The last couple of times I went grocery shopping I spent over $250! Are you kidding me?! Last week we ate out of our refrigerator and pantry, but this week it was looking pretty bare. I just got back from the grocery store and I thought I had made a cheap menu. Thought. I spent a total of $180 today. So much for a cheap menu. I even found a couple of bargains. Malt-O-Meal cereal was on sale 3 bags for $7. While I realize that this is more than $2 each, you get more cereal than a standard box. Not only that, but when you bought 3 bags you got a free gallon of milk. I spent $9 on Coke, and about $30 on wine. Please tell me what on earth I spent the other $134 on?
Is this a reasonable amount to spend for a family of 7? Really?
Does anyone have any suggestions about how to get this number lower?
I don't clip coupons because A) I don't take the paper, and B) The coupons are usually for things I don't buy.
And please don't suggest any recipes with hot dogs as the meat. I HATE them!
8 comments:
I am not sure if my comment will make you feel better or if will confirm your opinion that we have gone off the deep end. But for my family of 5 (with three adults and two children) we spend over $200 a week.
My husband does all the grocery shopping - because he's cheap. He is the coupon king. We do buy a lot of fresh meat and produce. And crap for the kids. But I am not sure how it all breaks down.
For my small family of 4 I try and spend $75/week. I used to clip coupons, but now I spend my time blogging so I quit :-) Today I spent $4 for a loaf of bread! I almost freaked and will be going to the bread outlet this week. I buy hardly anything pre-packaged. No snack foods except graham crackers. I make things like banana bread and muffins to snack on as well as fruit. We eat oatmeal for almost every breakfast. I just weaned them off the little packets to oatmeal off the stove. We don't buy pop or wine. So....I think you're probably doing well for the family your size especially with a teenage boy.
FAmily of four right here...150 beans every week. So I'd say you are doing great. I don't have any good recipes right now because I am sick of all of them. We had boring old pasta tonight because I didn't get my act together earlier today and the kids and I went on a two hour bike excursion after school. I am no help!
Oh oh oh...I am doing my bloggy rounds go read Jen's post today at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
http://inpassionatepursuit.blogspot.com/
You crack me up...please don't sit at my feet. It may be WAY too dirty down there, but maybe together we can solve this food thing. I have LOVED browsing your posts...soapbox alert is too funny as well as the redneck flag...loving it!
I'll get another grocery post up in the next day or so.
I don't know about tips/hints, but I thought I'd tell you about my steal the other day.
Went to the grocery store for some lunchie-stuff. Browsing the produce section, they had the Dole's creation salads for 3.99, on sale to 2.99. But wait! Right next to them was the "Manager's Special", going out of date in 2 days, marked down to $1.00! AND, they had coupons there for $.55. That's right, I paid $.45 for a bag of $4 salad! That's my kind of shopping . . .
I'm going to sound like an old fogey when I say this but...
I never thought I'd live to see the day that I'd be 33 years old and a loaf of bread would cost $2.50, or a gallon of milk close to $4.00. WHAT IN THE WORLD? Ridiculous.
I have no suggestions...I need some myself, 'cause these prices are getting out of control. (You know it's all the Republicans fault. Yep, we get blamed for everything.)
I think that's reasonable for a family of 7. I shop every 2 weeks and average about $275 per trip, but I still have to make another run for bread, milk, fruit, veggies. I probably spend about $150/week for a family of 5, but I use coupons and I do at least one meatless meal/week.
Prices are just up these days...I'm certainly seeing it in my area!
As for cheap meals...does your family like lentils? Lentil soup is a cheap, cheap meal. So is pancakes/sausage, or scrambled eggs. I think spaghetti is pretty cheap too--we usually have that once every few weeks.
Good luck.
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