tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post5823735159443801728..comments2023-09-06T11:28:01.234-04:00Comments on The Table of Promise: One Family's Search for a Better Meal: Wanna Know My Weekly Grocery Budget?COBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08917301601937658471noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-31467247438435724232011-08-20T12:02:39.091-04:002011-08-20T12:02:39.091-04:00We're feeding six (us and two seven yr old and...We're feeding six (us and two seven yr old and two four yr old boys) and our yearly food bill is about the same as yours. We get our Raw Milk @ $6.50 a gallon, raw cream @ $5 pint. Pastured bacon @ 4.50 lb. (we eat alot of bacon) We do almost all organic/locally grown where and when we can get it. We do splerge on our meat though. We prefer buffalo to beef, and eat meat most every meal. We cut out processed foods, with the exception of a few things like organic/sprouted cereal, pasta and breads. What grains/beans/legumes we eat are sprouted, soaked or whole wheat. We have our own hens, so eat alot of pastured organic eggs. We've switched to coconut oil, bacon drippings and butter for fats. I could go on and on.... We are eating healthier than we ever did before. I've lost over 70 lbs of "baby fat" that I couldn't get rid of even while eating all those "healthy low calorie/low fat diet foods". bleh. We think the extra expense where real food is concerned is well worth it and happily do with out the other stuff "the Jones' " have. Have a good day!TheCopelandCornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05076153087890905956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-11785951811579084572011-08-18T20:04:50.829-04:002011-08-18T20:04:50.829-04:00We're only feeding two people, and we're n...We're only feeding two people, and we're not too far off from your totals. I'm happy to hear I' not the only one spending a lot at the Farmers' Market - I usually drop between $65-$80 a week. But I would gladly pay more to local farmers. But we have a two-income software engineer family. I agree with the issues for people who have to budget a lot more than we do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-18540200773675051832011-08-18T13:49:34.241-04:002011-08-18T13:49:34.241-04:00I agree that it's worth more money to eat bett...I agree that it's worth more money to eat better food, but I'm amazed that you spend so much! I tracked <a href="http://articles.earthlingshandbook.org/2011/01/03/grocery-spending-for-a-family-of-3-in-2010/" rel="nofollow">my family's grocery spending in 2010</a>, and for two adults and a 5-year-old we spent less than $4,000. There's a lot of detail in my article about what we do and don't buy.<br /><br />I will admit, we could do better on milk. We've been paying $6-7/gallon for organic milk that is ultra-pasteurized. It's very convenient to have the milk still fresh when we get back from a weekend trip, but it seems kind of creepy, too! We use milk mainly on cereal and in coffee, not as a beverage, so we don't use a whole lot. This fall we plan to join a CSA for local, organic dairy; the milk is $8/gallon, and we think it's worth more to get local and in a returnable glass bottle. We can subscribe for 1/2 gallon a week and get the other milk if we need additional, and that will be an improvement at least.<br /><br />I'm impressed that as an employed-outside-home parent you're willing to put a lot of time and effort into a better diet for your family. I am, too, but it seems to be rare--most of the healthy eating blogs I see are at-home moms, and many employed moms tell me they "have to" compromise a lot on healthy eating because they "just don't have time" to cook, etc. I make time because it's important!'Beccahttp://articles.earthlingshandbook.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-24857837267832204402011-08-18T12:54:22.253-04:002011-08-18T12:54:22.253-04:00I spend about $150-200/week on groceries, includin...I spend about $150-200/week on groceries, including dairy, veggies and meat (and some non-food items from the grocery store, like baggies, etc.) for a family of four. Most of the time, this also includes alcohol. I can buy certified organic local milk for about $7-8/gallon, but I don't buy it any more because my kids actually don't like the taste. We buy it from a local distributor of local foods. I think you can push the dollar signs down and still do healthy if you cut more meat out of your diet and do more beans/rice or other healthy vegetarian combos. I've bought organic dried beans in bulk and cooked large portions in the crockpot. You can then freeze them in batches to use later for black bean soup, burritos, etc. I also make my own stocks with leftover chicken bones (from roasted chickens) and scraps of veggies from other meals. There are lots of ways to save, but it takes time and energy (which I have to admit, I don't always have). Often, if you can buy in bulk and preserve in some way, you can save a ton of money. I know that the local butcher will give me a 10% discount on meat if I buy in bulk--ask your farmers/distributors if they'd give you a discount on a larger amount of food than just the week's worth.Mindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09411281880614660605noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-54337385182084035502011-08-18T11:43:02.469-04:002011-08-18T11:43:02.469-04:00Where on earth are you guys buying all this inexpe...Where on earth are you guys buying all this inexpensive milk? My milk is pasteurized, but low temp. But it is certified organic. I wonder if that is the difference? Can someone clue me in??The Table of Promisehttp://www.thetableofpromise.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-59421230220281801312011-08-18T11:39:01.401-04:002011-08-18T11:39:01.401-04:00Wow, raw milk costs $14 a gallon there! I pay abou...Wow, raw milk costs $14 a gallon there! I pay about $7.50 a gallon. Normally it is $8.25 but the more shares you buy the more of a discout you get and I get five gallons a week for my brood (ten kids).Melissa Naaskohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03930313817092938958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-59975583278464712942011-08-18T10:38:02.384-04:002011-08-18T10:38:02.384-04:00Anonymous August 18th 10:23, could you let me know...Anonymous August 18th 10:23, could you let me know what are some sample meals that you eat? I am really curious. I hear about lots of people who spend less than me, but I don't hear alot about WHAT they are doing. I would be excited to learn!The Table of Promisehttp://www.thetableofpromise.