SO: If you spend less than $500 a month for food... - Page 5

[mum4boys]

1.) How many people are eating? Between 6-9 people average of 7. My 2nd child lives part time away from home right now but he always has his friend with him when he is here. We also been having my nephew here a lot. So currently we have 6 full time people, dh, me 18, 11, 9 and 2 year old living here with the other 3 teenagers cycling in about 4 days a week.


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


3.) Do you receive WIC to supplement it?

We receive from WIC 4 1/2 gallons of milk, 3 cans of juice, 2 pounds of cheese, 2 dozens eggs, 36 ounces of cereal and 16 ounces of peanut butter a month. It amounts to about $50 in food bought at shelf price not on sale.


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


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? not really but we do freeze our meat.


6.) Do you shop with coupons?yes for some items but we mostly shop from scratch.

7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? We bought a cow. but we figure that cost into our food budget though.


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


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) We are gluten free and 9 year old has a lot of restrictions also. Oh ya my 18 year old is a vegitarain. He has been one for years.


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? it depends on the day of the week and position of the moon but leans on the big side.


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? heck no. I truly believe it leads to food issues.


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 food budget includes everything except the gas and car maintenance etc. it cost to go obtain said food.

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

Weekends are way different for us then week day. So yesterday we did a lot of eating out which is figured into our food budget. We had krispy kremes for breakfast (something we have not done in years) and for lunner (lunch/dinner) the kids had $5 cheese pizza from Little Caesars and dh and I had teriyaki. But during the week our life looks like this:

Breakfast: pancakes, waffles or pancakes or occasional eggs. Usually have some kind of yogurt topping and fruit with this.
Snack: Fruit or dried cereal with raisins in it.
Lunch: Sandwiches or soup or left overs. Sandwiches filling vary depending on what I got on sale. Also have some kind of veggie like carrots or broccoli.
Dinner: depending on the day of the week, either beef, chicken or vegetarian. We eat more beef since we had a cow butchered but I did get boneless chicken breast a few months ago for 80 cents a pound. Our favorite is some kind of beef with roasted veggies.
Snack after dinner is usually popcorn.

We have gotten our food budget down to about $325 a month. Our food budget includes more then food though, health care, cleaning, paper products, etc.

We do drink a lot of coffee. I spend maybe $15.00 a month on coffee products like fresh roasted beans and the syrups (we have an espresso maker too). One thing we never buy is juice. My kids are not juice drinkers at all. They prefer water.

[painefaria]

1.) How many people are eating? 4, 3 adults and one toddler
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? WE ARE THIS YEAR :
5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? we did a small amount last year and plan to increase for this year6.) Do you shop with coupons?
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
9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) we are dairy/gluten free and moving to more TF
10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? 2 adults normal, 1 like bird, and suprisingly the toddler is a big eater
11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? no rationing
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"?
We spent under 400 last month. We have been buying a lot of organic in bulk and we just split a 1/2 of beef (organic grass fed) with friends for $650. It should last us for a year. We have discounted groceries in our area (amelias, BB's, etc) that we buy from. With out the discounted grocers we would not eat as much convience foods. (we are moving away from these anyway). We are starting a garden for this year but have always had ready access to cheap produce from roadside stands, markets, etc. Our free range eggs come from a local farmer for 1.25 a dozen :


[B]What does a typical week of eating look like for you? [B] We have been making a lot of breakfast casseroles (soaked millet, coconut, nuts, sweetened with maple syrup, Almond milk and 3 eggs) So it might cost $.30 a serving. Baken chicken over rice is a favorite, Chicken Tostadas (fried corn tortilla, refried beans, shredded chicken, Cheese/sourcream (if you can have it) and salsa. I think that it is less than .50 a serving. I have most of those things in the house so it is a real quick throw together meal with left over chicken

[heatherdeg]

1.) How many people are eating?
2 adults & 1 5yo

2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?
Highest in the country--NJ

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?
The baby is an adoptive placement through foster care and we DO get WIC for her formula--but if she were our bio, we would bf... so it's a wash. And it should end in May.

