One Month Grocery Bill

[Tom Bri]

Got out the credit card statement from last month and figured up all the charges that were spent at supermarkets. $177. Half the month this was for 4 people, the second half for 3. I was also treated to lunch 4 times at a restaurant, so add maybe $40 that I didn't pay, and I ate a shake (bought at a drive through window!) from a gift card I was given as a present.
Spouse makes all my work-lunches at home, so no outside food costs. Daughter ate homemade lunches at school so again no or very little outside spending.
Tonight's dinner was homemade sushi. The most expensive ingredient is smoked salmon at $6/lb, and we eat this a few times a month. Every day includes meat, cheese (not cheap cheese) fresh fruit and veggies.
Much of the fruit and veggies is from my suburban back yard, from trees/vines I planted, and my garden. Other months will be higher-cost, since right now is the sweet spot for my home-grown produce.

[mendoman]

Great job, seems very cheap compared to what we spend.  How much fruit and veggies do you think your garden grows dollars wise.

[Rosy]

Wow - that is excellent - great job!
This month is the first time that I am keeping track. I'm guessing it might come in around $400 for the two of us for just groceries incl. alcohol and paper goods. I plan to dissect it all for 3 months to get an average and look for ways to improve.

I agree having a garden is a huge asset:)

Once Mr. R. retires we will take full advantage of the garden bounty.
For now I dabble and try out new things each year, we love harvesting our own peppers, tomatoes, herbs, mints, sweet potatoes, avocados, plums and hopefully next year figs and macadamia nuts and more. I like saving money by growing mint for tea and bay leaf, fresh basil and rosemary and always having fresh garlic chives. I bake pie and made jam from the plums and freeze fresh pepper and tomato sauces, but it is not like I can enough preserves until next year.
I also grow medicinal herbs and make sachets from sweet smelling herbs to scent our drawers and I found one to keep the moths out of the closet for good. Next year I will try my own Elderberry liquor and I'm thrilled to have found the perfect eggplant that reseeds itself .....
We have a secret garden and a party central area and like to have brunch in the garden or invite friends over for football parties.

On the monthly food budget:

1. So far I haven't seen anything I really want to change in the food category, we are foodies and like to eat well. We could cut out wine, beer and chocolate or good coffee beans, but why? If we were to cut out the luxuries then we might be at $250 for the month.

What I love about MMM is that it gives me ideas for improvement and so yes, I keep finding ways to improve the budget.

2. We tried Aldi's paper towels vs Bounty this week and will switch - saves about $5 a month/$60yr. (I think they switched brands, because we tried that before and did not like the Aldi brand)

3. The one thing that we started doing due to MMM threads is using our 1% rewards card for a couple bucks extra a month. We had been using cash. Better yet, since then I found out that USAA gives you 5% for grocery purchases on base and Sallie Mae credit card gives you 3% for food - free money - if I'd only known.

The Chase Freedom card gives you 5% on grocery stores during one of their quarterly rotating rewards. Thanks to MMM and the doctorofcredit blog I recently signed up for them while they had a $200 sign up bonus.

[Kimchi Bleu]

That is awesome!  I wish I could be a more successful gardener.  I did not inherit my mother's green thumb.  I tried to grow tomatoes, scallions, and herbs this year.  Some varmint is eating my tomatoes and ate the strawberries I planted.  I didn't use the herbs enough and went to seed/flowered.  The scallions were awesome.

Got a recipe for your home made sushi?  Currently my kids just eat medium grain rice wrapped in seaweed.  I've tried using a butter or vinegar mix which the youngest will eat but the others do not.

[Tom Bri]

Don't really know the sushi recipe, my spouse makes it. I know it has vinegar and a little sugar in the rice. Beyond that, we top it with anything, seaweed paper, avocado, cheese, green beans, whatever.
No idea of the $ value of the garden. It changes so much from week to week. Right now we get broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, an occasional cantaloupe, cucumbers, arugula, chives of various sorts, onions, carrots. In other months the mix is different. We also get grapes apples peaches raspberries strawberries depending on the season.

[bsmith]

That is awesome!  I wish I could be a more successful gardener.  I did not inherit my mother's green thumb.  I tried to grow tomatoes, scallions, and herbs this year.  Some varmint is eating my tomatoes and ate the strawberries I planted.  I didn't use the herbs enough and went to seed/flowered.  The scallions were awesome.

Gardening is a skill set, not a talent. Since you said you wish you could be better at it, I suggest you look up the Master Gardener program in your state. A little training from them and you can be great at it. Here's the info for Indiana: https://hort.purdue.edu/mg/basic_training.html

[Kimchi Bleu]

I've taken a course from a Master Gardener at my public library.  I still hear the plants screaming "don't pick me" when I go to the garden center!  I at least kept the herbs and tomatoes alive which means I did a lot better than the few times I've tried gardening before! 

[force majeure]

My immutable rule is $5 per day on food. After that, I go without, simple as. You know what happens to the surplus, dividend index funds, until the cows come home.

[Candace]

Where did you find smoked salmon at $6 a pound?

[Loonie Tunes]

awesome!
we are slowly adding edibles to our backyard. So far we have planed two walnut trees (they are not yet producing), an apple and a sweet cherry tree. also, strawberries, raspberries, black, white and red currants, gooseberries and a blueberry, and an artic kiwi. we also have three 4' by 8' raised beds, where we grow tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, eggplant, asparagus, peas, beets and broccoli. I also have an herb patch where I grow sorrel, coriander, oregano, chives and savory as well as miscellaneous annuals.

this garden is not producing much, but the homegrown taste is in a different league compared to anything you can get in store.

