$220 monthly grocery + CSA?

[craft_media_hero]

So we are having to cut back on our grocery budget. We are a family of three (2 adults and an almost 7yo) and expecting #4 in July.

We eat predominately vegetarian with a little seafood thrown in, eggs, cheese, but we really don't buy meat.

As of mid-May, we will be picking up a box of local, organic, seasonal produce market value of about $30. It will be mostly vegetables, some melons, and then a handful BIG deliveries of fruit surpluses throughout the growing season. So that will cover most of our produce, I think.

I am wondering---what should I focus on for the other $55 a week that will be spent at the grocery store? We have an expensive soy milk habit and cheese is a big chunk of the budget too. Not a lot of nuts, maybe a pound or two per month?

I am applying for WIC, too, so that will help, especially if we can get soy milk on our checks instead of cow milk (which we will donate to another family because none of us can "tolerate" it).

I do menu plan and cook a lot from scratch. I am good with the quick breads, but my yeast breads not so much. I'd like to quit buying sammich bread, coz I favor the expensive brands, but my loaves come out like bricks . . .

Talk to me about the specifics of how to make this work! We don't buy snacks like chips and cookies, but it sure would be nice to have some snacky stuff around.

How can I not burn my family out on soups and dry beans? They are good for that maybe twice a week, but then we start relying on the cheese dishes and eggs, which racks up the $ (we don't have a local egg source and I buy the organic ones at the store).

Help, please!

[luv-my-boys]

if you are applying for wic ask you HCP to write a "rx" for soy milk. It will help you with the hassle of substituting the cow's milk for soy. If you are unable to get the soy ask to see if you can substitute the milk for more cheese which you can use. We were on WIC a short pd of time and we didnt do any milk but had them add more cheese in exchange for the milk which worked out better for us.

[craft_media_hero]

Hey, thanks for the info!

Part of the prob is that I don't have a HCP except for my midwife! I checked out the form that they use to make substitutions, and it has RN OB and a couple others but none that fit my midwife's qualifications, which is a bummer because I'm sure she would write smth saying to sub for milk.

More cheese would be fine, too. Or tofu or whatever, I think they have a vegan diet distinction (which we're not, but I'd rather have soy milk and have to sub tofu than get cheese but have to take cow milk, yk?).

So I have to figure out who will write me the rx--the peeps at the health dept here are really . . . angry? Idk but I always feel like they are trying to grill me so I don't really know how to go through the health dept for the soy rec.

[katiedidbug]

I am in a similar situation. My grocery budget is about what yours is, and I also get a CSA for veggies and fruit, but also for meat and eggs. I use my WIC checks to make our snacks. For instance, I get rice and corn Chex (the off-brand) for my cereal to make Chex Mix. I also will get oatmeal for my cereal to make granola bars. With WIC, you can get cheese and tortillas, so quesadillas are a typical lunch for us. We really use our WIC package and do a lot of our meal planning around that.
For your other $55, I'd say to buy a lot of grains to supplement your meals. With WIC, you can also get canned or dry beans, so you can do a lot of meal planning around those, too.