My Grocery Challenge UPDATED
UPDATE
So, my trip was successful! I only spent $112! I was so proud of myself...and the kids came, too, which usually makes for an extra snack just to keep them somewhat well-behaved. But, beforehand, I gave each of them a list with pictures of what we needed--very simple ones like apples, bananas,etc--and that seemed to help. They are both getting to the age where they understand that if we spend money on one item, it means we can not have another. Ava said to Lily at the store, "Lily, I know you want that cup, but it is eight dollars. Money doesn't fall from the sky, Lily." I'm not sure where she heard that, but nevertheless, at least she recognizes it! And, I don't want them to think that everytime they want something, they get it. (I'm still learning this lesson myself 
!) So, overall, it was a great trip and I am a happy mama.
For next week, I will post my menu and list and see if I can continue to do this. I should mention,too, that I did this at Whole Foods because they are the only place I can get humane meat right now. All of my local farms are sold out. So, I am so proud of myself.
It probably helps, too, that last week I raided the freezer section for organic vegetables, as they retain thier nutritional value a bit longer and are much cheaper than the produce section.
Thanks for all of the responses, it is so nice to be back. Have a good Monday, mamas.
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So, things are a bit tighter around here moneywise since I am no longer working. I am headed to the grocery store today and my usual plan of attack is to shop around the aisles, avoiding the snack foods that seem to add up very quickly. The girls actually prefer veggies and fruits over junk, which I am eternally grateful for.
So, here is my challenge: one of the benefits of bringing home a paycheck was the ability to afford better quality meats that are certified humane. I know there have been many threads on this here, but this is something very important to me. I was reading an article last night and it suggested if more and more people buy this meat, the cost could quite possibly go down over time and to be honest, I'm willing to sacrifice the cable I don't watch, the car I don't really need, and the cup of coffee at the cafe to support a better standard of meat for my family.
So, my challenge is to continue to buy these meats on a budget. I am headed to the store this morning and I am going to try very hard to keep my bill under $120. I will report back...for any interested, that is!
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you go girl.. I know how hard this is I try to keep our bill under $70, buy local meats and grow a lotta stuff.
http://cooksewbitchy.blogspot.com/
remember that? 
my mama blog | scrapbook
Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness. ~Seneca
Awesome! I am still baking them too. I made some last week and then froze them. I had one for breakfast.
http://cooksewbitchy.blogspot.com/
sure hon, let me dig it up..
http://cooksewbitchy.blogspot.com/
I am very interested in this also, as I try to keep our grocery bill low. I used to keep it around $50 a week (we don't eat meat and grow a lot of food) but food prices have really jumped, the grocers say it's because it costs them more to bring stuff in because gas is so high. So now our grocery is around $70 a week, and that's with me making meals from scratch and baking lots from scratch. No, it's really $90 a week, 'cause Mercury Man gets pizza one night a week, I always forget that.
my mama blog | scrapbook
Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness. ~Seneca
i really want to start baking more. anything bigger than cookies scares me. i may be heading your way with lots of questions soon. here's your first one... how important is parchment paper for bread sticks? i have a recipe that calls for it to line the cooking sheet.
and my bread sticks come out fine. without the parchment paper though you have to really know your oven, how it heats and stuff so you know when to pull the tray before the bottoms scorch.
my mama blog | scrapbook
Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness. ~Seneca
so do you just grease the pan with butter?
I just use regular flat pans or cookie sheets, then pop up the bread sticks with a spatula when done.
my mama blog | scrapbook
Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness. ~Seneca
I have a great home made pizza recipe, thing is if I don't have any dough prepped Mercury Man will just order pizza. We're really challenging ourselves to bulk up our savings, so when I show him how giving up the take out pizza is a another place we can save money on, I'm sure he'll go for it. If not I'll compromise, once a month take out pizza or something
my mama blog | scrapbook
Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness. ~Seneca
i am not working anymore either. we are doing all sorts of thing to try and survive on one very small income.
we are not eating out at all anymore. i signed up to get the sale flyer from the grocery store and i plan our meals around whats on sale. i only buy healthy chicken and just stock up when its on sale. when it goes on sale its cheaper than the crappy stuff anyways. i think the key is really planning the whole week out. i only spent $56 last week, $80 this week. (used to be over $120 and that was when we were eating out too.) i also joined a food co-op so i can get organic stuff at a good price... they have meat as well.
good luck!
and it's reminded me that I keep meaning to call the local beef farm here and order some beef to fill my freezer with.
You guys remember kelly H? She used to post her grocery reciept. And her menu and stuff. I posted my menu on my blog this week(due to demand)but would love to compare grocery money stuff. You can also make your own snacks, if you have food dehydrator you can make fruit leather and dried fruits, if you get them at a good or reduced price. I love the mark down fruit.
http://cooksewbitchy.blogspot.com/
It's my favorite snack. But d*mn, that stuff is not cheap (possibly because I buy the organic, all natural kind)! So it would be fanfrickentastic to make my own (you know, some day, when I have time to cook again). What does a food dehydrator comprise of? Expensive? Complicated? Does it take up a lot of space? Once upon a time I ran across recipes for fruit leather in the Super Baby Food book, should dig that out.....T. won't be eating solid food for another 6 months, at least, but no reason mama can't eat it!
Overall, in response to hollyg-- yes! I hear you. Our compromise is that we don't buy/eat meat all that frequently. Less than we used to when we bought less humanely/enviornmentally-consciously raised stuff. So in general our diet has become more vegetarian, which I figure is a farily good by-product in and of itself.
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough. -- Emily Dickinson
You want to do what you think is right and what matters to you, and if other people don't like it, as my father would have said, they can go fuck themselves. -- Amy Bloom
you can make it in a stove just fine. Here's a how to:
how to make fruit leather
here's one with pics
you can use foil also, instead of parchment paper. in my experience works just as well.
my mama blog | scrapbook
Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness. ~Seneca
thanks, Mercury!
The lowest I'm getting lately is around $135 and am not always managing to get that. I need to try harder. Good idea about the frozen organic veggies.
The produce section is where I was spending a majority of my money and after analyzing my receipts, I had a bit of an epiphany. It does not make sense to buy strawberries out of season for 4 dollars...apples, pears, and bananas will do the trick, too, and are less labor intensive! I also try to do as much affordable dried fruit as possible in the colder months. You also have 4 little ones to feed, G, and I only have 2 so I think $135 is damn good.
You must live, not simply exist.
awesome! you have inspired me. AND YOU WERE AT WHOLE FOODS. you're my hero.
you could do that at Wh0le F00ds! I always spend SO much $$ there (I swear, it's the cheese section, with all the samples, they suck me into $20 of cheese)! Must remember the tip about frozen veggies. I've always heard too that frozen veggies have more of the original nutrients & vitamins than do canned versions...
ha! that's so funny about your husband & wh0le f00ds...tell him he does a great job...i love all that cool cheese!
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Friday night is pizza and movie night at our house but it was getting too costly so we make our own pizza. The girls get a basic one and dh and I do a gourmet one, all on one frozen whole wheat ball of pizza dough that is $1.49. Not too bad. One of my faves is proscuitto, asparagus (frozen, so cheaper), goat cheese, and egg. It sounds gross but is so delicious. I still think $70 is pretty impressive, T.
You must live, not simply exist.