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-79397443907179423272011-08-18T10:23:24.238-04:002011-08-18T10:23:24.238-04:00I'm a single mother of a a very hungry four ye...I'm a single mother of a a very hungry four year old boy lol. I spend $45.00 a week. I cannot afford to go over that amount. I shop exclusively at Aldi and buy as healthfully as I can. We drink only tap water and do not eat red meat due to cost. Yet, we have a very balanced and nutritious diet. It can be done on much lower amounts of money!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-12471822081986344752011-08-18T10:13:11.058-04:002011-08-18T10:13:11.058-04:00To a certain extent you would think that food that...To a certain extent you would think that food that is less processed should be less expensive...but then i remember that processed food isn't naturally inexpensive - it's subsidize and also grown, harvested and prepared on the backs of underpaid (mostly) imigrant workers. When you shop locally, you are paying living wages to those qualified and hard working Americans to bring you a quality product. If you want them to be able to keep providing their products, they ahve to be able to make a living at it - and that means paying more. One thing I think people don't think about is that even if we do manage to revive manufacturing in this country and bring jobs back to the USA - prices will go up. That has to be ok. If we all want to have good paying jobs - we have to be willing to pay the appropriate prices for the goods and services in order to allow employers to pay living wages. It's what you might call a positive feed back loop...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-54066820337382705242011-08-17T12:13:56.458-04:002011-08-17T12:13:56.458-04:00I like Julie's added suggestions of making you...I like Julie's added suggestions of making your own homemade cleaners (amazing all the things plain vinegar can do!) and using reusable containers. diynatural.com has a bunch of recipes for homemade everything.<br /><br />I cringe when I think about our grocery bill. I spend at least $200 a week as well--it is our largest single expense, more than our mortgage. We have two adult-sized teenagers in the house too (and our son is a competitive swimmer and eats a LOT). I shop sales and deals as much as I can, and yet I just can't bring myself to go back to empty calorie, processed, cheap junk--and junk truly is cheap. I get weekly veggies at our CSA and organic meat ($5.50/#) and eggs ($3.50/doz.), which isn't bad comparably. I make our own kombucha instead of buying beverages (which is super inexpensive to make). We have found we all feel so much better when we don't eat wheat and go easy on other grains, but meat, veggies, and quality fats (organic as much as possible to boot) are much more expensive and you have to replace those starch calories with something!<br /><br />Still, our grocery bill is huge. It's nice to hear I'm not the only one! Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing wrong and feel guilty not stretching our money further, especially when my husband works so hard! Thank you for sharing your experience with this issue!Jillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-58408445379932007952011-08-17T12:07:44.661-04:002011-08-17T12:07:44.661-04:00Wow! OP here: that seems like a ton of money? We d...Wow! OP here: that seems like a ton of money? We do a raw milk coop and pay $4.50 a gallon and do about a gallon and half a week; so $7 a week and we're in NYC! Maybe I'm missing something? Gallons are $14 a piece?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-9320555272784421842011-08-17T10:57:19.805-04:002011-08-17T10:57:19.805-04:00I feel your pain about grocery prices and also thi...I feel your pain about grocery prices and also think even though it’s really expensive it’s worth it for the quality of life it gives you. To live healthy and be free of so many diseases that plague those who find it difficult or maybe aren’t willing to spend that much. I think I do have it a little easier though living in Columbus Ohio. My grocery bill is also about $200 a week and that does mostly include the money we spend on wine. We love wine. I think I have it a little easier though because my relatives hunt so I get free venison. I butcher it myself so it costs nothing and that really helps with the bill. I also grow a very large garden every year and put a lot of produce away for the winter. I think if you have any space growing some of your own food is a real help. You can even get an urban farmer to grow it for you on your land if you will share a portion of either the land or produce with them. There is also a lot of foraging to be done in Ohio. We get wild berries, wild grapes, hickory nuts, mushroom (morels) , wild onions and purslane to name a few. I think there are more ways to reduce your grocery bill so you can afford to eat healthier. Also things like using reusable napkins, and kitchen towels instead of paper towels and napkins. Use reusable containers instead of zip lock bags and plastic wraps. Try baking soda and vinegar instead of a hundred different kinds of cleaner. You would be amazed, it really works!Julie Shttp://julie.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-21780672384290169412011-08-17T10:07:32.164-04:002011-08-17T10:07:32.164-04:00Hahaha! You read that right! I spend $28 a week on...Hahaha! You read that right! I spend $28 a week on milk. $35 on the weeks that I add a pint of cream!!!! But, it is sooooooooo good. And since my youngest only eats turkey sausage, fruit, bread and milk I want to make sure that it is the best source of nutrition available.The Table of Promisehttp://www.thetableofpromise.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787698713835410146.post-45875394604936832692011-08-17T10:02:47.742-04:002011-08-17T10:02:47.742-04:00Maybe I'm reading that wrong but you spend $28...Maybe I'm reading that wrong but you spend $28 a week on milk?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com