sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 2, 2011 13:44:13 GMT -5
I'm really struggling with our food budget, I keep trying to get it down, but i'm starting to think it's not really THAT unreasonable. All things considered, it does cover dinner most days (we rarely eat out) and breakfast and at least 75% of lunches.
what's your food budget? how many people does it serve?
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on Dec 2, 2011 14:39:08 GMT -5
Mine is $100 a month for just me, 2 dogs and a cat. It includes all grocery, hba, pet, cleaning, paper products. I rarely eat out, sometimes pizza or Chinese at work, once a week at the most, usually more like once every other week, under $5 a shot, and that usually just comes out of my weekly blow money, as does the occasional DD coffee.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Dec 2, 2011 15:21:39 GMT -5
I don't really have a food budget. I stockpile most grocery items that we use regularly when I can get them at a really low cost or free after sales and coupons. I plan my menus around what I already have and what is on sale in any particular week.
I recently stockpiled 23 lbs. of Farmer John bacon at $1.50/lb. after coupon. That week I spent $34.50 just on bacon, but I won't have to buy it for over a year and it freezes well. By buying bacon that way, I saved anywhere from $57-$67.
I recently stockpiled 24 oz. loaves of Oroweat 100% whole wheat bread from the day old cart at the Oroweat outlet for $.81/loaf. I spent $8.91 on bread instead of a minimum of $29.59 at the grocery store. It also freezes very well.
These are only two examples of how I purchase for our household. I spent $43.41 and saved about $78; and that is just on 2 recent purchases. If I run out of something before I can get it for a really low price (spaghetti sauce for example), I just don't put spaghetti or lasagna into my meal planning until I can find the sauce on sale.
I also batch cook and focus on not letting anything go to waste.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Dec 2, 2011 15:54:36 GMT -5
Like Dancin I don't have an actual food budget. I just buy what I need and things that we use that is on sale that week. I do use coupons and am pretty religious about reading the store ads. I do buy some things in greater quantity and freeze for later use when it is a really good deal. I have been doing a lot of catalina deals lately on HBA type stuff. They were things I would have eventually bought anyway. With this deal I simply bought them first and used the cat on the food products I wanted in a later transaction. For an example at my local shoprite. I bought some Olay reginerist and a lipstick for my DD. the grand total was $26.18. I used $7 in coupons and paid $20 for them. Then the machine spit out a $10 coupon good for anything in the store. I used that coupon to help pay for my milk, eggs, pork loan etc. I don't look at it as getting the food I bought later any cheaper so much as getting the Olay I wanted for $10 instead of the $20. Hope that makes sense. To answer the OP's orig question. We now spend about $75 a week for all food, paper products, OTC medicines and HBA for a family of 4. I used to spend at least $150.
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resolution
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Post by resolution on Dec 2, 2011 16:02:28 GMT -5
If it makes you feel better, I spend $400 per month ($90 per week) on a household of two. That includes all food and HBA items.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 2, 2011 16:04:58 GMT -5
I've started checking the sale papers and trying to plan meals around what's on sale... but i just can't bring myself to NOT buy something because it's not on sale, especially since we have several ingredients in our food rotation that simply never go on sale.
we're foodies and looooove to cook... so we don't mind spending a little more than the average jo (though, we'd be eating ramen in a heart beat if we really HAD to! lol)... but i do want to keep our budget in check.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 2, 2011 16:09:21 GMT -5
If it makes you feel better, I spend $400 per month ($90 per week) on a household of two. That includes all food and HBA items. this is about where we are. BUT, there have been months where we've gotten our fave thai takeout and had some tasty Mediterranean food and ALSO made some really lavish meals at home and and it's gone waaaaay over, nearly DOUBLE!
