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Post by iamkristinl16 on Apr 7, 2016 18:36:01 GMT
I want to continue to eat well and buy organic but will pay more attention to the extras and make a more detailed list. And stick to it. It helps to go to the store alone. We don't eat out a ton as a family but that tends to increase in the summer so j need to be more proactive about that as well. I plan to cut down on what I get from the gas station and fast food for lunches (same for DH) as well. Right now I am trying to clean out he freezer(s) to use what we have and make sure that it doesn't get wasted.
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Post by PepsiGal on Apr 7, 2016 18:38:27 GMT
Our family consist of DH and myself. We average $150(+or-)a week. We eat leftovers until they are gone and almost never throw out any food. I also use coupon and shop special when I can. He eats a lot of meat (which I can take of leave). I eat a lot of veggies and just bought a veggie try when I was at Walmart this a.m. - by the weekend it will be gone.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Apr 7, 2016 18:40:29 GMT
We just got an Aldi's that is 15 minutes away. While cross comparing their ad to that of Staters and Albertsons, there is barely any savings. Sme of their items are even more than the other two stores. Oh wow, that is disappointing to read. I thought I had read here that Aldi's is supposed to be a discount chain. Darn! We don't have the chains listed above but Aldi is much cheaper than any other stores most of the time, including Walmart. I would price compare on all items not just the ad items. Our main grocery store will have decent sales on some items at times but the rest of the items you might need are way more expensive. You also have to compare the amount in each package. Aldi usually has a price per package, even for produce, rather than a price per lb. So grapes at Aldi may be $2.99 for a two lb package but at the grocery store they are !2.99 or more per lb.
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Post by craftygardenmom on Apr 7, 2016 18:44:13 GMT
When I make a menu plan for the week, then a grocery list to match it, I stay around $125-$150/week for my family of 4. When I get lazy like in the summer months, it rises to closer to $200/week.
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Deleted
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May 7, 2024 19:24:47 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 19:15:46 GMT
I really don't pay much attention to what we spend any more, I feel like I have pretty much learned the tricks of sticking to a budget and it's become a habit now. I buy everything organic and we buy raw milk from a farmer, so our budget reflects that and it does add to the cost. But if I needed to cut our budget, I'd only buy organic milk and produce that was on the "Dirty Dozen" list. I'd go back to conventional for everything else.
First, I don't go to the store every week if I can help it. If I limit my trips to the store, I'm less likely to change my menu plan and more likely to use up what I already have at home. I typically shop every 2 weeks.
Secondly, I don't buy snacks very often. About the only snack food I buy regularly is tortilla chips, because my husband's a salsa addict. I make our snacks at home - cookies, granola bars, etc.
When I shop, I start at Aldi - specifically looking for organic pantry staples and produce. From there, I will go to Walmart, Target, or the more expensive grocery store that carries lots of organic produce and chicken. Which store I hit depends on the rest of my shopping list.
When I'm buying produce, the first thing I do is look for what's in season AND on sale. Since I'm only shopping every couple of weeks, I try to split my purchases between more perishable items (salad mix, asparagus, green beans, etc.) and what lasts longer (broccoli, cabbage, carrots, etc.) I plan my menu around using the more perishable stuff first so it doesn't end up rotting in the vegetable drawer. I would say about 75% of the veggies I buy are fresh, the rest is frozen to tide us over till the next shopping trip.
I limit the available choices for breakfast. We don't have 6 different kinds of cereal in the pantry, there might be 1 (or 2 if I was feeling lazy and didn't feel like cooking every morning). Most of the time I make my own granola for cereal or to top homemade yogurt, or we have oatmeal, eggs, or smoothies. My family (2 girls, ages 10 and 8, and my dh) can clean out a box of cereal in 1 sitting, because it just doesn't fill them up. I can't justify going through 3-4 boxes of cereal a week.
Menu planning - I plan out about 8-10 meals worth at a time. This is enough to last us closer to 3 weeks, by the time we factor in eating out a couple times, and eating up leftovers or sandwiches for a few dinners. I plan to "make-over" leftovers. For example, I made bierocks and had extra filling (hamburger, cabbage, onion) so I boiled some pasta and added cream of mushroom soup and made it into beef/cabbage stroganoff.
