Eat at Home savings not as big as expected

[JamesMom]

Wow. I thought eating at home would be cheaper. LOL. The past two full weeks we have spent about $200 a week for our family of 4 (DH, Me & DS7, DS5). We still eat out about 2 times on the weekend. Granted we are eating healthier, but it still costs more than I expected.

Dinner Menu this week (salad nightly)
Hamburger Helper Enchilada with tortillas, chips & queso, beans
Breaded cod, shrimp with rice, corn
Spaghetti w/ meat sauce, broccoli
Left over Pizza (from Sunday)
Left over night.

Dinner Menu from other week( Roasted chicken w/au Gratin potatos, stuffing & peas (2 nights) ; Herb pork chops w/brown rice (2 nights), green beans; spaghetti w/meat sauce - again, salad nightly)

WalMart & Tom thumb shopping this week:
$16 Dairy (2 gal milk, eggs, yogurt, OJ, butter)
$25 Produce (Bananas, Cantalope, Romaine, tomatoes, Straw/Blue berries, clementines)
$38 Meat (hamburger, chicken nugg, sand meat, fish, bacon)
$13 Brkfst (Oatmeal, poptart, frozen pancakes, cereal)
$33 Snacks (Fruit Snacks, Cereal Bar, Popsicles, Tost/Dor/Frito)
$15 Condiments (Ketchup, Tartar Sauce, Croutons, Spag Sauce, hamburger helper)
$ 6 Bread (Whole wheat loaf, hot dog buns, tortillas)
$28 Beverages (Diet coke 2L, VitaWater,bottled water, ground coffee)
$26 Other (paper towels, night pull ups)

Broken down it seems quite reasonable for 3 meals & snacks per person for roughly 6 days ($8 a day per person), but as a whole it seems expensive when we were paying around $150 a week before my hubby brown bagged lunch ($30 a week) and we cut out 2-3 additional eating out ($30-40). So we are saving around $10-$20 a week - not that big of a difference. But at least it's healthier, right? We didn't do salad every night while we ate greasy french fries from McD's.

 

[mjkacmom]

Well, you have some out of season fruit - I only buy seasonal, like peaches in summer, apples in the fall, clementines around Thanksgiving - and a lot of processed food. Hamburger helper? Jarred sauce? That doesn't happen here. Seafood is always going to be expensive. You can make your own pancakes, and I've never bought cereal without a coupon and a sale.

 

[java]

Well the 2 things that shout out from your list are your Snack spending and your drink spending. Condiments should be a one time thing- you are not buying ketchup every week. So that will go down.

I don't shop walmart so I don't know if they run sales or not- I buy the meat of the week at our local store- One type of meat is on sale every week(beef one week chicken another ect.. I stock up so that we are not eating chicken every night of chicken week)

Breakfast another one- I don't do frozen breakfasts or pop tarts- we do things like oatmeal (buy the big box not the individual packages, and buy GENERIC Oatmeal is Oatmeal- it's all the same stuff) I make pancakes on the weekend and then freeze some so we have quick ones for the week. Same thing with waffles.
We are a family of 6 and eat at home all the time. I spend $100 a week. Sometimes $25 more than that. (on dogfood weeks we have 2 dogs I buy their food at Costco)

 

[DSNY4ever]

Hmm, this is baffling to me. My DH and I have a limit of $100 for groceries for the week, including weekends, we usually come in at less (and we buy about 90% organic, so that adds to some of the expense). This includes everything, our lunches we take to work, treats, drinks etc.

If we eat out at all we have to take that out of our $100 budget and spend less on our groceries that week. We don't eat out much and it saves us a ton. A simple meal out can be about $40 with tax and tip which I hate because that is close to half our food budget for the week and it is only 1 meal!

But good for you for making a change though- hey $10-20 is still a savings I guess, right? You will probably become more savvy with it and slowly start saving more and more. Good luck.

 

[Marionnette]

I agree with the others. Your spending almost 1/3 of your money on snacks and beverages. That could come down if you work at it. And you will be healthier for it. Cut out the hamburger helper and cook from scratch. It will eliminate alot of salt and preservatives. Make your own spaghetti sauce and freeze portions. Buy your meat on sale and freeze it. I also see alot of carbs and too few veggies in your menu. Salad doesnt equal a veggie substitute. And corn is a grain just like rice. Its not a vegetable.