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jeep108
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Post by jeep108 on Dec 2, 2011 16:10:49 GMT -5
I've been spending $50 to $75 a week for a family of three, two dogs and a cat. That includes all food paper products, soda, OTC meds ,HBA and Medicated food that my animals are on for bladder crystals. Just like beachbum I use to spend $150 to $200 a week.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Dec 2, 2011 16:14:41 GMT -5
We spend around $75 a week at the grocery store and Sam's Club combined. Weekly we get Milk and Oj at Sams, monthly we get bisquick, minute rice, and granola bars there. We spend around $10 a month at the discount bread store and freeze extra loaves. I buy my eggs 3 dozen at a time every 10 days or so from my co-worker (who has a working farm) for $1.50/dozen. I get my whole chickens from him as well (but I buy 6 to 8 at a time) I am buying half a pig from him in a few weeks too.
We feed the three of us- myself, DH and 13 year old DS. We eat a sit down breakfast at home every day (homemade, no poptarts or cereal). DH and I pack a lunch 5 days a week and we eat at home on average of 6 nights a week. We ususally eat out one meal a week.
I don't coupon at all. I keep a running inventory on my phone and build that up when things are on sale (soup, spaghetti sauce, etc). We buy our meat only when it's on sale and try to get multiple meals out of the bigger meat items. One whole chicken feeds us 3 dinners and 3 to 4 lunches minimum. Pork shoulder (smallest one they have) gives us at least 2 dinners plus lunches.
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teachermom
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Post by teachermom on Dec 2, 2011 16:20:51 GMT -5
I am not really sure how much I spend total on groceries a month. I do know we have cut eating out down to almost nothing. My guess would be about $500 per month but I have 5 teenages boys, 2 large dogs and myself to feed. I think I will set that as a goal the next couple of months to get an average.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 2, 2011 17:01:58 GMT -5
this sounds awesome! I would love to be able to do something like this. I like to buy fresh eggs from the farmers market but the cheapest i've ever seen them go for was $350/dozen.
We live just in the northern suburbs of chicago... and i'd love to find a farmer that would sell me eggs and meat without charging me an arm and a leg!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2011 9:47:38 GMT -5
We spend about $800 a month on groceries. I am feeding a family of 5 and apparently on the weekends a few more teen boys think they live with me. This amount also includes HBA and dog food. I can't buy cheap dog food for my dog because he is allergic to wheat and gets horrible rashes and tumors. He has to have grain free dog food. We also spend about $100-$150 a month eating out.
I try to lower my grocery bill. I really do, but I just don't see it happening with having teenagers plus extra teens on the weekends.
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Post by fuzzylumpkins on Dec 4, 2011 14:44:39 GMT -5
According to my budgets, I spend an average of $311 a month (this includes restaurant dining though). It feeds myself, The Boyfriend and the dog. I really should try to get that down.
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sbcalimom
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Post by sbcalimom on Dec 4, 2011 14:44:55 GMT -5
We spend about $500-$600 on groceries and household/beauty stuff for two adults and two babies. That doesn't include diapers or formula. We live in a fairly HCOLA plus we eat a lot of fruit/veggies and fresh items that are just plain expensive. I do try to buy based on what is in season so it is cheaper, plus I try to stock up on non-perishables when things go on sale. I typically do the bulk of our shopping at Costco since they carry what we consistently buy at cheaper prices. We were budgeting less but we just never made it under. Things might get better now that summer is over and the fruit we love is just too darn expensive to buy.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Dec 4, 2011 14:48:53 GMT -5
Mine is $400/month for 2 adults, an 80lb dog, a cat, and 4 fish. This also includes eating out. Some months I go over, but last month I was at $331. I haven't had to do much shopping for the last 2 weeks since we're still living on Thanksgiving leftovers. This time last year I was spending between $700-$800/month. I was seriously floored when I plugged my numbers into Mint and saw how much I was spending - because if you'd asked me, I would've said $400 a month. Something about $125/week at the grocery store + $25/week at the bar + $50/week eating out didn't add up to $400/month, but I would've sworn it did Now we buy our booze at Sam's Club and do a lot of shopping sales and couponing for everything else. I'm also brown-bagging it a lot more. The GC thread has really helped me, I highly recommend it. ETA - we live in a LCOLA, but I work in a MCOLA and that is where most of the restaurant dining takes place.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Dec 4, 2011 15:35:26 GMT -5
I've started checking the sale papers and trying to plan meals around what's on sale... but i just can't bring myself to NOT buy something because it's not on sale, especially since we have several ingredients in our food rotation that simply never go on sale. we're foodies and looooove to cook... so we don't mind spending a little more than the average jo (though, we'd be eating ramen in a heart beat if we really HAD to! lol)... but i do want to keep our budget in check. sarcasticgirl: There is nothing you can do about the items that never go on sale, short of not buying them; but since you're a foodie, I wouldn't suggest that. What I would suggest is that you start buying and stockpiling what you can when those items DO go on sale. It should save you SOME money. If you use coupons when you can, you'll save even more.
