tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post3293354453691236813..comments2024-03-28T03:58:48.788-07:00Comments on creative savv: Why do I keep the grocery budget so tight?Lilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-36861161848376243832015-03-27T08:33:05.264-07:002015-03-27T08:33:05.264-07:00YHF,
about "having enough talent" -- my ...YHF,<br />about "having enough talent" -- my drawing instructor said talent is more in having the passion to work at your art, more than having an innate ability. And my daughter's art professors have said about the same thing to her. So, go for it! Don't worry about what anyone else says about whether or not you have "talent". Your skills will improve and fine-tune with practice and experience. But your talent/passion is already there.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-33914083684099117422015-03-26T09:51:08.356-07:002015-03-26T09:51:08.356-07:00Luxury to have the nice weather we have but as far...Luxury to have the nice weather we have but as far as our structures...well far from desired. It's been added on so many times the cheapest way...<br />I hear you completely about feeling productive enough. I have not had the usual career jobs, left the workforce early in my thirties. For the past 20 years I have been somewhat redeemed working with my husband in self employment (nothing to be proud about but the money was OK). I think that's why I became so frugal and a compulsive saver. I have been fortunate in other ways too, so today I have no regrets. I agree with you that there is more to the meaning of one's life than making money, other values are important, like exactly as you said being a good person and helping others. For me, I have always wanted to be an artist, but baled out of an art major and ended up with a degree in Food and Nutrition. I think I have lived the last 40 years in anticipation of returning to my artistic pursuit. We'll see if I have enough talent. Our son has a BFA and is a graphic artist and quite successful at that...so far I don't have his approval so maybe I have no talent ...sigh<br /><br />YHF<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-51518463945069875352015-03-26T07:53:32.825-07:002015-03-26T07:53:32.825-07:00Hi Cheryl,
Dinners are fairly simple around here, ...Hi Cheryl,<br />Dinners are fairly simple around here, most nights. We have about 3 or 4 nights per week of meat-based meals and 3-4 nights per week of vegetarian meals. Last week,I roasted a whole turkey, so we had turkey in gravy 2 nights, turkey and cheddar sandwiches 1 night, and turkey minestrone. Those were the "meat" nights. The non-meat -- olive, onion and cheese pizza one night, hummus on fry bread other, plain cheese pizza on a busy night (yeah, pizza twice this week, as we had an incredibly busy day on Saturday, and I had a cheese pizza made in the freezer), garbanzo bean soup (a pureed soup with onions, carrots, garbanzos and garlic, with fresh chives).<br /><br />I try to use a minimum of prepared foods, as they add up quickly. Things like taco shells or boxed pasta or packaged seasonings, and I just find alternatives. If we want tacos, I buy corn tortillas and fry the shells with the protein part of the filling (often rice and beans, but sometimes meat), right in the folded over corn tortilla, then add whatever fresh items, plus cheese or sour cream. Instead of pasta, I often make a casserole with cooked rice and whatever pasta sauce I would have used for something like spaghetti. Boxed white flour pasta is at the cheapest 66 cents/lb, here, whereas, raw rice is about 45 cents/lb for brown rice, bought in a large sack.<br /><br />We eat a lot of soups, as I can extend the amount of meat used considerably in a pot of soup.<br /><br />So, for our leftovers, besides taking them in for lunch the next day, I've begun cooking fewer dishes with dinners, and giving 1 or 2 family members some of the leftovers with their dinner. Specifically my husband needs to put on a couple of pounds, so for example, last night we had hummus on fry bread, with cole slaw and cake. I had a cup of the soup leftover from 2 nights ago, so his diner had that extra cup of soup, whereas the rest of us just had the smaller meal. He needs the extra food, the rest of us do not, so I add to his dinner this way, and use up the leftovers. And the cole slaw last night, was fresh cole slaw, mixed with some leftover pasta salad from a couple of nights ago. Plus, I keep a plastic container in the freezer, and small amounts of leftovers go into it. We call this "crazy soup". Once a month, I add water and maybe some seasonings, and it becomes soup for dinner. It's a good way to use odd leftovers, like a spoonful or two of rice, or a half cup of soup/stew, or leftover cooked veggies/meat/beans that otherwise wouldn't get eaten in time.<br /><br />Hope something in these ideas sparks with you. Good luck.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-39897502331321870412015-03-25T18:34:54.116-07:002015-03-25T18:34:54.116-07:00Oh, that sounds nice, YHF, a lanai. I would guess ...Oh, that sounds nice, YHF, a lanai. I would guess that you could be growing veggies for use year round, there. What a luxury!<br /><br />Time use. I sometimes get bogged down into feeling like I'm not being productive enough, or I'm not successful enough, because I don't meet someone else's expectations of productivity or success. It's only been recently that I've begun to just appreciate the contribution that I do make. Only a portion of what I do each day has some sort of monetary reward attached to it. Being a decent human being and helping others is as important or more than what I do that contributes financially. But, we do need to pay those bills. . .