How much do you spend on groceries?

[migtig]

Shop sales and buy in bulk.

I tell people who complain all the time about buying groceries to buy in bulk and they always have an excuse not to.

I make one big bulk purchase a year of meat - a quarter cow, half a pig, some chickens. I don't buy meat again all year.

I make bulk purchases of flour, sugar, grains, etc. every quarter or less.

I make a grocery trip every two weeks for veggies and diary.

I sat here and figured it out and I spend less than $4,000 a year on groceries.

 

[libertytyranny]

I dopn't mess with most coupons, I buy store brands. way cheaper this way. and i think it helps that I dont buy convenience foods. I buy ingredients..flour, sugar, milk, veggies, and cheap meat like chicken. I don't spend a lot on groceries at all. Its starts getting expensive when you start buying frozen prepared stuff.

 

[sockgirl77]

I tell people who complain all the time about buying groceries to buy in bulk and they always have an excuse not to.

I make one big bulk purchase a year of meat - a quarter cow, half a pig, some chickens. I don't buy meat again all year.

I make bulk purchases of flour, sugar, grains, etc. every quarter or less.

I make a grocery trip every two weeks for veggies and diary.

I sat here and figured it out and I spend less than $4,000 a year on groceries.

I get a half of a bull and a half of a hog every year. I need to look into buying local poultry as well! Please PM me some info on it!

 

[sockgirl77]

I dopn't mess with most coupons, I buy store brands. way cheaper this way.

If you double, it is not cheaper. If you pay attention to the sales you can buy brand name cheaper with coupons, without doubling.

 

[wickedtonia]

Is your boyfriend's name Warnutz by any chance?

nope. not at all. ha ha.

 

[sockgirl77]

nope. not at all. ha ha.

Do you like boiled chicken? How about asparagus?

 

[getbent]

Up until a couple years ago we only had to worry about buying chicken or pork. We always had deer meat in the freezer. Now it seems hubby travels a lot during hunting season so I have to get hamburger, steaks, etc at the store. Hamburger is crazy expensive right now!

 

[Railroad]

I spend between $200 and $300 a month on groceries and I rarely eat out. But it's just me. I could easily pare it down to around $150 a month. A frozen burrito costs $.50 on sale and is sufficient for a meal. Ramen works well, too. Only worry on both counts is sodium. And peanut butter goes a long way, too.

Luxuries include Rice, pasta, chicken, frozen or canned beans/veggies. Russet potatoes for baking in the microwave and then stuffing. Store brand cookies/chips. Popcorn in the jar (needs corn oil to cook it - use the store brand).

Greetings from the Land of the Unemployed

 

[BadGirl]

I spend a fair amount on groceries, but not as much as some of ya'll.

I try to buy in bulk for most of my meat/protein items, and use garden-fresh veggies and fruit when I can. We don't eat steak and lobster, but I am not going to punish my family by feeding them hot dogs and ramen noodles all of the time.

Tonight, for instance: baked bar-b-que chicken, fresh green beans, and rice pilaf. Nothing fancy, but homemade, nutrituous, and tasty.

Tomorrow, I'll use the rest of the green beans for a pot of green beans with ham and potatoes. Again, nothing fancy, but tasty, easy and economical.

Wednesday, I'll probably cook up a roasted chicken with some new potatoes. Cheap and easy. Just like me.

Now, I will splurge and cook a really nice meal periodically, but that is a somewhat rare occurrence these days.

You can take an inexpensive piece of meat and season it up nicely, and elevate it in to something positively delicious....without it costing a fortune. Remember, you best friend when cooking economically is utilizing wonderful, tasty spices/rubs/sauces.

 

[wickedtonia]

Do you like boiled chicken? How about asparagus?

Yep; both are fine with me.

 

[SamSpade]

We probably do between 400 and 500 a month, including non-food items like detergent and shampoo and stuff. That doesn't include eating out, but we do that sparingly, and almost never without a coupon. And we're a family of four.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

Do you count the non grocery items, like laundry detergent, dish detergent, paper products, etc.? I find its cheaper to buy these items at Walmart or Target when they are on sale and just get my edibiles at the grocery store. This also includes dog food and treats. Captn. Morgan likes her treats.

 

[SamSpade]

You can take an inexpensive piece of meat and season it up nicely, and elevate it in to something positively delicious....

We've learned that chuck roasts and pork butts and loins have enough fat in them to be especially good at turning into something delicious, with the right preparation.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

We've learned that chuck roasts and pork butts and loins have enough fat in them to be especially good at turning into something delicious, with the right preparation.

You're Right. Excellent crockpot meals.

 

[migtig]

Do you count the non grocery items, like laundry detergent, dish detergent, paper products, etc.? I find its cheaper to buy these items at Walmart or Target when they are on sale and just get my edibiles at the grocery store. This also includes dog food and treats. Captn. Morgan likes her treats.

I included that in my total.

 

[Ken King]

"How much do you spend on groceries?" Nowhere near the $63.35 a day your average comes to. With all items (food and household) maybe about $400 a month ($13.15 a day). Family of two and a dog (dogs food and treats come to about $100 a month). Rarely eat out, rarely do fast food, and rarely do junk food.

 

[Gilligan]

But the grocery, I could spend all day I think. But Im very thrifty so we only spend about 100-150 week.

Same here. About 100-125/week for three..plus 1800/yr for a side of beef and 350/yr for a processed hog...so that's another 40 bucks a week averaged out.

 

[bresamil]

Food - around $600/month for a family of four. No restaurants. No take out.

This doesn't include toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper products, or animal food. That's another $100 or so a month.

 

[Redrobin]

Starting August 1st we are adjusting our monthly food bill to $800.00 and $100.00 for cleaning supplies and personal care products. We'll see how it goes and we'll make adjustments to our meals to accomodate our lower budget. Thanks to all for sharing your cost cutting tips.

 

[sockgirl77]

There are a ton of couponing sites on the web. This is one that I stumbled across a few months ago. There's also a thread in here that list a ton of them. I'll dig and find it.

Couponing 101 - Learn Realistic Couponing not Extreme Couponing!