SO: If you spend less than $500 a month for food...

[Thystle]

Care to share a bit? I see soooo many posts about this.


(spin off from another thread)





1.) How many people are eating?


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?


6.) Do you shop with coupons?


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"?








What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?





Sorry for the length.... thanks if you actually read it, let alone posted in it!



.

[LilMama23]

1.) How many people are eating? 3 ... although my DH eats enough for two people.
2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? Pretty high
3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? No.
4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? No, but I plan to start soon.
5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? I freeze in-season berries that we pick.
6.) Do you shop with coupons? Yes.
7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? No.
8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? Both my husband & I do, we both pack from home.
9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) No.
10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? My husband can eat so much that sometimes I can't even believe it. DD and I do not eat a lot.
11.) DO you "ration" food or portions? Not really. I only put what I think is a good enough serving on our plates for dinnertime, and then if that's finished and we want more we can go back and re-fill our plates. But it's pretty rare that DD or I want more.
12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? I don't participate in any CSAs or co-ops.

We typically follow a strict meal plan. Yesterday for example, we had banana bread and smoothies for breakfast (DH had cold cereal that I got free with coupons from CVS), soup with crackers for lunch, and lasagna for dinner that I made a few months ago and froze.

[Porcelain Interior]

Originally Posted by Thystle

Care to share a bit? I see soooo many posts about this.



1.) How many people are eating? 4


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?Mid, maybe a pinch higher than mid


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?No


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?We have a small garden in our tiny yard


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?I try to, and I do this with storebought food too if it's a really great deal, I put it up.


6.) Do you shop with coupons?Off and on, not a huge fan overall due to what coupons can buy. I prefer ingredients rather than a box of things.


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?No


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?My husband eats lunch at work tue-fri, and dinner at work 2 times a week. I pack my kids school lunches too, so no outside relief there.


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)Well kids and DH eat a traditional diet, I eat mainly vegan- and I have severe food allergies so I buy myself some of that weirdo allergy food that costs an arm and a leg, but I try to concentrate on whole foods, cheaper.


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?Our portions are OUT of control, we're all small though so so far we've not changed this. We do leftovers, but I tend to cook army style.


11.) DO you "ration" food or portions?School lunch items are rationed, and not to be eaten at home. Snacky/treaty foods have to be asked for, but I don't really say too much, or put it back. I do cook a specific amount of veggies for dinner because no one wants reheated cooked veggies. I also parcel out the meat the day it's bought and then I freeze it in dinner sized portions.


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"?The budget is the budget, mine also includes TP and dog food.








What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?I have food allergies so I don't really eat normally- for me personally yesterday I ate: Soy yogurt, coffee and an apple for breakfast, followed by a cup or two of a hot beverage (I have a cold), lunch was tortilla chips and bean dip with a pear, and I think I ate a chocolate bar after that (I have a sugar problem), and dinner I served spanish rice, chicken (didn't eat that though), and organic corn which I threw into my spanish rice. I also drank a Hansen's natural soda with PURE CANE SUGAR (ah the sugar problem again) and I may or may not have eaten stove-popped popcorn with smoked paprika in bed afterwards. That's about it.





Sorry for the length.... thanks if you actually read it, let alone posted in it!



.

Hope that helps!

ETA: I normally eat more than I listed, but I have a cold and was feeling really lazy yesterday so I didn't do my usual mashed potatoes and petite baby pea lunch thing, which I eat way too much of.

[wildmonkeys]

There are 5 of us. We eat limited meat. We don't hunt. We have egg/nut allergies in the family. I rarely use coupons because they are rarely for the product we buy. We all eat decent portions. DH and DS 1 & 2 bring lunch to school/work. I don't can or garden. We drink a bunch of water. I only ration "treat" food - like packaged food for school lunches or individual desserts like fruit popsicles...

Yesterday's Menu

Breakfast: melon and cinnamon/raisin toast, apple juice

Lunch: Older boys at school had packed lunches w/ applesauce, water, oatmeal cookies, and one had a pbj sandwich where the other had leftover mac & cheese

Son at home, had grilled cheese and applesauce. DH and I had grilled cheese (we were both working from home)

Afterschool: Stove popped popcorn

Dinner: Split pea soup with leftover hambone, garlic bread. Yogurt smoothies for dessert.

