Food Bills?

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In the Kitchen

Executive Chef
Joined
Aug 25, 2004
Messages
2,862
I realize I am spending extra for Christmas but my grocery bill is the one I cannot account for. I buy the same produce and things in general. However, this past weekend the produce man was filling bin with green beans. I made comment to him about $2.49 lb. I asked him how often he had to fill it? He said third time today and it was only 1:30! Beans were 99 cents lb. not too long ago then $1.49. Now $2.49? I am thinking the produce is probably main source of cost but who wants to eat the canned? I did buy some vodka that was on sale which added to the bill but I spent almost twice as much as in the past. Most f my neighbors buy Totonios for a supper meal. I would rather eat the box than what is in it. I don't really think any food value. Day before Christmas I got auto insurance bill. That didn't help. Perfect timing. Thanks for understanding.
 
ITK, my grocery bills are high, and I only cook for one. Can't imagine how much families spend per week. When I can, I go to the 99 cent store for cleaning products, dry pasta, herbs/spices and such. They're much less expensive than the market. The down side... I always spend/buy more than I planned on there.
 
I totally hear your ITK (and everyone else in this boat), our budget is tighter than a Victorian corset :)mrgreen:), and I am always looking for ways to keep it on the low side, though we always seem to shake are heads each month when we tally up the grocery bills. DH takes a lunch to work, as they don't have lunches there for his shift, which may save a few dollars....

I never quite get over how high the food prices are in Ireland! I thought that perhaps things would be cheaper when we moved from Dublin last year to a small town on the southern coast, but they are the same (some things are higher!)

I find that making what I can at home, and stocking up on sales (when possible), as well as clipping coupons helps a bit. But I would love to win one of those "free groceries for a year" contests that some super markets put on! Could you image how cool that would be!
 
We spend about $50-$75 per week for my family of 5, however my kids are young and in the picky stage of eating, so all 3 of them probably add up to 1 adult! Anyway, I have been stockpiling non-perishable and freezer items for the past year and a half when they come up on a good sale, so I really only have to buy milk and fresh fruit/veges at full price. Also try to can or freeze as much from my garden as I can every summer to last through the winter. This was the first year we didn't grow a garden due to procrastination, and will NEVER do that again! Wasn't bad in the summer when the farmer's markets were going, but now...the "fresh" produce in the local grocery store is awful and the canned stuff doesn't even taste like the same vegetable! I am ordering my seeds now and will make sure to get the job done come April!!
 
Good for You

lhanson said:
We spend about $50-$75 per week for my family of 5, however my kids are young and in the picky stage of eating, so all 3 of them probably add up to 1 adult! Anyway, I have been stockpiling non-perishable and freezer items for the past year and a half when they come up on a good sale, so I really only have to buy milk and fresh fruit/veges at full price. Also try to can or freeze as much from my garden as I can every summer to last through the winter. This was the first year we didn't grow a garden due to procrastination, and will NEVER do that again! Wasn't bad in the summer when the farmer's markets were going, but now...the "fresh" produce in the local grocery store is awful and the canned stuff doesn't even taste like the same vegetable! I am ordering my seeds now and will make sure to get the job done come April!!

I feel the same way about growing your own and much better for you. However, last year we had storms which knocked out our power line for over 3 days. Everything in trying to keep cold, wasn't. Had to throw it all out and make list of price I paid for it. Since everything on sale, insurance got a good deal. I was the loser! First time I had that experience. They say all things have purpose and I just fail to see what that was for. Only thing to do is acceptance for tough situation and just handle things the best way your can. I was so upset about losing all that food. Everything got warm not matter how we tried to not open the doors. Plus our lights were out when the sun was gone. We did have water which I appreciated.

Going to other stores for bargains often were a bad move as you said you would buy more. Plus now that gas is out of sight I wonder if it really makes a difference. Just feel life is always going uphill.

So Ireland has high prices too? Guess I am in my own world and hope I will make it to the next. Seems they want us to eat the cardboard to 'get ahead'. No wonder people overweight is due to the high prices of the nourishing food. Pres. Bush doesn't look like he has weight problem. I think Clinton is the one who patronized McDonalds.
 
