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Katie
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 11:59pm | IP Logged
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mumofsix wrote:
£100 per week for our online supermarket shopping (for everything, food, paper products, toiletries, cleaning products, etc.). I am not sure of the current exchange rate but that would be about $200 or a little more. Then we spend between £40 and £50 per week on a large box of organic fruit and vegetables. I am hoping that will become less soon as we have planted quite a lot in our garden this year. So, in total, about $1,200 per month for two parents, two young adult sons, a teenage daughter and three little ones, one of whom is still in formula and nappies.
I was VERY struck by how much cheaper the cost of living was in America, even in so-called expensive areas such as Hawaii and Seattle.
Jane. |
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Oh yes, Jane! I just about fall over in a faint when I go home and buy five things at Tesco and it comes to 20 pounds.
In Alaska we had a very tight budget, and I spent $350 a month on all groceries, including paper and cleaning products. We did have a freezer full of moose and salmon, so that really helped. I made all my own bread, yoghurt, made pasta, and used organic powdered milk. There was no fudge room at all for extras. Alsaka is really expensive, especially fruit and veg, milk, cheese and bread. Very few sales, too.
Now I spend about $100 a week for our family of 6 (oldest one is 8 - a boy). I entertain a lot. Fruits and vegetables and meat are inexpensive here. this week strawberries are about 50c a pound and I'm going out today to stock up and freeze/make jam. Other things, though, are expensive, especially anything imported. Cheese is about the same. You need to take out a bnk loan for Doritos or M&M's!!
I use cloth diapers. Eating out is cheap but we don't do it with the kids very often Dh and I about once every 2 weeks.
I pay for a housekeeper but she saves me the money I pay her by figuring out where to go to buy everything for the best price. It would be physically impossible to take 4 kids around the markets to do the shopping. She's saved me a bundle on everything from produce, wine, milk to picture-framing.
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Mother of 5 in South America. No 6 due in April.
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Wendi DeGrandpr
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We are four kids, two adults.
I don't even know how much I spend but now I am inspired to try and figure it out! We buy beef and pork (a little) from friends, raise our own chicken for meat and eggs, I trade eggs for yogurt and milk with a friend who's family raises goats (I am hoping to have my own goats by next spring), I shop at the grocery store very sporatically (I hate to shop so it is as little as possible). My kids go through a ton of milk. They won't drink goat milk unless it is fresh and so I still buy 4 gals of milk a week. I would love to buy organic milk and do on occasion but the guilt over the expense gets me.
I order from a food coop either monthly or every other. We have a large garden and I am usually able to freeze enough veggies for the year and some fruits (we grow strawberries and raspberries). I buy organic frozen fruit when I run out. I buy apples and make applesauce in the fall to freeze.
Ahhh - just writing this makes me feel the need to dig out my old "Cost Accounting" text - the time to analyze this feels daunting. 
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God Bless,
Wendi
Mom to four blessings
"We can do no great things - only small things with great love." Blessed Mother Teresa
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folklaur
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| Posted: May 17 2006 at 1:15pm | IP Logged
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Hi,
I would estimate about $200 every two weeks (we get paychecks then...)- for a family of five (2 adults, 1 teen, 7yo, 3yo).
We probably spend another $40 month eating out. And there are always the extra runs to the store when we run out of water or milk.
So probably about $500 month total. I try to buy food at Sprouts, Trader Joes, & Sunflower Markets - though will shop Fry's too as it is right on the corner. I get paper towels, toilet paper, etc at Walmart. I use as many natural cleaners as I can, and Dr Bronners when I need something more (chemicals really bother ds7, he'll cough for hours if he gets near them). I never make red meat, and we eat chicken/turkey a few nights a week, and vegetarian other than that.
We do splurge at Holidays and get Honeybaked Ham, as my dh loves it.
My big problem is when we are out running around here in the summer, and it is SO hot, I will stop and get drinks from QT or wherever -- which can get really expensive really fast!
