Comments on: Grocery Budget Discussion: Expense or Investment? http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html Naturally inspired living for the Christian homemaker Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:56:20 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: chrystal shelley http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-34717 chrystal shelley Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:53:13 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-34717 Hello! Just found your blog. I have been wondering what people in other parts of the country are spending on NT foods. We spend quite alot of our income on food. I try to keep the amount to $500 every two weeks (my husband is paid that way), but regularly go over that amount. That's over 30% of our income. We have a family of 5, with one teenaged daughter (who can eat as much as her father!), and two smaller children plus me and my husband. We live in Massachusetts. I buy chickens from a local farmer for $4.75 per pound, beef from our meat CSA for $6.99 per pound and we buy 1 to 2 gallons of raw milk per week for $7 per gallon plus a $2 delivery charge (we have a buying club. one person picks up the milk and drops it at drop-off spots). I also buy 3 to 5 dozen farm fresh eggs per week for $5 per dozen. I cook most of our food but do buy some things in bulk from UNFI. We cut back in other areas like eating out (very rarely), entertainment (we borrow movies and books from the libraries), home improvements and repairs (we try to do them ourselves) and others (that escape me at the moment). Anyway, I am really enjoying finding all these blogs of women out there trying to feed their families well and stay within a budget. It makes me feel like I am not all alone in this! Chrystal Hello!
Just found your blog. I have been wondering what people in other parts of the country are spending on NT foods. We spend quite alot of our income on food. I try to keep the amount to $500 every two weeks (my husband is paid that way), but regularly go over that amount. That's over 30% of our income. We have a family of 5, with one teenaged daughter (who can eat as much as her father!), and two smaller children plus me and my husband. We live in Massachusetts. I buy chickens from a local farmer for $4.75 per pound, beef from our meat CSA for $6.99 per pound and we buy 1 to 2 gallons of raw milk per week for $7 per gallon plus a $2 delivery charge (we have a buying club. one person picks up the milk and drops it at drop-off spots). I also buy 3 to 5 dozen farm fresh eggs per week for $5 per dozen. I cook most of our food but do buy some things in bulk from UNFI. We cut back in other areas like eating out (very rarely), entertainment (we borrow movies and books from the libraries), home improvements and repairs (we try to do them ourselves) and others (that escape me at the moment). Anyway, I am really enjoying finding all these blogs of women out there trying to feed their families well and stay within a budget. It makes me feel like I am not all alone in this!
Chrystal

]]> By: MichelleC http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18744 MichelleC Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:28:48 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18744 Great Blog!!!! We spend 25% of our income on food. We don't even eat 100% organic. We have 5 kids. 1/2 of us are vegan. Most of the funds go on fruits and veggies from Costcos. We juice every day. I make our own yogurt, bread and soft drinks. We do raise Chickens and Goats too. Eating healthy is an investment for us though. When we were eating the (SAD) Standard American Diet, we were always sick. We have been eating this way for nearly 1/2 a year now and not one doctor visit. :o) Great Blog!!!! We spend 25% of our income on food. We don't even eat 100% organic. We have 5 kids. 1/2 of us are vegan. Most of the funds go on fruits and veggies from Costcos. We juice every day. I make our own yogurt, bread and soft drinks. We do raise Chickens and Goats too. Eating healthy is an investment for us though. When we were eating the (SAD) Standard American Diet, we were always sick. We have been eating this way for nearly 1/2 a year now and not one doctor visit. :o )