Today: Oatmeal w/ raisins, melon. DH and I had bagels
Lunch: Same (they eat the samething almost everyday )
DH, youngest ds and I: leftover split pea soup/grapes
Dinner: Leftover veg, chilli mac, and salad

That is about typical. HTH

[BetsyS]

I feed 3, one of whom is a toddler. And a newly eating baby, too. No WIC. In a medium cost of living area.

We got a deer from my BIL for the first time this year. Otherwise, we buy all meat. We have a garden, and my mom has a garden, but they just provide food in the summer time, not enough to put up. We also supplement with the farmers' market in the summer (so it's a hobby garden, not a major part of our food).

I cook a lot, but I like it. I also have a weakness for certain junk foods (um, cokes anyone??).

I can tomatoes/salsa/jelly, but for fun. As long as I break even with grocery store prices, I'm okay with that.

I don't ration food. We are big eaters, and we eat more than we should. I'm an off and on coupon user as well (although yesterday I used coupons for both cheese, and, um, coke ). I provide all 21 meals a week (my dh packs his lunch). No special diet. The budget is all inclusive, except for liquor and Co2 cartridges for seltzer.

Yesterday: breakfast--cereal for dh. Eggs and toast for me and ds. Coffee. Milk.
lunch--leftover gumbo, rice, sliced apples
snack--banana muffins (homemade). A coke.
supper--meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, cucumbers in vinegar, green
beans

[Alyantavid]

1.) How many people are eating? 4


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? mid to low


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? no


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? I do have a good sized garden, my mom's boyfriend has a large organic farm and I have lots of friends who garden and we swap things.


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? I froze everything I could get my hands on last summer and hope to can it all this summer to save freezer space. Oh and I want to get a dehydrator as well.


6.) Do you shop with coupons? Sometimes. Most of what I buy, they don't have coupons for (produce, etc). I always use them for toilet paper, ziplocs, stuff like that. And try to hit the sales at the same time.


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? We raise our own beef and pork and dh does hunt. My dad raises buffalo so we could get some of that, but we're not huge fans of buffalo.


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? Dh and I take lunch from home almost every day and I pack our 7 year old's lunch every day. My 2 year old eats at daycare.


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) The boys are dairy free so almost every meal is dairy free. Sometimes dh and I will have something they can't eat so I make them something different.


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? I think I eat the least. Dh seriously eats tons of food. Both boys can out eat me and do regularly.


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? No


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? I don't add our meat into our monthly money. We usually butcher once a year and for under $300, we get 600ish lbs of meat, depending on what/how many we butcher.








What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday? Ugh, yesterday was a terrible day for me!

B-breakfast burrito
L-oatmeal, ww toast, orange & cheese
D-london broil, boiled red potatoes
S-chips, cheese, Snickers

We all had the same dinner, I have no idea what dh/ds2 had for lunch, ds1 had ham, crackers, carrots, cauliflower and a cupcake for lunch. Dh had an egg, ham & cheese sandwich for breakfast, ds2 had a bagel with Tofutti and ds1 had pancakes. Snacks for the boys were fruit.

[mamayarn]

1.) How many people are eating?

One man, one pregnant lady, and one toddler who eats a lot and nurses.

2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?

mid to high.

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?

no

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?

I have a garden in season, which it is not at the moment.

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?

Yessssssss... but probably not what you mean. I freeze leftovers to bring out for lunch or quick dinners another time and I make homemade chicken stock that I freeze. I'll buy big packages for a lower per unit price and freeze parts separately. For things that I can, I buy extra on sale and freeze them until we use them. I canned strawberry jam last summer and, other than satisfaction (which you cannot put a price on ) the cost vs. the store was pretty much a wash.

6.) Do you shop with coupons?

Yes, but right now I don't put a lot of effort into it. If I luck into something, great. If not, that's cool too.

7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?

No, our cats are really falling down on their end of this bargain.

8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?

My DH occasionally gets a lunch at work from the company - maybe once every month on average.

9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)

We spend extra money to avoid HFCS.

10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?

My DH can put away food. I eat less but more frequently when pregnant. Our toddler has eaten as much as I do at dinner, and sometimes very little - typical toddler.

11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?

No

12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"?

The only CSA we've ever joined doesn't start until summer, so I haven't had to deal with this. I would probably opt for the second because I focus on tracking spending, rather than how much we spend on food in a week.


