USDA Food Plan Estimates $ - Where do you fall/what do you think? - Page 2

[Ragana]

Originally Posted by sewchris2642 
One of the things that the chart doesn't take into account is regional cost of food.  I can get local, organic produce year round at a reasonable price.  But I also have about 10 farmer's markets within 10 miles of my home.  And that's not counting the farm stands.  I can go to a farmer's market every day of the week if I wanted to.  Meat I buy in bulk and store in Joy's chest freezer.  I can get eggs in the summer from my sister when her hens over produce.  She keeps her chickens in a large open chicken coop where they can eat bugs and fresh grass.  they can't be totally free range because of the coyotes.

I totally agree with this. We are in a major metro area, no gardening or hunting/gathering, no farms nearby, farmers' markets only in the summer (and then they're not cheaper than the grocery store, just better stuff). My best price on organic eggs, for example, is $3.29/dozen, which I'm sure makes most of you cringe. Organic ground beef is $4.99/lb. at Costco, $5.99 otherwise, etc. etc. I stock up during sales, but there is no room for a major pantry in our apt. Add to that two parents working, read: I cut corners by buying packaged stuff for lunches, although I don't buy TV dinners and that sort of thing. So, nope, we don't make it under the moderate level, although I try. When my freelance work ebbs a bit I do make more snacks, granola, etc. from scratch, which helps.

[FloridaBorn]

This thread was started in May.  Are most of y'all still in the thrifty category?  Prices just keep going UP!

I usually spend about $200 a week, but that includes wine.

[CI Mama]

Our family is a liberal spender according to this chart. And that makes sense, because food politics are incredibly important to us. We care a lot about sustainable agriculture, local food systems, and eating in a way that is good for the planet as well as for ourselves. We only shop at our local co-op (definitely not the cheapest option in town), at local farmer's markets, and we subscribe to a CSA. We also keep a large garden at home, and we trade produce with friends who raise chickens & produce honey. Eating organic is important to us, but even more important is eating food that we're close to. We prefer to know where & how our food is grown and produced and who is producing it. We're not perfect...but that's what we're aiming for.

Since we do spend a lot on food ($800-$1000 per month for our family of three), we make some big compromises in other areas of our household budget to make that possible. We don't drive a car (we're avid cyclists & public transportation users) and so our monthly transportation costs are far less than average (we go months without buying a tank of gas, for example).

Those are the choices that make sense to our family and so we're pleased and happy to buy & eat expensive food.

ETA: DP started a gluten free diet about 6 months ago, and we have seen our food costs go up because of that. She eats a lot of GF specialty products that are pretty pricey, and we've had to be more careful with our planning because though we budget a lot for food, we do have to stay within that budget.

Edited by CI Mama - 12/1/11 at 8:52am

[onlyzombiecat]

I think we are closest to the thrifty plan most of the time. We do eat meat, are shopping at regular grocery stores and only occasionally do we buy organic items.

[Chicky2]

We are a family of 6, w/3 of those appetites being adult-sized, and 2 being teen-sized (they way more than my dh or I do!), and one 5 yo girly appetite.  I just went back and looked at the last 2 months of grocery spending and we are below the thrifty plan.  I spent $517 in November, for instance, and that includes toilet paper, saran wrap, foil, sponges, and catfood.  I don't buy laundry detergent or cleaning products except very rarely (make my own).  We do eat meat every single day, more than once a day, but we get our meat for free or very cheap thru trapping and good meat connections and raising our own (we do spend $150/month on feed and buy hay once every 4 mos or so at $175--hay is awful expensive but we found a great deal on a 4'x3'x8' bale of alfalfa), so if I add that in, that's another $190/month, but not all of that goes under our food budget (like we buy our dogfood at the feed store) so not sure how to figure it....  I guess about $600/month total, which is still lower than the thrifty plan.

Oh, I shop Aldi and my local IGA when they have good produce sales.  I do garden, but this last year has been a bust w/the heat and drought.  I now have my first Fall garden, though, which will at least give us some beets, carrots, swiss chard, spinach, and lettuces.  We can get greens from my mom, too.  I can and freeze and dehydrate sale items.

