Julie Bove wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> "cshenk" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Julie Bove wrote in rec.food.cooking:
> >
> > >
> >>"cshenk" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> >>> Gary wrote in rec.food.cooking:
> > > >
> >>> > Julie Bove wrote:
> >>> > >
> >>>>> "Christopher Helms" wrote:
> >>>>> > It's a lot easier to spend a hundred dollars on groceries than
> >>it >>> > used to be. I try to stay under thirty dollars per trip and
> >>it >>> > seems to require a little more creativity every month.
> >>> > >
> >>>>> $30 would only buy maybe one meal here.
> >>> >
> >>> > No way, Julie. I also spend about $30 per week or a little bit
> >>> > more. That's just for me though. There's no way you are
> spending >>> > $30 per MEAL for your family of 3 that don't like most
> foods. >>> >
> >>> > G.
> > > >
> >>> True Gary. I spend a little less than you per person but with 3
> of >>> us, we can make more use of sales and I am in what is
> considered a >>> fairly cheaper food area.
> >>> Carol
> > >
> > > I spent about $30 a week on just myself back in the 1980's. And I
> > > dined out a lot. Groceries are not cheap here! I probably spend
> > > about $300 a week, no counting restaurant meals but that's hard to
> > > tell because some things I buy like flour, black pepper or olive
> > > oil would certainly last far more than a week. I also stock up
> > > on canned things, and I buy paper products, cleaning supplies,
> > > magazines, books, cat things and some cosmetics. So not all food.
> >
> > That you spend more, doesnt mean you are spending wisely.
>
> Nor does it mean that I don't. I am no cheapskate! I do get the
> Rosarita refried beans for 80 cents a can. That price probably beats
> dried beans since I am not having to add seasonings or cook them.
> But I also buy expensive olives sometimes, just because I want them.
> And I am grateful that I can. There was a time when I couldn't buy
> any kind of olives!

Julie, some of us shop less often to it's easy to average it out. I
tend to a big trip every 6 weeks. I run about 500$ and split that
down, it's 27$ a week per person. That happens to include toilet
paper, laundry detergent, and sundry things like shampoos.

The actual food would be about 400$. I make small ancillary trips for
fresh veggies, buttermilk and such at the 2 week and 4 week point.
Those cost 20-30$ or so. That works out as 25$ a week here per person
but don't worry, the other 5$ per person per week finds a home with
some sort of takeout.

>
> Tonight's dinner is pizza and salad. Yes, I did buy a bag of mixed
> greens just because that is likely the only salad we'll eat this
> week. It was just enough for three. I added toppings based on what
> people like. Black olives, plum tomatoes, celery, red pepper, red
> onion. Would have been cucumber but the last little piece had gone
> mushy.
>
> Whole wheat pizza crust made from scratch. I did purchase the sauce.
> Yes, I know I could have made it but stuff came up, and husband
> wanted to eat right away so I just bought sauce when I went to the
> store. Expensive sauce. Not the most expensive I have bought but it
> was $4.99 for the two pizzas. Theirs has a combination of Western
> Family (cheap) mozzarella and a small amount of leftover medium
> priced, mixed Italian cheeses and some very expensive, uncured
> pepperoni. Mine has Daiya (dairy free) cheese, red onion, fresh
> tomato slices and pine nuts.

I use the weekends and make pizza sauce that is better than the jar.
If you used the whole 4.99 jar on just 2 pizzas, theyd be swimming in
sauce so much you'd have to eat it with a spoon..

At the most sloppy pizza, you'd get 4 to 6 pizzas from that jar. Me, I
take 1.50 (BOGO) worth of 28 oz cans, spice and reduce them for a
really better sauce than I can buy. I start with 48 oz there and reduce
to about 32 and make some spagetti with 12 oz of it then reduce the
rest to a serious thick pizza sauce that peaks when stirred and use
that for pizza. For about 1.70 (includes price of spices) I get 4
pizzas and a big pot of spagetti.

Lets add 45cents for the 2 pizzas dough, 30 cents worth of pasta for
the spagetti. 2.45. Bell peppers, 2 for 1.26. An onion, .15 bought
in bags, sliced pepperoni at 3.69 a bag covers 6 pizzas (really more
but we'll pretend) so add 1.23. You are at 5.09 cents. Each pizza
feeds 3 and the spagetti has 6 servings. 12 servings total. 42 cents
a serving. Plenty of room to add some meatballs or whatever else like
cheese to the pizza. 2 cups grated cheese here commonly on sale 3 for
5$ for example which is 1.66 a bag and you need 1 cup per pizza for an
extra 83 cents a pizza but that gets split 3 ways for a 27cent cost per
serving per person.

Pizza is now at 69 cents a serving.

If you noticed, I cheated, See I added money for 4 pizzas and would
have had leftover pizza fixings there. Specifically, sauce.


> I looked at potato prices. The only one I remember was for the bulk
> russets at 98 cents per pound. I did not buy any. I did buy black
> grapes and cherries. Cherries were $9.98 per pound. I only bought
> them because husband ripped through the last bag that I got in no
> time flat. I prefer to buy food that they will eat and not have to
> throw things out.

Nothing wrong with that Julie but bulk potatoes are always a good thing
to have about. I have a potato bin that will hold 8 lbs with room to
spare and it has a compartment to hold onions (3lb bag is just right).


> I do like to save money on many things. However there are other
> things where I prefer to buy really good stuff. One of those things
> is meat. I don't see too much difference with canned beans but when
> it comes to the refried, there were a few I did not like at all
> because they were runny. I don't see much difference with most
> canned vegetables. Tomatoes can be an exception. I do think when it
> comes to some tomato products, some are superior but that's not
> always what I buy.

Red-gold brand tomatoes are really good and lower in sodium. Furmanos
works for me very well.

Meantime, we cooked up 8 pork loin (boneless) 1 inch thick steaks, 3
lbs wahoo (Don catches this of the coast of mexico and we have it
professionally cleaned and frozen then shipped back), and i am about to
start a chicken soup from a 3lb chicken in the crockpot. I won't
detail the cost this time but it works out to about 47cents a 1 cup
hearty serving.

If wondering on the fish, when you add the cost for the fishing trip,
cost of tickets and hotel, and professional cleaning, packing and
shipping, the fish is 2.41lb. Professionally packed and shipped, it
will last for 2 years.

The point isnt that you are 'wrong' so much as not looking at it right
for savings I think.
Carol


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