I need a shoulder to cry on... (and maybe advice?)

[sydneysmom]

First of all, I took offense to that....not sure if you care. Second of all NO MY FATHER DID NOT FEED ME. HE ate the food, thought that was kind of obvious. Non perishables were kept in his room, in his closet, in a safe. All locked. My only meal was free school lunch which I had to enroll myself into without my fathers permission. I did not weigh more than 92 pounds until I was pregnant with my first child.

Maybe hard for you to understand, or believe....you're just gonna have to trust that a ttal stranger wouldn't say something like that only to feel bad about themselves. He was crazy......still is somewhere out in the world. Tryed to kill me the day before I was removed by the state of NH from his house at age 16.

I don't care if you believe me or not, just don't call me a liar.

wow.....sending big hugs your way. You should be proud that you made it through a life like that and that you're building a better one for yourself. to the doubters..... walk a mile in someone else's shoes before judging someone else's life.


for the original OP of the thread.....I'm kind of confused. You asked for everyone's sympathy and advice because you overspend on your grocery budget. You asked for advice on how to save money. You're on the budget board. We're real people living within our means trying to save money every day where ever we can. So people gave advice and tips, to which you've kind of spit on all of them and turned your nose up at everyone. If you didn't want advice, why post ? Everyone was only trying to help. You can't have it both ways.... you can't choose to live organic / eat the purest foods / serve filet and shrimp every night then expect to only spend a minimal amount food shoppping....something's got to give. If you don't want to give anything up, that's perfectly fine. but it doesn't warrant sympathy or complaints either.

 

[Pigeon]

We're talking your classic champagne taste on a beer budget here.

 

[GinnyEmma]

Princess674, you rock, lol! Lol, it is like the people who drive their hummer to whole foods.

 

[Judique]

That is still pretty much the case with The Exchange/AAFES, however I have not found that to be the case with the Commissary, they are run by 2 different entities. The prices at the Commissary are almost rock bottom, well they are at least at Ft. Bening, their prices can't beat any off-base prices (coupons or BOGO), that I have found. Everything and I mean everything I buy at the Commissary, if it isn't 50% less than Walmart (where I used to do the majority of my shopping), it is almost 50%.

The only other grocery stores we have in the area are Publix, Walmart, Winn Dixie (everyone of those are nasty and higher priced than Publix), and Piggly Wiggly. That is very few choices. I am a one stop shopper, I don't have time to bs with all that other price matching stuff. If I didn't work, maybe I would, but I do work and my time is valuable.

Suzanne

The markup is supposed to be the surcharge and the surcharge takes care of the operating costs.

Commissaries are really an excellent benefit. Overall - you can't beat the prices.You get brand names for less then other stores store brands. And when companies come in and run promos, such as case sales, you get incredible deals. The cereal companies will hand you a wad of coupons to buy cereal for as low as 25 cents a box.Once the company rep walks away, that sale is over.

That said, you can shop cheaper and can lower your bill and never walk into the commissary. That takes time, effort, couponing and the willingness to use less familiar products - that are just as good and nutritious as branded products. Regular, non military people do it every day. I had commissary benefit for 20 plus years - then I hit the real world for the past 10 years. After a period of adjustment I learned to shop and save and stay in my budget without the benefit. I can still have steak and shrimp. Your budget often reflects your lifestyle. If you are willing to change your lifestyle, you can also alter your budget. If the shrimp and steak stay and the money is tight and the price goes up, something has to give, if the paycheck doesn't also increase.

So in my opinion, the key to your food budget is deciding what is important to you at the food store and you seem to have already made that decision. So - if more money is needed - get a job(or second job), or cut other spending. Good bye cable, cell, clothing, movies or other nonessential luxuries.

Good luck and thank you both for serving your country.

 

[Beckypooh1972]

I went WAY over budget on groceries this week... and I'm not even finished.

We budget $100/week. I spent $142.

