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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 10:52:58 GMT -5
Don't you know that everyone on this board only eats fresh, organic, healthy food? I think I'm the only one around here who admits to eating a bunch of pre-made/processed foods. (But I also have the highest weekly spend on this thread so far!)
Bulk buying helps. A 5lb bag (I think that's how big it is) of organic frozen peas is $6 at Costco. A 1 lb tub of organic lettuce is $4 there. They also sell organic carrots. We spend as much on food as you do or more but we also have some intermittent, significant expenses. Like last month I spent $60 on dry aged steaks for Father's Day. Today we are having 15 people over for the 4th and bought some sausages from the Bavarian meat market. That was around $40. We host Thanksgiving and Christmas. We also have lots of gatherings throughout the year and I have book club, playgroups, bunco and knitting group where I'm expected to contribute food.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 10:58:07 GMT -5
I don't think I am underestimating what we spend for food at $50 a week, but a meal made for a family like a casserole lasts us several meals. I usually have soup or sandwich for lunch . . . how expensive are those? My DH usually eats only two meals a day . . . a big breakfast and dinner. When I make a chicken breast or baked potato, we split it between the two of us. Fresh peas get frozen in single-serving tupperware cups and get popped out when we want them. The rotisserie chicken I bought made four meals, and half of the final chicken casserole I made is still left for today. I try not to waste food.
I'm sure some weeks I spend more, but that's what I have budgeted and I usually stick to my budget. Remember, though, that I didn't include alcohol or eating out.
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on Jul 4, 2011 11:03:01 GMT -5
I spend $20-30 a week, just for me. This includes all food, HBA, and pet stuff. I do have a pretty large stockpile to work with and am a big couponer. I, too, am a single w/1 animal(cat). I know EXACTLY what I spend per week because I take $25 CASH for all my food, personal care, paper goods, cleaning supplies & cat needs. When it is gone-it is GONE. [glow=red,2,300]I watch sales, shop the cheapest stores, use coupons. I KNOW the best prices on most items and where to get them [/glow](dollar store, Aldi, fruit/veg market....?). I eat reasonably healthy, lots of chicken, red meat 1x/week, fish 2x/week, Veg 1-2x/week, LOTS of fresh veg & salads, fruit every day. I use little prepared/frozen, conveience food if I can make it just as cheap or fast myself (NO hamburger helper, but yes on pasta sauce). I generally buy my bread & rolls at the outlet stores or off the day old racks. i do eat out 1-2x/month off my 'fun' money. What holly says here is KEY to those of us spending so little on groceries. Our "grocery list" would make NO sense to most people, as there would likely be little "meals" that could be made out of the items we purchase. We don't start by thinking about what we "want" to eat that week, make a list and then shop for it, ignoring prices/sales, etc. We FIRST look at the store ads, SEE what is rock bottom sale price and even better, what we can combine a coupon with, and THAT is what we buy that week. Some weeks, I buy no meat whatsoever, because nothing is rock bottom price, however, I have plenty in my 2 freezers that I HAVE bought at rock bottom price that I can use that week. I never buy beef at a grocery store. My father and I split a quarter cow bought from a local farmer every year. My half averages a little over $4 a week for the year. I only buy what fruits and veggies are on sale/in season as well. And, I buy them where they are cheapsest. Many times this is Aldi, other times the local grocery store, with special store promo/coupon. Last week I had fresh mushrooms, $1 pack, with store coupon, 3 peppers (1 green, 2 red) for $1 for all 3, from discount grocery store, bagged salad, .75 after store promo and coupon, cucumber, .65, blackberries, $1, after store sale and coupon, cantaloupe, 1.89, from Aldi, strawberries, 1.89 from Aldi. I cut up and froze a lot of the peppers for future use and am still using the rest. I will actually get more like 2 weeks out of the above, so, this averages about $4 a week for fresh fruits and veggies. I eat fairly healthy, don't mind leftovers, at all, and try not to waste food. I'm not saying I don't eat any junk food...I enjoy the occasional cookie, and nightly bowl of ice cream during the summer, as well as chips/pretzels with sandwiches at work, but, again, I pay little or nothing for them, combining store sales/promos/coupons.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 11:05:46 GMT -5
For budgeting alcohol, if you drink almost every day - that is food. If you drink every once in a while, that is entertainment.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Jul 4, 2011 11:22:08 GMT -5