]]> By: Ruth http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18743 Ruth Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:51:33 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18743 I am late to comment but couldn't help myself from sharing my view. I think firstly we need to get over trying to spend as little as possible on food. In NA we spend around 11% of our income on food. In some developed countries (such as European countries) people part with 30% of their income for good food and of course in the developing world they spend almost all their income on food. If we were prepared to set aside more of our income for food and do with less in other areas many of us would find great pleasure in shopping locally, preparing and eating our food. There are definitely ways to spend wisely and make the most of our budget and Stephanie has posted about many of them ie. using all of a side of beef, buying in bulk, buying in season, gardening, etc. We do need to consider the true cost of food production -especially for the small-scale/non-industrial farmer who is growing GOOD food but we aren't prepared to pay the true cost. Although I can't imaginge spending $1000/month (30% of our monthly income) on food, it would be revolutionary personally and for the food industry if I did. I am late to comment but couldn't help myself from sharing my view. I think firstly we need to get over trying to spend as little as possible on food. In NA we spend around 11% of our income on food. In some developed countries (such as European countries) people part with 30% of their income for good food and of course in the developing world they spend almost all their income on food. If we were prepared to set aside more of our income for food and do with less in other areas many of us would find great pleasure in shopping locally, preparing and eating our food. There are definitely ways to spend wisely and make the most of our budget and Stephanie has posted about many of them ie. using all of a side of beef, buying in bulk, buying in season, gardening, etc. We do need to consider the true cost of food production -especially for the small-scale/non-industrial farmer who is growing GOOD food but we aren't prepared to pay the true cost. Although I can't imaginge spending $1000/month (30% of our monthly income) on food, it would be revolutionary personally and for the food industry if I did.

]]> By: Sarah M http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18742 Sarah M Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:32:10 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18742 Our situation is slightly different from above, but we also *try* to eat whole/plant based foods and we don't buy meat (We will eat it if someone serves it, though), which does save a lot. We do all of our cooking from scratch except generally a box of crackers per week for our toddler. Haven't found a great recipe I like for snack crackers yet, (any luck with that?) We have a 4 person family(1 nurser) on 1 low income, so we get WIC-which is supplemental food vouchers for mothers & children. That takes care of our eggs, cheese, beans, and cereal (oatmeal) for the month, but we HAVE to spend less than $80/week. Since starting a cash only system a few months ago, we have done very well on this and have even gotten our groceries down to about $40-$55/week! We buy organic only when it is on sale, which in the summer is easy, but in the winter, not so much. We also only use organic grains, which is probably the bulk of our grocery bill. When we are off of teh WIC program, our budget will probably only go up about $10/week for rice milk & 1/2 doz. eggs. This is a great post because it DOES save so much money to make things from scratch AND it is healthier. Although we are in a season of "less", we feel we have learned a rich lesson-to use what you have and use it wisely-it has benefitted us in so many ways! Sarah M Our situation is slightly different from above, but we also *try* to eat whole/plant based foods and we don't buy meat (We will eat it if someone serves it, though), which does save a lot.
We do all of our cooking from scratch except generally a box of crackers per week for our toddler. Haven't found a great recipe I like for snack crackers yet, (any luck with that?)
We have a 4 person family(1 nurser) on 1 low income, so we get WIC-which is supplemental food vouchers for mothers & children. That takes care of our eggs, cheese, beans, and cereal (oatmeal) for the month, but we HAVE to spend less than $80/week.
Since starting a cash only system a few months ago, we have done very well on this and have even gotten our groceries down to about $40-$55/week! We buy organic only when it is on sale, which in the summer is easy, but in the winter, not so much.
We also only use organic grains, which is probably the bulk of our grocery bill.
When we are off of teh WIC program, our budget will probably only go up about $10/week for rice milk & 1/2 doz. eggs.
This is a great post because it DOES save so much money to make things from scratch AND it is healthier. Although we are in a season of "less", we feel we have learned a rich lesson-to use what you have and use it wisely-it has benefitted us in so many ways!
Sarah M

]]> By: Nola http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18741 Nola Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:16:22 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18741 Interesting discussion. Basically, I see food as an investment, but our budget determines how much I can invest in it. It seems to me that every time I go to the store, prices have gone up. I try very hard but it doesn't seem to make a huge difference. I do the same things you do- cook from scratch, have a garden, try to shop in season, try to make use of a co-op etc....but in the end it seems our bill just keeps getting higher, and I struggle with having enough energy to figure it all out. We are all very big eaters (even though we are healthy, and only eat what we need) I find that I want to cry over my frustration, especially as I would like to buy even more things organic but cannot. I would love to have some joy when it comes to shopping for my family, but instead I dread each week and more food to buy. I am working on that. Interesting discussion. Basically, I see food as an investment, but our budget determines how much I can invest in it. It seems to me that every time I go to the store, prices have gone up. I try very hard but it doesn't seem to make a huge difference. I do the same things you do- cook from scratch, have a garden, try to shop in season, try to make use of a co-op etc....but in the end it seems our bill just keeps getting higher, and I struggle with having enough energy to figure it all out. We are all very big eaters (even though we are healthy, and only eat what we need) I find that I want to cry over my frustration, especially as I would like to buy even more things organic but cannot. I would love to have some joy when it comes to shopping for my family, but instead I dread each week and more food to buy. I am working on that.

