How much do you spend on food, etc?

[CurtInKS]

Milk and all dairy has gone up because corn, that used to be fed to the cattle, is now being used to make fuel. Good ole supply and demand, the demand for corn increases so does the cost, and it's affecting cattle.

I used to be all for Ethanol, but if you took every kernel of corn grown in the US, and made Ethanol out of it, you'd still get less than 15% of the need met.

[CurtInKS]

Wait till you see the minimum wage go up............then you'll see some hiking of pricing......

A lot of it is pure "price gouging" and more than covers the fuel charges these stores are being charged for delivery......

The only way to stop most of it is stop buying it.... only buy necessities....

When the meat lays on the shelf and rots, believe their prices WILL COME DOWN....

Its up to John Q Public to "help" maintain a cap on the prices rising..... if we don't buy (and a lot of things we can do without).... then they are forced to come back down on their prices.....

It can also be done on gasoline............say for 1 day - NOBODY buys any gas..... can you imagine the millions of dollars they would loose and can't re-coup.....

The consumer plays a "big role" in consumption...... no comsumption, product doesn't sell..............nobody makes any money!!!

I respectfully disagree, on a couple of points.

Increase in the federal minimum wage will not increase prices? Why? Because simple economics states that is people have more increased income, will spend more. The cost of my tomato won't go up, because of minimum wage, because the grocer is going to sell more tomatoes.

Also, it's also a common misconception, that stopping buying gas, for a day, will matter at all. All that will happen is, there will be a spike in sales, either the day before, or in all likelyhood, the day or two after. The only way to force gas prices down, it to reduce demand, and only we can do that. I posted a link to ways to reduce demand, by the consumers, on another thread. If we can find ways to cut our own use of gas, demand will go down. As it is now, we are a greedy society, gas included, and the oil companies are making a killing off our own greed.

[JollyGG]

Actually there are new techniques for producing ethanol from corn being developed that would make use of more parts of the corn plant. There is also technology out there to make ethanol out of other plans. Brazil has reduced their gasoline consumption to next to nothing. They make ethanol out of sugar cane.
However, I doubt that the price of corn will go up that much. With the recent popularity of ethanol farmers are planting record amounts of corn. Most farmers around here do beans one year and corn the next in rotation. They have started doing corn two years and beans one to increase corn production. There is a real concern that growers are being over ambitious and that prices will not be as hoped. Additonally, farmers who have their land let to government programs and do not farm will find those programs becoming unavailable if corn prices go to high.
I look at ethanol this way - Research has not proved that it is better for the environment (it is still up in the air), due to decreased fuel efficiency it is not really much cheaper. However, if I'm going to support someone's economy it will be my own.
But I do agree that one day of not buying gasoline will not change anything. People will just need to buy gasoline they next day or the day after. The way to reduce our dependence of gasoline is to develop new technology. Buy electric hybrid vehicle (or ethanol), and not drive as often.

However I do agree with Minnymuth that the minimum wage increase will increase prices. If workers have to be paid more than the stores are definitely going to pass that on to the consumers. Even if it is just an excuse to do so.

However, I just noticed that this post has gotten away from the issue of how much do you spend on groceries.
Mods can feel free to more this portion of this thread to the rising "cost of gas" or it's own thread.

[CurtInKS]

Ah, headed to the grocery store on my lunch break today. Working on my list now. Ugh...

[rontiss1]

SinkingFast, we have another thread here on this topic about saving money cooking..................receipe ideas, and how to stretch the food out and save on cooking expenses........ now where is that?????

Here's how to stretch out a ham you have bought..........

1st time around - nice ham slices for dinner
2nd time around - ham and eggs for breakfast
3nd time around - ham sandwiches
4rd time around - ham and scallopped potatoes
5th time around - ham bone/chunks in pinto beans
6th time around - left over ham/beans and make bean dumplings.
Finally - anything left (usually not) - the pets get them and LOVE IT........

It's amazing what you can do with one nice size ham..................

Same principal with chicken and a pork roast...... goes into BBQ, soup,etc.....

Mom was great at stretching out the $40.00 grocery allowance my dad allowed her each week................. we ate good, healthy, and had plenty to eat....... and not junk either..... she taught me well....

And dont forget beans! I love pinto, lentils and pork and beans. Sometimes when we are short on dough we have beans and if we have enough I will put a little bacon in them. We can do all kinds of stuff with them and they are nutritious at the same time!

