Comments on: How We Feed Our Family of Four on $100 a Week http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm Building Wealth through Saving and Investing Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:00:37 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Princess fiona http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-90818 Princess fiona Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:42:43 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-90818 I have been feeding a family of 4 for almost a year for $200 / MONTH. And we eat healthy, our fridge/panry/freezer is full. I do use my stock pile and the do redeem at Zehrs/Shoppers drugmart using my points when they have good deals to make our $ go farther. How did I do this? I stopped buying pre-packaged junk. We use re-useable drink containers for the kids lunches, we shop the sales, buying only sale items and stocking up when the price is right I have been feeding a family of 4 for almost a year for $200 / MONTH.
And we eat healthy, our fridge/panry/freezer is full. I do use my stock pile and the do redeem at Zehrs/Shoppers drugmart using my points when they have good deals to make our $ go farther.
How did I do this? I stopped buying pre-packaged junk. We use re-useable drink containers for the kids lunches, we shop the sales, buying only sale items and stocking up when the price is right

]]> By: Colourful Money http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-81353 Colourful Money Thu, 07 May 2009 05:16:13 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-81353 Fantastic article and will for sure come in handy once I have my family! Here's a similar value added article for those looking to eat healthy and nutritious meals: http://tinyurl.com/dly2ce Cheers! Fantastic article and will for sure come in handy once I have my family! Here’s a similar value added article for those looking to eat healthy and nutritious meals: http://tinyurl.com/dly2ce

Cheers!

]]> By: Laurel http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-75399 Laurel Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:45:11 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-75399 Thanks Kathryn for your ideas, but I do agree, some ideas menu wise would be great. The planning for the evening meal is never the hard part, but keeping to a budget and packing your childrens' lunches seems to be harder to combine into a budget. Anyone have ideas or resources? I like the idea of including the children - teach them to be independent but also maybe take away a little of the fear about budgets. Ray - your comments are just insensitive. We went from two incomes to one - not by choice and are looking at a forced retirement in just over a year. Would love to find those two high paying jobs that would cover the cost of childcare - that is if I could find childcare in the area. Thanks Kathryn for your ideas, but I do agree, some ideas menu wise would be great. The planning for the evening meal is never the hard part, but keeping to a budget and packing your childrens’ lunches seems to be harder to combine into a budget. Anyone have ideas or resources?

I like the idea of including the children – teach them to be independent but also maybe take away a little of the fear about budgets.

Ray – your comments are just insensitive. We went from two incomes to one – not by choice and are looking at a forced retirement in just over a year. Would love to find those two high paying jobs that would cover the cost of childcare – that is if I could find childcare in the area.

]]> By: Patty http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-70985 Patty Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:15:32 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-70985 If Chinatown is close by where you live, get your fresh produce there. I buy fruits and vegetable mostly from there because it's a lot cheaper than buying from supermarkets. (eg. Red/Orange/Yellow bell peppers is 0.79/lb compare to 2.49/lb at Metro or Loblaws) And meats? Check out Korean supermarkets, the meats there are generally a lot cheaper than the super market as well. They are freshly packed and sometimes in bulk with real good prices. If Chinatown is close by where you live, get your fresh produce there. I buy fruits and vegetable mostly from there because it’s a lot cheaper than buying from supermarkets. (eg. Red/Orange/Yellow bell peppers is 0.79/lb compare to 2.49/lb at Metro or Loblaws) And meats? Check out Korean supermarkets, the meats there are generally a lot cheaper than the super market as well. They are freshly packed and sometimes in bulk with real good prices.

