Kathy at $30WeeklyGrocery Challenge wrote a nice post HERE on the basics of putting a grocery budget together and her strategies for shopping. I pretty much follow all the same ideas that she presents. Our budget is $40 per week- it isn’t so much a necessity but more to be able to build our savings account as quickly as possible. We try to be a little flexible with the budget- this month for example we will be a little off as we have run out of so many staples (like TP, laundry soap, coffee etc.. etc..) Also I thought I might try to fit diapers (for 2) and formula into the budget and it just isn’t gonna happen. So we will probably be closer to $50-60/week this month. Which is still pretty incredible!
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One thing I do want to add- is that what works for us may not work for you. I am a stay at home mom so I have a little more flexibility to hit several stores in a week. Also, I do not eat meat so that cuts down on one of the biggest expenses you face at the grocery store. (Although my husband eats enough for both of us). So if $100 a week is comfortable for your family, there is no reason to feel badly about that.
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Also, once you have been shopping smart, stockpiling and using coupons for awhile you will start to need less and less every week from the store. You will also find that you never have to pay retail again for things as you have the ability to hold out until items hit the lowest price. Even better- you don’t need to run around to 5 stores every week. I have enough items on hand that I can pick and chose from week to week what deals I want to take advantage of and what I will pass up simply because I don’t feel like going to the store.
So my question is when you go to a store like rite-aid or Walgreens and buy an item that you get a rebate back on or register rewards are you counting the total money out of pocket at the time you bought the item or are you counting what the price of the item will be after you receive your rebate or register rewards? Does that make sense? Which number goes towards the amount spent for the week? Because alot of the items after RR and rebates are free. Just curious!
I can't answer for Kathy but I include that money in that week's budget- so if I spend $10 on a rebate item than my budget is $10 less. Once the check comes back I add it to the budget- so I have $50 one week.
I'm curious about how you manage the dietary differences and balance that with your budget. It seems that many nights you are serving a meat entree. How does that work? What do you eat? Do your kids eat meat?
In my family my husband and 16 year old stepson eat conventionally while my 3 year old, 1 year old and myself are gluten and dairy free vegetarians. Purchasing gluten-free items is expensive and I have difficulty getting our weekly budget under $80. I'd love any tips or advice you have for managing cost with the different diets or minimizing the craziness of making dinners (seems like I'm making two dinners every night).