I have a nosy question

[blanq]

This has been a really interesting thread to read. I note that if you live in/near certain major metro areas, it appears that things cost more.

Our gas costs: $140/mo (1 SUV and 1 mid-size car). Note both DH and I work within 2 miles of our home, which really helps. We generally fill up once every other week.

Our food costs: $500/mo. We are a family of three and these costs include about $50 for my DS's hot lunches/milk at school, and also include paper products. It does not, however, include the costs of eating out.

 

[wright1baby]

Our family consists of Me, DH, DS9, DS7, DD5, and My father. We spend aprox. $180 on gas (but rising way too rapidly!!). 1 minivan, 1 compact. I clean houses while the kiddos are in school (1 a day) and DH works about 30 miles from home--he drives the compact. Groceries...It hurt to figure this out! I would guess it would be about $160 weekly. This includes bottled water and lots of fresh fruit. We have recently removed all convenience foods and snacks from the house and have noticed a huge difference in the activity level of the kids. Of course it could be the nice weather lately OR the fact that the boys are both grounded from PS2!! LOL
I used to be queen of the pantry! No one got any thing out unless I said so! Too much junk in there. Now the kids can get an apple, orange, banana, grapes, or their favorite string cheese, any time they want! They love the freedom it gives them and I love that they are eating better!

 

[THE HAT]

ok let's see...

gas for dh, who has a 3/4 ton 2500 dodge pu, with the license plate of gzl gzlr (sooo fitting), spends around 250.00 a month now.
during his busy season, (his reg job is 25 min each way(a buyer for a maine based lumber yard) and he does dock installation and finish work along with a few other odds and ends.) it is up to 500.00 (he is all over the state and has to use the truck for what he does)

gas for me in my grand prix is around 75.00 a month. i am a sahm of ds 8, but haven't figured out the sah part of it.

groceries for the month including pet food, for 2 fat cats and a 100.lb lab and all of our paper goods, and cleaning supplies runs around 800.00. i pack hubby a lunch every day, and ds lunchs cost 7.50 a week at school.

eating out is around 100.00 a month. (except for when dh grabs supper on the road which adds another 30.00 a month (busy season)

i keep trying to cut back the food bill, but fresh fruits and veggies are so expensive around here, as maine only has a short growing season. i do tend to have issues with impulse buys. if dh picks up the groceries he just gets what is on the list....only prob is if it says apples, he gets just that 2 apples. (so that lasts a day, and then i am in the store getting all he "missed and more")

i keep saying to myself "don't buy that nope don't need that gotta save for wdw!!"
though i do have a problem listening to that when a cute pair of shoes is on sale.

wow looking at the numbers in front of you is really scary these are just the numbers for reg. weeks not including b-days or anniverarys etc etc. unreal!!

 

[Aidensmom]

Gas 100.00 per month(dh car $60 mine $40, ds 19 on his own for gas)
groceries $200.00 per month including food,hba,laundry and cleaning. we have me,dh,ds19,dd6. dh,and ds take their lunches to work and dd takes lunch to school. We make breakast and dinner every night, eat out maybe once a month. I am a big couponer. When something is free after coupon I take it. The key to couponing is to stock up when you find a good sale.Yesterday I got 20 bottles of softsoap body wash for free, 10 suave hair gel for .25 each, 10 suave hairspray for .25, 10 aquafresh toothpaste for .29 each.Of course one problem to couponing is finding a place to keep everything. Our biggest expense of the $200 is meat we are all big meat eaters.

Wow!!! I definately need your advice on the grocery cost! I though I was good at it - use coupons, shop at the store that has on sale what I need, stock up on good buys - but I never have gotten deals like that. Can you give a little more detail on how you do that?

 

[bigmerle1966]

Gas 100.00 per month(dh car $60 mine $40, ds 19 on his own for gas)
groceries $200.00 per month including food,hba,laundry and cleaning. we have me,dh,ds19,dd6. dh,and ds take their lunches to work and dd takes lunch to school. We make breakast and dinner every night, eat out maybe once a month. I am a big couponer. When something is free after coupon I take it. The key to couponing is to stock up when you find a good sale.Yesterday I got 20 bottles of softsoap body wash for free, 10 suave hair gel for .25 each, 10 suave hairspray for .25, 10 aquafresh toothpaste for .29 each.Of course one problem to couponing is finding a place to keep everything. Our biggest expense of the $200 is meat we are all big meat eaters.