Smiles,
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cathhomeschool
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We spend about $500-$600 per month ($100/week at grocery and the rest at Sam's) for the 6 of us. That includes paper products and cleaners, though not eating out. I don't want to know how much we spend on the nights I don't cook! 
And I do think that boys eat more than girls. My 12yo eats more than I do, and during growth spurts, the 10yo does too. Can't imagine little girls eating like that!
Cay Gibson wrote:
| I hope in this thread people will include how to pinch pennies at the supermarket. |
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A friend of mine saves tons a month using The Grocery Game. I keep saying I'll try it, but it takes time (to go to 2 or 3 grocery stores in one week) and storage space. The trick is to clip coupons and stock up on the weeks when things are at their lowest price. She'll go in and buy $80 of paper products, canned foods and cereal, but the total after double/triple coupons will be 5 or 6 bucks. The Grocery Game lady tells you (for a fee  ) where to go when for what product. Make sense?
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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LisaD
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cathhomeschool wrote:
A friend of mine saves tons a month using The Grocery Game. I keep saying I'll try it, but it takes time (to go to 2 or 3 grocery stores in one week) and storage space. The trick is to clip coupons and stock up on the weeks when things are at their lowest price. She'll go in and buy $80 of paper products, canned foods and cereal, but the total after double/triple coupons will be 5 or 6 bucks. The Grocery Game lady tells you (for a fee ) where to go when for what product. Make sense? |
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I did the Grocery Game for a while. The problem is that coupons are mainly for processed or convenience foods. I ended up buying a lot of food I wouldn't normally buy because it was so cheap! It also took at least an hour to go through all the coupons, print my list, try to come up with menus using what was on special. Also, if I didn't shop on Sunday, many of the deals were gone by Monday morning, then I would have to stand in line to get rain checks. I really disliked shopping on Sunday, and finally decided that it was just not working for me.
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~Lisa
Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: May 17 2006 at 4:28pm | IP Logged
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LisaD wrote:
| The problem is that coupons are mainly for processed or convenience foods. I ended up buying a lot of food I wouldn't normally buy because it was so cheap! |
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That was my initial thought/concern too. My friend cooks a lot from scratch, so I was surprised that she was doing it. She uses it mainly for paper goods/cleaners/etc and for snacks and treats (she throws a lot of parties). If I ever did it, I'd still just cook what I normally make. Forget about hours of meal planning!
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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stacykay
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This is a big expense for us. We spend roughly $1,200 per month on food (and the paper stuff too, including diapers for the 1yo ds.)
I have an 18yo (starting to slow a bit in his eating, but eats average adult portions,) 15yo (Always hungry! drinks nearly a gallon of milk a day, big bkfst., 4 turkey sandwiches- 2 at lunch and 2 in afternoon before basketball- snack after practice and then a BIG dinner! Always has seconds. Drinks a milkshake each night and eats fruit in between meals. And he can't gain weight!,) 11yo (starting to pick up steam in the eating dept., eats average adult portions,) 8yo (he is still picky, a bit, but eats his meat and potatoes!,) 4yo and almost 2yo (sometimes starving, sometimes not, between the 2, they would eat an average adult portion.) Add on my dh (loves his meat and potatoes,) and me (allergic to beef, so on those days, I eat a large salad and steamed veggies, and maybe a yogurt.)
We also eat out too frequently for my liking. Trying to figure out a better way on the mad-dash sports days!
Would love ideas for those days!
Holidays really take a toll. I usually wind up cooking for 20-30. One holiday dinner can break the bank!
I read a book about large families (Dr. ?Diamond? I think,) from a while ago. His wife cooked meals for them for a ?week or month? spending only what a family their size would receive in food stamps. He wrote that she did well. I have always thought about trying that with my family!
Looking forward to all ideas!
God Bless,
Stacy in MI
dh-almost 21 years- on May 25!-, dss 18, 15, 11, 8, 4, and almost 2 (in June!)
