How much do you spend on food, etc?

[SinkingFast]

It's cause I use a pressure cooker to cook the roast. I have to get "mentally" prepared for the noise from the jiggler thingy on the top.

Actual cooking time is about 40 minutes. But you have to wait for the pot to heat up and build up pressure. So it really does take a bit longer. I cook the meat first. Cool down the pot. Throw in the veggies and cook them.

[Minnymouth]

SinkingFast, most people now days don't kow what a pressure cooker is or how fast you can "whip up a roast" in it........
Everything nowdays is "fast foods" - instant or microwaveable........

I use a pressure cooker a lot also...... quick, easy, and done in no time!!!!
Great piece of equipment in the kitchen...

[HHM]

We spend about $700 per month on just groceries, for two people. That does not include hygiene products, cleaning supplies, the $700 is simply food and teh stuff that goes with food.

[manglicmot]

I averaged out 14 weeks of grocery receipts and it came to $275 per month. That includes personal products and cat supplies, and I live alone. I eat one frozen food dinner per day and cook the rest of my meals, or eat from a can, like sardines.

[CATCHMEIFYOUCAN]

Hmmm, the last time I went Grocerie shopping was in January, JUST ME. I spent about $300 bucks. Haven't done any major grocerie shopping since. I eat out once in awhile, being "single," its rather cheaper for me to eat out. When I get around to cooking, I can FOR EXAMPLE, eat tacos the whole week! I eat about one meal a day. I work alot too 60-70-80 hours overtime but I still only eat one decent enough meal a day.

CMIYC

[Minnymouth]

Places like McD's - Wendy's - Burger King that offer the $1.00 menu makes it real cheap for a single person to eat out...... even someone on a diet.....

You can get a salad and chicken nuggets for 2 bucks!!! Sure can't buy and make it for that!!!

As usually in the grocery store it's the "prepared foods" that are so expensivie to buy..... frozen - heat to serve dinners are the most expensive... and if you have a family you can't hardly afford to do that very often.... AND you sure can't afford $50.00 a day to take them out to eat a good meal......

So you have to be wise and skillfull when it comes to that food list and budget for it..... stretch it out and make it work for you.... because a lot of time you need those other funds for other things - like property taxes, or shoes for the kids....

I still "treat" myself about once a month - eat out and eat what I really want - either steak or seafood...... and don't begrudge myself spending the money for it either!!

Now if I could just TEACH a roommate to TURN OUT A LIGHT!!!!!!

[Run]

We are a family of five and live on less than 750/month in AK where groceries are not cheap! We actually have built up a year supply of food in a year on this budget! We make everything from scratch though. We grind wheat almost every day, we buy just the basics: Milk, eggs, butter, cheese, wheat, oil, and honey. That is about it! We eat really good and our wheat and dairy are all organic. We have a small garden and utilize numerous wild foods. We NEVER eat out. We NEVER eat processed or prepared foods. We even have a meat grinder and have bought roast on sale cheaper than hamburger and ground our own to save pennies! It can be done very cheap and very healthy!!! We live off of about $450/ month, and spend about $300/ month on food storage for next year when the depression starts (cause we're loony like that!).

[whatamess]

Wow, Run, what about your heating bills up there is AK?? Does a wood stove keep the house warm enough? (Its 95 degrees right now in humid NJ, and I'd like to imagine I was in Ak right about now, in say what, 75 degree weather?)
I heard grocery bills up there were double to triple the lower 48. My Dh & I thought of moving there before to get away from everyone!!! Nj is a conjested, miserable place. My neighbors even get mad if you hang clothes out to dry!! God forbid your dog barks. We has someone get annoyed about having three cord of firewood last year. (HAHA! We saved on heating oil, they didnt!!)
We are live free or die people, so we have a hard time here.
Thumbs up to you.
WAM

[chpxiii]

Lasagna freezes well and heats up well. My boyfriend and I spend about as much as the OP on food and groceries / month when we do our shopping trips. Sometimes we'll do up several lasagna pans (the alluminum foil bread ones) and freeze what we don't have for dinner that night. Then when we don't want to cook, we heat that up.

[Run]

In Southeast Alaska it doesn't get that cold. It snows and melts, snows and melts, all winter. Wood is everywhere in the Tongass, but a lot burn fuel oil (don't ask me why, I don't know). Dogs here are like pigeons in New York, they pretty much wander the streets. People don't complain about those things here for sure! We are also live free or die folks, which is how we ended up here. It is the best kept secret in the U.S. We don't even have local government in half of the areas here, though boroughs have been proposed. Alaska is one of the few places where subsistence is a reality for many.

