# How much do you spend on groceries per month?



## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Not counting non food items. And how many people are in your family? How low could you go if you had to and still make it?


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

well that would be telling how much preps I have wouldn't it?
Cause anything under $200 a month and i am dipping way far into our preps.
That's with our garden. 2 people 2 large dogs to feed and with some bartering too.
It used to be closer to $125.

Why do you want to know?


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Less than 400 norm 350 this is for a family of 3 (plus lots of friends)
With that I can feed the family and put food aside. 
I only buy sales and we are willing to eat eggs and other home grown.
The money goes for peanut butter, butter, sugar, coffee, beef (5 pound a month) and Pork (5 pounds a months)
Fruit, and vegs. (many I can not grow up here) What ever I can do to save food money each month to put aside
for when there is a lost leader. 

I might have coffee, fruit, butter, oil, and some meat and fruits and vegs but then I might have 20 cans of mushrooms and 20 cans of corn and 60 cans of fruit and 20 pounds of pasta. Looks weird but in the course of a year. it all balances out so that I rarly pay full price. We, have and will eat egg dishes and pasta dishes and stir fries till other food items are worth it to buy. I have not bought cereal in over a year WHY because I get 3 pound bags of one we really like for 2.50 cents so I filled the cart and use the money from NOT finding items worth the price. We have enough in 6 years to have enough variety. Plus all the food groups covered. --I hope that this helps.


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

As a general rule I try to spend about $10 per person, per week. 6 people right now= $60 weekly.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

around $200(after coupons) including toiletries for 5...very little meat purchased

but I spend $300 a month for grain and hay..16 goats, 27 rabbits, 35 chickens, one 2yr dairy bull, 2 calves 1m and 3m
and my boys hunt and fish and we (the girls) garden/forage/glean a good amount


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

depends on the month..there are 2 of us...sometimes $0...no groceries can be bought.

Sometimes as much as $100 a couple times a year. But per month, I average about $50-80 and thats WITH critter food and toiletries. This month, spent about $25...but mostly cause I have som much from the garden right now. All I really had to buy was bacon, eggs, flour and sugar and dogfood and I did splurge and bought candy for cookies I made. However, I'm going to have to go to the store this weekend as I'm out of butter, yeast, and baking powder and need to get some layer pellets.


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

For DH and I maybe $60-80 a month, but I am vegetarian - so almost no meat bought. We could maybe bring it down to $50, but that would get old fast. We spend way more each month on pet food.


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

I'm nosy LOL. Really I'm wondering what is "normalish" these days for others that are "prep minded". 
Squash, I'm not after your preps. Your grocery bill would not let me know what your preps are anyway or if it did I'm too tired to somehow figure it out and don't want to anyway  If I was after someones preps :teehee: I wouldn't be able to afford tires good enough to get there roflol!!

Other people generally don't have goats or cows or hens ect. to suppliment and we do so I thought here would be the best place to ask 

We are able to use our goats milk now :rock: and have LOTS of eggs from our hens. It really helps the grocery bill!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

how low could I go?

to zero for a good bit of time but I'd be depleting stocks....I do have room to plant more and I could seriously down-size the critters for a win/win on the budget

I could eat squirrel often...and fish...and turtles...and frog legs


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## Sunbee (Sep 30, 2008)

I'm about where Melissa is. I expect it's going to go up as the kids approach the teen growth spurt age, however. That's with six of us, four being children. No animals.
I can go pretty low, however, for a while, because of preps. This summer it's been $20 or less some weeks. (Milk, eggs, cheese.) I'm going to have to spend extra to rebuild preps later, though, but times like this is one reason we have preps in the first place.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

mpillow said:


> how low could I go?
> 
> to zero for a good bit of time but I'd be depleting stocks....I do have room to plant more and I could seriously down-size the critters for a win/win on the budget
> 
> I could eat squirrel often...and fish...and turtles...and frog legs


I've learned to appreciate legs and eggs for breakfasts.....still hard to get over the squirming legs when you salt them though.:hysterical:


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

We butchered a bunny once that even after it was parted out one of the legs kept twitching....creepy...


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Ok I should have said how low can you go without depleting your preps/not using them more than normal 

Oh mpillow we saw a bunch of the teeniest pained turtles in our creek!! They looked the size of a quarter! We have seen a beaver and a couple of big snappers too.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I spend between 60 and 100 dollars each month for one person.

How do some of you keep the bills so low?

Can you give me a day in the life, of what your menu might be?
Breakfast, lunch, diner, and snacks.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

ne prairiemama said:


> I'm nosy LOL. Really I'm wondering what is "normalish" these days for others that are "prep minded".
> Squash, I'm not after your preps. Your grocery bill would not let me know what your preps are anyway or if it did I'm too tired to somehow figure it out and don't want to anyway  If I was after someones preps :teehee: I wouldn't be able to afford tires good enough to get there roflol!!
> 
> Other people generally don't have goats or cows or hens ect. to suppliment and we do so I thought here would be the best place to ask
> ...


I was kidding., but most people here have some thing to supplement their store bought stuff. we have the rabbits and sell just enough to cover their costs. I have no idea how much it would cost to buy an equal amount of meat for us.

Some nights we will have rabbit, potatoes and a veggie from the garden so all it costs is a what ever butter flour and spices cost us.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Please understand that food prices are HIGH in alaska. a 15 oz can of peaches normal 2.99 each. (I will not pay more that 1 dollar) tomates fresh-4.19 a pound Butter 4.99 a pound. Cheapes loaf of bread 1.99 Oil 18.29 off brand of veg oil. one gallon. Lettuce 1.99 a head on sale .............(I weighed it today to find the best head 9.5 oz.)----I do weigh produce when it is a per item price.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

i think prepping is what keeps our grocery bill as low as it is.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

It's been under $50 for the last four months for 3 - two adults & a teenager. 
Hubby & I both eat two meals a day ... teenager @ least one then she eats @ work or a friends. We also eat one meal @ church per month sometimes more if any of us help out with a wake or gathering. 

I've been using the whole powdered milk that I bought from Shelf Reliance to mix up a half gallon of milk about every other day. Some times it's every third day. Other than that we drink room temp water, cold green ice tea flavored with mint from the garden, sweetened with Stevia, & coffee. 

