Just Had My Highest Grocery Bill Ever!

[Mouse House Mama]

I assume that question was directed at me.

Regular food. I don't really eat the same week to week. Like tonight I had chicken and curry cous cous, tomorrow I think I'm going to make shrimp pad thai. And over the weekend I made a lentil curry stew, with homemade bread, which I find to be much cheaper then buying bread at the store, and probably much healthier too.

Do you make the shrimp pad thai and chicken and curry cous cous from scratch or do you buy the bowls where you just have to heat it up? If you are buying the pre-made bowls I can see why your bill is cheap. Those bowls are only a $1 each and you can always get a coupon for them. If you are making them from scratch there is no way you are spending $40 a week. A bag of shrimp on sale costs about 15.99 which is almost half your budget.
As for the homemade bread I do agree that it is cheaper and healthier.

 

[eliza61]

My weekly bill is usually close to $300, but my highest was $1000 - I had earned enough shoprite points to have 50% off my bill (now it only goes up to 30%), so I got the max I was allowed. It was awesome!

You must be a Jerseyite. I shop at shoprite also or are they national?

Holy cow, even on a light shopping trip we're lucky to get out under 90 bucks! We spend about 250-300 every other week on groceries. Course, we're big carnivores here and eat steak/pork chops/stew type things at least 4-5 times a week.

Wow! I wish that I had your grocery bill. Our bill averages $130 a week for two people!

Ditto!! I'm lucky if I get under $100 bucks a week.

 

[BelleWDW]

I just spent so much at the store! It was even more then I thought it would be. $83 and some change. I know that might not seem like a lot for some people, but on a usual week, $40 is really high for me.

I keep on telling myself that it's because I spent over $30 on stuff for fruitcake, .

Honestly-I know so few people that even LIKE Fruitcake-I'd never make one. There are premade ones that are pretty good for $10-20 at the grocery store that fit the bill.

 

[Jenn4615]

I so wish my grocery bill was 83 dollars! UGH...ours is almost 300 a week! two adults and two kids, and we DO NOT eat alot! LOL

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Do you make the shrimp pad thai and chicken and curry cous cous from scratch or do you buy the bowls where you just have to heat it up? If you are buying the pre-made bowls I can see why your bill is cheap. Those bowls are only a $1 each and you can always get a coupon for them. If you are making them from scratch there is no way you are spending $40 a week. A bag of shrimp on sale costs about 15.99 which is almost half your budget.
As for the homemade bread I do agree that it is cheaper and healthier.

Yes, they were both made from scratch.

I believe when I bought the shirmp it was $4 a pound, and I can make a couple meals out of it, so I don't know why you would say there's no way I can be spending that little.

Honestly-I know so few people that even LIKE Fruitcake-I'd never make one. There are premade ones that are pretty good for $10-20 at the grocery store that fit the bill.

A lot of people I know like fruitcake, or at least the kind I make. I'm making a bunch of little loaves to give away, and then one big one for my family.

 

[mom2val]

I can sympathize with you. We're a family of 5 & I'm a big couponer. I have a nice stockpile in my freezers & pantry. I almost cry if I go over $60 per week. Yes-people it can be done-$60 or less per week for a family of 5. Just hang in there & look for sales & use coupons.

We spend $60 a week on meat alone! Then the fresh fruits and vegs add at least another $40. Hit the dairy and there goes $15, pet food $10, cleaning supplies $5, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper $12.. it all adds up. I'm lucky to get out for less than $150 a week for 3 of us.

 

[mrodgers]

I always wonder what people are buying when they have those $150 weekly bills. We are a family of 2 adults, 1 college kid at home and usually spend $75 or less. We don't buy many prepackaged foods and the meals are simple but healthy, usually made with chicken.

I always wondered what the heck you folks claiming only $75 per week are eating. I can only eat so much oodles of noodles.

Do you folks also count cleaning products and similar on the grocery bill? We do because it is what we buy when grocery shopping. 2 adults and 2 kids we spend about $150/week not including beef. We get our beef butchered from family, but don't eat it much.

We don't do coupons. Everything coupon related we find is for stuff we wouldn't buy anyways. It costs us more to use coupons because we wouldn't buy the stuff to begin with. We tried once, poured over the coupons in the paper, searched the internet, couldn't find any coupons on products we would use. 50 cents off a jar of $2.99 spagetti sauce isn't saving money when we would have bought the $1.50 spagetti sauce instead without a coupon.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Yes, they were both made from scratch.