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?
I coordinate a drop-off point for an organic produce coop. So I do get a batch of organic fruits and veggies every other week at a reduced rate. It probably accounts for 1/3 of the veggies and fruits we eat. Sometimes half--but not usually. This offsets the cost of our special diet requirements (see your question below). I had been gardening, but we got chickens 2 years ago and haven't been able to keep them from "burning" my garden soil. Plus, we've been planning to sell the house and didn't plant. So now we don't garden and we don't get any other produce that's free or reduced.

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

6.) Do you shop with coupons?
Almost never. Our dietary restrictions force us to stuff that doesn't get sold with coupons and really, the stuff we CAN buy we generally buy store-brand because it's a lot cheaper than with coupons. I haven't clipped a coupon in more than 15 years. But I DO keep a price book.

7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?
No. And we can't afford organic meat. We have a $1.99/lb maximum for boneless meat (I don't buy meat with bones). Believe it or not, I can get a wider range of meat on that budget than most people imagine by waiting out sales.... London Broil, bottom/chuck/eye round, sausage, boneless pork chops, boneless-skinless chicken breasts and thighs, hamburger meat, pork ribs... I think that might be it. RARELY lamb chops. But it's enough variety for us.

8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?
No. None of us does. And my husband now works from home full-time.

9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)
Yes, we are dairy, gluten, soy and corn-free.

10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?
We are pretty big eaters but trying to cut back. There's no scaling back the 5yo (who is VORACIOUS) but dh and I are scaling back in the interest of losing weight.

11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?
For the 5yo--never. For myself, absolutely. I wait 20 minutes and if I'm still hungry, I eat something that wasn't for dinner (like a piece of fruit since I don't eat ENOUGH fruit). Dh is working on it.

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've been eating this way long enough to be able to average my monthly spending--so it accounts for the ups and downs. But I include everything except animal food.


And there's a link to our menu in my sig line. Granted, we got a newborn adoptive placement in November and got (unknowingly) pregnant in December (and found out early last month) while battling CMV (which causes massive fatigue) so we haven't been the best eaters. But it helps people trying to avoid food allergens and coincidently--will help you see what we actually eat.

[riaketty]

1.) How many people are eating? 1 adult, 1 2-year-old, and one nursing mama
2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? Mid-ish. We're rural so we don't really go by the same yardstick, kwim?

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? No. No WIC, no food stamps.

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? Not at the moment. All we get is eggs from our hens.

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? YES. We buy in-season fruit in bulk and can it, same with veggies, and we make canned bone broth, soups, etc.

6.) Do you shop with coupons? No.
7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends? Just eggs at the moment.

8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? Yes. DH takes leftovers 3-4 times a week for lunch and I take snacks to school twice a week.

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, and OMG, does nursing make a HUGE difference in appetite.

11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? Nope, it's as much as they want to 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"?
We spend less than $250/mo.
$$$ is for everything. Including toilertries (although we don't use much... natural body care, etc.), paper products (again, don't use much), etc. We probably spend 90% of the budget in food and 10% on other.



What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
Yesterday:
Breakfast - eggs and bacon, homemade english muffins, banana
Lunch - Sandwiches with canned carrots
Dinner - Chili with cornbread and cheesy potatoes.

[beansmama]

I spend $260/mo on groceries (well, $130 every 2 weeks, actually).

1.) How many people are eating?
3 people. Me, DP and 5 yo DD. I'm prego, btw.



2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area?
I live in Eugene, OR...i'm guessing it's mid COL? It's a lot more expensive than the tiny town i moved from...but definitely not as expensive as, say, the bay area


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?
I JUST got WIC starting last month. I wouldn't say WIC supplements anything, really. I was sticking to my budget just fine pre-WIC, i just figured it could help me save a few extra bucks, so why not? I can still get everything i need w/o WIC for the $260/mo. I'm a strict vegetarian. I only eat eggs and honey (animal product-wise). DD is a vegetarian who eats cheese/eggs. DP is a omni, but eats whatever i serve him, lol!

*WIC will help more come sept. when they allow SOYMILK (YAY!!!) instead of dairy. I don't do dairy at all...


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?
Nope. I wish! I miss my small town where i could pick pears, berries, small plums, apples for free...


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?
Nope.
I'd love to start though. I have no freezer space though. I'll occasionally freeze a couple bell peppers (chopped) or something if they are about to go back (so i don't waste them)...but i don't think that's what you mean.