We probably average somewhere around $50 a week. I'll go two weeks or so only stopping by the store on the way home for milk and fresh fruit. During the summer we get cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, carrots, etc from my parent's garden. They grow over 40 tomato plants every year. I still have sliced dehydrated tomatoes in my freezer from last year--I add it to pizza, beef dishes, soups, etc. I'm also a "cowpooler" and split a cow with my parents. My sister wants to join in this year too so I won't need as much freezer space this year. We buy the cow from my brother who raises them (the people who buy from him say he's the best in the county ) During the summer I get fruit out of the backyard, from local orchards (I've never bought a cherry in my life, but I've had fresh ones every year) or friends. I'll trade my plums with someone for cherries or apples. I've given boxes of plums to coworkers and they bring me back a couple jars of homemade jellies/jams/syrups. I'll spend my lunch half-hour at work picking blackberries off the bushes there (they aren't allowed to spray to kill them so they are EVERYWHERE--I'll come back with scratches and purple fingers, but it's worth it) We don't eat out much. I have a pantry I stock up on rock-bottom sales and have lots of freezer space (one in the garage, two refrigerators with freezers and a small freezer for when the beef comes in). I like the 7% ground hamburger and 10% ground sirloin. I've learned to buy this when it goes on sale and, with the meat from my brother, I manage not to spend more than $2.50 a pound on it. I try to make dinners extra large so that we have lots of leftovers for dinner the next day and lunches for me for a couple weeks. I haven't spent more than $1.69 a pound for boneless skinless chicken breasts in years, I wait until they are on sale. We have a grocery outlet that helps out on occasion but sometimes it's cheaper to buy somewhere else with a coupon and sale. I have coffee with "fancy" creamer every morning, so I buy those as cheap as I can and put them in the freezer (I just pulled out a bottle of eggnog creamer I bought for 50 cents at the end of the season). I've found I'm pretty good at combining coupons and sales and finding the best deal, but I'm a single mom working full time (plus an hour commute each way, AND I spent a few months working 60 hours a week recently) so I just don't have the time to do better than I do now. We try to eat healthy, but on my "lazy/I don't feel like cooking" days, I'll pull out a box of mac and cheese from the pantry and hotdogs from the freezer, or a jar of spaghetti or alfredo sauce and noodles, and that's dinner.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Jul 4, 2011 11:35:11 GMT -5
I shop for the main course at DF's pricey place but I buy one steak for both of us so that is around $12, 2 meat skewers came to $7, 2 pork chops came to $4, and 2 chicken breats came to $8. That's 4 dinners and he was sick so ate soup one night which was in cupboard. I buy fruits and veggies at a different store, less expensive, and tp, paper towels at Costco. I think I spend around $50-55 a week as well. For 2 adults.
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rovo
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Post by rovo on Jul 4, 2011 11:42:36 GMT -5
We spend / budget $200 per week for food but we eat out all of the time. This also includes treating DS & DIL for dinner every Friday night. If I decide to eat breakfast or brunch at home it consists of left-overs from eating out or maybe just a bowl of cereal.
If we were to eat-in I think we could get by nicely on $50 per week for the two of us.
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dividend
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Post by dividend on Jul 4, 2011 11:59:10 GMT -5
For the people eating so cheap - how healthy is the food you are buying? Don't you know that everyone on this board only eats fresh, organic, healthy food? I think I'm the only one around here who admits to eating a bunch of pre-made/processed foods. (But I also have the highest weekly spend on this thread so far!) You're right, we're just lying about it on an anonymous message board to make ourselves feel better. In fact, I'm stuffing my face with Twinkies dipped in Velveeta and feeling like I got away with something because internet strangers believe I eat organic food. Get over yourself already.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 12:39:38 GMT -5
Don't you know that everyone on this board only eats fresh, organic, healthy food? I think I'm the only one around here who admits to eating a bunch of pre-made/processed foods. (But I also have the highest weekly spend on this thread so far!) You're right, we're just lying about it on an anonymous message board to make ourselves feel better. In fact, I'm stuffing my face with Twinkies dipped in Velveeta and feeling like I got away with something because internet strangers believe I eat organic food. Get over yourself already. You nailed it - no one lies online!
