"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
>> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a
>> week.....
>
> She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend
> $200
> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>

That's 100 bucks each, so that is 25 bucks a person per week. That is 3
bucks and change a day for I assume at least breakfast and dinner. I was
spending about 150 a month in college back in 1980. And I ate a lot of
ramen and canned soup.

I can't imagine how you do it.

Paul

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:44:41 +0000 (UTC), enigma >
wrote:

>not a judgement, just a fact. after all i
>buy sliced pepperoni at the deli instead of slicing it myself.
>lee

Decent hard salami is hard to slice thin at home, even with a very
sharp knife. I certainly wouldn't want to drag out the slicer just
for just a few slices.


--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smile first

Miche wrote:

> I had a boyfriend for a while whose mum was like that. She'd have him
> drive her to this supermarket to get these items, then halfway across
> town to that other supermarket to get those other items because they
> were cheaper there, and etc etc. I asked her if she was factoring in
> the cost in petrol and time, and got a funny look in reply.

I confess to being more or less an impulse shopper. I have a pretty good idea
what we need from week to week and I tend to grab things that appeal and things
that appear to be a good deal. If I go from store to store looking for bargains
I will end up spending a hell of a lot more because of my impulse buying. So
what I do is figure out which store is most likely to have things I want to
stock up on. While I am there I may buy some things that may be more expensive
there than at another store, but I know that I will likely come out ahead buy
avoiding a second round round of impulse purchases.

kilikini wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
>> Sereney-pie wrote:
>>> Hell, it's hard to find even cheap ground beef at less than $5 a
>>> pound
>> I ain't gonna say it.
>
> I knew you were going to go there. LOL.

I can't find good chuck for much less than that, either, so there. :-)

Serene

"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
news:SWwMj.6383$iI3.5201@trnddc06...
>
> "notbob" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>>
>>> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>>> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a
>>> week.....
>>
>> She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend
>> $200
>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>>
>
> That's 100 bucks each, so that is 25 bucks a person per week. That is 3
> bucks and change a day for I assume at least breakfast and dinner. I was
> spending about 150 a month in college back in 1980. And I ate a lot of
> ramen and canned soup.
>
> I can't imagine how you do it.
>
> Paul


It must really suck not being able to economize on groceries.

Ms P

"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
news:iDwMj.6375$iI3.6192@trnddc06...
>
> "notbob" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>>
>>> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>>> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a
>>> week.....
>>
>> She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend
>> $200
>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>>
>
> It just shows the disparity. I bought a head of califlower on Friday, it
> was 4 bucks. And I ate the whole thing. I believe the average family of
> four spends almost 1K a month and that is nationwide. Here is a little
> secret, when they discuss consumer spending and inflationary figures the
> omit fuel and food.
>
> Paul

Where did you get your information on how much the average family spends on
groceries?

Ms P

In article >,
enigma > wrote:

> Miche > wrote in
> :
>
> >> huh? if she wasn't too busy/lazy to cut carrots & lettuce
> >> she
> >> could have saved herself about $8.
> >
> > She may have had arthritis or some other medical condition
> > that made it hard to hold a knife or cut things.
>
> notice that 'lazy' is listed second?

Yes, I did. I was merely pointing out that not everybody who buys
precut vegetables are busy or lazy, that there are sometimes other
factors involved.

> yes, precut/sliced
> veggies are helpful to many people... and then there is the
> lazy factor, too. not a judgement, just a fact. after all i
> buy sliced pepperoni at the deli instead of slicing it myself.

I don't, but it's not because I'm less "lazy" than you -- I just want to
be able to decide for myself how thickly it's sliced.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

In article >, sf <.> wrote:

> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:19:12 +0000 (UTC), enigma >
> wrote:
>
> > my son has a thermos for taking milk or juice to school. he
> >has another one for hot leftovers & he also has access to a
> >microwave for heating items (he's 7). he has dishes with lids
> >for taking salads, & other lidded dishes that have a section
> >for dips, so he can take hummus & pita bread, or veggies &
> >sour cream.
> > he doesn't like sandwiches (must have got that from me...),
> >but otherwise he's not too picky. he'd be thrilled if the
> >school had a hot plate so he could make queasadillas...
> >lee
>
>
> good on you Lee. Most moms and kids aren't like that. My own kids
> didn't like anything I packed for lunch and didn't like school lunches
> either, so I ended up making lunch for them when they got home.

