"Christopher Helms" > wrote in message
...
> On Monday, May 25, 2015 at 11:49:00 AM UTC-5, cshenk wrote:
>> Christopher Helms wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>>
>> > On Sunday, May 24, 2015 at 3:08:44 PM UTC-5, cshenk wrote:
>> > > Brooklyn1 wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>> > >
>> > > > On Sun, 24 May 2015 08:52:54 -0400, Gary > wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > > 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.
>> > > >
>> > > > I can get 2-3 days for $30 but that's really scrimping, and my
>> > > > cats wouldn't eat. I think the people who claim they can eat all
>> > > > week on $30 don't eat very well, or they're lousy at math, or
>> > > > they lie. Maybe some people don't include condiments, snacks,
>> > > > fresh fruit and vegetables, beverages, and they live on $1/lb
>> > > > tube steak... yes there are $1/lb 'meat' tube steaks in the flyer
>> > > > this week, one can only imagine. Top round beef (not a pricey
>> > > > cut) runs minimally $5/lb nowadays, feeding two adults a four
>> > > > pound roast lasts three days here, plus there are salads, sides,
>> > > > snacks, beverages, etc. A 4 pound roast barely yields two pounds
>> > > > of edible meat, I don't consider that a lot for six adult
>> > > > meals... and that's just dinner, what about food for th erest of
>> > > > the day? I think those with small grocery bills don't do much
>> > > > cooking, they eat out and do take out a lot. I know people who
>> > > > don't even have coffee in their house, not even a coffee pot,
>> > > > they buy lots of coffee out but don't include that in their
>> > > > grocery bill, not the donuts either... they can drop $30 a week
>> > > > at Dunkin Donuts easy, that's $30 per person. I shop often, I've
>> > > > yet to see anyone with a weeks worth of groceries in their cart
>> > > > for $30, what do your think a pound of bacon, a dozen eggs, a
>> > > > loaf of bread, a jar of grape jelly, a jar of peanut butter, a
>> > > > gallon of milk, and three pounds of apples costs, about $30 and
>> > > > that's not eating very well. The way many here drool over bacon,
>> > > > fresh seafood, real maple syrup, premium ice cream, polish
>> > > > butcher kielbasa, stinkin' lamb, ribeyes and the like no way can
>> > > > they get by on less than $30 a day. I won't mention how many are
>> > > > always boasting about their $30+ bottles of wine... I buy Crystal
>> > > > Palace vodka and diet Coke and still my booze bill runs $20/wk.
>> > > > Only way people can grocerey shop for $30/wk is they ain't
>> > > > mentioning their food stamps.
>> > >
>> > > Oh Sheldon lay off.
>> > >
>> > > Most people who use the roughly 30$ a week rule are buying staples
>> > > and cooking them for real.
>> >
>> >
>> > I can't speak for anyone else, but I try to make each $30 trip last
>> > as long as possible, which is never for an entire week. It's just a
>> > general rule I like to go by.
>>
>> Nothing wrong with that!
>>
>> Because we have a house and a spare chest freezer, we have storage room
>> for maximum sales storage and we have a vacuum sealer so we don't waste
>> meat that needed better sealing for a longer storage.
>>
>> I also use coupons to good effect (not 'oh I have a coupon, have to get
>> that') by checking the alternative items to see if it will save me some
>> or just give me a chance to try something new at a reasonable cost.
>>
>> I suspect my type of spending is easier to do with storage room so that
>> '10$ for 10 cans' type works out. I do that if it is something we know
>> we will use up in 6 months. It's usually something like 30% off when
>> they do those.
>>
>> I have a stack of 12 pack pepsi because Don is brand specific on that.
>> It came up as buy 2, get 3 free and limit 10. I went 3 days in a row
>> and got 30 at 1.96 a 12pack. That will cover him for 3 a day a day for
>> 6 months. Thats really something you can only do though with
>> significant storage room.
>
>
> You can definitely save some bucks by buying in bulk, if you're sure its
> something you're going to use. I try to do it, on a limited basis.
>
> BTW, I just got back from the store, spent $25.00 and change, and that
> will get me to the weekend.

I buy a few things in bulk but there isn't a lot that I can do this with
because we just can't eat it fast enough. Sodas are one thing I would love
to buy a lot of when cheap but I drink Diet Coke with Lime and most of the
time I am hard pressed to be able to even find 3 or 4 on the shelf. The
stores here seem to all require the customer to buy a certain amount or they
can't get the sale price. I did get lucky once and was able to get the Coke
rep to get me some from the back. And another time a Safeway clerk got me
some from the back. But most of the time, I haven't got the time to hunt
down a clerk to ask or to go to customer service. And then when I do ask,
the response is often that there is no more. But I have also been told by
the Coke rep that just because there might be more, doesn't mean that it
will be easy to get to.