What does a typical week of eating look like for you?

Oh geez, I don't know... we have burritos about once a week (occasionally tacos or enchiladas instead, ha). Typically lunch is leftovers or something quick; DH brings leftovers or a sandwich. Breakfast is fruit and cereal. Dinner, well, Mexican of some sort once or twice. I have baby brain.


What did you eat yesterday?

Yesterday - I had Raisin Bran Crunch with skim milk, coffee with half and half; DS had a banana and cereal. I don't know about DH other than coffee. For lunch DH had a turkey sandwich and DS and I had grilled cheese and turkey sandwiches. For dinner, we had the infamous burritos - seasoned ground beef, refried beans, onions, cheddar cheese, assorted hot sauces, sour cream.


To save on groceries, I buy what's on sale and use what we have. I buy a couple items during the sale to last until the next sale. Overall, we're probably about 25% organic. We're still wasting more food than I'm comfortable with and spending more than I'd like. So far in 2009 we're averaging $67.55/week at the grocery, BUT I don't know what that translates to in actual food costs per week. It depends on if there's a net loss or gain from the pantry/freezer.

[Chula]

1.) How many people are eating? 3 - two adults, one teenager


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? mid to high (Southern CA)


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? no


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? we have a garden and fruit trees


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? freeze


6.) Do you shop with coupons? no


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? no


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? we pack lunches


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) we are vegetarian


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? medium appetites - the 13 year old has days where he eats constantly


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? no


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? I list it all in the month I spend it in.


Yesterday we had fruit compote for breakfast made with fruit that had been frozen last year from the fruit trees, oatmeal, nuts. Lunch was leftovers for dh (pasta and sauce) and fruit, a pb&j sandwich and fruit for ds, and a hummus-vegetable wrap for me. Dinner was lentil soup and herb rolls.

I have spent $435 this month. I keep every receipt and a running total. This month was higher than the last two months where I averaged $250 per month.

[vm9799]

1.) How many people are eating? 4 - 2 adults 2 older children (dd is almost 12 and ds is 9)


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?low - midwest/indiana


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?no


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?we garden in the summer months only - and mainly just tomatoes and cucumbers....although i would like to try more!


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?no


6.) Do you shop with coupons?rarely


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? no


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?no - dh and the kids take their lunches to work/school and i eat at home.


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)no


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?depends on what we're having! lol!


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?no - other than "school lunch" foods.


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? i include EVERYTHING when i post......toiletries, pet food, etc.


What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?

i make pretty simple meals that mainly consist of a rotation of the following:
Dinners:
- shrimp risotto
- blt sandwiches (a favorite at our house!) with salad
- quesadillas with rice and salad
- pizza with salad
- beef stew with biscuits
- veggie soup with grilled cheese sandwiches
- oven "fried" chicken drumsticks with mashed potatoes and salad or baby peas
- meatloaf with mashed potatoes and salad or baby peas
- grilled steak (summer)
- grilled chicken breasts (summer)
- grilled hamburgers (summer)

Lunches:
- pbj sandwiches
- tuna salad (on crackers or in a sandwich)
- salad
- ham/turkey club sandwiches
- soup
- granola bars
- homemade cookies/brownies
- fruit (LOTS of fruit) either whole or cut up into a fruit salad
- cut veggies
-yogurt
- bagged chips (my only really "crap" food that i purchase - and it's solely for convenience when i'm packing lunches in the morning!)

Breakfasts:
- eggs (scrambled or fried)
- toast
- yogurt
- smoothies
- cereal
- oj
- chocolate soy milk
- coffee (sometimes this alone is my breakfast! depends on how late i wake up!)

Snacks:
- popcorn
- fruit
- yogurt
- cut veggies
- pretzels

yesterday we had a rushed morning as my dd was vomiting/sick. so ds had yogurt for breakfast. in his lunch was a salad, a clementine, a granola bar, a bag of sun chips, and chocolate soy milk. dh usually takes a salad and fruit for lunch - and has a box of granola bars and a bag of his favorite pretzels in his office. dd didn't eat much but saltines and some chicken noodle soup all day. for dinner we had grilled cheese sandwiches and left over veggie soup, as dd thought she could handle that.

