Monday, January 10, 2011

food budgeting


I have not made any "New Year's Resolutions" per se, but I always welcome any opportunity to view something as a fresh start, so I'm trying to adjust my mindset as such as I begin 2011. This won't be a list of my re-starts, but I did want to mention one, because I'd VERY MUCH like you get your feedback.

I am trying, with a new earnestness, to work on viewing homemaking as a serious 'home management' job, because that's really what is required of me in this season for us to make some things work. Quite specifically, we are having to cinch up the budget, and a very major aspect of that is our food spending. So I'd really like to hear from you!! I'm curious to know, how much do you budget/spend on food monthly? Does it include household items, like laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc., or is that amount strictly food items? What other helpful tips might you have on this topic? Help a girl out, here people...speak up!!!! And if you are uncomfortable sharing your budget amount, feel free to comment anonymously, but give me an idea how many people your monthly budget is feeding so I can make a fair comparison. Thanks!!

(As a side-note on the same topic, my friend Ang started a new blog called 365 Days to Simplicity (also linked on my sidebar), journaling her own endeavors to simplify her family life, including weekly meal planning tips and ideas and recipes. She quite a master of this, and I highly recommend you use her as a resource!! I am. But I have to admit and tell you up front...she really likes to cook (I don't!!) and is willing to (and good at) trying new and difficult recipes. So following her is a duel-edged sword for me personally...I'm inspired and feel like an utter failure all at the same time! But I'm pressing in and trying to remain teachable, as this is an area I'd really like to grow in. So, why don't you join us?!?)

5 comments:

Julie said...

I would say we spend about $500 - $600 a month on groceries for a family of 5 (baby is still nursing and I haven't had to buy diapers yet). Including paper products, detergents and dog food. I mostly shop at Aldi's and Amelia's. I'm checking out Ang's blog now!

Holly said...

Ours is about $600 - that includes all paper products, household cleaning stuff, TP, paper towels, detergents (of all kinds!), dog food... etc. I get the "bulk stuff" at Costco, so some months we spend less and some more. But &600 -$700 is about right. Now, keep in mind, I cook for other people too, and re-coop some of that!

Briana Almengor said...

Family of five, I try to stick to $400 for just food. That said, I didn't do such a good job of tracking my spending in 2010, so I can't really say if I hit that mark or not, esp. given that I've been making small changes to what I view as healthier, non processed food.
We also budget $100 for dining out. Really, that's our entire entertainment budget, but it ends up all (and more sometimes) going to eating out...guess that's what's entertaining for us. :)

Zoanna said...

Family of six--five of whom are adults, plus an 8 year old. I don't track the spending like I used to, but I think groceries are about 700 and dining out about 200. We get restaurant-quality food (not grocery grade) from a place called Chesapeake Quality Traders really cheaply (less than grocery store prices) and we take a trip up to Quarryville about once a month to a place called BB's that is super cheap (gotta check for expired foods, though!) Aldi's and closer grocers supplement our "cheaper" store trips. We also DID have a dog and bought her food at supermarket and probably cost 22 a month.

Zoanna said...

PS To us, eating well is a high priority. Driving newer cars is not, so whereas some people dump big bucks into car payments, all of ours have over 100K miles and have been paid off for at least 3 years, so we have 'wiggle room" in our food budget unless car repairs (like this month) "eat it up".