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Jul 4, 2011 12:49:46 GMT -5
I spend about $200 a week, including HBA and cleaning/household and pet supplies for 2 adults, 2 kids, and 1 cat.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jul 4, 2011 13:14:25 GMT -5
Those weekly amounts below $100 is strange. Food is very high these days (anywhere you go) and I can't see any one person spending just $50 week on food. Especially if they eat all 3 meals in a day. Also, not sure why people won't include household items. That's done at the time you do grocery shopping. 1) I suspect people aren't entirely honest about how much they spend.... Ya, like the poster said above, it makes a lot of sense to lie on an anonymous message board. The reason there is so much discrepancy in the amounts spent is based on the way people shop and meal plan. There is a huge difference in going to the grocery store or one of the warehouse stores like Costco or Sam's and buying whatever you "want" vs stocking up on items when they are at rock bottom prices and then shopping from your stockpile and supplementing what you already have in your pantry with what is on sale in any given week. Today we are having cocktails ($1-$2 for the booze and mix), a clam dip appetizer ($.99 for the cream cheese, clams, and chips), fresh asparagus ($.50), fresh corn on the cob ($.34/2 ears), baked beans ($.40) - these are home made Bush's, fillet mignon ($12.49/lb - $17 for two steaks at Costco), and an apple cobbler type dessert ($2.10 for the cake mix, apple filling, nuts, and ice cream - lots will be left over). We COULD substitute for the fillet with chicken ($2) or a pork tenderloin ($4) or baby back ribs ($6); in other words, I have a lot of less expensive meat options if we needed/wanted to use them. Actual prices that I paid for items: Jose Cuervo tequila: $19.99 (1.75 liter) Stolichnaya vodka: $17.49 (1.75 liter) Jose Cuervo margarita mix: $2 after coupon at Target Philly cream cheese: $.99 Clams: FREE (paid for with "for profit" rewards at CVS) Boulder Canyon natural potato chips: FREE after coupon Fresh corn on the cob: $.17/ear Fresh asparagus: $.50/bundle (at the local fruit stand) Duncan Hines cake mix: $.29 (sale/coupon) Fillet: $17 Pork and Beans: $.33/can Onion: $.25/lb Barbecue sauce (added to the beans): FREE Margarine: $.25 (1 stick) Apple pie filling: $1.49 (sale) Egg: $.08 Nuts: FREE (free coupon from Diamond Nuts) Ice Cream: FREE (after sale/rewards at Rite Aid) If I had to run to the grocery store today to buy all the ingredients for our meal without any pre-planning, the appetizer alone would cost over $9: ($1.99 for the cream cheese, $4.99 for the chips (in the natural foods section), and over $2 for a can of minced clams. My clam dip will cost 90% less. So, I have to disagree that people are being dishonest. I know that it SEEMS unbelievable, but it is not. Once you build a decent stockpile of the things that you use regularly in your meal planning, then it is easy to pick and choose very free or cheap items for a meal and pick up a great steak for the entree.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 13:16:23 GMT -5
For the people eating so cheap - how healthy is the food you are buying? Average. I do a protein and veggies for most meals. And a couple of times a week I will have some sort of pasta meal, spaghetti and meat sauce or in the summer macaroni and tuna salad. For fruits I like smoothies, a milk and banana base and add whichever frozen fruit I got cheapest. I find the most cost savings comes from portion control, which is also good for my waist line.
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Post by illinicheme on Jul 4, 2011 13:32:06 GMT -5
Don't you know that everyone on this board only eats fresh, organic, healthy food? I think I'm the only one around here who admits to eating a bunch of pre-made/processed foods. (But I also have the highest weekly spend on this thread so far!) You're right, we're just lying about it on an anonymous message board to make ourselves feel better. In fact, I'm stuffing my face with Twinkies dipped in Velveeta and feeling like I got away with something because internet strangers believe I eat organic food. Get over yourself already. Sensitive much? Are you saying that the majority of the posts in the various food/grocery threads aren't from folks who all eat 100% healthy on very little money? That's all I was pointing out. ;D
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jul 4, 2011 14:23:56 GMT -5
You're right, we're just lying about it on an anonymous message board to make ourselves feel better. In fact, I'm stuffing my face with Twinkies dipped in Velveeta and feeling like I got away with something because internet strangers believe I eat organic food. Get over yourself already. Sensitive much? Are you saying that the majority of the posts in the various food/grocery threads aren't from folks who all eat 100% healthy on very little money? That's all I was pointing out. ;D What is 100% healthy? 100% organic? How about a balanced diet (protein, dairy, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables) with the occasional dessert or burger thrown in? Is that healthy? Most people do not make their bread or pasta from scratch. Some would say that is unhealthy. Obviously a diet that is mostly fast food or convenience food from the store is not healthy, but you can EASILY eat a balanced diet VERY inexpensively depending on HOW YOU SHOP. I bought all-natural potato chips a couple of weeks ago. They were in the natural foods/organic section at the grocery store. Am I fooled into thinking that they are "healthy"? NO. Do we eat them every day? NO.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 14:40:09 GMT -5
I think it's possible to eat healthy on a budget. Eating ethically is really expensive though. The cost of wild alaskan salmon is something like $17 a lb. Cage free, vegetarian eggs are $4.50 a dozen. It really depends how you eat too. For example DH can eat a whole meatloaf in a sitting. That's a lb of ground beef! Meanwhile I can eat a salad and a can of soup. That would just be an appetizer for DH.
