Monthly Grocery Budget Challenge!!

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I did my weekly shopping today. Must admit I am way off this month on keeping the food pyramid standing upright. Can you believe I grilled chicken on the grill at 5pm and at 7pm we had hail the size of golf balls pounding on our house. Needless to say we shopped very quick as the kids did NOT want to be home alone!! And last night we had so much lightening that I went into a full blown panic attack... Freaky weather. It doesn't help that DD15 keeps telling DS12 that it's in the Bible and the end of the world is starting and her believes her!


Jubilee

1 loaf bread $1.49
Hard Salami $1.24
Honey Turkey Breast $2.56
Lunchable $2.06
Chips for Lunches $2.00
Bananas $2.26
1 gallon Milk $3.06
Total $14.67

Walgreens

Female stuff b1g1f $3.25


I will update my weekly post on the first page tomorrow...

 

[estherhead]

I just wanted to comment of the veggie/fruits on the lists.

This is from 5aday.org

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid recommends 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. And getting 5 to 9 servings is easier than you may think.


A serving size is:

One medium-size fruit
1/2 cup raw, cooked, frozen or canned fruits (in 100% juice) or vegetables
3/4 cup (6 oz.) 100% fruit or vegetable juice
1/2 cup cooked, canned or frozen legumes (beans and peas)
1 cup raw, leafy vegetables
1/4 cup dried fruit
Wondering how many servings you really need each day?

Children (2-6 yrs.), women, and others who typically need about 1,600 calories to reach or maintain a healthy weight:
5 servings – 2 fruits, 3 vegetables

Older children, teen girls, active women, and most men who typically need about 2,200 calories to reach or maintain a healthy weight:
7 servings – 3 fruits, 4 vegetables

Teen boys and active men, who typically need about 2,800 calories to reach or maintain a healthy weight:
9 servings – 4 fruits, 5 vegetables


So serving sizes aren't huge. Even if you ate 9 servings, it's only 4 1/2 cups. My 7 yr old daughter can easily eat that much fruit in a day, and that is just the fruit! I have to hold her back so the rest of the family can have some too.

As for not seeing it on our grocery lists, we stockpiled on frozen veggies a while ago & my dad has a huge garden with greens & herbs available right now. So mostly veggies won't show up on my lists. I think most people are probably the same. It's harder to stockpile fruit, though we do have a ton of applesauce my girls have been eating which won't show up on my lists. If we did this for longer than one month, you'd start to see some weeks when I have 25 bags of frozen veggies. I buy them when they are $1.00 a bag & try to have coupons.

I admit my kids don't get the veggies they should. It's like pulling teeth to get veggies in them. They'll eat their favorites over & over but there are only so many times I can have the exact same veggie! I was this exact same way as a child & I grew up strong & healthy & eating veggies so I don't worry too much about it. I think just presenting new ones to them over & over in new ways will help out in the long run.

I really don't believe that eating healthy means expensive. I hear that a lot on here. Buying only organic (which I don't do) can be added expense, though around here we have sales on organics, coupons on organics, and farmer's markets so I'm not sure that's true here. I do think having to eat dairy free or gluten free adds quite a bit of cost to a weekly menu. But for the majority of non-food sensitive families, you can get plenty of fruits & veggies and still keep to a tight budget.

 

[stahshee]

I am up to 316.30 now. I picked up milk. I think my milk prices are going down, or they are just haveing good deals

 

[stahshee]

I just wanted to comment of the veggie/fruits on the lists.

This is from 5aday.org

The USDA Food Guide Pyramid recommends 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. And getting 5 to 9 servings is easier than you may think.


A serving size is:

One medium-size fruit
1/2 cup raw, cooked, frozen or canned fruits (in 100% juice) or vegetables
3/4 cup (6 oz.) 100% fruit or vegetable juice
1/2 cup cooked, canned or frozen legumes (beans and peas)
1 cup raw, leafy vegetables
1/4 cup dried fruit
Wondering how many servings you really need each day?

Children (2-6 yrs.), women, and others who typically need about 1,600 calories to reach or maintain a healthy weight:
5 servings – 2 fruits, 3 vegetables

Older children, teen girls, active women, and most men who typically need about 2,200 calories to reach or maintain a healthy weight:
7 servings – 3 fruits, 4 vegetables

Teen boys and active men, who typically need about 2,800 calories to reach or maintain a healthy weight:
9 servings – 4 fruits, 5 vegetables


So serving sizes aren't huge. Even if you ate 9 servings, it's only 4 1/2 cups. My 7 yr old daughter can easily eat that much fruit in a day, and that is just the fruit! I have to hold her back so the rest of the family can have some too.

