What is your limit?

[bakechef]

Out of my $168 a month in food stamps. I buy two very large boxes of cereal and a two pound bag of rice for our local food bank at the church. I allot $10 for the food bank. Those three items alone eat up eight dollars. I may have to increase the alloted amount in a month or two. I started out with alotting five dollars. That lasted about one year. Then it started to creep up.

The reason for the cereal is that I want to make sure some children will have a breakfast in their tummies before they head out the door to school. And the rice is so that a family will have at least one staple that will feed the whole family for more than one meal.

Addie, you've inspired me! I have always made random donations to the food bank when there were pantry items not being used. Now I am putting a box in the bottom of my pantry and am going to pick up non-perishable foods every week to put in it. I will make a run once a month to the food bank with my loot. I am committing $5 per week and will make it a challenge to see how far I can make that $5 go. Being a savvy shopper, I should be able to make that money count!

 

[CWS4322]

This made me smile... You are doing something AMAZING for these children. And Im sure they all greatly appreciate it. We need more people like you in the world.

Become one of those people. Don't just admire others who do it, do it yourself if you believe that is a good cause.

 

[CWS4322]

Addie, you've inspired me! I have always made random donations to the food bank when there were pantry items not being used. Now I am putting a box in the bottom of my pantry and am going to pick up non-perishable foods every week to put in it. I will make a run once a month to the food bank with my loot. I am committing $5 per week and will make it a challenge to see how far I can make that $5 go. Being a savvy shopper, I should be able to make that money count!

People who use the food bank also need stuff like toothpaste, toilet paper, bleach, dish soap. I drop one of something that is on special that I buy when I go by the food bank bin at my local grocery store. Can you not do the same folks?

 

[Addie]

Keep in mind that most of the folks who need to use the food bank have children. Buy house brand cereals so that the kids will have at least one meal a day. I get the largest box with the most weight for only $2.00 each. A couple of times, the woman who runs it asked me to contribute peanut butter. The main food bank in town had not sent them any. Another food for the kids. And adults can eat it also. I bought four small jars. I also got four very large house brand loaves of bread. For more families. A bag of rice is always a good buy. It can provide enough carb for more than one meal for the whole family. Also ask the people at the food bank if there is any item they need that they don't have enough of. Jars of jelly to go with the bread and PB. I try to feed the kids first. All house brands.

I can't stand the thought of a child going hungry. Because of the rising prices at the supermarket, I am going to up my donation to $10 dollars a month in food.

I am very blessed. I have a home that includes all my utilities, emergency care if I need it, and a bunch of other extras. And all for only $221.00 a month in rent. I have more than enough left over to pay my bills, and I also get $168.00 a month in food stamps. I receive complete free medical care. I know I will never go hungry or become homeless. It is my way of thanking God for his blessing. Life doesn't get any better.

 

[buckytom]

a story where the good guys come out on top is always the best addie. you have earned and certainly deserve what you have.

we do food and toiletries collections a few times a year with the scouts. and another one at christmastime to include toys. i have some stored away for this year already.

 

[CWS4322]

a story where the good guys come out on top is always the best addie. you have earned and certainly deserve what you have.

we do food and toiletries collections a few times a year with the scouts. and another one at christmastime to include toys. i have some stored away for this year already.

+1

 

[bakechef]

People who use the food bank also need stuff like toothpaste, toilet paper, bleach, dish soap. I drop one of something that is on special that I buy when I go by the food bank bin at my local grocery store. Can you not do the same folks?

I just looked on our food bank website, and personal care items were listed, so I'll keep an eye out for those too! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[CWS4322]

People who rely on the food bank come from all walks of life. I know a lot of single people who don't have a support network who have had to turn to the food bank to get by during tough times. Pet food is another thing--people do want to keep their pets, but if they can't afford food for themselves, feeding their pets can also be a problem.

 

[justplainbill]

Max of:
$30 per pound for small ( < 3.5 lbs) quantities of prime beef
$20 per pound for large ( > 5 lbs) quantities of prime beef
$25 per pound for cheese
$15 per pound for fish
$ 5 per pound for vegetables
$ 5 per dozen for eggs
$ 5 per pound for butter
$ 1 per pound for rice
$35 per litre for hooch

 

[Debbie Hasbrouck]

only two here

It is only my husband and I, we are as they say empty nester's. I spend about 75.00 a week, and like everyone else seems to do, I shop at Aldis. I shop my chain supermarket ( Shop rite here in NY) for their sale items only. Once every few months we make a trip to the local butcher shop and buy a meat bundle, and bring it home and break it down into meal portions, for two or three. I have also cut costs, by making my own, pasta sauce, mayo, peanut butter, vinaigrettes, my next project is going to make my own barbecue sauce. I stock up on the ingredients needed make them,when they are on sale, so I can make it almost anytime. Keeping stocked on dry foods and the regular staples also helps, that way you wont run out,and then you also wont end up running to the store and buying a half dozen things you really do not need.

 

[Kylie1969]

We try to stick to $100 per week

 

[Oldvine]

Limit on grocery spending? I don't even keep track, but probably not $100. There are only two of us now. Sometimes after a trip to Costco I have to call some one to come and get some of what ever is in a monster pack. I'm sure we spend more on the cats, dogs and birds than we do on ourselves.

 

[CWS4322]

We try to stick to $100 per week

What fun I could do with $100/week for groceries! Went shopping in NY yesterday, only managed to spend $75 and that included the makings for laundry soap. And, these items were mostly to "up" the pantry--some mushrooms that were marked down and are now in the dehydrator (oyster and a bunch of others for which I can't remember the name, but recognized), buttermilk, and the big splurge--soft moz cheese.