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Post by illinicheme on Jul 4, 2011 15:37:42 GMT -5
Sensitive much? Are you saying that the majority of the posts in the various food/grocery threads aren't from folks who all eat 100% healthy on very little money? That's all I was pointing out. ;D What is 100% healthy? 100% organic? How about a balanced diet (protein, dairy, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables) with the occasional dessert or burger thrown in? Is that healthy? Most people do not make their bread or pasta from scratch. Some would say that is unhealthy. Obviously a diet that is mostly fast food or convenience food from the store is not healthy, but you can EASILY eat a balanced diet VERY inexpensively depending on HOW YOU SHOP. I bought all-natural potato chips a couple of weeks ago. They were in the natural foods/organic section at the grocery store. Am I fooled into thinking that they are "healthy"? NO. Do we eat them every day? NO. Good lord. It's a holiday! Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor today? Forgive me for poking a little fun at the grocery threads.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jul 4, 2011 15:58:47 GMT -5
What is 100% healthy? 100% organic? How about a balanced diet (protein, dairy, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables) with the occasional dessert or burger thrown in? Is that healthy? Most people do not make their bread or pasta from scratch. Some would say that is unhealthy. Obviously a diet that is mostly fast food or convenience food from the store is not healthy, but you can EASILY eat a balanced diet VERY inexpensively depending on HOW YOU SHOP. I bought all-natural potato chips a couple of weeks ago. They were in the natural foods/organic section at the grocery store. Am I fooled into thinking that they are "healthy"? NO. Do we eat them every day? NO. Good lord. It's a holiday! Doesn't anyone have a sense of humor today? Forgive me for poking a little fun at the grocery threads. Sorry. Every time this subject comes up, couponers get SLAMMED. Most people say that using coupons to buy food just won't work for them because ALL the coupons are for junk/processed foods. Yes, there are A LOT of coupons for processed foods. But there are A LOT of coupons out there for non-perishables as well as food items like coffee, staples (condiments, peanut butter, pasta, etc.), bacon, meats, cheese, etc. plus occasionally that gold mine of a coupon that allows women to get their favorite staple for FREE - chocolate!!
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Jul 4, 2011 15:59:40 GMT -5
I think it comes down to prices. I stopped reading individual grocery lists after I realized that I must be living on a different planet bc the prices per lb and per item that people are quoting I haven't seen it in any of the stores in 3 states that I've lived in in the last 6 yrs.
Lena
ETA: that was a lie - I did see very low prices on produce at an Asian store in MD, but I couldn't go there for any kind of extended shopping bc the store was so dirty and smelly that I would get nauseous.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Jul 4, 2011 16:07:55 GMT -5
Also, not sure why people won't include household items. That's done at the time you do grocery shopping. Well, we don't buy our household items at the grocery store, so to include them we'd need to scour our bills/receipts from four or five other stores/types of stores. I imagine many people are the same. For us, "household items" includes some eclectic things that others wouldn't have ... impressive quantities of cat litter, cat food, bird seed (just as examples), plus things like cleaning supplies, hygiene items, paper products, etc. So ... that's why we don't include "household items" when discussing our grocery/food spending.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Jul 4, 2011 16:12:57 GMT -5
We spend about $30 a week just for cat litter. We spend about $75 a week just for cat food. We spend about $50 a week just for bird seed. I love it when I can find coupons for Scoop Away litter and the cat foods we use! ;D
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on Jul 4, 2011 17:02:04 GMT -5
Yikes Molly, How many cats do you have? I seem to recall that you foster kitties....
We spend $52/mo on a large bag of kibble for two large dogs. But in addition, we buy salmon oil (at $38 for 32 oz) and dog treats (another $20 or so).
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april47
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Post by april47 on Jul 4, 2011 17:43:19 GMT -5
Yikes! $620 a month for bird seed a cat stuff!!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 17:45:05 GMT -5
Wow, my poor cocker spaniel. She gets a bag of Beneful (currently $13 for 15.5 pounds this week at Target) and the Milkbones training treats. I think a bag lasts a month, but I don't really know because I always buy an extra whenever it goes on sale whether she needs it or not. (I only have one in reserve at a time.) I can't imagine a $75 pet food bill truly.
I couldn't include my cleaning products because some of them were bought last year. I usually get the haircare products I use for free or pennies. I use body wash as my bubble bath (also free). I know what we use regularly, and I stock up when it is incredibly cheap. But I do have storage room. And I don't buy 20 boxes or 200 boxes of cereal. I'm smart enough to know it goes stale. (Ok, and I don't eat cereal.)