]]> By: Kati http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18740 Kati Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:48:29 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18740 We spend $300 a month for 5 of us. We eat only grass fed beef and pastured chicken. I buy some organic veggies (we don't have a huge selction, really we barely have a selection). Most of our fruits veggies come from local farms, or the commissary (we are military). Raw milk is so illegal here so I am stuck with the store stuff, but its cheap $2.50 a gallon. I find that eating whole foods doesn 't have to break the bank. We don't buy anything in a package! That in its self saves a lot of money. I always ask myself this one question when I am shopping. I can get the organic poptarts for $3.00 a box or 3lbs of bananas or a dozen pastured eggs. Which in my opinion will feed us more than 6 little pastries, and it will be more nutrition. The only convience food I ever buy is corn chips. Organic chips at Target is $2.69 a bag which is actually cheaper than the major brand non organic version. We spend $300 a month for 5 of us. We eat only grass fed beef and pastured chicken. I buy some organic veggies (we don't have a huge selction, really we barely have a selection). Most of our fruits veggies come from local farms, or the commissary (we are military). Raw milk is so illegal here so I am stuck with the store stuff, but its cheap $2.50 a gallon.

I find that eating whole foods doesn 't have to break the bank. We don't buy anything in a package! That in its self saves a lot of money.

I always ask myself this one question when I am shopping.

I can get the organic poptarts for $3.00 a box or 3lbs of bananas or a dozen pastured eggs. Which in my opinion will feed us more than 6 little pastries, and it will be more nutrition.

The only convience food I ever buy is corn chips. Organic chips at Target is $2.69 a bag which is actually cheaper than the major brand non organic version.

]]> By: Jen http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18739 Jen Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:31:25 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18739 Hi Stephanie, I loved that post! The quality of food I feed my family is so important to me, that it is top priority in the budget. I will find a way to make do with less in other areas, but not food. We are a family of 2 adults and one 19 month old, living in northwest IN (near Chicago). I don't strictly budget our food, but a few quick calculations tell me we spend about $200-$225 per week right now. I've been transitioning to grass fed, pastured meat, raw dairy, NO processed foods, and a diet of organic whole foods for about 8 months. This has been a huge change, and I've taken it slow so that I don't become overwhelmed. There are definitely "start up" expenses, and that's where we are now. I expect, and hope our food expenses will drop in time. Last fall we purchased 1/4 grass fed beef, 1/2 pastured pork, and 10 pastured chickens from a local farm for about $800. That was a LOT of money for us up front, but it's enough meat to last a year. So dividing it out, that's about $16 per week for the best meats available. It was approximately $3 per pound total, and that is a STEAL for the quality! I also spend about $100 per week for my organic delivery service that includes 2 gallons of raw milk, raw butter, raw cheese, grass fed yogurt, 2 dozen pastured eggs, and various other "groceries". These include raw nuts, seeds, popcorn, baking suplies, fruits, veggies, cuts of meat we didn't get with our bulk purchase, raw honey, and maple syrup. We joined a CSA this year for $30 per week, lasting July through early December. We get a box of veggies every week, and a box of fruit every other week. Finally, I have miscellaneous purchases online, including grass fed organic cheese (local, but online), coconut oil, olive oil, cod liver oil, wild seafood (not readily available in NW IN!), and probably a few other things I'm forgetting at the moment. These purchases aren't all local, but the nutritional content is important to our family. We buy local when possible, and purchase elsewhere when necessary. At this point, my pantry and freezer are stocked, so if necessary, we could drastically cut food expenses for a while. Things that make these expenditures possible: no car payments, reasonable mortgage payment, rarely eating out, and rarely going out for entertainment. We are a one income family. I stay home, take care of our son, and cook, cook, cook. Thankfully, I LOVE to cook (and my hubby loves to eat). I am convinced that eating organic, whole foods IS health care insurance, and an investment in our future! Recently my hubby told me how much better he feels since we started eating healthier (and I do too). That makes all the work of sourcing products and spending more money totally worth it. We do vote with our dollars, so please everyone, spend yours wisely. Hi Stephanie, I loved that post!