[CurtInKS]

Seems like we traded off, our eating out, for a huge grocery bill. We are a HH of 3, soon to be 4, in September, and we spend about $700.00 a month for groceries. That's 3 meals a day, for 3 people. We eat breakfast at home, before work/school, pack our lunches, and eat dinner at home. I have to wonder sometimes, how much money we are really saving, with increased utility bills, from eating at home, washing more dishes, etc., and the cost of food. Once the baby gets here, and formula diapers, and baby food kicks in, it'll go way up.

[leftyf]

Congrats on the new arrival to the family. Eating out is very expensive, so I'm sure you're saving money there.
Can you feed the child off the teet? This helps save a lot of money...don't know what to do about diapers though. Maybe a Bounty, the quicker picker-upper paper towel would work, but it will require frequent changing. I've been using Walmart diapers and I used Kroger store brand formula with the last child. No problems at all and they're relatively cheap. The latest child has been breast fed which saves a bunch of money and wearing Walmart diapers. They're pretty good for cheap diapers and it's a fun place to shop.
My nipples do hurt though, so I can't begin to imagine how my wife's must feel. Ha-ha, hee-hee.

[CurtInKS]

Congrats on the new arrival to the family. Eating out is very expensive, so I'm sure you're saving money there.


IMO, you have to qualify that, and say that eating out CAN be expensive, but doesn't have to be. There are lots of ways to eat out, without overspending, and in honesty, there are lots of types of food, that are cheaper to eat out, than to prepare at home. With most restaurants having nights where kids eat free, it helps a ton. Also, my DW and I have discovered that we have several places where instead of ordering 2 entrees, we get one entree and one appetizer, and split them, and usually save $6.00 or $8.00. Add in no charge on our daughter, and we can knock $12.00 or $14.00 off a meal. Mix in just drinking water, and you save $3.00 or $4.00 more. Eating out just takes smart planning, IMO.


Can you feed the child off the teet? This helps save a lot of money...

My DW has given that some thought, but that's her decision to make not mine.

I've been using Walmart diapers and I used Kroger store brand formula with the last child. No problems at all and they're relatively cheap.

Do you mean the White Cloud brand? We've been stocking up on White Cloud. They seem to be the best value, with coupons, and look to be good quality. I am hoping we can use the cheapest forumla we can. Our oldest daughter has some digestion problems, and we had to give her a more expensive formula, but I am hoping we don't have that again. My oldest girl is almost 9, and I can still remember scapping together cash, to pay $25.00 for a can of formula.

The latest child has been breast fed which saves a bunch of money and wearing Walmart diapers. They're pretty good for cheap diapers and it's a fun place to shop.

I can barely stand Walmart. I try not to go there any more than I must. We usually go twice a pay period. On payday, late in the evening, a Friday night, and then the Sunday before payday, crack of dawn, before church. Anything to avoid the crowds.

[JollyGG]

Our oldest daughter has some digestion problems, and we had to give her a more expensive formula, but I am hoping we don't have that again. My oldest girl is almost 9, and I can still remember scapping together cash, to pay $25.00 for a can of formula.

If this is the case I would encourage your wife to breastfeed. It is deffinately hard to get started but once you get the hang of it, it is easier, cheaper, and more convienent in many ways than formula. It is also much much easier to digest. I nursed both of mine for a year and I remember that first month being really hard, but after that things were great. I stuck it out because I figured a few weeks to figure it out was easier than years of allergies (my husband has several). A hard few weeks learning to nurse is probably easier than dealing with the fussy baby with digestive problems. We did supliment with formula occassionally for convience and so Dad could have a turn at things. But a couple of bottles a week is way cheaper than every bottle baby eats. Best of luck with whatever you and your wife decide.

[arkienurse]

Congrats on the new arrival to the family. Eating out is very expensive, so I'm sure you're saving money there.
Can you feed the child off the teet? This helps save a lot of money...don't know what to do about diapers though. Maybe a Bounty, the quicker picker-upper paper towel would work, but it will require frequent changing. I've been using Walmart diapers and I used Kroger store brand formula with the last child. No problems at all and they're relatively cheap. The latest child has been breast fed which saves a bunch of money and wearing Walmart diapers. They're pretty good for cheap diapers and it's a fun place to shop.
My nipples do hurt though, so I can't begin to imagine how my wife's must feel. Ha-ha, hee-hee.

I am so glad I didn't have coffee in my hand when I read this one this morning.