It's the new year, and people make goals, often financial. Our grocery budget for two people is $125 per week. GASP! I know it sounds like a lot. I'll try to explain:
1. I eat a larger quantity of food. Not all at once mind you, but I eat about eight times per day. (HH likes to say, second lunch, second dinner, etc.)
2. I must try to consume high quality proteins for my medically altered body.
3. I won't buy things just because they are on sale. I actually buy things based on whether or not I will USE them. (For example: This week I bought 40 cans, 20 of cream of potato soup, and 20 bean and bacon soup, because I like to make two different soups out of these, so I know I will eventually use the cans.)
4. I subscribe to a few money saving moms blogs, and seriously, you would have to NOT BE EMPLOYED to have the time that they have to scan the circulars and make decisions based on what was on sale, what you needed, etc.
5. I am into trying new recipes, and I know this effects the grocery budget of our household, but right now it is a small way we can splurge.
6. I like certain high quality ingredients, and will not take substitutes. (Ex: Kraft Parmesan Cheese in the Infamous Green Container, verses REAL Parmesan cheese= NO SUBSTITUTE!)
7. We also buy incidentals there too such as deodorant, cleaning products, etc.
One thing I am committed to this year is changing the place that I grocery shop. I recently found out about a locally owned grocery store chain that does a lot of great things for the community. I found out through word of mouth from a lady who had been a recipient of some of the things they did, not from the store shouting it from the rooftops. I am impressed, and feel like I should give them more of my money.
So, what is your grocery budget? How many members of the family does that include?
2 comments:
Our shopping styles differ just a bit. I usually ONLY buy what's on sale. When something I regularly use goes on sale, I generally try to buy enough to last me until it goes on sale again. Generally, sales cycle every 6 weeks. Whatever kind of meat is on sale that week is what we have. When roasts go on sale, I usually buy a few for the week and then a few to freeze (whatever I have room for in the freezer) because I make several roasts each week in my crockpot.
I am a big proponent of buying the store brand. There are very few things that I am brand-loyal about. And, for those things, I stock up when they go on sale.
A new store opened near our house over the summer, and it's been my new go-to place. It's a small, independantly owned store, and I go there specifically to buy produce, deli items and meat. I haven't shopped at our big chain store since they opened, I don't think. That's actually kind of a sad statement, because I had enough staples stockpiled in my house that I could go months without buying more!!! Well, in all fairness, I do some shopping for staples at Sam's Club, so I have replenished some things, but seriously, not many.
It also helped that my son and I have tried to cut way back on carbs, so we were mostly eating fresh fruits, veggies and meats.
whew! This was an awfully long comment just to answer you question, isn't it? Sorry! Since I started shopping at my new favorite store, I've been able to cut my weekely grocery bill to about $65-70. But, my Sam's Club trips are always about $150-200 for the month, and about $100 of that is probably for food. So, I guess it comes to less than $100 a week. Does that answer your question? Hell, I don't even remember WHAT your question was!! ;-)
My budget for a family of 5 (and two BIG dogs) for a months is usually between $400-$600. I can keep it around $400 if I will make out menus and shop sales and base my grocery list around that. There are some easy ways to use coupons. I don't have time to match coupons with sales and stuff either but there are several websites that do that for you.
www.southernsavers.com (mathces coupons and sales with stores that are in the south, some of these stores may be in other areas as well) another I like is www.fiddledeedeemom.com. Pretty much all of the work is done for you. You just have to clip the coupons.
I also think www.e-mealz.com is very neat. They send you menus and grocery lists for the week. You pay for this service, but it is VERY cheap. There are several menu options, such as low-fat, low-carb, WW points, etc. It's worth a look.
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