6.) Do you shop with coupons?
Heck no.
Coupons are wastes, IMO.
I don't use products that require coupons...i mostly cook from scratch, which is cheaper than buying branded products with coupons.


7.) Do you have your own meat animals/hunt or get some from family or friends?
DD and I are vegetarians. DP only eats meat 4-5 days a week on his sandwiches (lunch).


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?
I pack DP his lunch every day. Saves tons of money. DD starts school this fall. I'm sure we'd get subsidized lunches, but i doubt they cater to vegetarians...so i'm planning on packing her lunch too.


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...).
Yep. As mentioned above...we pretty much eat vegan around here. DD usually eats some kind of cheesy thing at lunch. And DP eats meat on his work days (lunches), but dinners are vegan (unless i'm making pizzas, i'll put cheese on theirs).


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?
DD varies...as she's a picky kid...but she claims she's hungry non-stop. DP definitely enjoys big portions...and i kinda do too! Haha...we eat around here!


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?
Nope. If we're hungry, we eat more. If we are full...but the food was really good...heck, sometimes we eat more then too LOL.


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 only spend $260/mo for ALL my food. We eat out sometimes (rarely now, since the new budget) but if we choose to eat out, it comes out of our "Entertainment" budget, which is only $50/mo. Considering we like to go to small non-chain, healthy places to eat...that doesn't buy many meals out.

13) What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
Yesterday was: scrambled eggs, homemade pumpkin muffins, roasted herb potatoes with tea and/or orange juice for breakfast.

Lunch was different for everyone. I ate leftover red bean/sweet potato curry with basmati rice, DP had a turkey sammich, yogurt, 4 fig newton style cookies, banana. DD had homemade macaroni and cheese and green beans.

For Dinner i made chickpea cutlets and mashed potatoes and gravy with roasted asparagus.

Snacks were fruit, trail mix, carrot cake (yes...all THREE...i'm prego! LOL!)


A typical week varies. I'm trying to make more bean based meals as they are cheap and a good source of protein...but this doesn't mean plain ol' rice and beans. I decided to alternate more "meaty" proteins (seitan - which i make myself from gluten flour, tofu, tempeh) with beans.

The day before yesterday we had the Red Bean sweet potato curry with basmati rice and homemade cumin-scented flatbreads.

Yesterday i mentioned above...

Today is going to be Cheesy bean and cheese enchilladas, salad and corn (I make a yummy vegan cheese sauce).

Tomorrow will probably be either (vegan) seitan fettucini with salad or pot pie.


My secret is i make everything. Well, almost. We don't buy pizza out. I make my own crust...no rising necessary. It only takes about 30 minutes from start to FINISH (as in - you are eating). I cook my own beans. I make seitan, which is a very high protein (32-ish grams per serving) nearly no fat, no carb vegan protein source.

I have a lot of cookbooks.

I make ethnic foods...think curries, lol. DD doesn't eat them, but on those nights i'll just feed her something easy like peanut butter sammiches or pasta.

I throw in a few new fancier meals every month. Something like "Eggplant potato moussaka with pine nut cream"...you know, something with more expensive, less used ingredients.

I don't waste food.

I don't have boring meal plans. Suuuuure...we eat pizza about once a week (but we LOVE it) and i put tons of veggies on it, etc. We do spaghetti sometimes...the key is variety. Cheap doesn't have to equal boring.

I also love www.vegweb.com.

Great recipes (well, not all - but a lot of them) and free

Sorry this is so long and unorganized. HTH!

[SAHMinHawaii]

1.) How many people are eating? 5 (2 adults, 3 children one who eats very little)

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

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

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? Garden, only in summer

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? freeze some items if they are on sale

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? 1 child eats lunch at school

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

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"?
my month cost includes all groceries, cleaning, etc..



Last night for dinner we ate chicken broccoli fusilli(dried tomatoes, garlic, chicken, pasta and fresh tomatoes)

Breakfast: we had bisquits with ham I made and froze ahead of time. Fruit and milk.

We eat really well. I make almost everything from scratch though. Typically dont buy convenience foods. Lots of fresh veggies and fruits to snack on.

[Funny Face]

1.) How many people are eating? 2 adults, 1 child.


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

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

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?
not now.

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

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?
only the ones packed from home

9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)
dh is gluten free so most of our food is.