I had two choices for school lunch -- "like it" and "lump it". NZ
schools tend not to serve school lunch (unless they're expensive private
schools) so we had to either eat what we were given or go hungry.

To be fair, though, Mum did try to give us stuff we'd like, but the
choices were fairly limited -- a sandwich, some home baking, and fruit.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:55:24 -0500, "Ms P" >
wrote:

>
>"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
>news:SWwMj.6383$iI3.5201@trnddc06...
>>
>> "notbob" > wrote in message
Two of us spend
>>> $200
>>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.

>> I can't imagine how you do it.
>>
>> Paul
>
>
>It must really suck not being able to economize on groceries.

And notbob doesn't even have as many grocery stores as many of us do.
I know the area where he is living now, and there is much less choice.
It really does help to be a careful shopper, no matter where you are,
or what your circumstances.

Christine, who really thinks that there is something in the idea of
teaching folks how to grocery shop.

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:55:24 -0500, "Ms P" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
>>news:SWwMj.6383$iI3.5201@trnddc06...
>>>
>>> "notbob" > wrote in message
> Two of us spend
>>>> $200
>>>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>
>>> I can't imagine how you do it.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>
>>
>>It must really suck not being able to economize on groceries.
>
> And notbob doesn't even have as many grocery stores as many of us do.
> I know the area where he is living now, and there is much less choice.
> It really does help to be a careful shopper, no matter where you are,
> or what your circumstances.
>
> Christine, who really thinks that there is something in the idea of
> teaching folks how to grocery shop.

I have virtually no choice of stores and I don't spend more than 200 to 300
a month on groceries for two adults and two cats.

I can't even imagine spending 800 a month on groceries for two people let
alone one!

Maybe there should be basic meal planning and grocery shopping sections in
cookbooks?

Ms P

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> In article <%FhMj.7448$6w3.5925@trnddc07>,
> *"Paul M. Cook" > wrote:
>
> > Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was buying a bag of
> > pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of baby carrots and a small bunch
> > of bananas. *Her tab was $10.49. *I was shocked to see the total. *I think
> > it may be time we rioted in the streets.
>
> > Paul
>
> I believe that Americans still spend less of their income on food (I'm
> not talking about restaurant meals) than citizens of any other country. *
> We're just catching up.


IIRC we USAin's spend about half of what we did on food 50+ years
ago......

All in all, food is still a great bargain in the US.....


--
Best
Greg

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

> "T" > wrote in message
> > It's mostly the big supermarket chains that are screwing people. Maybe
> > if we shopped them less and shopped the merchants with higher quality
> > yet lower priced goods something good might happen.
>
> > Namely, the big chains might finally realize that offering sub-par
> > produce and meat for top dollar isn't necessarily the way to do
> > business.
>
> I don't think the supermarkets are screwing people considering their profit
> margins, but I do think they have high operating costs because we demand
> certain services from them.


We always hear supermarket operators poor - mouthing about their "low"
1% or less profit margins. A manager of my local stupormarket
(Treasure Island, a small Chicago chain) sez they average 50K per day
in sales, if they make 1% in profit that's not too shabby...this is
one small - ish store outta the six in their chain.

Remember that groceries are not an "impulse" purchase like candles or
books or fancy shooze, EVERYONE needs to buy groceries...


--
Best
Greg

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:21:02 -0500, "Ms P" >
wrote:

>
>"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message

>> Christine, who really thinks that there is something in the idea of
>> teaching folks how to grocery shop.
>
>I have virtually no choice of stores and I don't spend more than 200 to 300
>a month on groceries for two adults and two cats.
>
>I can't even imagine spending 800 a month on groceries for two people let
>alone one!
>
>Maybe there should be basic meal planning and grocery shopping sections in
>cookbooks?
>
>Ms P

I don't know, but I have been very seriously thinking of teaching
clases on how to shop and eat well on a very limited budget. I am
starting to think a major part of it will be on how to shop.

The thing is, I know it can be done, and done well. And it is not
just me. I know others that have figured out how to do it well also.
I wasn't born knowing how to do it. It wasn't til a few years ago,
that I learned to watch the ads, and shop the sales. I joined several
budgeting groups/email lists and learned a ton from those on how to do
it. Some of those folks put me to shame on keeping their food budget
down. I know of several folks who feed a family of 4 or 5 on less than
$200/month.