ETA: i spend roughly $400 per month on everything.....including toiletries (tp, shampoo/conditioner/etc.), pet food (we have a dog and a cat), etc.

[MissinNYC]

1.) How many people are eating?
2 adults (we eat a lot), 3 children under 7, who eat a pretty decent amount.

2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?
I think we are slightly above average? Philadelphia.

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?
No.

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?
No.

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?
I freeze like, leftovers or an extra lasagna now and then.

6.) Do you shop with coupons?
No.

7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?
No.

8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?
Yes, but we bring them.

9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)
No.

10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?
Big eaters. Especially DH, who does a ton of physical activity.

11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?
No. Well, I don't allow extras or seconds of desserts or treats.

12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"?
No. We spend 400 per month on food. I take it out in cash and spend it through the month. That's the only source of food.

What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
We normally eat dry cereal, pancakes, oatmeal, or french toast for BK, with fruit on the side (apples, pears, or bananas). Lunch is almost always peanut butter and jelly, or some other sandwich (lunchmeat, hummous, grilled cheese, etc) with a side of veggies and fruit. Usually green beans, peas, carrots, cucs, or tomatoes, plus a piece of fresh fruit.

Dinners are meat (chicken, fish, beef, or pork) 5-6 times per week. The other two are pasta or veggie based. I don't do any casserole type things or "cream" soup type recipes- almost everything is from scratch. But other than that we're pretty non-crunchy in our eating- we don't buy any organics or locally raised stuff.

[HydeParkB]

1.) How many people are eating? 3 (including pregnant and HUNGRY me.)
2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? About average. Kansas City.
3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? Not currently. I hope to while on maternity leave.
4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? We garden (but that costs too - seeds, soil, organic fertilizer, community garden plot rental). Last year I was able to get some free apples, but that was unusual for me.
5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? Yes, yes, yes, yes. We can some, freeze a lot, and dry a little. I am trying to switch more to canning on the items where the taste is as good as or better than frozen.
6.) Do you shop with coupons? Rarely. I clip them, but there is usually a cheaper alternative.
7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? Nope, I wish
8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? Not provided for by work. But DD gets lunch at school.
9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) DH is allergic to milk. DD is allergic to peanuts.
10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? I'd say we are average eaters to big eaters.
11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? We don't ration meals. Deserts, treats, sweets and snacks are a different matter.
12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? Sometimes I include our $300/year CSA, and sometimes I do not. Although it is pretty much May - October, I would divide it by 12 because we freeze quite a bit.

What did you eat yesterday? Yesterday I had two packets of Swiss Miss, English muffins with fig jam, lunch was a leftover sausage and something else I can't remember, tofu fried rice for dinner. Brownie for a snack. Tortilla with turkey and cheese for a late night snack.

We have meat for most dinners. My primary methods for keeping the budget down:
- shopping the loss leaders
- freezing meats, cheeses
- always having an idea for dinner when DH calls (to avoid the "can't we just get fried chicken")
- gardening and preserving
- figuring out how to use cheap cuts of meat
- using the crockpot

[chaos_pie]

I am answering this for the period of 5 months when my dh was unemployed and I got our food budget to about $80/ week over that time frame.

1.) How many people are eating? 4- 2 adults, 9yo boy, 6yo girl


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? High-- our city ranked 49th highest COL worldwide


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? No


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? We had not, although I had some jams that I had canned from summer


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? Only jams


6.) Do you shop with coupons? I was paying close attention to 2 different grocery stores within a close distance to my house. I would ONLY buy what was on sale. Near the end I could count on saving 50% on my food bill by doing just this alone


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?No


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? During the time my DH was unemployed the $80/ week was for all of us, all of our meals


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) Dh is Gluten-Free. I made all his breads


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? All have reasonable appetites


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? No-but I also really had not "snack" foods. Kids have a snack at a set time, otherwise no snacking.


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? No. My monthly bill reflected how we shop...We were not part of a CSA, but do belong to a Co-op, I would only on the monthly 10% off and I get a 5% back-- so saving 15% there once a month. I also had a list of things that I would buy at Costco, twice a month-- these were things that were a considerable savings-- ie-organic carrots, salad, milk, eggs, olive oil

What did you eat yesterday?
Breakfast- Kids and me- pancakes, dh gluten-free millet puff cereal. Coffee!!!