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teachingmom
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cathhomeschool wrote:
| And I do think that boys eat more than girls. My 12yo eats more than I do, and during growth spurts, the 10yo does too. Can't imagine little girls eating like that! |
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I completely agree, Janette. I'm sure my girls don't eat anywhere near what typical boys their ages eat. Now the cost of the food in the budget might be offset almost evenly by the extra shampoo, toilet paper, etc. required by an all girl family . . . 
Cay Gibson wrote:
| I hope in this thread people will include how to pinch pennies at the supermarket. |
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I am a big advocate of using grocery stores sparingly and strategically. As I wrote in another post, I shop mostly at Costco. But I go to Giant periodically for the things I can't buy at Costco (or won't buy in such large sizes!) such as lower fat cream cheese, sour cream, tortillas, taco shells, etc. When I do end up going to Giant, I always check the sale flyer at the entrance. If there is anything that I could use for my family on a really good sale (often called loss leaders), I'll stock up and buy the limit, which is often 6 or 10. I love checking my receipt to see where they compare the price you would have paid if everything wasn't on sale. Sometimes I buy so many loss leaders that my total is half or less than half what it would have been. For storing all this food, I have an extra refrigerator and two pantries in my kitchen and a corner of the unfinished part of my basement with a tall bookcase on which I store things I don't use that often.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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stacykay
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We do go to Costco, too. I think the thing there, when they total the purchases, the initial outlay is huge, to me, at least.  I guess I need to sit down and see how long all I buy there lasts. I do know that I spend less than the regular grocery store, per item, as I have compared those prices. I also need to schedule regular "Costco outings," (ie. no children) as it seems to be a longer shopping trip, longer checkout, and more to fit in an already cramped vehicle! I think taking the boys adds to the purchases, too.
Does anyone belong to a food co-op? A few moms in my hs group do, and I was wondering if it is financially helpful?
Stacy (in cool MI this am  )
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Mama Moon
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| Posted: May 18 2006 at 8:58am | IP Logged
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Katie wrote:
mumofsix wrote:
£100 per week for our online supermarket shopping (for everything, food, paper products, toiletries, cleaning products, etc.). I am not sure of the current exchange rate but that would be about $200 or a little more. Then we spend between £40 and £50 per week on a large box of organic fruit and vegetables. I am hoping that will become less soon as we have planted quite a lot in our garden this year. So, in total, about $1,200 per month for two parents, two young adult sons, a teenage daughter and three little ones, one of whom is still in formula and nappies.
I was VERY struck by how much cheaper the cost of living was in America, even in so-called expensive areas such as Hawaii and Seattle.
Jane. |
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Oh yes, Jane! I just about fall over in a faint when I go home and buy five things at Tesco and it comes to 20 pounds.
In Alaska we had a very tight budget, and I spent $350 a month on all groceries, including paper and cleaning products. We did have a freezer full of moose and salmon, so that really helped. I made all my own bread, yoghurt, made pasta, and used organic powdered milk. There was no fudge room at all for extras. Alsaka is really expensive, especially fruit and veg, milk, cheese and bread. Very few sales, too.
Now I spend about $100 a week for our family of 6 (oldest one is 8 - a boy). I entertain a lot. Fruits and vegetables and meat are inexpensive here. this week strawberries are about 50c a pound and I'm going out today to stock up and freeze/make jam. Other things, though, are expensive, especially anything imported. Cheese is about the same. You need to take out a bnk loan for Doritos or M&M's!!
I use cloth diapers. Eating out is cheap but we don't do it with the kids very often Dh and I about once every 2 weeks.
I pay for a housekeeper but she saves me the money I pay her by figuring out where to go to buy everything for the best price. It would be physically impossible to take 4 kids around the markets to do the shopping. She's saved me a bundle on everything from produce, wine, milk to picture-framing. |
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Hi there from another continent!
I am glad I am not the only one who finds that when I go back to Europe (Italy) it is so expensive these days.