Yes, it does take a bit more time. Such as time to peruse the sales
circulars/ads and see where the most savings can occur. And time to
plan so that one doesn't run all over town searching for the sale
items. For instance, if I know something is on sale at a certain
store, but it is not near my home, but maybe closer to where I work, I
stop there on the way home from work to get said item.

And it takes time to learn what is in season, and when it is in
season. If one buys asparagus in December, then one is paying top
price for an out of season vegetable. Buy it in season, and the
prices come down dramatically, and then it is a bargain.

And it takes a bit more time to find where the farmers markets, or
produce stores are in the area. Sometimes, there isn't much of
anything, I agree..but one can still figure out what is a better
bargain in the one grocery store in town, or whatever it is.

It also means learning to cook creatively and to shop with that in
mind. Look in the "used meat" section (sorry, I just love that
term,LOL). My mother did teach me that early on, and we ate well. She
fed all of us on her meager salary: she was a single parent for all
the years I was growing up.

I did learn a lot from some of the cookbooks I have. Especially those
from authors that grew up in leaner times, or grew up in a tradition
of making do with almost nothing. One author comes to mind: Madeline
Kamman. She talks about her grandmother shopping, who bought the not
as nice vegetables or other things that were not first rate (thus much
cheaper), and then made wonderful food from those ingredients. I
have done that at farmers markets occasionally, especially in the
summer. Sometimes there will be gorgeous tomatoes selling, and off to
the side, will be a box of the riper or not as nice tomatoes. A lot
of folks don't want those, but those in the know will know those are
perfect for certain things. And they cost a fraction of what the
regular tomatoes cost.

That is just an example, of course.

How do you do it with your limited choice?

Christine

On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:

> Again, good on you Christine. But bear in mind California gets hit the
> hardest the quickest by cost increases. And the rest of the country always
> catches up.

Nonsense. I just moved from CA to CO and food prices here are as high, if
not higher.

> Also pays to just quit eating. I take it you don't work much?

I take it you're quite the ass.

> What has been lost in your diatribe about the nobility of being a good
> shopper is that food prices are going through the roof.

There is nothing about "nobility" in her "diatribe". She's just stating
plain facts and common sense, partially in response to my other posts in this thread, I
suspect. Kinda sensetive, aintchya?

> This is not a discussion about your personal virtues.....

There was nothing in her post I saw that would indicate it was, until you
brought it up.

> the issue is that food
> prices are creating a huge burden on people.

Anyone who spends $800 monnth on food is far from burdened. If they are,
it's self imposed.

nb

Michel Boucher wrote:

> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote innews:%FhMj.7448$6w3.5925@trnddc07:
>
> > Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was buying a bag of
> > pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of baby carrots and a small
> > bunch of bananas. *Her tab was $10.49. *I was shocked to see the
> > total. *I think it may be time we rioted in the streets.
>
> Obviously, someone is catching up to reality and we now have to pay for
> living a privileged lifestyle. *I would suggest returning to living in
> autarcy, but unfortunately we have gone too far beyond that.
>
> Unfortunately, the money is not going to benefit anyone who actually needs
> it, like farmers and fishermen and poor third world peons.
>
> Yes, it is time we rioted, but not to reduce prices. *Rather we should
> insist that the wealth be more equitably redistributed. *Otherwise, there
> is no hope.


And western - style free - market CAPITALISM is the BEST way to
achieve that goal, ain't it, Michel...??? Ask the newly - prosperous
folks in China, India, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Russia,
etc....communism was tried and DIED in all of those places,
donchyaknow. Be glad that you live in a rich, capitalist, and FREE
place like Canada...


:-)


--
Best
Greg

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:24:43 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:

>And it again DOES
>pay to go outside the regular supermarkets and shop the more ethnic
>markets. That is where the real savings are.

Do you really want to buy Chinese garlic when it's driving our native
California garlic (Gilroy) production out of business? I'm all for
free trade if it means buying certain fruits and vegetables out of
season.... but it's a different ball of wax when it means American
produce will go the way of the electronics, garment, shoe and steel
industries.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smile first

On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:49:19 -0700, sf <.> wrote:

>On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:24:43 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:
>
>>And it again DOES
>>pay to go outside the regular supermarkets and shop the more ethnic
>>markets. That is where the real savings are.
>
>Do you really want to buy Chinese garlic when it's driving our native
>California garlic (Gilroy) production out of business? I'm all for
>free trade if it means buying certain fruits and vegetables out of
>season.... but it's a different ball of wax when it means American
>produce will go the way of the electronics, garment, shoe and steel
>industries.