We also eat breakfast for dinner on a regular basis. Breakfast meals are very economical plus they have the added benefit of having leftovers for breakfast the next day. Bacon is an occasional thing, however, because it is so expensive to get the good stuff. I tend to make homemade waffles with peanut butter and maple syrup, egg casserole with sausage, or just eggs, toast, and fruit.
Convenience foods - I just don't buy these any more. It might seem inexpensive to buy a couple boxes of Rice-a-Roni or whatever, but I can buy a 2 pound bag of plain brown rice and season it myself for much cheaper, plus I'm not eating the preservatives and additives in the box mixes.
Sorry that ended up being so long! Lana
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Deleted
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May 7, 2024 19:24:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 19:16:37 GMT
If it's just me, my grocery/pet/household goods bill is usually well under $100.00 a week and I buy pretty much whatever I want, on ad or not.
With DS and DB here, it wan go over $250 a week, no problem.
I need to plan better to bring that down some.
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Post by mzza111 on Apr 7, 2016 19:44:14 GMT
I hear rumors that we are getting our first Aldi's in the area soon. We just got an Aldi's that is 15 minutes away. While cross comparing their ad to that of Staters and Albertsons, there is barely any savings. Sme of their items are even more than the other two stores. That's totally disappointing to hear! Our Aldi's opens this month and I was really hoping for some bargains. Back to the OP, I don't have a grocery budget but I do shop at Food 4 Less and I don't typically buy name brand products. I usually buy chicken and meat when it's on sale. There are times when I pass up that $4 box of cookies and times when I don't. Since I'm shopping for one my grocery bill is not high.
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Post by Anne-Marie on Apr 7, 2016 19:45:03 GMT
The best way to save money on groceries is to cut down on waste and you do that by planning your meals out ahead of time. We aren't super-strict about meal planning but we do shop according to a rough idea of what we want to make in the days ahead. We will take a few minutes before we head to the store to assess what we've got on hand and what we'd like to eat in the days ahead. What do we need to make those meals? Those items go on the list. We make the meals in order of perishability. Mushrooms go bad fast so we buy them and use them for the meal that needs them soonest. Stuff like chicken tortilla soup? All the ingredients for that last a long time so we schedule that for later in the week. Don't buy more than you need unless it's an item that can't go bad. A huge deal of spinach is a waste, even on sale, if you only use some of it and the rest rots in the fridge uneaten. Don't buy crappy food; waste less of what you do buy. This exactly. The other factor I consider is whether or not DH will eat the leftovers in his lunch in the days to come (if he's travelling or has lunch meetings that week then no)/the leftovers will be eaten again for dinner later in the week/the leftovers will freeze well. I realized one day how much food we were wasting by letting leftovers just sit in the fridge until they had to be thrown out and I decided to have a plan for them as well.
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Post by leannec on Apr 7, 2016 19:45:58 GMT
I'm a SAHM who loves grocery shopping so I go every day ... I have the time I plan out my dinner meal in the morning and then buy the ingredients plus any other stuff I need for breakfasts, lunches, paper products, cleaning products etc ... I am in the camp of believing that good quality food is important ... I cook from scratch six days per week so I don't feel guilty about how much I spend ... my family of four needs to eat well Saturdays we usually go out or get take-out Sharing a dollar value probably wouldn't be helpful because I'm in Canada and everything is more expensive here
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Post by birukitty on Apr 7, 2016 20:00:38 GMT
We've really changed out diet in the last two years. We're now eating a whole foods, plant based diet that is vegan so no meat, no diary. Because of this our grocery bills took a bit of a nose dive. I buy a ton of produce now, half my cart is fresh produce and because of this I want the best tasting I can get. 3 years ago I started shopping exclusively at Whole Foods when I began eating a more healthy diet. Yeah, Yeah I know what they all say-"whole paycheck". But you know what? I've really found that not to be true. I live in a very expensive area in the country-Annapolis, MD which is 45 minutes from Washington DC in one direction, and 45 minutes from Baltimore, MD in the other directions.
On many items prices at my local Whole Foods is cheaper than at my local Giant food stores. I buy a lot of WF's own brand which they label 365, they are very good. Plus I am assured that every item at WF is free of food dyes which means a lot to me because they give me migraines. I don't buy all organic (can't afford to yet) but I do stick to the dirty dozen list and buy those items organic. I buy as much organic as I can. I also buy as few processed foods as I can.