I was spending between $120 and $150 a week about 3 months ago. Now, I'm spending between $180 and $200 for the same stuff. I know that the hurricanes didn't help with a lot of the imported stuff. Even the CHEAP milk is $3.00 a gallon now. DH refuses to go to the store and see what I'm talking about when he complains about the money spent on food. He thinks he's still in the 70's.
 
Yea, I burn about $100.00 a week for groceries. I don't have a garden but I'm really thinking about putting one in this spring. It's fruit that really kills me. My 15 month old son eats fruit like it Amelda Markos buys shoes! Especially bananas and grapes. Holy cow! He eats a big bunch of bananas and a bag of grapes every three days! Although he eats them readily, he doesn't insist on veggies so much. Other than that he'll eat just abou tanything I put in front of him. I really thought the food bills would go down when he got off of jarred food. Boy was I wrong!

Yea, and gas bills! Don't get me started:censored:
 
thanks

Thanks for sharing. Sure is great to know others feel the same way I do. I go to the store and the stuff is off the shelves and I figure if it is gone they must be buying Just often wonder what I am doing wrong that the bill is so high. Hearing your comments gives me some kind of comfort knowing you feel the same way I do.

It sure isn't the 70's anymore and you can't change that. If someone wants to eat they have to pay for it. Should appreciate fact you get if for the family. That isn't easy today. As I said I sure don't want Totino's. Family likes it for a snack but even then they ask for something else.

Be happy that your little one is eating 'fresh' fruit. what a gift you are giving to give him the best. He will grow up knowing the difference. sounds like he already knows what is good for them. Thankful you giving him loving direction. Oh yea, the gas company here wants to surcharge people who keep their thermostat down and try to economize. The gas company said they have their bills to meet! do you believe this? Gets worse everytime I turn on the news.
 
I just came back from the grocery store. Fresh green beans were $.99 / pound. They looked really good, too!
 
Home chef, I went to the store today just to pick up some milk, veggies, and odds and ends. Here is what I spent:

sourdough steak rolls (6) - $2.89
1 - 2 liter bottle diet 7-up - $0.99
Diamond kitchen matches (3 boxes) - $2.59
1 artichoke - $0.99
2 green onion bunches - $1.18
1 container Ranch dip - $2.50
1 celery bunch - $0.59
1 gallon milk - $3.85

I probably spend $20-30 dollars per week at the store. But I also buy my beef and chicken in bulk and divide it up into individual packages and put it in the freezer. My guess would be that I spend $200 or so a month on food.
 
Where do you live?

Home chef said:
I just came back from the grocery store. Fresh green beans were $.99 / pound. They looked really good, too!

Are you sure they are green beans? See if they take extra long to cook them? I bought some potatoes home (russet) and took over hour to bake them. ( I just don't know where the produce is grown in hothouse or in a garden.) I am saving one to return to the store to give them proof of what I say. I feel they have so many people returning things and not being honest that they question everyone's motives.

Sorry to be so cynical but society really makes it hard to think otherwise.
 
Everytime I go shopping I buy things that are on sale that I know I will need soon. It works out great because I always find that item next time and the price is higher. I stock pile.
 
Good Luck

i used to stock pile till my electric was out for 3 days. Had to throw everything out. Now I just figure if it is too much I will have to live without it. that is why my food is the most expensive thing we have. The produce is one item I really get stung wit h. I feel something alive is necessary in your body. They have said so many things have sugar and causes so many things. If it is something supposedly natural try to get it. Hence, the reason I buy supplements. At least make effort to try to live normal.
 
this is something that has really been on my mind of late. food has always been a central part of my life, and i have realized a few things about myself in that respect.
dw and i spend ridiculous amounts of money (well, ridiculous to me. rich people may not think it is) on food every week. i've never carefully tallied it up, but our groceries are probably around $250 a week, and we get about another $100 to $150 in take out from local places. on top of that is another $50 for the cats. The birds only cost about another $10 per week, because they eat a lot of leftovers, and i get them fruit and veggies from a local ethnic market where everything is cheap, in cost and quality.