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

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"?

our money includes all food, cleaning, household items, diapers, etc...






What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
I usually cook every other day with enough leftovers for dh and me the next day, he takes his to work.

Breakfast is usually oatmeal or yogurt/granola.

Lunch is left overs from night before for dh and same for me usually. Dd doesn't eat just a whole lot.
Snacks are fruit, cheese, granola, nuts, etc.
I made gluten free spaghetti with turkey meatballs and spinach. I make a lot of 'one pot meals' like a veggie/turkey stir fry to put on corn tortillas or soup or rice dishes.

We spend about 400 dollars a month on grocery and that is actually the most we've ever spent in our marriage thus far. There are actually some areas we could cut back in to save money. I'll mention though that we don't eat all organic and we do buy some frozen veggies so not everything is fresh.

[nataliebassoon]

1.) How many people are eating? 3- 2 adults and one toddler


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


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? yes- and it is worth probably about $50/ month for what we get


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


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? not usually


6.) Do you shop with coupons? occassionally


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


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? no


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


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? somewhere in the middle


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"?


Try to be realistic and average it out for each month. However we do also eat out several times a month- and with that added in, it gets closer to $300-$350/month total food cost




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

We eat a lot of cereal- casseroles- packed lunches are usually sandwiches and a yogurt cup, carrots- my husband is one of those amazing cooks that can look in the refrigerator and invent something yummy to eat We have gotten a lot better about using up leftovers- that is a HUGE help in keeping food costs low!

[Sazza]

If you spend less than $500...

1.) How many people are eating?
2 adults and two boys - ages 5 & 7. To be clear, the 7 year old eats more than I do. Can average 4 eggs or 12 pancakes at breakfast...

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

We're on 5 acres on Vancouver Island, BC. So yes, high cost of living first compared to the US, and second b/c we're on an island so everything has transport cost tacked on.

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?

no

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

We glean fruit from area trees that are not harvested in the summer and preserve it. Starting this year we'll be farming about 1 acre veggie and grains. The past few years we've in in Vancouver with a small veggie garden providing summer and fall greens, raspberries and asian pears.

As of our move 6 months ago we now also have chickens - so our organic eggs now cost us appx $3 including feed/housing/purchase cost instead of $5.99 We get 5 eggs per day.

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?
YES! After reading Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver - an absolute must read y'all - we began in earnest. We can and freeze loads of fruit in season, along with tomatoes. This year we'll be starting with fermenting as well - sauerkraut, beans... as well as drying.

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 are about to start buying local pasture raised organic beef from farmer friends. We will be getting some meat chickens as well.

8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work?
Always. But dh is a stay at home dad, and i work from home so it's easy! boy's school does not have a cafeteria, but 2x a week parents take turns making soup for the kids lunch.

9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)
Ovo-Lacto Veg with seafood (wild salmon)

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

11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?
Never!

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?
We keep track and look at a monthly average over a year. Summer is higher b/c we're buying in bulk and preserving.

The biggest thing for us is eating in season and not buying processed foods. making our own butter, buying local raw milk gouda cheese, soon will be making goat cheese i hope... Seldom do we have chips, we make our own crackers...

[DASHmom]

Wow

It really drives it home that we live in an expensive area (hudson valley, ny) when I read these posts.

- 22 weeks of a CSA is going to cost is 900 dollars.
- A dozen free range eggs is usually 5.00 or 5.50, though if I drive a half hour, there's a farmstand that charges 3.00. I'll keep looking for cheaper. Also, I raised chickens and the feed around here is so expensive that it costs nearly 3.00 per dozen to raise your own organic, free range eggs.

I'll go work out the answers myself and see what I come up with. But I'm feeling very jealous!

[70toes]

1.) How many people are eating? 2 adults (one pregnant) and 3 kids mon-thurs plus 2 more kids on the weekends.


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? Low-Mid. We're about 45 minutes South of STL.


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


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


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


6.) Do you shop with coupons? Not usually.


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


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? No.


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


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? Most are big eaters, the toddler is not.


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? We feel like it's important to teach portion sizes. We eat until we're full and no 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"?
We add in our side of beef and co-op. It is food and it does have a cost. Although for person budgeting, we leave out the side of beef. We pay for that out of tax returns.








