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Bridget
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 12:55pm | IP Logged
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Cay Gibson wrote:
Bridget wrote:
| My friend, Linda, spends about 4000.00 to feed her family of 17 children. |
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For one month? Goodness! What does her husband do for a living? Call me blunt...that's me.  Also very curious. 
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He has his own electrical contractor business. Most of his grown boys work for him. (in fact two of them were here this morning to do an electical job for us.) They have been doing well in recent years but they have also lived below the poverty level.
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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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Sarah
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 12:59pm | IP Logged
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Do you think boys really add to the bill? My boys aren't even teenagers yet and they can really eat, although they aren't heavy.
Organic milk is $7 a gallon here. Sometimes you can get it for $6 a gallon. I don't even buy organic butter or cheese.
We buy local free-range eggs for $2-3 a doz. 5# of organic potatoes can be $5.
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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MacBeth
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 1:01pm | IP Logged
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I did not include eating out. Eek. I'd rather not.
And I did not include Libby's Wed. and Sat. meals at the cafeteria.
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog 
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ALmom
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 3:17pm | IP Logged
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I'd like to know where you get organic and how much more do you pay for it? We would really like to get meat from animals that have not been pumped full of hormones - but it is way too expensive for us here, unless I haven't figured out some secret.
Our grocery bill is probably about $1200 - $1500 per month for 8 (3 teens, elementary boys on a growth spurt and a toddler in diapers and eating as much as some older folks we know). Our state taxes food (8 1/2 %)so this does include sales tax. When we buy bread at the day old bakery, we are always asked for our school tax ID # and we have wished we could somehow qualify but guess "homeschool" doesn't get us out of food taxes! This also includes anything we purchase at the store - so sometimes cleaning supplies, paper products, etc. and an occassional pair of shoes. We do belong to a SAMS club so get some food cheaper in bulk. I buy our fruits and veggies from a little 7th day Adventist store (better produce and better prices with occassional organic - no meat). I get meat and other things either at SAMs or Wal-Mart, depending on where the prices are cheapest. I do not mess with coupons - but buy almost all no name brands (ie the cheapest). I know coupons would save - also watching sales but I haven't had the energy for it.
We rarely go out - except dh who picks up lunch from the under $1 items at whatever fast food has the special. I should pack him a lunch from the night before as that would save and be healthier. However, he always forgets his lunch when I do pack it. When we do go out, it is either Chinese push cart or buffet. Actually the buffet was not bad when all our dc were under 12 and our toddler was eating free. Eating out went out the door when we had to cut the budget in order to afford music lessons. We did have friends over for hb and hot dogs on the grill instead.
I know we could save a lot with a garden (but our yard is all shade and I'm a disaster at gardening). I have been getting 5 dozen eggs at a time (either from the store or from my sister) and we go through these in a week easily. We only drink water at meals except when we have people over then we offer milk and iced tea. We have OJ for breakfast on Sunday. I also found that convenience foods are all much higher - so we try to avoid these but do get large pizzas from SAMs on frazzled days.
We eat a LOT of meat at our house so I'm sure stretching the meat would help me. At least I don't add bacon greese  .
Janet
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 3:19pm | IP Logged
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I wish I had a better handle on just how much we spend at the grocery. Truth is, I've never really kept track of it and always kind of just esimated about 800.00 per month, not including take-out or eating out, which happens all too often here. Last night's Chinese take-out was about 60 bucks! Dh and I just discussed that this trend has GOT to stop!
Our family size is me and dh, dc16, 10, and 4. But now we are adding in a 2.5 and a baby who, thankfully just switched from $formula$ to milk.
This thread has inspired me to keep better track of grocery spending and since I'll be going tonight, I'll start right away!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Sarah
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 4:07pm | IP Logged
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ALmom wrote:
I'd like to know where you get organic and how much more do you pay for it? We would really like to get meat from animals that have not been pumped full of hormones -
Janet |
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We just got a half of beef for $500. Certified organic. For our family we use 2/year. I think that's right. Dh is usually the one who is paying attention to the quanity we get.
When you go by the pound its cheaper than non-organic.
Oh, and the texture and flavor is so good.
There's bound to be some farmer in you area that does it. They are usually willing to come 2-3 hours to deliver.
It is cheaper to buy in bulk than to buy an organic roast, for example in the grocery store.
We get all the odd cuts into burger. You an usually get things cut how you want. Instead of rib roast we get rib steak.
A good sized organic hog is around $300. I think. I'll ask dh tonight if I've quoted those figures right.
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Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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Christine
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 5:12pm | IP Logged
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We spend between $400 and $500 a month for a family of 7. This amount includes diapers, etc. We eat out once or twice a year. I haven't broken it down to just cover the cost of food, as the majority of my shopping is done at Costco. I purchase meat, chicken, fish, yogurt and fruits (some fruit is purchased at Costco) when it's on sale at other stores, buying the maximum amount. I purchase bread in bulk from our local Oroweat outlet (it freezes well, since it is double bagged). We usually don't buy junk food, i.e. chips, candy, etc.