Who says the garlic there is from China? It is probably from
Gilroy..LOL. Just because they are ethnic markets, doesn't mean they
have to go outside the country to get produce, or other stuff. And
from the prices many of the Asian markets charge for produce, I am
betting the produce is from this country.

I don't believe in buying fruits and veggies out of season, though.
Quality and price are better when they are in season, for one thing.

Christine

notbob wrote:

> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
> > My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
> > discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a week.....
>
> She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend $200
> month and I'm starting to gain weight.

She sure is eating something. I spend $100-120 per week for two of us, and we
eat well. She is spending almost twice a much as we are for two, so close to
four times as much as we are per person. She can't be starving.

"notbob" > wrote in message
.. .
> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
>> Again, good on you Christine. But bear in mind California gets hit the
>> hardest the quickest by cost increases. And the rest of the country
>> always
>> catches up.
>
> Nonsense. I just moved from CA to CO and food prices here are as high, if
> not higher.

Nonsense my ass, fella. It's always been that way. We got the first 4 buck
gas for example and now it is heading east.

>> Also pays to just quit eating. I take it you don't work much?
>
> I take it you're quite the ass.

No more so than the rest of the asses around here.

>> What has been lost in your diatribe about the nobility of being a good
>> shopper is that food prices are going through the roof.
>
> There is nothing about "nobility" in her "diatribe". She's just stating
> plain facts and common sense, partially in response to my other posts in
> this thread, I
> suspect. Kinda sensetive, aintchya?

You're the one pitching a fit.

Paul

"Ms P" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
> news:SWwMj.6383$iI3.5201@trnddc06...
>>
>> "notbob" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>>>
>>>> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>>>> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a
>>>> week.....
>>>
>>> She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend
>>> $200
>>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>>>
>>
>> That's 100 bucks each, so that is 25 bucks a person per week. That is 3
>> bucks and change a day for I assume at least breakfast and dinner. I was
>> spending about 150 a month in college back in 1980. And I ate a lot of
>> ramen and canned soup.
>>
>> I can't imagine how you do it.
>>
>> Paul
>
>
> It must really suck not being able to economize on groceries.

You have no idea.

Paul

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:55:24 -0500, "Ms P" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
>>news:SWwMj.6383$iI3.5201@trnddc06...
>>>
>>> "notbob" > wrote in message
> Two of us spend
>>>> $200
>>>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>
>>> I can't imagine how you do it.
>>>
>>> Paul
>>
>>
>>It must really suck not being able to economize on groceries.
>
> And notbob doesn't even have as many grocery stores as many of us do.
> I know the area where he is living now, and there is much less choice.
> It really does help to be a careful shopper, no matter where you are,
> or what your circumstances.

We have the highest prices for everything - and first. That is a fact.
Highest gasoline prices always in California first. Highest water prices,
highest food prices, highest electricity prices and on and one. That's a
simple fact. And it always spreads to the rest of the country. Always. It
may have something to do with the fact that there are more people living
south of The Tehachapis than live in most states.

> Christine, who really thinks that there is something in the idea of
> teaching folks how to grocery shop.

We have a cottage industry in SoCal. It is called "personal shopper"
Seriously. People are hired to shop for other people.

Paul

"Ms P" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:55:24 -0500, "Ms P" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
>>>news:SWwMj.6383$iI3.5201@trnddc06...
>>>>
>>>> "notbob" > wrote in message
>> Two of us spend
>>>>> $200
>>>>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>>
>>>> I can't imagine how you do it.
>>>>
>>>> Paul
>>>
>>>
>>>It must really suck not being able to economize on groceries.
>>
>> And notbob doesn't even have as many grocery stores as many of us do.
>> I know the area where he is living now, and there is much less choice.
>> It really does help to be a careful shopper, no matter where you are,
>> or what your circumstances.
>>
>> Christine, who really thinks that there is something in the idea of
>> teaching folks how to grocery shop.
>
> I have virtually no choice of stores and I don't spend more than 200 to
> 300 a month on groceries for two adults and two cats.
>
> I can't even imagine spending 800 a month on groceries for two people let
> alone one!
>
> Maybe there should be basic meal planning and grocery shopping sections in
> cookbooks?


