*Feed Your Family $10 A Day Challenge*(AT HOME)

[Green Tea]

I bought the whole hot dog pack for 45 cents. I did not eat the hot dogs nor did dh or dd 14.

You're good! Is that couponing, sales, a combo of both? I think I pay $3.00+ for 7 hotdogs and we always have to cook 2 packs of those. But that does leave a good number left over for kid lunches in the next day or so.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Also for the 1,000 time Dh and I are on a diet we do not eat everything that is written down and dh works out of town and is only home during the weekends.

So what do you eat? That should be included too.

 

[Nanu57v]

Guys, I think you are my soul mates! So far I've only read the first 2 and last 2 pages, but I'm so hyped at all the great deals! I just finished reading "Miserly Moms" by Jonni McCoy. I hate the title, reminds me of miserable, but its got so many great ideas. She really advocates keeping track of grocery deals, so you can buy all the loss leaders at various stores. And of course watching sales. Like we only buy chicken for $1.99 a pound. We stock up and freeze. We just got soda for $2 a 12 pack. I wish we could eliminate this, but DH is addicted. Its cheaper than spending the .35 a can at work though. My favorite purchase ever was when I got 6 boxes of fruit loops for .60 (total). Also, compare the cost of making things versus buying. We can buy a box of frozen waffles (12?) for 1.00. We have to buy store brand because Eggo's have trans fats. When we ran out I made a bunch from scratch and froze them, but after using all the ingredients I wondered if it was really any cheaper.

This is my passion though, not DH's, and I think DH and I compliment each other as he likes to spend and I like to save.

 

[Nanu57v]

Okay I read back some more, and I feel bad about all the serving size bashing. Here's a link to the USDA guide for food servings. For a toddler age child, 1 oz of meat is a serving. For an elementary school age its 2 oz. 4oz of milk is a serving for a toddler, and 8 oz for a elementary school, and remember they aren't supposed to have too many servings of dairy a day. Feeding a child too much milk can lead to anemia.

Its a pdf. http://www.providerschoice.com/pdfs/meal%20pattern%20for%20children.pdf

 

[mommiepoppins]

OK food for 2 l children and myself. I do not eat half of the food because I am on a diet. I only drink water!

B- Bagel (I bought the package for 79 cents the girls will split a bagel) = 14 cents
Milk (I bought a gallon for 219 and I usually get 10 glasses) 22
Apple slices (I bought the bag for 189 and it has 8 apples) 24
Spay butter on bagel 5cents (I bought the spay butter for 1$)
= 65 cents… I did not eat

Snacks= cinnamon gram crackers (I bought the box from wall mart for1$ and we will use a quarter of the box)
= 25 cents
Frozen O. J pops (I bought the Tropicana from the $ store and I will use a quarter of the juice to be frozen) = 25 cents
Fruit salad
Apple slices 48 cents
Can mandarin oranges 32 cents
Pineapple from also (fresh 198)
Banana (35 cents for 5 bananas at aldi only using one) 7 cents=
335 total I am eating some fruit salad

Lunch tuna= 32 cents entire can
Mayo= 25 cents
( I eat mine with out mayo and with out bread)
Whole wheat pita bread on mark down= (115 for package of 6 =19 each) =38 cents
O. J. = 50 cents
Bag salad (99 cents and only me and one dd will eat it and it will be half of the bag for both of us) = 50 cents
= 157

Dinner
Fresh string beans = 101 (98 cents a pound)
Yellow summer squash (3 for 1$ at Aldi) =1$
Chicken breast (one whole big breast for the 2 dd’s) I bought the bag at Aldi for 5$ and there is 5 breast) = 1$
Milk = 22 cents
=323

880 for the day

 

[mommiepoppins]

So what do you eat? That should be included too.

sorry I do eat what is on the list just not all. I do not eat breads . I am trying to loose some weight and I usually eat more of the veggies and fruit. I do eat what is listed just not all the stuff that I list like gram crackers ect

 

[snomofinn]

Jennie-O Turkey Bacon is only $2 a package here (1 pound)!

Regular full fat bacon is usually on sale for $1.79 a package!

I don't know how you guys do it. We visited Florida in the spring and we went to Publix, my eyeballs about popped out of my head at the prices.

Jennifer

WOW, lucky you... When bacon is not on sale it's around 6.00 per lb. You could get cheaper bacon but my family likes the Oscar Meyer bacon the best. When it's on sale sometimes if your lucky it's buy 1 get 1 free! Otherwise the sale is usually around 4.49 lb. I wish I could feed my family for 10.00 a day! But my husband alone eats more then that!

 

[punkin]

OK. I'll jump back in today. For some of the posters above, I would just like to say that I almost NEVER make it under $10 and on many days I go over $20. This is a function of where I live and the way we eat. However, having this thread keeps me somewhat on track. My family would not eat what mommiepoppins' family eats, and hers probably would not like my food either, but we are both doing the best we can for our families while trying to save money.