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Christine
Mommy to 4 girls, 5 boys, & 2 in God's care
Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother
Pretty Lilla Rose
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 5:42pm | IP Logged
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We spend around $1000.00 per month, not including eating out. It does include diapers, I have two in diapers and two more in pull-ups at night, and paper products, cleaners, etc. Also, it includes dog food for two large dogs. It does not include vitamins and supplements. I think we spend about $100 every three months or so on those.
There are 8 of us, two adults, a teenage boy and 5 kids 10 and under. My kids do eat alot compared with other families we know. We also eat a lot of cereal which my dh says kills the budget. But I am not a morning person, so cooking every morning just doesn't appeal to me.
We eat a lot of produce, but not organic. It really isn't even available within 20 minutes from us. We also drink a gallon of milk a day and about a half-gallon of o.j. a day.
We do buy quite a bit of frozen food, especially during baseball season. I call it "emergency dinner". But, we figure $12 on frozen pizza or taquitos is better than $25 at McDonald's, in more ways than one.
I can't remember to use coupons even when I have them, but I do try to stock up on sale items.
My goal is to cook from scratch more often and to plan better. That is my big pitfall.
As for eating out at "real" restaurants, it used to be a favorite family activity, but we just can't afford it anymore. The family took me to Lonestar Steakhouse for Mother's Day and it cost more than $100.00. Ouch! Whenever I am tempted to suggest going out, I think about what else I can buy with that money that would last much longer. ($100 could get me 4 nursing shirts! )
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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cvbmom
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 9:41pm | IP Logged
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We've just changed to a diet not quite what's found in "Nourishing Traditions" and others like it, and our food budget is in a whirlwind. Dh is lactose intolerant, but raw milk (not tolerance issues) is only available in cow shares in our state. Raw milk cheese expensive too. I think in milk and cheese alone we are up to $180/month. Then there's the no hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup and bread for sandwiches can be up to $80/month. The rest I am still trying to track and figure out. I'll post again later. BTW, there are 7 of us - 2 grown ups and 5 age 7 and under.
God bless,
Christine
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Leonie
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 11:30pm | IP Logged
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MacBeth wrote:
| I did not include eating out. Eek. I'd rather not. . |
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I'd rather not either. A homeschool friend and I used to joke about writing a book on how to feed your family on $ x( an extraordinary amount) per week - just to cover those busy weeks ( or months ) when eating out seems to be the norm.
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Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
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momwise
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 11:33pm | IP Logged
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We have 7 at home, 2 of them teens and extended family on Sundays.
I don't have a firm grocery budget but I estimate it totals about $650/mo. including paper products, cleaning supplies and diapers. It will probably go higher since the Farmer's market opens in a couple of weeks, but then I may find something else to cut back on once we have more fresh produce.
We eat out as a family once or twice a year and always take our lunch along if we are going to be out at lunchtime. Dh always takes leftover dinner for lunch. I keep fruit and a big can of peanuts to throw in the car if we need something quick and I know we won't be back home before we're hungry.
I go to Sam's club once a month and about once a month I go to Big Lot's, a closeout place that frequently has gourmet stuff and cheap canned goods & cleaning supplies. I also stop about once a month at Vitamin Cottage for bulk oats, TVP (which I put in all ground meat dishes), acidopholus tablets, vegetarian bullion, other bulk grains and nuts and bulk herbs. Dh and I eat somewhere cheap ($20) about once a month. Our milkman bill is only $30 a month because most of us can't drink much milk and I buy cheese at Sam's. Other than that we drink water.
The only thing I didn't include was birthday dinners and big cookouts (like the one coming up this weekend) which add $$$ in meat, pop and paper products.
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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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momwise
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| Posted: May 15 2006 at 11:39pm | IP Logged
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ALmom wrote:
| I'd like to know where you get organic and how much more do you pay for it? |
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We received 6 lb. of ground elk a couple of years ago from friends of a friend who had too much. It was extremely good meat. I'm planning to put the word out among family and friends who may work with or live near elk hunters that we'll take excess off their hands (my guys won't hunt).
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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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teachingmom
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Virginia Bluebells
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 12:10am | IP Logged
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Well, I just figured out my average for the first four months of this year. It's something I've been wanting (and really needing) to do for a long time, so thanks for the inspiration, Elizabeth.
We spend about $725 per month on food (not organic or anything special), paper products, cleaning stuff and detergents, toiletries, soaps, personal care items, vitamins, over the counter medicines, etc. I included all our eating out, except for birthday dinners. We get pizza or another take-out type meal about twice per month. We go to McDonald's once each week on children's choir day so we can also attend the evening Holy Hour as a family. (But we mainly eat off the dollar menu--we average $13.50 or so per trip.)