As for not seeing it on our grocery lists, we stockpiled on frozen veggies a while ago & my dad has a huge garden with greens & herbs available right now. So mostly veggies won't show up on my lists. I think most people are probably the same. It's harder to stockpile fruit, though we do have a ton of applesauce my girls have been eating which won't show up on my lists. If we did this for longer than one month, you'd start to see some weeks when I have 25 bags of frozen veggies. I buy them when they are $1.00 a bag & try to have coupons.

I admit my kids don't get the veggies they should. It's like pulling teeth to get veggies in them. They'll eat their favorites over & over but there are only so many times I can have the exact same veggie! I was this exact same way as a child & I grew up strong & healthy & eating veggies so I don't worry too much about it. I think just presenting new ones to them over & over in new ways will help out in the long run.

I really don't believe that eating healthy means expensive. I hear that a lot on here. Buying only organic (which I don't do) can be added expense, though around here we have sales on organics, coupons on organics, and farmer's markets so I'm not sure that's true here. I do think having to eat dairy free or gluten free adds quite a bit of cost to a weekly menu. But for the majority of non-food sensitive families, you can get plenty of fruits & veggies and still keep to a tight budget.

I love fresh fruit I never mesure the serving size. I just graze on it all day

 

[estherhead]

OK, my week is hopefully done on page 7. I've got $187.13 left for the month. I'll still have to buy milk, that's it though. So we should be in great shape as next week, unless there is some amazing sale, I don't need anything but fruit, fresh veggies, and milk and yogurt.

 

[SereneOne]

We spend about $125 a week for a family of four and a dog, cat and bird, including toiletries, etc.

When my DH is local,

Mon-Salmon, wild rice, spinach and roasted tomatoes
Tues-Grilled bbq Chicken, cole slaw, baked beans
Wed-Keilbasa, sour kraut, mac and cheese, succotash
Thurs-Grilled porkchops, yellow rice, string beans and squash
Friday-steak and chicken faquitas with peppers and onions, spanish rice, black beans.
Saturday-Pecan encrusted tilapia, pasta, peas and carrots
Sunday-Roast with potatoes, carrots, peas, and corn, bisquits and chocolate cake.

Skim Milk to drink and throughout the day, we eat bananas and apples, for breakfast we have strawberries and blueberries with our cereal, usually raisins too.

If my DH is out of town, I eat spaghetti, Mon thru Thurs, as in a can of Hunt's tomato sauce and some vermicelli noodles with p. cheese sprinkled on top. My preschooler is tubefed, which is Pediasure but insurance covers that but she does it some by mouth and my teen works and eats out often.

 

[stahshee]

One thing I have noticed in this challenge is that I paid 30 cents more per pound for ground turkey than from the first week. Also Cherry tomatoes went down 4 cents at Aldi...

 

[cnj]

So, I went to Costco last night. I spent $67 ($30 of that was for a new boogie board for my husband. We go to the beach 1-2 times a week now that it is summer. ) I bought:

gala apples
thin sliced ham
raw tortillas
2 4 packs of butter
pineapple


I still have to go to Vons today.

We have tons of frozen vegetables in the freezer that I sneak into dinner. If I haven't bought it yet, you will see me stock up on it all at once. In all honesty though. I hate vegetables and my kids won't eat them. So, I sneak in what I can and they get fruit throughout the day.

I still have 4 bags of frozen bell peppers (I put these in just about everything), 2 bags of frozen onions, 3 bags of stir fry vegetables. I also have about 30 cans of tomatoes in the garage, 10 cans of green beans and corn, etc. Just like my butter I bought yesterday, that should last me until September. I just stocked up on tons of fruit cups last week.

They eat an apple a day. Tonight, I will sneak in a can of diced tomatoes into the burrito mix and no one will be the wiser. I really don't think we eat unhealthy, just not as healthy as some people. We are all a good weight (just ask my wiifit person ). I have never liked salad, but started liking it about a month ago. My husband teased me that I am finally growing up. My kids think that dessert is a special treat. They only get it 2-3 times a week. We just don't offer it that often. And thank God for gummy vitamins! I guess everyone is just different. I certainly am not going to judge anyone, because that is their family and I do not care what they do. It is hard enough raising my own family, I certainly don't want to raise anyone else's. And on that note, I have to go get ready for swim lessons.