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mizbear
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Post by mizbear on Dec 4, 2011 15:53:26 GMT -5
I spend around $40/month on groceries for me.
I am looking to see how much that changes with DM moving in. She has special food needs (read she is allergic to almost anything healthy) and I can't eat the unhealthy stuff. Go figure. However, there are good things about us fixing our food separately. Granted I am not paying for her food. I do look to see how much the cost changes overall though.
We both purchase HBA on sale with coupons. She loves how I stockpile stuff. An investment at the beginning of the year when sales are usually the best around here usually gets the bulk of the stocking done.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Dec 4, 2011 16:04:02 GMT -5
We spend about $500-$600 on groceries and household/beauty stuff for two adults and two babies. That doesn't include diapers or formula. We live in a fairly HCOLA plus we eat a lot of fruit/veggies and fresh items that are just plain expensive. I do try to buy based on what is in season so it is cheaper, plus I try to stock up on non-perishables when things go on sale. I typically do the bulk of our shopping at Costco since they carry what we consistently buy at cheaper prices. We were budgeting less but we just never made it under. Things might get better now that summer is over and the fruit we love is just too darn expensive to buy. sbcalimom: I have found that Costco is great for some items that I rarely or never find coupons for: milk, cheese, tortillas, specialty foods, higher grade/quality beef and seafood, etc. It is also "fairly" good for people who can use larger quantities of products/produce and just don't want to bother shopping with coupons. If you are willing, however, there is a lot of money that can be saved by shopping outside of Costco with coupons that come in the Sunday paper. Proctor and Gamble products come to mind: Gillette, Tide, Dawn, Crest, Duracell, Olay, etc. If you shop for P&G products at the major drug chains vs Costco (even considering that Costco also offers coupons on P&G items regularly) you can get them A LOT cheaper (if not for free) on the outside.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 4, 2011 18:05:08 GMT -5
I've started checking the sale papers and trying to plan meals around what's on sale... but i just can't bring myself to NOT buy something because it's not on sale, especially since we have several ingredients in our food rotation that simply never go on sale. we're foodies and looooove to cook... so we don't mind spending a little more than the average jo (though, we'd be eating ramen in a heart beat if we really HAD to! lol)... but i do want to keep our budget in check. sarcasticgirl: There is nothing you can do about the items that never go on sale, short of not buying them; but since you're a foodie, I wouldn't suggest that. What I would suggest is that you start buying and stockpiling what you can when those items DO go on sale. It should save you SOME money. If you use coupons when you can, you'll save even more. you're right on that. I have been couponing on a lot of toiletries and a few packaged items we eat. DH cleared out a space in the basement and i'll start a small stock pile of non-perishables/paper goods. i'm really going to put forth a little more effort into it and see what i can do.
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murphath
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Post by murphath on Dec 5, 2011 12:24:41 GMT -5
I'm like dancinmama as I cherrypick the weekly deals at the grocery stores and always use coupons. I do keep track of our grocery costs just for fun. For a household of 3 (all the time) and sometimes 6 on the weekends, I average @ $200 month. We rarely eat out but enjoy it immensely when we do and I always try to use a restaurant dot com coupon certificate. Makes it that more enjoyable in my book! I live in Northern California which is a very HCOLA for food and we eat a lot of fruit (at least 21 bananas per week, oranges, apples, etc.). I can get a bunch of bananas at the .99 store for $1. They are usually a little green so we have to wait until they ripen but they are delish once they do. Thus, I spend $3/wk on bananas as opposed to @ $9 at Safeway. Organic fuji apples are on sale this week at Safeway for .88 so I'll stock up on those. And, our orange tree should be giving us some ripe oranges soon! Buying this way has allowed us to cut way down on grocery costs and save enough money to pay for our 3 kids college education. But, me being me, we did that the economical way, too: community college first and then transfer. The first two years are the same no matter where you go (at least here in Calif) so why send them away? Sometimes if you pay attention to the little things, the bigger ones take care of themselves. Good luck!
