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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 23 2008 at 11:01am | IP Logged
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 Rachel.. yep.. fresh grated cheese will have more volume.. but since I keep grated cheese in the freezer.. I'd not only likely lose the volume.. but would also have to pay for the bags to freeze the cheese in 
I rarely (as in never) measure cheese anyway.. so it's very likely that the same amount would end up in whatever regardless which grated version I use.
On amounts to feed people.. there's a list somewhere by the gov't in what it costs to feed people with necessities.. not steak and shrimp and even using the conversion (the more people the less it actually costs per person) it's rather generous in my estimate.
One way to figure it is by costs of meals.. for instance.. figure costs of your typical meals.. then you'll be able to see which actually run you less and which more.. and even if "special" meals aren't all that costly And do try for even "incidentals" it does cost more to put butter and syrup on the pancakes.
For instance, I grew up thinking that frozen waffles were just a horrible expensive special thing. They'll feed us cheaper than cold cereal. I get them on sale and get the flavored ones.. and my kids will toast them and eat them straight out of the toaster.. no incidental expenses at all. And by the time you add in the milk for the cereal it's much pricier. It's still a occational thing.. but it makes me feel less guilty buying it because it's not really that bad a cost.. we just don't have the freezer space (left after all the necessities) to have more than 1-2 meals worth occationally in there.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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8kids4me
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| Posted: Feb 23 2008 at 12:03pm | IP Logged
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Rachel May wrote:
JodieLyn wrote:
area plays such a part Stef.. for instance..
Quote:
- grate your own cheese. if you don't have a food processor, you might want to invest in one -- it's expensive on the front end but it will pay off esp. if you use it as much as i think you will based on what you've got on your list.
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I get grated cheese for the same price as block. |
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I've become mildly obsessed about this since we discussed it on an earlier thread. In the end, my "scientific" analysis showed that while the per oz price for block and grated cheese is the same, when you grate a block of cheese, the volume was about a cup more. So we're back to the block.
A side question, have we ever come up with a number for how much it should cost to feed a person per week or a family of 4/week? It seems like we always want to lower our bills, but what are we shooting for? What is a realistic goal? |
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Also, I read the ingredient list, and when you buy the already grated cheese, it often has something added to it to prevent clumping of the cheese. It might not be an issue for some, but it was one more thing I didn't feel our family needed to have, just for the convenience of it.
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Cindy B, mama to 8 great kids, and 5 grandbabies!
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mellyrose
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Rachel May wrote:
A side question, have we ever come up with a number for how much it should cost to feed a person per week or a family of 4/week? It seems like we always want to lower our bills, but what are we shooting for? What is a realistic goal? |
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If you go to this site you can download a PDF of the government's idea of what it should cost to feed your family. They have 4 different plans -- thrifty, low-cost, moderate and liberal. For a family of 4, that ranges from $130 - $254 per week.
For my family (2 adults, 5yo, 7yo and 9mth old) I've been averaging about $140/week for everything (food, paper, cleaning, diapers). I'm on a superstrict budget at the moment, though and counting my pennies very carefully. A couple months ago we ate our pantry and freezer down to empty to save more pennies, so I don't have any reserves.
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Kristie 4
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We spend at least $200 a week here (Canadian prices- which seem similar to your prices). We have no one in diapers and we also eat vegetarian most of the time (and buy most of the meat we do eat from a local farmer in bulk). We rely heavily on dry beans and lentils and have no heavy milk drinkers, eat lots of oats etc. and have been able to shave a bit off, but still not enough on our income.
I also get stressed at the grocery store, but I find that making a good monthly or biweekly menu does wonders. We try to eat lentils/beans at least 3 times a week, and then have a couple more exciting meals to round it our.
Just my $.02
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Rachel May
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| Posted: Feb 25 2008 at 11:00am | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
| Rachel.. yep.. fresh grated cheese will have more volume.. but since I keep grated cheese in the freezer.. I'd not only likely lose the volume.. but would also have to pay for the bags to freeze the cheese in |
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Jodie, you were not supposed to feed my shredded vs block obsession! The number of conversations this weekend about the volume of cheese (Would it expand like water or contract? Is the volume proportional to the original volume? Why are there oz for weight and volume--Bill didn't know that!--? and on and on and on.....)
I reuse the ziplock bags that tortillas come in to put the cheese in. We eat a lot of tortillas. 
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 25 2008 at 11:04am | IP Logged
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Rachel
Water is the same in liquid ounces as in weight ounces It's everything else that is screwy. 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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Rachel May
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| Posted: Feb 25 2008 at 11:04am | IP Logged
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mellyrose wrote:
If you go to this site you can download a PDF of the government's idea of what it should cost to feed your family. They have 4 different plans -- thrifty, low-cost, moderate and liberal. For a family of 4, that ranges from $130 - $254 per week. |
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Thanks! I took a quick look at the family of 4 totals and saw that what we spend most weeks for 8 is between thrify and moderate for a family of 4. Can I really expect to beat that? Not by much I imagine (so I am going to stop obsessing over the cheese! ).