The quality of food I feed my family is so important to me, that it is top priority in the budget. I will find a way to make do with less in other areas, but not food.

We are a family of 2 adults and one 19 month old, living in northwest IN (near Chicago). I don't strictly budget our food, but a few quick calculations tell me we spend about $200-$225 per week right now. I've been transitioning to grass fed, pastured meat, raw dairy, NO processed foods, and a diet of organic whole foods for about 8 months. This has been a huge change, and I've taken it slow so that I don't become overwhelmed. There are definitely "start up" expenses, and that's where we are now. I expect, and hope our food expenses will drop in time.

Last fall we purchased 1/4 grass fed beef, 1/2 pastured pork, and 10 pastured chickens from a local farm for about $800. That was a LOT of money for us up front, but it's enough meat to last a year. So dividing it out, that's about $16 per week for the best meats available. It was approximately $3 per pound total, and that is a STEAL for the quality!

I also spend about $100 per week for my organic delivery service that includes 2 gallons of raw milk, raw butter, raw cheese, grass fed yogurt, 2 dozen pastured eggs, and various other "groceries". These include raw nuts, seeds, popcorn, baking suplies, fruits, veggies, cuts of meat we didn't get with our bulk purchase, raw honey, and maple syrup. We joined a CSA this year for $30 per week, lasting July through early December. We get a box of veggies every week, and a box of fruit every other week.

Finally, I have miscellaneous purchases online, including grass fed organic cheese (local, but online), coconut oil, olive oil, cod liver oil, wild seafood (not readily available in NW IN!), and probably a few other things I'm forgetting at the moment. These purchases aren't all local, but the nutritional content is important to our family. We buy local when possible, and purchase elsewhere when necessary.

At this point, my pantry and freezer are stocked, so if necessary, we could drastically cut food expenses for a while.

Things that make these expenditures possible: no car payments, reasonable mortgage payment, rarely eating out, and rarely going out for entertainment.

We are a one income family. I stay home, take care of our son, and cook, cook, cook. Thankfully, I LOVE to cook (and my hubby loves to eat).

I am convinced that eating organic, whole foods IS health care insurance, and an investment in our future! Recently my hubby told me how much better he feels since we started eating healthier (and I do too). That makes all the work of sourcing products and spending more money totally worth it. We do vote with our dollars, so please everyone, spend yours wisely.

]]> By: Beka http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18738 Beka Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:47:28 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18738 Hi all! This is my first time on this blog and I'm so pleased to find this discussion! My husband and I just welcomed our first baby 6 months ago (a beautiful little girl)and I quit work shortly before she was born to start my new job as a SAHM. About the same time, I assumed responsibility for managing all the household finances. I was suddenly aware of how much groceries cost AND how much we were spending on them and I've been working hard ever since to cut back and keep our spending in check with our new single income lifestyle. Our current goal is $95/week for a family of three, with our daughter still primarily breastfed. This includes toiletries and household items (i.e. cleaning products). We live on the West Coast, so prices are higher here than in some other parts of the country. I'm also making a gradual switch to as many organic, local products as I can squeeze out of our limited budget. Trader Joes is a lifesaver for quality products at a reasonable price. I've also worked on coming up with simpler meals (I love gourmet food, so that's a sacrifice for me!). Simpler meals mean that I can buy a few high quality products and still stay within budget. My husband is works as a manager at a grocery store and we receive a small percentage off store brand goods. Sometimes it's tough, but I try to see the fun in budgeting! Hi all!
This is my first time on this blog and I'm so pleased to find this discussion! My husband and I just welcomed our first baby 6 months ago (a beautiful little girl)and I quit work shortly before she was born to start my new job as a SAHM. About the same time, I assumed responsibility for managing all the household finances. I was suddenly aware of how much groceries cost AND how much we were spending on them and I've been working hard ever since to cut back and keep our spending in check with our new single income lifestyle. Our current goal is $95/week for a family of three, with our daughter still primarily breastfed. This includes toiletries and household items (i.e. cleaning products). We live on the West Coast, so prices are higher here than in some other parts of the country. I'm also making a gradual switch to as many organic, local products as I can squeeze out of our limited budget. Trader Joes is a lifesaver for quality products at a reasonable price. I've also worked on coming up with simpler meals (I love gourmet food, so that's a sacrifice for me!). Simpler meals mean that I can buy a few high quality products and still stay within budget. My husband is works as a manager at a grocery store and we receive a small percentage off store brand goods. Sometimes it's tough, but I try to see the fun in budgeting!