What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday? A typical day looks like this: French toast for breakfast, yogurt for snack, split pea soup banana and crackers for lunch, broccoli for snack, and roasted chicken with potatoes and carrots for dinner. Now, this is going off our menu. We usually eat snacks in between snacks! So every day is filled with extras, some cheese here, raisins there. You get the picture. We spend between $200 and $250 every month, and we eat mostly organic or local. It takes a lot of researching the area and many errands, but it's worth it. We get out raw milk about 30 minutes south of us for $4 a gallon! There's a health food store close by that sells produce at whole sale to draw in the costumers, so that's a big help, too. Plus we have a chain of grocery stores around here that has a store brand organic line. I can buy a box of organic crackers for $1.77 a box. Like pps, it helps that we make everything we can from scratch, too.

[alicewyf]

1.) How many people are eating? Two, but one of us is growing a third.

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

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? No, we don't qualify.

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

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? I freeze food, and I have access to materials for canning if I feel like doing so, but I haven't.

6.) Do you shop with coupons? Rarely, most things we buy do not often have a coupon. We do shop sales, though.

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, DH and I eat one meal a day at work.

9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) No dairy or shellfish, allergic to both.

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

11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? We just eat to fullness. We do try to follow serving suggestions for most carbs, like rice, bread, cookies, etc, because it is so easy to overdo those. We aren't militant about it though.

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 almost exactly $400 a month on all groceries (including toiletries). We could spend less if we tried, I'm sure.

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

Per week we have: 3 dinner meals involving meat, 2 dinner meals with no meat. We usually eat at my parents' or my ILs at least once a week for one meal, so that saves us money. At least once a week we are able to eat leftovers instead of making more food, unless I have something I have to make right away because ingredients are about to spoil.

Yesterday I ate: focaccia (homemade), soy yogurt, blackberries, couscous, half a chicken sandwich, a smoothie, and curried vegetables with dahl and rice (homemade). I drank coffee and water.

[Daisie125]

1.) How many people are eating?
4, DH, Me, 2 toddlers (I'm pregnant too)

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

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?
Yes, it's about $40-$50 a month, but I always add that in when I am posting to a thread about our monthly grocery bill

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?
Garden, yes, but it is quite small and maybe makes a $10-$20 dent in the monthly bill in the summer - we are going to enlarge it this year.

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?
We will try this year

6.) Do you shop with coupons?
Nope

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

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

10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?
DH and I are big eaters, DD is a bit eater for her size and DS grazes LOL

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

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"?
We aren't in any csa of food coops

What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
I'll come back and answer this - kids are fighting over an apple

[DASHmom]

My replies

If you spend less than $500...

I don't come in under 500 but I don't think it's necessarily meaningful to compare a flat monthly amount. I prefer to look at the cost per person per day, since that lets you adjust your numbers for part time family or the number of people in your family. A family of two (just to come up with some examples) that spends 250 a month is spending over 4 dollars a day per person, whereas my family of six spending that much would come to 750 a month. See what I mean?

As I recall, the lowest I've managed to do was 2.50 per person per day for a relatively short period of time, coming at 450 a month, but that was using some staples from the closet (dried beans, pasta, etc) and without enough produce or fresh dairy. To get by without any staples and a reasonable amount of produce is over 3 a day and sometimes closer to 4, depending on sales and season.

1.) How many people are eating?

6, including 1 nursing toddler who unpredictably eats nothing or as much as an adult

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

HIGH, I guess!

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?

No, but I think that & food stamps should be included in total cost for honest comparisons.

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

Nope.

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

I'd like to start but will not include the non-edible startup costs with groceries.

6.) Do you shop with coupons?

I don't often see coupons for stuff we eat.

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?

Two of the kids do sometimes, but they pack most of the time since it's cheaper. Their lunches at school aren't from the food budget.

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

5 ovolacto, 1 moderate to low carb omni. If I'm shopping, I usually choose whole grain over white, but dh doesn't always remember. This week, though, I got more refined grains and junky foods and was amazed by the price difference. I guess I should be glad my kids aren't picky about those things.
.
10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?

Big eaters, imo

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

Only stuff for lunches or junk food, unless they're doing a lot of boredom eating, which isn't often other than during school vacations.

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?