[lmrej]

I read many of the responses and am really amazed at how all of you can spend just a few hundred dollars a month to feed your family. First, you are to be commended. Second, please write a book to tell all of the other mom's like me EXACTLY how you do it. I honestly have a hard time grasping that a family of 4 or 5 can be fed on 300-400 dollars a month. I have a family of 5. I also homeschool, so we make 3 meals a day. Not to mention a snack. I do use coupons and the list. We have a spending plan for everything. My food bill is usually around 200 or 250 a WEEK! I cook from scratch as well. Maybe it is where you all live? My husband goes to the store with me so he understands too. I watch the sales etc... What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions? My big thought is that it may be the difference in the meals I am making. Any thoughts? I make things like, chili, soups, pot pie, pizza. I really like the 5 ingredients or less. I also only use chicken or turkey. I would really appreciate any input to help reduce my spending. According to the USDA plan I think we would fall into the low cost-moderate for a family of 5. I also include all cleaning supplies into my food budget.

Thanks!!

[Wolfcat]

We have a family of 4, with younger kids. We spend less than $600/month on average, so about halfway between thrifty and low-cost. We really don't have the option of year-round famer's markets or the like (so ironic given we live in the Great Plains/Breadbasket of the US), but we do find other ways to get fresh food. Probably the biggest expense is ordering foods online (such as cheeses, butters and "exotic" foods).

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by lmrej 

I read many of the responses and am really amazed at how all of you can spend just a few hundred dollars a month to feed your family. First, you are to be commended. Second, please write a book to tell all of the other mom's like me EXACTLY how you do it. I honestly have a hard time grasping that a family of 4 or 5 can be fed on 300-400 dollars a month. I have a family of 5. I also homeschool, so we make 3 meals a day. Not to mention a snack. I do use coupons and the list. We have a spending plan for everything. My food bill is usually around 200 or 250 a WEEK! I cook from scratch as well. Maybe it is where you all live? My husband goes to the store with me so he understands too. I watch the sales etc... What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions? My big thought is that it may be the difference in the meals I am making. Any thoughts? I make things like, chili, soups, pot pie, pizza. I really like the 5 ingredients or less. I also only use chicken or turkey. I would really appreciate any input to help reduce my spending. According to the USDA plan I think we would fall into the low cost-moderate for a family of 5. I also include all cleaning supplies into my food budget.

Thanks!!

It could absolutely be where you live, or the meals you make, the foods you buy, or a number of other factors.  Do you buy packaged foods, or do you cook from scratch?  Where do you shop? 

We pay very, very little for meats.  My FIL trap wild pigs because they are a HUGE problem, and very dangerous.  But they equal almost free meat for us!  I take advantage of that but we work our butts off butchering and processing.  I never turn down a soup bone, either.  A huge part of our nutrition comes from properly prepared bone stocks.  We also raise rabbits for the table, and get our milk from our goats, and eggs from our chickens.  As I said  in my last post, we do spend on feed and hay, but that also includes our dogs, cats, and guinea pigs that are our family pets.

In the appropriate seasons, we forage for nuts, berries, grapes, persimmons, and plums.  I have been known to stop and ask someone if i can pick their fruit tree in exchange for bringing them back a dozen jars of jam.  On a good fruit year I can put back enough to last 2 years.  Good thing since our drought severely affected what we got this year--nothing.  But I still had berries and peaches in the freezer from the previous year and just recently ran out.  We gather cactus paddles around here and the prickly pears that grow on them. 

I do not plan my meals (am i still allowed here on the meal planning board, lol?) for the week.  I wing it, mostly.  I scour the ads for produce deals and don't buy expensive produce.  I rely on carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, beets, and squash this time of year.  There is ALOT that can be made w/those items!  I make lots and lots of soups, esp. this time of year.  Just yesterday I made 2 kinds, and got pintos soaking for tonight.  I'm eating potato bacon soup right now.  So cheap and very nourishing w/the bone stock. 