You sound like me. I do the same thing with coupons. I only buy toiletries with coupons and most times get stuff for less than $.50 each.

 

[bigmerle1966]

Wow!!! I definately need your advice on the grocery cost! I though I was good at it - use coupons, shop at the store that has on sale what I need, stock up on good buys - but I never have gotten deals like that. Can you give a little more detail on how you do that?

I get the same kind of deals as well. For me it is the fact that the grocery store I do my main shopping at doubles coupons up to $1. So say they have toothpaste on sale for $2.50 and you have a $1 off coupon it is doubled and the toothpaste will cost $.50. Just recently they had peanut butter for $1.50 and I had $.55 off so I got it for $.40 a jar. I got 6 jars of it, 2 of which we are bringing to Disney in June and the others I will share with my sister and a friend. I tend to buy a lot of toiletries when I can get them for little or nothing and at holiday times I will give stuff away to charity. At that time my office has a charity drive for pet supplies and I usually get cat food for $.10 to $.25 a can to give to that.

 

[Mermaid02]

We spend about $240 per month on gas (my minivan and dh's truck) and groceries is about $650 (me 37, dh 37, dd 15 and ds 8) I was thinking how obscene that is and I'm going to try doing the shopping at SuperWalmart for a month and see if I save. My girlfriend swears she saves $30 or $40 a week shopping there.

 

[cra-z-4-dizney]

Sheesh. I gotta get an economy car and start eating ramen noodles!

Me too!!!!!!! UGH I have got to find a way to save more money!!!! This is getting ridiculous. After reading all the other posts with familires of 5 (which I am) and they only spend like500.00 a month on food. I easily spend 800.00-900.00 a month....I am going to do a spread sheet and see what I can come up with. I know for starters I gotta cut out the junk food...no good for me or the kids.

 

[Jamesbyr]

Two kids (16 & 21), that makes four of us. Groceries $750 a month, including takeout once a week. Another $80 a month for real restaurants, and about $15 for cat food. Can't have her nibbling on our toes while we sleep.

No gas (this is Manhattan!) but about $100 a month for the subway.

 

[grlpwrd]

I see lots of people post here and other boards that they make their own cleaners, but I never see the recipes. Do you mind sharing where you find them?

I usually refer to my book collection on natural cleaners, but online there's recipes at

www.creativehomemaking.com/cleaning.shtml
www.organizedhome.com/content-8.html

and the most comprehensive so far : http://www.recipegoldmine.com/house/house.html

HTH

 

[bengalbelle]

I usually refer to my book collection on natural cleaners, but online there's recipes at

www.creativehomemaking.com/cleaning.shtml
www.organizedhome.com/content-8.html

and the most comprehensive so far : http://www.recipegoldmine.com/house/house.html

HTH

Thanks

 

[4fordisney]

We spend about $40 a month on gas and that is mostly for going to church. We work 2 days a week in our church's food pantry and then we go to Wednesday evening prayer service and Sunday worship. My dh works just a couple of blocks from home and many times he walks.

We spend $400 a month on groceries and that includes pet food, toiletries, and eating out. We buy a lot of our produce at Aldi. I would love to find better quality produce, but we live in a rural area in IL and can only find a farmer's market in the summertime. Our Wal-Mart is not yet a supercenter so most of our groceries come from Aldi and some things a local grocery store (their produce is poor quality and high priced!). Not very many options around here.

 

[leahannpen]

If you were to ask my three year old he would tell you that dinnier is "yucky" Kind of gets you down after awhile!

I'm having that same problem. It sure gets to me after a while. He seems to not like anything I cook. He'd be happy with a PB&J, Pancakes or Cinnamon Life every night. I am going out this week and buying a large griddle to make a huge batch of pancakes from scratch as I'm sick of buying the frozen kind.

