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.
The USDA considers $120-$138/week thrifty? Wow! Suddenly that makes me feel better, too.
ReplyDeleteFor 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!
ReplyDelete--blogless Autumn
Gayle, you always inspire...
ReplyDeleteI think you rock! I'm incredibly impressed with your savyness!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I tell people about you, their jaws hit the ground. So, yes, you're doing a great job!
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI think that you and I might grocery shop in the same town. At least the town I shop in has the same stores :-)
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
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing fabulously!!
ReplyDeleteA 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.
ReplyDeleteIf she's an architect, you must be a rocket scientist. ; )
Ditto!
ReplyDeleteYou 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!
ReplyDeleteI 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...
ReplyDeleteThat 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.
ReplyDelete