Jon & Kate plus 8... how do they feed 10 organically?

[ajsgirl]

Does anyone know this show and how they manage to feed their family of 10 on $150 a week? She mentions it on their website, but leaves out most of the detail. I can't seem to leave the grocery store for less than $170 these days, and that's for a family of 4. I guess I need cheaper meal ideas. :LOL

[ChildoftheMoon]

I found this explanation:

8. How do we spend only $150 per week on groceries for a family of ten? We spend that much ONLY at one store. In other words, due to editing, it seems that we only spend that much period...not entirely true! I shop at discount stores locally (great source of organic foods extremely well priced) as well as at Sam's club every other month or so. We also do not buy our meat at the grocery store. We buy it in bulk at organic wholesale places. Bottom line: We pay as little as possible for organic/nutritious foods for our family because it is important to us! I really can't say what it avererages per month total......maybe between 600-800 per month? Hard to say!

[ajsgirl]

Yeah, I read that. What I would love to know is what meals she makes that allow her to spend so little. I may have to check out her book...

[Robyn79]

She has a book?

[Robyn79]

Kate has a booK? That would be a good read actually. I really like her and many of her ideas.

[swimswamswum]

My guess is that they afford to eat organically and to live in their nice house from the money that they receive from the show and its sponsors.

[Ammaarah]

The sextuplets are pretty small, still, so maybe they don't eat all that much yet.

[ajsgirl]

here's her book:

http://tinyurl.com/327act

[annethcz]

I can see spending a small amount at the store, if she's also buying meat direct from the farmer and buying staples from a co-op. Basically she'd just be buying produce (and maybe dairy) from the store.

And like the others said, her kids are still pretty small.

[ChattyCat]

I have no idea, because I spent almost $40 at Aldi and almost $130 at WalMart today for the week's groceries. Nothing but food, and I still need to go to Kroger for about 5 more things. Very little of that was organic. I didn't buy any meat. And, my kids are 4 and almost 2.

I just had to increase the household goods line in my budget and make it up from elsewhere, because it is literally impossible for me to stick to our $700/mo. I'm not sure that I can do the $900/mo that I increased it to.

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by swimswamswum

My guess is that they afford to eat organically and to live in their nice house from the money that they receive from the show and its sponsors.

I've watched the show a few times and she seems so stressed doing some of the things they are doing, I mean I'm stressed with the idea of taking 2 kids some places and she takes 8, all I can think is that the show makes her do those things to remain interesting - no one wants to watch a show about a mom with 8 kids who goes nowhere and does nothing (which would be me with that many kids at those ages). I always end up thinking they must get a decent amount from the show itself to make it worthwhile or even possible for them to live as they do.

[dharmamama]

Originally Posted by ChildoftheMoon

In other words, due to editing, it seems that we only spend that much period...not entirely true! **snip** I really can't say what it avererages per month total......maybe between 600-800 per month? Hard to say!

Well, ummm ... $150 x 4 weeks IS $600 ... but she just said it's "entirely not true" that that's what they spend.

???

dm

[mommykood]

I don't know who these people are in this book or anything, but I'll take the bait.

We eat 100% organic in our family of 7 (DH, 9yr, 8yr, 4yr, 3yr, 1 yr, and I). I spend less than $100/week. We buy out of "Country Life" bulk foods http://www.clnf.org/ once a month for all our bulk items. The minimum order is $350, no delivery fees, and we order with one other family in our area. We get cert. organic bulk - ww bread & baking flours, evap. cane juice crystals, popcorn, nutritional yeast, real salt, raisins, rice, sprouting seeds, olive oil, etc. ~$150/month is spent this way. (We don't order every month, because we can't meet the $350 required amount, but it averages ~$150/month.)

We butcher our own pastured & cert. organic grained chickens (~70, 75 quarts & pints canned), and we pay ~$225 after selling some to help pay our costs on the chickens. We also get a hunted venison, given to us for free, that we cut & grind up (one buck, ~60# ground meat). We get our tuna from Whole Foods $1.19/can, (~$125/year).

Everything else, eggs, dairy, frozen, produce, etc, we buy locally, in our store's large natural foods section. ~$50+/week.

Total is ~$4750-$5200/year (~$100/week average) for us, but keep in mind make lots of stuff from scratch. We hardly ever eat in restaurants (2 $5 Little Caesar's cheese pizzas can feed us when we want a change ). We really like to eat this way, with "whole foods" that are organic, and we've seen the changes in our health to boot!

Hope this inspires someone like the person who inspired us to eat this way!

[Thystle]

I am not begrudging ANYONE with EIGHT kids extra money from a tv show!

People dont get rich off that kind of show!




And ALL reality tv is HEAVILY edited and even staged... so what you watch is NEVER really true.




And the more "stress and fights" they put in they better it sells! People want to see the drama!





It all depends on what and how much you eat and where you live!!!!

[ChildoftheMoon]

Originally Posted by dharmamama

Well, ummm ... $150 x 4 weeks IS $600 ... but she just said it's "entirely not true" that that's what they spend.

???

dm

I know, made me scratch my head too. I borrowed that paragraph from her website and that was her answer to the a FAQ.

[ajsgirl]

They had a "behind the scenes" show the other night and the mom and dad said that they wouldn't do it unless it was REAL reality tv. She says there are no scripts, no staging, and the crew is there every day and is practically family to them. She said she would have refused to do it if TLC wasn't willing to show their real everyday life. They don't go out too much.

I guess if I had more storage for bulk items, room for a deep freezer, etc, I could probably shop for less $.

[Savoir Faire]

I just remember seeing her at a Sam's Club. While I typically do not shop there (avoid Walmart like the plague)-- I can't say I remember seeing TONS of organic stuff while there-- usually the stuff I see I think I'd rather get at the store.

We're a family of 4 who probably spends about $70/week (average) on food, including organic milk, soymilk and eggs...plus mostly "organic" boxed foods that do not contain hydrogenated oils.

As for the kids being "little" and not eating much-- my daughter is the exact same age as the younger ones and I thank God every day I don't have to feed 6 of her. She could easily eat me out of house and home--- this teeny tiny thing is a BOTTOMLESS PIT! :

Jon & Kate are a gold mine for TLC/Discovery. There's a lot of interest in them. I'm sure, as the seasons have gone on, that they've managed to get a decent amount of $$ from the show. Think of the Roloffs from LPBW-- all of the newer episodes I saw (don't see them anymore) involved the stuff they were buying or things they were doing with that money.

[loitering]

When she first told the world that she spent that much, they had only done a couple one hour specials and (I'm guessing) weren't buying tons of organic or pricier foods - plus they were feeding 6 1 year olds, not 3 year olds. But I bet now that they have the show, they're able to afford better, and more food.

[ananas]

Originally Posted by swimswamswum

My guess is that they afford to eat organically and to live in their nice house from the money that they receive from the show and its sponsors.

Yup, that.

[crazyeight]

although i bet their food prices are higher if that question was earlier in the kids lives BUT i don't think they were really hurting for money before. i don't know what an IT analyst makes but its computers so that means higher. although its expensive to live on the east coast they do make more PLUS they didn't move...so houseing extra kids has not made those costs higher PLUS they were doing invitro and such so i think they at least make a very decent living....