Lunch-Dh and me-Leftover Indian Tofu dish (tofu, tomatoes, peas, garam masala, tomatoes over rice). Kids-peanut butter and jam sandwiches on homemade bread and apples

Snack-chocolate milk and popcorn

Dinner-Tilapia prepared as "fish bites"-recipe from Whole Foods cookbook, french fries, frozen broccoli

Thoughts about meals:
-I use dried beans that I cook in the pressure cooker
-I bought 20lbs brown rice in bulk
-I bought 20lbs flour in bulk
-I bought 25 lbs oatmeal in bulk
-I make all our breads and cookies (usually a batch once a week)
-I do not buy ANY convenience items, except millet puffs for dh ($1.69/ bag)--I make all our foods (including salad dressing)
-Only dh eats dried cereal-- Most breakfast foods have gluten--for the kids and me, it is easy enough to eat oatmeal, granola, pancakes/ waffles, or toast

As a general rule of thumb, I only prepare one or two meat dishes a week-- usually fish/ poultry-- every once in awhile pork chops of ground beef.

[jjawm]

1.) How many people are eating? 5 - 2 adults, 1 11yo, 1 9yo, 1 2 1/2yo


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?
low

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?no


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? yes, I garden a bit


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? yes - I buy in bulk and make my own sauces and such to can. I also can jam and veggies.

6.) Do you shop with coupons? rarely - only for toothpaste and such.


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? the kids pack lunches for school, and dh packs for lunch


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) n


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? big eaters, including the toddler.


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? nope - the kids often have third's.


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"?
It's all included. I set aside part of my monthly food money for a meat share.


What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?

Yesterday - breafast was cheese eggs.
Lunch was noodles and butter for the kids, leftovers for me and dh.
Dinner was meatloaf, fried potatoes, califlower, and homemade breadsticks.

We manage by buying lots in bulk, and almost always making stuff from scratch.

[yeahwhat]

We budget exactly $500 for 6 people, all food and hba.



1.) How many people are eating? 6 --2 adults, kids ages 10, 7, 5, 20 months


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? --mid I think.


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? -- no


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? -- a bit, but only 3 months of the year here


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? -- not really; I do buy big family packs of meat and divide and freeze for dh and the 2 girls who eat meat. Or I chop and freeze veggies and fresh herbs that are going to go off before we will use them.


6.) Do you shop with coupons? -- rarely


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? -- no


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? -- no. Dh packs his lunch and kids and I all eat at home every lunch


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) -- 3/6 of us are vegetarian


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? -- dh eats huge amounts of food, I'm pretty average and so are the kids


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? -- sometimes I'll say no to a second cup of juice or milk if they're trying to fill up on it or if we're almost out and it's a couple of days until shopping day. Or I'll say that's enough potato/bread/rice/pasta when a kid hasn't touched the rest of the meal.


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? --All groceries/hba are counted. We do eat out 1-2x per month and order pizza 1x aside from that budget.

What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
Yesterday, kids and dh had oatmeal with brown sugar and milk, juice and some fruit for breakfast. I think dh had toast and marmite too. I had raw oatmeal, blackberries (thawed), pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and yogurt.

We had sandwiches or leftovers for lunch. Fruit or yogurt as well.

Supper was spaghetti with meat or tomato sauce with parmesan cheese, carrot sticks and cucumber slices, and maple cake for dessert.

Snacks were grapes, dried cranberries, walnuts, almonds, yogurt, cheese, other fruit, depending on family member.

[~PurityLake~]

Originally Posted by Thystle

Care to share a bit? I see soooo many posts about this.

(spin off from another thread)


1.) How many people are eating? 4-5


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? *very* high


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? yes, but even the things it covers we still must buy more of those items each month.


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? no


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? Freeze only.


6.) Do you shop with coupons? no. What I buy, there are never coupons for other than the coffee.
Coupons are usually for junk and boxed foods and stuff I don't buy.

7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? My husband has bought hunting permits, gone hunting, borrowed the rifle/equipment from family, and no success. I'm glad he hadn't invested money we don't have into those non-productive hunting visits. He's not given up and has bought even more permits for other animals and I just see him spending all this money with nothing to show for it.


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? I am at home. My husband very rarely remembers to make/take lunch to work so he either eats out at fast food, buys something from the grocery store if he gets a chance to leave work, or he just doesn't eat.