 

[estherhead]

I certainly am not going to judge anyone, because that is their family and I do not care what they do. It is hard enough raising my own family, I certainly don't want to raise anyone else's.

Love this. We're all doing the best we can health-wise & as parents (for those on here who are) we all have guilt enough on our own! We don't need guilt on the Disboards.
I've LOVED seeing how everyone breaks everything down. For those who spend $30 a week & those who spend $300 a week, it's budget living if that is what you can afford. For those eating vegan to those eating farm-rasied cattle, we're all feeding our families as best & as healthy as fits into our own needs, desires, and lifestyles.

Keep posting, ya'll. I'm lovin' it. And loving how responsible it is keeping me. I've never really recorded exactly what I've spent just on groceries. It all has gotten mixed in with "household/clothes/toys/etc" and I've enjoyed seeing how much I really do spend!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I just want to say - I wasn't at all trying to make anyone feel guilty or badly about what they eat! I was intending to explain why my family eats the way we do, even though it probably costs us a bit more.

Teresa

 

[stahshee]

322.06 for the month. I just bought Quick oats

 

[cnj]

Back from Vons. Spent $31. I bought:

4 cantaloupes $4
2 limes $1
3 salsas $6.50
2 zatarains rice mixes .50
2 pepperidge farm cookies $1.90
tortilla chips .79
lunch sandwich for my husband tomorrow for work $5.49
2 hormel black label bacon $5.49
2 pantiliners $1
toothpaste FREE
2 hair gels $3
pizza rolls .30
2 cascades FREE (I got 3 years of free cascade with my dishwasher purchase 3 years ago, 45 coupons or so.)
2 packs gummy bears

That's it for the week.

 

[JLKennedy]

Thanks for taking the time to share your grocery lists. No disrespect, but I still see gaps in some of the lists where there is not much food, and on other lists, I see lots of processed food like tater tots with dinner and pop tarts and honey buns for breakfast. Also, I am amazed at the price discrepancies around the country. If I shopped the same list as the pp, I would spend at least $20 more.

Some of the meals are healthy, but sloppy joes, suddenly salad, and hot dogs are not staples I could raise my kids on week in and week out. I shudder to think what kind of "meat" is in the $1.00 package of hotdogs and don't even get me started on the carb overload with the foods, either.

Okay, sorry to be a downer but I could not shop or eat like many of you. I wish I could, but I would not metabolize that food and would be very overweight in due time. Again, not all of the meals were like this, but most are. I see now why my groceries cost a lot more. We just eat differently. Also, we go through 4 or 5 gallons of fat free milk each week. One gallon would last a little over a day.

ITA...I'm right with you. My DD9, will guzzle a gallon of ff milk in a sitting, IF we allowed it.

I also don't understand why "pump soaps" are being bought at B&BWorks, you can get them so much cheaper at Walmart, Target, etc, maybe not in cucumber melon fragrance, but maybe cucumber honeydew...

 

[encinc]

Well, I just don't know how you guys do it. I went shopping today, and here is my list (family of three adults, two of us are vegan but you will see a steak in there that my one son wanted - he's the only non-vegan. I have other family over for dinner once a week or so and include food for them too).

Total with taxes: $155.69

I'm glad I'm not the only Canadian who is having trouble imagining some of the low grocery budgets posted on here. I'm working hard to reduce our food budget, but like you, I buy lots of fruits and veggies, and it's so hard to keep the cost down. I do shop at the local farmer's market occasionally, but truthfully, I don't find the prices all that much cheaper than at the grocery store. It's so hard to get things in season, and that's the only way that I find them to be a lot cheaper at market.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I agree with you - Farmer's Markets are really only cheaper for seasonal produce and the season is so darn short!

I think the other thing is that we just don't seem to get the coupons that they do in the US. Our newspapers have food ads, but very rarely have coupons. Sometimes people doing "in-store" demos will give out coupons, but I find most of those products are pretty highly processed and not what I would buy.

