Food Bills?

[BigDog]

Mrs. Big Dog and I are good for about $100 a week, give or take. The price of milk is crazy. Otherwise, this is primarily frozen veggies, cereal, a bit of fruit, main entrees, and snack. Oh, and soda/pop (primarily for her).

This is just for her and me. Normally leftovers are generated so I have lunch for the week.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Big Dog

If you stay within that range, I think you are ahead of the gang. My goal on what I plan to spend is always lower than it turns out to be. You must be disciplined in exac tly what you want. I normally have a list but then I see something 'on sale' and buy at least two of whatever it is. No wonder I start sweating when I get halfway through the store. My basket is already full when I leave the produce area. Wish you luck to remain at that level.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Down

Well, made my weekly trip to grocery store and green beans are DOWN! Now they are $1.99 but not $.99. Last week $2.49. Does one week make that big difference? My total cost this week not as much as last week's either. Everyone I talk to tells me they don't just go to one store but different ones. You think with the gas cost that it pays? I used to do that when gas wasn't over $2.00 now I am indifferent to trying to make effort. Not good idea to get like this but cost is getting ridiculous. Just buy and don't look back.

 

[sattie]

My hubby decided to stop working so I understand the hardships of living on a budget. Also, I too have seen the prices go up to the heavens! For 2 folks, I spend about a $100 a week. Some of the things I started doing to save $$$ and utilize everything that I buy are as follows:

You know when you make a roast and you buy veggies... carrots come in bunches or a big bag, or I buy asparagus and cut off the last 2 inches and so on... I have been saving all of that and making my own veggie stock. Not sure about you, but buying any kind of stock these days cost at least a buck a can. If I do not have enough variety of veggies to make the stock, then I stick it in the freezer until I have all that I need... nothing goes to waste anymore and I have a freezer full of homemade stock. I do the same with chicken... if I fix a whole chicken, I pluck off what ever meat is left over and use my vaccumm sealer to store the chicken scraps in a feezer... makes wonderful chicken salad sandwhiches and is much better and cheaper than the canned crud. Then boil the chicken bones to make chicken stock. The list goes on.... I store the stock in zip baggies at 2 cups a piece and lay them flat in the freezer... they look like file folders and I have the sectioned off as chicken, beef, veggie, fish stocks.

I have found doing things like that have helped me to save a few bucks at the store and at the same time I still get to enjoy cooking the finer foods and have the satisfaction that is truly all home made. Nothing goes to waste. The vaccumm sealer is one of the best purchases I have made.

 

[In the Kitchen]

sattie

Thanks for sharing your attempt to keep on budget. Used to be so easy t o just plan and prepare. Now shortcuts have to be made to use everything. I am always fearful about what to make next week to stretch the dollar. I don't know if the coupons really work. I do buy what they have on sale and leave it up to the One who has cont rol to help. Good luck and appreciat e you sharing your t hought with us. Lesson for all.

 

[licia]

My vacuum sealer just came this week and I haven't used it yet. Still looking forward to that.

 

[kleenex]

Everyone I talk to tells me they don't just go to one store but different ones. You think with the gas cost that it pays? I used to do that when gas wasn't over $2.00 now I am indifferent to trying to make effort. Not good idea to get like this but cost is getting ridiculous. Just buy and don't look back.

well I go to different ones in my area because of selection problems.

 

[In the Kitchen]

kleenex

you feel justified going to different stores? I go to one store and pay the price due to the fact I don't know what the quality will be of others. The store I go to has the best produce, meat, etc. In fact, they are the only ones that offer you several choices of one item. Other stores maybe offer two and the store brand. At one time, I did go to three different ones each week but now I count the miles and the gas. Oh, when i go to the store, I have to buy stuff for relation cause either they forgot or know the day I go.

 

[sattie]

I go to different ones..... one week I go to one store, next week I go to another.... different stores have different things that I am after. As for produce, luckily we have a Farmers Market right down the street and can always get excellent produce and green tomatos!!!! Can't find those in a regular grochery store. Is grochery spelled right? The more I look at the word, the stranger it looks!

