Your Grocery Bill

[Maidservant]

Wow, it amazes me at how close I am to some of you! I'm in Albemarle, NC - about an hour east of Charlotte. With that being said, if the grocery trips were up to me, we would only spend about $30 every other week for 4 people. My mom on the other hand, will spend $100 per week. The difference: discount stores, coupon deals, and knowing where to get free stuff.

Within the past two weeks, I've went and picked 5 gallons of blueberries, 10 gallons of concord grapes, 20 gallons of green beans, and we've recieved a few melons, tomatoes (from our garden and others), more green beans, potatoes, and a gallon of home pressed apple juice (it has been pasturized). I'm going later on this week to pick peaches and apples, and later on this month to pick pears and scuppernog grapes. All for free! I'll also be recieving some bread for the chickens (and for us if any of it is still good) when I go pick the peaches.

This is the first year canning for me, and I am canning everything to keep us from having to buy much at the grocery store over winter.

I do make as much homemade bread as I can and cook from scratch, but lately I've had extremely bad allergies (it doesn't help that my dad smokes, grrr) and I haven't felt like doing much of anything.

I don't think I've eaten been in 2 years, we've been eating venison and rabbit. As soon as my hens start laying, we will be able to quit buying store eggs, and up until last Thursdays hail storm (tornado force winds too) we had a garden. The garden is totalled now, but we still got a few things out of it that we could can.

We are very blessed to go to a church (and have a community) that takes care of it's people. Many people down here plant large gardens and waste much of the food that they grow. I'm just offering to go and pick veggies and fruits for people, and I'm getting offered so much stuff, I don't know if I can keep up! Anything I can't use goes to our extended family or someone else in our community that can use it. Anything that is beginning to go bad goes for chicken food!

Ok, I've rambled enough for one post!
Emily in NC

 

[punkin]

Nuggetsowner
Our grocery bill has gone up quite a bit in the last 8 -12 months. It stinks!

****I hear ya on this one big time. The jump in the food bill is alot for me also! and I don't like it one bit..HA HA

Do you have a big pantry to shop great sales and stock up on items when they are super low cost?

I don't....I have trouble finding storage for stocking...ugh....I wish I had a basement or walk in pantry or ANYthing..LOL

I am short on storage space, too. We converted a linen/hall closet for pantry storage. We also put shelves under the out of season clothes in the closet for all my canning endeavors. If you have shoes on your closet floor, can you put a shoe rack on the back of your closet door? That would free up some space for extras.

 

[ticks]

Wow, when we moved to our new house we made suree we had a huge pantry.

 

[FarmerChick]

If you have shoes on your closet floor, can you put a shoe rack on the back of your closet door? That would free up some space for extras.

********THANK Punkin
that is a good idea. In my master closet all my shoes are on a short shelf and then on the floor beneath lined up...(not alot of pairs mind you..lol) so, yes, I could buy that hanging shoe holder thingy. And that would free me up some space.

THANKS---I will be doing that!!!

 

[FarmerChick]

and up until last Thursdays hail storm (tornado force winds too) we had a garden. The garden is totalled now,

******Hi Maidservant
Yup, we got that storm also. Scary high winds, no visibility! I had to call insurance, 3 panels of tin on the goat barn were blown up and I got a hole punched in the liner of my pool...big stick blew in...UGH

Yes and we had crop damage big time.

Albemarle---I know where you are...kinda far from me but I visited there and very nice!

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Basically we take the approach of what we need and what we want to groceries. It's 2 adults and 1 16 yo girl and we spend about $220-$250/month. We're trying to get it to $200 per month but that takes time.

We do have a few rules that we abide by.

1. We only buy what we need first and if we want something then we give ourselves a limit. Usually around $20 for the three of us to share.

2. If there is anything that we buy that can be made from scratch cheaper than we need to switch over to doing that.

3. If we can't get it from the garden we don't eat it. This of course if for veggies and fruits. It encourages us to plant more varieties of stuff and keep up with everything to ensure we have a bunch of different choices. Although I will say, right now I am missing cool season crops. . .mmm cauliflower

4. Each section of the grocery list (meats, canned items, staple foods) gets it's own individual budget. If you need more in one category you can borrow from another. (I worked in corporate management for years so I know budgeting).

We do only shop at Union only stores (UFCW) which does account for some higher prices of items we can get at discount stores. Unfortunately, because of the work I do and my own basic principles we don't go to any of the discount stores that do not support union labor.

 

[Cassandra]

I don't think I could eat a block of cheddar. you know why....


***LOL--sorry you can't..HA HA
I sure could...LOL

I wouldn't be in the BR in a few weeks if I ate a whole block of cheddar.

I don't eat it all at one time! It takes me about a week. And sadly, I don't get to eat the WHOLE thing myself. But everyone in the house knows to go easy on my cheese. LOL

My younger son can't eat it either for the same reason as you. On the extremely rare occassions when we order pizza, we get him one with no cheese. He can have a little bite of it every once in a while. But if he has pizza at someone else's house that has cheese on it, it takes us a week to get him regular again!

He loves it, though. It's a trick to keep it away from him.

Cassandra

 

[FarmerChick]

HA HA---no, none of us eat a block of cheese at one sitting, I am sure....LOL

I feel for people with cheese problems. I LOVE cheese and I would be sad if I couldn't handle it.....

My hubby Tony can't handle alot of cheese, some OK, but if he pushes it he does pay later.

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

Just another suggestion for storage.... Do you have space under your beds that is not being used? I put things like toilet paper and some of my canned goods in plastic containers and store them under my bed. I know it sounds strange but I got the tip from someone else and It has worked for me. My kitchen is VERY small 12X8 and then you take away the space for the cupboards and the stove and fridge. I do not have much counterspace at all! My pantry is down in the basement. It is actually right below the kitchen in our house and the same size. I do have a freezer and my washer and dryer in there but it gives me a decent amount of shelving to store my canned foods and what not. I was just looking for extra storage space. I heard that someone stored canned foods under their bed and thought.... I could do that. I put mine in covered containers just to make them easier to pull out and also to protect the paper products. So anyway, just an idea for you.

 

[FarmerChick]

For me under the beds are used already. I pack the winter items in low tubs and push under....there isn't much space left..LOL

I am searching every nook and cranny for unused space....like behind one of my couches that faces a wall that no one can truly see behind...Hmm...wouldn't hurt to store some things there. I am always searching now for that hidden extra space..LOL thanks