[bsmith]

I've taken a course from a Master Gardener at my public library.  I still hear the plants screaming "don't pick me" when I go to the garden center!  I at least kept the herbs and tomatoes alive which means I did a lot better than the few times I've tried gardening before! 

Sorry I couldn't help more!

[Tom Bri]

My immutable rule is $5 per day on food. After that, I go without, simple as. You know what happens to the surplus, dividend index funds, until the cows come home.

Vali Produce. They also have a nice deli section. I buy the 'ends' that are left over after they finish slicing. Sometimes get a really weird mix of stuff, but it is often very expensive items I would never buy otherwise, interesting cheeses.

[Workingmomsaves]

Way to go Tom Bri!  And you even ate fancy pants salmon yum!

[Tom Bri]

Gardening is a slow process. Just keep putting stuff out and find out what grows well. Lots of things grow better if just left alone! Tomatoes for example, need almost no care once they get started. Potatoes too. Corn and beans are easy, but need careful weeding through at least mid-summer. Early in the season I spend about 15 minutes every day just walking around the garden, pulling tiny weeds. Saves a lot of work later.

[Kimchi Bleu]

I've taken a course from a Master Gardener at my public library.  I still hear the plants screaming "don't pick me" when I go to the garden center!  I at least kept the herbs and tomatoes alive which means I did a lot better than the few times I've tried gardening before! 

Sorry I couldn't help more!

No worries!  I have come to the realization that gardening is not in my skill set no matter how much I try.  Luckily my MIL is living with me and is able to overcome my shortcomings (:

[Tom Bri]

I went back and added up the last two months food on the credit card. $190 and $280. So quite a lot of variation from month to month. Every 3-4 months we buy a 40lb sack of rice, and some months there are a lot more fruit/veggies.
However, I fear adding up my gasoline bill...

[Rosy]

Of course it fluctuates - still impressive monthly totals.

Smoked salmon is awesome, I'm in Florida it is $6 a pound around here as well. We get it from a local guy, road stand. Our local Publix carries bourbon marinated salmon filets that are to die for, on sale for $4.99 for two filets - regular price 6.99.

Last night we had shrimp scampi, used one of the recipes I found here on MMM using Aldi's giant shrimp. Served with linguini swirled in the shrimp sauce topped with garlic chives from the garden - with a gifted bottle of Chardonnay.
Cost $2.50 per person - life is good.

[Tom Bri]

Thinking back more carefully, there are some food charges I can't break out without looking at receipts.
For example, milk and eggs are usually bought when they come on sale at Walgreens or CVS, not at a supermarket. So that would add maybe $10/wk to the bills.
I should think more carefully before posting, but I got excited when I looked at the CC statement and saw how low it was.

[3Mer]

I've been tracking all my spending for the month and so far have $450 for "Food" for September which includes anything bought at a Grocery store (so would include cleaning supplies, paper products, pet food) and Restaurants.   This is for 2 of us (myself and a hungry teenage daughter), plus a dog and cat.   I'm actually happy with this.  I have no idea how so many of you have such amazing low spending in this category.   Note that we have a freezer full of beef, that I utilized during the month.   I also baked things to try to reduce our spending.   

[Tom Bri]

BriarRose111, most of it is my wife's effort, watching sales, cutting coupons. A couple times a week she will give me a detailed instruction list on how to use a handful of coupons. I stop by places on my way home from work, very rarely is there an out-of-the-way trip. She is both really good with juggling numbers and really interested in saving $, plus as a home mom, she has some time to do it. She cooks nearly every meal we eat, almost no prepared food. When we travel, even if only into town for shopping, she packs sandwiches or whatever. She makes most of the bread we eat.
Our luxuries are coffee and tea, usually mid-range brands bought on sale, deli meats and cheeses always bought on sale and with coupons, and fruit, whatever is cheap that week. The only alcohol we drink is wine made by our neighbor, who is welcome to pick my fruit, so we get some turn-around from him. This week he stripped my concord grapes, so probably two years from now I'll get a bunch of wine from that.

[3Mer]

BriarRose111, most of it is my wife's effort, watching sales, cutting coupons. A couple times a week she will give me a detailed instruction list on how to use a handful of coupons. I stop by places on my way home from work, very rarely is there an out-of-the-way trip. She is both really good with juggling numbers and really interested in saving $, plus as a home mom, she has some time to do it. She cooks nearly every meal we eat, almost no prepared food. When we travel, even if only into town for shopping, she packs sandwiches or whatever. She makes most of the bread we eat.
Our luxuries are coffee and tea, usually mid-range brands bought on sale, deli meats and cheeses always bought on sale and with coupons, and fruit, whatever is cheap that week. The only alcohol we drink is wine made by our neighbor, who is welcome to pick my fruit, so we get some turn-around from him. This week he stripped my concord grapes, so probably two years from now I'll get a bunch of wine from that.

Well, you are doing a wonderful job - keep it up!  I know for me I could reduce more - September had a few lunches in the cafeteria (great healthy food but very high priced), and also I do buy some convenience / snack foods for my daughter who has friends over alot.  I'm going to continue to track it and also keep cooking meals, freezing single portions, baking and freezing.  It really does make a huge difference.