We only eat meat 3 to 4 days a week and it's a smaller portion than the good old days of a two income family. Home canned goods & garden are filling in the rest of the menu.Twice a month I help ot in a food pantry with the fresh produce run so I get the left overs items like chard or half rotten melons. Sometimes I can piece together a stir fry or a fruit cold plate enough for a few days.
We've tried to organize cooking classes johnny on the spot complete with a recipe flier ... goes over like a lead weight in the ocean but that's a different thread. 

As of late I've been putting in effort to earn those swagbucks which I convert to amazon gift cards. Have bought Armour Lard mostly for pie baking both for selling & bartering, Peanut Butter, Organic Oatmeal, waiting on an order of Lipiton Green Tea flavored with vanilla & black current. 
My plan as long as I'm out of work is to stock the pantry & long term preps by this method. 
Planning using this method to bulk buy our groceries minus fresh dairy for as long as it's viable.

My other methods of obtaining goods is bartering & gleaning occasionally foraging. 

I also do bulk purchases of goods when our tax check comes in Feb. This year I added to our Long term with #10 cans from LDS Warehouse. Bought O2 absorbers & mylar bags from them also.
Bought a 25 pound bag of brown rice from my local restaurant supply store.

What I didn't buy was a bulk order of beef as I had in years past. 


~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

We had a painted for the first time this year in our pond...usually we have snappers and although good eating..I relocate them to the "mud pond" 1/2mile away...

_
How do some of you keep the bills so low?_

Sales and coupons....I never pay for toothpatse/razors/toothbrushes/fem hygiene...free to money makers generally at drug stores

Actually I sell about $60 a month in eggs, plus a few chickens, buns, goats, started calves....so really my feed bill is about $200 a month net.

Another way to keep your grocery low is to not be afraid of blood, guts and work....free animals on craigslist and a little work...


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

City Bound said:


> I spend between 60 and 100 dollars each month for one person.
> 
> How do some of you keep the bills so low?
> 
> ...


Home grown goodness keeps it low, plus I never shop at super markets, NEVER they are like way higher then anything else. I have a lot of farmers around me so I buy from them for less then anywhere else...eggs, 99 cents, bacon, $2. Other then the occasional fish or grub, I don't eat other meat much though I will if I see a good deal or for a special occasion (38 cent leg quarters at kmart last week so I bought some there).
When we do use meat, it's more of a flavoring then a portion. No junk food, too expensive. I cook everything from scratch but I will make make ahead meals for the freezer for when we are in a hurry.

Breakfest, irish oats with whatever berries I've got from the garden or foraging with a little honey or brown sugar to sweeten. An egg, scrambled or hardboiled.
Lunch...summer squash patties (from the garden) with homemade (from the garden) salsa. Side of greens or whatever veggies from the garden I feel like having. 
Dinner, likely the same as I double up recipeis to save time later. Or, just a PB sandwhich with home made bread and homemade homegrown strawberry, elderberry, rose hip, or raspberry, jam. Sometimes it's egg salad or tuna salad though.
Really don't snack much but sometimes I'll make cookies, sugar or pb as they are inexpensive to make, and all the veggies one can stand to eat during a day from the garden.

We do eat a lot of rice and beans, generally. Sometimes we get meat to put in it, usually not though. We like cornbread and greens too, with bacon in the greens. DH won't eat breakfest, and sometimes skips lunch too.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

I plead the fifth. :icecream:

Seriously though. I don't even _know_ anymore. How terrible is that? There are so many expenses that get worked into the purchases and if I'm to be completely honest it has been years since I've sat down and worked out the receipts category by category. I know about what I spend per week on average at the store, but a lot of that is supplies -- toiletries, cleaning products, canning jars, etc. -- and still more of it is animal related since two dogs, two rabbits, a hamster, a beta fish (was 3 beta fish previously) and a cat live here in addition to the humans.


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Oh ok I wasn't sure SN lol!


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

kasilofhome said:


> Please understand that food prices are HIGH in alaska. a 15 oz can of peaches normal 2.99 each. (I will not pay more that 1 dollar) tomates fresh-4.19 a pound Butter 4.99 a pound. Cheapes loaf of bread 1.99 Oil 18.29 off brand of veg oil. one gallon. Lettuce 1.99 a head on sale .............(I weighed it today to find the best head 9.5 oz.)----I do weigh produce when it is a per item price.


I heard that food is high there because it has to be shiped in.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

Palenka do you have to be an LDS to go to the bulk center?


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

depends on the sales and coupons and what meat is clearanced! I shoot for 60-70 a week - including bread and milk... but some weeks it is less- some it is more- mmmmm guess then that is what they call an average LOL
we have enough though that the four of us one teen. one 8 yr old and me could go at least 2 months - we might loose some weight LOL- but then - me and DH could stand to do that!


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

If most of your food comes from preps you need to add up the cost of your preps for the year, divide it by 12, and then add that cost to what you are spending each month for food, that will give you more of an idea of what you are really spending. I think you should add up the cost of all seeds and transplants you buy for the garden and all feed cost and the actual buying price of your animals and devide that by 12 also, and then add that monthly sum to the total for the month.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I think oatmeal and farina are probably the cheapest and most nutritious for breakfast...I'd love to buy wheat berries at WM but no one carries them here. 
Often I get cereal on sale w/ coupon for 50c-$1 for 6 servings (says 12 but you know growing kids)
Milk---I have lots of goat milk --5 in milk...so I cook with it and make easy cheese and my youngest drinks it steady! excess for now goes to veal critter.
I buy a gal. of whole cow milk a week typically for DH,DS
Again my husband prefers dinner leftovers for breakfast...and lunch at work

LUNCHES--fresh veg, cheap after coupon hotdogs/bologna/tuna and egg salad/potato salad....big batch of chicken fried rice for the week

For dinner often its wild game/or farm grown meat plus green beans or broc or squash and potatoes ($7.50 per 50#) spaghetti or chili (w/ homegrown canned tomatoes and wild game and cheap noodles)

snacks---chex mix bought on sale w/coupon for under 50c a bag...pies...I do a lot with berries and rhubarb...trail mix with the 10c bananas(dehydrated) from feed store, no bake cookies(very nutritious and filling), yogurt(goat milk), pudding popsicles(goat milk)

We've also been eating a lot of zupa soup---a bit of bacon/sausage(moose)/potatoes/chicken stock and spinach/swiss chard (we grow it) with a touch of cream (I use milk)

I made garden soup today:
some fresh potatoes(from garden), green beans(from garden), an ear of corn cut off(from garden), a pint of leftover pintos(from Sunday), and a pint of chunked pork(homegrown) from 2009....some spice...fresh apple slices(cut from homegrown wormy apples) on the side


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

It's hard to say here because if there is something on sale like leg quarters (.50) this week or pork steak or pork country ribs we will buy 50 or so lbs. and freeze it. Then we eat off it. We also go to a couple salvage stores to buy can goods or what ever they happen to have. I bought about 25 or 30 lbs. of King Arthur flour last year for 1.50 per 5 lb. bag. We also bought 50 lbs. of brown rice a few months ago for about 10.00. It's almost gone, DH eats rice every day, so got to keep an eye out for it again.