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Dec 5, 2011 14:19:20 GMT -5
sarcasticgirl- yeah- I totally lucked out with my farmer friend. He works full time for the same company I do and has a full working farm on the side that he lives at. His brothers help with chores and that (the 3 of them jointly own the farm) and then he does all the eggs, chickens, turkeys, pigs, etc on the side of that with his cousin and his FIL. Sounds confusing but since I know all the players it makes more sense. Even luckier- is I just tell him "Hey Perry, I need more eggs" and tomorrow he will bring them in for me. He has some customers that buy 15 to 20 dozen at a time. I am spoiled though because the eggs he brings me tomorrow will have been laid within the last 3 or 4 days max. The eggs at the store are 45 days old before they get to the store.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 5, 2011 15:44:41 GMT -5
Food inflation is out of control. You will have to do as I have and start switching out the most expensive ingredients for more grains and beans. A meat supplier told me that meat is going up 6%. this is one serious challenge i'm trying to take on. DH is a meat lover for sure... so i'm trying so hard to supplement other sources of protein and cheaper ingredients to make him not miss the meat. I'm working hard to master quinoa in order to fill the bill at least once a week
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 6, 2011 11:13:42 GMT -5
Try mixing cabbage with spaghetti sauce, some water, and hamburger browned with onions. The cabbage cuts the cost per portion. Likewise, learn how to make bean-based dishes. I am going to learn how to boil a chicken carcass to make home-made soap. Commercial chicken broth now comes in 14 1/2 ounce cans even though every recipe specifies 16 ounce. Pork is relatively cheap still. You can slow cook it with barbecue sauce, some garlic and onions to make a decent pulled-pork sandwich. wait... i'm confused. what are you replacing with cabbage? pasta? is it really significantly cheaper? either way, i never add ground beef to pasta (i don't actually eat beef, though DH does on occasion). Whole grain pasta, sauce, with some spinach (or other veggie) thrown in is likely cheaper than even a packaged of ground hamburger. making your own chicken stock is a great thing to learn, i've been doing it for years and i really prefer it to store bought. I also already make several bean based recipes... from chili to 16 bean soup, i also bulk up meals such as tacos or quesadillas with beans. and pulled pork is a regular in our house. I am quite a good cook and cook from scratch most days. There isn't much that i don't know how to (or couldn't figure out how to) make... so that really isn't the issue.... Mostly, I'm just trying to find out if our budget is really over the top or if i am just being nit-picky. we tend to be around $350-400 for 2 adults and a dog who is on the pricier food. we're in a HCOLA and that includes household items and toiletries. since we're foodies, i don't mind spending the extra few bucks on a few quality ingredients here and there, so i guess we're not doing so badly.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Dec 6, 2011 12:06:04 GMT -5
sarcasticgirl: There is nothing you can do about the items that never go on sale, short of not buying them; but since you're a foodie, I wouldn't suggest that. What I would suggest is that you start buying and stockpiling what you can when those items DO go on sale. It should save you SOME money. If you use coupons when you can, you'll save even more. you're right on that. I have been couponing on a lot of toiletries and a few packaged items we eat. DH cleared out a space in the basement and i'll start a small stock pile of non-perishables/paper goods. i'm really going to put forth a little more effort into it and see what i can do. If you have a good idea of the rock bottom prices for the items that you use regularly and aren't too brand picky (i.e., be willing to use All instead of Tide or Crest instead of Colgate or Ronzoni instead of Barilla, etc.), you can get so many things at deep discounts. If you have multiple coupons at the time of the sale, all the better. Starting a price book, so you know a rock bottom price from a regular sales price, is key. Just as an example: Rice A Roni used to go on sale all the time for $.88/box. In 2011, the regular sales price had risen to $1. Two or three months ago, it went on sale for $.77/box. By knowing my prices for a product, I knew that this was a stockpile price. Besides that, the stuff has a very long shelf life - it's almost bulletproof. Even though we don't do a lot of processed foods, we like this one from time to time.