To save money I never leave the house without my weekly list of menu's on the left side of my journal and ingredients I need to make them on the right side all written down, along with everything else we need for the week. I cross them off as I go through the store and that really helps me save money because I'm not shopping on a whim. Living at home is myself, DH and our 26 year old DS who graduated from college a year ago. So 2 grown men and myself. I'm spending $800.00 a month which isn't bad around here. I don't mind spending that portion on the best quality food now, because it means saving it in the long run later on medical bills.
Debbie in MD.
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Post by Dori~Mama~Bear on Apr 7, 2016 20:23:19 GMT
as a family of 3 we spent a lot on groceries. Even after we started eating healthy April 2015 we found us spending less than when we bought all the junk food we used to eat.
Now that it is just Amanda and I we have found ourselves eating healthy but spending less now. We bought food the other day and spend less than $100 and this food should last for most of the month. we will have to buy fruit and veggies and the dairy products each week.
But to figure out how much we will be spending on a monthly basis we will have to be here for a few months.
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Post by rebelyelle on Apr 7, 2016 20:30:34 GMT
We're about $550/month, but that's strictly food only and doesn't include any household or personal care products (that budget is about $250/month). Up until a few months ago I shopped really indiscriminately, and we were spending about $900/month on food for myself, DH and DS and I thought that was just nuts, so I made some changes. I've always meal-planned, but I got more strategic about the whole process. Half the meals I now make are freezable - DH hates leftovers, so this helps us not to waste food when I know he won't eat it. About 1/3 are now vegetarian, or have meat as an accessory (like, 3 oz of steak each instead of 7 oz each). I make our own bread and am going to try granola bars too. I make most of our snacks (hummus, pita, scones, muffins, etc.) and have also learned how to make homemade pizza. We do eat organic and in-season fruits and vegetables, and grass fed meat and dairy, as I refuse to compromise on quality - we just eat it in different quantities and waste much, much less than we used to. I also have fridge clean out nights once every two weeks or so where we all just snack on whatever is available - so if it means I'm having an apple with nut butter and cheese and crackers for dinner, so be it.
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Post by Merge on Apr 7, 2016 20:41:20 GMT
If I'm going through the nicer grocery store and buying whatever's on my list plus anything else that looks good, it's $250/week easy - particularly if we splurge on seafood or steaks that week.
If I go to the smaller store and stick to my list, I can manage with $150.
Family of four with two teenagers and a husband who runs long distances and needs a lot of calories.
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johnnysmom
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,682
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:33 GMT
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Post by johnnysmom on Apr 7, 2016 21:08:11 GMT
I don't know exactly. Sometimes it's $100-150, other times it tops $200. Depends on when I last went shopping, and that doesn't include running uptown to grab something I forgot or a last minute item.
I do know we waste too much food. I cannot seem to get the planning down right. Either I make too much, and the leftovers don't get eaten, or there's not enough. Dh and ds14 are both big eaters so making something that serves 4 is often not enough, but doubling it is way too much. And no one ever seems to eat the sides I make either. I need a remedial course on all things kitchen, from meal planning to shopping to cooking.
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,607
Jun 25, 2014 19:55:12 GMT
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Apr 7, 2016 21:08:55 GMT
Family of 3. Around $125-$150 a week. I'm a strict meal planner.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Apr 7, 2016 21:21:58 GMT
I can't imagine trying to feed 4 boys on much of a budget. I hope you post tips as you figure it out. I only have one DS (almost 16) and one DD (19). He can power through food like there is no tomorrow. He is finally growing (he was small for so long) but that is taking a toll on the finances too. My BIL has 8 kids (3 teenage boys among them). I hate to think of his food bill! Yikes, I can't imagine their bill, either! Summer is tough and I need more of a strategy for that. With the older two here all day it is hard to have enough that Will fill them up and is healthy (and easy to make) but not too much that they are grazing all day. I may need to make a meal plan for them that includes snacks. I also don't want to feed the whole neighborhood. For now, I think sticking to my list will be most helpful and eliminating the last minute $20 trips to the store a few times a week. I already do a lot of the things listed here and think I generally shop smarter than many people (knowing what is a good price, shopping at various stores, meal planning). I have to wonder how many people here are like me and spend way more than they think. . I have been laying more attention to the meals that we all enjoy vs those that end up getting wasted. Typically the kids do not eat a lot of pork when I make it in the crock pot. I have some in the freezer to use that I will try different ways but if they don't go over well I won't buy them much anymore and focus more on the things that people do like and don't go to waste.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Apr 7, 2016 21:23:27 GMT
I should also add that the number I gave was everything from target, Walmart, grocery stores and Sams club. So in reality, that included some non-food items.