Last week we got 5 lbs. of sliced cheese for 6.00 So as you can see it would be hard to figure out a monthly budget.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

ah, but what if you save your own seeds from year to year? or trade for diffrent ones? (I do generally do that. though I've started a running tally for next year to see what my garden is really costing me and so far next year's garden has cost me 72 cents (seeds from a clearence rack at walgreens) and I need nothing else, got everything I need for next year already as I make my own compost for seed starting, recycle containers from work for seed trays and don't buy transplants or ferlizers or bug sprays/weed killers at all) I get free manure and mulch too, delivered! for free! ...gotta love craigslist and tree trimming serveces and neighbors who bag grass clippings... My chickens cost 2.50 a piece this year and I have four. I've bought 4 bags of chicken feed so far ($11 a bag for start and grow) but I added that into my grocery costs already. They get a lot of weeds and scraps and old leftovers and sunflower seeds from my own sunflowers, and crushed eggshells too, along with bugs and all that so they are busy making me manure too. Of course the cost to build the small coop and the run cost me roughly $200. I did not buy it all at once, but in parts. They should start laying withen a month. Most of that $200 came from plants I sold outta my garden (divided from big established plants, from cuttings I'd rooted, or just extras from starting seeds).

Most of the grocery cost is in winter....when all the prices jump and the farms close thier little shops for the winter so I have to buy elsewhere. This year I'll try to stock up BEFORE then so I won't have to go to the grocery stores. I do forage some too, but since my garden is maturing and doing so well I find I have to do that much less except for fishing and mushroom and nut gathering.

We are not big dairy drinkers, so we use powderd milk for baking and cooking with. Other wise the milk ends up going bad if I buy a gallon or even a half gallon. Meat and dairy are the expensive stuff and since we don't consume that much we save A LOT by not buying it.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

For 2 people with one diabetic. Jan. $135.58, Feb. $206.34, March $272.89, April $328.93, May $175.69, June $254.27, July $144.65. That averages to $216.90 per month. I keep close track so I'm sure this is accurate. My budget is actually $200.00 a month so I'm not doing as good as I should. Partly that is due to price increases and partly due to prepping. I do not have a separate prepping budget. 

I could manage with purchasing only a gallon of milk a week for a couple of months if necessary. I'd be much happier buying fresh veggies and fruits to supplement but that's a want not a need. We wouldn't starve if we had to live off preps but I wouldn't be thrilled with powdered milk and eggs.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

$10 for a 50p bag of brown rice is a good price.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

Nickie you are doing good. If you save seeds then that does not count as an expense because you are generating your own wealth. Saving seeds, propogating, and breeding animals is a form of producing wealth.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

City Bound said:


> Nickie you are doing good. If you save seeds then that does not count as an expense because you are generating your own wealth. Saving seeds, propogating, and breeding animals is a form of producing wealth.


It pays for my garden, otherwise I don't think I could afford to get it started every year....I don't make a profit but generaly break even I guess if I count pickling spices, jars, electric bill for the plant lights when starting seeds and all that lol I have just enough left over from the last plant sale to buy my plum tree I've been wanting for the past few years. I'm excited! I so want a santa rosa like I had growing up...


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

It is a juggling act sometimes with costs and rewards. I wouldnt count jars because they are life long investments, but I personally would count the cost of canning lids. Have you seen those new reuse canning lids? They look good, but they are expensive. Ouch! I need to get into seed saving, i am tired of the start up costs each year for my garden. $25 for seeds is not a small cost each year.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

Seed saving is actually rediculously easy. You could do it. It really doesn't even matter if it's a hybrid either...sure it MAY not turn out the same, but it is usually close enough and do just fine.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

City Bound said:


> If most of your food comes from preps you need to add up the cost of your preps for the year, divide it by 12, and then add that cost to what you are spending each month for food, that will give you more of an idea of what you are really spending. I think you should add up the cost of all seeds and transplants you buy for the garden and all feed cost and the actual buying price of your animals and devide that by 12 also, and then add that monthly sum to the total for the month.


Well this is how we do it, and your right. The $200 a month includes our preps.
I sell garlic to cover the cost of my seeds and some of my lids. I have spent about $80 for seeds the last 2 years. most go for preps. But seed save alot of them too.
I grow all my own transplants and have my plant table in the living room so we share the light from the plants to light the room.
i buy some rabbit stock, but sell an equal amount to cover those.
Dh and I have always treated every thing we do like a mini business.
of course the rabbits provide alot of manure and some of our dog food.
i usually get about 350 quarts of food from my back yard garden. There is only a small strip of grass left because i have gotten carried away digging the yard up. maybe a strip wide enough for a small rabbit tractor is left.
About once a year we go in to spokane and buy 25-25 pound bags of lentles, split peas and pearl barley, as well as some whole feild peas. That month we skip our reg. shopping. But it usually costs about $230 for those dry goods.
the whole feild peas go to help feed the rabbits and dogs.
we do the lentles and peas buy for the food bank once a year. That is the best way we can give for the amount we can afford to spend. I was hoping to share my garden with the food bank this year, but that isn't going to happen. If things keep going we won't be able to do the lentles for them either.


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## Pelenaka (Jul 27, 2007)

City Bound said:


> Palenka do you have to be an LDS to go to the bulk center?


No, I'm a Presbyterian by marriage.

City, there is a LDS Warehouse in Bridgeport & Piscataway, NJ, so if you were of the mind to go & either just buy your dry goods in bulk & repack @ home or pack in #10 cans @ the facility you could. 

I had planned on visiting the one in Canandaigua with a gf & a few other preppers from another forum but never happened. 