I shop mostly at Costco for food and Target for some of the personal care items, etc.
That includes 2 adults and 5 girls ages 3, 6, almost 8, almost 10, and 11. My youngest was still in daipers/pull-ups for one of the months I used for my average.
I did not include periodic lunches eaten out by dh. I am guessing that might add about $10 per week to the budget.
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ALmom
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 12:48am | IP Logged
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Thanks for the suggestion about Elk. My dad hunts deer. I'll ask for a share of his next deer. We used to buy half cows, etc. but our sources all dried up. Now the only source of organic meat that I am aware of here is extremely expensive.
Janet
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mumofsix
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 7:24am | IP Logged
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£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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Cheryl
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 8:32am | IP Logged
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In April we spent $800 on groceries including paper products, toothpaste, laundry detergent, bubble bath, etc. This is for 2 adults and 3 little ones.
We spent $100 on eating out. We gave up Fast Food in November, but now we're frequenting Applebees and The Ninety-Nine.
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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MacBeth
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Probably at the beach...
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 9:52am | IP Logged
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momwise wrote:
| We received 6 lb. of ground elk a couple of years ago from friends of a friend who had too much. It was extremely good meat. |
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Elk is easily my favorite game. Yum!
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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Jerin's Zoo
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 11:19am | IP Logged
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About $600 a month for 6 of us. My older 2 (will be 7 and 8 this summer) have recently really increased their appetites, so it may creep up a bit more. The 1 and 5 year olds don't usually eat much.
I don't do coupons right now, but I do shop sales, and usually make my own ground meat (when roasts go on sale for $1.60 a pound, I fill the freezer!) Menus and bulk cooking help me keep costs down while still giving more convenience. Not knowing what I was going to make added lots of cost because I used more convenience foods and did more last minute shopping.
We try to only go to the stores every 3-4 weeks. We pay extra for milk delivery, and I can get bread from the dairy, too, but cutting out all those little trips and impulse buying cut our grocery bill by 50%.
Paper goods usually come from Costco or Sam's.
A year of unemployment is what finally kicked our eating out habit (not a recommended way to get on a budget). It just couldn't happen at all on what we needed to live on. Now that we're doing better, that's one discipline we've been able to keep. We go out to a restaurant as a family once, maybe twice a month. The kids and I grab lunch on the run about once every 3-4 months.
2 of the families we're closest to are living a no eating out by necessity lifestyle (each has an adult who is a full-time college student), so that actually helps us, too. If we're running around, we brown bag it, and every few months, we do a potluck, which gives some variety, but isn't as expensive as restaurants.
Our other away from home eating option is usually the student dinner after evening mass on Sunday. Our parish is a Newman Center, and offers $2 a plate meals so we can get a good meal out for $10 there.
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Jerin
wife to Dan since 1994
mom to ds (6/98 ) , dd (7/99), ds (1/01), dd (2/05) and 16 more
Life at the Zoo
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Jenny
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Our family is 7, Dh, myself, dd7, dd6, dd4, ds2 & nursing baby 7mos. I shop at Wal-Mart and spend about $600-$900 a month including anything you can buy at walmart (groceries, undergarments, play clothes & play shoes, cleaning, garden, home...) My dh would like it to be about $100-$125 a week (I shop weekly) but it is usually $130 to $160.
I take in my competitor ads b/c walmart honors them. For example, walmart's frozen ckn breasts are 5.98 for a 3# bag. Another local grocery store had them on sale for .99 cents a #, a 3# bag. Walmart matched their price. I also use coupons.
A great place to learn about tips for cheaper groceries is Grocery Game I signed up for a few months, then decided to buy their field guide & figure it out myself. But, alot of their suggestions involve processed foods. I just took the info & applied it to the things I grocery shop for.
My dh is hunter, but I have only recently been able to eat game (venison) since my last pregnancy. This baby really did a number on me! I lost my ability to cook & eat venison, plus, and more importantly, I have lost my taste for mexican food  We have bought a half a cow before & will do that again for cleaner meat.
We eat out about once or twice a month, order a pizza. The kids & I stop at Sonic about once or twice a month. The Pizza is about $10 b/c we get 1 lg & I make a huge salad & bread & fruit to fill us up.
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Jenny
Chris' wife and momma of 7. My blog: The Littlest Way--Bible Journaling, Inspiring Bible Quotes, Daily Affirmations, Prayer Journaling & photography
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teachingmom
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Virginia Bluebells
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| Posted: May 16 2006 at 11:29pm | IP Logged
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4mothermary wrote:
| I lost my ability to cook & eat venison, plus, and more importantly, I have lost my taste for mexican food |
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 That's awful! About the Mexican food, I mean.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: food budget