Katie, you say that you hire house help so you can achive your 100 USD per week budget. May I ask how much help costs over there in Georgia? Over here it varies so much - expatriates would pobably spend about 100 USD per month on a maid and more on a nanny (but this is a really poor developping country with no "European" aspirations. I imagine it is 3 - 5 times that in Georgia.
Blessings
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Angel
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We are a family of 7 living in rural upstate New York. I have infant twins and a 3 year old still in diapers. We bottle feed the twins. Wal-Mart is pretty much the only game in town (the nearest club warehouses are an hour away), and I guess we spend around $1200 a month in food, diapers, formula, and anything else we need or can get at Walmart. Formula and diapers are a very large portion of the budget every week; I'd estimate on we spend about $120 a week just on those two things. We've been on the go so often lately (doctor's appointments, taking dh to the train station and picking him, Little League, coop, etc.) that I haven't had time to make the babies baby food either. Together they eat 4-6 jars at lunch and then again at dinner. This is an expense I really, really need to cut out.
I do buy organic milk and butter. Hopefully we'll be buying a side of beef (organic), organic chicken and other meat for our freezer in the future, and we've planted a garden this year. But since this is the first year we've ever had a big garden that we could really *eat* from, we have no clue what we're doing and the vegetables we do end up with may be very expensive by the time all is said and done.
As far as eating out goes... we've been forced to do drive-thru far to often the past few weeks, but when we are not constantly on the go (seems like every drive around here takes 40 minutes to an hour), we don't eat out too much. Restaurants here are really, really limited anyway, so it's not as if we could go out much even if we wanted to.
--Angela
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Three Plus Two
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Cay Gibson
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Cay Gibson wrote:
| My dh does not care for the way I shop and I'm going to keep checking back here for ways to improve. |
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I'm needing a refresher's course so here I am...as promised.
I've had Kim and Bridget on my mind. We always give up eating out during Lent. The fact that they never eat out threw me back here.
I need some more help...
__________________
Cay Gibson
"There are 49 states, then there is Louisiana." ~ Chef Emeril
wife to Mark '86
mom to 5
Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks
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10 Bright Stars
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I just love this whole section of the forum!!! (Large family conversations.) My Dh and I have 7 children, and I am expecting #8 in August. The food bill always goes haywire when I am expecting due to morning sickness and "high maintenance food needs". I don't manage to cook as often due to feeling ill. Anyway, on average, our food bill, including all toiletries, diapers etc. is around $1500. That is higher than our mortgage!!! The twins have increased the need for double diapers and we probably go through a gallon of milk a day. It was so refreshing to see that other families our size are spending similiar amounts, although I noticed others are doing much better. I would love to discuss inexpensive lunch ideas, how to save, or any resources you all have found to help save.
I think sometimes the main problem with larger families and the food budget, especially if mom is trying to homeschool so many, is lack of time for proper planning and price comparison etc. I know that I just manage to get by, especially when I am ill during pregnancy, to do the minimum in food preparation etc. I don't even really like to look at cookbooks during this stage of pregnancy, and I have trouble cooking meat etc. So, I end up having to rely on husband to do a lot of the evening meals, and things are always in fly by the seat of our pants mode. Perhaps if I had more time to plan, prepare and make more things from scratch, I could lower the food bill, but I just don't have the time anymore.
Also, we do have two in diapers, and several in night-time pull-ups. I have tried, without success, to get all the children who do wear pull-ups, out of them, but some of them seemed to have inherited my small bladder. Poor dears. We ask their guardian angels to help them with this problem, since one of the older ones is very self-conscious about it, but we hope this too shall pass.