 

[ilovejack02]

I agree with the others. Your spending almost 1/3 of your money on snacks and beverages. That could come down if you work at it. And you will be healthier for it. Cut out the hamburger helper and cook from scratch. It will eliminate alot of salt and preservatives. Make your own spaghetti sauce and freeze portions. Buy your meat on sale and freeze it. I also see alot of carbs and too few veggies in your menu. Salad doesnt equal a veggie substitute. And corn is a grain just like rice. Its not a vegetable.

Look into getting Sigg bottles for water. No need for bottled water. Frozen pancakes, I make my own on weekends and pop in freezer, same with waffles .
Watch the produce sales, I was amazed at how much I saved once I started buying sale items instead of off season produce.
Also if you have a local farmers market, check it out. Savings there are usually huge, for example at my local grocery, cucumbers are .50 each. At my farmers market they are 4 for 1.00.

 

[beansmom]

^ agreed. Snacks and drinks are a huge chunk of your budget...drink plain water-buy a filtered pitcher and drink tap water- and watered down juice instead of soda. Fruit AND fruit snacks? Are those fruit snacks mostly sugar and gelatin? Also, you don't buy ketchup every week...condiments are 'holdovers' week to week.

Do you buy what you 'want' or what's on sale? And why are you eating two types of seafood in the same meal? I would choose one and add some green veggies to the rice.

Paper towels are a huge waste of money, imo. We use washable cloths instead, cheaper and nothing goes in the landfill.

I dunno if I agree that salad isn't a 'veggie'.

 

[JamesMom]

I agree with the others. Your spending almost 1/3 of your money on snacks and beverages. That could come down if you work at it. And you will be healthier for it. Cut out the hamburger helper and cook from scratch. It will eliminate alot of salt and preservatives. Make your own spaghetti sauce and freeze portions. Buy your meat on sale and freeze it. I also see alot of carbs and too few veggies in your menu. Salad doesnt equal a veggie substitute. And corn is a grain just like rice. Its not a vegetable.

OP, here.

thanks for the replies. I am new to cooking - I am the queen of the microwave...so thats why I'm doing hamburger helper to get my cooking skills back up with minimal fuss.
The fruit & veggies are becuase that is what my family will eat. Hubby only eats citrus fruit and only eats salad (read lettuce with dressing) and corn - not even carrots or tomatos! He's an adult and can eat what he wants so that's why those are on the menu with great frequency otherwise he would develop scruvy, lol. My younger son won't eat ANY fruits or veggies - but he is borderline autistic so we roll with it. My older son and myself have more expansive palettes so we can add some more stuff (we love fruits and veggies) but we aren't squash, bell peppers type of people.

 

[WLfamily]

Well I have to agree with a previous poster that your drink portion is a little high. I always look for the best sale on 2liters and then stock up. Almost all summer Walmart ran them for .98 cents each so I grabbed some whenever I was in the store. I also use mycokerewards. Just plug in the code on your bottle cap and redeem for a coupon for a free 12 pack when you reach enough points, adds up quicker than you would think. Search out ads at places like Target, they have a great grocery section and run really good sales. You don't have to get your grocerys all in one place, purchase from who has the best sale. Start stockpiling the items you know you don't want to be without when you see a sale, that will cut down on your weekly grocery bill because you already have those items in the pantry. Also....coupons, coupons, coupons. Don't leave home without them! We have a little store here called Super Saver and they have a pick 5 in their meat dept. Any 5 packs of meat for $17.99! Steaks, chicken, pork chops, roast, ground beef (in the 2 lb pks), etc. I always grab five packs of something whether I need it or not and my deep freezer always has meat. Check your local small stores to see if any offer deals like that, it saves me tons. Don't give up, it takes time and energy to save on the grocery bill. Look at it as a challenge and you'll start to enjoy it. Good luck and have fun!

 

[ilovejack02]

OP, here.

thanks for the replies. I am new to cooking - I am the queen of the microwave...so thats why I'm doing hamburger helper to get my cooking skills back up with minimal fuss.
The fruit & veggies are becuase that is what my family will eat. Hubby only eats citrus fruit and only eats salad (read lettuce with dressing) and corn - not even carrots or tomatos! He's an adult and can eat what he wants so that's why those are on the menu with great frequency otherwise he would develop scruvy, lol. My younger son won't eat ANY fruits or veggies - but he is borderline autistic so we roll with it. My older son and myself have more expansive palettes so we can add some more stuff (we love fruits and veggies) but we aren't squash, bell peppers type of people.