]]> By: Elbyron http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-68580 Elbyron Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:23:19 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-68580 I'm a believer in bulk. You just have to be careful at Costco, because it is quite easy to get carried away with things you don't really need. Dry noodle soups are very cheap in bulk, and work well for lunches or even a dinner side dish. Cereal, sauces/condiments, and certain baking goods are usually good things to get there. For canned soup, Costco's prices aren't that good, so I watch the flyers for a cheap price and stock up. Same goes for anything that preserves well: wait till it's cheap and then buy lots. Scanning the flyers is worth it! As jesse said, meat is expensive. But so are meat replacements, and besides, I love meat and could not give it up. So how do you save on meat? BULK! Get those warehouse packs and split them up when you get home. Every couple months, my Mother and I jointly place a huge meat order with the butcher at her local grocery store (Sobeys). The butcher will divide everything into the specified size packages, but still gives you the warehouse pack pricing. And usually a 10 - 15% discount off the total as well, because our order is so big! Of course, this requires that you have a large freezer, but it sure saves a lot of money! My final money-saving grocery tip: shop on days where you get a discount off your total purchase. For example, the Safeway and Sobeys stores in Edmonton give you 10% off on the 1st Tuesday of each month, and at Save-on-foods it's 15%. I don't know if other cities have this promotion. Generally the sales aren't as good in the first week of the month, but there are some things that never go on sale so this is a good time to get them. I’m a believer in bulk. You just have to be careful at Costco, because it is quite easy to get carried away with things you don’t really need. Dry noodle soups are very cheap in bulk, and work well for lunches or even a dinner side dish. Cereal, sauces/condiments, and certain baking goods are usually good things to get there. For canned soup, Costco’s prices aren’t that good, so I watch the flyers for a cheap price and stock up. Same goes for anything that preserves well: wait till it’s cheap and then buy lots. Scanning the flyers is worth it!

As jesse said, meat is expensive. But so are meat replacements, and besides, I love meat and could not give it up. So how do you save on meat? BULK! Get those warehouse packs and split them up when you get home. Every couple months, my Mother and I jointly place a huge meat order with the butcher at her local grocery store (Sobeys). The butcher will divide everything into the specified size packages, but still gives you the warehouse pack pricing. And usually a 10 – 15% discount off the total as well, because our order is so big! Of course, this requires that you have a large freezer, but it sure saves a lot of money!

My final money-saving grocery tip: shop on days where you get a discount off your total purchase. For example, the Safeway and Sobeys stores in Edmonton give you 10% off on the 1st Tuesday of each month, and at Save-on-foods it’s 15%. I don’t know if other cities have this promotion. Generally the sales aren’t as good in the first week of the month, but there are some things that never go on sale so this is a good time to get them.

]]> By: john http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66656 john Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:21:16 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66656 Another good veggie cooking method is using no oil or butter and pan roasting them in a good heavy stainless steel pot on low heat. On an electric stove I use "2" on the knob and it takes about 30 minutes with the lid on. No stirring required so you can set it and forget it. Another good veggie cooking method is using no oil or butter and pan roasting them in a good heavy stainless steel pot on low heat. On an electric stove I use “2″ on the knob and it takes about 30 minutes with the lid on. No stirring required so you can set it and forget it.

]]> By: TMS http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66561 TMS Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:51:26 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66561 First off, I am enjoying reading through these comments in addition to the blog. My wife and I, both in mid-20s, do all of our grocery shopping at Walmart. About 6 months ago we decided to start eating healthier because…yada yada ya…I will spare you the details. Anyways, our method of grocery shopping is simple: make a “loop” around the store buying fresh produce, fresh fruit, meat, and dairy items and avoiding the aisles—which mostly consist of frozen/boxed/bagged items. I must admit there are exceptions to that rule—bread, pasta, cereal, and the healthy work-week frozen lunches—but for the most part this method of shopping has been very effective. Note: For those exceptions we use a basket to gather the items so we don’t start throwing stuff in the cart. When I explain this to most people they immediately resort to the “fresh produce/fruit is way too expensive” excuse; however, the cost of the impulse snack items (even though they aren’t on that grocery list) more than offsets the cost of buying “fresh”. By using this method we avoid the soda/pop/coke, chips, sugary juices, ice-cream, etc.---all of which were common items pre-loop shopping days. Here are the two most significant results thus far: +We are saving about 20% a month (about $50-$60) on our grocery bill. +My wife’s cholesterol dropped 40 points in six months (I stayed the same, but I was well within the “desired” cholesterol range to begin with). DYK? …Although I not a nutritionist or anything, did you know that boiling your vegetables actually just “boils” the nutrients right out of them? That’s why we now steam our vegetables—much more tasty now, too! First off, I am enjoying reading through these comments in addition to the blog.

My wife and I, both in mid-20s, do all of our grocery shopping at Walmart. About 6 months ago we decided to start eating healthier because…yada yada ya…I will spare you the details. Anyways, our method of grocery shopping is simple: make a “loop” around the store buying fresh produce, fresh fruit, meat, and dairy items and avoiding the aisles—which mostly consist of frozen/boxed/bagged items. I must admit there are exceptions to that rule—bread, pasta, cereal, and the healthy work-week frozen lunches—but for the most part this method of shopping has been very effective. Note: For those exceptions we use a basket to gather the items so we don’t start throwing stuff in the cart.

