Money Matters 14: Food, Glorious Food

[lo95]

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries?

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend?

3. What is one meal you make every week?  Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating?

4.  How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks?  What are "snacks" you keep around your house?  

5. How often during the week does your family eat out?  Do you have a "place" you normally go?  If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people?

[lo95]

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries?
Weekly. I could never shop monthly. My DH picks through his favorite things in the cabinet and would have the "good stuff" cleaned out in the first week.

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend?
$70, but that included household items like paper towels, paper plates, soap, etc. If I'm not buying those things I would spend about $50 for DH and I plus the little amount DD eats.

3. What is one meal you make every week? Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating?
Quesadillas- I genuinely like them and they're easy to make. We get about two meals out of them and I think the cost is less than $2 a person for each meal.

4. How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks? What are "snacks" you keep around your house?
This is one thing DH has to work on. He will stop at the store and grab a 6 pack of coke or a bag of chips several times during the week. It's not the end of the world, but it always feels like then we are cheating with our food budget.

5. How often during the week does your family eat out? Do you have a "place" you normally go? If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people?
We really like to eat out on Saturday afternoons for lunch. We try to keep the price under $25, but going fast casual is our favorite, so it's usually between $15 and $20.

[younglove316]

1) I shop weekly- sometimes twice a week because I always end up forgetting something, even with a list! It's a special skill I have

2) I actually just got back and I spent $43.87 but I have $3.25 coming back to me from my rebate app. I usually try to stick to $50 and if I go over from buying meats or something I try and cut back the next week

3) We usually do pasta once a week and for most of the reasons above. Also, DD1 loves it so I know it's a guarantee meal that she will eat a good portion of food.

4) I don't really have a set amount- I try and see what sales and coupons are out. I always have apple sauce pouches, yogurt, & cheese sticks.  

5) We probably go out once a week but since DD2 was born, we haven't taken either girl to a restaurant so it's usually carry out or a date night (about once a month) for us. Our last date night we went to this REALLY good restaurant but it's really expensive so we don't go very often.

[mrsmuq]

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries? Actually, several times a week. This is because 80% of my shopping is for perishables - fresh fruit and veggies, cold cuts, eggs, milk. The market I go to is a local one, 50% of the store is produce, and it's less than a mile from my house. Example: I went yesterday and spent $80 on eggs, milk, 1.5 pounds of cold cuts, cereal, liver, and tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, onions, spinach, carrots, two kinds of apples, pears, cantaloupe, bananas, strawberries.

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend? On average, including meat and things like toilet paper and cleaning products, about $200 a week.

3. What is one meal you make every week? Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating? Chicken piccata with potatoes. Everyone loves it, it reheats well (so I make a double batch), it's easy, reasonably cheap.

4. How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks? What are "snacks" you keep around your house? Honestly, not much. We buy snacks in bulk from Costco (goldfish crackers and pretzels) and Trader Joes (cookies). I try not to keep too much snack food in the house. On Fridays I go to the convenience store and get myself a grab bag of Doritos to eat after DS1 goes to bed (so I don't have to share).

5. How often during the week does your family eat out? Do you have a "place" you normally go? If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people? We don't eat out often, but do get either Chinese food or pizza once a week, usually on a Friday. If we eat out, we go to the Red Lobster down the street (five minute walk from our house) because a) it's close, and b) I can solidly predict DS1 will actually eat dinner. Two times a month I eat out with a friend in a local restaurant that I wouldn't think of bringing my kids to.

[cam]

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries?
Every week to week and a half or so for at least things like produce and milk, plus whatever else is needed at that time. Beef we buy as a quarter cow, so obviously not very often. Just depends.

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend?
This past week, I think it was around $50. I don't have a set amount. I buy things as needed, plus stock of on stuff that keeps/freezes during sales. I don't know what food averages to over time since I lump groceries with other household stuff like toilet paper, shampoo, laundry soap, etc.