<br />Good luck to you and you sort this all out for yourself!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-88732260856218777592015-03-25T18:21:34.675-07:002015-03-25T18:21:34.675-07:00I did buy a quarter side of beef last yr. and paye...I did buy a quarter side of beef last yr. and payed over $650. I never believed you think you think your way is the only way. I do believe I am over buying, having a real hard time with only cooking for 3 now, not 4. I have so many leftovers it isn't funny. The cost of food, no real discounts on meat, none on dairy, I really need to watch better. Cheryl. p.s. would you mine giving some ideas what you cook for dinner? That would be helpful.Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03532160415343676858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-75628042330956329002015-03-25T16:22:19.081-07:002015-03-25T16:22:19.081-07:00OK...my third attempt at typing this. I hope it i...OK...my third attempt at typing this. I hope it is not my third comment lol We have a rather large lanai that sits above our garage where we can grow in pots. My dad rules our yard for now with his endless projects (he's 92 yo and still going strong). We manage to grow Kang Kong (or ong choy) in two pots, that serves an endless supply of nutritious greens for our diet. I recall in my nutrition class in college, a guest speaker came to class with Kang Kong clippings and really sold me on growing this vegetable. I can still hear him today saying this is the most nutritious, easy to grow plant (and the seed package even describes this plant as a noxious weed). It grows very well in wet climates. It can be used as a spinach in recipes, deep fried in batter and eaten like a tempura, and the stems are wonderful in soups, as well as in stir fry dishes. <br />You've got it right about time-use. It's the hardest thing. It might sound crazy, but I am trying to let go of the feeling that I am wasting time if I don't make a material contribution to our existence. I just want to work on my craft projects and do what my intuition tells me. I figured if I can learn some good frugal habits, my existence will be taken cared of that way, and time will be my oyster to work on my "art" (not there yet, but learning).<br /><br />YHFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-7346227889453039752015-03-25T12:07:59.754-07:002015-03-25T12:07:59.754-07:00Hi cat,
I am waiting for the inventions of both a ...Hi cat,<br />I am waiting for the inventions of both a coin-operated light switch and a coin-operated shower!<br /><br />With sick kitties, I totally understand the need to spend a lot on their diet. I would think a sick cat would cost almost as much to feed as a small child.<br /><br />Your soup sounds delicious! Enjoy the indoor day!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-62572157156949419852015-03-25T12:05:48.655-07:002015-03-25T12:05:48.655-07:00live and learn, and Alice (and anyone else with ca...live and learn, and Alice (and anyone else with cats), have you ever tried using torn newspaper for all or part of the cat litter? When I was growing up, my mom tore newspaper for the bottom part of the cat litter, then added a lesser amount of litter on top. I would guess it halved the amount of cat litter we used. When I had my own cat, we did the same thing. It was something I had to train my cat into using. At first, a lot of litter small amount of shredded paper, then working to mostly paper, little litter. Nowadays with home paper shredders, this would be even easier, I'd think.<br />Just a suggestion.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-19645455999822153572015-03-25T12:02:14.780-07:002015-03-25T12:02:14.780-07:00Hi Cheryl,
It has been my understanding that food ...Hi Cheryl,<br />It has been my understanding that food prices are generally higher in your area of the country. Somethings you just can't change. So, my perspective is to work to change those things that I can.<br /><br />Ground beef is crazy expensive here, too these days. Fortunately for all of us, chicken and pork prices are already seeing a bit of a decline from last summer, and beef prices should come down a bit in another year. <br /><br />But if I were in your circumstances, I may consider finding alternative sources of red meat, like finding someone to buy a share of beef with, or buying venison through a butcher that deals with hunters, but finds himself "stuck" with unwanted meat (as with some hunters who hunt for sport and don't really want the meat).<br /><br />And maybe you're the frugal sort who can find other areas in the budget to make cuts. We each have our own priorities and comfort levels, and that's totally fine. I hope I don't imply in my blog posts that my way is the only way. :-)Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-58633946220132895642015-03-25T11:51:58.183-07:002015-03-25T11:51:58.183-07:00Hi Alice,