We will be joining a 900 dollar csa that comes with the usual weekly share, but they give away #2 produce for canning & freezing. So... I will! In any case, I recently moved and haven't figured out how much groceries here cost, but the csa breaks down to 41 dollars a week or about a dollar per person per day. I'm hoping that it will be enough for all of our vegetables and some of our fruit needs, since produce always is so expensive. I'm also applying for a part time job at a farm and asking them if they can pay me with meat and eggs instead of money.

[DASHmom]

Oh, and a sample day for us?

My dh and I don't usually eat breakfast, though he drinks lots of coffee and milk in the morning. I might have a cup but have insomnia so try to limit my caffeine to one cup of coffee with a LOT of milk in it. My kids usually either skip breakfast (by choice, as they have free access to food all day long at school), have cold cereal (one of the only things I get that isn't whole grain, though if I found a reasonably priced, nonsugary cold cereal, I'd switch... usually they have corn flakes or oat O cereal) with milk and sometimes some fruit.

Snacks and lunches tend to be the same types of foods, as we don't have formal sit down lunches. They like yoghurt (I get plain or maple in quarts), crackers and cheese, cut up carrots, apples, peanut butter, milk, hard boiled eggs, toast... that sort of thing. Sometimes junk food finds its way onto the menu, too. My friend left a box of gogurts here so they had those this morning with crackers, cheddar cheese and cucumber slices. Right now, I think my (bottomless pit) almost 8 year old is eating crackers with sour cream. Yesterday we had company and made a nacho buffet with corn chips and cheese melted in the oven, then cut up tomatoes, sour cream, beef, beans, and guacamole. It felt like a big splurge, since I don't usually get the guac but it came out to be much less money than my friend's preference (eating out). I fed two adults and six kids for 16.00

4.00 two bags of tortilla chips
4.00 two half pound containers of cheese
1.00 two small tomatoes
1.25 two cans of beans
1.25 half of a small package of meat (only two of us eat meat)
.50 part of a container of sour cream
4.00 guacamole

Dinners around here are boring. Mister bottomless pit is somewhat picky and we tend to defer to his preferences. He likes rice, beans, tofu, cheese and broccoli, pasta with cheese and broccoli or pizza (he doesn't care if it's homemade or not, so we usually don't order out). He'll eat other things but we eat those things often. TOO often.

We all love junk food, way too much, so we don't tend to keep it in the house.

[AbbeyShane]

Quick Suggestion

I"m not going to list off all of our family's eating/money info cause it would take forever. I do want to say (for anyone who will listen) that I was raised on deer and elk meat that my dad (and later myself and my husband) hunted. My parents raised 4 kids with no medical insurance on $25,000 a year. My mom stayed home with us and we children didn't know just how poor we were. But we were always well fed. The hunting has always been a sport for my dad but it was PRIMARILY a way to feed his family. They did it cheap and every year we had a freezer full of meat that lasted us well into the next year. Another thing that I appreciate about game meat is that, in my opinion, it's about as free-roaming, organic as a person can get! And it's about .5% fat. So I suggest if you can get it from a friend or want to go out and "harvest" it yourself go for it. It's a good experience and far more humane than Disney movies make it out to be (deer suffer from disease or startvation if the population isn't closely controlled and the Fish Wildlife and Parks dreamboats are good at their jobs). Anyways, I suppose this is a bit of a rant from a born and raised Montana girl. The only hunting I've seriously ever experienced was for meat, not trophies, every bit was used, and the shots were good, instant-kill shots. I'm thinking if it can help raise 4 kids and never drive the parents to WIC or Food Stamps or any government assistance then it's something to look into!

[loraxc]

I think we spend about $400/month, including cleaning products, toothpaste, shampoo and TP.

1.) How many people are eating?

4--2 adults, one 5yo and 1 14mo who is basically weaned, whether I want to admit it or not

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

Mid/low

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?

No

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

Yes, we garden, though I'm not sure how the costs bear out since we buy pricey seed and need to supplement our soil very heavily with manure

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

Not really. We sometimes freeze a bit of the garden produce and berries we pick.

6.) Do you shop with coupons?

Never.

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 lunch out maybe 2x/month.

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

We are all ovo-lacto veg.
.
10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?

Medium.

