<p>We don’t spend $1,000 a month, but then we grow a small amount of food. I would expect a family in Tampa would have a wider selection of crops to grow than we do in Seattle. ;)</p>
<p>I knew people were going to say they grew their own food.:)</p>
<p>I think we did it on $40/day for 5 of us. Honestly. I know how to cook and base a dinner on chicken, fish or ground beef. Sides are rice and veg. Twice weekly we ate all or mostly vegetarian (wok stir-fry) which is more labor intensive but a money saver. We never had good cuts of meat around here until pretty recently with an empty nest. This hurt because my grandpa was a butcher so I knew what we were missing! We did home-packed school lunches. Importantly, H lived close to work and ran home for soup/salad/sandwich lunches instead of restaurants. I guess I can say with confidence that the dinners I made for 5 cost me $20 in raw ingredients. The rest was sweat equity. And with the other $20…split among us, that was the day’s budget. We eat cereal/milk only for breakfast (no eggs or meat then) and never home desserts. We DID have plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. I don’t know but it makes me think hard. Plus the weekly spaghetti meal out cost us $65 incl tip/tax. I used to justify it by saying as the bill arrived, “it doesn’t really cost $65, it costs $50 because it’d cost me $15 to cook this same meal at home.” Also we never buy beer, soda or wine (except Manischevitz, ick, for Sabbath sips). We had water and milk at every meal. I think that’s how we did it, if we did it.</p>
<p>Spin, spin.</p>
<p>Do you guys shop at shopper’s clubs like Sam’s or Costco? I always think I should join and shop, but I’m lazy. Are they actually money savers if you have big eaters in the house?</p>
<p>Zoosermom, I feel what is important is that you know where you are spending your money. To ignore the fact that you are paying $X in music lessons and/or that you bought a new car, is when you start looking like a fool with your remarks.</p>
<p>I spend a veritable fortune on food. I have two MILs living with us and one weighs a big 70 lbs and eats only ethnic foods of her choosing which means an extra expenditure. Since just cooking for her, does not work out, I tend to try to incorporate her diet with ours which brings up our costs. We also have the full cable regalia because of the two octogenerians. Also when we eat out, the whole lot of us, even an inexpensive restaurant tab is way up there. Last year, getting teeth and eyes set for the two old ladies really ate into our income but what can we do? This year, we are recouping some of that from their checks, but any health crisis or need will swing the pendelum the other way. </p>
<p>My weekly outlay of cash for shopping comes to $800 and I cap it at that point which is why it doesn’t go higher. But we have at least 6 to feed and provide, and as many as 9, not including friends and family that may also come by. I do make all 3 meals for all core family members 6 days a week. But I have one incontinent MIL, an aide that comes in to help once a week because she is a large woman, gas prices are high here, and though, yes, I could cut it in half if I absolutely had to do so–there was a time when I washed diapers, never went out and brought home food pantry leftovers to augment our meals, I don’t do it any more. I do live an upscale life and don’t sweat most of the needs that invariably arise over the month. Only when something clearly is not going to make it through the budget, do I start scampering to try to get it resolved in a two-three month period. </p>
<p>Notrichenough, I used to cook for 7 on less than $5 per person a day. Even less than that. I had those costs down to the bone, and I think we at more healthy then. We have some great extras in our pantry now. But I just made a great shrimp with chilie sauce that would match any restaurants, for 8 for less than $30. Extra large frozen shrimp on sale for $19 for the bag, some scallions, a little bag of snow peas, rice from a 50 lb bag, and chile sauce from scratch did it. The 5% off for senior citizens on Tuesday at the A&P helped too. </p>
<p>I just bought big bags of potatoes, onions, apples, celery on a 2 for 1 at a local little store which is usually over priced but with this deal, I made out. With just a little bit of meat here and there, it’ll take us a long way. Son works at soup kitchen/food pantry and always brings home loaves of unclaimed whole wheat bread so stuffing, sandwiches, french toast is often part of our meals, </p>
<p>Oh, I can bring food costs down very low and still cook great food. Where I am getting killed right now is tuition, mortgage, local taxes, gasoline, and medical related bills.</p>
<p>I feel that we (myself included) often find ways to “pick apart” others when they make different choices than we would. Yeah, some of us would spend less on groceries, with coupons or by gardening. But, seriously, it appears to me that this family has their priorities in the correct order. They bought a home, are sending their children to reasonably-priced colleges, and are doing their very best to avoid debt. I give them credit.</p>
<p>Zoosermom^My SIL is an economist and swears by Sam’s Club and such bulk shopping. They also had a big NH farmhouse so could store the bulky shelf items like a warehouse elsewhere in their home. They had a pretty big freezer, too. It may be harder where real estate is costly by the square foot. She shopped BIG once weekly.</p>
<p>melbert, LOL at your story about you and your brothers acting like ravaging locusts. 