Getting back up to speed with cooking is hard, I can relate.

Check out allrecipes.com, I love it for planning meals.

OP also check out blog under Tiffanyk's name . Eat at home, I love blogs like this, always helps we come up with new items to put on menu. My hubby was a once picky eater, but since I am the cook and I am not picky he learned quickly eat it or cook it himself. Thank goodness he played along after awhile. His mom is amazed at the things he eats now and he tells me all the time that he is so proud of the cook I have become.

 

[TiffanyK]

Keep at it. I bet you'll find your grocery bill goes down as you get used to cooking at home and find what works for you. Usually, anything you can make from scratch rather than buying premade is cheaper.

Make changes slowly to get used to cooking and to find what your family likes. It will get easier and cheaper too.

 

[ilovejack02]

Keep at it. I bet you'll find your grocery bill goes down as you get used to cooking at home and find what works for you. Usually, anything you can make from scratch rather than buying premade is cheaper.

Make changes slowly to get used to cooking and to find what your family likes. It will get easier and cheaper too.

I just got around to reading the about me on Eat at Home blog ! I didn't realize the writer is a fellow Diser!!!! yay!!


I follow you on facebook, guess I picked you up from a friend lol.

OP you might like this recipe to replace your hamburger helper.

Once again, snagged it off of someone's blog . http://orgjunkie.com/2010/08/skillet-tacos-recipe.html

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Do you clip coupons? Are you buying brand name or store brand foods?

I will mold my weekly menu around what is on sale. I will not buy fish unless it's 2 for 1. If the veggies we would like to have aren't marked down, I won't pay it. Most of the time asparagus is, well now, $4.49/lb. There's no way I'll pay that. I won't pay more than $2.00/lb.

Our ground round is up to $3.39/lb. Again, no sale, no buy. If any meats are on sale I'll buy 3-4 packages and freeze them for a later day. I get store brand bread of $1/loaf. We can usually pick up store brand frozen veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, beans, carrots) for $1.09/package.

The only thing I won't buy store brand is mac and cheese - I just can't do it! Our dinners are generally a meat, a starch, and a veggie. Lunch is leftovers. DH will splurge on chips and sweets and crap, that's why I try to do most of the shopping. Don't buy more than you can use and really work the sales.

I don't know how it is in your area, but in the last year or so, Walmart around here is no good deal. I find better deals at Kroger than I do over there. Just be mindful of your wants and your needs and you should be able to streamline your food purchases with no problem.

 

[indimom]

Wow. I thought eating at home would be cheaper. LOL.
WalMart & Tom thumb shopping this week:
$16 Dairy (2 gal milk, eggs, yogurt, OJ, butter)
Individual yogurts or quarts?? One place to save. Can spread out the OJ if you really like it by adding a little water to every glass, we don't buy much juice.
$25 Produce (Bananas, Cantalope, Romaine, tomatoes, Straw/Blue berries, clementines)
Try to buy in-season produce, you'll get more bang for your buck. Also buy whole veggies/fruits and cut/slice/shred them yourself. Another big savings.
$38 Meat (hamburger, chicken nugg, sand meat, fish, bacon)
All I can say is know your stores and shop around. Deals can be found, but meat can get pretty pricey.
$13 Brkfst (Oatmeal, poptart, frozen pancakes, cereal)
Skip the convenience foods. We make pancakes and waffles from scratch. It really doesn't take long, or you can make them on the weekend and freeze them for the week. And don't buy the pricey cereals. Oatmeal and cream of wheat (in the large boxes) are much more economical. I still buy a boxed cereal here and there, but only the off-brands or with coupons. These are a budget killer-especially if you buy a couple boxes at a time and let them get stale.
$33 Snacks (Fruit Snacks, Cereal Bar, Popsicles, Tost/Dor/Frito)
You could trim a lot here. The fruit snacks and chips are pricey and dissapear quickly. Popsicles are not bad since they seem to last longer and you can usually get them cheap. Avoid name brands. There really is little difference. We do a lot of popcorn and ice cream (plain), they're cheap and last a long time. Even baking cookies is cheaper, and you can freeze those as well. (In fact, I LOVE my cookies frozen now and don't wait for them to thaw. )
$15 Condiments (Ketchup, Tartar Sauce, Croutons, Spag Sauce, hamburger helper)
Things like ketchip and salad dressing, etc. usually last longer than a week. Again, keep your eye on the convenience foods like Hamburger Helper, they aren't exactly cheap.
$ 6 Bread (Whole wheat loaf, hot dog buns, tortillas)
Do you have a bread store?? You can get bread products for next to nothing there.
$28 Beverages (Diet coke 2L, VitaWater,bottled water, ground coffee)
These are a budget killer. We've pretty much eliminated "drinks" from our grocery budget. We get one 2L on the weekend as a family treat and I buy gatorade occasionally when it is on sale, again as a treat. Mainly we drink water and milk. Oh, and coffee, but it will last for weeks.
$26 Other (paper towels, night pull ups)
You could avoid the paper towels or at least cut back on the family "wasting" them by putting them up in a less convenient location. My family would use them for every little thing instead of picking up a washcloth. Throwing a couple washrags in the laundry is a lot cheaper. Pull-ups? This too shall pass someday, but try to look for coupons in the meantime.

