How much do you spend on groceries?

[lecale]

.

[Abby5]

I keep my grocery (pet food, paper products, soaps and cleaners included) to under $400. My DH and I are having problems so he likes to get other stuff -I have no idea what he spends but it is a lot of junk

[momof5boys]

I suppose we have just been fortunate with growing tomatoes. My son works part time in a green house and he would get cast offs and give them to me, so they didn't cost me anything. We just put them in dirt right beside our house and they grew like crazy. One thing to watch for is to be diligent in taking the 'suckers' off the plants. We had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with lol I gave them some plant fertilizer that we had sitting around...must have been good for them.

Wow, wow, wow what you can do if you own a patch of dirt! I especially like your free eggs deal.

We grow patio tomatoes here in the city but I consider them and expense not a money saver. Had to buy a huge tub and dirt for it, some Miracle Gro...the tomatoes were the cheap part at $1.34 incl tax per 4 plants. All the other supplies (and we were getting blossom end rot and needed to buy some epsom salts) etc. I figure we were saving $10/season by not buying tomatoes during the producing months (when, incidentally, they are usually on sale for under a buck.) OTOH, the cost to get the tomatoes set up...well let's just say it was more than $10. More than $20. More than...well, you get the idea. However they do get dh out of the house a couple times a day as he has to check on them as if they were his children. Priceless.

[RebeccaRYoung]

Last summer we had a huge veggie garden. It was really expensive to get up and running. With the fertilizer and plants it was over $80. Then there was the summer drought, so we had to water the plants. It made the water bill go way up. I don't know if this really saved us any money. It was fun, but we really didn't get much out of the garden after all that work.

[blueeyetea]

Last summer we had a huge veggie garden. It was really expensive to get up and running. With the fertilizer and plants it was over $80.

I can see how having a garden can be expensive, mainly because once your produce is ready to be consumed, it's also available cheaply in farmers' markets.

I now follow the advice I heard on a radio show about community gardens, and that's to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs that are always expensive or aren't as readily available. One interviewee at the time was mentionning kohlrabi, for example. She loved kohlrabi but it was always expensive even in the summer. Carrots, on the other hand, are always reasonably priced even in winter, so it didn't make sense to her to invest in the cost and labour of growing her own.

[PurpleBunny89]

BUT while a garden might be expensive its "organic" I like that!

[bgheuchert]

Hmmm.....I don't know, I grow 1/2 an acre garden, I spend about $100 a year on it, with that I get enough fruit and veggies that we would not have to buy any at all from may-october at least. I admit that the raspberries, apples, plums, and asparagus were already here when we got here, but I do think that if you are dedicated to eating out of the garden from the time you can start producing, then freezing, fermenting, cold storage, and canning for the winter you can really save THOUSANDS. We still have tons and tons of food from the garden, and it's true we do buy organic seeds and grow it organically as well. Our farmers markets are really not cheap here. We do not skimp on the fruit and veg purchases, but there is so much that we do not have to get because of the garden that I can literally say we have saved THOUSANDS because of it.

[PurpleBunny89]

Hmmm.....I don't know, I grow 1/2 an acre garden, I spend about $100 a year on it, with that I get enough fruit and veggies that we would not have to buy any at all from may-october at least. I admit that the raspberries, apples, plums, and asparagus were already here when we got here, but I do think that if you are dedicated to eating out of the garden from the time you can start producing, then freezing, fermenting, cold storage, and canning for the winter you can really save THOUSANDS. We still have tons and tons of food from the garden, and it's true we do buy organic seeds and grow it organically as well. Our farmers markets are really not cheap here. We do not skimp on the fruit and veg purchases, but there is so much that we do not have to get because of the garden that I can literally say we have saved THOUSANDS because of it.

Yeah, it really bothers me about the farmers markets here too. I understand why they charge the prices they do and I would love to support them because they are local and get possibly better produce but I can't pay 2-4 times as much per item, I just can't. Not every can afford it so instead I'll but my potatoes from Walmart who got them from local farms. Its the best I can do.

[lucy16076]

I have to say I'm impressed with everyone's totals!! GOOD job! I spend about $200/month on groceries for myself & my two teenagers that spend 1/2 time with me. I stockpile then things go on sale using coupons to make them almost free.
I'd like to pare down on buying dog food....making my own sounds fun & something I've wanted to try it. I plan to make puppy treats for Christmas so maybe I'll expand from there. Anyone make cat food too?

MOMOF5BOYS....very inspiring! Thanks for posting tips & hopefully we'll hear more!

[Brandy Hunter]

I made Sparky's food (and still do)

I just mix up the ingredients, but us the same guidelines.