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dancinmama
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Post by dancinmama on Dec 6, 2011 12:20:49 GMT -5
making your own chicken stock is a great thing to learn, i've been doing it for years and i really prefer it to store bought. I also already make several bean based recipes... from chili to 16 bean soup, i also bulk up meals such as tacos or quesadillas with beans. and pulled pork is a regular in our house. I am quite a good cook and cook from scratch most days. There isn't much that i don't know how to (or couldn't figure out how to) make... so that really isn't the issue.... Mostly, I'm just trying to find out if our budget is really over the top or if i am just being nit-picky. we tend to be around $350-400 for 2 adults and a dog who is on the pricier food. we're in a HCOLA and that includes household items and toiletries. since we're foodies, i don't mind spending the extra few bucks on a few quality ingredients here and there, so i guess we're not doing so badly. sarcasticgirl: Actually, that doesn't sound that bad to me considering the dog, the HCOLA area, and the fact that you don't seem to be a mega-couponer, BTW, any tips on making chicken stock would be much appreciated. I'm in the process of trying to master making homemade chicken vegetable soup. I also like to cook with legumes. I recently made homemade re-fried beans from scratch for the very first time cuz DH LOVES bean burritos. I was so pleased that they turned out so well and they freeze really well too!! I'd love to hear more about how you cook with beans.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 6, 2011 14:35:08 GMT -5
you're right on that. I have been couponing on a lot of toiletries and a few packaged items we eat. DH cleared out a space in the basement and i'll start a small stock pile of non-perishables/paper goods. i'm really going to put forth a little more effort into it and see what i can do. If you have a good idea of the rock bottom prices for the items that you use regularly and aren't too brand picky (i.e., be willing to use All instead of Tide or Crest instead of Colgate or Ronzoni instead of Barilla, etc.), you can get so many things at deep discounts. If you have multiple coupons at the time of the sale, all the better. Starting a price book, so you know a rock bottom price from a regular sales price, is key. Just as an example: Rice A Roni used to go on sale all the time for $.88/box. In 2011, the regular sales price had risen to $1. Two or three months ago, it went on sale for $.77/box. By knowing my prices for a product, I knew that this was a stockpile price. Besides that, the stuff has a very long shelf life - it's almost bulletproof. Even though we don't do a lot of processed foods, we like this one from time to time. I actually make my own laundry detergent! Fels Naptha, Borax and washing soda. it's insanely cheap, lasts forever and seems to be gentler on clothing. I have added in lavender essential oil before to give it a nice smell. I am brand specific on toiletries, but luckily there are usually coupons for the things both DH and i use. The price book is a good idea! I have a basic spreadsheet shopping list i just started... I could totally add prices to that! thanks for that idea
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Dec 6, 2011 15:13:01 GMT -5
sarcasticgirl: Actually, that doesn't sound that bad to me considering the dog, the HCOLA area, and the fact that you don't seem to be a mega-couponer, BTW, any tips on making chicken stock would be much appreciated. I'm in the process of trying to master making homemade chicken vegetable soup. I also like to cook with legumes. I recently made homemade re-fried beans from scratch for the very first time cuz DH LOVES bean burritos. I was so pleased that they turned out so well and they freeze really well too!! I'd love to hear more about how you cook with beans. when making stock, i love to throw in veggies/herbs to build a great flavor profile. Onions, carrots, celery are great basics. you don't have to dice them, just throw in huge chunks (ie, cutting a carrot in half, lengthwise works) Garlic cloves, Bay leaves, and any fresh herbs you have on hand... thyme is my fave. Sometimes i make a lemon chicken soup (with couscous!) and throw lemon rind in the stock. yum! i love burritos! (i'm working on getting quinoa into a burrito right now lol) I really should make some for the freezer, so handy to pop them in the microwave or toaster oven for a quick lunch/dinner! thanks