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Update: My February Challenge
By Deb |
I had every intention on writing a post February 1 to officially kick-off my February Challenge. If you remember, I was going to feed my family of four for $400 or less. I have succeeded.
I know that we have a few more days in the month, but my cupboards are packed full, and I won’t be buying any more food for awhile. In fact, I probably spent about $50 more than I needed to. I like to stock up when I see a good sale. I can’t help myself at times.
I have spent $330 on groceries this month. This includes the extra goodies I had to buy for an out-of-town road trip for five children, birthday treats, and a little stocking up from clearance sales. My point is that you can feed your family on much less than you may realize if you’re mindful. I even splurged and shopped name brands with the help of some coupons.
I was inspired to do this experiment when I saw a single mom on television state that she spent $300 a week on groceries. “What?!!!!!” was my initial reaction. Quite frankly, I was a bit taken aback.
There are always ways to find extra money in your budget. I don’t cut anything out of my children’s lives. My youngest child is a boy, and eating is his hobby. However, I believe that we’ve been brainwashed to think that the quality of the food equals the quality of the picture on the box. My children have not only learned to love generic brands, but they even prefer them to many of the costlier food labels.
The key to shopping frugally is to use all your resources. Don’t stock cabinets that are already full; use what you already have. Take leftovers and turn them into delicious meals. Adding a little barbecue sauce to leftover chicken or beef makes the meal brand new again. Finally, don’t be afraid of generics. The name brand companies manufacture generic brands and become their own “competition,” so to speak. You can find many delicious products at a fraction of the cost.
Topics: Uncategorized |
February 25th, 2008 at 1:19 am
I think we have to be careful in what we feed our children…with so much Genetically Modified food out there it isn’t safe to feed children processed food–out of boxes, tv dinners, dairy/ or meat(in a few years it will be cloned meat) that has antibiotics/hormones added to it. We make all our meals from scratch–nothing out of a can or box, organic dairy…we switched from a high priced grocery store to a no frills store for our fresh veggies and fruit, we buy organic produce in season from farmers in the area so that we have cut our budget in half.
All the boxed stuff is a new combination of corn syrup, cheap soy oil and white flour, with MSG added. The generic cheaper stuff is probably even worse as they probably knock out what quality ingredients the leading brands invest in.
These days kids are getting “adult” onset diabetes as young as 8 years old. ADD and other attention problems are rampant.
It’s good to save where you can, but not by denying our kids natural foods (which never come out of a box). Call me a health nut, but 50 years ago people made most there meals from scratch and only 1 out 50 got cancer. Now 1 out of every 2.
The only reason processed food is so cheap is because the government subsidizes the farmers who grow the corn and soy and wheat that makes the junk. Only 2% of subsidies go to fruits and vegetables? Why, because there’s more profit in foods you can stamp a copyright on. So they lobby the government to get our taxes diverted to put down the price on junkfood.
Nicole
http://www.constipationreliefforwomen.com/bloating-gone
February 25th, 2008 at 1:34 am
Thank you for your feedback. I agree with your comments.
I’m a vegetarian, and my kids eat very little meat. I must admit, though, they do love their mac and cheese. I’ve tried going organic, but at this time I can’t manage it on one income for four people. When I lived in a bigger city, I had more access to a variety of organic foods; here, I just have to take what we can get. We do eat a lot of fruits and veggies.
February 25th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Deb–Is it possible for you to start your own organic garden?
I am not in a rural area so I belong to a community organic garden. If you get your kids involved, the effort could be easy.
I started off not having a clue about gardening. In the last 4 years of having my own plot, I have grown, asparagus, eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, rhubarb, strawberries, peas, squash, zucchini (too much of it!), radishes, brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower.
Very therapeutic for hardworking copywriters who sit in front of the computer all day.
February 25th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Suzanne,
I do garden, but not during February.
While I am a vegetarian, I know that our readers embrace a variety of diet preferences. It’s not my intention to persuade them to change their way of eating on this site, just their way of spending.
My goal with this post was to show that you really can cut food costs, regardless of your eating style. As the weather gets warmer, I’ll plant my garden and save money in the process.
For women who don’t have that option or don’t care to garden, being mindful of spending can really put some extra money back into their wallet.
February 25th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
As for generic grocery products…that’s pretty much how I do it myself. You know what’s especially money saving? Dry cereals! Honey ‘n Oats Cheerios, for example, are outrageously priced. And the house brand is often 50% less cheaper with the exact same ingredients.
February 29th, 2008 at 2:39 am
I have also been closely monitoring our food expenditures this month, and I’ve been struggling with these same questions. I think it’s boiled down to this: I buy as many single-ingredient foods (and a few others I deem worthy) as I can at ALDI; the little prepared food I buy comes from Trader Joe’s, whose quality and price I trust; and everything else (a huge block of yeast for $2.59 anyone?) from Andy’s Fruit Ranch, a fun little neighborhood grocery store in Chicago where these things abound.
I just can’t afford organic any more!