What's been in my grocery cart this month? July 2024 Grocery Spending

I only had 2 shopping days this month, each about 2 weeks apart.

On July 2, I did the shopping for the 4th of July, sticking to the local stores Walmart and Grocery Outlet. I stopped at Grocery Outlet first and bought hot dog buns ($2.99), 3.31 pounds of Fuji apples (49 cents/lb), 2.25 lbs sweet cherries (2.49/lb), cherry tomatoes ($2.50), 2 bags of raw vegetable medley), 2 bags frozen sweet potato fries ($3.99 each), chicken jalapeño franks ($3.99), and a cheese, meat, breadstick, and olive charcuterie tray ($5.99). I made my own raw veggie tray, using the bagged vegetable medley (raw cauliflower, broccoli, and baby carrots) plus the cherry tomatoes, and some dip and raw bell pepper I had at home. At Walmart (right across the street) I bought uncured all-beef hot dogs ($4.99), bananas (58 cents/lb), a kale salad kit ($3.98), a case of flavored sparkling water ($4.98), bag of marshmallows ($1.17) and a bar each of unsweetened ($2.42), milk ($1.12), and 70% dark chocolate ($1.12) for making s'mores. I spent a total of $56.25 for all of the above. We ended up with so much leftover food that I was using it in meals for several days after the 4th and didn't need to go shopping again for 2 more weeks.

In addition to those 2 food stops, I also ducked into Value Village (right next door to Walmart). I've been looking for a waffle maker that makes heart-shaped waffles for a while. I lifted the lids on all of the waffle makers and lo and behold, one of them made mini hearts! It was Senior Tuesday, which means I received a discount of 30%. Originally priced at $7.99, I paid $5.59. This will be a fun addition to Valentine's Day brunch. I love specialty-shaped waffle irons, but I'm unwilling to pay the "new" price for this type of item.

On July 17 I did the second grocery shopping of the month. This day I went to WinCo, Walmart, and Grocery Outlet. At WinCo I bought 3 cans of tuna (88 cents ea), a jar of mayo ($3.28), 2 16-oz jars of peanuts ($2.28 ea), 5-lb bag of organic flour for bread ($6.96), salt (67 cents), 2 cartons soy milk ($3.38 ea), 1 pound natural peanut butter ($2.18/lb), 2/3 lb sunflower seeds ($2.08/lb), bananas (58 cents/lb), 24-ct string cheese ($5.48), 2 lb block sharp cheddar ($6.78), 2 lbs butter ($3.68 ea), frozen fish sticks ($5.98), a gallon of milk ($3.49). I stopped at Grocery Outlet next and bought 2 boxes of graham crackers (99 cents ea), and 2 packages bacon ($1.99 ea). Directly across the street is Walmart, where I bought marshmallows ($1.17), uncured beef hot dogs ($4.98), 2 packs turkey snack sticks ($3.72 ea), 3-lbs vegetable shortening ($6.18), and a 5-dozen case of eggs ($16.38). I spent $100.48 in total at all 3 stores.

We're planning another cookout, so I've been picking up a few things that will keep several weeks (beef hot dogs, graham crackers, marshmallows). Otherwise, we wouldn't be going through so many marshmallows!!!

For the month I spent $156.73 on food. Of course, this wasn't a meat delivery month, plus we'vee been supplementing with our garden and pantry/freezer stockpiles. I'll need to replenish some of stockpiled foods next month. So, I expect to spend more.

I'm curious, how do some of my prices compare to yours? In most cases I buy the store-brand on products.

Did/Do/Will You Charge Your Adult Kids Rent While Living At Home?

And how did you arrive at an amount?

Our financial arrangements with our kids and how we came up with the amount

I have mixed feelings about charging my adult kids rent. On the one hand, I want to offer a free place for them because I love them. On the other hand, this is real life, and my daughters need to learn that real life has costs. We ultimately did choose to charge our adult kids. But mostly the "rent" charged reflects some of the real costs of their addition to our household.

We are a family of 4 adults. I took some of the monthly expenses and divided them by four, charging each daughter one-fourth of those monthly amounts.

Each adult daughter pays:

• one-quarter share of utilities: heat, electricity, water/sewer, internet, garbage pickup
• one-quarter share of groceries, except the beef I buy from a rancher, but including the cleaning, laundry, and paper supplies
• the increase (not a quarter share, just the increase) in our car insurance having them as drivers of our singular car

The total monthly amount for each is relatively low. I figure they would have to pay for these items/services anyway if they lived on their own. 

I realize this type of arrangement with adult kids is variable, depending on circumstances. I do think it's helpful to see what others are doing under different circumstances.

If my daughters earned higher salaries, I might charge more. However, I would put the majority of that into a savings account for them, so they would have a little kitty of money to start themselves in their own places someday. 

Alternatively, I might request they set aside a certain portion of their incomes for their own future. This is what we did with our son. He made a healthy salary just out of university. We allowed him to live at home while he saved a sizable chunk of money to put down on a house. We live in an area with very high home costs compared to the average income. Allowing him this extra time to set aside money for a house meant that he and his wife were in a good position to buy when interest rates dropped to historic lows.

I will add, when my adult kids were students and living at home, they lived here rent-free. However, they were expected to work in summers to help fund their tuition and fun things for themselves. It wasn't until they were out of university and working year round that we began discussions about charging rent.

What have you decided to do regarding charging rent for your adult kids living at home?