Link for LDS online store - products are under the Self-Reliance page - http://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategories1_715839595_10557_-1_



~~ pelenaka ~~
http://thirtyfivebyninety.blogspot.com/


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

thank you.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

That isn't a simple answer. Since prepping is considered, also DH hunts, we both fish, both dig clams (mostly him), harvest oysters, trap shrimp, crab, have chickens, also raising our own pork, are growing more than enough for ourselves all year around for fruits/veggies, and literally can barter for anything we really "need," that could be a very low amount per month. When you take into consider "wants," then the cost goes up. Also, would vary as you rotate out your preps, what kinds of preps you have, etc... How long could we go without buying food for ourselves? As long as we would need to, considering all we have in place, including the plethora of wild edibles growing right here on our property and in the hundreds of acres around us. There is a chasm of difference, in my mind, between "wants" and "needs." We are buying pet food, but I don't count that as a household food budget nor do I consider the chicken feed part of it, either. Otherwise, I would have to count the amount we spent on our camping/fishing trip, which netted us 40#s of King Salmon. But if I were to deduct the cost of feeding the chickens, our cats, our dog (they each are working either producing eggs, getting rid of rodents, or protecting our property), the cost of us fishing, crabbing, shrimping, etc... we are way ahead in food value vs cost. That could lead to figuring out how many hours/day is spent gardening, the cost of the water (well= electricity for the water pump), etc...


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## SCRancher (Jan 11, 2011)

My wife does all the shopping.
Family of 4 she used to spend with cleaning supplies and toiletries:
Greater than $600 per month up to 700 to 800 but probably average somewhere in the 600 range.

In the last 2-3 months she is trying to reduce that to $300 - 350 per month.

I think she is making progress but not there yet however through her efforts
if she finds a deal she buys a large supply so in a way she is starting to accumulate
more on hand - no rhyme or reason to it. She has started to only buy when she has coupons except when we run totally out of a "necessity" she'll get it w/o a coupon.

We are not yet preppers so this is not any effort to store away supplies.
If I had to guess we have 2-3 months on hand if we had to stretch it although 
we would not really like what we would be eating at the end.

I say we are not yet preppers although I bought the land I have almost 5 years
ago because I didn't like the way things were heading and I still don't. 

For now I just have cattle and some 4H OLD laying hens on the land - reckon if SHTF and we were forced to leave our house that's where we would go.

Like I said not a prepper yet but you all got me thinking....


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

I have a $500 per month budget for food, gas, and critter food. If there's enough overtime I get more. That's for 8 people, 3 dogs, and about 20 chickens. And yes Abe screams here some months. The chickens free range the backyard to help with their feed and I put up every single thing I can from the garden and I never ever turn down a deer. We'd go into preps pretty fast without a weekly store run but I could manage for awhile. I cook from scratch. 25lbs of flour goes a LOT farther than 6 loaves of bread. I don't buy a lot of meat but some when the deer runs low like now. I don't use coupons either. I can never find them on things I need. 
Soon to be son in law is already getting ready for hunting season and I'm thankful. The freezer is fast approaching empty. Dh wants me to dehydrate and can more deer this year. Usually I just freeze it.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

My budget is $400 a month for two adults, 17yob & 15yob, but that includes dog food (2 large dogs), food for the barn cats, livestock supplies, garden supplies, and toiletries. It's getting harder to do.

We raise a lot of our own food, barter with and glean from neighbours, and buy local organic as much as possible. We raise our own meat, and trade for beef (I have no intention of getting into beef raising, as I live in cattle country and can get a hindquarter, cut and delivered, with a single phone call), and we hunt for wild food.

With the price of staples going up, and with my boys appetites growing daily, it's getting much harder to do, though.


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2011)

olivehill said:


> Seriously though. I don't even _know_ anymore. How terrible is that? There are so many expenses that get worked into the purchases and if I'm to be completely honest it has been years since I've sat down and worked out the receipts category by category. I know about what I spend per week on average at the store, but a lot of that is supplies -- toiletries, cleaning products, canning jars, etc. -- and still more of it is animal related since two dogs, two rabbits, a hamster, a beta fish (was 3 beta fish previously) and a cat live here in addition to the humans.


Similar situation here. 

But how many people are considering groceries as just food? How many are counting non-food essentials? If you are prepping, how much are you spending just on the food you eat in a month (NOT counting extra that is stored for future use)?

I'm not sure how to figure it out.


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## melissa78 (Oct 14, 2010)

Right now, I am spending $400-$500 per month for 5 people and a dog, but I am in active mode...


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

When I was working and we had 5 children our monthly grocery budget was $200. Though my Dw worked at NMRS [Navy / Marine Corps Relief Society] where she was a budget counselor. She really focused a lot of time on budgeting and being frugal.

Now that I am retired and homesteading our monthly grocery budget has gone down to ~$50.


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2011)

SCRancher said:


> My wife does all the shopping.
> Family of 4 she used to spend with cleaning supplies and toiletries:
> Greater than $600 per month up to 700 to 800 but probably average somewhere in the 600 range.
> 
> ...


See if your wife wants to be my facebook friend: http://www.facebook.com/ladycat00 My deals and coupon posts might help her out a bit.


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

WOW-I'm jealous over the low amount done by most of y'all...Ours is 400 for 2 people..but 150.00 of that is put away for preps.Roughly 200 for animal feed a month...200.00 for wife's meds-if she was'nt on free drug program from "evil" drug companies-it would be 2200.00 a month


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

Tracy Rimmer said:


> With the price of staples going up, and with my boys appetites growing daily, it's getting much harder to do, though.


yes it is! I buy ground turkey when we run out of deer meat. The pound that used to cost me 59 cents is now 1.49! Ground beef around here is never under $2 a lb even for the fatty stuff. More often its over $3 a lb. Weekly I am having to make the decision "can we do without this this week?" I'm cutting corners everywhere I can and it is downright hard to prep when prices are going up so much. I keep a pot for scraps to feed the chickens and there is less and less in it each day.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

NickieL said:


> Seed saving is actually rediculously easy. You could do it. It really doesn't even matter if it's a hybrid either...sure it MAY not turn out the same, but it is usually close enough and do just fine.


Besides hybrid v heirloom you also have to consider cross pollination. I grow more than one variety of most garden goodies and don't have space or time to really separate them adequately. In those cases I'm pretty much guaranteed to _not_ get even close to the same thing. 

