Grocery Shopping on a Budget
Don't miss Barbara's post on Grocery Shopping on a Budget. See what she bought for $85. For more inspiration, read this article on Tackling Your Grocey Budget. Lots of thoughts and ideas there.
What did you buy for groceries this week and how much did you spend?
We spent about $6 because our cupboards were well-stocked and so I only needed to buy 2 blocks of cheese and a loaf of bread. We splurged and bought my husband's favorite bread since we didn't have hardly anything to buy. (Yes, I'm not a superwoman. I don't make all our bread. :)
posted by Crystal Paine at 3:51 PM
31 Comments:
These links were interesting and full of good ideas....thank you!
ps. Love the new top of your blog! (o:
I bought about $25 worth from Food Lion.
I got 4 cans of tuna(2 for $.89) and 4 boxes of tuna helper (.99 each), box organic mac and cheese(2.00), wheat bread (2.00), mixed fruit tray (2.99), 2 boxes of pasta (2.00 each),a TV dinner (4.99) some salad stuff, fudge brownie mix, yogurt, and maybe a few other odds and ends like shampoo.
I estimate that we spend $150/week to feed 9 people, 3 dogs, and 1 really fat cat.
This also includes diapers and nearly any non-food items that can be found at Walmart. My philosophy is, If Walmart Doesn't Have It Then I Probably Don't Need It.
It also includes extra food for fellowships twice/week.
I know we could do better, but hubby enjoys some pre-packaged foods, and encourages me to take advantage of certain convenience items too - this can be a real blessing to my day and I'm thankful for it.
do you not eat fresh fruit and vegetables regularly??
AussieTigger: Are you asking me or someone else? To clarify, we do eat lots of fresh veggies (mostly a big salad every night for dinner) and then fruit for snacks, but this week I already had a great big bag of apples and a lot of salad ingredients leftover from last week, so I didn't need to buy any fresh stuff. :)
Oh and Kim, you know what? If you can afford the convenience foods, go for it. :) I'm all for efficiency! And, as my mom always said, "We cook to please Dad."
I was asking you, Crystal. I was wondering how you managed to shop for a week without buying any fruit and vegies is all. :)
:) Oh and it's nice to see you here. I've been thinking of you!
2this week we are having sausage and pepper pasta, porcupine meatballs, burgers, chili, meatloaf, salmon, and something else i haven't decided :)
today i did my grocery shopping for this first half of the week and spent about $60. about $17 on meat, $11 on fresh produce (this is way down from normal because i had fruit, spinach, and salad from the latter half of last week), and the rest on various items, including applesauce, canned tomatoes, cereal, rice, baking supplies, etc., plus a couple treats like bread from whole foods and apple cider.
i know we spend quite a bit, and it seems like a fortune compared to what some of you spend, but we eat all fresh fruits and vegetables (lots of them!), nothing canned, except for tomatoes. i make most all of jeremy's lunches and i am always hungry here at home, it seems like! i buy our meat at the grocery store and not walmart because their beef is injected with nasty stuff and the grocery stores here actually process their own meat. eating healthy and yummy food costs a lot.
anyway, i'm trying to make myself not guilty for spending so much ;)
Crystal, how much was in those 2 blocks of cheese? Cheap cheese here is over $2 a pound.
I bought a few things this week so far: 3 #10 cans of crushed tomatoes with puree to make spaghetti sauce for the freezer $2.29 each ( That will make at least 4-6 meals of spaghetti sauce) 2 #10 cans of unsweetened applesauce (Anthony's main baby food mixed with oatmeal) $2.30 each. 6 lbs of frozen vegetables at .89 a lb.
At the store I bought 2 packages of margarine .39 each, Lettuce .88, Broccoli almost 2 lbs. 1.61, 3 lbs oatmeal $1.48, 1/2 gallon eggnog .98
I have quite a bit of stock stored up of rice, pasta, potatoes etc. and just need to get a bit of meat. I do have a corned beef in the freezer I would like to make.
Last week I was given a whole bunch of jam and then today I was given 5 boxes of cold cereal.
Many of the things I bought will last for a long while, especially with the holidays coming, we will be gone alot!