If you have made the change from eating out to eating in for budget reasons, above are my suggestions. There are ways to "trim the fat" if you need to. Think about the way our parents used to cook. Make a large pot of chili or chicken noodle soup from scratch, it's cheap and filling and will last a couple days in the fridge. Avoid the pricey sliced deli meats, buy a larger piece of ham and cut it yourself. That sort of thing.

If the change was mainly for healthy eating, then I wouldn't worry too much about how much you are saving, every little bit counts.

Hope this helps.

 

[Marionnette]

OP, here.

thanks for the replies. I am new to cooking - I am the queen of the microwave...so thats why I'm doing hamburger helper to get my cooking skills back up with minimal fuss.
The fruit & veggies are becuase that is what my family will eat. Hubby only eats citrus fruit and only eats salad (read lettuce with dressing) and corn - not even carrots or tomatos! He's an adult and can eat what he wants so that's why those are on the menu with great frequency otherwise he would develop scruvy, lol. My younger son won't eat ANY fruits or veggies - but he is borderline autistic so we roll with it. My older son and myself have more expansive palettes so we can add some more stuff (we love fruits and veggies) but we aren't squash, bell peppers type of people.

Gotcha. It can be tough to cook for a picky family when your just starting out as a chef. My brother in law is another one who only eats salad and corn as his veggies. Too bad for him b/c I think he is missing out on alot. My sister still manages to put an awesome meal on the table. But she has been cooking for years. Keep at it. You will develope your own cant miss menus with a little work. Try to pick a new recipe each week. Then make it for one night when you have time to cook. Let the kids help prepare it. Add it to your recipe book if its a hit. Toss it in the trash if its a miss. Good luck. It will get easier and cheaper to feed your family.

 

[nancycg56]

I would watch the snack category ~ you can make lots of those snacks at home with healthier ingredients and all around better for you.

I have a homemade pop tart recipe that always gets good reviews. Yes, it takes a bit to make but worth it to me. I also just saved a nutri-grain clone recipe that seems simple so I'll be giving those a shot soon. If my family wants potato chips, I make them myself and put on whatever seasoning they are clamoring for. Buy popsicle molds and make them at home with juice or yogurt ~ cheaper and better for you. I even make sangria popsicles for adults at BBQs.

My DH hates all things veggie except for very few so I make sure to have them cut-up in the fridge for his snacks ~ he'll eat those instead of sweets. I am diabetic so I TRY to stay away from sweets ~ some days are better than others, LOL!

I drink water at home and DH drinks lemonade or limeade and once in awhile I'll get him a 2 liter of Coke. I can't drink soda anymore (long story) so water or ice tea for me. I stay away from juice because of the sugar factor or I would drink that.

As you go along, I think you'll find the savings start to creep up.

Good luck and keep at it!

 

[flamingglobessigmund]

Wow. I thought eating at home would be cheaper. LOL. The past two full weeks we have spent about $200 a week for our family of 4 (DH, Me & DS7, DS5). We still eat out about 2 times on the weekend. Granted we are eating healthier, but it still costs more than I expected.

Dinner Menu this week (salad nightly)
Hamburger Helper Enchilada with tortillas, chips & queso, beans
Breaded cod, shrimp with rice, corn
Spaghetti w/ meat sauce, broccoli
Left over Pizza (from Sunday)
Left over night.