OK, let's see a couple of daily menus that spend no more than $3.33 a day
per person. And I do not mean 1 can of tuna fish or 1 pound of cabbage. I
mean real meals that people would prepare every day.

Paul

"Gregory Morrow" > wrote in message
...
Michel Boucher wrote:

> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote innews:%FhMj.7448$6w3.5925@trnddc07:
>
> > Went up to the market and the woman in front of me was buying a bag of
> > pre-chopped iceberg lettuce, a large bag of baby carrots and a small
> > bunch of bananas. Her tab was $10.49. I was shocked to see the
> > total. I think it may be time we rioted in the streets.
>
> Obviously, someone is catching up to reality and we now have to pay for
> living a privileged lifestyle. I would suggest returning to living in
> autarcy, but unfortunately we have gone too far beyond that.
>
> Unfortunately, the money is not going to benefit anyone who actually needs
> it, like farmers and fishermen and poor third world peons.
>
> Yes, it is time we rioted, but not to reduce prices. Rather we should
> insist that the wealth be more equitably redistributed. Otherwise, there
> is no hope.


And western - style free - market CAPITALISM is the BEST way to
achieve that goal, ain't it, Michel...??? Ask the newly - prosperous
folks in China, India, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Russia,
etc....communism was tried and DIED in all of those places,
donchyaknow. Be glad that you live in a rich, capitalist, and FREE
place like Canada...



Some would argue capitalism is what has gotten us into this mess.

Paul

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:21:02 -0500, "Ms P" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
>
>>> Christine, who really thinks that there is something in the idea of
>>> teaching folks how to grocery shop.
>>
>>I have virtually no choice of stores and I don't spend more than 200 to
>>300
>>a month on groceries for two adults and two cats.
>>
>>I can't even imagine spending 800 a month on groceries for two people let
>>alone one!
>>
>>Maybe there should be basic meal planning and grocery shopping sections in
>>cookbooks?
>>
>>Ms P
>
> I don't know, but I have been very seriously thinking of teaching
> clases on how to shop and eat well on a very limited budget. I am
> starting to think a major part of it will be on how to shop.
>
> The thing is, I know it can be done, and done well. And it is not
> just me. I know others that have figured out how to do it well also.
> I wasn't born knowing how to do it. It wasn't til a few years ago,
> that I learned to watch the ads, and shop the sales. I joined several
> budgeting groups/email lists and learned a ton from those on how to do
> it. Some of those folks put me to shame on keeping their food budget
> down. I know of several folks who feed a family of 4 or 5 on less than
> $200/month.
>
> Yes, it does take a bit more time. Such as time to peruse the sales
> circulars/ads and see where the most savings can occur. And time to
> plan so that one doesn't run all over town searching for the sale
> items. For instance, if I know something is on sale at a certain
> store, but it is not near my home, but maybe closer to where I work, I
> stop there on the way home from work to get said item.
>
> And it takes time to learn what is in season, and when it is in
> season. If one buys asparagus in December, then one is paying top
> price for an out of season vegetable. Buy it in season, and the
> prices come down dramatically, and then it is a bargain.
>
> And it takes a bit more time to find where the farmers markets, or
> produce stores are in the area. Sometimes, there isn't much of
> anything, I agree..but one can still figure out what is a better
> bargain in the one grocery store in town, or whatever it is.
>
> It also means learning to cook creatively and to shop with that in
> mind. Look in the "used meat" section (sorry, I just love that
> term,LOL). My mother did teach me that early on, and we ate well. She
> fed all of us on her meager salary: she was a single parent for all
> the years I was growing up.
>
> I did learn a lot from some of the cookbooks I have. Especially those
> from authors that grew up in leaner times, or grew up in a tradition
> of making do with almost nothing. One author comes to mind: Madeline
> Kamman. She talks about her grandmother shopping, who bought the not
> as nice vegetables or other things that were not first rate (thus much
> cheaper), and then made wonderful food from those ingredients. I
> have done that at farmers markets occasionally, especially in the
> summer. Sometimes there will be gorgeous tomatoes selling, and off to
> the side, will be a box of the riper or not as nice tomatoes. A lot
> of folks don't want those, but those in the know will know those are
> perfect for certain things. And they cost a fraction of what the
> regular tomatoes cost.
>
> That is just an example, of course.
>
> How do you do it with your limited choice?
>
> Christine

Pretty much the same way you do it with multiple choices, eat seasonally,
plan around what's on sale and utilize my freezer. I live in a very small
town and I know all of the stores. You can drive from one end of town to
the other in 15 minutes or less.