Let's see if I can remember most of what I got this week :D
I got 15 cans of pineapple for $.37 a can at one store ($5.55 I think); at Aldi's I got carrots, lunch meat, string cheese, and a frozen chicken (about $12 total). At Kroger I got 6 dozen eggs ($.33 a dozen, yay!), 3 gallons of OJ and 1 gallon of milk ($2 a gallon for those), a pint of sour cream, 3 half-pints of whipping cream, numerous bags of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, and I can't remember what else. Mostly sale items, and I like to stock up on things (within reason ;D). And lastly, at IGA I got 12 gallons of drinking water (refilled), 2 t-bone steaks (on sale, and as a special treat for Joshua :D), some cheese and pastrami from the deli, and two half-gallons of ice cream (not a cheap kind... in fact, I think this is the first time I have ever bought that brand! Joshua has had some at my parents' house and loves it, so when it went on sale... ;D).
I don't think I have ever spent only $6 one week though!! :) We seem to go through a lot of food... or maybe it's just what I buy :D. It just seems like about every week there's SOME good sale and I have to stock up... cheese, chicken breast, ground chuck, milk or OJ, etc ;)
I love to find good sales on things, or try to use extras of things that are on sale (or better yet, "free" from the garden :D)... but I do buy a lot of "treats". Joshua usually asks what "goodies" I got at the store and I love to surprise him with a bottle of gourmet root beer, or a new snack or something :). We also eat meat at least once a day... and Joshua is the type to like a lot of meat in his soups, casseroles, etc... (He would definitely notice if I cut back on the meat part ;D)... but hey, a happy husband is better than any "cheap" grocery bills, right? ;)
I admit it: I am a terrible shopper.....I spend too much. I don't know what happend to me....I used to only go to the commissary when my husband was still in the military, then we retired, I had a baby and I lost my mind. We also lived about an hour away from a Wal-Mart or 2 hours away from a base to shop at.
Can anyone point me in a grocery right direction on how to buy stuff??? I am serious....I stink at being thrifty....ok, you can quit laughing now Crystal! :-)
Duh - see I told you I lost my mind. I didn't even see the links on the original post until I looked at Mrs. B's comment on the great links. I think I need some sleep. :-)
Okay, I must have some serious budgeting issues here compared to some of you. I spend between $600 - $700 per month on food and non-food items. There are 6 of us : hubby, me, 14yo ds (he might as well count for 2 people with as much as he eats!), 12yodd, 5yodd, and 2yo dd (still in diapers...ugh!). We also have 2 dogs, 4 cats (1 of which is probably fatter than yours Kim!) and 1 snake which only requires 2 frozen mice a month, so I guess he doesn't really count.
Wow, I am just shocked. I don't buy alot of convenience items because I like to cook from scratch, so maybe it has something to do with hitting the $2 a yard material table at Wal-Mart at least once a month! Nah... ;)
Hmm....if you'd asked me y'day I spent around the $10 mark this week on some extra fresh fruit and veggies but then I went into the store today to pick up some packets of french onion soup to make meatballs for a church BBQ on Sunday and I walked out with a punnet of strawberries (on special at $1.89) and a punnet of blueberries (also on special about 1/2 price at $3.80) and hot fudge sauce and a brownie mix coz I thought those foods sounded good........pregnancy cravings!!! Lol....So it's been closer to $30 this week but that's not bad and I'm not worried since we're still under budget for our groceries. I'm blessed to have a pretty decent budget for us.
I should have added that we probably eat more meat, eggs, milk & cheese than many families. Hubby likes meat and tends to stick to a low carb diet; I had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, so I also try to eat low carb. This certainly doesn't help the food budget!
But I do check the specials and generally plan my list and menu around the meat that is on sale - we eat lots of chicken, ground beef, and sausages (they cost more/lb but precooked so they don't shrink up; actually not a bad deal).
I invariably spend right around the $200/week mark every time I shop (not figuring in frozen chicken breasts, Perrier, cheddar cheese, and non-food items---those come from Sam's). We eat LOTS of fruits and veggies, and always have a big salad. I'm cooking for 7, 3 of them in growth spurts! Also, one son (my biggest eater) is completely dairy-free, so most casseroles are out--no milk, no cheese, no cream of mushroom soup. We do eat vegetarian one night a week at least, and I try to serve Pacific salmon once a week (usually from a can since I can't get it any other way). I've come to terms with the big bill!
Anna
pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com
There have been times in my marriage when my husband and I have lived on a really tight budget. I can't remember how much we spent, but we used to make a game of how little we could spend and how low fat we could keep it. Tuna, mac'n'cheese, ramen noodles, campbell's soup (especially the chunky stuff), lots of carrots, hot dogs, graham crackers,popcorn, and spaghetti were our staples.
We did tend to splurge a bit on Lean Cuisines and Lean Pockets because we didn't have a lot of time to cook. Also, there is no reason not to shop at the discount stores.
