Grocery shopping

[rainbabies]

With the end of financial aid, the expenses of moving and setting up "shop" with deposits....we are cutting back on groceries. I have never bought alot of extra crap, but now Im really being careful.

I went from about $200/week for a family of 5....to about $100/week.

This does not count the dog/cat food or cat litter. I also did not include the $120/month on diapers. All three are in them and I refuse to go generic. (we have issues with leaks and rashes if I switch)Also not included--formula.

So in the name of cheap, this is what we have been having.

BBQ or baked chicken legs
hotdogs
grilled cheese/soup
baked chicken breasts
burgers
breakfast for dinner

Side dishes are a frozen or fresh veggie with a flavored noodle packet mix, flavored rice, french fries, or mashed potatoes.

I guess Im not really sure where Im going with this. Just wondering if you all care to share your family size, how much you spend a week--on food ONLY and what types of cheap meal ideas you have. Thanks

[planet]

Sylvia,
We're with you! Not a fun club to be a member of, but I do have ideas for food.

Couscous and terriyaki tofu; takes minutes to cook. Kids can use cookie cutters to make shapes out of tofu slices. Cook in watered down soy sauce with a bit of sugar mixed in.

Black beans. Cheap, seasons well, nutritious. Serve over rice or with broccili.

Yogurt parfaits. Get huge tubs of yogurt (cheaper than little ones) and layer with sliced bananas and granola. Any topping work. Call them breakfast sundaes for the kids.

Do you kids eat fish? Cheap fish tacos can be made with slightly smoked sardines and cabbage. Add cheese, salsa, sauce to taste.

Wraps; Take some plain, soft bread. Flatten the bread slice. Smear cream cheese, thinly sliced cheese, avocado, meat slices. Roll it all up and stick in the freezer for a couple of minutes. Cut into slices.

I loved the mexican lasagne too! Yum. You could easily make two and freeze one.

Beans, beans, beans. Dried beans are cheap. Bean soup, red beans with rice, beans and tortillas and cheese, lentils.

We've been trying to do dried beans once or twice a week.

Mexican food is pretty cheap to make. You can have burritos one night and use the leftovers for quesadillas or taco salad the next. Meat can be expensive so you can save some money by making primarily vegetarian dishes. I second the bean idea....CHEAP, delicious, and nutritious! One dish that got us through college & med school was pita pizzas....pita bread (not the pocket kind) grilled then topped with homemade hummus & very thinly sliced tomatoes.

We spend about $100 a week on groceries for the three of us (not including the 1 time a week that we eat out.) It could be less, but I tend not to buy the store brand and I do buy organic produce & baby food. I plan my menus around the grocery store's weekly sales flyer & clip coupons from the Sunday paper. I make a list of what's on sale then go to allrecipes.com to find a recipe that I can use those ingredients for. Saves money and it's a good way to try out new recipes. Last week I bought $170 in groceries, but actually only spent $95 because of coupons and specials. I hate, hate, hate paying full price for anything!

As far as diapers....we only use Pampers, but I always get a ton of Huggies coupons. And I also have a bunch of those $5 off Similac coupons. I usually just toss them since I'm still breastfeeding. If you could use them, pm me and I'd be happy to send them your way.

Beans, beans, beans. Dried beans are cheap. Bean soup, red beans with rice, beans and tortillas and cheese, lentils.

This could up the number of diapers you go through, though. :!


I have nothing useful to add.

[houseelf]

We do scrambled eggs once a week. You can not eat cheaper than that!

Kelly

[alison]

I'm embarrassed. We're just 2, and we spend close to $150/week. And we eat out about 2 meals/week. We're really REALLY bad with the food budget. Er... budget? I guess you can't call $150 a budget...

I do lots of veggies and salads (which can get expensive in the winter) and fish (in Chicago, it's hard and expensive to get fresh seafood--coming from Seattle, I'm morally opposed to buying frozen fish). So I guess that's where all the $$$ goes.

Does it get easier though with a bigger family? I find it extremely difficult to cook for 2 people, and even harder to cook for one person (when dh is on call).

Alison

Does it get easier though with a bigger family? I find it extremely difficult to cook for 2 people, and even harder to cook for one person (when dh is on call).
Alison

I agree, it can be difficult to cook for two. I usually don't make much for myself when DH is on call either, just something little for DD.

We usually spend between $80 and $90 per week. Sometimes its more, if I put off shopping for too long (like today, I spent $120 which is definitely much more than usual, but we literally had nothing in the house). We don't eat red meat, and I think that helps, but I won't bend on the fresh fruits and veggies. All three of us eat fruit all day and I make a big salad or steamed veggies with every meal. I'd much rather spend the money on good stuff rather than snack food. I cut coupons and plan meals according to what is on sale. I will stock up on something that I can store if it has a great price. I cook more than we will eat at quite a few meals to create leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. And I never go grocery shopping hungry or without a list.

It varies from $60 to $130, depending on if I am fully stocked on the basics. I include diapers and cat litter in the grocery budget because they are cheaper at the supermarket than the big boxes. I shop the sales.

I buy bulk frozen chicken breasts, less $$ than fresh. I have no brand loyalty except for my French dressing (see, I said I was high on the geek scale).

We go through 4-7 gallons a week of milk. Thank maude we now live in America's Dairyland.

I have noticed a lot less waste since we are cooking for 4.

[spotty_dog]

I can't budget food. I'm horrible. I can always justify a food purchase.

I'm hoping that being in Phoenix with tons of farmer's markets, and me being home with time to cook meals from scratch as well as to shop carefully (e.g. going to multiple stores for the best deals instead of buying staples at TJ!) will help me to save money once the bub is here.

Anyway, last year I managed almost a month at $50/week for just me. I ate a lot of foods from the bulk bin: lentils and rice, etc.; and a lot of fresh produce from the farmer's market.