Well, something to consider, too, food p...Hi Alice,<br />Well, something to consider, too, food preferences and dietary requirements can vary considerably from one family to the next. If my family wanted or needed more meat, well my spending would be much higher. And if I had a family that naturally burned a lot of calories daily, that would also add to our spending.<br /><br />And I also live in a great area for grocery shopping opportunities, such as a restaurant supply nearby where I can buy wholesale, a great produce stand open from late March through the first of November, a mild climate for gardening, and far enough from the city so we have a large lot, for planting a mini orchard. So, I do have advantages, that some folks do not have.<br /><br />I also would add, that if I had a bit more per month for food, like $210 or $220 per month, I would feel less of a pinch (that's what I used to have per month, up until summer of 2013).<br /><br />And, your $450/month is still almost half of what the USDA recommends for the Thrifty Food Plan!!! And that's something to feel good about! Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-843797251402610062015-03-25T11:44:11.693-07:002015-03-25T11:44:11.693-07:00Hi live and learn,
You are right on that. I would ...Hi live and learn,<br />You are right on that. I would be one unhappy camper if I hated cooking. It's hard for me to imagine what that feels like for someone who really doesn't enjoy cooking, but needs to cook from scratch always, for budgetary reasons. I'll just count my blessings.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-38666887795754895382015-03-25T11:41:11.206-07:002015-03-25T11:41:11.206-07:00Hi YHF,
I wouldn't expect you to be able to sp...Hi YHF,<br />I wouldn't expect you to be able to spend as little as we do, as you live in a very expensive part of the US. And I think that should always be taken into consideration. Sometimes there are limitations that we can't do a lot about.<br /><br />Where you live, do you have space for a vegetable garden? I know a lot of retirees spend some of their new-found tim gardening. You can grow a lot in pots, if you don't have ground space.<br /><br />This will surely be a learning experience for the 3 of you, as your time-use has changed with retirement. I wish you the best of luck with making your changes.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-18845423907175789002015-03-25T11:35:33.932-07:002015-03-25T11:35:33.932-07:00Hi Kris,
It's just as well that I'm the on...Hi Kris,<br />It's just as well that I'm the only grocery shopper in the family. That is great that your husband can pick up things convenient to his work/commute. I would take advantage of that as well, if I could. You and your husband have a nice partnership. I was thinking about how he picks apart chicken and turkey carcasses, so you don't have to. And he takes care of the vegetable garden, freeing you up to participate in your own frugal specialties (shopping clearance, baking, cooking, knitting, crafting, decorating projects). That's a great partnership!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-12873454908252125432015-03-25T11:29:56.644-07:002015-03-25T11:29:56.644-07:00Hi Teresa,
Oh good for you! The savings on groceri...Hi Teresa,<br />Oh good for you! The savings on groceries can be really significant, but as you found out, the savings' mentality also bleeds over into other budget areas, and even more can be saved. Where there's a will, there's a way . . .<br />Great job!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-47609459552492451392015-03-25T11:21:06.536-07:002015-03-25T11:21:06.536-07:00p.s. I love the idea of coin operated light switch...p.s. I love the idea of coin operated light switches... perhaps I should look into coin-op cat food cans? :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-20807811862815180972015-03-25T11:20:04.316-07:002015-03-25T11:20:04.316-07:00Holy Moly! I spend more feeding my cats than you d...Holy Moly! I spend more feeding my cats than you do on your entire family! At some point I will try to rectify that situation, but not until they're all healthy.<br /><br />Anyhow, since it's snowing again today I think I'll take the opportunity to make some squash soup - it's a good day to simmer... thanks for the inspiration! :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-73480096046554164642015-03-25T08:21:12.569-07:002015-03-25T08:21:12.569-07:00You food prices are way lower then mine in PA. I ...You food prices are way lower then mine in PA. I pay 3.49 for a half gallon of store bought lactaid milk for my son and he goes through 3 of them a wk. My husband wants meat at every dinner, doesn't need steak but meat is expensive here too. He doesn't eat ground chicken or turkey and a lb. of ground round is $3.99 lb. I also only eat chicken, red meat once a wk for me. I spend a wk what you spend a month, I can't image what we would eat. Guess we are big eaters here and the cost of food is very high.Cherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03532160415343676858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-55321194370793016422015-03-25T07:02:51.851-07:002015-03-25T07:02:51.851-07:00Lili,
