Frugal meal planning tutorial - any interest? - Page 3

[mhurst]

I'm in! We typically spend $400-500 a month for a family of 4. I would love to reduce that!

[vannienicole]

*

[SugarGlider]

Me too!

[knittingmomma]

Hello,
I would love to join in on this... one concern I have, though, is that we buy many organics, which tend to be more expensive. However, I am determined to make it fit in our budget.

Warm wishes,
Tonya - Simple Living Mom of 5

[ashleyhaugh]

i wanna know too

we spend about $300-$500 a month on just dh and i

[Starr]

I'd be in.

[kathirynne]

Alrighty, then

WOW! I honestly didn't think there would be this much interest.

Quite a few people have been concerned about the quality (for lack of a better word) of food involved here. I want to reassure you that I generally don't use pre-packaged ingrediants in my cooking, and while I don't have a nutrition degree, I am the eldest of six, and the mother of 4, so I've got a little experience in the kitchen!

The "course" will focus mainly on the "theory" and "method" of grocery budgeting and meal planning, rather than mere recipes. As helpful as I have found sites like www.hillbillyhousewife.com to be, I refuse to feed my family ramen casserole with sliced hot dogs. (No offense meant, but I don't consider that food.) Not to mention, we probably have different dietary perameters, and likes, dislikes, et cetera. I can't possibly address all of those issues. What I can do, however, is teach you how to get the most out of your grocery dollar.

As a disclaimer, I have been at this for ages, and employ some long-term strategies - canning and freezing homegrown food, for instance - and that's why I can average $200 per month to feed my family. I am not promising that you will reduce your grocery bill to $200 per month. In fact, I don't think it's possible to go from $500-$600 per month to $200 all in one go. (And EnglishRose, I don't think you could feed all 8 of your kids on less than $400 per month. I know your kids, and they can EAT! )

The point of this little tutorial is to help you find ways to tighten up your grocery budget, to reuse leftovers in an appealing way, to become confident (and GOOD!) at cooking from scratch and to buy fewer pre-made and pre-packaged processed foods (the ultimate goal is none at all, but baby steps are more realistic than cold turkey...)

So, if you're ready for your first assignment, come join us in this thread...

[jamesong5]

Sign me up too !!!!