I just spent $146 on groceries

at least where I live veggie are NOT cheaper than meat. beans, pasta, rice, etc. is cheap...but the other parts are not.

You're right, kerc, veggies aren't cheap. My husband keeps saying he'll borrow my neighbor's rototiller so I can get a garden going, and it'll be too late if he doesnt' do it within the next few days. It would be nice to have a garden going for veggies at least in good weather, and I'd like to learn to can my own veggies for the winters.

I think it's because my daughter is now eating a lot of food. And she eats what we eat - which is fresh meat and vegetables. We actually eat a lot of vegetables but almost every dinner has meat in it too. I can't possibly make enough broccoli because she loves it so much, and she'll eat a whole chicken breast and still be hungry.

That's alot! How long of a time period were you buying for? Were you buying anything bulk that was on sale? Do you use a pricebook?

I'm really watching our grocery expenditures lately and I'm sad to say but I'm at like $200 per week. I think food is more expensive in the city.

I'm starting to think that $150 a week should be my next goal. Sad, huh?

We spend $175-$200 for 2 weeks (there are 4 of us & 1 BFing babe). I plan a menu (including things for DH's lunch) and make a grocery list from the menus. If it's not on the grocery list, it doesn't go in the cart. We have a large garden, so that helps w/veggies, we base our menus largely on the sale items, and we get a lot of produce at farmers market, since we buy organic.

I look at the ads online for my local grocery stores. I will sometimes go to 5 different grocery stores in a week in order to save money. We buy whatever is on sale. If my boys want grapes but peaches are on sale, peaches it is. My oldest is learning a lot from this practice. He helps me find the deals. If something is a really good sales and it is an item we eat a lot of, I buy as many as I can.

Yes, groceries do cost more in the city.

I don't think groceries cost more in the city. I suppose it depends on location really.
I think it really costs more if you're really rural, b/c there is no competition. We have 2 groceries, 2 natural foods, and Super walmart. When I visit my mom in Omaha (land of a billion grocery stores), prices vary by item, but round out to about the same. The sales in Omaha are slightly better, b/c of all the competition.

We spend about $30-$50/week for groceries for a family of 4 (like others, this does include DH's stupid lunch *needs* for work).

price book! We only buy the "dirty dozen" organic as far as produce. And selective dairy organic. Make our own soymilk, bread, etc.
uh oh! Dh is home after being gone a week... gotta go!

What's price book?

*erin*

Do you buy anything that has more than one ingredient in it? That's where costs tend to add up-

Price book ala Tightwad Gazette. Haven't read it? READ IT!!! The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. Almost all libraries have it or have access to it.

Price booking is recording what all foods you buy and what their lowest prices are at different stores when they go on sale (or the prices at Sam's Club, etc.). Then when you see XX food is on sale for the cheapest of the whole year, you can buy enough to last you the year. GEt it? Not a great explanation, but there is a toddler climbing on me right now. There is a thread on this forum about price books somewhere...

We spend between $45 and $70 per week and feed two adults, one teen, and a baby just beginning solids.

Our rule is to buy foods as minimally processed as possible, eat two non-meat meals a week, buy fruit on sale, buy produce in-season and no prepared foods (like frozen dinners, already baked baked goods, etc).

What really cut down our grocery bill is cutting out the processed and prepared foods. For example I can buy a pound of cous cous for the price of two boxed mixes. Similar savings can be found when you make your own rice dishes instead of buying boxed mixes. Another healthy bonus is you aren't getting any added artificial flavors or colors.

--Kari

If you're going to actually buy the book, DON"T buy just the first one. Get The Complete Tightwad Gazette. It's all 3 volumes in one fat book. Excellent value!