[kl030505]

I budget $250/week for gas and groceries. I commute 30 miles each way and so does my husband (in opposite directions, though his commute just this week turned into about 5 miles. ). So, it varies, and I have to work really hard to stay in that budget, but it's all the cash we have each week after bills, so it's the best I can do. It will also be better now that my 2 year old is almost potty trained and I only have to buy diapers for night and nap ($20/month for diapers is a LOT better than $20/week).

Anyway, I have found the best way to cut my grocery bill is to get the supermarket circular and plan our meals based on what is on sale. I spent $88 last week for the week and bought enough meat to last about 3 weeks (pork chops and pork ribs were buy one get 2 free). I got 5 jars of spaghetti sauce for $5. When you shop the sales and stock up, you can save a TON of money.

[FLBK7]

Wow, where in the world do you get buy one get TWO free?? That's awesome!

[Bandit]

And dont forget beans! I love pinto, lentils and pork and beans. Sometimes when we are short on dough we have beans and if we have enough I will put a little bacon in them.

Me two.YUMMY! I love all the beans.

[vleisme]

I was really wondering how some of you say you live on $60 a week with a family of 4 for groceries until I looked at the cost of living index for my area. They say 100 is normal for my area of California is 160! I looked up Arkansas and their index was 80. It would be nice to buy groceries where the living index was only 80!

[arkienurse]

I was really wondering how some of you say you live on $60 a week with a family of 4 for groceries until I looked at the cost of living index for my area. They say 100 is normal for my area of California is 160! I looked up Arkansas and their index was 80. It would be nice to buy groceries where the living index was only 80!

Yeah, but remember, we have lower salaries to go with that. so the money doesn't go any further than yours does.

I am a Registered Nurse. I make 21 dollars an hour. I read a post on here from an LPN who made around this amount. But she lived in New York. Here, LPNs make half the salary of RNs.

[nazstar]

Whew. This got long.. Sorry..

We are a family of 3 but our daughter is only 6 months old. We budget about $500 a month for groceries, $150 for pampers/formula and another $50 for pets (I have 3 dogs and a cat), but I recently started examining the receipt and these are some interesting things I've found:

#1 I thought I was saving money by buying things at the Super Target and then buying bulk things at BJs/Sam's Club and then running to the Winn Dixie to stock up on buy-1-get-1-free days. Turns out I am spending MORE. You inevitably pick up things you didn't plan on because "it's on sale", etc. Plus, places like Super Target are full of temptations for extras. Maybe you guys are more disciplined, but this is a pitfall for me and it's best to avoid going in at all.

#2 Those bulk places aren't always cheaper. Yes, for paper goods, I can get a deal. But some of the stuff is MORE expensive than buying it at the local supermarket. Check the price per unit and compare. I buy certain thing there, like diapers and formula. I breastfed in the beginning but my milk supply kinda disappeared 4 months into it when I got a cold - it just never recovered so now I need to buy formula. She uses Similac, which is about $30 a case at BJs (that's almost a 1 week supply). But if you sign up with Similac, you get $5 coupons in the mail. I signed up and had my mother, sister, and mother-in-law also sign up. They mail me the coupons.

#3 Since we both work flex time and take care of our daughter (plus I am expecting again), we tend to buy convenience items like prepared meals, etc. I cut that out last month. My sister-in-law bought us one of those food saver things and I buy meat, separate it into the bags, throw in marinade and freeze. When I get home from work, I cut it open and just throw it in a pan with veggies. Saved a lot that way. Also, frozen veggies keep a LOT longer than fresh and are just as healthy and sometimes cheaper (at least when I account for how many times I throw out spoiled produce).

#4 Making baby food isn't that hard. I get things like sweet potatoes and butternut squash, bake them and throw them in the blender. Use clean ice cube trays for "baby size" portions. Just pop out 1-2 "cubes" and nuke it for 10 sec. Also, after about 1 month of buying baby food, I realized that if I just stick a small portion of whatever we are eating in the mini food processor, she can eat the same thing we have every night. If it's something spicy, I take out her portion prior to seasoning.

#5 Clipping coupons drives me bonkers but I started to do it. A good tip is: DO NOT clip coupons for stuff you don't normally use. If it's not something I usually buy, I trash the coupon. I was winding up with tons of crap in my pantry that I wouldn't really cook, but "hey, we had a coupon".

#6 You will go crazy if you create a budget that's too strict. I allow myself some luxuries. It's like a diet. If you allow yourself a controlled cheat once a week, you're less likely to binge. I cut out my husband's ice cream allowance of 1 pint of ben and Jerry's a day (I kid you not - the man was eating like $35 of ice cream a week). He now gets 1 pint a week and if he eats it all in one sitting - tough cookies. The dogs get a treat once a week and not daily.