I fell in love w/Aldi.  Do you have one near?  I can get our cheeses (we eat alot of cheese) for now (I want to be making all our cheese from goat milk next year) for cheap, coffee creamer, sour cream, 12 grain bread, produce, butter, tuna, tortilla chips, veggie chips, unsweetened cereals, coffee, peanut butter, nuts, and oats for WAY cheaper there.  I can go and spend $250 and get a basket that is overflowing and will last us 3 weeks w/other items bought at a local store on sale to fill in the gaps.  I can, freeze, or dehydrate the extras.  For instance, I buy celery this time of year when it's on sale and dehydrate it for using in soups.  Same w/carrots and potatoes. 

My number one tip is to stay out of the store!  Seriously, do not go every single week.  Start trying to get thru another week before you have to go.  Start buying enough NOW to last more than a week.  If you see potatoes on sale, buy twice what you'd normally buy (they store well!).  Same w/apples, carrots, celery, onions, meats, etc...If you eat beans, buy a couple extra bags to start building a stockpile.  Once you start having some stuff left over each week in your pantry/freezer, you won't have to go as often.  You don't have to buy every single item in quantity each week to get some built up.  Just a few things each week for awhile and you will start to see it building up and will see that you really don't have to go to the store each week.  If you buy things that won't store well, make something from it that WILL store well.  Like if you buy lots of potatoes and greens and you don't think you'll use them before they expire, make some enchiladas for the freezer.  Make some different soups and freeze for later.  Baking supplies are on sale now, as are turkeys and hams so buy extra. Butter and cheeses can go in the freezer.  Do you have deep freeze?  I could not live w/out one.  Actually, I have 2, plus 2 fridges w/freezers on them.

Feel free to post your typical shopping list, typical meals for the week, etc. for more help.

Oh, and stop buying cleaning supplies if that is eating into your budget.  Just use vinegar, borax, baking soda, etc...

[sewchris2642]

Originally Posted by lmrej 

I read many of the responses and am really amazed at how all of you can spend just a few hundred dollars a month to feed your family. First, you are to be commended. Second, please write a book to tell all of the other mom's like me EXACTLY how you do it. I honestly have a hard time grasping that a family of 4 or 5 can be fed on 300-400 dollars a month. I have a family of 5. I also homeschool, so we make 3 meals a day. Not to mention a snack. I do use coupons and the list. We have a spending plan for everything. My food bill is usually around 200 or 250 a WEEK! I cook from scratch as well. Maybe it is where you all live? My husband goes to the store with me so he understands too. I watch the sales etc... What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions? My big thought is that it may be the difference in the meals I am making. Any thoughts? I make things like, chili, soups, pot pie, pizza. I really like the 5 ingredients or less. I also only use chicken or turkey. I would really appreciate any input to help reduce my spending. According to the USDA plan I think we would fall into the low cost-moderate for a family of 5. I also include all cleaning supplies into my food budget.

Thanks!!

One of the things i do is buy meats when they are on sale and then buy the largest amount I can.  When roasts are on sale for under $3.00 a pound, I'll buy one that is at least 3 + pounds.  That's 3 meals + lunches for the 3 of us (2 adults and one teen boy).  Any broth left over from roasting is frozen for later use.  I buy Foster Farms chickens when they are on sale for $.79 a pound; that's 5 + pounds for under $5.  I'll roast it in the crock pot (means 1.5-2 cups of broth).  That gives us enough chicken for roast chicken and 2-3 casseroles and/or ethnic meals.  The broth is frozen for soups, casseroles, and sauces/gravies.  Meat protein is maybe a fourth of our plates.  A filling grain (rice, potatoes, pasta, other grains) and one to two vegetables make up the rest of the meal.  Seconds are of grain and vegetables, not meat.  Chili has both meat and beans with the beans 2:1 to meat which is used for flavor rather than protein.  We eat a lot of ethnic (mostly Mexican and Asian) meals which use meat as flavoring.  We have 1-2 meals a week that are vegetarian--usually egg, cheese, and/or bean based.  I make most of our breads and rolls.  Instead of honey in my whole wheat recipe, I use maple syrup.  Left over mashed potatoes goes into the potato rolls or I'll make potato pancakes.  Left overs are planned for either, being served for lunches the next day or incorporated into another meal.  We don't eat a lot of sandwiches (bread and fillings) but I do make my own hot pockets with left over cooked meats and vegetables in a roll dough then baked.  I'm not anal about being totally organic.  I buy from the farmer's market which is organic and try to keep away from the dirty dozen.  I do buy bananas year round.  Milk here is artifical hormone free even at the mainstream grocery store.  I spend more on cheese because I get Tillamook from Oregon instead of California cheese and I buy Daisy sour cream.  I buy large tubs of plain yogurt and we add our own fresh fruit to it. 

