Comments on: The Grocery Budget http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/ Living Well on Less Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:20:38 -0400 hourly 1 By: Chili Pepper http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-15436 Chili Pepper Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:45:12 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-15436 Hi, Hope recommended this post and I finally got a minute to pop over and check it out. I have 7 children and even though I buy in bulk and cook almost all from scratch (bread included) belong to a coop etc...I am still spending so much, about $1600 a month on food, household products, paper goods and clothing, diapers etc... We eat almost completely vegetarian, buy generic when possible, eat only whole foods and organics whenever possible. The cost of groceries has increased so tremendously in the last two years that our expenditure has more than doubled and I find myself borrowing from my husband to make it to the end of the month. We do use our leftovers...but they usually serve as a buffet for lunch one or two days a week. Hi,

Hope recommended this post and I finally got a minute to pop over and check it out. I have 7 children and even though I buy in bulk and cook almost all from scratch (bread included) belong to a coop etc…I am still spending so much, about $1600 a month on food, household products, paper goods and clothing, diapers etc… We eat almost completely vegetarian, buy generic when possible, eat only whole foods and organics whenever possible. The cost of groceries has increased so tremendously in the last two years that our expenditure has more than doubled and I find myself borrowing from my husband to make it to the end of the month. We do use our leftovers…but they usually serve as a buffet for lunch one or two days a week.

]]> By: Hope http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14829 Hope Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:04:59 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14829 Hi! I just wanted to tell you that when I read this post earlier and saw that you liked the cookbook "Cheap. Fast. Good!" I immediately clicked on it and bought it. I got it brand new for $5.48 including shipping. It just arrived today! ?Hope Hi!

I just wanted to tell you that when I read this post earlier and saw that you liked the cookbook “Cheap. Fast. Good!” I immediately clicked on it and bought it. I got it brand new for $5.48 including shipping. It just arrived today!

?Hope

]]> By: Tabby http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14782 Tabby Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:04:02 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14782 I love how you hit on the leftovers issue--I often cook extra for suppers and we eat the leftovers for lunches, then the 'bits and pieces' as a big potluck-style supper about once a week. I have so many friends who don't eat leftovers. I just can't FATHOM throwing away food! lol All my kids know that it simply isn't allowed here--we can't afford to. I love how you hit on the leftovers issue–I often cook extra for suppers and we eat the leftovers for lunches, then the ‘bits and pieces’ as a big potluck-style supper about once a week. I have so many friends who don’t eat leftovers. I just can’t FATHOM throwing away food! lol All my kids know that it simply isn’t allowed here–we can’t afford to.

]]> By: Phoebe http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14698 Phoebe Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:22:16 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14698 What are ECB's? What are ECB’s?

]]> By: paula http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14680 paula Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:06:42 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14680 I do a weekly shopping and try my best to spend 150 a week...sometimes i go over about 20 or so...i use biglots for alot of my snacks if i do not have coupons for price chopper. I go off of the sale flyer and try to plan coupons according to the flyer. I also plan meals with what is on sale like most everyoen else does...i do try to make alot myself which helps. sometimes i even stretch my food to cover more than one week if possible by creating inventive meals...i dont usually use many recipes I create them myself so we rarely have the same thing twice...wish i would write them down.I feel it is easier to do a weekly budget shopping than try to do a big one...then you can even save at teh end if you can... I do a weekly shopping and try my best to spend 150 a week…sometimes i go over about 20 or so…i use biglots for alot of my snacks if i do not have coupons for price chopper. I go off of the sale flyer and try to plan coupons according to the flyer. I also plan meals with what is on sale like most everyoen else does…i do try to make alot myself which helps. sometimes i even stretch my food to cover more than one week if possible by creating inventive meals…i dont usually use many recipes I create them myself so we rarely have the same thing twice…wish i would write them down.I feel it is easier to do a weekly budget shopping than try to do a big one…then you can even save at teh end if you can…

]]> By: Judy http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14667 Judy Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:13:30 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14667 You mentioned your budget for groceries is $600 a month. How do you find it easiest to divide this up? Do you do $150 a week? Do you stock up at the beginning of the month on certain things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies or do you just buy these when you notice you are about to run out? I hope I am not being too nosey. I have just noticed my family's grocery budget is just so out of control and I am looking for ideas (which you have tons...thanks!! : ) You mentioned your budget for groceries is $600 a month. How do you find it easiest to divide this up? Do you do $150 a week? Do you stock up at the beginning of the month on certain things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies or do you just buy these when you notice you are about to run out?