I believe when I bought the shirmp it was $4 a pound, and I can make a couple meals out of it, so I don't know why you would say there's no way I can be spending that little.
A lot of people I know like fruitcake, or at least the kind I make. I'm making a bunch of little loaves to give away, and then one big one for my family.

Why would I say that? Because I have no idea where you live but shrimp is never $4 a pound here and I live on an island. We have tons of fish markets and it is still never that cheap. Good for you though if you got it that cheap.
As for the fruticake- I too don't know one person who actually likes it either.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I always wondered what the heck you folks claiming only $75 per week are eating. I can only eat so much oodles of noodles.
Do you folks also count cleaning products and similar on the grocery bill? We do because it is what we buy when grocery shopping. 2 adults and 2 kids we spend about $150/week not including beef. We get our beef butchered from family, but don't eat it much.

We don't do coupons. Everything coupon related we find is for stuff we wouldn't buy anyways. It costs us more to use coupons because we wouldn't buy the stuff to begin with. We tried once, poured over the coupons in the paper, searched the internet, couldn't find any coupons on products we would use. 50 cents off a jar of $2.99 spagetti sauce isn't saving money when we would have bought the $1.50 spagetti sauce instead without a coupon.

I feel the same way! I can't imagine eating that cheap without having mac and cheese and ramen noodles as a staple food. We also like tons of fresh fruit and veggies. I will not skimp on that stuff.
We don't eat any prepackaged foods. Even eating pasta one or two nights does not cut down my bill. We like things like meatballs and braciole with our macaroni. Even if I make pasta with veggies you can only eat that so many times and then you need some protein.

 

[pipersmom]

I feel the same way! I can't imagine eating that cheap without having mac and cheese and ramen noodles as a staple food. We also like tons of fresh fruit and veggies. I will not skimp on that stuff.We don't eat any prepackaged foods. Even eating pasta one or two nights does not cut down my bill. We like things like meatballs and braciole with our macaroni. Even if I make pasta with veggies you can only eat that so many times and then you need some protein.

My dd & I do about $50 of groceries a week. Unfortunately these days it is MORE expensive to buy fresh fruits and veggies and no pre-packaged foods, for the most part. While we do fresh fruit, we use frozen veggies ( I can almost always find a coupon, and the steamer packages are almost as tasty as fresh ones.) I refuse to buy mac & cheese or ramon noodles, lol. We do use whole wheat pasta, I buy meat in bulk from a locally owned grocery..think .99 a lb for ground chicken & turkey, or boneless, skinless chicken breast strips, and sometimes chix breasts. We don't do a lot of beef, maybe once a week. I really do think a lot of it is regional, I can get shrimp here for under $8/lb easily. Right now I'm paying $3 for a gallon of milk, $2.50 for a loaf of "good" bread..ie, Arnold's or Pepperidge Farms. We don't use "mushy white bread"..lol.


As a side note...we both looooooove fruit cake! Piper and I get all excited when we see they're out in the stores..so..PP that makes fruitcakes..if you need to get rid of some, just let me know!

 

[mkel34]

Why would I say that? Because I have no idea where you live but shrimp is never $4 a pound here and I live on an island. We have tons of fish markets and it is still never that cheap. Good for you though if you got it that cheap.
As for the fruticake- I too don't know one person who actually likes it either.

Maine shrimp season is just starting and with the overabundance of shrimp that will flood the market we'll be lucky to see $4 a lb. in Mass. Frozen prepackaged is still about $9 a lb.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Maine shrimp season is just starting and with the overabundance of shrimp that will flood the market we'll be lucky to see $4 a lb. in Mass. Frozen prepackaged is still about $9 a lb.

Can you send me some lobster? It is always the Christmas Eve budget buster.

 

[locolala]

We don't really do coupons.. in order to get them we'd have to get a newspaper, and that would likely cost us more than we'd save by using coupons! They don't really do big sales at the commissary, but when they do the case lot sales we stock up on things like bottled water and other things that won't go bad. We don't have much storage room at all, so we don't have the option of buying most stuff in bulk. We rarely eat convience food for dinner, I do sometimes for lunch because it's quick and lets me get back to studying or cleaning.

 

[Lucille1963]

I'm not a coupon-clipper either. I tried for a while, but I quickly realized that it made me buy things that I wouldn't normally buy. I'm not into prepared foods, and we can't eat a lot of pasta.

As stated earlier, $30 + a week goes to fresh fruits and veggies. I do my best to shop the sales on those, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. DH and DS2 are such fruit fiends. Not exaggerating, if our fruit basket is fully stocked, DH will eat 8 pieces a day. Even when fruit is in season, the price escalates quickly!