Another thing that helps cut a budget is meal planning and a well stocked
pantry. A well stocked pantry and freezer keeps you out of the store. The
less time you spend in a store the less time they have to hook you into
impulse buys that blow a budget. I used to buy groceries for a whole month
and then just buy perishables during the month.

One of the things that I've done is figure out how much of a staple it takes
to get us from sale to sale. Things go on sale on regular cycles. I never
pay full price for mayo, ketchup, salad dressings, etc. I know exactly how
many jars of mayo I have to buy when it's on sale. The nice part is when
you figure it out you don't even have to think about it anymore, when you
run out it's on sale.


Ms P

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:21:02 -0500, "Ms P" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
>
>>> Christine, who really thinks that there is something in the idea of
>>> teaching folks how to grocery shop.
>>
>>I have virtually no choice of stores and I don't spend more than 200 to
>>300
>>a month on groceries for two adults and two cats.
>>
>>I can't even imagine spending 800 a month on groceries for two people let
>>alone one!
>>
>>Maybe there should be basic meal planning and grocery shopping sections in
>>cookbooks?
>>
>>Ms P
>
> I don't know, but I have been very seriously thinking of teaching
> clases on how to shop and eat well on a very limited budget. I am
> starting to think a major part of it will be on how to shop.
>
> The thing is, I know it can be done, and done well. And it is not
> just me. I know others that have figured out how to do it well also.
> I wasn't born knowing how to do it. It wasn't til a few years ago,
> that I learned to watch the ads, and shop the sales. I joined several
> budgeting groups/email lists and learned a ton from those on how to do
> it. Some of those folks put me to shame on keeping their food budget
> down. I know of several folks who feed a family of 4 or 5 on less than
> $200/month.
>

That is ridiculous. No, I simply won't buy that. I am not aware of
anyplace in the US where you can feed 4 people for 50 bucks a week. In a
world where we have latch key kids and 2 parents working sometimes more than
2 jobs each I cannot see anyone being able to pull that off unless they were
on food stamps. Even then it would be one hell of a stretch. If I have my
numbers right that family would qualify for 400 bucks in food stamps every
month. 4 people, 2-3 nutritious meals a day, not hot dogs , on $1.66 cents
a day?

Let's see some menus.

Paul

On 2008-04-14, Paul M. Cook > wrote:

> It's always been that way. We got the first 4 buck
> gas for example...

We're discussing food. Pay attention.

> No more so than the rest of the asses around here.

I take that as a yes.

> You're the one pitching a fit.

....and you're the one misrepresenting another persons's post.

nb

"Ms P" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
> news:iDwMj.6375$iI3.6192@trnddc06...
>>
>> "notbob" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>>>
>>>> My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>>>> discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a
>>>> week.....
>>>
>>> She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend
>>> $200
>>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>>>
>>
>> It just shows the disparity. I bought a head of califlower on Friday, it
>> was 4 bucks. And I ate the whole thing. I believe the average family
>> of four spends almost 1K a month and that is nationwide. Here is a
>> little secret, when they discuss consumer spending and inflationary
>> figures the omit fuel and food.
>>
>> Paul
>
> Where did you get your information on how much the average family spends
> on groceries?
>

CNN - last week.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayof....ap/index.html


"Nationwide, a family of four on a moderate-cost shopping plan now spends an
average of $904 each month for groceries, an $80 increase from two years
ago, according to the USDA"

Guess that kind of blows the 200.00 figure for 4 outr the window. Maybe,
MAYBE you could get close to that but you would need 1 parent dedicated full
time to shopping for bargains and all within walking distance because the
gas bill certainly is part of a family budget. And statistically most US
families have dual income earners.

Paul

"notbob" > wrote in message
...
> On 2008-04-14, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
>> It's always been that way. We got the first 4 buck
>> gas for example...
>
> We're discussing food. Pay attention.

Nice try, but it's a valid example.

>
>> No more so than the rest of the asses around here.
>
> I take that as a yes.

Take it anyway you want.

>
>> You're the one pitching a fit.
>
> ...and you're the one misrepresenting another persons's post.