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Deleted
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May 7, 2024 19:24:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 21:25:08 GMT
Our bill has dropped but we are buying more organic. We are now a family if 4, husband, I, 12 year old DD & 17 year old DD. We spend about 150-200 a week, this inculdes produce,fruits, cold cuts, household products (Potty paper, shampoo, dish soap & etc..) and meat. We have NO junk food in our house, cake, ice cream, chips, soda & etc...
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Post by anxiousmom on Apr 7, 2016 21:28:43 GMT
I don't know exactly. Sometimes it's $100-150, other times it tops $200. Depends on when I last went shopping, and that doesn't include running uptown to grab something I forgot or a last minute item. I do know we waste too much food. I cannot seem to get the planning down right. Either I make too much, and the leftovers don't get eaten, or there's not enough. Dh and ds14 are both big eaters so making something that serves 4 is often not enough, but doubling it is way too much. And no one ever seems to eat the sides I make either. I need a remedial course on all things kitchen, from meal planning to shopping to cooking. I went from feeding two very active athletic teenage boys to on more occasions just me. Talk about a new learning curve. I had to pretty much start over with how to meal plan, shop and cook for just one. One thing I did was start making things that I can freeze in individual size portions. So if for example, you could deliberately double the recipe and then free into lunch size portions. Or double a recipe and make two casseroles (for example) freeze one and then serve fairly substantial sides with it to make a full size meal. And just about the time you get the hang of it, both kids will move out and you will have to start over.
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Post by redshoes on Apr 7, 2016 21:42:59 GMT
Last 3 months were $600-700 for 4 of us...this includes some household items since I shop primarily at Walmart.
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Post by PEArfect on Apr 7, 2016 21:43:16 GMT
I spend around $700 every 3 weeks for the 4 of us. That includes toiletries and all non-food products. I don't budget. I just get what's needed.
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ddly
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,947
Jul 10, 2014 19:36:28 GMT
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Post by ddly on Apr 7, 2016 22:37:23 GMT
For the last two weeks it has been me and ds. I did my first shopping trip two weeks ago and then a much smaller for fruit, veggies, milk and a few other things last weekend. I spent a total of $270 for two weeks of groceries, household items and pet food.
There are some good meat sales this week so I will buy for the month. I am cooking more at home, take out only on game night, and I am saving a lot. Before stbxh's left I spent a lot more and we went out weekly. It is a learning curve but I am committed to spending less and buying more healthy.
Lisa D.
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NoWomanNoCry
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,856
Jun 25, 2014 21:53:42 GMT
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Post by NoWomanNoCry on Apr 7, 2016 23:03:24 GMT
Well I just did our shopping. I spent $45 at Aldi and $47 at a local store. This will last us well over 10 days. Honestly shopping at Aldi has really lowered our bill plus the people are so much more nicer and faster at this place than the other stores I shop at.
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Sarah*H
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 25, 2014 20:07:06 GMT
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Post by Sarah*H on Apr 7, 2016 23:14:42 GMT
About $150-$175 week for a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. This does not include toiletries, cleaning products or pet supplies. I shop in bulk every 2-3 weeks at Trader Joe's and occasionally Whole Foods to stock up on specific things like No-Chicken Chicken broth, organic seitan, etc. We fill in by buying produce and milk and anything we're running low on at Aldi's in the off weeks. We all eat lunch made at home almost every day with the exception of DH who goes out once a week. We order pizza probably every other week. DH and I go out to eat on a date probably once or twice a month. I do not try to budget or scrimp on groceries. I am fairly set on what I purchase for breakfast, lunches and snacks and it doesn't deviate much. I know we'll go through 3 cartons of eggs in a month, 4 gallons of milk a week, etc. We do not buy much meat anymore and if we do, it isn't included in the above budget - it will be something like a special trip we make to the butcher to buy flat iron steak to grill on the weekend. ETA: And I will add that we do eat primarily organic foods but I mention it only to clarify the added cost, not as a value judgment. In my experience, organic foods at TJ's and Aldi's are usually comparable or less expensive than conventional food at our local chain grocery store which I hate with the passion of a thousand burning suns. See also: I really want Wegman's to open in this area.