To me, if I'm going to put in all that work -- and because my goal is for my garden to produce enough for me to put up to feed us through the winter, not just fresh eating and a little canning here and there -- a $2 packet of seeds is a small investment. I look at it as insurance. 



ladycat said:


> Similar situation here.
> 
> But how many people are considering groceries as just food? How many are counting non-food essentials? If you are prepping, how much are you spending just on the food you eat in a month (NOT counting extra that is stored for future use)?
> 
> I'm not sure how to figure it out.


I am wondering the same thing, Ladycat. The OP specifically says without non-food items, but then some have said they are including them and others make no clarification one way or another. Those things make a big difference in the budget. For us they make up most of the bill at this point.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

sure SOME things will cross pollinate easily, like cucumbers, mellons, squash...

but bagging blossoms and hand fertlizing arn't all that hard to do if you are just wanting a few for seed saving.

things like tomatoes, are pretty much self contained little flowers and you really don't have to worry about it much. There are some great books out there about saving your own seeds out there. I've never really had trouble getting weird stuff from saved seeds from tomatoes.

heck you can even come up with your OWN hybrids on purpose . At one time I had over 50 roses I had bred myself, before i moved to Indiana. Just for fun. Had a yard full of roses.

Of course it's not everyone's cup of tea but I'm a little bit of a nerd and I find doing it fascinating and even fun. Plus, if the SHTF, i will be well versed in how to do it and maybe even end up making a living raising seeds for others who don't.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

About 130 a week for provisions.. that's for my, 3 kids, and myself.

That includes the feed critters that can at times be rather expensive.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Indeed --if I had more acreage my animal feed cost would be much lower....I have what I have on about 6 acres(more than half is heavily wooded or swampy) so hay and grain come from outside. Blue Seal test cow 16% sweet feed is at $12 a bag for 50# I could buy from the commodity house(by the ton) and save $100 a month but it means getting a small silo and making a rigging with the tractor to hoist(a giant grits pain in the winter)....and its only 14% and not sweetened....I'll pay the extra for convenience and palatability and nutrition for now.
This year I expect 600# of meat(minimum boneless) from our farming efforts (beef,veal,goats, and bunnies) and then about 2 dzn eggs a week and a 2 gallon of goat milk a week. Thats $200 in eggs yearly, $450 in milk yearly, and $1800 in meat at $3/# for our own consumption....total$2450...feed costs roughly the same $2500 net and I still have breeding stock....and poop for the garden.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

NickieL said:


> sure SOME things will cross pollinate easily, like cucumbers, mellons, squash...
> 
> but bagging blossoms and hand fertlizing arn't all that hard to do if you are just wanting a few for seed saving.
> 
> ...



Well if we're talking post-SHTF it's an entirely different ballgame. 1) I'd have gobs more time on my hands to isolate blossoms. 2) I probably wouldn't grow 10 varieties of squash just for the sake of growing 10 varieties of squash. LOL! 

I was saying as an avenue for reducing costs it may or may not be a judicious use of one's time and energy _now_. For some people it may work well. For others it may not be worth it. Lots more to consider than just what type of fruit/veggie you began with though.


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## TheMartianChick (May 26, 2009)

I think that we are currently spending about $200 per month but that does include paper towels and toilet paper. Since we buy sale items in bulk, that amount of money is never for the amount of groceries that we actually use in a month. It is just the amount that we are spending. I don't spend money on things like soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc. Those I get for free with coupons, sales and loyalty programs.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

This month. 1/2 ton of wheat and 2 ton of oats, all set for winter. Son did bring us a case of Snows premium chunk white chicken in water, 99 cents a can x 24 cans but....wouldn't let us pay him, used 1 can for chicken salad on club crackers. I did have him get me a bottle of Mrs. Dash while he was at Waremart, $2.35 I think. Love it on steamed zuchinni, steamed cabbage and cole slaw. I have gone fishing a few times for cut throat trout, our own yellow perch, butchered 6 rabbits and lots of garden produce. Apples, pears, plums and berries, eggs and goats milk products round out our meals. Summers are cheap and easy. A few more days and we will have corn on the cob, zuchinni and tomatoes every day, can't wait....James


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## Melissa (Apr 15, 2002)

My amount includes all food eaten, seeds, and canning lids. I used to include chicken feed, but we sell enough eggs to more than cover it so now I don't. 

I have a nice garden every year and really work hard to be sure we have something fresh from it almost every day from April-November or December- depends on the weather. We butcher our own chickens, buy half of a grass-fed beef every fall and get a few deer also. We have fruit trees and berries. Mostly it is a mindset of buying only what is on sale. I have done it for so many years it is second-nature. 

Whenever I shop, I jot down the cost of all food items on my desk calendar. At the end of the month I total that and add it to my running total for they year. I then average it per week to see how I am doing. I actually spend about $50 or less per week, because I try to save back $10 per week for the beef purchase. Last half we bought was about $400 wrapped and delivered.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Non food items in this house probably only range about $15 a month.
t paper, shampoo, bar soap, dish soap, bleach.
make our own laundry soap.

If you buy on sale in bulk, you shouldn't have to spend more to prep.
Each month it acumulates as you buy different cases of things, even if you use a few out of the case each month you should still get ahead.
Of course if your trying to stay ahead of inflation right now and you have it to spend I would be buy 2-3 cases or more to replace food as we go along.

In fact right now may not be a good time to be economical, stocking up may be a better idea, at lightning speed.


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## mommathea (May 27, 2009)

We budget $370 a month for groceries for a family of 6 - that includes stocking up on food prep. I wish it was more to build up our food preps more quickly - we just moved and had to use up the food that we had stored- during that time we lived with DH parents and we paid for the groceries so we didn't save any food cash - inlaws eat a lot of food  
And we didn't have a garden this year, and had to get rid of our chickens for the move.

Now the garden plot is being readied for next year, and the new chicks are growing out. That should help a lot for next year. 

For non food items like toiletries, dog food, oil for the car ect... $120.


