For those on a cash system-- family of four-- how much?

[USAmma]

I know each family is different, but I was wondering how much you set aside for groceries each week? We have a family of four (me and dh, 10yo and 7yo) and two of them have Celiac Disease. However we are using less and less of the special expensive products and just cooking a lot of naturally GF stuff like rice and potatoes. So at this point the GF thing is not much of an impact on our budget. We are also vegetarian.

I am thinking that $200/week is good for groceries which includes household cleaners, shampoo, etc. And with good shopping I will have some left over to spend on my own stuff like a small lunch out with friends, movie ticket, or new yarn. It's a good motivator to be frugal with groceries, because I will have that much more left over for me. :-)

Just looking for realistic systems and amounts from you all. We tried the envelope thing one time and it was a mess so I'm looking for simple.

[Lynne Holloman]

We are a fam of almost 6 including a dog- we use $200 a week- some weeks 100 but having CD, I assume you need to shop at TJ or whole foods so it makes sense.

[zebra15]

I think the new 'cash system' is going to take you a few weeks/months to get the bugs worked out.  Start with $200 and go from there.  Just because you use $200 as a starting place doesn't mean you can't adjust a couple weeks down the line if that is too much/little for your needs.

Also my 10 yr old eats like a horse so you may be in for a change in eating patterns soon- if that hasn't happened yet!

Im in AZ too, Its just me and a 10 yr old, most weeks I can keep it under $100, and I aim for $50 for everything but then again I'm hardcore with the coupons so I probably shop differently than you.

[crunchyveganmom]

I spend about 200 dollars for our family of 4 and I am the only vegan and then I get the kids and dh his food. Although I do plan on getting a lot of staples so I dont eat sooo much over processed vegan stu which is really not good for you either. I will spend about 200 dollars on me but i will be getting alot of grains and beans in bulk. This should only happen once every three months though. Dont know if that helped but when i was a vegetarian before going vegan I spent wayyyy less then I do now.

~crunchyveganmom~

[USAmma]

Thanks! I appreciate your input. So far I've had about $20-40 left over each week to spend on my stuff or household stuff like the rug I found at Goodwill for $30.