Later when I feel a little better, I'm going to go over the numbers more carefully.
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Lara Sauer
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Jenny et al,
There are 9 people in our family, and the 7 children range in age from 15-1/2 down to 1-1/2.
My husband gets paid bi-weekly and for each two week period, I budget $225 for groceries, along with an extra $30 for household expenses. I take only cash to the grocery store and frequently buy my meat at a local butcher shop. I find that about $180 dollars spent on the right cuts of meat will feed our family all month long. We eat a large variety of foods, but let me tell you, I have to start getting very creative towards the end of the pay period!
I don't have time to go through the ins and outs of my budget, or what constitutes my shopping list, but I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Simply pm me at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Lara Sauer
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Bookswithtea
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Molly, where can I find out more about dry goods on Amazon?
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Barbara C.
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| Posted: Feb 26 2008 at 9:43am | IP Logged
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We've been going through this lately, too. Here are some changes that we've made recently.
****I took some time and made a price comparison list of the two main grocery stores that I shopped at (Jewel and Ultra foods). Then I went to Aldi, which I never shopped at before. I found that Aldi had by far the lowest prices, so we buy most of our dairy, meat, and pantry staples there. (Skim milk was .99 a gallon this week!!) We've also been trying out their various snacks, and there are some that we actually like better than the name brand version for a third of the cost. I found that except for a few items Jewel was the most expensive, so I go in there once a month to stock up on those few items but otherwise avoid it.
I have my two-page, front and back, price list typed up on excel with the cost of everything by ounce, roll, or package (like hamburger helper). I keep a copy of it in my coat pocket at all times. That way if I am in my regular grocery stores or any other store I can whip it out to see if a deal is really a deal. Once we were in a hardware store and found a great bulk deal on brand-name paper towels that was cheaper than the generics at the grocery; I wouldn't have known it was such a deal with out my list handy. I've also found that Target is great for hygiene products.
*We've been trying to eliminate as many brand name products as possible and either buy generic or make from scratch. This includes buying cheaper toothpastes.
*I've been trying to use less paper towels, less water, less electricity, etc. I bought a drying rack for towels instead of running them through the dryer for 90 minutes (we do 30 to 45 for fabric softener purposes). I bought a tub to put rinse water in for those dishes I need to hand-wash instead of keeping the water running. Especially during the winter, I limit the number of baths and try to get the kids in the tub together.
*Oh, and I've been doing some batch cooking. I found that pancakes freeze really well. Next month I plan to pre-cook some pasta dishes, seasoned ground beef, and shredded chicken to make things easier for after the baby comes. It helps fight the temptation of fast food and more expensive and less healthy pre-packaged meals.
*I've been washing and re-using freezer bags.
*I've been looking for new recipes that use more pantry staples at allrecipes.com, the Hillbilly Housewife website, and cookbooks from the library.
*I'm also trying to find ways to weather proof our house better so we aren't wasting electricity as much gas an electricity on heating.
*And I am trying to buy fruit and vegetables that are in season (lots of sweet potatoes lately). I also have a seasonal list of fruits and vegetables attached with my price list, so I can remember.
My goal each week is to keep our grocery/food bill under $200. Some weeks we get down to $150, especially if we don't have to buy diapers. I also keep a chart of exactly how much we spend each week on food: groceries, restaurants, and impulse snack trips. (My husband is a very picky and erratic eater and was basically raised to eat fast food and junk food for every meal.  )
We still have some room for improvement; we still buy way too much junk food. But I'm slowly but surely working on it.
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Barbara
Mom to "spirited" dd(9), "spunky" dd (6), "sincere" dd (3), "sweet" dd (2), and baby girl #5 born 8/1/12!!
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LisaD
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mellyrose wrote:
If you go to this site you can download a PDF of the government's idea of what it should cost to feed your family. They have 4 different plans -- thrifty, low-cost, moderate and liberal. For a family of 4, that ranges from $130 - $254 per week.
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Wow, I am really surprised. For our family of six, we fall into the low-cost category. I spend about $200 a week for food, and we buy mostly all organic dairy, eggs, meat, and produce. I averaged in our bulk purchase of pastured beef several times a year. We live in Southern California, so I expected our spending to be closer to the liberal category. I guess we must not eat that much, or something. My kids are not milk drinkers, so that saves a bit.
You can be sure I forwarded that PDF to my dh, so he can see what a good steward of our funds I am.
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~Lisa
Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Let's Talk About Groceries...again
