Stretching dollars at the grocery store on household supplies, food

[Proud Liberal Dem]

I was just kind of curious what everybody is spending at the stores nowadays on household supplies and food? My wife-who handles the shopping- routinely walks in the door every other week with approx. $400-450 worth of items for a grand total of $800-900/mo. which is, frankly, killing our household budget. For reference purposes, this is a 5 person household: Two thirty-something adults, a 5-year old and two teenagers. Is this extreme and/or out-of-sync or pretty much par for the course? My wife and I seem to disagree about what is "normal" (relatively speaking) for families our size to spend. I would be interested in hearing others weigh in on this.

[cbayer]

1. Editing because I apparently can't read.

I figure on about $100/week for two of us, so she may not be far off.

2-3 meals a day for 5 people can really add up. Even if you figure only $5/person/day, that's $175/week. And that would only be food.

[Sherman A1]

2. Seems a bit on the high side, but not

too much, grocery prices are up about 6% over last year. There are a few ways to save, but really it's just a matter of timing & gaming the system whenever you can do so. I am sure that she is doing as much as she can to keep costs down.

[independentpiney]

3. We're about $450- 500/month for 2 adults and a teenage girl

with 2 teens and a 5 year old you may not be that far out of line. I would consider myself a fairly frugal shopper too.

[woodsprite]

4. Sounds about right

We're a family of 4 - 2 adults, and 2 teens.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. I cannot compare my budget with yours,

since I live alone and don't have teenagers (who definitely will be eating more). I spend less than $200 a month for food and household items, so if I were to compare that to your budget, you are not doing too bad.

(And if you think that your wife is spending too much on all this, why don't you take over the shopping for a couple of months and see if you can do better....you might be surprised at how well she is doing.)

If you are trying to cut your budget, some suggestions I would make if you aren't already doing these:

Use coupons, but only for things you use.
Buy in bulk when things are on sale.
If you don't have one, buy a freezer and purchase things only when they are on sale. (I never buy meat that is not on sale, but buy it on sale in bulk and freeze it. Same for veggies.)
Processed foods are much more expensive than putting together meals from scratch. Make a lot at once, and either eat as leftovers or freeze half for another time.
Buy store brands. I cannot say this enough.
Shop at discount grocery store if there are any near you.
Buy household products at dollar stores.
Avoid the fancy cleaning supplies and the newest products that are usually more expensive than old standards.

[Starboard Tack]

7. Curious about the feezer

How much does that add to your electric bill a month?

[Curmudgeoness]

9. I have a chest freezer

from the 60's, so it is really really old (is not even a frost-free model).....and at one point I unplugged it for a couple of months and noticed no difference at all. They say that they don't use much energy with the new models, but I can't verify that.

I do know that the chest freezers are much more efficient than stand-up models. But even if it were to add $5 more a month to my electric bill, I save more than that all the time. I eat meat, so that is a lot of my food budget money, and when there is a sale on a particular meat, I will save quite a bit. If the price is $1 a pound less than usual price, and I buy 20 pounds and freeze it, I have just saved $20. I also freeze produce during the summer as it is available and cheap, and I have it for the rest of the year. All produce I freeze is used in cooking however, since I don't know a way for it to hold up well for fresh-like eating.....berries for pies and diced up peppers and tomatoes that can be thrown into anything I am cooking. I really believe in freezing when the price is right.

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. Hooray for non-self defrosting chest freezers!

That was the first big item I got when we moved to this house 7 years ago.
Mr. dixie complained about it being the kind you have to defrost yourself, but I held firm, because it does not run all the time, unlike our self defrosting fridge/freezer.
Great investment ( ours cost 350, I think) and allows me to save on bulk buys of stuff.

[Curmudgeoness]

22. I didn't realize that they still sold them.

Thanks for letting me know that they do, because one of these days, this 1960's freezer will give up the ghost.

Defrosting is a pain, especially since they are so deep and I have to contort to get the bottom cleaned out---but between being a chest freezer and one that is not self-defrosting, this is a great energy saver. Chest freezers are so much more efficient than uprights to begin with. And I will no longer despair over losing this one when it's day comes.