still, what bothers me isn't the cost so much, but what and how much is wasted.
i hate to throw things out, and it seems like every 2 weeks i am tossing out packages of meat that went hiding in the fridge, then went bad. or containers of leftovers that got pushed to the back. we can only eat so many leftovers for lunch each week. we could eat some for dinner on following days, but one of the things dw and i deeply share is a love for a good, tasty, and relaxing dinner. also, eating leftovers would take away my only remaining hobby and creative outlet, cooking. so we both eat very late, around 10pm recently, because we can finally sit down after the baby is asleep, and enjoy some good food and each other's company. when there's no time to cook, those are the night's for late take out, about 3 to 4x a week.

when i got my first good job in the city in my early 20's, and started to learn how to cook, i befriended an italian deli owner in town. we used to talk a lot about food and life, and i will always remember him saying that he knew he liked me because i never asked how much something he suggested was, just what was special about it, and if it was good to eat. btw, if you're in north jersey, look up "joe's buon apetito" in river edge. best homemade pork sausages in the world. i guess that has become my m.o.. so long as you can work hard and make money, enjoy the fruits of your labor while you can.

this thinking even extended into the care of my now since passed mil. her last bastion of self care and independence was cooking. she didn't have much left at the end, but she always wanted to cook, so we did everything we could to make it easier for her, and allow her self respect. besides, she was a pretty darn good cook! :chef: i wish i could have had more time with her to learn.

well, i know that i need to reign in these wasteful ways, as dw isn't working and the future is gonna get very expensive.
all in all, if it's just the money that was being wasted, then c'est la vie. but wasting food is a sin imo, so i will be making a conscious effort to reduce that.
 
Last edited:
In the Kitchen said:
Are you sure they are green beans? See if they take extra long to cook them? I bought some potatoes home (russet) and took over hour to bake them. ( I just don't know where the produce is grown in hothouse or in a garden.) I am saving one to return to the store to give them proof of what I say. I feel they have so many people returning things and not being honest that they question everyone's motives.

Sorry to be so cynical but society really makes it hard to think otherwise.

I don't know exactly what to say to this question:huh:

Am I sure they are green beans? Well, they are green, about 4-5" long, and the sign above the product said "green beans - $.99 / pound".

I didn't know there was a difference in names if it were grown in a garden or in a hot house. The same basic principle is that they are, in fact, green beans.

I have to go back to the store today. I will take a pic for you and post it. Let me know if they are, in fact, green beans.
 
Home Chef

Guess I was being kind of facetious. You heard the saying 'too good to be true'. When I find a bargain I have tendancy to question it and wonder why it is such a bargain. another saying is 'don't look gift horse in the mouth'. You can see that the store I go to regularly, green beans $2.49 and yours was $.99 what do you think the reason? I wouldn't think they would mark them up that much. (That is one thing about computer, can't tell if I am being serious.) I truly don't question what you say. I only wish I could get them same place you do. Hope I didn't upset you.

buckytom, thanks for sharing. Exactly the way I feel when i find some cheese that was pushed to the back of the fridge. I can't clean the fridge every week but at the prices I have to pay I maybe should start making allowance for the time. Not an option if you want to but have to. Food is such a pleasure when everyone enjoys. I was always told to try to have a meal where family shares. You do that, no matter what time it is! I commend your efforts. Worth it. As I have said in the past I enjoy your comments. Probably because I understand what you mean and share the feeling. At least we have to try to live the life best way we can.
 
I got ya. I was like "What ?? Am I sure they are green beans?? Like I don't knwo what a green bean is??" Man, I really felt like I was missing something LOL. I still can't shake that feeling LOL. It's all good.
 
Relieved!

Thank you for responding and asking exactly what I meant. I feel so much better when someone asks me about comment rather than not contacting at all and staying upset about some kind of misunderstanding. Anxiety does that to person. Thinking about spending money sure does it to me. I surely don't get the difference in the prices. Do you live by a farm or something? Just count your blessings because I sure hope your prices will remain the same. They may just be kind hearted people who own the store and know what is like to have family to feed. 99 cents big difference than 2.49. AS i said before 'too good to be true'. But it is!
 
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