I think that's why couponers prefer to just say what they spend on food. They spend very little on the other stuff. But the rest of you make fun of us. My DH was the same way when he moved here, but he's gotten incredibly used to the never empty (free) battery drawer (CVS and then Office Depot), the paper towels, detergent, etc. It's a short walk to the storeroom downstairs. He's even organized it and labeled the shleves. Lol.
I think the other key to a low grocery budget is not being that into "food." Dinner tonight was some angel hair pasta, spaghetti sauce (freebie because Publix did a buy theirs/try ours promotion) with some garlic bread. If that whole meal cost us a total of $2, I would be stunned. A small loaf of garlic bread lasts us 4 or 5 meals.
It's a different lifestyle perhaps when you get older.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2011 19:46:15 GMT -5
Brave, brave woman. ;D
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Jul 4, 2011 20:50:40 GMT -5
Well, we feed our cats high quality, grain-free, low-carbohydrate food that's about $44 per bag, plus we buy Felidae canned food that's $1.19 per can, plus we buy Royal Canin babykat food and KMR for the foster kittens (sometimes supplemented with baby food) ... so it adds up. And we're usually feeding over a dozen kitties a day ... we do a lot of fostering in the summertime. And, of course, we could always stop fostering to save money, and I could stop feeding birds ~ but we've budgeted these expenses.
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lazysundays
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Post by lazysundays on Jul 4, 2011 20:54:08 GMT -5
I wish i could foster cats *ACHOOOOOO*. But alas I am allergic. I still want an allerca cat as the reward when my original $188000 SL is paid off.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Jul 4, 2011 20:56:37 GMT -5
I've gotta ask - when did the pets (cats, dogs) started to need all kinds of "weird" food?? I see commercials for dog's foods that are "all vegetables, high in vitamins and fiber" and the only thing that comes to mind is "wow, some brilliant mind out there figured out how to cash in on a large demographic".
What did all the animals did before the invention of all those "healthy" foods?
Lena
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jul 4, 2011 21:00:59 GMT -5
However, most people that "poke fun" aren't actually poking fun. Most imply that we are lying and it gets REALLY old. Personally, I've paid close to $0 for health, beauty, and household items for the last 3-4 years. The best freebie deals during that time have been on mostly on non-perishables. Years ago, the trend was the opposite. Foods were easy to get cheap/free and HBA and household were almost impossible to get for free. Occasionally I can pick up a freebie/freepie at the grocery chains; but many of the foods that I have been able to stockpile free have been mostly what you can get at a drug chain and were purchased with "for profit" rewards. There are more items than you would think: coffee, sugars, soups, crackers (Ritz/saltines), soda, canned white tuna/clams, eggs, butter, Bisquick, Kraft Parmesan cheese, bottled juice, applesauce, oatmeal, cream of wheat, Progresso bread crumbs, instant potatoes, mayonnaise, ketchup, peanut butter, jelly, pet food, and, yes, the queen bee of all staples for women - chocolate (bags of Hershey Bliss were free just a couple of weeks ago at CVS). When you can get foods like these for free, it can greatly reduce the cost of what you pay in your "normal" grocery bill and you rarely run out of them.
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Gardening Grandma
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Post by Gardening Grandma on Jul 4, 2011 22:11:52 GMT -5
I've gotta ask - when did the pets (cats, dogs) started to need all kinds of "weird" food?? I see commercials for dog's foods that are "all vegetables, high in vitamins and fiber" and the only thing that comes to mind is "wow, some brilliant mind out there figured out how to cash in on a large demographic". What did all the animals did before the invention of all those "healthy" foods? Lena They died earlier. I can remember when 7 years was considered an average lifespan for a dog. My dogs are 10 and 14 and still going strong. The vet said she saw no reason why the 14 year old couldn't live another 2-3 years. I attribute that to better nutrition/exercise and good preventive care.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Jul 4, 2011 22:21:51 GMT -5
I've gotta ask - when did the pets (cats, dogs) started to need all kinds of "weird" food?? I see commercials for dog's foods that are "all vegetables, high in vitamins and fiber" and the only thing that comes to mind is "wow, some brilliant mind out there figured out how to cash in on a large demographic". What did all the animals did before the invention of all those "healthy" foods? Lena lena: No comment. I got into BIG trouble talking about "human grade" pet food on the MSN board. Right now my doggies are eating Hills Science Diet. It is a VERY expensive food (or too pricey for me) that they sell at PetsMart; but I got it for FREE, so it's all good. The kitty is eating free Friskies dry kibble in the morning and free Meow Mix (wet food in cups) at night.
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