How much do you spend on food, etc?

[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.

[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!

[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.

[FLBK7]

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

[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.

[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!

[CurtInKS]

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

[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]

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.

[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.

[Minnymouth]

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!!!

[Granny]

I can promise you that the increased cost for fuel for the trucks was not being passed to the trucker. Sure we got a small fuel surcharge added to the revenue for the truck but it wasn't enough to cover the total increased cost of fuel. That's why we are no longer in business.

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.

[CurtInKS]

Has anybody else noticed the price of items at the grocery jumping??



Do they think we don't notice??!!

It's all about the gas prices. All that food gets to stores on trucks, and so long as gas companies are continues to make Billions, with no regard to it's customers, it's only going to get worse.

[JollyGG]

Has anybody else noticed the price of items at the grocery jumping??

Do they think we don't notice??!!

We deffinatelly notice. Expecially about the milk. I have a toddler and a preschooler and we easiely go through 3 or 4 gallons a week.
Sunday I made the weekly menu and there was alot already in our pantry. I was pleased thinking that it would be a cheap grocery week as I only needed an item or two for each meal. I get to check out and it was $130. On the drive home I'm trying to figure out what cost me so much and realized that milk alone was 10% of that. The other items added up pretty quickly as well.

[SinkingFast]

We eat lunches at home. Usually sandwiches. Unless we have left overs. And dinners most every night. Between groceries, TP, paper towels, toiletries, and such, I spend about $150/shopping trip and go at least 4-5 times a month.

Has anybody else noticed the price of items at the grocery jumping??

All at Wal-Mart:

Milk here has gone from right at $2.50/gallon to right at $4.25/gallon.

Coffee went from $5.49/3 lb can to $7.12/can.

Bologna and Hot Dogs have jumped $0.50/package each.

Every once in a while, we'd treat ourselves to Dean's brand sweet tea. It's jumped $0.17/gallon.

Fish sticks,........... Gorton's Fish sticks,....... 44 count. Jumped over a $1/package.

Beef has gone up. Chicken has gone up. Everything is increasing. And it's not pennies here, a nickel there, or a dime increase. Prices are jumping $0.50 to $1, or more for the same items.

Do they think we don't notice??!!