Yesterday we made a lot of chicken breasts (marinated and grilled) for a total cost of $15. We had some for dinner w/ corn on the cob. So, a lot of my food today will include leftovers. I am also only feeding 3 people (DH, DD14 and me)

Breakfast:
cereal, milk, waffle, bread, jam, tea: $1

Lunch:
Leftover chicken on salad, bread: $2.50

Dinner: Tuna Caserole: $4

Snacks: peaches, cherries, blueberries $2

TOTAL: $9.50 (I should also add $5 for a portion of the chicken price, so $14.50 total for today)

 

[Nanu57v]

Frozen O. J pops (I bought the Tropicana from the $ store and I will use a quarter of the juice to be frozen) = 25 cents


880 for the day

Brilliant! Why did I spend $2.50 for a box of 90% juice pops? Do you have a tray or do you have some other creative way of making them?

 

[mommiepoppins]

Brilliant! Why did I spend $2.50 for a box of 90% juice pops? Do you have a tray or do you have some other creative way of making them?

I bought ice pop molds at the $ store.

 

[IwasatWDWforamonth]

I think my food alone is probably over 10 dollars a day.

my evian cost 3 dollars a day, if I eat meat it has to be natural chicken breast(no salt added) cage free eggland eggs. I use olive oil and mrs dash for my salad dressing.

and fruit, for example, yesterday I had cherries, blueberries,watermelon,an apple, an orange,tomato, pineapple, and strawberries.

I like to save money but the food that I eat has to be healthy, not saying I don't ever eat junk food, I just that I think its important to eat healthy food.

To be honest ive never even thought of breaking down the daily cost of what I eat. you guys make me wanna go add it all up

A healthy food thats cheap is lentils, very filling and cheap

I even have to have whole watermelons in the winter, sometimes pay 14 dollars for them, I know that sounds crazy, but I have to have my watermelon lol

 

[MEM]

I envy those Central New York prices of mommiepoppins. Milk here in Boston is over $5 a gallon, a great sale on bananas is 79 cents a pound. I passed up watermelons that were $7.99 each for the medium sized seedless ones. Can't seem to find the much tastier seeded ones anymore.

I thought I was doing well to find chicken drumsticks at Shaw's for 79 cents a pound. Yesterday I bought 12 drumsticks for $2.22 planning on leftovers but DS12 ate six in rapid succession. I added a bag of frozen vegetables for $1 and brown rice for another $1. I found a loaf of day-old scali bread marked down to $1. That's $5.22 just for dinner, plus the glasses of milk DH and the kids drink.

CVS has the malt-o-meal version of frosted mini-wheats on special for $1 box. DS12 and DD11 ate the box between the two of them with a quart of milk. DH and I had Cheerios - mine dry, his with milk.
Lunch was 2 cans of solid white albacore tuna on toast for $2 plus the cost of bread and mayo - I cannot stomach what I call "cat-food-grade tuna".

I feel good if I can keep the day's total under $15 and I enjoy reading how others manage. Most days have more fruit and vegetable servings than shown above.

 

[mommiepoppins]

I envy those Central New York prices of mommiepoppins. Milk here in Boston is over $5 a gallon, a great sale on bananas is 79 cents a pound. I passed up watermelons that were $7.99 each for the medium sized seedless ones. Can't seem to find the much tastier seeded ones anymore.

I thought I was doing well to find chicken drumsticks at Shaw's for 79 cents a pound. Yesterday I bought 12 drumsticks for $2.22 planning on leftovers but DS12 ate six in rapid succession. I added a bag of frozen vegetables for $1 and brown rice for another $1. I found a loaf of day-old scali bread marked down to $1. That's $5.22 just for dinner, plus the glasses of milk DH and the kids drink.

CVS has the malt-o-meal version of frosted mini-wheats on special for $1 box. DS12 and DD11 ate the box between the two of them with a quart of milk. DH and I had Cheerios - mine dry, his with milk.
Lunch was 2 cans of solid white albacore tuna on toast for $2 plus the cost of bread and mayo - I cannot stomach what I call "cat-food-grade tuna".

I feel good if I can keep the day's total under $15 and I enjoy reading how others manage. Most days have more fruit and vegetable servings than shown above.

wow I can not imagine spending that much money on food. however my best friend in Ca spends major money and so dose my cousin in conn. I can say about central NY we get paid WAY LESS.. So maybe that accounts for something.

 

[MEM]

wow I can not imagine spending that much money on food. however my best friend in Ca spends major money and so dose my cousin in conn. I can say about central NY we get paid WAY LESS.. So maybe that accounts for something.