When I explain this to most people they immediately resort to the “fresh produce/fruit is way too expensive” excuse; however, the cost of the impulse snack items (even though they aren’t on that grocery list) more than offsets the cost of buying “fresh”. By using this method we avoid the soda/pop/coke, chips, sugary juices, ice-cream, etc.—all of which were common items pre-loop shopping days.

Here are the two most significant results thus far:
+We are saving about 20% a month (about $50-$60) on our grocery bill.
+My wife’s cholesterol dropped 40 points in six months (I stayed the same, but I was well within the “desired” cholesterol range to begin with).

DYK? …Although I not a nutritionist or anything, did you know that boiling your vegetables actually just “boils” the nutrients right out of them? That’s why we now steam our vegetables—much more tasty now, too!

]]> By: Kathryn http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66420 Kathryn Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:56:16 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66420 H&H ~ I don't include laundry soap, toothpaste, etc in the figures. I generally either wait to buy those on sale somewhere, buy them with free PC points, or get them at Walmart where the prices for cleaning supplies / personal care items tends to be a lot lower. We are pretty 'green' around here so we don't use up much consumables. We use cloth napkins and j-clothes rather than paper towels. We also have front load washing machine which hardly takes any laundry soap. Your idea about the gift card is one of the best I've heard in a long time. You are absolutely right. It solves the issue of the 'points' while still forcing the issue of the budget. I'm going to recommend this to the people I meet with who have trouble keeping to a budget but are reluctant to give up their credit card points. Great idea! SIG ~ Another great idea. I confess I love Kirkland brand TP, laundry soap and fabric softener. My parents have an 'executive' membership so they don't mind picking me up these items when they go and then I just pay them back. This way they get the cash back, I don't pay the Costco fees and I don't go which avoids the temptation to buy a bunch of things I don't need. :-) H&H ~ I don’t include laundry soap, toothpaste, etc in the figures. I generally either wait to buy those on sale somewhere, buy them with free PC points, or get them at Walmart where the prices for cleaning supplies / personal care items tends to be a lot lower. We are pretty ‘green’ around here so we don’t use up much consumables. We use cloth napkins and j-clothes rather than paper towels. We also have front load washing machine which hardly takes any laundry soap.

Your idea about the gift card is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. You are absolutely right. It solves the issue of the ‘points’ while still forcing the issue of the budget. I’m going to recommend this to the people I meet with who have trouble keeping to a budget but are reluctant to give up their credit card points. Great idea!

SIG ~ Another great idea. I confess I love Kirkland brand TP, laundry soap and fabric softener. My parents have an ‘executive’ membership so they don’t mind picking me up these items when they go and then I just pay them back. This way they get the cash back, I don’t pay the Costco fees and I don’t go which avoids the temptation to buy a bunch of things I don’t need. :-)

]]> By: Stock Investing Guru http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66369 Stock Investing Guru Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:29:16 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66369 You know what's a great idea... get some friends/neighbors together and go to Costco, Sam's, etc. and buy bulk items. You can split the cost and divide up the food. I read about a family that does that in the Wall Street Journal. You know what’s a great idea… get some friends/neighbors together and go to Costco, Sam’s, etc. and buy bulk items. You can split the cost and divide up the food. I read about a family that does that in the Wall Street Journal.

]]> By: H&H http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66366 H&H Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:06:41 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66366 Hi Kathyrn, et Al I was just wondering do you include items like laundry soaps, tissue paper, tooth paste etc. in the budget or are they separate? If they are separate how much have you allocated to these items. Thanks for the great helpful hints. We have found that buying gift cards gets us the points we want while still limiting the $$ just like cash. Hi Kathyrn, et Al

I was just wondering do you include items like laundry soaps, tissue paper, tooth paste etc. in the budget or are they separate? If they are separate how much have you allocated to these items.

Thanks for the great helpful hints.
We have found that buying gift cards gets us the points we want while still limiting the $$ just like cash.

]]> By: Sassy http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66328 Sassy Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:17:11 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66328 Way to go! I am a mommysaver as well. You are awesome! Way to go! I am a mommysaver as well. You are awesome!

