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Ok, seriously someone point me in the right direction.
I was just reading the posts on food budgets. How do you do it? I have
7 in the house, 2 cats, a dog, and 3 fish and one in diapers. I spend
800 plus a month on food, cleaning, pet food. I have tried cutting
back, buying on sale etc.. Right now there is a bulk pkg of pork chops
and about 20 lbs of chicken in the deep freeze. My hubby is throwing a
fit about variety etc.. this after a long talk last night about me
getting a job and him having to take care of the kids and take everyone
to dr apts etc... And our elect and water bills are over 200 each. I am
about to turn off the direct tv. He does not understand and gets mad
because there is not extra money, but after bills and food there is
about 300 extra per month and with cars- kids etc.. that can be gone in
a split second. How do you do it? Do you feel guilt when you tell them
no or can not buy prime rib? Some one help.......
I don't feel guilty when I have to say no to something because it's not in the budget. My kids are used to the standard reply "it's not in the budget". It kind of stops them arguing with us about something if we tell them the money just isn't there. One thing we did was go to a cash budget and my husband and I planned it together so he is aware of how much we can spend in each category. When the money is gone, it's gone. We budget $600 a month for food only, that is for 4 people and 2 pets.
first try angel food ministries or great food for all --whichever is available in your area
second if there are things you really like see if budget 101 has the myo recipe and make a recipe book
I'm sure others will have more ideas but those two alone will save you a lot of money
Maybe if you posted a little more about your situation, we could offer you some concrete suggestions. For example, how much do you spend on pet food? Cleaning products? Snacks? Where do you shop? Do you use coupons? Everyone on this board would love to help!
On the variety issue, a few seasonings and spices can really change a meal around. Lately I've been getting boneless skinless chix breast for $1.30 a lb (walmart) so with a freezer Well stocked with chicken, it really helps to make the meals taste completely different.Originally Posted by Sherry
How do you do it? Do you feel guilt when you tell them
no or can not buy prime rib? Some one help.......
Buy the really cheap cuts of meat that are on sale (the ones that they discount)- you can ask the meat dept which days they mark it down. There is a recipe for Faux Prime Rib, tastes so much like prime rib he wont complain about missing out!
When spouses complain about missing out or wanting this and that, it tends to really hit hard. What has worked for us is to learn how to season cheaper cuts of meat, (marinate, marinate, marinate!) and how to prepare my families favorite restaurant dishes at home so they dont feel like they're missing out.
Also, if you can get HIM to plan the meals for a week, you might see a different attitude.
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get everybody to help... not just hubby get the kids together have them help plan meals.. when my kids were younger i would bake and have them go sell it or do crafts and they would sell that's how we made money to do the extras.. if it wasn't on sale or clearence we didn't get it....kids are older now... my daughter won't buy unless it's on sale cheap.. mostly she goes to second hand stores.. i coupon more now then i did then but still only buy if it's on sale and i have a coupon... needs and wants are two different things... not saying this to only you but to all of us.. my hubby wants lots of things....lol he says if i don't yell NO loud enough.. i must mean yes.... geesh
Sherry, that's a great question you ask! Its hard! Its hard to please the family & save money at the same time. First of all, I'd have a little "sit-down" with the hubbie. Explain to him how you feel & how much you are trying to save money. (A couple of hints on talking to him about it: First of all, don't catch him right after he gets home from work. He's gonna be tired & stressed & way more likely to get aggravated or not want to listen. Tell him you'd like to talk with him about things you're doing to save money & then let hime pick the time that he wants to talk about it. Then, after you tell him your ideas, ask him what he thinks & if he has any ideas as well. If he feels like he contributed he'll be more likely to understand when there is less variety & less likely to complain.
Some tips for daving on groceries:
1.) It sounds like you're already on the right track! Buying on sales, etc.
2.) The key for me is COUPONS COUPONS COUPONS!!! Seriously, they will save you SOOOOO much money!!! The key is organizing them. Ct your coupons, then wait for the items to go on sale. Oddly enough, you'll get alot of the best deals at the grocery store. The grocery stores normally go through a "sale routine." Every 4-6 weeks, the products will hit their "rock bottom" price. Keep a price book. (Write down the prices of everything you buy for a couple of months. Then you'll be able to track the prices & figure out when each item is at its "rock bottom" price.) When the item is at "rock bottom" price, buy it using your coupon. If you do it this way, you cut your shopping bill at least in half! (Many times I've cut my bill by 75%!!!) You'll also get many things practically free!
3.) You can get great coupons online, in the Sunday Paper, on items that you buy. I also call many companies and ask them to send me coupons. Almost all of the food companies will send you coupons.
4.) Also, if you ever buy something & it doesn't please you, call the company. For example, I bought some frozen chicken breasts one time & the pieces had quite a bit of fat on them, so I called the company. They apologized & sent me a coupon for a free item - any size!
Hope these tips help!
I agree with needing more information. Without knowing where the money is going in which area of groceries it is hard to give suggestions on where the ability to cut back lies. I don't feel guilty at all when I can't buy prime rib, I never buy prime rib. We only eat expensive things on special occassions. My boyfriend loves crab legs, we have those on his birthday and that's it. There was a time we had no food at all so he had gotten over the act like a two year old when he can't have what he wants. We learned the hard way to be thankful for what you have.
Cheaper cuts of meat seasoned correctly can be just as good as the expensive things. I use coupons and buy on sale (if it really is on sale). The reason I say this is I have caught a local store advertising bogo but when you look at the price of what you are paying for the individual bag to get the other one free it really isnt on sale. For instance bogo shrimp, the shrimp is usually 8.99 a bag with the bogo you get 2 for 18.00, averages out to be the same so its not really on sale. I also buy some things in bulk at the local Sams which frees up more money to spend on other things. I think I saw a post that suggested something like Angelfood, I agree with this one. I was able to take their menu and come up with combinations enough to feed us for the upcoming month for 170.00, granted it is just three of us.
My boyfriend also enjoys variety do what I do is buy the meats that are on sale and fix them differently. We never have the same exact meal within two weeks of each other. The next month I buy different meats or not as much of the ones we had the previous months unless it is something he really likes. Hope this helps some will let you know what else I can come up with if more information is given.
Also you may try cooking with the crockpot or from scratch that saves a lot too.
Here is a link on the site with ideas that may help
http://forums.budget101.com/general-...tml#post101406
I am feeding 4 adults (three of them men) and a dog everyday, and on the weekend we add in two children (4 & 6 yrs.), all for about $100 a week. Not bad, I think, but I know that some of you can do even better than that! I think because I make almost everything from scratch I save a lot of $$$.
As for variety, you would be amazed how many different ways you can serve any given cut of meat! When we were first married, my DH wouldn't eat chicken more than once or twice a month. Now we eat it two or sometimes even three times a week and he loves it! I think it's because of the variety of ways I serve it to him.
Another way to insure variety is to plan out your menus a week or more in advance, including in it what you already have in your freezer. If you can't do a week of menus, try just three days, then three more, etc., until you feel comfortable with it. This has really helped me.
As for pet food, do you buy the more expensive canned stuff? Perhaps you could switch to a semi-moist bag food, or at least mix the canned pet food with some dry food.
Whatever you decide to do, remember that sometimes it's easier to start with just one or two changes at a time so you won't be overwhelmed by everything at once! Good luck with everything!
Cook, laundry, clean, shop, iron, mend, chauffeur, etc. And tomorrow I get to do it all again!
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