USDA Food Plan Estimates $ - Where do you fall/what do you think? - Page 3

[Imakcerka]

Ok so I was going over my budget and I'm spending 300 every 3 weeks at Costco.  Then I pick up a few things here and there at the store, which looks like about 20 to 50 a week. So I'll go for an average of 35... so 440 for 4 people, 3 dogs and a cat.  I think the cat eats more than the dogs.  I do buy some organic and I spend quite a bit on fruits and veggies.  Which in themselves can be meals for my girls.  DD2 eats all the bananas and DD1 eats all the apples... sometimes I get an apple...  I do make a lot of muffins and such my girls and DH are bread lovers.  I hate bread.  Not much milk is being used in our house anymore and the girls are not into cereal but love oatmeal.  I think oatmeal helps us out a lot since DD1 could eat oatmeal and apples all day everyday.  I buy what every one likes and generally do not spluge on junk.  Like everyone would be happy with soup and sandwiches for lunch and dinner and oatmeal for breakfast... EVERYDAY!  Odd ducks.  I on the other hand would be happy with steamed veggies and rice everyday.  So I"m a little out there too. 

[Milk8shake]

I live in Oz, so I don't know if my opinion counts, but I would fall somewhere between low cost and thrifty, leaning more towards thrifty most weeks. 

I do buy some organic/specialty foods (vegan) which tend to bump the costs up somewhat. 

[SomethingAnonymous]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

Everyone always says this chart is a huge overestimate, but I fall in the low-cost plan (not the thrifty plan). And that feels ok to me because I certainly worry about the cost of food and hardly going out and buying caviar (or even avocados - that's a treat for me). Most people say that they spend about half of the thrifty plan and don't even feel the pinch.

Originally Posted by CoBabyMaker 

We fall somewhere between low-cost and thrifty.  Not that I trust anything from the government but that makes me feel pretty good. 

This isn't an overestimate at all for our area.  I would be at about the low cost plan- this chart makes me feel way better about it too. $150 a week is a stretch, we seem to always be out of food.  Part of it is that we can't eat anything cheap like rice, wheat pasta, potatoes because of allergies.