[Chicky2]

If you can afford to buy meats in a larger quantity, you will almost always save.  Around here, one could go to a farmer or homesteader and offer to help on butchering day in exchange for a discount.  Or buy your meat by the animal at a butcher, rather than at a grocery store.

[Holloeness]

I would say we are between thrifty and low-cost plan and we are a family of 3 even though My dh eats enough for 2 people sometimes.  It makes the servings on the recipes inadequate for my family.  We buy meat because my dh thinks it should be at every meal, I mostly shop on post as well and sales at Safeway, and maybe once a month at Sam's club.  I would really like to reduce our grocery spending still because we can barely afford it.

[Storm Bride]

We come in somewhere between the low-cost and moderate plans, once I do the adjustment for a 6 person family. However, I don't separate out our groceries from other things we buy at the grocery store (toiletries, cleaning products, sometimes socks/underwear, occasional batteries, stationery supplies, an odd crossword book or some such). I think our actual groceries come in pretty close to the low-cost plan. We eat a fair bit of meat (not every meal, but almost every dinner, and an occasional lunch or breakfast), and buy some things organic, but not all.

These plans confuse me, though. They don't really account for varying prices in different places. (I remember reading someone here talking about butter going from $0.99/pound to $1.29/pound, and she was stressed out. While I sympathise with the huge jump, percentage-wise, I can't get butter, even on sale, for under $3.00/pound, and it's usually closer to $4.00. That's a fairly major discrepancy. That kind of thing makes it hard to assess spending, imo.)

I'm trying to get back to making my own bread and few other things that I used to do. There never seem to be enough hours in the day, or enough energy in me, these days. I need to get on it, though. The price of bread makes me cringe...even aside from all the crap that's in most brands!

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Ragana 

 farmers' markets only in the summer (and then they're not cheaper than the grocery store, just better stuff).

 

That's the way it is here, too. The farmer's markets (when they're available) cost the same as the grocery store (sometimes more). The quality is usually better (although one of our local grocery stores has some decent quality local produce, too), but it's no cheaper...and I have to drive farther to get there, since I have two grocery stores within a mile of my house, and no farmer's markets anywhere near that close...except the berry place up the hill...yummy.

 

My best price on organic eggs, for example, is $3.29/dozen, which I'm sure makes most of you cringe. Organic ground beef is $4.99/lb. at Costco, $5.99 otherwise, etc. etc.

 

umm...wow. I pay $6.99/dozen for free range organic eggs (we eat a lot of eggs, so I stock up whenever they go on sale), and non-organic ground beef, on sale, is about $4.00/lb...$5.00/lb and up if not on sale. I haven't even priced organic recently. The variances in regional cost of food blow my mind.

[zebu]

Wow, this is kind of bizarre.  My family of four is at the low-cost plan almost to the dollar - and I do most of our shopping at Whole Foods!

[CatsCradle]

I would say low to moderate for us.  We also include toiletries and the like in our weekly shopping so that accounts for some of the cost.  All in all, we spend a max of about $80/week for a family of three (that also includes DH's vitamins, coffee, cat food, litter, etc.).  We're fortunate in that we belong to a large food co-op that only does a 21% mark-up (as opposed to a 50% or even 100% mark-up).  We're mostly vegan so we don't eat cheeses or meats.  Another variable is that DD has a food plan at school, so that cost is incurred in August of each year.  We live in a small apartment and don't have a car, so stockpiling isn't really an option for us at this juncture in life.  Despite this, I feel as though we eat pretty darn good and don't spend a lot for those good eats.