We spent about $80 this week. I don't know all what we bought but I do remember a pork roast, chicken legs (12) and 3lbs of hamburg. I also remember getting stuff for pizza. We got a lot more I just can't remember it.
Oh, For those of you who wanted to know, I am having a boy...AGAIN!
We are both very happy. George needs a little brother to rough around. The U/S was so clear. A lot clearer than I remembered. Everything looks fine too. His side profile looks like Georges'.
The boy name we have picked out is Harold or Harry (don't worry, it is not for Harry Potter). I am in to family and distinguished names.My husband is going to pick out the middle name. He hasn't made up his mind yet. I am actually really happy that it is a boy so I don't have to spend any money on girl clothes. Boys tend to run in my husband's family (8 boys and 2 girls). My father-in-law told me that they had to have 4 boys before they had their first girl. I don't mind boys. We need more Christian young men in this world for all the young ladies. :)
-Zan
Zan: When are you due?? I am having a boy too (2nd one and they will be 36 months apart) in March. His name is Isaac Benjamin. Cheryl :-)
Congrats, Zan!!
Rachel, you're pregnant? I didn't know that. That's wonderful! How far along are you?
I am due March 23. It is coming up soon. I keep telling myself that as soon as all the holidays are over I will just have Jan and Feb and some of March. (I went early with George). The boys will be 20 mos apart about. I found out I was pregnant on George's first birthday. That was a surprise! After two negative tests I got up at 3am to take another one because I just didn't feel right and it was positive.
Congrats to you. Boys are awful fun!
-Zan
Hey I am due the 21!!! We'll have to see who goes first!!!!!! Joy to boys!!!! hee hee cheryl
Congrats Zan!!I was looking forward to hearing any news you wanted to share...I knew you were finding out yesterday, how exciting!
That's so neat how you and CA are going to have your boys so close to the same time. (o:
my grocery recipt for this week...
1.) 2.56 lbs org. Gala apples at .78/lb......2.00
2.) 2 containers of tofu....3.05
3.) Org. Red Grapes 1.69/lb....3.58
4.) Oreos (for Chris)...2.50
5.) Shredded Cheese...1.88
6.) Ben and Jerry's org. ice cream...2.98
7.) Sliced Cheese (lots)...2.59
8.) Simply Organic MacNCheese (the best) 5 boxes at 1.59 each...7.95
9.) Boxed org. enchilada casserole meal....1.99
10.) Boxed org. tomato basil penne meal...1.99
11.) Org red leaf lettuce 1.99/lb....1.19
Total: $33.08 for two weeks.
I'll have to check out those links later on, when I have a bit more time.
I like your new banner!!
We spend roughly $60 a week for my husband, daughter, and I ... and that includes toiletries. It also includes 1 frozen DiGornio pizza (hubby looooves his pizza lol).
The first week of the month, however, we spend about $80. I use that week to stock up a little on certain things.
I know we could do a bit better ... and we're working on it ... but for right now, that's just how it is
Cheryl: that's the day my sister is due with her first baby -- a boy. :-)
Thanks for posting this! I'm always on the lookout for money saving tips...especially for groceries!
Hmmmm.....what a popular month for babies! Especially boys (at least on this blog!)!!! :-) We'll have to keep up and see who pops first. Wouldn't it be funny if all of them were born on the same day? Pretty cool!
I'm jealous of the low prices everyone seems to have! We hardly have any discount stores around here, either. I have struggled often with grocery budgeting because it's hard to stay within the amount my husband prefers me to spend, plus, when I only spend that much I'm not usually able to get the little extras that he likes. So lately I've been spending more and getting what he likes to eat, even if he complains a little about the price. I think that's the easiest solution. :-D
Lol...thanks Crystal! :) Yeah we're pregnant! Very excited. I'm 10 weeks exactly tomorrow so we're due June 12th next year just after our 3rd anniversary so I keep telling DH I don't have to buy him a present God's making it! ;-) And you know what the scary thing with all these other boy babies on here....DH's family has 4 boys and only one girl so I have a feeling we'd be very unusual to have a girl! But only God knows at this stage and I'm not sure if we'll find out. :)
Crystal, this was a great post! I linked to it.=)
If y'all haven't seen the Hillbilly Housewife's site, you want to bookmark it. She has the equivilant of a first year course in frugality with the grocery budget up on her website. Very helpful, is Miss Maggie.
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/
Based on the grocery items I see listed in the above comments, I'm going to recommend especially: Beef and Noodle Humble Helper
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/beefandnoodlehumblehelper.htm
and Tuna Magic:
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/tunamagic.htm
I think your readers will be amazed at how much more they can save using some of Miss Maggie's ideas.=)
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