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## jlrbhjmnc (May 2, 2010)

For a household of two plus two little ones about two full days per week.
Includes paper products, plastic wrap and those sorts of things, cleaning products and toiletries.
Includes prep items.
Just under $200 per month over the last year. I think it will go up a bit now that we are finally out of debt, thanks be to God. We'd like to increase our preps and have meat more often.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

I was curious about the canning lid cost so I did some number crunching. Based on the spreadsheet I keep as a sort of gauge I spend more than $6 per month just on canning lids. :teehee:


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## Parttimefarmer (May 5, 2011)

6-700 for 7 to 9 people. That includes buying in bulk items, and when on sale in large quantities. I could easily go well over $1000 if I wasn't a careful shopper. I could go as low as zero a month, then up to $50-$100 for quite some time.


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## hsmom2four (Oct 13, 2008)

$600-700 for 6 of us (dh and me plus 3 teens and a 5 y/o). That does include dog, bunny and chicken food plus all household goods. I do not keep track of just food costs so I do not know what we spend on actual people food only. We are pretty much well stocked and I buy large quanties of things we use when they are on sale.

We could eat from the pantry for a good while without spending anything so I could go as low as $0 if I had to. As little $150 for a few months would keep us comfortable but the preps would deplete rapidly.


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## hsmom2four (Oct 13, 2008)

ladycat said:


> See if your wife wants to be my facebook friend: http://www.facebook.com/ladycat00 My deals and coupon posts might help her out a bit.


Ladycat--I sent you a friend req--for the coupon deals. Please!


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

olivehill said:


> I was curious about the canning lid cost so I did some number crunching. Based on the spreadsheet I keep as a sort of gauge I spend more than $6 per month just on canning lids. :teehee:


Sounds like you do a lot of canning! Have you or are you currently using Tattler Reusable Canning Lids? In the long run, that will save $.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

olivehill said:


> Well if we're talking post-SHTF it's an entirely different ballgame. 1) I'd have gobs more time on my hands to isolate blossoms. 2) I probably wouldn't grow 10 varieties of squash just for the sake of growing 10 varieties of squash. LOL!
> 
> I was saying as an avenue for reducing costs it may or may not be a judicious use of one's time and energy _now_. For some people it may work well. For others it may not be worth it. Lots more to consider than just what type of fruit/veggie you began with though.


Yes it isn;t for everyone.:kiss:

I do it because I actually end up MAKING money, a little, but some from it with only putting time in.

Plus I try to be as self sufficiant as I can, even on this tiny lot which is a personal goal of mine. When I first started, I spent $80 a winter on seeds and plants  So it has made a huge dent in that and has ended up paying for itself. Some things I can't save seeds really, like corn as I am surrounded by corn fields and it just wouldn't be prudent for me since all my neighbors sell corn for super cheap in the summer. But i di have the knowledge to do it if I choose to and I may do it jsut for fun next year with my popcorn (something not grown all that close to me)

I do it I guess for hte same reason I spend all that time in the garden and the kitchen to can toamotes and other veggies....even though I could go get a can of green beans for 50 cents, or less, same with tomato sauce and all that, I am sure all that time would seem wasted to others when tomato sauce is so cheep in the store.


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## TheMrs (Jun 11, 2008)

Prepare yourself...I think we spend an average of $700 per month on food. We're a family of two adults, a 6yo, 4yo, 2yo, and 2 month old.

This amount may seem high but we are on a special diet for our 6yo DS that's on the autism spectrum. We purchase locally-raised meats in bulk that are pastured and antibiotic/hormone free. We purchase organic produce, nuts and seeds. We purchase local raw dairy and local raw honey. This amount also includes the fermented cod liver oil that we take.

This amount also includes some prep items. I try to squeeze in some additional prep items each month. Even though we don't currently eat them, this amount includes things like canned salmon and tuna, canned/dehydrated fruits and vegetables, white refined sugar, organic dried beans and organic grains.

So the amount may seem high, but since our son is recovering from autism on this diet, it's definitely worth the cost.

If we had to, we could live for a while on what I have stored. Of course, at some point we would have to stop eating our special diet. I've tried to adjust our stockpile so we can go for a while before having to make that leap.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

You CAN grow multiple varieties of squash, just check the Latin name. For instance, C. Pepo will not cross with C. Maxima. There are several varieties that have different Latin names. You can easily grow 5 or 6 of them.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Cyngbaeld said:


> You CAN grow multiple varieties of squash, just check the Latin name. For instance, C. Pepo will not cross with C. Maxima. There are several varieties that have different Latin names. You can easily grow 5 or 6 of them.


Yes you have to learn what will cross with each other. it only takes a web search to learn. Some that are called pumpkins are really not. 
and melons are different than squash. But I think some melons will cross with cukes, some won't. it is worth it to learn this stuff. Seeds are not getting any cheaper. And it allows you extras so you can trade with them.


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

Yes! My Dad accidentally had cucumbers cross with watermelons last year. He said they cut into a big juicy watyermelon and it tasted like cucumber lol!

water lol, my dd keeps kicking my typing arm!


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

ne prairiemama said:


> Yes! My Dad accidentally had cucumbers cross with watermelons last year. He said they cut into a big juicy watyermelon and it tasted like cucumber lol!
> 
> water lol, my dd keeps kicking my typing arm!


Unless the water melon was grown from seed that had crossed, that's not how it works. Usually the crossed product will show up the next year.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

lorichristie said:


> Sounds like you do a lot of canning! Have you or are you currently using Tattler Reusable Canning Lids? In the long run, that will save $.


No. I don't like plastic. :grump:

ETA: What I would really like are Weck Jars. Who wants to buy me ... a lot... of cases?


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

olivehill said:


> No. I don't like plastic. :grump:
> 
> ETA: What I would really like are Weck Jars. Who wants to buy me ... a lot... of cases?


i have some very old jars that have a spring clamp that goes across the whole top of the lid.


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

I'm horrible, I'm unsure and I really NEED to figure it out with our money situation. I do know it's over 400 for 2 adults and 3 all the time 2 some of the time kids. 3 of them are boys a 13yo, 12yo and 10yo and the 9yo girl is growing leaps and bounds as well. 

When I did the big run this month to Aldi's I spent around 250. We've bartered for goats milk(ours aren't producing yet) 2 gallons for 2 Siliver Laced Wyandotte hens that just started laying. We still have a few roos we can butcher and some Dark Cornish that are getting big enough for eatin'. I'm going to get the rabbits going again. I quit breeding them this summer cuz it was so hot and we lost a litter of 7. If she doesn't raise them this time she will named "stewie". 

Our garden was terrible this year. No canning done at all. I've never seen so many green tomatoes that would not turn in my life!


