Speaking of m O n E y,
I was at the grocery store today
and was really curious as to what the average household spends on a trip, and what the average household is buying. What are your staple foods? What can't you live without?? What do you feel like is a huge treat? Our usual weekly - 10day trip costs the checkcard around $100-$150, with little trips here and there that average $30 - $60. Today's purchase was more than I can ever recall spending at one time...so I guess that's what got me wondering what is 'normal' for others. The bulk of our purchasing is fresh fruits and veggies, frozen chicken breast, ground turkey and beef, bread, milk, eggs, yogurt, graham crackers, goldfish, apple juice... and sometimes ice cream. I don't think our family could function without graham crackers. weird. Today I bought a couple 'bulk' items like fish sticks for the boys, tater tots - which, come to think of it, I have never bought before...(just was thinking of making the caserole with 'tots' on top) quite a bit of pastas and canned goods, cheeses, and meats. - oh, and deli meat & cheese because Jess has been coming home for lunch quite a bit lately.
Anyways. Food is expensive! I remember a teacher once saying his wife made their $100 MONTHLY grocery budget work and I didn't really think much of it at the time, but now I think that is just darn right amazing! What do you do to make your dollar stretch at the store? Does your budget affect what you buy??? I know I have felt differently about this depending on where I feel we are financially.
Oh, to answer my own question, whenever I buy fresh rasberries or blueberries I feel like it is a huge treat. It's hard for me to spend nearly $4 on a little case that my boys gobble down in less than 2 min. :)
I was at the grocery store today
and was really curious as to what the average household spends on a trip, and what the average household is buying. What are your staple foods? What can't you live without?? What do you feel like is a huge treat? Our usual weekly - 10day trip costs the checkcard around $100-$150, with little trips here and there that average $30 - $60. Today's purchase was more than I can ever recall spending at one time...so I guess that's what got me wondering what is 'normal' for others. The bulk of our purchasing is fresh fruits and veggies, frozen chicken breast, ground turkey and beef, bread, milk, eggs, yogurt, graham crackers, goldfish, apple juice... and sometimes ice cream. I don't think our family could function without graham crackers. weird. Today I bought a couple 'bulk' items like fish sticks for the boys, tater tots - which, come to think of it, I have never bought before...(just was thinking of making the caserole with 'tots' on top) quite a bit of pastas and canned goods, cheeses, and meats. - oh, and deli meat & cheese because Jess has been coming home for lunch quite a bit lately.Anyways. Food is expensive! I remember a teacher once saying his wife made their $100 MONTHLY grocery budget work and I didn't really think much of it at the time, but now I think that is just darn right amazing! What do you do to make your dollar stretch at the store? Does your budget affect what you buy??? I know I have felt differently about this depending on where I feel we are financially.
Oh, to answer my own question, whenever I buy fresh rasberries or blueberries I feel like it is a huge treat. It's hard for me to spend nearly $4 on a little case that my boys gobble down in less than 2 min. :)
7 comments:
You just wait till those boys get bigger. I am having to upgrade from a 6 quart slow cooker, to a 8.5 slow cooker. I have to cook two bags of lentils for one meal. We spend about $400 a week on groceries, on the average, but that doesn't include the food storage items I stock up on every time I go to the grocery store. Just wait till all the teenage boys start hanging out at your house. I can spend $150 on treats, and food on Friday morning and EVERYTHING is gone by Monday morning! :)
Katy!!!!!
I have thought many times while I watch my kids hastily eat -"What the heck are we gonna do when these boys hit puberty - oh man. So I should plan on tripling the monthly budget we have now!! Whole new meaning to "these kids are going to eat us out of house and home"! :)
oh sara- this is my biggest challenge as a homemaker! I have often wondered if I was in a normal range as well and I must say I am right with you as far as how much and even what I buy. I recently started doing a monthly Sam's visit which even though it makes me sick at check out time it really does make your expenses less for the month. I think the key is being organized- menu planning- lists- like my mom always says never go grocery shopping without a list and an empty stomach! I think food prices are rising like gas prices!
I am about the same as you. 100 a week is plenty for us. I buy pretty much the same stuff as you. I am going to try eating meat sparingly so that should help with money to.
I spend at least that much a weekly trip too. I buy most of my stuff organic (especially fruit, veggies and animal products) and spend alot on things like almond milk and butter, lean meat, chicken, whole wheat pasta and bread, brown rice ect. Healthy stuff costs more is seems. I make everything we eat from scratch raw ingredients. So that sometimes saves money. Food is very expensive and I feel I have to buy the best and healthiest stuff so I just have to deal with it I guess. I've been trying to use coupons and only buy things when they are on sale, but it is hard sometimes...
I save money with other things, like using cloth for almost everything (napkins, papertowls...) I've never bought plastic/paper plates or utensils ect, I also used cloth diapers for both my kids. Oh and I take my own bags to the grocery store. They give you .05 to .07 per bag, which may just be pennies, but I figure it is a least pennies!
I feel your pain.:(
We spend about $250-300 every two weeks on groceries. We have a great Super Wal-mart very close by and we save so much on things like T.P, snacks,and cosmetics by shopping there. Although, we usually buy our meat and produce at Basha's, it just tastes better.
Russ's cousins wife is a crazy, organized coupon clipper. She even buys some on ebay. They have an entire pantry full of freebies. Good stuff too like soda, snacks and cereal. I'll get the name of the website she uses. I don't know where she finds the time but she has it down to a science.
Daniel's wife, Brooke does the coupon thing and is really good at it - I've had her explain it all to me before... but I haven't gone there yet.
It does seem like healthy stuff is more expensive - but what do you do? Oh, how I wish I could live off the land! I think that is my secret dream -Sometimes I wish I lived w/ the Amish (I've visited a farm back in Ohio and talk about self-sufficient. Bountiful gardens, cellars stocked with home canned goodness, fresh baked cakes, sewing their own clothes, Men working the fields...Life is about God, family, and working the land.) Now that was a tangent!
I'm starting to be more aware of the quantities I actually have to buy. - Because it would be nice to go 2 wks between visits to the store!
I agree w/ ya Amber, I always take a list to the store - but I need to do better at meal planning. I'd really like to incorporate more beans into our diet. I love 'em. But it's always like - oh, forgot to soak them last night, can't do that...but that is a great, low-cost, nutritional meal.
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