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Every year I go the the USDA website to access & print off the latest "Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, US Average. The latest is January, 2019.
It breaks down the food plans into four groups: Thrifty Plans, Low-cost plans, Moderate cost plans, and Liberal plans. It is also further divided into Weekly cost and Monthly cost.
All that data is further separated out by Age-gender groups and Families. It's well worth looking at, if only to reassure one that we're not nuts and that yes, food Does cost.
We always have leftovers from restaurant meals. I use Prime Now once a week to have $50 of staples from Whole Foods delivered to our home. Haven't been to a grocery store since the local Safeway went out of business.
Didn’t Safeway leave last century? Kidding
We both enjoy going to the store...I keep a list...we are a mile from lots of stores, but one of use usually is in one twice a week..
I do like fresh produce, and won’t eat fish unless it is very very fresh..never frozen ..
I have also been using Prime for lots of staples, dog food, etc..Amazon is often here twice a week..
I hate going to Costco, but do if we need a lot of stuff...take hubby to pack the car etc...Can easily spend over 200 bucks, not including our scripts, which we get at Costco every three months....
The .99 cent sore carries a good variety. I can get a clampack of cherry toms or romas, for .99, also small bags of peeled garlic, they also have hard shell squash for .99. And melons .99 each. I have found them to be fine. They also have some nice imported cookies ( from Italy) I know some people turn their nose up to such places, but as long as the price is right & edible produce, I will buy it. It is in the same strip mall as the movie house, so I try & combine trips.
Our 99 cent store also carries fresh produce, tho I don’t go often, only if I happen to be near one,,
Agree that ours do have very good buys..I would surmise that often their produce would be called seconds, but choose wisely and you will find bargains..ours also has a refrigerator, with fresh milk, etc
I am on a major weight loss journey. So i eat about once a day. My go-to for me is what I call "chicken tuscano'.
Its a dish i made up ( i was a line cook in 2 different 4star restaurants ): it is rotisserie chicken ( marked down at Walmart to $2.45 for a whole chicken rotisserie the weekend leftovers on Monday morning).
Select your favorite meat off the bone, top with part of the following: $0.39 can of fire roasted, garlic and herb or plain diced tomatoes, (3 or 4 tbs.); sliced black olives ($0.49); sliced mushrooms stems and pieces (0.33); and melt a little mozzarella on top, sprinkled with Italian herb blend or just fresh chopped parsley. A salad on the side of it with vinegar/oil dressing.
You dont use the whole can of mushrooms or bl olives for one serving.
I get about 5-8 meals out of chicken easy and about 3-4 dishes with the mushrooms and bl olives cans .
Its healthy with protein and veggies.
Yes, you use fresh Tomatoes, mushrooms and olives, but i always kerp canned goods on hand fir "quickly use".
I have a nutritional shake for another "meal " every other day.
I always have fruits on hand, (right now special prices on strawberries, and i went and picked red raspberries the otger day at a nearby farm....going to make sugar free jam)
Any other questions???
One more thing...i eas still spending $25-30/w on both of us prediet, but have cut out the sweet stuff.
Oh and ive lost 85 pounds. Down to 213 now. On a male 5'6" frame...yes i was really fat.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bungalowdweller
Every year I go the the USDA website to access & print off the latest "Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, US Average. The latest is January, 2019.
Wow... Government subsidies and Food programs must get funding from this! That is why those in the grocery line paying with EBT have all the 'goodies!' . (Their dogs eat very well too!)
We raised a happily content, & nutritious & healthy family (and plum full) at <20% of Thrift and <10% of Liberal!
(Our smallest kid was 6'-4")
Same here...sometimes a little more. We live in a high cost of living area and shop at a regular grocery store.
We also spend give or take around 1K. My husband insists on organic, GMO free, pasture raised poultry, grass fed beef & wild caught fish...that all can get a bit pricey.
This month I spent approx $325. It was $276 but I had a craving for cabbage, potato, kielbasa & carrots. I had most things but needed a few. Then, as long as I was at the store, got cat food & some cleaning supplies. And some produce, tomatoes, garlic, onions, etc.
I'll end up freezing a lot of the cabbage meal. I usually eat 3 meals from whatever I make and freeze the rest in individual servings.
Probably why I don't spend so much. I make a crockpot full of something or other, eat 3 meals and freeze the rest. Then, I'll start eating the meals I froze.
Wow -- I have NEVER seen produce or any kind of non-prepackaged food sold at any 99-cent/$1 store. Ever. The main such chain where I live is Dollar Tree.
It varies by location. 5 out of 6 Dollar Tree/99 cent stores do NOT carry food, but there are some (like the one in Burbank) who do a good food business. The supply is very erratic, and sometimes the presentation/quality is way off. (just like Aldi - the end of everyday is like scrounging thru Black Friday leftovers).
But every now and then, they suprize you. I have seen gorgeous, huge portabella mushrooms for 99 cents, when I swear I saw them at Trader Joes for $4.99 the week before. And there's always those one-off deals, like I was at Whole Foods of all places and they were closing out/discontinuing canned Canellini beans - for .39 cents a can! So I got 9 nine cans. They were visually unappealing, lame, loose, torn, large, sloppy beans, but I assume they are the same nutrititional value and hermetically sealed, so whatevs. Sprinkle more parsley ontop.
I used to love this russian-armenian "one step above a vegetable stand" corner market - they had every herb you could think of and the place was 95% vegetables - so cheap, like 15 cents for mint 33 cents for cilantro & basil. But they hired cashiers STRAIGHT out of prison with face and neck tattoos and people who knew just enough English to FUNCTION (indentured servant human trafficking?!?). It was a trip to spend "$7.69" and walk away with 2 bags of groceries, but I moved away. Some of those ethnic/halal markets will blow you away, if you dare to enter.
I tend towards the fresh/perishable fruits and vegetables, but I dont mind some canned things like beans or corn or peas. I will claim to avoid the vast frozen preprocessed and pre-cooked/preservative laden center aisles of the supermarket, and I have deep spiritual loathing for Walmart Grocery stores.
Our 99 cent store also carries fresh produce, tho I don’t go often, only if I happen to be near one,,
Agree that ours do have very good buys..I would surmise that often their produce would be called seconds, but choose wisely and you will find bargains..ours also has a refrigerator, with fresh milk, etc
A frugal friend of mine told me about the food bargains at the dollar stores. I buy cat litter there so also browse the food aisles. Our one small independent grocery store can be pricey, so i'll get some items at the dollar store.
I like to support our one grocery store in our small dusty little south texas town, so will buy produce there.
Well...we have this saying around here...”are we foraging tonight!?”...which translates to....check what we have, and make it yourself..
We are 75/79
I do keep us well stocked tho...mix up two cans of tuna, chicken salad with leftovers, always make two nights of salad, etc..We love leftovers..
We are both eating so much less now..we sorta graze, like my dog does, so not always hungry at the same time! We have a tradition tho to watch Jeopardy at 7 each night...maybe half the time I have fixed an actual meal..we eat in front of the TV...oh how gross
I do not keep track at all about how much we spend...we have two homes..So Costco is our friend, and buying in bulk means we bring about a third to the other home..
Neither of us are in dressy clothes except for weddings, funerals, etc..
Do not miss those years!
I have been on a chicken salad binge!
I had several packages of chicken in the fridge, so cooked those up.
A lady at church gave me a bag of cranberries. Those taste so good in the salad. This warm weather is great for salads.
I put the rest of the cranberries in the freezer and will make sauce for thanksgiving.
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