We do not buy lunch meat because a) it is too darn expensive b) I hate the preserveatives and c) my body can't handle the additional salt. When we want meat sandwiches (which isn't every day) we eat sliced chicken thighs. It is cheaper, more delicious (to me) and free of the extra chemicals and sodium.

Buying meat is a big budget breaker. I don't like meat that has been frozen, so it really limits our meals to what is on sale that week. Sometimes, only the toddler gets meat.

Recently I finally learned how to roast a whole chicken and love it (way better than the pre-cooked store ones!) I even use the carcass to make stock!

I wish we could get shrimp that cheap here! ....oh wait...I'm too picky about that too I only buy shrimp a few times a year because it has to be wild, gulf shrimp. The farmed asian stuff just doesn't taste right!

Enjoy your fruitcake! It sounds like a great splurge!!

 

[czycropper]

I'm not a coupon clipper either with the exception of cleaning products. I've found that the store brands are much cheaper than using the coupon.

I have to go back tonight and get more fruit - that's going to be at least $15 for sure. My girls eat fruit for breakfast & snacks!

 

[Minnesota!]

Just wait until those boys start growing and REALLY eating. We are feeling it, and we aren't even close to being into the teen years!

Oh my kids are huge eaters. The 5 year old will easily have 2 sandwiches, a piece of fruit, and some goldfish for lunch. The 2 year old isn't far behind. The 5 year old can put down 2 cheeseburgers and a load of veggies in no time flat. It's so bad that I have to tell him to sit and take a break when eating b/c he will finish and say he is still hungry. Crazy. When DH makes hot dogs for all of them (I don't eat them - YUCK!), he will make 8. 3 for him, 3 for DS#1, and 2 for DS#2.

Just crazy. I just still don't get it.

 

[Virgderon]

We moved to Tampa in the spring and I find food much cheaper than in Chicago, with better quality fruits and veggies as well. We go to the local flea market, and I buy a package with 4 steaks, 4 pork chops, 4 chicken breasts, 4 italian sausage and 4 hamburger patties for $35. Then I shop the produce stand at the same flea market, and they usually have bags of veggies for $1.00. So $5.00 later I have broccoli, red potatoes, peppers, etc. to go with the meat I bought.

I try to use coupons for toiletries, laundry detergent, etc, and buy the item on sale in conjunction with the manufacturers coupon.

 

[Minnesota!]

Yes, they were both made from scratch.

I believe when I bought the shirmp it was $4 a pound, and I can make a couple meals out of it, so I don't know why you would say there's no way I can be spending that little.

A lot of people I know like fruitcake, or at least the kind I make. I'm making a bunch of little loaves to give away, and then one big one for my family.

I just bought a few bags of raw shrimp - $6/pound. A bag will get us through 2 or 3 meals. So $2/meal. Not bad!

I always wondered what the heck you folks claiming only $75 per week are eating. I can only eat so much oodles of noodles.

Do you folks also count cleaning products and similar on the grocery bill? We do because it is what we buy when grocery shopping. 2 adults and 2 kids we spend about $150/week not including beef. We get our beef butchered from family, but don't eat it much.
.

We don't do ramen's or anything. I buy them for our nanny to have once in a while, but the same 3 packs have been sitting in my cupboard for about 5 months now. We buy mac-n-cheese because I make a hot dish out of it for them to have for lunch for the week.

Cleaning products, paper products, etc. are in a separate budget - I budget $50/month for Target - which covers cleaning, toiletries, diapers, and wipes. Can't wait until DS is potty trained and I can cut that down to $20/month.

We do shop at Costco - get our bread, eggs, milk, shredded cheese, tortillas, frozen corn, edemame, and tilapia fillets there. I buy some canned veggies for the nanny to use for lunch. Canned veggies are better then no veggies. She knows to rinse them in a colander before cooking/serving.

I make double batches of everything, usually. Chili, spag sauce, beef stew, etc. The second batch goes into the freezer.

Tonight is tacos with buffalo (got 1/4 buffalo in April for about $400. Got about 80# ground, 40# steaks, about 6 roasts, etc.), shredded cheese, black beans I made the other day, and some salsa. Will cut up the pineapple I got at Costco for $2 and call it dinner. AND there will be enough leftovers for DH to have 2 lunches this week. Pretty economical.

I do a lot of rollover meals - chili turns into chili spaghetti the next night. Roast turns into beef noodle soup, etc.

It's just simple and saves us a ton of money.