[dixiegrrrrl]

23. You might want to locate one NOW.

We got ours from Sears, it was the last one they had in the area, and Sears is, at last report, going under.
We also, 2 years ago, had to replace our ancient Sears top load washing machine, and bought one of the last agitator models.( but it has plastic gears... )

( the dryer is still going well, knock on wood)

and were told that agitator type washing machines were no longer going to be made, only tub spin type machines.
Which are getting bad press even now.

[Curmudgeoness]

24. No more agitator washers either?

Oh man, it sucks to get old and see all the old faithfuls die out! I hate my washer (a Sears model) because the agitator is small and plastic and doesn't seem to agitate enough. But it still runs! I don't even know what a tub spin washer is, so I guess it is time to do a google search on that. Crap.

[quakerboy]

10. I can answer this

We got a chest freezer about 2 years back. Our local library also lends out "killawatt" meters.

Over a weeks period, the freezer averaged .73882 kWh/day, approximately 8 cents per day at the electrical cost at the time. The rates have gone up, of course, so at today's rate, it costs me 9 cents a day.

[dimbear]

6. I try to avoid the local clean friendly sparkling grocery and shop at the far away grungy

grocery outlet because it's vastly cheaper. You have to take an adventurous approach because you won't be recognizing a lot of brand names. Go in and buy what looks good, you'll come out richer.

[Flaxbee]

8. Buying store brands is often a good bet

Stay away from processed foods - potato chips, cereal, pre-mixed dinners.

For good breakfasts, oatmeal is great. Or granola (though that can be expensive).

During spring/summer/early fall, buy food from farmer's markets if you can - but avoid the fancy ones that are definitely price traps. We have a local mercantile that sells only what they grow, and the prices are pretty reasonable.

Buy household cleaning items from someplace like Big Lots (though they have also gotten much more $$) OR if you have any spare time, make some cleaning items yourself - much cheaper.

Buy grains, seeds, nuts, etc., in bulk online if you can.

Does your wife make a list? Plan meals and buy only what goes into them? Or does she do more of a whole-store shop? Shopping around the perimeter of the store (fresh foods, mostly) rather than the interior aisles where a lot of the crap food is will also help.

But you've got kids, and they tend to eat a lot and want snacks - those can get $$$

Also: cut out sodas and pre-packaged drinks (for health reasons, if nothing else). Water with a spritz of lemon or lime is better for you. Or buy tea and make iced tea in quantity.

[RebelOne]

15. I normally buy the store brands,

but oftentimes the brand names are on sale and cheaper than the store brands.

[Kaleva]

11. I'd say your wife is doing a good job.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

12. Maybe she is doing as good as she can

It just always feels like a little more than we actually need- and we never fully eat through everything in two weeks and still have a fairly decent amount of food left when she does grocery shopping. Sometimes I think that she overbuys certain items, esp. snacks and there almost always is some of kind of unplanned non-food expense that crops up every trip.

[Kaleva]

13. I know from experience that shopping isn't easy.

I sort of took over the job after my then wife was sick for long periods of time.

After awhile, we did end up with a rather good system of looking at the store flyers to see what was on sale, find coupons for such and make out a shopping list. We got to know which items went on sale often, which ones rarely did and which never did. For items that never went on sale, we switched to cheaper store brands or went without.

It took both of us to plan the shopping trips and buy only what was on sale and had coupons for which further reduced cost. Since the flyer didn't list everything that was on sale in the store, I tried to stop by there a few days before shopping, walk up and down the aisles and write down on a notepad the items on sale that we would need or were running low on.

The wife, meanwhile, would keep a binder of coupons she bought off of E-Bay, had printed out, or gotten out of magazines and newspapers. Then, with the info I had in my notes and the coupons she had, we'd make up a shopping list.

For a family of three, two dogs and a cat, we managed to reduce our shopping budget by about 40% but it took alot of work and planning to do this.

[laundry_queen]

14. Sounds about right for me.

I spent, about $1200/month for food, toiletries, and other household supplies, and misc. stuff for a 5 person household (me, a teenager, 2 preteens and a 5 year old). I am in Canada though where everything is a tad more expensive. And I consider myself frugal. A major expense in the food budget is 'lunch friendly' items for my 4 kids, since we 'brown bag' it here in Canada (no school lunches).

My parents, and my brother and SIL (no kids) each spend about $700/month on food (not including household supplies). They are not super frugal (but don't go overboard) and they are all well-off.