[nicolelynn]

We're well below the thrifty plan with 2 adults and 3 children ages 2,3 and 4. Even including our WIC benefits for our foster children which total about $150, then we spend $400/mo. The thrifty pan would have at us at about $650/mo so we're doing $550/mo. We are in expensive so Cal, don't buy many organics anymore and eat flexitarian.

When I was working, pre-kids and we were eating TF and even more specialty diets like SCD or paleo type ones just DH and I were in the liberal plan at about $800/mo.

I go back and forth between wanting to scrounge our budget in every area so we can eat organic, local, etc. But then I go back to being in solidarity with the average American who doesn't have a choice. Someone on food stamps can't buy from CSAs, people on WIC can't get raw milk, etc. I just try to feed my family as healthy as I can with what our economy has thrown at us. I'd rather be an example to someone on food stamps that you can eat whole foods on a budget, even non-organic ones then follow an esoteric diet. I guess for those who still believe strongly enough in those kind of diets it will help sway the support towards local, sustainable, organic, etc. eventually. Once CSAs will take EBT (I know some farmer's markets do, wohoo!) and organic is an option with WIC then I will be happy =).

[Gator-mom]

We are low income (students here) and get FS for just two of the three people in our family which is $340/month.  So that's what we live off of.  Usually we run a bit low at the end of the month and have to eat dry goods out of the pantry or frozen veggies in the freezer, but usually it's about right.  The only times I think we falter is when we do buy some pre-made stuff, like veggie nuggets for DS.  I am gone all the time as a nursing student and DH is not really an avid cook..he'll follow a recipe if I plan it and lay it in front of him, but he's not really all that creative in the meal department.  Thus, sometimes it is really a life-saver to have some ready to go stuff.  I do cook in bulk and freeze (though have to store at MIL's since our freezer is itty-bitty) when I have breaks or long weekends and that helps too!  We have had dry spells before, when FS have lapsed and we have lived off as little as $150/month, though I can guarantee that we were NOT healthy then! 

[Azreial]

I spend about $100/wk on groceries for a family of 7. We do get some milk and veggies from the kids daycare (low income) once a week and dinner with grandma 1-2 days a week. I do a lot of couponing and buy very little meat. There is more packaged food than I would like in our diet. I'm want to get more homemade meals in there, that's why I'm in the meal planning forum.

I would love to see butter at $1/lb I just bought a couple pounds on sale for $3.29, store brand at that. Meat.... I got hamburger for $3.49 on sale this week. Despite living in a "fishing town" seafood is out of budget, way out, at the supermarket.

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by Azreial 

I spend about $100/wk on groceries for a family of 7. We do get some milk and veggies from the kids daycare (low income) once a week and dinner with grandma 1-2 days a week. I do a lot of couponing and buy very little meat. There is more packaged food than I would like in our diet. I'm want to get more homemade meals in there, that's why I'm in the meal planning forum.

I would love to see butter at $1/lb I just bought a couple pounds on sale for $3.29, store brand at that. Meat.... I got hamburger for $3.49 on sale this week. Despite living in a "fishing town" seafood is out of budget, way out, at the supermarket.

Wow.  Would you mind sharing what some of your typical meals are?  $100/wk is fantastic!  I spent that last week but we have a freezer full of meat, plus I had to buy $40 of canning stuff because I got about 60 gallons or so of crabapples!

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by Azreial 

I would love to see butter at $1/lb I just bought a couple pounds on sale for $3.29, store brand at that. Meat.... I got hamburger for $3.49 on sale this week. Despite living in a "fishing town" seafood is out of budget, way out, at the supermarket.

Oh, yeah - I only buy store brand (unless I need unsalted - usually for Christmas baking - because the store brand doesn't come in unsalted). It's comparable ot what you pay...usually $3.89/lb. The somewhat better name brand is $5.49...and the organic (don't even think it's from pastured, grass-fed, cows) is...think it's $6.79 for a half pound (I don't check it very often, because it's too depressing).