60-70% raw meat (including various raw bones. Just ask your butcher for his bones from his cuts. they're super cheap because they'd otherwise be trash!)
and the other 30-40% is half grain, half vegetable/fruit.

So.. you can make up anything you have on hand, but if you follow those guidelines it's about a good diet.

It may not be totally cheaper, but if you factor in the changes in your dog (their skin gets all pretty, along with their hair, especially if they have allergies)

You can google the dog-safe vegis and fruit list and play around with that.

[PurpleBunny89]

Added up all our receipts for December and so far we are at $8.35 for groceries for the month! This does not include cat food as we bought that at actual petstores this month. I owe our low total mainly to GC trades and from redeeming SDM points in which I used GC's I purchased the previous month to pay for taxes. (GC's were counted in my November totals so don't want to count it as money OOP twice as it would be wrong)

This month would be our lowest ever for money OOP for variable expenses BUT DH is getting new tires for the work vehicle tomorrow or the next day which is $1000

My goal for January is to get variable expenses $400 or less for everything. Will be extreamly difficult. (This month was $380 not including tires)

[Valerey]

Well I just found this thread (actually was directed to it) and I'm so glad!
I will take the time to read through all the posts since the start and put a lot of your ideas into play for 2013.
In 2012, I had just started couponing, and on Jan 1st started tracking all my grocery expenses (I calculate food and toiletries together). For 2 adults and a baby (still in diapers and formula), I have managed to keep it at $600 per month on average for the year. This is much higher than I would like, however my stockpile is now amazing, and I hope to utilize it a lot this coming year (the hardest part is staying away from deals when you have the coupons on hand!! lol)
I am hoping for $400 per month, which may still seem high, however DH is a bodybuilder and needless to say, chicken, fish and beef are high on our list of food purchases!

I'll give it my best... with all your help, should be a great 2013!!

Oh, and DH is going to help me start up our own garden in the spring! We're both excited about this! Can't wait!!

[momof5boys]

Well I just found this thread (actually was directed to it) and I'm so glad!
I will take the time to read through all the posts since the start and put a lot of your ideas into play for 2013.
In 2012, I had just started couponing, and on Jan 1st started tracking all my grocery expenses (I calculate food and toiletries together). For 2 adults and a baby (still in diapers and formula), I have managed to keep it at $600 per month on average for the year. This is much higher than I would like, however my stockpile is now amazing, and I hope to utilize it a lot this coming year (the hardest part is staying away from deals when you have the coupons on hand!! lol)
I am hoping for $400 per month, which may still seem high, however DH is a bodybuilder and needless to say, chicken, fish and beef are high on our list of food purchases!

I'll give it my best... with all your help, should be a great 2013!!

Oh, and DH is going to help me start up our own garden in the spring! We're both excited about this! Can't wait!!

Good on you to start a garden! We've been gardening for as long as we've been married and love it. My hubby plants, because he is just better at organizing the garden, and waters it. I weed and harvest - we have our garden at my parent's place because their soil is amazing there...bonus is that we can visit and garden at the same time. Our boys participated in the School Gardens Program when they were all of elementary school age - they were given seeds, had to plant, and weed well because their little plots were judged. It was a fantastic experience for them - at least they knew where food came from. They also entered their produce in the Country Fair and were given prize money.

For those starting with a garden, I my advice would be to start small and add a bit each year. That way you won't be overwhelmed because it is a lot of work but very satisfying!

[juliedianne]

Im just....wow.

Granted, I haven't been tracking much, and for the last four years since I moved to Ontario hadn't really been couponing, but I did still shop sales. My grocery bill (myself, my husband and two teen boys) is at least 1000 a month. (this includes toiletries etc) I really need to look at that I guess. Im just not sure how some of you keep it so low. My sons eat a lot, and I never have leftovers. Lunches alone cost me a fortune.

I guess I will aim to shave off some of that this year. Im still just having a hard time imagining how some of you with large families do it so inexpensively....

[Valerey]

Good on you to start a garden! We've been gardening for as long as we've been married and love it. My hubby plants, because he is just better at organizing the garden, and waters it. I weed and harvest - we have our garden at my parent's place because their soil is amazing there...bonus is that we can visit and garden at the same time. Our boys participated in the School Gardens Program when they were all of elementary school age - they were given seeds, had to plant, and weed well because their little plots were judged. It was a fantastic experience for them - at least they knew where food came from. They also entered their produce in the Country Fair and were given prize money.

For those starting with a garden, I my advice would be to start small and add a bit each year. That way you won't be overwhelmed because it is a lot of work but very satisfying!

We will definitely start small.
I think our soil will be good as well for gardening. It is a country property and the first thing I noticed about the property in the summer before we bought it, was how green the grass was, and I know they didn't water it. Crossing my fingers that it's a good thing!