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## ne prairiemama (Jan 30, 2010)

I dunno but his seeds came from rareseeds.com and he planted them next to each other. He was shocked. I've not gardened much but Dad has for years and he's not a liar for sure. Not sure if the seed could have been a cross before that?? No idea.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I have had seeds I purchased that were NOT what they were supposed to be. No chance they crossed after planting either. I've been disappointed in Baker Creek seed lately too. Seeds that were less than a yr old that had zero germination rate!


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

ne prairiemama said:


> I dunno but his seeds came from rareseeds.com and he planted them next to each other. He was shocked. I've not gardened much but Dad has for years and he's not a liar for sure. Not sure if the seed could have been a cross before that?? No idea.


Was it a Crenshaw, by chance?

We love them here but do think they have a kind of cucumbery taste. 

http://rareseeds.com/crenshaw-melon.html


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## whiskeylivewire (May 27, 2009)

I was going to say that to me cukes and watermelon aren't that different of a taste...maybe that's because I'm not a fan of either one of them? But seriously, if the watermelon isn't super sweet, it can have that same type of cuke after taste.


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## ladymother (May 9, 2011)

WAY too much... gradually trying to revamp the family's eating habits. in the meantime the DC love their junkfood way too much and dislike the bounty of homegrown veggies our 1st garden has provided us! fingers crossed that they'll eat the rabbit offspring when the time comes. tho DS8 is excited about dispatching of them (yikes?), I'm not so sure how he'll handle consuming them.
~Hannah


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

olivehill said:


> I was curious about the canning lid cost so I did some number crunching. Based on the spreadsheet I keep as a sort of gauge I spend more than $6 per month just on canning lids. :teehee:


Yeah, the cost of canning lids is not a joke, it really adds up. The new re-use canning lids last a life time but they are expensive. I think they are $20 for a 24 pack. Well, guess that is not too much, if they last a life time.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

ladymother said:


> WAY too much... gradually trying to revamp the family's eating habits. in the meantime the DC love their junkfood way too much and dislike the bounty of homegrown veggies our 1st garden has provided us! fingers crossed that they'll eat the rabbit offspring when the time comes. tho DS8 is excited about dispatching of them (yikes?), I'm not so sure how he'll handle consuming them.
> ~Hannah


The nice thing about children is that they do not control the pursestrings. If you don't buy them junk food, they don't eat junk food. Very simple.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

ne prairiemama said:


> I dunno but his seeds came from rareseeds.com and he planted them next to each other. He was shocked. I've not gardened much but Dad has for years and he's not a liar for sure. Not sure if the seed could have been a cross before that?? No idea.


yes, they could have. I have gotten bags of seed that were mixed up to. Like they didn't have enough of the right kind and dumbed the last of 2 or 3 bins in the pkg.
Some of the smaller sellers on the web also save some of the seed they sell and aren't very good at their seed saving practices themselves.
I could have done a better job and haven't been doing it very long.
It's one thing if i goof up my seed saving and another if I get goofed up seed and have paid cash for it. Kinda ticks you off since you don't know it's goofed up till harvest time.
But if the seed did cross polinate before you got them, it's probably not a melon and a cuke. More likely 2 different melons.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

TheMRS, what do you mean when you say "recovering from Autism"? People can recover from Autism?


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

City Bound said:


> Yeah, the cost of canning lids is not a joke, it really adds up. The new re-use canning lids last a life time but they are expensive. I think they are $20 for a 24 pack. Well, guess that is not too much, if they last a life time.


I am a bit leery of these life time lids. Tattler? I am waiting to see how they work for every one on here before I buy any.

I've found flats at yard sales lately and buy them. I just got 36 doz for $10. And 12 doz rings also.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

my non food items are very low in cost. I buy the kirkland eco friendly liquid soap for washing dishes and for bathing in the shower, and it is cheap, it is like $8 for a gallon. I wash my clothes with homemade laundry soap, it cost about $5 for five gallons. I brush my teeth with homemade toothpaste and toothbrushes from the dollar store......I buy a pack of ten toothbrushes for about $1.20. Buy tissues from the dollar store. Use dish rags and newspaper to clean and dry things. Use vinegar in a spray bottle to clean my counters and windows. A pack of 24 roll toilet paper lasts me years. I have never bought garbage bags in eight years, I just reuse the plastic shoping bags my groceries come in for garbage bags.

My only long term preps are a five gallon bucket of oats, a five gallon bucket of noodles, a five gallon bucket of flour, about 40 cans of sardines, and 15 bags of dry beans. On a side note, I recently got those new screw top lids for the five gallon buckets and they work well, much better then struggling to get the lid off with one of those lid opening tools.

The noodles and the oats can last me two years. The flour is bought in fall and last until the early summer when whatever is left goes bad and needs to be composted or tossed.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

CityBound -- are you single?


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

yes, Olive.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

That makes sense then.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

What do you mean?


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

Around $200 a month for 4 (2 diabetic adults, a teenager, and supper every night for my brother).


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

City Bound said:


> What do you mean?


Just the amounts.


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

We spend $300.00 per week on all products for food..feed, food...canning supplies..seeds..hay..and what I buy for storage..does not include non food supplies. There are 5 adults and two children under 6. We garden 3 seasons worth, hunt, fish and can in addition.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

Olive: "The amounts".

Oh. Well whatever I use would be doubled with another person. I am shocked that I spend more money on food then whole families do...that is alarming. I do eat a lot though. I need to work on getting my food bills down.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

City Bound said:


> Oh. Well whatever I use would be doubled with another person. I am shocked that I spend more money on food then whole families do...that is alarming. I do eat a lot though. I need to work on getting my food bills down.


Location can make a big difference. I was in NYC last summer and spent a week's worth of groceries on a couple of small bottles of booze. (Which, btw, what is up with the downsizing of the bottles of booze up there?) :buds:


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

olivehill said:


> Location can make a big difference. I was in NYC last summer and spent a week's worth of groceries on a couple of small bottles of booze. (Which, btw, what is up with the downsizing of the bottles of booze up there?) :buds:


I have no awareness about that. if I drink at all I drink beer.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

City Bound said:


> I have no awareness about that. if I drink at all I drink beer.


Heh. Well, I was stunned at the cost. Everything else I saw in stores up there was very expensive compared to here in the midwest as well. I was in Manhattan, not sure how that compares to the other boroughs.