[RebelOne]

16. Since I am a vegetarian, I do not have to spend money on meat.

And I only have to feed me and my two small dogs (though they eat a lot), but I still spend a little over $100 a week, mainly because I buy a lot of frozen vegetarian meals and they are expensive.

[hunter]

17. My wife and I have big differences about shopping...

If I've got a few random fruits, vegetables, rice, beans, and I've found a pair of pants at the thrift store, I'm happy.

My wife believes shopping is a skill, and it probably is.

But I've never seen coupons for ten pound bags of pinto beans.

I grew up in a house where if there was bulk powdered milk and cornflakes in the cupboard, fish in the freezer, fruit on the trees, and toilet paper, then it was a good day. Two of my siblings left home at sixteen because they wanted more. I wasn't one of them.

My wife's tastes are a bit more sophisticated. She shops at Target.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

18. Wal-Mart is where my wife shops

I can't imagine where we would be if we shopped anywhere else. I've tried suggesting shopping at Aldi's but I guess she had to shop there a lot with her ex and doesn't want to go there, mostly because of the lack of "brand-name" items. Me, I'm much less picky.

[eShirl]

19. I used to save a lot on household supplies when we lived near a Dollar Tree

way cheaper than walmart
from household cleaners to toothpaste, incl. some name brands and everything just a buck
I can't recommend the cookies though ... gag ...

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. There is one sure fire way to find out, ya know.

Sit down with your partner, make a grocery list that you both can agree on is a "normal one"
and YOU either go with her or go by yourself for the shopping, one time.
While at the store, check out the prices of milk and meats and fresh fruits and vegies..and don't forget to look at any sales tax.
Oh yeah, check out the coffee prices, too.

And of course you can always look at the reciepts she brings home.....

There are 2 of us in the house, plus one dog, 2 cats.
No smokers.
I buy the same items, as a rule, and we do not eat ANY processed foods.
Yesterday's bill was 129.00 and that did not include any household items ( I buy those at the Dollar Store).
Our city tax on food is 9.5%.

[Kaleva]

25. Try shopping at Family Dollar

whole wheat bread-$2.00 a loaf

store brand soups-$.50 a can

store brand cream soups-$.65 a can

Ramen Noodles 5 pack-$1.00

box of saltine crackers-$1.60

Mawell House Wake Up Roast coffee 34.5 oz. can-$6.20 (on clearance)

store brand tuna 5 oz. can-$.85

store brand peanut butter 16.3 oz bottle-$2.35

collard greens 27 oz. can-$1.65

spinach 27 oz. can-$1.65

Chef Boyardee products-$1.00 a 15 oz. can

[RebelOne]

26. I get much better prices at my local Kroger.

They have so many items at 10 for $10. You do not have to buy the 10 items, but can buy just one for $1. The whole wheat bread I buy at just $1 a loaf for the store brand.

[NMDemDist2]

28. i buy all my 'non food' stuff at Dollar General

TP, napkins, kleenex, all cleaning and bathing products.

saves me a fortune.

when hubby convinces me to 'let's just grab the stuff at the grocery store' when he's shopping with me, it makes my budget balloon!

[The empressof all]

27. I shop the ads

On Tuesday I get the flyers for all the local grocers in the mail. If you don`t have this convenience by you then check their web sites. I then plan my weekly menu by what loss leaders are happening that week and plan my shopping excursions accordingly. I`m lucky to have several large chains, Boutique grocers, and the Coop nearby so it isn`t a big deal to pop in where I need to when I`m out and about. I just scored a deal at Albertsons for six rolls of paper towels for 3.99. I wouldn`t have known about it if I didn`t read the ads. You would be surprised to see how much you can save if you just take a half an hour once a week to read the ads.

[jwirr]

29. We have 3 families eating together with 9 people in all. 3 children and one teen. I am a diabetic.

Because we live in the country and have chickens, gardens, apple trees, bees and other animals we have it easier. One of the things we do is buy meat from local farmers who usually sell cheaper than the store. We also bought extra tomatoes etc. from the farmers market and canned them - salsa and sauce - for the winter. We also trade items such as honey for wild rice.

When we buy in the store it is usually fresh fruits and vegetables, juices, breads etc. Here we go for quality rather than price if we can as they need to last.

It is interesting that one poster mentioned making your own household products - my daughter still has some recipe books from the 60s. Need to find them in her books and take another look.