I also rarely buy frozen vegetables, which some other posters mentioned using a lot. Freezing seems to me to affect the texture, and eating (for example) broccoli that has been frozen can actually make me gag, while I can eat and enjoy a ton of fresh broccoli. Since we eat a lot of vegetables, and I want to encourage it for my family, I prefer to buy fresh as much as I can. I will vary the ones I buy depending on the season - we'll have more cabbage in the winter, for example. I also like to serve a lot of salads with romaine, spinach, arugula, etc., since my research suggests a lot of benefits to eating dark, leafy greens.

We're getting into pick-your-own season soon and I'm hoping to be able to do some stocking up, especially of fruit - it seems to survive freezing better than the veggies!

Teresa

 

[stahshee]

I agree with you - Farmer's Markets are really only cheaper for seasonal produce and the season is so darn short!

I think the other thing is that we just don't seem to get the coupons that they do in the US. Our newspapers have food ads, but very rarely have coupons. Sometimes people doing "in-store" demos will give out coupons, but I find most of those products are pretty highly processed and not what I would buy.

I also rarely buy frozen vegetables, which some other posters mentioned using a lot. Freezing seems to me to affect the texture, and eating (for example) broccoli that has been frozen can actually make me gag, while I can eat and enjoy a ton of fresh broccoli. Since we eat a lot of vegetables, and I want to encourage it for my family, I prefer to buy fresh as much as I can. I will vary the ones I buy depending on the season - we'll have more cabbage in the winter, for example. I also like to serve a lot of salads with romaine, spinach, arugula, etc., since my research suggests a lot of benefits to eating dark, leafy greens.

We're getting into pick-your-own season soon and I'm hoping to be able to do some stocking up, especially of fruit - it seems to survive freezing better than the veggies!

Teresa

when ever I have left over veggies I freeze them

 

[JaxJags08]

I went to CVS and Winn-Dixie yesterday for my weekly grocery shopping trip. I usually go to Publix, but thought Winn-Dixie might be cheaper for me. It wasn't. They ran out of one of the main reasons I went there. It also isn't clean and nice looking as the Publix I go to and the customer service isn't as good. I may try Super Wal-Mart next week, depending on their weekly ad.

CVS

Clorox Anywhere Spray (2) - $5
CVS brand Clorox Ready Mop Pads - $5
CVS brand sunscreen $6
Colgate $1.88
Toothbrushes (2 pack) $3.99
Minus $4 in coupons
Total $19

Winn-Dixie

24 count bottled water $3.34
Charmin Ultra (9 rolls) $5.50
Apple Juice $2
Frozen Veggies (2 packs) $3 each
Antibacterial wipes (2 packs) $1.09 each
Boneless chicken breast cutlets $5.03
Fryer drumsticks $2.85
Cat Litter $3.99
Rawhides (for dog) $4.99
Goldfish $1.67
Chocolate Milk (1 gal) $5.39
Milk (2%) $4.29
Chex Mix $2.69
Fruit Cups (2) $2.50 each
Chef Boyardee (2) $1 each
Plain Yogurt $1.19
Glade Plug-In refill $2
Bread $1.99
Bananas $2.24
Strawberries $2.50
Razors $1.99
Flavored Rice (2) $1.67 each
Onion $.46
Salmon Fillet (1 lb) $5.75
Catfish Fillets (4) $7.27
Total - $86

Week Total $105

Well, I went a little over what I wanted (well, a lot). I know that I still have to go get dog food this week, so that will be added to my total. While I haven't even sniffed $75 a week, I am happy with the progress that I've made. I am much better at planning out our meals, which makes us less likely to go out.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Just a little thought for everyone, only 12 more days til the end of the month. I hope that everyone has enlightened themselves regarding their grocery budget and has had a positive experience with the thread. I am going to do July also and I hope everyone joins me. I am so excited that I have some leftover $ for my bills next month. Now I have to decide where to apply it....

 

[neatokimmo]

Oh I'll join, it's crazy how much you DON'T spend when you have to report in lol

Just a little thought for everyone, only 12 more days til the end of the month. I hope that everyone has enlightened themselves regarding their grocery budget and has had a positive experience with the thread. I am going to do July also and I hope everyone joins me. I am so excited that I have some leftover $ for my bills next month. Now I have to decide where to apply it....

 

[stahshee]

Count me in for July. I do want to compare months. Also no school so more eating at home.