How much do you pay to feed your family a month?

[aimee1]

Hi fellow scer's I have been budgeting and couponing, for 6 months now and I seem to save 100.00-200.00 a month on food. I am a family of 4 and have been trying to keep my monthly bill to 525.00 which is hard have gone over last 3 months, but prices keep going up.
What does it cost to feed your family a month? Any cut cost ideas?
How do people that are on a fixed income, do it?
Thanks for any input.

[2shopmom]

stocking up on sale items that will be used
freezing some extra sale items
more couponing
I like the idea of promitional points when charging the grocery bill.
SDM = buy milk and freeze; same with cheese

10.00 Dinners - a cooking show that shows you how to feed four people for under 10.00. Lots of creative ideas there.

[hollyquaiscer]

There are only two of us now, and we are on a fixed income, but our grocery bill is usually never more that about $100 a month, usually less. When I started couponing about 21 years ago, I have my 5 girls and 7 fosterkids. Our grocery bills were insane. After 10 years of couponing I had cut our bill by 75% and by year 15 I wasn't spending any more that $200 to $300 a month. Build your stockpile slowly. I always tell people allow yourself $10 a week for your stock pile. Whatever you can buy with that amount goes in your stock pile. Whether it be health and beauty products, food products, freezer products whatever the best deal you can get that week is. Another tip is if you talk to your grocery stores butchers. They may tell you when they mark the meat down. My local store will mark down the meat every evning at 7.00pm With 5 days left it goes to 30% off, and with 3 days left it goes to 50% off. That is when I pick my meats, I bring them home, rewrap and freeze them immediately. You can get kids lunchables, sausage rings, fresh pasta and sauces, cheese, yogurts, and may other items this way. It will cut your bill immensly. I have a small deepfreeze in our condo as well as the one in the fridge and they are both packed. Hope this helps somewhat.

[aimee1]

Thanks so much these ideas do help. Keep working on my stockpile.