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

DD doesn't get unlimited pricey snacks (this is mainly fruit leather--she is allowed maybe 4/week) or unlimited cheese (partly because she would live on cheese if she could).

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?

We don't do any of this.

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

Typically breakfast is eggs and toast (I make my own bread in the breadmaker), oatmeal with nuts and raisins, or sometimes cereal and milk (we only buy cereal when it's 2 for 1). DS also eats yogurt most mornings. We often have bananas as well.

Lunch for me is usually leftovers or a big salad or something quick like a cheese and bean quesadilla. DH eats at work, and I think he keeps PB and J, fruit, and carrots there (I would go crazy eating this, but he doesn't seem to mind). DD and DS generally eat a grain (ww bread, pasta, or tortilla), a protein (beans or cheese) a fruit and a veg. If we have kid-friendly leftovers, they eat those.

Dinner--most nights DH and I eat separately from the kids. The kids eat the same sort of thing they eat at lunch, or leftovers. I cook 6 nights/week, and it's things like a variety of bean and tofu dishes, homemade pizza, pastas, vegetable casseroles and stir-fries. I use the crockpot quite a bit.

For snacks, we eat dried fruit, nuts, toast, and crackers and cheese. DD gets "treats" for doing her daily sinus rinses (poor kid) and that's where the fruit leather comes in; we also but fig bars and sesame bars for this. DH usually has a half-gallon of vanilla ice cream in the freezer, but he's the only one who eats it (he's trying to put on weight).

We drink coffee (we buy cheap, which sucks for the environment , but organiz is SO expensive), water, and beer and wine. Usually we get one sixpack or one bottle of wine per week.

Our most expensive items are organic milk, olive oil, and cheese. The bulk of our food is produce, whole grains, and beans. Making bread saves us quite a bit, as we used to buy expensive locally made bread for like $4/loaf. We also do not buy expensive fruit and we maybe eat 25% organic. I don't buy organic eggs or cheese.

[AlwaysByMySide]

1.) How many people are eating? 3 (one adult, one 3 1/2 year old, one 1 year old)

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

3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it? Yes. (But I include that in my $500/month.)

4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others? Not in the winter. And I'm the only one who eats tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce in this house, for some reason.

5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food? Does freezing getting-ready-to-expire meat count? Produce - I will this year, but haven't in the past.

6.) Do you shop with coupons? I shop sales, but rarely with coupons.

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? I work at home, for the most part. I make the kids' lunches/snacks for their 'school'. If it is a day that I'm not working at home, I generally just don't eat lunch, or will eat when I get 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"? Me - I'd say I'm an average eater. My 1 year old eats like a 5 year old, and my 3 year old eats like a 1 year old.

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 buy sides of meat/use CSA's or co-ops.

A typical day's eating -
Breakfast - DD and I will have a granola bar each, sometimes with a banana or an apple. DS will eat a waffle or a granola bar or a bowl of oatmeal. In the summer I usually get big on green smoothies for breakfast.
Lunch -
DD - PB&J, some type of fruit, something "crunchy" (goldfish, pretzels), sometimes some cheese.
DS usually has a container of yogurt and a bowl of oatmeal (sometimes two) with fruit mixed in. (If he hasn't had oatmeal for breakfast.) He's also happy with pasta with meat sauce, cheese and crackers, various other things.
Me - Depends on the day. The other day I had maybe half a container of cottage cheese. That's it. (I'm not sure what I was thinking that day!) But usually it's either a very large salad, or a bowl of soup, or cheese and crackers with pepperoni, or a sandwich of some sort.

We do snack after lunch most days. DD is big on popcorn, and we have a popcorn maker from the thrift store ($2!), so we do air popped corn. WAY cheaper than the bags. Other snacky things we do - goldfish, chips and salsa, celery with cottage cheese or peanut butter, apples or some other fruit

Dinner - Yesterday we had a rotisserie chicken with a pasta-in-a-bag thing. Tonight we had bratwurst (on clearance - ready to expire) with onions and peppers. At least once a week we have pasta (I only buy pasta when it is BOGO, and I stock up.) with sauce with ground beef mixed in. (I've been on the lookout for a pasta maker at the thrift store or on craigslist, so I can start making it myself, with whole wheat flour. DD won't eat it unless it is a "shape" (no spaghetti/fettucine/anything like that.)