3. What is one meal you make every week? Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating?
Don't have one.

4. How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks? What are "snacks" you keep around your house?
We don't necessarily have clear-cut categories of meal food versus snack foods. For example, I use cereal for breakfasts, in meatloaf, to make Chex mix, etc. Another example, LO and MH each had a piece of leftover pizza yesterday as a snack. We also don't always have the same snacks all the time. ATM, we have 4 or 5 kinds of fruit (maybe more), popcorn that can be thrown on the stove, cheese, energy bites, a few veggies, chips and salsa, and the ingredients for Chex mix.

5. How often during the week does your family eat out? Do you have a "place" you normally go? If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people?
Less than once a week. We don't eat out (or get take out/delivery) on a regular basis.

[ashiscute]

1. Weekly. Probably twice a week since we run out of fresh fruit every few days.

2. $80 or so. It depends. Sometimes I buy a ton of meat when it's on sale so I spend more. I'd say $75-150 is normal.

3. Brinner (any scrubs fans?). Breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, fruit is a cheap meal and everyone loves it. Plus it's great for the baby learning to eat.

4. I'm not sure about budget. We have string cheese, yogurt, fruit, pretzels, Chex mix, granola bars.

5. Usually once a week. Last week we actually ate out 3 times. We ate at Chick FIL A and it was $25 for 5 of us. We ate out once at a place where all kids meals were free so it was like $20 with tip for all of us. We ate last night at an expensive place because we had a giftcard. Our bill was $66 for 5 before tip. That is def not our norm though. We would not have gone there if it weren't for the giftcard.

[namastebiotches]

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries?
For a while we were doing weekly. Right before vacation last month, I said it would be nice if we can plan for two weeks instead so as a matter of fact, I just got home from shopping. We planned two weeks + days worth of meals & did our grocery list accordingly. It was $110. I don't anticipate spending that much every 2 weeks though. We tracked how much we spent on food total last month & it was about $330 for the month & that was with some extra goodies we didn't really need. I am super curious how this month will turn out.

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend?
I mentioned I think we average about $300/mo for groceries in question 1 (we just started keeping track of our grocery spending last month.) So $75/week I guess even though we're trying to not shop weekly.

3. What is one meal you make every week? Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating?
We've been doing hot dogs once a week with some kind of potato side or a mac & cheese. Cheap is nice & everyone likes it. Also, grilled cheese sandwiches & soup is a regular.

4. How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks? What are "snacks" you keep around your house?
Not a lot. If we buy snacks, it's mostly for DS. Some of things he enjoys are fruit bars, applesauce, poptarts, gummies, & a few other things. I don't buy it always though.

5. How often during the week does your family eat out? Do you have a "place" you normally go? If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people?
Not often at all. Once every other month maybe, if that, & it's usually a fast food meal like McD's or Taco Bell for lunch on the weekend. We only indulge on special occasions at a restaurant or if we're on vacation. 
But if you want numbers from past trips, it's usually 50-60 for the 3 of us now that DS eats more. Lol

[brachysira]

1. Randomly. Around once/week, but it depends on if we're sick. DH may run to the corner Rite Aid and that will allow us to go 2 weeks. Also get some things from Amazon and a CSA in the summer/fall.

2. $60. But I didn't buy any meat b/c DH got some venison from his parents. DH spends around $200 and buys tons of meat, paper products, and snacks but only goes about once/month. I usually spend around $80 and do the other 3 or so trips each month, but I just buy things like milk, yogurt, goldfish, and fruit. We always get diapers from the university for cheap, but sometimes I buy kid shoes or sippy cups or something at the grocery store that drives up spending some weeks. Our food average is probably $500/month.

3. I frequently make crockpot bbq chicken sandwiches because I can make it during nap time and everyone eats it. Also often bake a large salmon because it's healthy and easy.

4. A decent portion... Kids eat an apple as a mid-morning snack most days, and usually have a bowl of goldfish or similar and a pricey yogurt pouch every day too. If we are hiking a lot, I might buy juice boxes, other pouches, Fiber One cookies, and other pricey easy snacks. Other weeks, we bake cookies and snack on cereal and don't spend much. I might eat some of the Fiber One cookies, but I don't tend to snack, but DH buys nuts, candy, and other junk when he can.