]]> By: Steph http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18737 Steph Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:32:49 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18737 We recently started examining our budget & are trying to keep the groceries (including personal & household cleaning items) to $500/mth. So far we've gone over almost every month since. We're a family of 5 (2 bigs & 3 littles, not to mention the dog & 2 cats) living in central NC. We've always tried to eat some organic, but in the past have relied too heavily on prepackaged foods & grocery store meat. In the past few weeks I've begun learning a lot more about nutrition, whole foods, raw foods, fermented foods, pastured animals, & the politics behind the current state of food & agriculture in the US thanks to the wonderful blogging community. I had some vague awareness before that we should be doing more, but really didn't realize how vital it was to our lives & our community. (I find it ironic that all of this information that is so new to me was common knowledge not so very long ago in historical terms. Greed & technology have really taken us a long way from God's design in the last 100 yrs.) So, we're going to try to overhaul our diets & food sources. I'm researching the local resources right now & we're going to join a CSA for $18/wk. Next year we want to start a garden as well. I've also recently begun making all of our bread & have gone shampoo free. This week I'm going to try soap nuts for laundry & dishwasher among other things. I've made my own household cleaning supplies for years (except toilet bowl cleaner). I also want to start making kefir. We also buy in bulk as much as possible. Basically we want to become more reliant on local means & what we can do ourselves. The challenge will be that I'm much better at procrastinating than planning ahead, so a lot of times 5:00 rolls around & I haven't even thought about dinner let alone started working on it, even with a menu plan. I'm starting a list of links & resources on my blog that I find helpful to assist us in this journey. Feel free to swing by: <a href="http://ordinarymarvels.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">http://ordinarymarvels.blogspot.com</a> We recently started examining our budget & are trying to keep the groceries (including personal & household cleaning items) to $500/mth. So far we've gone over almost every month since. We're a family of 5 (2 bigs & 3 littles, not to mention the dog & 2 cats) living in central NC. We've always tried to eat some organic, but in the past have relied too heavily on prepackaged foods & grocery store meat. In the past few weeks I've begun learning a lot more about nutrition, whole foods, raw foods, fermented foods, pastured animals, & the politics behind the current state of food & agriculture in the US thanks to the wonderful blogging community. I had some vague awareness before that we should be doing more, but really didn't realize how vital it was to our lives & our community. (I find it ironic that all of this information that is so new to me was common knowledge not so very long ago in historical terms. Greed & technology have really taken us a long way from God's design in the last 100 yrs.) So, we're going to try to overhaul our diets & food sources. I'm researching the local resources right now & we're going to join a CSA for $18/wk. Next year we want to start a garden as well. I've also recently begun making all of our bread & have gone shampoo free. This week I'm going to try soap nuts for laundry & dishwasher among other things. I've made my own household cleaning supplies for years (except toilet bowl cleaner). I also want to start making kefir. We also buy in bulk as much as possible. Basically we want to become more reliant on local means & what we can do ourselves. The challenge will be that I'm much better at procrastinating than planning ahead, so a lot of times 5:00 rolls around & I haven't even thought about dinner let alone started working on it, even with a menu plan.

I'm starting a list of links & resources on my blog that I find helpful to assist us in this journey. Feel free to swing by: http://ordinarymarvels.blogspot.com

]]> By: Kika http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html/comment-page-1#comment-18736 Kika Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:24:31 +0000 http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2009/08/grocery-budget-discussion-expense-or-investment.html#comment-18736 Hi Brooke, would you be willing to share your pizza crust recipe? I am not good at making homemade crust but would love to have a regular Friday pizza night. Thanks you :) Hi Brooke, would you be willing to share your pizza crust recipe? I am not good at making homemade crust but would love to have a regular Friday pizza night.
Thanks you :)

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