You're stiull the one having the hard time of it. I'm blunt, so shoot me.

Paul

notbob wrote:
> On 2008-04-13, Henry Q Bibb > wrote:
>
>> Vote anti-incumbent at every opportunity. Repeat until the message is
>> received and acknowledged by actions.
>
> Jim Eason, late of KGO in SF, now retired, used to have a rallying cry every
> election year, DRIP! - Don't Return Incumbent Politicians. It never worked.
>
>
> nb

What would you like the politicians to do?

The gov't cannot produce food, fuel, or anything else you can consume.
Governments govern. That's all they do.

If bagged pre-chopped lettuce costs too much, buy head lettuce and chop
it yourself. Buy carrots by the pound and peel 'em yourself. Buy
potatoes by the 10 pound bag. I've seen individually heat-shrink wrapped
potatoes for sale, which means somebody's buying 'em that way. It's a
free country, they can do that. I just don't want to hear them
complaining about the price.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> notbob wrote:
>
>> On 2008-04-13, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>>
>> > My sister shops just for herself and is hardly a big eater. We were
>> > discussing this recently and she says she now spends 200 bucks a
>> > week.....
>>
>> She's damn sure eating SOMETHING!! That's $800 month! Two of us spend
>> $200
>> month and I'm starting to gain weight.
>
> She sure is eating something. I spend $100-120 per week for two of us,
> and we
> eat well. She is spending almost twice a much as we are for two, so
> close to
> four times as much as we are per person. She can't be starving.

No she isn't starving. She is a vegetarian, likes to cook and does not buy
prepared meals. She is like me, cooks everything fresh. We also have the
highest water prices anywhere in the world, so perhaps that plays into it.

Paul

"Paul M. Cook" wrote

> That's 100 bucks each, so that is 25 bucks a person per week. That is 3
> bucks and change a day for I assume at least breakfast and dinner. I was
> spending about 150 a month in college back in 1980. And I ate a lot of
> ramen and canned soup.
>
> I can't imagine how you do it.

If you saw my post, thats easily 2 weeks of food for 3 people at 142$.
Tonights dinner was fresh crab, spinach, and rice with leftover hamhock &
black eyed peas for sauce on the rice.

Tomorrow night we have straw mushroom stuffed catfish and a bowl of dashi
with tofu and kelp ties, and probably more rice but may make split mung bean
soup vice the dashi soup.

Then a bean chili with ground pork (makes 2 meals worth), followed by a duck
(3 meals worth), followed by another catfish or maybe squid, then a
'something beef from the chest freezer', and back to freezer for a chicken.
By then, I'll need more fresh veggies but that will be at most 10$ worth.

The side items well cover lunch and breakfast here. If you add up the
freezer items used and the side things, it's about 100$ each a month.

Hehe I'm so lazy, I buy kelp pretied to a bow for me!

On 2008-04-14, Paul M. Cook > wrote:

> You're stiull the one having the hard time of it. I'm blunt, so shoot me.

Actually, I'm amazed you haven't been shot already.

nb

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:49:19 -0700, sf <.> wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:24:43 -0700, Christine Dabney
> wrote:
>>
>>>And it again DOES
>>>pay to go outside the regular supermarkets and shop the more ethnic
>>>markets. That is where the real savings are.
>>
>>Do you really want to buy Chinese garlic when it's driving our native
>>California garlic (Gilroy) production out of business? I'm all for
>>free trade if it means buying certain fruits and vegetables out of
>>season.... but it's a different ball of wax when it means American
>>produce will go the way of the electronics, garment, shoe and steel
>>industries.
>
> Who says the garlic there is from China? It is probably from
> Gilroy..LOL. Just because they are ethnic markets, doesn't mean they
> have to go outside the country to get produce, or other stuff. And
> from the prices many of the Asian markets charge for produce, I am
> betting the produce is from this country.
>

You'd be wrong. Most of it comes from China and most of the fruit from
Peru. China has a nasty business of telling its people top eat dung because
they have set extremely high export quotas. Guatemala and Mexico grow most
of the cheap corn and beans they sell. Almost all rice comes from
California but that is rapidly changing as well. Asian markets buy Asian.
One it is cheaper and two it's just what they do. A great deal of the fish
in some of my stores has a big label - "Product of China." Fish. FRESH
fish. It is flown in by cargo planes every day.