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brandy327
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Jun 26, 2014 16:09:34 GMT
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Post by brandy327 on Apr 8, 2016 0:58:57 GMT
We have done the same exact thing with the budget. In fact, I finalized our budget for the next year last week. I have allotted $200 per week, or $800 a month, for groceries. That includes paper products, cleaning products, etc. I try to shop smart and buy a couple of whatever is on sale. But one thing that has ALWAYS been given the shaft if we're tight on money is food. We've resorted to cheaper foods that aren't healthy but stretch for a couple of days to save money. This year that will NOT be happening. I refuse to buy crap food and gain back any of the weight I've lost.
Some weeks I get away with not spending the entire $200. My plan is to deposit whatever I didn't spend on groceries into the savings and the weeks where I spend more than $200, I'll pull the overage from there. I'm a huge numbers person and I love seeing the budget and I'm hoping to pay off another debt here too. We recently paid off some big financial debts and we're close to being revolving debt free.
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Post by Really Red on Apr 8, 2016 1:07:54 GMT
At least $200/week for my son and me. Son is a 15yo giant, but it's still a lot. It was double that when my girls were/are home. We do organic as much as possible and my son drinks 1/2 gallon of milk and 1-2 boxes of cereal a day. It's really a lot.
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Post by freecharlie on Apr 8, 2016 1:15:29 GMT
We have 4 in our family: Dh, me, DS 14, and DS 11. I spend about $150 per week on groceries. I keep a calculator going while I am shopping. I try to get in under 150, but if I have to buy tp or paper towels or other items liket that I might go over.
So for a family of 4, I spend about $600...BUT I also buy my beef from a local guy in either a side or a quarter. A quarter is about $500-$600 and lasts 4-6 months. A side of beef is usually just over $1000 and can last up to a year with the understanding that some cuts run out faster than others. So I don't buy beef at the store.
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Deleted
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May 7, 2024 19:24:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2016 1:18:39 GMT
I also dig having a budget. I had to look up what we spend - we spend about $100 a week for two people including household items, but not including pet supplies.
We dine out a fair amount - 2-3 times per week, so that lowers it some because we budget for that in another category. Because I travel for work about 1/2-2/3 of the month, my company feeds me quite frequently as well, so that also lowers it. I *was* feeling kind of good about the amount until I realized it doesn't account for every meal we eat in a month.
I agree that having a plan and not wasting is the best way to save - we are getting good at that lately. Since we moved into our new house, we cook and eat at home more often, and actually finish most produce and dairy before it expires. I'm not sure why that is, but the kitchen layout is much more food friendly than our last place.
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Post by melanell on Apr 8, 2016 1:23:52 GMT
Oh wow, that is disappointing to read. I thought I had read here that Aldi's is supposed to be a discount chain. Darn! We don't have the chains listed above but Aldi is much cheaper than any other stores most of the time, including Walmart. I would price compare on all items not just the ad items. Our main grocery store will have decent sales on some items at times but the rest of the items you might need are way more expensive. You also have to compare the amount in each package. Aldi usually has a price per package, even for produce, rather than a price per lb. So grapes at Aldi may be $2.99 for a two lb package but at the grocery store they are !2.99 or more per lb. Check to see if any of your local stores has an app to let you see the current prices of items at their store. DH shops for us and he has started going to Aldi first, buying the items that he knows are less there. But, if there is an item he is unsure of, he just checks the app for the other store. Then he can opt to buy it at Aldi if it is less.
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Post by melanell on Apr 8, 2016 1:29:32 GMT
We consider eating out to be "family fun", not something that needs to be worked into our grocery budget. If we have fun money enough to cover eating out, great, but that's where we pull those funds from. On the very off chance that there is ever grocery money left over, we just save it, because there will always be a week when we spend more. Whether we're entertaining, or we need a bunch of non-food items at once, etc. Over the weekend we spent extra food money because we lost power. We bought hot food to bring home, since it was a balmy ( ) 40 degrees Fahrenheit out and we had no stove or heat. Eating cold food just didn't sound appealing at all.
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