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) no


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? We eat breakfast and dinner and graze throughout the day/afternoon.


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? no


12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? I don't know what CSA's are and we not a member of a co-op ($$ we don't have and the prices are HIGH so we couldn't buy anything in the store anyway).

What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday? Typical week, I don't know, it varies on what is in the freezer and pantry at the time. Yesterday: Berry pancakes for breakfast, lots of coffee, shared a can of no fructose syrup pears with my daughters, some baked fries midday, frozen veggies, Hamburger for dinner.

We also receive food stamps of ~ $175 a month (my husband does all the grocery shopping on his way home from work because he has my only vehicle and it's faster/easier without the kiddos along).

[cappuccinosmom]

1.) How many people are eating? 5, and one is pregnant.
2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? I would say mid
3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? Yes
4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? No. hoping to garden this year
5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? rarely
6.) Do you shop with coupons? Sometimes
7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? No. (We used to get venison from my parents patients, man, I miss that!!!)
8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?Dh gets packed lunches every day
9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) No.
10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? It depends on the day. Dh always eats well. The older two boys can pack away a good bit too. And I'm not a little eater either.
11.) DO you "ration" food or portions? No rationing for real food. Snacks are limited to reasonable amounts (ie: they're not getting 5 bananas each for breakfast!).
12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? Nope. No CSA's or co-ops. I usually post what has been the average for the last 3-6 months.

Lately, my average is about $360 for all food and some paper goods. We don't eat out but once or twice a year, so that doesn't even figure into the budget.

[Sk8ermaiden]

1.) How many people are eating? Just two. I could easily feed two kids on this too (kids under 9/10) by squeezing just a little tighter.
2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? Low COL area. Texas is great for that. :
3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? No
4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? We have just planted our first garden. So that has not impacted our bill yet, and probably won't impact it much with how cheap produce is at the farmer's market. $20 buys us two weeks' worth.
5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? Not yet.
6.) Do you shop with coupons? No, they're too much work and rarely for things we buy.
7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? No.
8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? Not anymore. And I pack all DH's lunches now except maybe 2 a month.
9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) No
10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? I eat pretty average (more when preggo OMG am I hungry now).

All I can say about DH is that when we have our 2 best friends over (one of whom is 3x DH's size) DH still eats more than the other three of us combined. I know when we have kids over 10 our bill is not likely to be under $500. DH's (OBSCENELY FRUGAL) parents couldn't manage to cut the bill under $800 a month with the two boys even with bulk buying/cuponing/canning/gardening/cooking only from scratch.
11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? No. We eat what we need/want. I have discovered that DH will eat/want more when it's visible, so it has made a great difference to put up the amount I hope will be left over before serving anything. (I leave enough for seconds sitting out). When DH has finished I'll let him know there's more in the fridge, but he rarely goes for it. If it were still on the stove he would eat it all.
12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? Those numbers are "real". Starting in April we will be joining a bulk buying store, and start buying our meat in 4 month quantities. So at that time I will be dividing what we have spent over the number of months it will be used and adding it to the total. That also includes ALL household and health/beauty items.

What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
Yesterday we at chicken enchiladas with refried beans and spanish rice. I had a waffle with peanut butter and bananas, a chicken burger, a hot dog, another waffle, cereal, two apples, a yogurt and another banana + dinner. (I don't normally eat like that! Baby was trying to gain a pound). DH had a muffin, two roast beef and swiss sandwiches, a yogurt and an apple + 3 times as much dinner as me.

In a week we always have homemade pizza + salad once (that's a cheap meal $4-5 and that's with a canned crust and bagged salad!). I make a lot of chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, stuffed giant shells, lasagna, chicken chili, pot roast, steak, stuffed poblano peppers, chicken pot pie, rogan josh, samosas, chicken tikka masala, jambalaya, stuffed potatoes, hamburgers, pork loin, cornish hens, and manicotti. Those are the meals in my standard meal planning rotation, although I continually try to add new things.

For breakfasts it's muffins, cereal, waffles, english muffins, toast. Lunches are leftovers, chicken burgers, wraps, sandwiches, soups.

[cristeen]

1.) How many people are eating?
1 man, 1 pregnant lady

2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?
Very high

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?
No

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?
No, or at least not at this time of year. During the summer I do garden and I get free fruit from my grandma's trees.