Also of note is that in my meal planning for the week, I am making one LARGE batch of soup that will definitely feed us for more than just dinner and lunch. And we're havin a party on Saturday (we expect 20-30 people) where I'll have shredded chicken in the crock pot and seasoned ground beef for tacos with all the appropriate tacos. I guess I'm just worried about the budget since I know I have to go back later in the week... and then again on Tuesday! (Thursday I'll be getting the produce that I'll need for weekend meals and Tuesday I'll be getting the next week's groceries... and shrimp for that night's meal)

I know! It's so easy to do these days. I've really noticed food prices on the rise (produce higher than last summer, etc.). I feel like I can spend $80.00 and not even walk out with 5 meals worth of food.

Having people over can be a real budget buster. I always spend more than I think I will - I'll decide I need extra paper goods, extra drinks, that one more side dish or extra bread I think we'll use and before I know it - I'm over budget. I'd definitely see if guests could bring something unless you feel uncomfortable asking.

Wish I could get my hubby to eat soup several days in a row. There's no way. He isn't crazy about leftovers anyway but eating the same thing over and over to save money wouldn't go over too well at my house.

My advice is to be careful with the coupons and name brand pre-packaged foods. I've found I save the most money by cooking from scratch whenever time allows and making meat purchases stretch over more than 1 meal.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.

 

[Beckypooh1972]

I would have go to the store to see the prices on those items. And since those are the things that are the biggest factor in meal planning... it makes it hard to do ahead of time... and with a toddler, I just can't plan meals IN the grocery store once I see what's on sale... maybe one or two a week, but not a whole week's worth.

There's just so much to learn and consider!

I posted earlier before reading through all the thread. I have young children and find it really challenging to keep track of what I'm getting when I shop with them. It isn't really that they beg for stuff. I find I don't have adequate attention to spare on comparison shopping because I have to keep an eye on my kids. I do so much better when I shop without the kids! Sometimes they sneak stuff onto the belt or the cart too -- I once came home with a bottle of lite soy sauce I know I didn't put in the cart...

 

[Liberty Belle]

First of all, I took offense to that....not sure if you care. Second of all NO MY FATHER DID NOT FEED ME. HE ate the food, thought that was kind of obvious. Non perishables were kept in his room, in his closet, in a safe. All locked. My only meal was free school lunch which I had to enroll myself into without my fathers permission. I did not weigh more than 92 pounds until I was pregnant with my first child.

Maybe hard for you to understand, or believe....you're just gonna have to trust that a ttal stranger wouldn't say something like that only to feel bad about themselves. He was crazy......still is somewhere out in the world. Tryed to kill me the day before I was removed by the state of NH from his house at age 16.

I don't care if you believe me or not, just don't call me a liar.

I'm so sorry. I absolutely believe you. I worked in a school that had some students in the same type of situation. Their's was usually due to poverty and neglect. What was interesting was, these kids NEVER missed a day of school and they were NEVER late to school (plenty of time to eat breakfast at school), even though most got themselves up and "ready". They often cried on the last day of school and you couldn't help but think it was because they knew what kind of hunger they'd be facing.

I guess none of your teachers knew? Did your friend's mom not tell CPS? So sad.

 

[Jedana]

First of all, I took offense to that....not sure if you care. Second of all NO MY FATHER DID NOT FEED ME. HE ate the food, thought that was kind of obvious. Non perishables were kept in his room, in his closet, in a safe. All locked. My only meal was free school lunch which I had to enroll myself into without my fathers permission. I did not weigh more than 92 pounds until I was pregnant with my first child.

Maybe hard for you to understand, or believe....you're just gonna have to trust that a ttal stranger wouldn't say something like that only to feel bad about themselves. He was crazy......still is somewhere out in the world. Tryed to kill me the day before I was removed by the state of NH from his house at age 16.

I don't care if you believe me or not, just don't call me a liar.

I am so very sorry you had to live through that.
My 2nd DD has some friends that have been in similar situations (abusive or neglectful parents) that we have tried to help; we've had a few that have even moved in temporairly until they can arrange something with other family members.
I hope that you can move on, and maybe use what has happened to you, and turn it to good. Maybe you can help someone else who is going through a similar issue, kwim? It does help (BTDT).