I hope I am not being too nosey. I have just noticed my family’s grocery budget is just so out of control and I am looking for ideas (which you have tons…thanks!! : )

]]> By: Lawanda http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14616 Lawanda Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:10:20 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14616 I *do* live in a lower cost of living area too. I always forget other people may have to buy milk for $6 a gallon!! (WHEW! That is unbelievable, I think I would buy powdered!! :-p) I *do* live in a lower cost of living area too. I always forget other people may have to buy milk for $6 a gallon!! (WHEW! That is unbelievable, I think I would buy powdered!! :-p)

]]> By: paula http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14588 paula Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:56:16 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14588 i agree not having store readily around you can be a challenge for alot of us....heck i do not have a commisasry at all...i have price chopper, biglots, kenny drugs....that is it...i did find a commissary about 130 miles away from us and we are thinking of planning a trip to buy meat and non perishables to stock up on...if we did this even every other month i think it would save us alot...plus we can make a day trip out of it...think the beach is right beside it... I to use coupons and sales and left overs any way i can...lucky i can have a big garden in summer and stock the freezer or can to try to get us thru the winter...i think this helps...once we are down to just the 5 of us(heard in about a month) i can go back to about 100 a week instead of 200...yea!!!!!! i could ramble on and on...love i found this site to talk with all of you...i also n oticed most of you have blogs of your own how do you start one...think it would be fun... i agree not having store readily around you can be a challenge for alot of us….heck i do not have a commisasry at all…i have price chopper, biglots, kenny drugs….that is it…i did find a commissary about 130 miles away from us and we are thinking of planning a trip to buy meat and non perishables to stock up on…if we did this even every other month i think it would save us alot…plus we can make a day trip out of it…think the beach is right beside it…
I to use coupons and sales and left overs any way i can…lucky i can have a big garden in summer and stock the freezer or can to try to get us thru the winter…i think this helps…once we are down to just the 5 of us(heard in about a month) i can go back to about 100 a week instead of 200…yea!!!!!!
i could ramble on and on…love i found this site to talk with all of you…i also n oticed most of you have blogs of your own how do you start one…think it would be fun…

]]> By: Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14497 Lisa @ Crazy Adventures in Parenting Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:15:35 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14497 Toni, this makes me feel so much better. I mean, I guess I hadn't considered you have a ton of stores around you with which to shop from, get coupons, hit sales, etc. WHen you have that capability, you can most certainly keep your costs low. We have a commissary, a Walmart, and a Walgreens. THAT'S IT. We have done all that we can to reduce our grocery bill, but with our family of 8 we can't go down past $150 at the lowest a week, based on what we buy. We stock up when we can, we're now using whole chickens in the crockpot crumbled instead of chicken breasts, etc. We eat meatless meals twice if not more a week but otherwise with our limited resources that's all we can do. I hadn't considered you use CVS bucks and such to get things for free, or places like Costco (which we don't have) to stock up to keep your bill down. I was seriously losing my mind trying to figure out how you do/did it. Thank you so much for putting my mind at ease. Next duty station I will definitely use these tips and tricks to keep our costs way lower, once we have more stores from which to shop from :) Toni, this makes me feel so much better. I mean, I guess I hadn’t considered you have a ton of stores around you with which to shop from, get coupons, hit sales, etc. WHen you have that capability, you can most certainly keep your costs low. We have a commissary, a Walmart, and a Walgreens. THAT’S IT. We have done all that we can to reduce our grocery bill, but with our family of 8 we can’t go down past $150 at the lowest a week, based on what we buy. We stock up when we can, we’re now using whole chickens in the crockpot crumbled instead of chicken breasts, etc. We eat meatless meals twice if not more a week but otherwise with our limited resources that’s all we can do.

I hadn’t considered you use CVS bucks and such to get things for free, or places like Costco (which we don’t have) to stock up to keep your bill down. I was seriously losing my mind trying to figure out how you do/did it.

Thank you so much for putting my mind at ease. Next duty station I will definitely use these tips and tricks to keep our costs way lower, once we have more stores from which to shop from :)

]]> By: Lisa http://thehappyhousewife.com/the-grocery-budget/comment-page-1/#comment-14496 Lisa Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:25:39 +0000 http://thehappyhousewife.com/?p=5864#comment-14496 We are a family of 6 and average $100-$125 per week. I use a TON of coupons and save a good amount of money but there's no way I'm going to feed my family for any less. I sometimes wonder how people are spending significantly less without starving themselves? We are a family of 6 and average $100-$125 per week. I use a TON of coupons and save a good amount of money but there’s no way I’m going to feed my family for any less. I sometimes wonder how people are spending significantly less without starving themselves?

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