My mother talks about how she’d be driving home from work and working out what she was going to make for dinner. Then she’d open the fridge, and find that someone had already eaten key ingredients or leftovers. </p>
<p>$1k a month for food for four surprised me, too. We have daughters, not sons, which does make for a cheaper food bill (though a higher hot water bill :D). On the other hand, we keep kosher, and buy high-quality ingredients. dstark, feeding 3 on $12k a year would be a piece of cake…or heck, with that kind of budget, the entire cake! a la mode! 
We are in California, and produce costs are lower here. Or quality is higher. </p>
<p>I think the family mentioned in the article is doing quite well. They’re saving 10% of salary for retirement, which is far more than many. They’re paying extra on their mortgage. They don’t list credit card payments as part of their monthly expenses, hence no debt outside of their mortgage and car payments. The author is taken aback at how $100k doesn’t go as far as she’d thought it might, but she’s comparing how $100k to pay for a lifestyle that includes two college-aged men + a mortgage + multiple cars + things that didn’t exist a few decades back (cell phones, internet) stacks up versus $19k a year for a young single woman.</p>
<p>The discussion that always follows these types of arguments always reminds me of [Monty</a> Python - Four Yorkshiremen - YouTube](<a href=“Monty Python - Four Yorkshiremen - YouTube”>Monty Python - Four Yorkshiremen - YouTube) :)</p>
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<p>I have no big eaters (one daughter, who is now at college, and one picky-eater H) but am pretty sure I save money at Costco. I stock up there on paper products, plus milk, eggs, meat, fruit and veggies. It helps me not buy junk food to shop at Costco because while I might be tempted by that single little Hershey’s bar at the regular grocery store check-out, I sure as heck am not going to buy the huge package.</p>
<p>Familyofthreeboys…I like your post.</p>
<p>My family used to feed us three or four (whether or not my sister was around) and my former boyfriend throughout all of high school (who was a very large fellow with a very large appetite). They did it on less than $500 a month. </p>
<p>First, we didn’t eat much meat. I’m a vegetarian, mom doesn’t much like meat, so it was really only the boyfriend and father that ate meat. That cut down costs considerably. </p>
<p>Pasta was a staple for us. Super cheap. </p>
<p>Grew our own veggies in the summer. That cut down costs. </p>
<p>Dad made pizzas handmade so that cut down the cost of eating out. </p>
<p>We were very frugal with leftovers. Eat a ham? They’d use the bone to make hambone soup and eat it for a week. </p>
<p>Taught me good life skills with regards to food. My boyfriend and I don’t eat anything in common and we still manage to never go hungry on less than $200/month. In fact, we have a pretty stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer.</p>
<p>And yes, I grew up poor. I am still in very low income, but I don’t consider myself poor anymore because I’m not necessarily living paycheck to paycheck. Poor is a mindset as well as an income.</p>
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<p>Help me. XD I am spending nearly that much a week and we only buy meat once or twice a month since we only buy big frozen bags of chicken with any regularity. WHAT in god’s name am I doing so wrong!?</p>
<p>Forget personal finance, grocery shopping needed to be a college class. I’m terrible at it.</p>
<p>Fruit…$7 to 10 a day…</p>
<p>1 steak for 3 is over $20…</p>
<p>fish…similar costs…</p>
<p>Veggies… $3 to $5…</p>
<p>So I am up to 30 already…and that was just dinner…</p>
<p>Chicken is cheaper…</p>
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<p>There’s a study that we talk about at home, so I can’t quote the source for you.</p>
<p>People at every income level measured by the study answered this question identically. “How much more money would you need to feel comfortable?” All answered what amounted to: 10% more than current income.</p>
<p>Haha, Ema, I’ve actually got a pretty good system worked out with regards to finances. PM me later and we can talk about it. I’ve been taking care of my parents’ finances for a few years as well as my own so I’ve got this stuff down at an age where I really shouldn’t XP lol.</p>
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I’ve been meaning to do a thread on this. How much is chicken where you all are?</p>
<p>I went to the local boutiquey supermarket last week (we don’t usually shop there because it’s expensive) and chicken was $7.00 per split breast. I couldn’t comprehend that.</p>
<p>^did the chicken eat golden eggs? Where’s Hans Christian Anderson when we need him?</p>
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No. It was a medium sized breast split into two pieces. Not particularly large although I don’t know the weight.</p>
<p>My husband usually selects the meat because I don’t eat it, but I had to do it that day and I bought four split breasts which cost me just over $30. Which seemed insane to me. The prices at the supermarket we usually frequent were only about 30 cents cheaper.</p>
<p>Costco prices in bulk are the baseline for me. If I can get lower on special, I’ll go for it. Otherwise, it’s Costco. Walmart is a good place to look for specials in groceries. I do well when I shop there, because for some reason, I don’t get tempted by their other stuff. The problem I have with Costco is that I tend to walk out with extras as well.</p>
<p>Saving on food does require planning. I try to only buy chicken breast when it’s on sale for $1.99/lb. I’ll buy several packages, trim the fat, and flash-freeze the individual breasts (separated on a baking sheet.) Once frozen, I place them into large baggies and freeze them. The benefit of flash-freezing is that you can easily pull out the number of breasts you need, defrost and use in your recipe.</p>
<p>dstark, TY :)</p>