What do you spend on Groceries each month? Family of 4?

[Anonymous]

I agree that the left overs should be maximized. We could do better. When I have a chicken, I should scrape everything off the bone and make soup.
Also, the basics like spaghetti should take a bigger place in our menu.

[Anonymous]

I love H-mart and international mart-great prices and selection on produce and much fresher than safeway or giant.

we do a farm share in the summer and find that it works out to be cheaper than buying at the grocery store. also-less trips, less impulse buys.

[Anonymous]

Apparently we are all in the same boat...I guess kind of nice to know. a friend of mine swears by shoppers over teh rest and I have done a couple of comparisons with giant, etc and it seems a bit cheaper, at least the produce is. I don't know much how to cook with "alternative proteins" (they are for me!) so i stretch chicken breasts by shredding it into something instead of serving the whole breast or chunks of...
we aren't soda drinkers, but I do mix juice with additional water...my kids are young so I dont want the additional sugar anyhow.
I make lots of corn fritters and latkes...

I also can't wait til we are done with diapers...we'll save 1200 per year!

[Anonymous]

The savings at shoppers are great with produce. I can't afford whole foods produce. I do buy their meat and other foods, b/c I am anti trans fat.
I often wonder what we would do if we lost our jobs. Which luxuries would be the first to go. I would get rid of cable and the extra phone services (like caller id). We would also have to cut unnecessary loads of laundry, trips in car, and conserve on heating and cooling.
My parents did even more creative things in the 70's when things were bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try cutting out all softdrinks and most juices. Little nutrition at a cost.
Also, we do A LOT of second hand clothes. I am not too proud to do that.

I don't think there is any thing shameful about handme down cloths. I have used them and I give some very nice cloths away to friends too. I think children grow so fast, it would be ashamed to not reuse. I have actually had friends ask me for my daughters cloths b/c most were hanna anderson, I give them to the people that I think most can not afford extras.

[Anonymous]

we shop at the commissary and save so much. I am very thankful for that benifit of the military. I went today and spent $120. I could never do that at safeway, giant or wholepaycheck.

[Anonymous]

Dried lentils are cheap. Soak them then cook them. They have protein.