I have taken Jan. and Feb. and broken mine u...Lili,<br />I have taken Jan. and Feb. and broken mine up into food, health, cat, presc. and other categories. We're really bad! $450 - $475 per month in food, $35 to $55 for health and beauty, cat $7, presc. 0, other $10. <br /><br />I clearly need to work on the food part. If you do this for $175 a month then you are a queen in my book. I doubt I could ever get down to that. I will try though because I think it's a great challenge to myself and it seems insane that we spend $450 a month for food. <br />AliceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-24734750175778497182015-03-25T04:45:52.773-07:002015-03-25T04:45:52.773-07:00What a fortunate blending of the area of your expe...What a fortunate blending of the area of your expenses that you have the most control over and the area where you like to spend time--in the kitchen. Otherwise, this could be a necessary but miserable process for you. However, you are such a determined person, I'm sure that you would make it work anyway.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-18185578202454630682015-03-25T04:39:49.997-07:002015-03-25T04:39:49.997-07:00Alice, we have four cats and I can tell you that c...Alice, we have four cats and I can tell you that cat litter is very expensive. It adds a lot more than one might think at first glance to the budget.Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-45008706487309877262015-03-24T09:54:42.927-07:002015-03-24T09:54:42.927-07:00Sorry...^^ YHFSorry...^^ YHFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-4295938182514749022015-03-24T09:52:02.688-07:002015-03-24T09:52:02.688-07:00Ditto what everyone else has said...you are an ins...Ditto what everyone else has said...you are an inspiration. I enjoy reading a lot of your past posts since finding your blog a month ago. Also like others have said, I thought I was already pretty frugal (compared to everyone that we know), but I know now that I can do better. I should be saying "we" since my husband is the chief cook around here. I do all the paperwork (including taxes, though I have given in to software about 10 years ago) while he likes to do the physical, manual work in the home. I keep track of all spending, comparing prices, and planning purchases, but we both shop together since I don't like to drive. So in my case, I am not in complete control of our food spend, but since we have slowed down our work life to a trickle my husband is less apt to call my suggestions..."nags". Realistically, living in a high cost of living area, I don't think I could reduce our food spend to less than $150/mo for three people. I would be happy to spend only twice that, so for now my goal is $450, and as I get better at this, $300. This means we have to drastically cut our portions (today, I'm going to start a daily food dairy), limit mindless snacking, limit alchohol to special celebrations, limit ingredients to bare minimum and find cheaper substitutions (just so a soup can be called soup not water lol), limit stockpiling snack type foods... besides the already frugal food shopping I do (coupons, rebates, sales). Our nonfood spend per month averages about $30. So even cutting that amount out, we still need to tighten our belts by half our waist size lol I couldn't have found your blog at a better time in our lives...we are taking the opportunity a year and a half before SS (husband will be 64, and I will be 62) to cut our expenses and learn new frugal habits. I told my husband that now is the time, when our income has dropped by two thirds to force ourselves to learn. Basically we can live off our savings, but we choose not to. So we have a lot of incentive to do it well and be like you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-11047744962498437692015-03-24T09:01:17.952-07:002015-03-24T09:01:17.952-07:00I was smiling as I read that no one else in your h...I was smiling as I read that no one else in your household grocery shops. My husband periodically makes some food purchases, so I really don't have total control in that area--but he typically is making a cost-effective purchase, so I don't mind. He works by a grocery store that is out-of-the-way for me. This store often has 1-day specials and he can take advantage of them (for instance, 10# bags of chicken quarters for 69 cents/pound--that's way cheaper than I can pay anywhere else and that includes Aldi). You and The Prudent Homemaker have amazing skills at saving money on food and while I've always considered myself more of a saver than a spender, I am nowhere near your level of thriftiness. I have tightened up some of my spending as a result of reading your blog and I thank you. Krisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-33745940051825773202015-03-24T08:50:53.130-07:002015-03-24T08:50:53.130-07:00Hi Lili,
Your calculations remind me of the time ...Hi Lili,<br /><br />Your calculations remind me of the time Amy Dacyzyn (Tightwad Gazette0 did this calculation.<br />I have thought identical to you that I am the prime purchaser in our family.<br />About 8 years ago I wanted to save a significant amount of money. I set up a virtual account and told my husband. He sort of forgot about it. 18 months later I had achieved my goal. Blew him out of the water. The vast majority of it was from groceries .The gift, clothing and household maintenance areas were also reduced.<br />Only yesterday I was thinking of my hobbies, knitting when there is downtime and always something cooking. This morning it was hamburger buns ( double batch) and meat mixture preparation before I left the house to do a school meeting.Teresanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-43183130584330447272015-03-24T08:41:50.386-07:002015-03-24T08:41:50.386-07:00Linda, yes, the price of meat really drives grocer...Linda, yes, the price of meat really drives grocery costs up. Just before our income was cut drastically (2 years ago), I had been planning to use meat in meals more often, increasing our grocery budget by about $40 per month (from the $210 I did have per month at that time). That idea has been postponed for the time being. Maybe next year. I would like to have more beef around here. :-)Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.com