Those with kids, how much is your monthly grocery bill while eating clean?
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No - it's not! I have 3 adults in the house, and grocery budget is about $700. We make almost everything from scratch, pack our lunches every day, and rarely eat out.0 -
Thanks Michelle! I was hoping we weren't too out of line
- Kristen0 -
Kristen---eating out does get very expensive, no doubt! I have tried to cut back on it and *trying* to meal prep a little more. I didn't realize you were feeding 6 and not 4. That would def make a difference!
Oh and I wish I liked to cook! 0 -
Fitmek - try out crockpot cooking. Very little work and you get awesome meals! Google 365 crockpot, the lady documented a full year of making meals with her crock. That's how I first started cooking, from the grew my love of cooking/baking! 0
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We spend around $400 a month for a family of four. We don't eat meat at every meal and I don't buy organic. I buy most of my produce at Aldi- it is more than half the price of the regular grocery store. I meal plan and prep like crazy so that helps with cost too!0
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Hi all! Clean eating should allow you to buy less as eating organic or simply raw fruits and veggies will actually fill you up faster than eating processed foods. Because it is expensive you should try a CSA! They are a cost effective way to eat organic or close to. I talk more about this on my blog. You can find it at itsalifestylenotadiet.com
Happy eating! Callie0 -
Has anyone tried CSAs for meat?0
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Michelle52801429 wrote: »Has anyone tried CSAs for meat?
I buy my meats from local farms. While it's not a CSA, I hooked up with some great small farms at our local farmer's market. I have a relationship with them now after several years, have visited the farms and love the freshness and quality of the meat and humane treatment of the livestock. Pasture raised, hormone free.
I definitely recommend investing in a freezer of you don't already have one.
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Michelle52801429 wrote: »Has anyone tried CSAs for meat?
We have not done a meat CSA but we also bought a quarter of a steer a year ago from a grass fed, free range farm. We got all types of steak cuts and about 30 lbs of ground beef. It's hard to remember the specifics but I think it cost us a little over $400. We loved it and are just about through the meat one year later. It fed my husband and I and 2 young kiddos. It was so incredibly tasty, the ground beef had almost zero fat. And you get to skip the meat aisle at the grocery store. (Unless of course you are going for something other than beef.) I recommend!!rendress269 wrote: »Michelle52801429 wrote: »I definitely recommend investing in a freezer of you don't already have one.
Definitely need a freezer for this!0 -
Please forgive me...what's a CSA? Coop of some sort?0
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Please forgive me...what's a CSA? Coop of some sort?
A CSA stands for community supported agriculture, so yes sort of a co-op. Here is a link to a blog where I describe what it actually is: http://itsalifestylenotadiet.com/2015/04/what-is-csa/
It is an amazing way to eat more fresh and delicious fruits and veggies. I love getting mine so much!0 -
Ah ok...I already shop at a bunch of them...Bountiful Baskets and Zaycon Fresh to name two. LOVE them! 0
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For me it changes monthly depending on other bills due. We're a family of 2 adults and 2 kids who eat like adults. The months that are tight I will spend around $500/ month and the months with extra cash I'll spend up to $900/month (salmon, nice steak, kelp noodles, plus extra basics to stock up etc). Not inc in this amount is a 3-4 monthly bulk order of grains, flours, cacao, coconut oil etc of $200ish and supplements of around $300 every 4 months.0
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We spend on average, including household supplies, for a family of 5, $200/week plus $80/week in eating out. I buy local for as much as I can which does NOT cost less by any means. $5 for a loaf of bread, $5 for a gallon of milk, $15 for a 2lb block of raw milk cheese...it adds up really fast.0
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For me it changes monthly depending on other bills due. We're a family of 2 adults and 2 kids who eat like adults. The months that are tight I will spend around $500/ month and the months with extra cash I'll spend up to $900/month (salmon, nice steak, kelp noodles, plus extra basics to stock up etc). Not inc in this amount is a 3-4 monthly bulk order of grains, flours, cacao, coconut oil etc of $200ish and supplements of around $300 every 4 months.
Thermom, where do you do your bulk ordering from? I am looking for a good place.0 -
Please forgive me...what's a CSA? Coop of some sort?
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
For over 25 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer.
Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.