Paul

notbob wrote:

> On 2008-04-14, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
> > You're stiull the one having the hard time of it. *I'm blunt, so shoot me.
>
> Actually, I'm amazed you haven't been shot already.



Hey, *you* said it, nb, *not* me...

Lol...


--
Best
Greg

On 2008-04-14, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
> "Ms P" > wrote in message

>> It must really suck not being able to economize on groceries.
>
> You have no idea.

It appears your sister doesn't either.

nb

"notbob" > wrote in message
. ..
> On 2008-04-14, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>
>> You're stiull the one having the hard time of it. I'm blunt, so shoot
>> me.
>
> Actually, I'm amazed you haven't been shot already.

"You don't work very much I take it" "personal virtue"

Hmmm ...

Yeah, that's really some nasty language. I should be shot.

Paul

"Ms P" wrote

>> Christine, who really thinks that there is something in the idea of
>> teaching folks how to grocery shop.
>
> I have virtually no choice of stores and I don't spend more than 200 to
> 300 a month on groceries for two adults and two cats.
>
> I can't even imagine spending 800 a month on groceries for two people let
> alone one!
>
> Maybe there should be basic meal planning and grocery shopping sections in
> cookbooks?

Long ago this was taught in schools, but often in home ec (a 'girls class').
They stopped doing that around 1970 in most cities.

The effect is quite obvious. Although i learned to shop later than that,
the ideas were still around if you listened. I'm shocked when I have to
show a youngling of today how to make ends meet, on how very *bad* their
grocery shopping skills are. The worst part, is they are literally unaware
of it and think it cant be done to eat healthy on their income, while
loading their carts with junk food and pre-chopped pre-sauced frozen
goodies.

"cshenk" > wrote in message
...
> "Paul M. Cook" wrote
>
>> That's 100 bucks each, so that is 25 bucks a person per week. That is 3
>> bucks and change a day for I assume at least breakfast and dinner. I was
>> spending about 150 a month in college back in 1980. And I ate a lot of
>> ramen and canned soup.
>>
>> I can't imagine how you do it.
>
> If you saw my post, thats easily 2 weeks of food for 3 people at 142$.
> Tonights dinner was fresh crab, spinach, and rice with leftover hamhock &
> black eyed peas for sauce on the rice.
>
> Tomorrow night we have straw mushroom stuffed catfish and a bowl of dashi
> with tofu and kelp ties, and probably more rice but may make split mung
> bean soup vice the dashi soup.
>
> Then a bean chili with ground pork (makes 2 meals worth), followed by a
> duck (3 meals worth), followed by another catfish or maybe squid, then a
> 'something beef from the chest freezer', and back to freezer for a
> chicken. By then, I'll need more fresh veggies but that will be at most
> 10$ worth.
>
> The side items well cover lunch and breakfast here. If you add up the
> freezer items used and the side things, it's about 100$ each a month.
>
> Hehe I'm so lazy, I buy kelp pretied to a bow for me!
>

My god man, where do you live? Fresh crab, pork, catfish, duck? I can't
even buy duck frozen. That's expensive food.

Paul

"notbob" > wrote in message
.. .
> On 2008-04-14, Paul M. Cook > wrote:
>>
>> "Ms P" > wrote in message
>
>>> It must really suck not being able to economize on groceries.
>>
>> You have no idea.
>
> It appears your sister doesn't either.
>

Oh wow, I am like sooo offended. Idiot.

Paul

"Paul M. Cook" > wrote in message
news:xmyMj.6402$iI3.5983@trnddc06...


>Almost all rice comes from California but that is rapidly changing as well.

Actually, that is an incorrect statement.

2nd largest <> Almost all

Excerpt from http://www.calrice.org/e7b_cas_rice_growing_region.htm

"Today, the California is the largest producer of short and medium grain
japonica rice in the United States. In total, the state's rice industry
produces nearly 2 million tons of rice annually making it the second largest
rice growing state in the nation and contributing nearly $500 million
dollars to the state's economy. California's rice is exported to Asia, the
Middle East and Mediterranean markets, and is distributed throughout the
United States"

Excerpt from http://www.arkansasricegrowers.com/about_us.asp

"Arkansas, the largest rice-producing state in the nation, harvested 240
million bushels of the 511 million bushels produced nationwide in 2004. Rice
continues to grow in popularity with U.S. consumers, with annual per capita
consumption of more than 27 pounds."

KW