Speaking only for myself, the higher salaries here in the Boston area go straight to mortgages, taxes and insurance (sigh). There is almost no competition allowed for auto insurance, for example, and I pay for one car what my brother in Pennsylvania pays for four!!

 

[punkin]

Speaking only for myself, the higher salaries here in the Boston area go straight to mortgages, taxes and insurance (sigh). There is almost no competition allowed for auto insurance, for example, and I pay for one car what my brother in Pennsylvania pays for four!!

true. disposable income AFTER mortgage payments is probably about the same.

 

[mommiepoppins]

put it this way in our area my house and my van are the same price. I mean what I owe left on my house. My house is not a hunk of junk either. It is just what the prices are. If I drive an hour N or S the prices go way up

 

[disneymom3]

Amen to that! I am shocked at what I am reading.

I spend probably too much money on fruits and veggies that are precut/bagged, etc., but that I know we eat and need. I stick with Boars Head or brands without all the processing. I just buy what we need and what is healthy.

I am the same way with the precut stuff. Obviously I am lazy but after months of buying the whole broccoli and then not getting around to eating it all before it went bad, I decided to just accept my laziness and buy the bags of already cut up. No stems that way either! Not to mention that I see you have a 16 yo boy. I don't think it is possible to feed ONE 16 yo boy on $10 a day let alone the rest of his family! Heck, my 7 yo boy practically eats that much.

As for lunch meat/deli meat, I generally buy this at SuperTarget and get it for about $4.69 lb. We too have Jennie-O and then of course the Archer's Farms brand which I find to be pretty good. There is another brand, I can't remember the name that runs about that price at the local grocery store too. Still couldn't pull off .20 even for two sandwiches though unless I baked the turkey myself which I really should do since I have one in the freezer!!

I envy those Central New York prices of mommiepoppins. Milk here in Boston is over $5 a gallon, a great sale on bananas is 79 cents a pound. I passed up watermelons that were $7.99 each for the medium sized seedless ones. Can't seem to find the much tastier seeded ones anymore.

Ouch!! Those prices are scary. I don't get as good of prices as MommmiePoppins--I also stink at stocking up and using coupons--but our prices are nowhere near what you are paying. Our bananas are about .40c/lb and milk is less than $2.50 per gallon if you buy the store brand at Walmart. There is a law in MN too that retailers cannot lose money on milk so there is a minimum they have to sell it for. Walmart sells it at cost, which is good except that I hate Walmart and the milk is located about three football fields away from the door! The most expensive watermellon I have seen this summer was still under $4.

 

[disneymom3]

IwasatWDW--Really what you are saying is that eating all of that fruit etc is a choice you are making. No one HAS to have watermellon in the winter. If you want it great, but again that is the choice you are making. Yes, you want to eat healthy food but you might want to balance it a bit too. As for the evian, you could get a Britta pitcher and filter your tap water. That would save you a lot of money.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

I am the same way with the precut stuff. Obviously I am lazy but after months of buying the whole broccoli and then not getting around to eating it all before it went bad, I decided to just accept my laziness and buy the bags of already cut up. No stems that way either! Not to mention that I see you have a 16 yo boy.

Exactly! It is either buying the whole thing and watching it rot, or paying for convenience and actually eating it all!

Yep, the 16 yr old boy is eating us out of house and home! He is way taller than me and weighs more and STILL growing. I think he just passed his dad in height!

No way would I ever attempt this plan but was curious what people were doing. I looked today and saw I pay $4.19 for a gallon of milk. I really had no clue as it is something I buy every week regardless. Kids and DH use it in cereal etc., I can't stand the stuff!

I will pay more just to get everything at one store (Publix) as it is not worth my time and gas to jet around all over town! I will pick up cereal and such if I ever HAVE to go in Walmart or see some good deals at Target. I am sure I could save if I tried. I probably should try! Guess that is why I was reading the end of this thread. This plan is not for us though.

 

[mommiepoppins]

Exactly! It is either buying the whole thing and watching it rot, or paying for convenience and actually eating it all!

Yep, the 16 yr old boy is eating us out of house and home! He is way taller than me and weighs more and STILL growing. I think he just passed his dad in height!

No way would I ever attempt this plan but was curious what people were doing. I looked today and saw I pay $4.19 for a gallon of milk. I really had no clue as it is something I buy every week regardless. Kids and DH use it in cereal etc., I can't stand the stuff!

I will pay more just to get everything at one store (Publix) as it is not worth my time and gas to jet around all over town! I will pick up cereal and such if I ever HAVE to go in Walmart or see some good deals at Target. I am sure I could save if I tried. I probably should try! Guess that is why I was reading the end of this thread. This plan is not for us though.

I do price garentee at wal mart. If a certin store has an item on sale. I bring the flyer to Walmart . I also shop at Aldi which is close. I will not drive all around town becuse I will end up spending more in gas, than what I was trying to save.