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?
Yes. I freeze a lot, particularly when the butcher is having a sale. Our CSA also gives us more produce than we can realistically eat in a week. I also make just about everything from scratch.

6.) Do you shop with coupons?
No

7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?
No

8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?
DH eats his at work, but I pack it for him, which I don't think is what you meant.

9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)
I try to limit grains - with varying degrees of success now that I'm pregnant. We do eat somewhat TF.

10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?
We're both pretty big eaters.

11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?
Nope. I do serve up a meal, but there's usually extra in the kitchen and we're both welcome to it if we want it. And if there's not extra in the kitchen, there's other food in the fridge we can eat.

12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"?
Our CSA is $31/week (we don't pay annually), so it's about $120/month, and I haven't gotten around to buying a side of beef yet. In a typical week, I usually spend about $50 on meat, $5 on eggs, $20-30 on cheese, soda, nuts, dried fruit, frozen veg, butter, bread and about $20 if I need milk/yogurt and cream cheese (every other week or lately even less). I do stock up in the bulk section 2-3 times a year on dry foods (beans, rice, sugar, flour, etc.), and that's about $75/trip.

What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
Yesterday was a smoothie for breakfast, followed by a couple pieces of quick bread spread with cream cheese for a mid-morning snack. First lunch was a tamale, some corn chips and guac, 2nd lunch was a couple pieces of bread with liver mousse. Midafternoon snack was a piece of string cheese. Dinner was half a rack of pork ribs, mashed cauliflower (about 1/3 head) and roasted carrots - this is each, I ate half a rack and 1/3 head all by myself.

Our monthly budget comes out right about $500, give or take any splurges (like buying crab for grandma last week).

[Carson]

Monthly cost: $240
1.) How many people are eating? DH and I
2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? Mid, live in major city, but I feel that our average/sale prices are more reasonable than other areas I've visited
3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? No
4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? Yes, garden and get some produce, but only in summer, and not enough to make a material impact in our food purchases.
5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? Freeze stuff on sale
6.) Do you shop with coupons? Casually, but I absolutely shop loss leaders and sales
7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? Yes, venison, but we've been getting small bits (like a quarter) from family, so not a ton
8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? DH eats at work for $100/month which is not included above.
9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) Yes, I eat largely on weight watchers simply filling
10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? Meh, in between
11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? Yes, I probably do, but gently. If we're truly hungry, of course we eat. I try to be mindful of what we eat and what I cook. I usually cook what we need for the meal so we don't overeat what could be leftovers. I try to be mindful of quantities of snack consumed.
12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"? This was the first year we bought meat from a farmer, and I haven't thought of it. So no, it's not included

Today I ate: eggs with veggies & cheese, banana, chicken sandwich with veggies, crackers, fruit salad, small chocolate bar , milk and haven't gotten to dinner yet.

[Amys1st]

1.) How many people are eating?
4 of us. 2 adults and a 6 yr old and a 3 yr old

2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?

Near a large metro area so most likely

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?

no
4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?

I garden in the summer months and freeze some of it, but eat the rest.

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?
yes

6.) Do you shop with coupons?
no, most of what we purchase does not use coupons.

7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?
we buy a side of beef which works out to $85 a month

8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?
bring leftovers to work for lunch, or eat at home the next day, dd1 may buy lunch 1-2 times monthly.

9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)
no

10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?
we eat well but not big eaters.

11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?
we plate out of food usually but allow seconds etc which are usually smaller portions.

12.) When you post your $$$ spent on food, do you divide up any sides of meat or CSA's or co-ops you buy into monthly amounts? Or do you post a $$$ and then say "Oh and that does not inculde XYZ"?

Our side of beef works out to $85 monthly which is included in the under $500 amount. We get a produce and dairy delivery weekly which is $40 and then spend $40-80 weekly on other groceries.

What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
Yesterday we had
breakfast:
dds: toast w cream cheese for breakfast (make own bread)
DH- granola w milk
me- yogurt w granola occasional fruit on top

Lunch:
DH had leftover lasagna from the night before
dds- turkey sandwiches
me: leftover lasagna and a lettuce salad

Dinner:
beef w oyester sauce, plus mushrooms, 1 carrot, and brocolli
strawberries for dessert
2 glasses white wine

snacks:
cheddar slices
2 apples
graham crackers