Sometimes, when I am not pregnant, I will go to BJ's (Costco equivilent here) and get an entire pallet of paper products and diapers. I will take that through the checkout and load it all in the 15 passenger van. Then, will go BACK in again, and get food stuffs/staples etc. I have literally loaded the ENTIRE van with food and toiletries before, all by myself, in one afternoon. Then, it usually takes all of us about an hour or two to put it all away!!!! The pile of trash from all of the packaging is as tall as the island by the time we are finished, and sometimes I wonder if doing things that way, "stocking up", is worth all the back-breaking effort, I sometimes feel "strange" having to use pallets to just supply my family with food and diapers and paper towels in a way, that in the long run, makes things a little more conveinient. I also notice that people tend to stare at me. So, it is either that way, or I find myself running to the grocery store every few days for something. I would be curious to now how OFTEN you all shop.
I hope there isn't a length minimum on these forums because I tend to get wordy. Sorry!! 
__________________
Kim married to Bob (22y)
Mom of 11 blessings:
Bobby 19, David 17, Noah 14,
Mary 12, Gracie 10,
Isabelle and Sophia 8,
Gabrielle 6,
William Anthony 4, Joseph 3 and Luisa Marie - born in M
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momwise
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Kim,
I have been running to the store quite a lot lately. I would hate to even total up all that I've picked up outside of my weekly grocery shopping.
I can't even begin to tell you how to manage the shopping during pregnancy. The only thing I've tried when I was supposed to "rest" was online shopping. I had King Soopers deliver but now you can shop at Amazon. Don't know how well that works for groceries. We also have an organic co-op that delivers produce, which may be something that could work for you. You can tweak your order online, same with the milkman and the King Soopers/Krogers delivery.
Fwiw, I had 6 out of 7 (so far) that needed Pull-ups too, and most of them came along before Pull-ups, so we just washed sheets daily, another cost in itself.
Cay....what is it about your shopping your dh doesn't like? Do you keep your pantry stocked with sales? Have you ever checked out Meredith's blog Like Merchant Ships? She gives such great details about her low cost grocery adventures!
St. Patrick....pray for us!
__________________
Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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momwats8
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We are a famliy of 9 (at home). We spend about 1,000 a month ideally. we can cut it back to about 800 a month but that is really stretching it -which we must at times with a comission only job as our income source. this does include all of our toiletries, paper products, diapers etc. I shop at walmart and BJ's warehouse club.
We rarely eat out or order in. If we do it is usually someone else's treat like tonight - my dad is here from Michigan and took us all out to eat. It is such a treat because we just do not have room in the budget for it. Whenever we do it it makes me feel guilty because it means scimping elsewhere.
I must add that I am impressed at how low some of you keep your budget. Also - during baseball season - right now - I spend more for things like snacks and juice boxes and gatorade for the kids. It does push the bill up to 1200 during the 4 months of baseball season because we are there about 5 or 6 nights a week.
__________________
Mary- Wife to Mike and Mother to Austin(92), Mikey(95), R.J.(97), Benedict(98), Kolbe(00), Ignatius(02), Christian(03), Margaret(05),&4 angels in heaven
http://www.momwats8.blogspot.com
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Bridget
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Last month our grocery spending was 800.00. I was hoping to get it down to 600.00 this month but we won't make it. We have had too many illnesses and little unexpected things come up. So we had to pick up store bread, boxed cereal, and some prepared foods. (Pedialyte, rice milk for sick kids...  )
Normally I cook breakfast, bake bread and muffins, and dinners are based on beans, potatoes, rice etc. Peasant food.
We do manage plenty of fresh produce.
I do things like buy whole milk and water it down a little to extend it further. We are learning to like dark meat. (Chicken leg quarters are .47 a pound next week.) I look for a good price on things we use and stock up.
I have gotten pretty good at shopping the loss leaders and combining sale items with coupons to get a good price on groceries. But food prices are continuing to climb so it's a challenge.
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God Bless,
Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
Our Magnum Opus
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mrsgranola
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Just a quick note...
A local new friend has written a book and does workshops on couponing. For things like toiletries, tp, cleaners, and some conveninence foods, I've saved a TON lately using what I've learned from her. (Did I tell y'all about this already?)
www.smartspendingresources.com
There are yahoo groups that are for different regions in development. Some are already going strong. We all help clue each other in on sales and freebies, etc.
