COL in your area

[mom0810]

Those of you who spend less than $700 a month in groceries have got me thinking. I wanted to get an idea of what things cost in your area, to understand why I am spending so much.

Here, a loaf of bread is $4.00. A gallon of milk is a little over 4, sometimes 5. ORGANIC milk is $7+ a gallon, and this is all I buy. Cheese... I buy the shredded bagged cheese for $4 a bag. We buy our water at $1.25 a gallon. Those are the basics.. gives you an idea. How much are these things in your area?

Diapers are $20 for the big pack (sorry, I don't do cloth!) and wipes are $7. We buy about 2 bags of dipes and 2 bags of wipes a week.

We do get convenience things like frozen pizza at $7 a pop. We get some
"fun" things like yogurt for the kids and us and that totals about $20 a week.

I think I just live in a high COL area. What do you think?

[Delicateflower]

a loaf of bread is $4.00. : decent bread is $4. I make my own for roughly $1


ORGANIC milk is $7+ a gallon: Don't know about regular, but Organic Valley is $3.99 per half gallon.


shredded bagged cheese for $4 a bag: Block cheese for $4-5 a pound


water at $1.25 a gallon: 0.00285 cents per gallon from the wall


Diapers are $20 for the big pack : $13 for about 80, Target brand

wipes are $7: $3.50

[mom0810]

Can't use the Target ones... my babies break out with anything but Pampers dipes and wipes.

The brand of milk I buy lately because it's cheaper is Horizon. About $7 a gallon, maybe eight.

Can't use tap water, we have a well. <gag>

[enkmom]

At my Hyvee bread from the bakery is $2.99/loaf. We buy our milk by the quart because it is only the 2 of us, but organic milk runs about $5/gallon. Bags of shredded cheese in the 2 cup package usually goes on sale for $1.99/bag, but the 32 oz blocks of cheese you can shred yourself often go on sale 2/$6. I don't buy water or diapers, so I'm not sure about prices there.

We are in a low COL area, but wages here are small, too so people here are suffering even though prices may seem low.

[Alyantavid]

We live in a pretty low col area. I usually get bread at the day old store for around $1 a loaf.

Non-certified organic milk is $2.75 a half gallon. Its local, pastured and basically organic.

Cheese, I usually buy the 2 lb brick of Tillamook for $5-6. I never buy shredded cheese.

Water, I buy bottled by the case for around $3.

These are sale things, if they're not on sale, I don't buy them. Except the milk.

Diapers, we only use Seventh Generation for night time and they're $10-11 a pack. And not a huge package either.

We do get some junkier things but I keep that to only sale stuff and not very much of it.

[Leta]

I live in an area that, overall, has a very low COL. That said, the prices for the foods and supplies you mention are bascially the same here. I think that has to do with the fact that they are national-type things.

Horizon milk here is about $4 per half gallon (never seen gallons, so can't comment). I was recently in FL (1200 miles away), and there it was $3.80-$4.20 per half gallon, so virtually identical price points.

I don't buy shredded cheese, but the 1# blocks of local, hormone free cheese cost anywhere from $4.50-$5.50, depending on the type.

We bake bread, but to get a loaf of bread that is of the quality of our homemade bread, you are looking at $5 per 1# loaf.

I can't comment on sposie dipes/wipes, because I've bought exactly three packs of wipes for the car, at $1 each, but I remember doing the math when I was preggo for DD1 and being horrified at how expensive it would be to use sposies. So they are probably pretty pricey, here, too.

Couldn't you a get a filter to improve the taste of your water? Or is it one of those things where it's so full of iron that the filter barely helps? (I've lived with that in the past, and it sucks.)

[Mamatoabunch]

Bread, we make most of ours, but buy whole wheat sandwhich type occasionally $2.27
Milk, we milk our cow and goat, buy do pay for hay
Cheese 1lb block $4, never buy shredded
Diapers, use Kroger brand w/ coupon, $6.99 w/ coupon $3.99, only use at night, cloth in day, wipes don't buy usually
Frozen pizza, red baron $4, but I only splurge on sale $2.50 each

I only but when things are on sale.

[Drummer's Wife]

We spend more than $700 per month on groceries and I tend to think we live in a lower COL area... but our prices are the same. $4 bread, $7+ Horizon Organic milk, etc. Cheese we generally buy by the lb. but I buy bags of shredded when it's on sale which brings it down to 2/$5.

We cloth diaper and drink our well water, though.

My boys go through a gallon of milk per day so that is a big chunk of our grocery $$$$.

We don't often buy snack foods (my kids will eat a piece of fruit) and nothing really pre-packaged or in individual servings-- if we get yogurt it's a big tub of plain.

[newbymom05]

This is pretty funny, b/c I think we live in a low COL state (TX) and our food prices our similar to yours. Wipes are cheaper but I buy the off brand like Krogers or similar. I base my COL statement on housing, though. But food is wicked spendy here compared to FL, but I think it's b/c now we're in Dallas and everything has to be trucked in. Hmm, now that I think about it, our electricity is high, our property taxes are high...maybe I need to revisit my COL attitude, lol. Maybe we ALL live in a high COL area...or maybe this is just inflation outpacing our wages.