Dinner Menu from other week( Roasted chicken w/au Gratin potatos, stuffing & peas (2 nights) ; Herb pork chops w/brown rice (2 nights), green beans; spaghetti w/meat sauce - again, salad nightly)

WalMart & Tom thumb shopping this week:
$16 Dairy (2 gal milk, eggs, yogurt, OJ, butter)
$25 Produce (Bananas, Cantalope, Romaine, tomatoes, Straw/Blue berries, clementines)
$38 Meat (hamburger, chicken nugg, sand meat, fish, bacon)
$13 Brkfst (Oatmeal, poptart, frozen pancakes, cereal)
$33 Snacks (Fruit Snacks, Cereal Bar, Popsicles, Tost/Dor/Frito)
$15 Condiments (Ketchup, Tartar Sauce, Croutons, Spag Sauce, hamburger helper)
$ 6 Bread (Whole wheat loaf, hot dog buns, tortillas)
$28 Beverages (Diet coke 2L, VitaWater,bottled water, ground coffee)
$26 Other (paper towels, night pull ups)

Broken down it seems quite reasonable for 3 meals & snacks per person for roughly 6 days ($8 a day per person), but as a whole it seems expensive when we were paying around $150 a week before my hubby brown bagged lunch ($30 a week) and we cut out 2-3 additional eating out ($30-40). So we are saving around $10-$20 a week - not that big of a difference. But at least it's healthier, right? We didn't do salad every night while we ate greasy french fries from McD's.

OP, here.

thanks for the replies. I am new to cooking - I am the queen of the microwave...so thats why I'm doing hamburger helper to get my cooking skills back up with minimal fuss.
The fruit & veggies are becuase that is what my family will eat. Hubby only eats citrus fruit and only eats salad (read lettuce with dressing) and corn - not even carrots or tomatos! He's an adult and can eat what he wants so that's why those are on the menu with great frequency otherwise he would develop scruvy, lol. My younger son won't eat ANY fruits or veggies - but he is borderline autistic so we roll with it. My older son and myself have more expansive palettes so we can add some more stuff (we love fruits and veggies) but we aren't squash, bell peppers type of people.

Good on ya for deciding to cut back on eating out, and taking the time to track your grocery spending.

Some of your staple items will cost more initially.

Some things are investments like a Brita/Pur/whatever water filter.

Do you like ice tea? That could be a good substitute for soda.

Do you own a crock pot? You can put a cheap cut of meat (like a roast or a whole chicken) in it. I roast the chicken on a rake or on top of aluminum waded up into balls in the crock pot. (You can also bake bread in the crock pot)

And to answer your question: Yes, it is healthier eating at home.

 

[Shleedogg]

Good on ya for deciding to cut back on eating out, and taking the time to track your grocery spending.

Some of your staple items will cost more initially.

Some things are investments like a Brita/Pur/whatever water filter.

Do you like ice tea? That could be a good substitute for soda.

Do you own a crock pot? You can put a cheap cut of meat (like a roast or a whole chicken) in it. I roast the chicken on a rake or on top of aluminum waded up into balls in the crock pot. (You can also bake bread in the crock pot)

And to answer your question: Yes, it is healthier eating at home.

I second the iced tea suggestion. We were spending about $5/wk on pop. Not only did I not need the calories, the money could be better spent elsewhere. We cut it out completely. Only water, milk and tea in our house.

You can also drastically cut down on the snacks. DH and I budgeted to allow $3/pp for snacks per week. If chips are really what you want, you can get 2 bags of Great Value (Walmart) brand for right around $3. Really, buy off brands. We saved so much money when we switched. There are some things that I won't buy off brand, but most are the same.

I'd suggest finding a budget. For us when I first started staying home, it was $60/wk. We're up to $85 now that DD is eating real foods and I'm trying to eat healthier. Fresh fruits and veggies are more expensive. Plan meals around sales flyers, buy in bulk/cook in bulk and freeze. Everyone has offered great suggestions!

 

[Ava]

As others have said, you will save more once you get the hang of shopping sales & using coupons, and have been able to get a stock pile going.

If you base your menu around what's on sale that week instead of just what you think you want to eat, you'll save a lot.

Also stock up on non-perishables when they're on sale - things like pasta, canned goods, cereal (if your family eats it regularly). This way eventually you'll never have to pay full price for these items because you'll have a stash to last you until they go on sale again. I even started buying several loaves of bread at a time & freezing them when the kind we like goes on sale. We don't have a discount bread store nearby & the prices have gotten

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

You would still be buying drinks, condiment, and snacks from the sounds of it. The rest is inexpensive stuff. Non food stuff has to be bought also.

We limit snacks, buy at aldi and when they are gone they are gone.