Tues. we made it to a local grocery store's quarterly triples coupon event. My oldest daughter and I prepared our coupons before our trip and made out like bandits! I saved about 65% on what I bought and I didn't do as good as many folks because I got there on the last day when many deals had run out.
HTH!
JoAnna
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aussieannie
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Ours sounds exorbitant after reading many postings - we spend $1400Aus per month. We eat organic meat, eggs, raw milk, shop at an organic supermarket for fruit and vege and Coles for the rest of the items we need. Our diet is a Nourishing Traditions orientated one. We have a terrible time trying to stay within the budget too. We have 2 adults and 5 children from 12 - 2years of age.
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Angel
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SeventhHeaven wrote:
The twins have increased the need for double diapers and we probably go through a gallon of milk a day. It was so refreshing to see that other families our size are spending similiar amounts, although I noticed others are doing much better. I would love to discuss inexpensive lunch ideas, how to save, or any resources you all have found to help save.
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Twins can really do a number on your monthly expenses. I wasn't able to nurse, so we had to add formula to our monthly food bill along with having 3 in diapers. When the babies were tiny, we were spending about $130 a week on the babies alone (just in formula and diapers!) The babies still wake up for a bottle at night (they're 17 months old), so we still have formula in the budget. (For 9-24 month olds; the babies wake a couple of times a night, and I can't think that giving them that much milk is a good thing! I suppose if this keeps up we'll have to try water in their bottles.) In the next few months hopefully we will be able to ease our bills a little because we are about to do drastic potty-training with our soon to be 4 yo (he'll still need a pull-up at night, I imagine) and I really hope to get rid of the bottles. I'm expecting in September, though, so we'll soon be back to having 3 in diapers again. Since it's only *1* this time, I'm thinking about cloth diapers.
Fortunately we do have a little wiggle room in our budget which allows us to buy organic and to eat out about once a week (our church is about 40 minutes away and Mass is at 11 AM ). But I have found that buying organic, grass-fed beef and free-range chicken from local farmers is actually cheaper than buying regular meat at Wal-Mart every week; we've been buying a side of beef and our chickens in bulk (what would you call it when you buy 15 chickens at a time?), and it's worked out to be cheaper than Wal-Mart, and certainly cheaper than the organic meat at the local grocery store. We do have a big freezer downstairs, though.
We are also trying to grow a big garden. It didn't work out so well last year -- our first year in this climate, first year with a big garden, and a really bad year for everyone anyway -- but hopefully we'll do better this year.
We do one big run to Wal-Mart every week, but we usually run out of milk and juice before then so my husband has to stop and pick up a few things once a week, too.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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chicken lady
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Joined: Feb 27 2005
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| Posted: March 18 2007 at 7:32am | IP Logged
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I was just thinking the other day how helpful it would be to hear what others spend a month!
For us it depends on dh employment, however right now for a family of 7, the oldest being 10, I spend 800.00. That does not include paper products. That also does not include meat, eggs, or milk. What we don't raise, we barter (beef) from a local HS organic family. I do buy whole foods from Frankferd Farm Foods, it is an organic food delivery service. I sometimes shop at costco, mostly for entertainment, but quite honestly that place is expensive. We have a local Aldis, and when I really need to not spend that is where I shop for staples.
I like good organic food, but some months I just cannot do it. If any of you have a Big Lots, I will tell you a secret, they have tons of gormet and organic foods in there. Know one seems to know, I tell my friends and they are amazed at what they can find! Check it out!
I cannot do the coupon thing, it is to much work, however I do buy discounted and sale food, and plan our meals around clearance food! Of course that is easier for me since I have all this meat, eggs, milk to base the meal on. Oh and I can alot in the summer, all our fruit, and anything friends have extra of, they know I will can. I can all our tomato products, and veggies. This year I hop eto add bee hives, honey is expensive!
I wonderful cookbook for peeny piching meals is More for Less, it is an Amish cookbook, IF I follow it I can cut our budget in half!
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: food budget