 

[Gravy Queen]

Depends how many you are feeding. We are a family of four and the cost of groceries is rising. I tend to spend around £180 these days, per week. I dont use processed food, I cook from scratch.

 

[CWS4322]

Depends how many you are feeding. We are a family of four and the cost of groceries is rising. I tend to spend around £180 these days, per week. I dont use processed food, I cook from scratch.

Unfortunately, food costs are forecast to continue to rise. I heard yesterday that the price of corn has gone up 50% in the past 30 days. This is due to the drought conditions that are present in so many areas in North America. Not sure about in Europe, but with the state of the euro, I'm sure that has an effect on the price of goods in Europe as well. Increased fuel and labour costs also contribute to rising prices. As does supply and demand. Because of the drought, supposedly farmers are selling off livestock (mostly beef cattle). This is supposed to translate into a drop in beef prices over the short term, but the price of meat and dairy is forecasted to go up in the fall. We're stocking up on chicken feed before the cost of corn goes up again. And, other than using mustards, vinegars, etc., I too cook from scratch and don't use canned/processed ingredients 99% of the time (obviously, if I add olives, those are processed and not s/thing I process at home). We are lucky--we have 6000 row ft of produce planted for our own consumption. We have to devote a lot of time to tending to these plants, but in the end, it is well worth the effort. We usually get enough stuff to get us through the winter re: veggies and have enough to continue to feed the dogs their custom-designed diet consisting of veggies, raw meat, etc. We still buy fresh fruit and some veggies throughout the winter, but usually only those things on special.

 

[stickybun]

My boyfriend and I have our shopping down to a science. Each week, we spend about $45-50. We get the essentials every week, like mir poux, bread, frozen chicken, potatoes, and lunch meat. Then, we get things we need around the house or things we want. That usually includes chips and cereal. We ALWAYS have ramen in the house. We make it interesting by adding fried chicken and vegetables, but we usually only eat that if we've miscalculated our spending, or if sandwiches get too boring for lunch. We don't spend much money on junk food at all. Once you get into the groove of budgeting, it's easy to get excited by making it under your limit rather than by a big bag of potato chips.

 

[ThePunkHippie]

My fiance & I get away with about $150/month. I don't like figuring out weekly, because I do a big grocery shopping once a month, & then about $20 every week for perishables/things I forgot.
Although this month is closer to $200, but that's because I found a crazy amount of fish on clearance & I had room in the freezer, so I stocked up (last month was less than $50 for the whole month, so it all works out in the end)
Looking over the answers, I'm amazed at how much people spend. I didn't think I was doing anything impressive, but I seem to be making a week's worth of grocery money last a month!
We eat well too, not just beans & ramen. We also don't buy any junk or convenience foods, so that might be where the savings are coming from (I cook a lot of things from scratch, especially chicken broth)

 

[Addie]

I only shop for meats that are on sale. And I look for Manager's Specials. Those are meats that have been marked down because the "Sell by" date is the day I am shopping. As soon as I get the groceries home, those specials are prepared for the freezer immediately. I live alone, so they are frozen for individual servings. Big cuts of meat, such as a roast are cut down to meal size for just me. I have a meat grinder for my KA and an electric meat slicer.

For cold cuts and cheese chunks, they make it to the slicer. A lot less expensive than paying by the pound at the deli dept. The ends are often big enough to get enough slices for a sandwich for Son #2 when he stops by while working and wants a sandwich he can eat while working. While LOL cheese at the deli can be as high as $4.99 a pound, buying a really thick end, I pay only $1.99 per pound. And I can use it for mac and cheese or sandwiches after slicing it. I often will take a thick cheese end and put it through shredder blade on the FP. Then I will put it in the freezer for mac and cheese. There may be a thick slice of imported Swiss cheese in that package of mixed cheeses. That too gets shredded.

Meat is the most expensive items in your weekly grocery cart. Yet it is where you can save the most money with really careful shopping. Shop alone and take your time. Use the calculator on your cell phone. A five pound roast at $4.99 a pound may look like a bargain. But there may be another five pounder with a "Sell by" date for tomorrow. And tomorrow is Sunday. The meat department is on minimum staff. So no one will be there to mark them as Manager's Special. So that piece of meat is $3.99 a pound. They want it to be sold today.

 

[Giltine]

I spend $100AUD a week (I shop fortnightly), including feeding two cats, a dog and have a toddler in nappies. I don't have any cheaper stores like Costco or Aldi, so this is all from chain stores.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I'm still holding the line at $35.00/week.

It was interesting looking back over the responses on this thread for the last couple of years. A couple years ago I was budgeting $35.00/week and it was getting tough. I really don't understand how it works, but it does, I have been able to absorb various price increases and or adjust my shopping to take advantage of the "dips" and stay within the $35.00/week budget.

I have started experimenting with the idea of a "simple kitchen". I have started looking at the number of pantry items I have on hand and am making an effort to reduce that number by adjusting the way I cook. Part of it is to save a few pennies and part of it is the challenge of creating great food using a limited number of basic ingredients. One example came to up recently with CWS4322 and her flour based frosting recipe that uses granulated sugar. The recipe makes a great frosting without using confectioners sugar. By choosing this wonderful frosting or perhaps a 7-Minute frosting I can eliminate the "need" for confectioners sugar in my pantry.

I would be very interested in hearing what others do to eliminate or reduce the number of bottles, boxes, cans and pouches on the pantry shelves.