5. We have a few places we like to eat out--the dorms are a really inexpensive family-friendly option. If we are sick, which has been constantly this winter, we might eat out every day, but usually we might do once/week.

[mommabakes]

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries? Once a week for everything, plus once for more/fresher milk and produce

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend? $110, which includes all paper products, wipes, dog food, etc. It's about average, plus we do a Costco trip once a month or so for meats and diapers. That trip is typically around 100 too.

3. What is one meal you make every week? Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating? Some variety of tacos, either beef, shredded chicken, or Jamaican jerk chicken. We enjoy them, and it's a quick and easy meal.

4. How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks? What are "snacks" you keep around your house? Maybe $20 a month. We keep trailmix, cheezits, craisins, popcorn, dark chocolate pieces, and granola bars.

5. How often during the week does your family eat out? Do you have a "place" you normally go? If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people? We eat out 1 time or less a week. Normally it's pizza or burgers, because there aren't many options around us. It's normally $20-$30 for the 3 of us.

[icequeen]

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries? Bi-weekly, because we run out of fruit and vegetables and milk pretty quickly.

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend? I spend 100-125$ per week, not including non-food items. This is typical for us.

3. What is one meal you make every week? Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating? We stock up on TJ's frozen pizzas and pasta dishes because yum. They are obvs easy to make and taste awesome and we all eat it.

4. How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks? What are "snacks" you keep around your house?  Probably a third goes to snacks. We keep lots of fruit, yogurt, baked chips, fruit snacks, popcorn, and granola bars. 

5. How often during the week does your family eat out? Do you have a "place" you normally go? If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people? We all eat out maybe once a month. We usually go get Chinese or brunch. It costs 20-40$. I usually take DD and DS out to lunch during the week a few times. We'll go to Chick Fil A, Whole Foods, noodles and co, or for hot dogs. It will be just DD and me eating, so it's usually around 10-20$. 

[lo95]

Apr 6, 2016 22:26:15 GMT -5 icequeen said:

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries? Bi-weekly, because we run out of fruit and vegetables and milk pretty quickly.

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend? I spend 100-125$ per week, not including non-food items. This is typical for us.

3. What is one meal you make every week? Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating? We stock up on TJ's frozen pizzas and pasta dishes because yum. They are obvs easy to make and taste awesome and we all eat it.

4. How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks? What are "snacks" you keep around your house?  Probably a third goes to snacks. We keep lots of fruit, yogurt, baked chips, fruit snacks, popcorn, and granola bars. 

5. How often during the week does your family eat out? Do you have a "place" you normally go? If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people? We all eat out maybe once a month. We usually go get Chinese or brunch. It costs 20-40$. I usually take DD and DS out to lunch during the week a few times. We'll go to Chick Fil A, Whole Foods, noodles and co, or for hot dogs. It will be just DD and me eating, so it's usually around 10-20$. 

Mmm Noodles

[tincupchalice]

1. Do you shop weekly, monthly, or randomly for groceries? Weekly + an occasional extra trip to costco or a nicer grocery store (since my budget grocery doesn't carry the nice cold cuts I like for my sandwiches).

2. How much did you spend this week? (Or, how much would your cost of groceries be for the week if monthly?) Is that about the average amount you spend? I spent $150 this week, which is about twice what I usually spend... because DH came shopping with me this time, hahaha.

3. What is one meal you make every week? Is it because it's a good price thing, ease of making, something you genuinely enjoy eating? Spaghetti I guess. Just because it's easy.

4. How much of your grocery budget goes to snacks? What are "snacks" you keep around your house? Granola bars for DS, chips and salsa for DH, those 90 calorie brownies for me. IDK what part of the budget it is.

5. How often during the week does your family eat out? Do you have a "place" you normally go? If you go out, about how much do you spend and for how many people? 0-3 times. Usually we go to one of those fast-casual type places, like chipotle or blaze pizza or something. DNW sit down restaurant with a toddler. We use coupons and discounts and generally keep it under $20 for the three of us.

[younglove316]

tincupchalice that's funny, my total spent st the grocery store usually increases quite a bit when my husband goes too.