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by newbymom05

I base my COL statement on housing, though.

me, too. Because housing in my particular area is much cheaper than where I lived in Denver.

I'm not really sure that food costs vary that greatly, unless you live somewhere like Hawaii. The stores, though, likely make a difference. My two choices within 10 miles are Albertson's and Wal-mart. We try to avoid Wal-mart so it means we may pay $2 more per lb of butter if it's not on sale.

Also, I suppose how food is taxed may increase or decrease grocery costs slightly. Here it's not taxed at all, but when I lived in CO I believe it was on a local level.

[Bluegoat]

Originally Posted by mom0810

Those of you who spend less than $700 a month in groceries have got me thinking. I wanted to get an idea of what things cost in your area, to understand why I am spending so much.

Here, a loaf of bread is $4.00. A gallon of milk is a little over 4, sometimes 5. ORGANIC milk is $7+ a gallon, and this is all I buy. Cheese... I buy the shredded bagged cheese for $4 a bag. We buy our water at $1.25 a gallon. Those are the basics.. gives you an idea. How much are these things in your area?

Diapers are $20 for the big pack (sorry, I don't do cloth!) and wipes are $7. We buy about 2 bags of dipes and 2 bags of wipes a week.

We do get convenience things like frozen pizza at $7 a pop. We get some
"fun" things like yogurt for the kids and us and that totals about $20 a week.

I think I just live in a high COL area. What do you think?

Hmm, where we are bread is 1.99 a loaf, or $3 for the fancy bakery stuff. I think milk is just about $4 for 2L, and it doesn't go on sale. II get one of those long blocks of cheese for $8-9, unless it's on sale. A pack of diapers is just under $18 for store brand and wipes just under $7.

I'm not sure what our power rate is but water is quite low. Gas is about 91 cents a L now, I think. We don't have cheap municipal taxes but we get very good service for them. We livin in a smaller house in the nice area of our town (not the fanciest but the nicest) and paid $124,000 for the house.

So I guess we are LCOL, but I think taxes here are a fair bit higher than the US.

[sanguine_speed]

Organic milk is $10 per gallon (4L), butter is $10 per pound, bread is $2.79/loaf, and organic cheddar cheese is $47.80 for 2kg (4.4lbs) and that's buying it by the 4.4lb block and from a non-profit cooperative. But, we choose organic.

[beansmama]

Hmmmm...I can't really be that helpful here, because I don't eat dairy - and i know those prices (especially when bought organically) are ridiculous.

I really think a lot of it has to do with where you are shopping. Places like Albertsons or safeway are much more expensive than less fancy stores (Food 4 Less/Sherms, Winco, etc). When i was shopping at "nice" stores I was spending over $100 more a month and getting waaaay less fresh produce (and just food in general) than i get now that i shop at cheaper stores).

I can't afford organic right now. I am pretty sure Eugene is a mid-COL area and I spend about $260/mo on groceries. I don't buy dairy (well, i buy soymilk, which is $3+ for 8c's - not sure what size that is?). I use those bulk bins, only buy what i need and cook from scratch.

$7 for a frozen pizza is normal in a typical grocery store...I make my own, which only takes about 25 minutes from START to finish - yep, i don't have to wait hours for it to rise, and it's yummy.

Thankfully, we have a grocery outlet here and you can get all that premade junk for cheaper - if we wanted to buy it (i still say it's cheaper to make your own).

Oh, and buying cheese pre-shredded is always more expensive. You're essentially paying the person to shred it for you

[mnnice]

While I spend under $700 a month I certainly wouldn't/couldn't if I spent $220 a month on diapers, paid $4 for every loaf of bread my crew ate (in my case that would be another $40 per month), and I wouldn't even venture to guess how much I'd spend on water at $1+ a pop. This isn't a negative judgement about your choices at all; I'm sure you have a good reason for each of them. I'd just be in way over $700 if I bought all of those things plus what we regularly eat/consume.

I actually think most of your prices are pretty in line with my area (WI) except that convential milk is cheaper (imagine that). I generally think of this as a pretty low COL area, especially for groceries.

I spend about $10 per month on bread baking supplies and probabily another $2-$3 a week on items you could make at home, but I find more of a PITA than it's worth (begels, English muffins, tortillas).

We are mostly past the diapering stage. DS2 wears one to bed everynight and usually wakes one of us up at 2 a.m. to change his wet diaper, but is PL 100% during the day. We use some elderly (i.e ugly) diapers and covers that have been used hard through two kids.

[Delicateflower]

Originally Posted by Mamatoabunch

Milk, we milk our cow and goat, buy do pay for hay

killing myself laughing, I thought I was doing a bit of crunchy one-upmanship with my self baked bread. Only on MDC would someone come along and cite hay as their milk expense.