What does everyone spend on their ground meat? I mean...what's a good deal? I've always wondered.

I've been reading up on freezer cooking. I'd like to stock up on that kind of thing for when I'm off on matenity leave. Times will be tough for us for a good year, as we will have 2 in full time day care and 1 in diapers with formula. Ugh. I'm loosing sleep over this.

We spend about $400 right now a month on groceries...though sometimes less. Including all paper products and bath items...paper and plastic etc... I've actually gotten that down a bit. I'm getting better at coupons and such. Much better. Makes me feel good. I got my first "free" item using a sale and coupon the other day. I was so proud! LOL!

The fresh fruit and milk hurts though, cause then I have to go back once a week..and then more things wind up in the cart. You know how that goes. But we need fresh fruit/veggies and milk. So what can you do?

For the person asking about home-made cleaning products:
Always buy white vinegar. The smell does go away on any hard surface in less than ten minutes.

All-Purpose Cleaner: You'll need a large spray bottle, a half
cup of baking soda, and enough water to dissolve. To this,
slowly add a cup of vinegar (it will fizz like mad for a bit),
then top off with more water. Let this mixture sit overnight,
and then flip end over end to mix. Be prepared for more
fizzing. When fizzing ends, it's ready to use.

All-Purpose Cleaner that Cuts Grease: Use the same recipe as
above, but add a teaspoon of dish detergent. Organic detergent
was my one splurge. After all, you are spraying this into the
air.

Window Cleaner: Mix warm water, one cup of vinegar, and two
capfuls of ammonia. Be careful and try not to inhale too much.
This mixture should be kept away from children.

Toilet Cleaner: Pour two cups of baking soda into toilet bowl,
scrub the inside, and flush. Now, pour two cups of vinegar
into the toilet bowl, swish around the inside, and flush. Do
not do this if you have a clog, as you will quickly have a
reenactment of Old Faithful in the toilet. However, regular
application will keep your drains sparklingly clean.

Hope that helps.

I'm so bummed...I just called some local grocery stores and NONE of them EVER offer double coupon days. That just burns me!

 

[bengalbelle]

I'm having that same problem. It sure gets to me after a while. He seems to not like anything I cook. He'd be happy with a PB&J, Pancakes or Cinnamon Life every night. I am going out this week and buying a large griddle to make a huge batch of pancakes from scratch as I'm sick of buying the frozen kind.

What does everyone spend on their ground meat? I mean...what's a good deal? I've always wondered.

I've been reading up on freezer cooking. I'd like to stock up on that kind of thing for when I'm off on matenity leave. Times will be tough for us for a good year, as we will have 2 in full time day care and 1 in diapers with formula. Ugh. I'm loosing sleep over this.

We spend about $400 right now a month on groceries...though sometimes less. Including all paper products and bath items...paper and plastic etc... I've actually gotten that down a bit. I'm getting better at coupons and such. Much better. Makes me feel good. I got my first "free" item using a sale and coupon the other day. I was so proud! LOL!

The fresh fruit and milk hurts though, cause then I have to go back once a week..and then more things wind up in the cart. You know how that goes. But we need fresh fruit/veggies and milk. So what can you do?

For the person asking about home-made cleaning products:
Always buy white vinegar. The smell does go away on any hard surface in less than ten minutes.

All-Purpose Cleaner: You'll need a large spray bottle, a half
cup of baking soda, and enough water to dissolve. To this,
slowly add a cup of vinegar (it will fizz like mad for a bit),
then top off with more water. Let this mixture sit overnight,
and then flip end over end to mix. Be prepared for more
fizzing. When fizzing ends, it's ready to use.

All-Purpose Cleaner that Cuts Grease: Use the same recipe as
above, but add a teaspoon of dish detergent. Organic detergent
was my one splurge. After all, you are spraying this into the
air.

Window Cleaner: Mix warm water, one cup of vinegar, and two
capfuls of ammonia. Be careful and try not to inhale too much.
This mixture should be kept away from children.

Toilet Cleaner: Pour two cups of baking soda into toilet bowl,
scrub the inside, and flush. Now, pour two cups of vinegar
into the toilet bowl, swish around the inside, and flush. Do
not do this if you have a clog, as you will quickly have a
reenactment of Old Faithful in the toilet. However, regular
application will keep your drains sparklingly clean.

