Have you ever noticed that food seems to be the biggest monthly expense? It adds up quickly doesn’t it?
Part of my goal is to bring our food bills down which will give us more money to do the things we want to do and also re-route some of that money to pay off debt.
It’s not an easy task though especially when we are tired from work and all of our daily responsibilities. Sometimes cooking is the last thing I want to do when I get home and God forbid the other people in the household give me a dinner idea once in a while, right?
Here is what we ate last week and approximately what it cost us:
Whole Roasted Chicken, corn with fresh herbs and dinner rolls
Chicken and Rice Soup from the leftover chicken
Stuffed shells
Black Raspberry Pie and leftover pie crust treats
Taco Night
Dinner out – I didn’t take a pic but Scott was getting a bit hangry so we opted to eat out last Wednesday night
Lunch out – After working all morning at the Farmers Market on Saturdays we like to go to lunch
Dinner with friends – dish to pass was something quick because it was last minute.
For breakfasts: Oatmeal, cereal with berries and bagels and toast
Snacks: chips, s’mores, ice cream, popcorn,
Lunch was lots of leftovers and one day had soup for takeout
Total spent on Groceries: $97.25
Total spent eating out: $81.67
Total spent on food last week $178.94
Yikes! Not the number I want to see. Multiply that by 4 and potentially we could be spending over $700 a month just on food for 3 people.
I am not even adding in costs for supplies like saran wrap and tissues or personal care items like deodorant and toothpaste.
Lots of work to do in this department of our finances. LOTS of work. How are you all faring with keeping costs for food down?
Next update Tuesday July 20th. See you then! -MM
The Professional Domestic 
Seizing on this expense could really be a game changer, I think. The garden of course has helped us a bunch, but it would be for naught if we didn’t have the two big freezers and all the canning jars. I don’t remember exactly when it was, but before we were out of debt, DH started laying in large quantities titles of foods that we ate when they were on sale…whole pork loins, a flat of canned corn, etc. At first he could only do one or two items, but over the course of months, we got to the point where we could shop only the big sales, because what was in the freezer or in the pantry allowed us to take advantage. I remember once buying 8 boxes of Post Great Grains on sale for $1.88 instead of the usual $3.40!
Additionally we make most everything from scratch, the exceptions being hotdog and hamburger buns, mayo, mustard, my cold cereal, and ice cream. (There’s likely more, but I don’t recall them now!) We quit eating out long ago, because at the time we couldn’t afford it, and so now it is “off our radar” for the most part. If I were still at the university, it would probably be different, but as prices rise, I am thankful we are out of the habit!
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Our biggest problem which is probably everyone’s problem is time. Between the 3 of us we need to make the time commitment again to make sure we grocery shop properly and watch the ads and make meals. I used to have a day dedicated to running errands and grocery shopping. That day was Saturday mornings from 8 to noon. I don’t have that day anymore and for more than a decade I have wanted to get back to that day being my errand day but Farmers market takes up 16 weeks of those Saturdays. I hope I can get back to that habit once Farmers market is over in October. Right now I grocery shop after church on Sundays but that just isn’t the same. I know these are all excuses but we seem to let other things dictate our lives. I am working on so many things and now that being Rotary President is over with there is less of a demand on my time thankfully. Thank you for all the feedback. I love it!
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