Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Weekly Shopping Trip

So, yesterday you saw my menu and today you’ll see the results of my shopping trip.


S & S Liquidators

Lemon Scented Dish Soap $.50
Double size can of pumpkin $.99
Caesar Dressing $.25
2 Duncan Hines Cake Mixes $1.00


Grocery Outlet

Sour Cream $1.49
Can of Sliced Pineapple $.79
Double Size Can of Sliced Peaches $1.29
3 lb Bag of Coffee Beans $7.99


Win-Co

2.56 lbs of Apples $3.28
Large can of Olives $.98
Vegetable Oil $1.95
4 Pkgs of Pita Bread (guests for dinner) $6.00
5 dozen eggs $4.97
2 onions $.60
Bulk Oats $1.64
2 boxes margarine $3.96
Sausage Links $2.69
5 lb ground beef $6.08
Whole Fryer Chicken $3.23
Blueberries $.99
Ham Lunchmeat $.99
2 lb Cheddar Cheese $5.48
Corn Tortillas $1.56
Grapes $1.82
Cucumber $.69
Roma Tomatoes $1.43
Vanilla Pudding $.47
Bananas $1.29
Pickles $2.98
Strawberries $2.48

Total $69.86

I’m not real happy with my totals lately so I decided to go back and get an average of what I’ve been spending each month to see if I could shed some light on my rising grocery costs.

June averaged $54.67 per week with 3 meals provided for guests or as part of a food ministry I belong to
July averaged $60.42 with 5 meals provided for others
August averaged $71.60 with 2 meals provided for others
And September to date is $63.28 with 3 meals (so far) provided for others

So for my family of six and the various guests or food ministry commitments, I’m satisfied with these stats.

Satisfied but not thrilled.

So I went to the USDA to find out what the government says about the cost of food. They say that under the thrifty plan, and I consider myself pretty thrifty when it comes to feeding my family, a family of four should be averaging $120 - $138 per week.

And we’re a family of six averaging $54 - $71 per week and still able to give meals away.

And suddenly I feel much better.

13 comments:

Phoebe @ GettingFreedom said...

The USDA considers $120-$138/week thrifty? Wow! Suddenly that makes me feel better, too.

Anonymous said...

For what its worth, as a fan of your site, I think you are doing FANTASTIC on feeding your family on a budget. You've been an inspiration to me!

--blogless Autumn

Kat said...

Gayle, you always inspire...

Cori said...

I think you rock! I'm incredibly impressed with your savyness!

laura jo said...

Whenever I tell people about you, their jaws hit the ground. So, yes, you're doing a great job!

Anonymous said...

I love seeing how creative you are with your menus and then your shopping results. I have to admit I have often thought of myself as a thrifty shopper but you inspire me to do better.
I think that you and I might grocery shop in the same town. At least the town I shop in has the same stores :-)

Miriam said...

My $.02 worth is that you're doing a great job!! You make yummy sounding recipes that are obviously more than rice and beans, and doing it for $50 - $70/week, so that's excellent in my book!! You deserve ***** (five stars) :P

Unknown said...

I think you're doing fabulously!!

Jenny's Vegcafe said...

A financial guru that was on Dr. Phil yesterday called a debt ridden mom an architect for being able to feed her family of five for $125 a week.
If she's an architect, you must be a rocket scientist. ; )

EEEEMommy said...

Ditto!

Brandy said...

You do a great job! Actually, I'm a little jealous of some of the prices you get...dressing for .25, you can't beat that!

Amber (EyesofAmber) said...

I agree that you're doing fabulous. You also have to keep in mind that food prices have gone up dramatically since you set your $50 goal...

Anonymous said...

That is fabulous I think. We have 6 in the house and I do about $130. Of course I've been lazy about couponing and stuff. That also includes non food items like cleaners, personal care, toilet paper and yes I buy paper towels. I would love to get it down to where you are.