Hope that helps.

I'm so bummed...I just called some local grocery stores and NONE of them EVER offer double coupon days. That just burns me!

I'm the one who asked about the homemade cleaners, so thanks .

Are any of those disinfectants?

I don't know if I'm paying too much, too little, etc., but we buy ground round and it's $2.78/lb.

 

[shirleyb]

No idea how much I spend on gas, but it's a lot!

On food, including cleaning supplies and toiletries, less the $400 per month for my family of 5. I'm a fiend at trying to save money on groceries. Last night, I went to the store, and my total was $43, and I spent $6. How's that for savings?

 

[Southern4sure]

I wished I could find a grocery store that double coupons.

Southern4sure

 

[Nicolepa]

I'm the one who asked about the homemade cleaners, so thanks .

Are any of those disinfectants?

I don't know if I'm paying too much, too little, etc., but we buy ground round and it's $2.78/lb.

The vinegar acts as a disinfectant.

 

[disneymom3]

The vinegar acts as a disinfectant.

You can also get tea tree oil to act as a disinfectant. It can be found at food co-op type stores. Makes me sneeze though so I stick with vinegar. For the window cleaner, you can also use just plain club soda. My kids love to wash the windows and this way I make sure they aren't in any danger and neither is the furniture since you actually can use club soda to get stains out! There is an amazing webpage on about.com about using vinegar and baking soda to clean and all kinds of other stuff. Really amazing!

I pay well over $3 per lb for 93% lean ground beef at the grocery store. Costco has 85% lean for $1.99 here.

We also have no stores that double coupons. Heck, we are hard pressed to find somewhere that will bag your groceries for you!

 

[crazymomof4]

After reading some of the previous posts I realize that I must be more frugal than I thought.

For our family DH, 3 DS's (8, 13 and 16), DD4, three cats and myself I spend:

~$440/ month on groceries, pet supplies and toiletries.
~$65-$90/ month on gas (and I drive a Suburban!- 13 mi/gal)

I also shop at Aldi 2X per month, weekly shopping is at Shop Rite.
I really shop the sale flyer. Stock up on things when on sale...get enough to last until the next time the item goes on sale.
Combine sale items with coupons.
We bought the meat grinder attachment to the Kitchen Aid and I grind our beef. I buy london broil on sale at $1.89, trim it and grind it. Makes the most delicious burgers we've ever had- very lean too! Also buy boneless veal and pork on sale and make my own "Meatloaf mix" for less than what that sells for.
I make a huge variety of dinners using the boneless chicken breast. I only buy that when it's on sale for $1.99.
We don't eat out much. I've found that we are usually disappointed in the quality of the food anyway.
We don't drink much alcohol. Occasional beer or wine with dinner.

 

[bengalbelle]

After reading some of the previous posts I realize that I must be more frugal than I thought.

For our family DH, 3 DS's (8, 13 and 16), DD4, three cats and myself I spend:

~$440/ month on groceries, pet supplies and toiletries.
~$65-$90/ month on gas (and I drive a Suburban!- 13 mi/gal)

I also shop at Aldi 2X per month, weekly shopping is at Shop Rite.
I really shop the sale flyer. Stock up on things when on sale...get enough to last until the next time the item goes on sale.
Combine sale items with coupons.
We bought the meat grinder attachment to the Kitchen Aid and I grind our beef. I buy london broil on sale at $1.89, trim it and grind it. Makes the most delicious burgers we've ever had- very lean too! Also buy boneless veal and pork on sale and make my own "Meatloaf mix" for less than what that sells for.
I make a huge variety of dinners using the boneless chicken breast. I only buy that when it's on sale for $1.99.
We don't eat out much. I've found that we are usually disappointed in the quality of the food anyway.
We don't drink much alcohol. Occasional beer or wine with dinner.

Wow, I never thought about grinding my own meat. I'm going to have to try that.
Have you ever tried grinding chicken? I have a recipe that calls for ground chicken and I've never seen it anywhere.