[WC_hapamama]

If you want to cut down on your diaper/wipe costs, buy the diapers in larger packages. I know that Target carries the big boxes of Pampers Cruisers. Also, check out the sales flyers and Sunday paper coupons.... there are often coupons for pampers products. Also, you might want to consider just using a warm, wet washcloth instead of wipes for diapers that are just wet.

I live in a high COL area. Have you considered a water delivery service rather than buying water by the gallon? Also consider stocking up on the shredded cheese while it's on sale... Honest, it does freeze ok.

I buy conventional, rBST free milk, and I can usually get 2 gallons for $4-$5 at Safeway. At the rate my kids drink milk, I'd go broke buying organic.

Shop sales... plan meals around what's on sale. That helps A LOT.

[Kirsten]

Originally Posted by mom0810

Here, a loaf of bread is $4.00. A gallon of milk is a little over 4, sometimes 5. ORGANIC milk is $7+ a gallon, and this is all I buy. Cheese... I buy the shredded bagged cheese for $4 a bag. We buy our water at $1.25 a gallon. Those are the basics.. gives you an idea. How much are these things in your area?

Diapers are $20 for the big pack (sorry, I don't do cloth!) and wipes are $7. We buy about 2 bags of dipes and 2 bags of wipes a week.

We do get convenience things like frozen pizza at $7 a pop. We get some
"fun" things like yogurt for the kids and us and that totals about $20 a week.

I have one word for you - Costco! I buy a two pack of 100% whole wheat bread (our favorite brand) there for about what you pay for one loaf. Freeze one to use later. You could buy milk at Costco too, but we get organic delivered here every week to a insulated box they provide. It is the same price as buying non-organic at the store. Cheese - I buy bricks of Tillamook when they are on sale at Safeway, or at Costco if not. Shredded is a rip off; shred it at home. Or buy shredded at Costco if you must. Diapers and wipes also at Costco - watch for the coupons in the books they mail out! Or on sale at Target with coupons from the paper. Only buy frozen pizza when it is on sale, and stock up. I buy the kind we like for $2.50 or $3 each when on sale.

Originally Posted by Alyantavid

Cheese, I usually buy the 2 lb brick of Tillamook for $5-6. I never buy shredded cheese.

These are sale things, if they're not on sale, I don't buy them. Except the milk.

Exactly! Unless we'll really suffer without it (like milk and bread), I don't buy it until it is on sale. Something is always on sale! Don't go with a specific list for most things - buy what the specials are. I don't put Cheerios, strawberries and pork chops on my list - I go and buy whatever cereal is on sale AND I have a coupon for, whatever fruit is on sale, whatever dinner item is on sale.

When it is on sale, stock up. When it isn't on sale, wait. Read the weekly ads for your local grocery stores, but don't waste time and gas going to a bunch of different stores. Find the one that has the most deals you can use, and go there this week. Take coupons. Sign up for the "club card" so you get better prices. Freeze what you can't use right away. Make lunches for work/school instead of buying. Make enough for leftovers.

[misswerewolf]

Originally Posted by mom0810

Here, a loaf of bread is $4.00. A gallon of milk is a little over 4, sometimes 5. ORGANIC milk is $7+ a gallon, and this is all I buy. Cheese... I buy the shredded bagged cheese for $4 a bag. We buy our water at $1.25 a gallon. Those are the basics.. gives you an idea. How much are these things in your area?

Diapers are $20 for the big pack (sorry, I don't do cloth!) and wipes are $7. We buy about 2 bags of dipes and 2 bags of wipes a week.

We do get convenience things like frozen pizza at $7 a pop. We get some
"fun" things like yogurt for the kids and us and that totals about $20 a week.

I think I just live in a high COL area. What do you think?

Here's ours:

a loaf of bread (the nice crusty European kind) is about $4-5
1/2 gal of non-organic milk is about $3
cheese is expensive. we spend a ton of money on imported cheese.
we use a brita filter for our water.
we use cloth diapers and throw it all into the washer when ready.
we use cloth wipes, although initially we used just torn-up paper towels or toilet paper with a homemade water-based wipe solution.
we get a box of organic fruits once a month from a CSA for about $32.
we used to get a box of organic veggies, too, but stopped for the time being. $32 as well.
we buy a lot of wine. $200 or so, once a month.

We're in Silicon Valley.

[Mamatoabunch]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

killing myself laughing, I thought I was doing a bit of crunchy one-upmanship with my self baked bread. Only on MDC would someone come along and cite hay as their milk expense.

[Purple Sage]

I think we live in a moderate COL area...food is cheap, but housing is nowhere near as cheap as some of the places I've seen mentioned here.

Whole wheat bread (store brand) - $1.89.

Organic soy milk - $1.99/qt. (~$8/gal)
Regular milk is $3.89/gal

Cheese (not organic) is about $4/lb
Organic cheese at farmer's market is about $10/lb
We shred our own cheese, but I did notice that the price per ounce for pre-shredded is a lot higher at the store.

We don't buy water, so I don't know about that.

Diapers - the huge box of Huggies or Pampers at Target is $30. The new baby wears cloth, but we still buy disposables for the 2yo, and Huggies work the best with him.