]]> By: Dave http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66320 Dave Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:57:29 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66320 #8 is a great point. I find our Costco trips are very expensive and encourages us as a family to over indulge (eat more, waste more) most of the time. Very tempted to now renew our membership this year... #8 is a great point. I find our Costco trips are very expensive and encourages us as a family to over indulge (eat more, waste more) most of the time. Very tempted to now renew our membership this year…

]]> By: Millionaire Acts http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66296 Millionaire Acts Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:44:33 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66296 Nice list! I will also follow this when my turn to have my own family comes =) Nice list! I will also follow this when my turn to have my own family comes =)

]]> By: Ray http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66288 Ray Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:59:35 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66288 Ok, the two of us make over 100k/year and there's only *two* of us so maybe this doesn't apply but cmon, make a few extra bucks, get some real jobs. Life is too short to worry about whether you need one peanut butter over the other. Buy healthy stuff that you want to eat and get out of there as fast as you can. Do you really want to spend that much of your life at the retailer and with a calculator (cmon)? Ok, the two of us make over 100k/year and there’s only *two* of us so maybe this doesn’t apply but cmon, make a few extra bucks, get some real jobs. Life is too short to worry about whether you need one peanut butter over the other. Buy healthy stuff that you want to eat and get out of there as fast as you can. Do you really want to spend that much of your life at the retailer and with a calculator (cmon)?

]]> By: cannon_fodder http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66281 cannon_fodder Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:46:45 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66281 I marvel more about the fact that $32k/year is all that is required to keep the whole household running! I'm budgeting $36k - $42k for our retirement (today's dollars) and we won't have kids, mortgage, RRSP/RESP/TFSA contributions, etc., etc. Well done! I marvel more about the fact that $32k/year is all that is required to keep the whole household running! I’m budgeting $36k – $42k for our retirement (today’s dollars) and we won’t have kids, mortgage, RRSP/RESP/TFSA contributions, etc., etc.

Well done!

]]> By: Craig http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66266 Craig Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:01:18 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66266 That's extremely impressive. I probably spend about $80/week just on myself. this also includes food for lunch since I brown bag everyday. Either way without buying in bulk and feeding for multiple that is extremely impressive. That’s extremely impressive. I probably spend about $80/week just on myself. this also includes food for lunch since I brown bag everyday. Either way without buying in bulk and feeding for multiple that is extremely impressive.

]]> By: My Name In Arabic http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66265 My Name In Arabic Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:51:07 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66265 That's exactly what I am doing. My next strategy is taking a calculator with me to the supermarket. I realized that doing the maths mentally is no good. That’s exactly what I am doing.
My next strategy is taking a calculator with me to the supermarket. I realized that doing the maths mentally is no good.

]]> By: Navvy http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66260 Navvy Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:09:22 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66260 Don't forget about leftovers! Things like pastabakes or stews are great for lunch the next day, and you'll make your coworkers jealous. Don’t forget about leftovers! Things like pastabakes or stews are great for lunch the next day, and you’ll make your coworkers jealous.

]]> By: Aman@BullsBattleBears.com http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66250 Aman@BullsBattleBears.com Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:38:39 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66250 Also, COUPONS help reduce costs further. I made post on how I managed to get over $100 worth of groceries for a major fraction. If I am allowed to link, here is the post http://bullsbattlebears.com/?p=383 ,otherwise please remove if its not allowed. Also, COUPONS help reduce costs further. I made post on how I managed to get over $100 worth of groceries for a major fraction. If I am allowed to link, here is the post http://bullsbattlebears.com/?p=383 ,otherwise please remove if its not allowed.

]]> By: Kim http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/how-we-feed-our-family-of-four-on-100-a-week.htm/comment-page-1#comment-66237 Kim Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:19:31 +0000 http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/?p=750#comment-66237 These are great tips, Kathryn. It's hard to feed a family healthy meals on a budget but it sounds like you have the basic tips nailed. I find that investing a little time in planning ahead saves me the most, sticking to a list, along with having a plan for leftovers. I think the biggest waste in the typical food budget comes from both impulse purchases at the market and not using up what you have. For more tips on saving on groceries, check out this forum: http://mommysavers.com/boards/money-saving-tips-food/ These are great tips, Kathryn. It’s hard to feed a family healthy meals on a budget but it sounds like you have the basic tips nailed.

I find that investing a little time in planning ahead saves me the most, sticking to a list, along with having a plan for leftovers. I think the biggest waste in the typical food budget comes from both impulse purchases at the market and not using up what you have.

For more tips on saving on groceries, check out this forum:
http://mommysavers.com/boards/money-saving-tips-food/

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