I don't buy meat unless it is on clearance/ready to expire.

[frontierpsych]

1.) How many people are eating?
2, though DS is 7 mo and eats a little bit of solids as well


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


3.) Do you recieve WIC to supplement it?
Yes


4.) Do you garden or get free produce from others?
No, we don't have anywhere to garden, though I've considered growing potted herbs


5.) Do you can/dry/freeze/preserve food?
I occasionally cook meals to freeze


6.) Do you shop with coupons?
on occasion, though I'm trying to do it more often


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 brings lunch to work some days


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...)
I am a vegetarian, and DH and I both suppliment with shakes/protein bars, which can get pricy


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"?
We're both pretty big eaters, DS only eats a tad of solids once a day or so


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's?
No, we eat until we are full


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"?
That includes everything we eat. I cook at home a lot.


What does a typical week of eating look like for you? What did you eat yesterday?
We generally have 6 small meals a day, consisting of 1 carb and 1 protein serving each (about the size of a fist/palm of hand) and veggies with at least 2 meals. I eat a lot of cottage cheese, we buy store brands when we can. I also buy bulk things like TVP or granola from bins. We eat a lot of lentils, lately, and buy frozen veggies. I buy whatever fruit is on sale at the time.

[Rochelle Marie]

1.) How many people are eating? 3, but I'm nursing, so I eat more than my husband.


2.) Are you in a low/mid/high COL area? I would say high. Not LA or NY, but pretty high.


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? Just freeze baked goods and meat.


6.) Do you shop with coupons? No, just sales.


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


8.) Do you eat some of your meals at school or work? We bag all of our lunches. Ok, so perhaps my husband gets on lunch at work every other week or so.


9.) Are you on a special "diet" (Veg, allergies, lowcarb, TF, etc...) No, just as healthy as we can with a focus to fresh meats, veggies, fruit and whole grains.


10.) Are your family members big eaters or "eat like birds"? 2 big eaters and a toddler.


11.) Do you "ration" food or portions? Not allows 2nd's and third's? I allow 2nds, but we try to save them for lunch unless we are actually hungry for them. I do serve our plates and tell my husband if the leftovers are planned for another 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"? This includes everything. Our goal is actually $70 a week, but I can't do that. I do know that we manage to stay under $400 a month. I usually hit about $90 a week. This does not include household things like tooth paste, toilet paper, shampoo, etc.








What does a typical week of eating look like for you? Depends on the week. This week: Fri: Pizza (homemade, crust and all!), asparagus and red peppers, salad, Sat: shrimp pasta with left over asparagus (cooked fresh), Sun: grilled out kabobs with couscous and large salad, oatmeal raisin cookies (we eat dessert on the weekends), Mon: hamburgers (grilled Sun to save time) with tomato and avacodo guac. and melted motz., baked homemade spicy fries, and asparagus (we had a lot of asparagus this week! I bought two much since it was on sale , Tues: tonight we had sauteed salmon with leftover couscous mixed with carrots and a shallot and a kale/tomato/avacodo/walnut/feta salad. Wed: we are having grilled chicken (grilled Sun. as well) in a salad with red peppers, yellow peppers, snap peas over a bed of lettuce. Thurs: I'm buying groceries since my in-laws are visiting...but that gives you an idea. Every morning we eat breakfast as a family: yesterday was eggs, banana bread and grapefruit, today was toast with peanut butter and mango/banana/blueberry smoothies. We also like pancakes or french toast on the weekends...but most days it's eggs and fruit.

What did you eat yesterday? eggs, banana bread and grapefruit for breakfast, i think an apple, a banana, some pita with peanut butter, a little bit of my daughter's orange, leftover salad from sunday (my husband had left over pizza for lunch) hamburgers (grilled Sun to save time) with tomato and avacodo guac. and melted motz., baked homemade spicy fries, and asparagus.

I will say that I've looked hard for the most econonmical stores in my area, and they aren't always the most pleasent to shop at. I also frequent as many as 3 stores in a week! One for produce (a local market), one for meat (old locally owned supersaver grocer with 60's walpaper , and then Kroger or Giant for whatever random thing i can't find elsewhere...this week it was a olive oil and kabobs.
Can't wait to see what everybody else wrote! Great idea!

Rochelle