This arrangement creates several rewards for both the farmer and the consumer. In brief:
Advantages for farmers:- Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin
- Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm's cash flow
- Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow
Advantages for consumers:- Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits
- Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking
- Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season
- Find that kids typically favor food from "their" farm – even veggies they've never been known to eat
- Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown
It's a simple enough idea, but its impact has been profound. Tens of thousands of families have joined CSAs, and in some areas of the country there is more demand than there are CSA farms to fill it. The government does not track CSAs, so there is no official count of how many CSAs there are in the U.S. LocalHarvest has the most comprehensive directory of CSA farms, with over 4,000 listed in our grassroots database.0 -
I belong to a local food coop. We buy in bulk from UNFI monthly, Frontier a few times a year, and FEDCO seeds once per year. One of our members raises beef, and we will occasionally split a cow. He also bring smaller packages of meat to our coop deliveries every few months.
https://www.unfi.com/Company/Pages/AboutUs.aspx
UNFI is the leading independent national distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods and related products including nutritional supplements, personal care items and organic produce, in the United States.
https://wholesale.frontiercoop.com/membershipbasics.html
You may be wondering exactly what membership in Frontier Natural Products Co-op means. In a nutshell, you provide — through your regular purchases from Frontier — the capital necessary for the business to operate, and, as an owner, you share in the profits of the business. You also have an equal vote with other members in the election of Frontier's Board of Directors and any issues that come before the membership.
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I don't know what my average is anymore because I bought a chest freezer a few months back and spent some money stocking it and also followed some sales and stockpiled pantry items. I am a teacher and during summer months I don't have as much income so I always do this prior to summer. But I wanted to say that for the most part, to keep perishables and other necessities in stock, I shop Costco first and then Aldi for what I can't get at Costco or for what is just too large of a quantity at Costco. I also go to The Fresh Market for certain things when I am wanting them. If I had to do an average, I'd say its probably about $500 - 600 a month for me, my son, my dog, and my cat. This would include household items as well as food products.0
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My household of 1 adult and 2 toddlers is ~$350-400/month for strictly groceries. I had been splurging on organic dairy products (milk and greek yogurt primarily), but my youngest now has a lactose intolerance, so I am having to shift our dairy consumption a little bit. We don't eat a whole lot of meat, but when we do it is primarily poultry (not necessarily organic, but free range, no growth hormones) with the occasional beef or pork. I only buy organic for a few produce items, and that is only if they aren't local. I meal prep on Sunday's, and we hardly ever eat out. We don't tend to eat much bread, so what I did to cut on the costs of buying a loaf and not finishing it all (and having it take up valuable space in my freezer) was I started making my own bread if we needed it. The loaf is smaller, I only make it when we need it, and we don't have any that goes to waste as a result...and let's not forget it makes the house smell SOOOO good :-) I am gong to second the crock pot idea- its a truly wonderful tool, and for families with busy schedules, it is a must, at least for 1-2 meals a week. You have to be careful with the majority of recipes you find online for the crock pot though as most tend to have LOTS of added salt and poor choices for the ingredients (highly processed, lots of additives). Be picky with what you are willing to put into the great crock pot :-)
In regards to the organic discussion that was mentioned a few times, I am honestly more concerned about ensuring the dairy we do eat is whole fat (and grass fed animals are used for producing the dairy) and that the meat is grass fed, free range with no growth hormones if possible. My thought focus tends to be on the vitamin D intake for myself and kids as supplements aren't normally in fashion that is absorbable in any kind of efficiency for a body (especially kids), and foods with added vit D tend to have the same problem. Grass fed meat and whole fat dairy help the vitamin D get into your body better. Its a huge issue in the last couple of years, and is only going to get worse in the general population as time goes on.0 -
I think I may have wrongly fallen for the organic marketing. I buy almost everything organic -- from flour, to crackers, to milk, eggs, yogurt, meat and produce. I'm not sure how much we spend monthly, but every visit to Whole Foods is at least $300, and every trip to Costco (where we buy not only paper products, but also bulk fruits) is another $300. I visit Whole Foods at least once every 2 weeks, sometimes every week, and fill my cart with mostly fruits, vegetables, and meat. I regularly go to our Farmer's market, too -- but have discovered that some items are actually more expensive at the Farmer's market than at Whole Foods.
Interestingly, most of the food I buy from Whole Foods are not even for me or my husband -- but for my 2 1/2 year old toddler, who eats 95% homemade food. We bulk prepare his food at least every two weeks and freeze them. Working full-time makes it difficult for us to prepare his food fresh everyday. As for our own food, we buy them at the regular grocery (still mostly organic, though.) So add that to the Whole Foods and Costco expenses... easily $1000 per month. Ouch!
I think I might have to change my ways... I'll definitely look into CSAs. (Didn't know about them.) This is why I wanted to join this group.0