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## Parttimefarmer (May 5, 2011)

CityBound-I was snickering at the 24 rolls lasting that long. I thought you must be single (and male).


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

yeah 24 rolls would last about 24 days here!


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2011)

24 rolls don't last long around here! And we're conservative!


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## soulsurvivor (Jul 4, 2004)

Entirely grasshopper on our part but we've almost gone to a non-garden mode of existence and don't grow our food. We each claim lack of energy, but it's actually lack of good health. So, we're buying food like never before and it's expensive. 

I'm mostly a vegetarian. I do eat meat but very limited quantities. DH is a daily meat consumer though and he buys most of it from a butcher shop in the next county. He gets the freezers filled from purchases made earlier in the year. When that's gone he'll be doing the same again to the tune of about $800 for a one time purchase that will keep him supplied about 10 - 12 months.

We're two old people and we average spending five to six hundred a month on food and preps. We buy local fresh produce when available and freeze extras for winter. Our concern has always been keeping a fresh food supply rather than a shelf stable food source, although we do have a 6 month supply of canned foods to use as an emergency food source. 

We contribute funds to a local food bank monthly and we have helped local families with food purchases by donating grocery gift cards. There's also a young man we know that's glad to take our soon-to-expire canned foods as we rotate it out and replace with new. 

We try to not over indulge or waste food. There's entirely too many hungry people in this world to do that and still keep a conscience about ourselves. My husband sometimes plays the lottery, not for any big money for us, but he has this dream of opening a free kitchen to serve hot cooked meals for the hungry in our county.


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## machinist (Aug 3, 2010)

Our grocery buying is erratic. We may buy a couple dozen cans of something on sale, then not buy that again for a year. I buy wheat once every year or two, and grind our flour. I have no idea what our gardens cost us, nor how long one season's gardens will last us. Do I factor in a garden tractor that may last 25 years, or the grain mill that is 33 years old? How about our collection of canning jars, pressure canners and other stuff, some of which has been in the family for generations? 

We eat cheap, that's the bottom line. And we've been doing it this way most of our 44 years of married life. 

Actually, I'm trying to get a handle on all of this and have been saving receipts for about 6 months. But it is now an intimidating stack of receipts, and covers all our living expenses. Even that is subject to conjecture, since maybe half of what we spend is for long term items, like the sorghum mill I bought recently to restore. Wonder how I should account for that thing? I'll have maybe $300 in it when it's finished and has power on it, but a friend raises the cane, I'll do the squeezing, then he'll cook it down and we'll come to some sort of agreement on this. I can say that our the feed cost for our chickens has averaged out to about 50 cents per dozen eggs that we get from them, and we are getting about 2.3 dozen eggs per week from 5 hens, so that costs us about a buck and 15 cents/week. That cost will go down next year as we start feeding our homegrown corn. 

It gets complicated. But what we spend in an actual grocery store is not much. Probably under $100 a month, for actual food and that includes meat. But, we buy meat only on sale and in some quantity then freeze it for use as much as a couple years later. If I can ever figure it out, I'll get back to you.


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2011)

machinist said:


> Our grocery buying is erratic. We may buy a couple dozen cans of something on sale, then not buy that again for a year.


That's me.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I have no idea what food cost in other areas of america, because I have never shopped there. I guess NYC is expensive. All the boroughs are pretty much the same with prices.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

From what I have learned about feed cost on this site, I am totally shocked. Feed is expensive. I use to think raising chickens was cheap until I read a book on raising chickens and realized how expensive it is. I thought about raising meat rabbits, so I got a book on raising rabbits, and 3/4th through the book it became pretty clear that rabbits can be costly also. 

When I get some land and can actually raise some animals, i will give it a try and see how it pans out in the real world. Maybe it will work, or maybe it would be cheaper just to buy eggs and meat.

Well, I guess that was some thread drift, but I think it sort of fits in with the topic.


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## Parttimefarmer (May 5, 2011)

City Bound said:


> From what I have learned about feed cost on this site, I am totally shocked. Feed is expensive. I use to think raising chickens was cheap until I read a book on raising chickens and realized how expensive it is. I thought about raising meat rabbits, so I got a book on raising rabbits, and 3/4th through the book it became pretty clear that rabbits can be costly also.
> 
> When I get some land and can actually raise some animals, i will give it a try and see how it pans out in the real world. Maybe it will work, or maybe it would be cheaper just to buy eggs and meat.
> 
> Well, I guess that was some thread drift, but I think it sort of fits in with the topic.


It's cheaper to buy eggs. Not better. Try reading some Joel Salatin, he has good books that talk about costs.


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## Rainy (Jan 21, 2010)

For our food and our food preps we spend around $350 a month... 
Since we use a envelope system for all our expenses we probably spend $20 on non-food related preps.
I buy toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner,soap and deo once a year I probably spend $100 at that time, if that.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

No idea on just food but about $600/ month for 4 people. Try to grow our own meat too. beef chicken and pork. Admitedly there is alot of fast prep foods in that.


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## Sunbee (Sep 30, 2008)

We eat meat three or four times a week, always at dinner, always cheap cuts (if cut at all: I can usually get whole chickens at least once a month for under a buck a pound). Lots of grains, beans, those sorts of things. I can buy a lot of things in bulk at the Winco and get the discount. I bake all my own bread, cereal, etc. I buy canned goods on sale, get a flat or two. There's always some canned good on sale that we'll use: one week it's peas, one week it's green beans, etc. I only buy dry beans: canned beans are too expensive.
I think what people eat has as much to do with the price differences as where people live. A single person in my town who eats meat, especially good meat, three times a day, is going to spend a lot more than I do.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

200-250/month on livestock feed and 50-100/month on people feed and supplies. I could lower the livestock feed bill, but I am too entertained by the antics of the birds. They also make the garden possible by keeping the insect population under control

The birds provide scorpion control too. With them free ranging I've not had scorpions in the house. The first summer after we moved the house we had a big problem with them.


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## Guest (Aug 27, 2011)

Probably about $15-$20 a month on groceries. I keep all-purpose flour and self rising flour around. And coffee. I trade eggs for buttermilk, and trade out salsa for spices and lids during canning season. I don't buy any processed or prepared foods. If I can't grow it, kill it, or trade for it, I don't eat it. A roll of TP lasts me months as does a bottle of laundry detergent or dish detergent.


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