 

[In the Kitchen]

sattie

grocery is the way I spell it. Maybe the way you pronounce it makes it different? I know people have different sounds to the way they talk. People in the South talk different than people in the East. Everyone I talk to tells me I have accent and I have lived here all my life. My parents were from Germany but that shouldn't affect my accent. As long as we know what each other is talking about I don't worry.

Having that market sounds really special to me. You live in the right area.

 

[sattie]

Itk

Yea, I love fresh produce and given that it is a stone's throw away.... well heck u can't beat that. Plus, I think it is cheaper to buy produce there than in a grochery store. But then I never go to the grochery store just to buy produce, always end up with a ton of other stuff!

 

[In the Kitchen]

sattie

sattie, I was just curious about what you have to pay for green beans? Our store has dropped the price to $1.99 lb. They have Tyson chickens on SALE for $.69 and one guy came in and took the whole bin. His basket had nothing but chickens. Wonder where he was from? Take the whole thing. How much do your Tyson chickens cost?

 

[sattie]

Itk

Sorry... I did not catch the price of fresh green beans. I did not even look in that direction. When I go, I am on a mission and get what I am after. If I happen by there again, I will make it a point to look.

 

[In the Kitchen]

thanks

sattie, see if they carry Perdue chickens? I thought it was Tyson. Sorry. I do prefer the Perdue chickens. They are all over 4lbs. you think that is the reason for the 69 cents? Are smaller chickens better? 4lbs. is big. for fryer.

 

[sattie]

Itk

Ok... I gotta ask because I have never heard of them before, what are perdue chickens??? Are they like cornish hens? Still need to check the green beans... I never buy them because my hubby (we don't know what is wrong with him) does not like fresh green beans... he likes them out of the can... yuck! So I usually don't buy them.

 

[licia]

Perdue is a brand of chicken. They are very good. I get them for roasting, but for frying or chicken dishes, I use frozen breasts or tenderloins, depending on what the recipe is. I don't know how much we spend on groceries, but I know I should cut back. We could live for a long time on just what is stored.

 

[BigDog]

Normally for us groceries is a joint effort. Mainly because if Mrs. Big Dog goes on her own, the list is magically added to.

This week's groceries came to about $50, but we're having to pinch pennies pretty tight right now. Also, with the cost of everything nowadays, we grocery shop between a minimum of 2 places, Super Target and Sam's Club. Milk at Sam's is insanely cheaper, like usually just a couple bucks a gallon. Eggs are cheaper too, by about 30 to 40 cents. Also, we are starting to buy meat from Sam's in bulk, and divvy it up when we get home. Ground beef that's I think 90% lean or so winds up just under $2 per pound (last time we bought).

Fortunately, Sam's & Target are pretty close to each other.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Food Bills

I may feel unusually guilty since I questioned everyone about food bills. i am so consious of trying to keep things at a level that won't go overboard of the budget. i go shopping once a week. Just last week bought chickens on sale. When I could not find them in freezer I was at loss as to were they where. Well, of all the years I have been going to store this is first time this has happened. Found the bag betweeen recycling papers and other things for recycling. You talk about an odor! But that did not bother me as much as having all those chickens spoil. Is there some kind of lesson i should learn from this? I won't forget this. I just have to make a point that I should empty each and every bag without being in hurry. Maybe should go twice week. it is just that sales are every week not on daily basis. I never have had this happen before. Maybe since I admitted my mistake I will get over this. Oh I wanted to tell you string beans are back up to $2.49 maybe it is because the gas prices went up again There must be some correlation there. Thanks for underst anding and hope this never happens to any of you.

 

[callie]

Oh, ITK, I'm so very sorry! How awful for you! I guess the best you can do is just not "cry over spilt milk!" Nothing you can do about it now.

I do my grocery shopping 55 miles away from home. More than once, I've come home to find items on my grocery receipt but not in my bags! I paid for things I wanted but the checker missed getting them in my cart. I guess I'm a slow learner since it's happened more than once

 

[licia]

I'm not good at checking to see if everything I purchased came home with me, but I'm sure I've left things behind at one time or another. I need to pay more attention to details.