end spend less.

funny, that.

Thanks for kind of putting it into perspective... I went today and get Milk, two loaves of bread (All DH's kids will eat for lunch is grilled cheese or pbj), juice, and yougurt and spend $25. I guess I should just accept it.

There is a farm near by, we are going to go on the weekends, that has a pick it yourself thing going on... I hope its less expensive. Dh is a bit overwhelmed with our current spending, beacause I buy the best food I can for the least amount of money... he is happy buying $1.00 per package of frozen burritos:vent:

Well, thanks mamas for helping me know that my shopping is okay and to not give into DH's junk food.

When we lived in a smaller more rural area w only 1 small grocery store our budget was more. I could save money if I drove to the next town that had aldi, super walmart,and another grocery store. More competition meant lower prices.

Make burritos from scratch! Healthy and cheap.

You can either save money now buying processed crap or you can save money later on medications. Whichever one floats your boat! LOL

I personally think you are doing a great job! The only problem I have with daily shopping is it doesn't allow you stock up on discounted items (ie, Kroger had $99 peanut butter a couple weeks ago compared to the usual $2 price).

Maybe this weekend we will both take a trip to the store just to look around and see whats a good price and stock up on a few things.... (Friday is the first pay day since we moved)

I really want flour and all the stuff to bake bread... DH says he is afraid of wasting the money on it because I have never made bread before and it might turn out terrible. *shrug* I might just do it anyway. Bread at $4/loaf at the store - one loaf per 1.5 days is CRAZY! lol

$ 4 ???!!!!
That's crazy.

Here, a white bread loaf starts at 69 cents. Wheat bread is 89 cents. Whole Wheat is $1.50. That's the store brand. It's really good bread, too.

How much is a package of flour? A loaf is usually a pound, pound and a half. So, here, that's about $1, for a five pound package of flour.

You might want to get your hands on Bittman's How to Cook Everything. It covers the simplest breads, and muffins. And, yes, everything. I sort of live on the stovetop pudding once a month. I make it with cocoa powder and some added coffee, which I figured out.


The least expensive recipes in the whole thing are the spaghetti sauce variations ( just go down the list, day by day) and cold noodles with peanut sauce. If you make that with a pound of tofu, and, possibly make your own sprouts- it is, I think, in the range of five dollars for the whole she-bang. Sides- your choice, obviously.

Oh yeah, the greens, grains, and beans. If you're in sticker shock, it is really hard to beat grains, greens and beans.

What can you get there? Is it a small grocery? I know that HEB, the local grocers here, has smaller stores, called "pantries" that cost more. They also have a premium store ( Central Market) that adds pennies to prices on things that are in both stores. They are aiming at different demographics, though.

Do you have a Mexican market in town? Or a mexican butcher? That's usually cheaper, once you orient yourself. So says my spanish speaking neighbor.

$4!!!

ari

Articles and Recipes - Marilyn's Famous Whole Wheat Bread Recipe (http://articles.urbanhomemaker.com/index.php?page=index_v2&id=83&c=6) is the BEST honey wheat recipe. Even I can make it well.

Kroger had $99 peanut butter a couple weeks ago compared to the usual $2 price.

:lol: This was the funniest typo I'd seen in a long time.. better stock up on that deal. :lol:

Thank you ladies... you have all been very helpful!

Friday is pay day and I have a HUGE planned out list of things I can make from scratch. We are going to get a sitter and go check out several grocery stores in the area to see whats where and where we can get the best price for the best foods. Maybe that will help DH understand the difference, and he will let me make a lot more. :rolleyes:

I guess I left out the reason we are having such a hard time right now.. lol normally, it is just myself, DH, and my daughter.... his kids live with mommy most of the time. They are here for the summer and its been rough getting used to a bigger full time family. He is trying to fit four kids into the one kid budget. :juggle:

Off to make sure quiet time is actually quiet. BTW - I made the burritos today!! Big hit! Except in DC people I gues dont' make a lto of mexican type foods, there was only one brand of tortillias (pkg of 8) and it cost three dollars, two cans of beans at $1.50 each... oh well, the kids loved it! I am SO shopping around for better tortillias and beans! lol Maybe I will stock up when we take the kids back to Texas.

I've been trying to think up ways to save money on the groceries too but I guess with a family of 6 at $600/month is in the ball park! I do as much as possible from scratch when it makes sense to do so anyways... and there are loads of great recipes online for just about everything!