for the idea! as for legumes... i heart them so much. I am originally from the south, so for me, a pot of pinto beans and ham with corn bread is totally an acceptable meal! I always steal the leftover ham and bone from my inlaws on christmas and make either pinto beans or a 16 bean soup. I like chili with multiple beans, pinto/kidney/black. Ministrone is great with white means (they can be pureed to make a soup creamy!) I also love mexican/tex-mex and so once a week we usually have quesadillas or tacos or tostadas, it can add a lot of bulk and flavor without much cost. I either use whole black beans or make a black bean puree. southwest soup is yummy too, chicken, corn peppers, beans yum! something i love to make for cookouts is a "southwest potato salad" which is red potatoes, corn, black beans and onions tossed in a chipotle sour cream (a few chipotles in adobo sauce thrown in the food processor w/sour cream). I actually have a recipe for black bean brownies somewhere. One thing i haven't made, which i really need to try out is lentil soup!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2011 17:05:25 GMT -5
We have a budget of $100./wk, for groceries for the two of us and rarely spend it all. But we grow and can most all of the veggies we eat like green beans, corn, spaghetti sauce *or tomato based entrees*, onions, potatoes, carrots, asparagus, green onions, peppers, pumpkins, etc....and buy our meats on sale and in 'whole' amounts and bulk, cut and/or grind them into what we prefer (roasts, steaks, sausage/burger, etc.) and freeze them. We also eat venison all year that dh hunts for and processes himself each year.
We bake nearly all our own breads,(buying various whole grains, stored in airtight sealed bags and grinding it ourselves) cookies, cakes and treats (mostly in the winter) and freeze those also. We have 2 chest freezers and the refridgerator freezer. We turned one of the guest bedrooms into a walk in pantry, bought cherry shelving units and lined them around the perimeter of the room to store everything, and a 6ft. wire rack for all of the onions.
Now I will say that our kids are grown and we didn't do things like this while we were hands on in the deep of raising them, but they're 26, 26 and 30 and we have 3 young g'kids now...and a second property that has 3 acres in the country, and a tractor and every farm implement to go along with it, etc... 90 min. from our main house.
It's started out as a new 'hobby' type venture...showing our g'kids where food actually comes from, etc...a 'let's try a garden and grow some tomatoes...' type thing and then led to other 'hobbies'....(baking, etc.)
And there ya go, 3 yrs. later and we'll never, ever go back....until we're too old to continue.
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bring in the new year
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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Post by bring in the new year on Dec 7, 2011 19:30:43 GMT -5
Iggy! Congrats.
That's impressive.
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munjoyhill
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Post by munjoyhill on Dec 14, 2011 10:58:00 GMT -5
MisBear - how/what do you buy for $40/month for just you?
I am buy myself, and my budget is $40-$50/week for just me, and this is simply food, not HBA stuff. I use coupons for all my HBA and stock up when it's at it's lowest.
But it's my "regular" weekly food that's a killer. I do not eat prepared foods, so most things in a box or can aren't part of my budget. I know that's setting me up for paying more.
Here is what I routinely buy every week: Fruit - fresh or frozen, I buy what is on sale Veggies - fresh or frozen, again, whatever is on sale Eggs Greek Yogurt - I am not brand specific, I will buy the cheapest, but it rarely goes on sale Chicken - I stock up when it's on sale, will cook large chickens and freeze Turkey - Same when it's on sale, the other day I bought a 14 lb. turkey for $5.00. Cooked it, froze most of it in single size portions, this will help. Whole wheat bread - I buy a loaf, freeze 2/3 of it Canned products - will buy some here and there
I know $50/week is better than what I was spending six months ago, I have stocked up on coffee, spices, oils, condiments, oatmeal, beans, all HBA items, etc.
I shop at Hannafords and their prices are cheaper than most other stores. The fruits, veggies, and yogurt make up a big part of my weekly budget though, I'd love to reduce the cost more. Any ideas?
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