Your Grocery Bill

Parsonswife- If you really are and have a church, can you organize a church "shopping trip" where everyone piles into the same van and you maybe even tow a trailer to buy lots of bulk items? You'd have to do the math but if enough people did it and there are places reasonably close where all the shopping can be done without driving all over the place?
Or maybe organize a shopping trip while you are taking someone to a medical visit in the big city? I know if I had to travel to somewhere, I would happily pay the gas for the trip to be driven.
Or split gas with someone who commutes to spend the day in a shopping area while they are at work?

Or even arrange with a trucker to haul staples from somewhere cheaper to your church where people can meet to pick up their stuff?

I've just had the experience of church people organizing the heck out of things to get stuff done.
 
We haven't been to the groc store for three weeks--trying to eat from our freezers/pantry.. I scanned the paper today and bread was over $2.50 a loaf :o ! Milk is almost 5$ a gal.. I do not know how people with large families and no garden, beef or chickens will make it..
 
I think some people will learn how to differentiate between "needs" and "wants." I really feel for those who are already living very marginally and feel really fortunate to have some wiggle room yet...
 
And it is still only getting worse. Prices have not stopped increasing and I think the next few years to come will take a toll on my families that are scraping by with the increases now.

you are so right about needs vs. wants. we could all cut our bill in 1/2 easily if we didn't buy wants...LOL...I sure could..HA HA
 
I went grocery shopping last night.I did much better than I thought I would when I got to the check out.
That doesn't happen to often.
I shop alone or with my husband now and do not bring the kids.
Thats where some of the extra money adds up for us.
They ask if they can buy this type of cereal or that type of juice and if you don't really think about it, it adds up.
When I go alone I buy what is the cheapest and they are perfectly happy with it.
So what they don't know doesn't hurt them. haha

I never buy junk food either, I think that stuff is expensive now, not sure but the last time I looked at stuff for a party it seemed like it.
I bought the chips for a party a while back and they were like almost $4.00.

I thought that was alot of potato chips for crying out loud.
My kids rarely ask for any of that stuff so I don't buy it on a regular basis.
I don't buy any of the convenience, pre packaged foods either.

But, I buy alot of fruit and that adds up.
Everyone in the family loves fruit so I buy alot of it.
I hate when the farmer's markets are gone.
I would much rather spend a little extra at the markets than for some mushy fruit at the grocery store.
I bought some bananas there last night but everything else I was able to get at the farmer's market on friday afternoon.

We will be going apple picking soon, so I am going to can alot of it with cinnamon, the kids will like them for a snack and should last for a while.
I have been thinking about it now, how I can get the most for my money out of the apples.

I make alot of pies and stuff like that with them too.
I have the dehydrator , maybe I will dry some and see how that goes.

I am shocked at how much deli meat has gone up to though, some of it is $8.99 lb.
Even the cheese was $6.99 lb last night.
That stuff goes way to fast in my house so I cut back on it.

The prices are really crazy lately, I definitely only buy the necessities and make alot of stuff from scratch.
I have always pretty much shopped like that though, only the needs vs wants, and the grocery bill is still way up there.
 
I budget $120 a week for a family of 5. That does not include $12 a week for milk (which we buy from a local farmer and thus the discount) or major meat (we buy this from a relative in bulk about once a year but soon will be raising our own, Lord-willing). That amount also includes diapers for 2 children which is quite a lot. I buy very few snacks--usually just ice cream, no prepared foods and I make all our own bread. I buy off-brands and try to can/freeze a lot. I've recently started something new--shopping only once a month except for things like bananas/lettuce or other produce that you can't store. I'm hoping that will eliminate more of the impulse buying if I'm at the store only 1 time a month as opposed to 4 times! Anyone else do this?
 
I have been to the point where my grocery budget for the family was $25 a week for the 4 of us. Now I am glad to be able to spend more. I only buy organic or from the farmers market, and make sure that the food doesn't have a lot of corn syrup and junk. Right now I spend $100-$150 a week on groceries and necessities. We don't eat a lot of junk food either. The only goodies are chocolate and ice cream.
 
Hi everyone:frow I suggest you check out the web site www.hillbillyhousewife.com . At this site there are meal plans for various budgets and the shopping lists for them as well. There is even a meal plan for a budget of $40 a week for a family of four. With the various meal plans are the corresponding recipes. I love this site and have used one of the lemonade chicken recipes to rave reviews!
 
Guys, I just came from Wally World today and everything went up by $.20-$.45 on the item!!! Glad I didn't have to buy much but this is getting bad real quick...its only been a month since I was there last and last time they had raised all the items by this much also. If things keep rising at this rate, we will all have to make some serious decisions about our diets, our food sources, our ability to raise our own foods..and more than just a garden.

Man, do I need a place to hunt right now! :he
 
Beekissed- too bad you are so far away- I would happily trade goat meat for eggs.
But you are right about prices- I had been on a campaign to buy things I think will go up seriously and store them. But I can only do so much of that as there is little spare income each month.
I have started to be more careful of things I know would be expensive to replace.
 
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