#7 My husband has NO portion control. If I make chicken cutlets, he'll eat 3 or 4 pieces. If cut up the same amount of chicken into cubes or strips and mix with noodles, rice and veggies, I can get 2 meals outta the same dish. You can "fill" a plate with a lot of healthy and cheaper options.

#8 Cleaning supplies are the biggest rip off EVER! Our moms didn't have 20 different bottles of stuff to clean the house. Hot water and vinigar work well as a degreaser for the kitchen and it cuts through grime on the floors (add some lemon juice). Bleach is the best disinfectant for toilets - does the same as all that antibacterial toilet wands, scrubs, etc. Instead of Tilex, wet a fabric softener sheet - it removes soap scum from shower doors. Fabric softner sheets are also ideal as deodorizers for shoes - stick a half sheet in each shoe when you put them in the closet. For pet accidents, scrub the floor with baking soda and hot water. When it's all good and soaked, throw vinigar on it - then mop up. For windows, vinigar and water and use newspaper for no streaks.

I was able to shave off about $100-150 from our grocery bill using the above.

I'm gonna stop now. Sorry. I get carried away since I made this lifestyle change….

[nazstar]

I just can't help myself. Here are few more tricks to keep your grocery bill down...

#1 Juice is expensive and I drink alot of it. To cut down on cost, buy club soda. I pour 1/2 juice and fill the rest with club soda - it's like a fizzy grape juice. Plus, it's healthier because juice has ALOT of sugar in it.

#2 Instead of buying fancy ready made marinades, salad dressings can double as a marinade. Believe it or not, marinating a ham in Coca-Cola works too and it's yummy.

#3 Cookies and chips seem to disappear in my house. When I buy snacks, I open up the box and divide them into ziplock bags. Hubby can grab a bag and sit on the couch to watch his tv program and not eat everything in one sitting. I saw this on the Today show recently as a dieting trick too.

#4 Don't take the family with you when you go shopping. Everyone has something they throw in the cart that's not on your list... Also, don't go to the supermarket when you are starving - you start tossing all sorts of stuff into the cart.

#5 As a general rule, the more expensive items are at eye level. When staring at a shelf, look at the items in the less attractive areas - up high and down low. They are often cheaper and would work just as well in some cases. Don't get sucked into those bright red and yellow "SALE" tags. Target is notorious for these. They stick a big sale sign under an item, which prompts you to pick it up and thorw 1 or 2 in your cart. Sometimes, "sale" or "temporary price cut" means it's 3 -10 cents cheaper. Not much of a deal for something you didn't plan on buying in the first place.

[Minnymouth]

Nazstar - great suggestions........

Many ways to cut the cost of cleaning supplies, groceries, and pet items....

Bleach, vinegar, baking soda, salt, are many of the cleaning supplies that old generations used. A lot healthier too, then the scented - spray can - chemical cleaners......

Name brand items are just that - Name brands!!! You pay for the name!!!
Example - Liquid detergents are ALL made from the SAME SOAP BASE. They just add their own scent and softeners to them. (my brother hauled the same soap base to all the different companies - his wife used just the soap base drained out of the left over barrels to do her laundry - I did too for years.)

Store brands are MADE by the name brand companies and sold as cheap labels also.
Example - bread...... name brand makes store brand!!!

Lots of ways to cut corners, just eat good BEFORE you go to the store, lol......

[nazstar]

Good point on the salt. When I have a tough pan to clean, I fill it up with hot water, throw in a handful of table salt and let it sit for a few hours. It washes out like a breeze. I started looking for natural ways to clean - not for money reasons but for health reasons. I have 3 small dogs and a baby. I was worried about chemicals and sprays, etc in the house. The fact that it's cheaper is just an added bonus.

[whatamess]

[QUOTE=Minnymouth;124720]Nazstar - great suggestions........
Bleach, vinegar, baking soda, salt, are many of the cleaning supplies that old generations used. A lot healthier too, then the scented - spray can - chemical cleaners......


Minny & nazstar
I use baking soda, vinegar and bleach for almost all cleaning. the only issue Ive had is we have well water and nothing gets rid of rust/iron stains except iron out...any suggestions??
The best deoderizer with dogs is to put arm & hammer dryer sheets in your vaccum bag. That way when you vaccum up 'dog stank' you neutralize it. Before I did this my vaccum smelled like wet dog. Even hepa bags did not work. Sometimes I throw a tablespoon of baking soda in the bag as well.
The only downside, is your house will smell like a pickle factory from the vinegar!!
Also, Fels Naptha soap is the BEST stain remover, and only around 99 cents a bar. Shout doesnt work for me at all.
WAM