Groceries: for suomynona

Tova

Tue, Dec 28 2010, 7:43 pm

Copy and paste from an e-mail I sent a fellow amother showing how I stay within my food budget:
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A typical week's worth of menus for me is:

Sunday - Shabbos leftovers; I make a lot specifically to have leftovers (we eat leftover cholent too)
Monday and Wednesday - same supper. Fleishig. Chicken or meatballs and potatos or rice or noodles. A veggie, either zucchini in tomato sauce or frozen green beans sauteed with onions. Often homemade applesauce for dessert as it's good motivation to get the kids to eat fleishigs. I make on Monday enough for two suppers except the veggies which I notice doesn't stay well.
Tuesday - fish or egg based (omlettes and bagels). Quick and easy.
Thursday - always milchig. Either homemade pizza or lasagna with enough for leftovers Friday afternoon when everyone wants something to eat. Fresh salad.

Shabbos menu is:
Homemade challah (I divide a 5 pound recipe in four which makes it a pleasure to make weekly)
Gefilta fish baked in tomato sauce or baked salmon. Served plated with some lettuce salad and different colored pepper rings (A big tossed salad gets wasted as it doesn't stay)
Chicken soup at night, cholent by day
Shnitzel or roasted chicken
One sweet side dish like apple kugel or cranberry cobbler
One non-sweet side dish like potato kugel or roasted potatos, or orzo or rice
One cooked vegetable
Dessert - something quick and easy like a pan of brownies or blondies.

I make hard boiled eggs for shalosh seudos and we have along with leftover fish and a small salad.

Breakfast during the week is cereal and milk for husband and kids. I eat yogurt with oatmeal.
Lunch my husband eats in yeshiva and my daughter gets at her babysitter. My son has a juice box, bagel with peanut butter/tuna or noodles, peeled apple or orange, and snack like homemade cupcake or granola bar

So this detail is to show you how simple and predictable our food consumption is. I gave detail so you can eyeball the ingredients and see that it is not so much food (b"H there is plenty in quantity and everyone is full, but it's just not such a variety).

suomynona

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 2:08 am

grace413

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 2:27 am

It is difficult to cut down.

Just a few comments:

I love yellow cheese, it's a great source of protein and doesn't need to be prepared. That said, it is definitely more expensive than eggs and tuna. Some cheese cost more than others. Can you experiment and find a lower cost one your son will eat?

We also eat whole wheat bread - sometimes it's on sale on Rami Levy and it keeps well in the freezer, so it's worth it to stock up then.

Drinks - I am totally addicted to Diet Coke. My DH fortunately loves water. I have started making home made ice tea, it's not difficult or time consuming. My kids can down a 2 liter of bottle of soda in minutes so I now buy only the cheapest brand, hide them and only bring out one bottle for Shabbat.

I think you need to change your mindset a bit. Anything you save is good. So if you cut down on paper goods and spend 95 instead of 125 that's a worthwhile savings. It's not realistic to suddenly cut your costs in half but you should take pride in whatever savings you can manage.

suomynona

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 2:35 am

grace413 wrote:

We buy the fresh sliced cheese. It is sliced pretty thinly. I don't think it costs more than 1 shekel a slice. If I eat to slices, that is approximately the same price as 2 eggs, or 1/2 can of tuna, no?

Quote:

We also eat whole wheat bread - sometimes it's on sale on Rami Levy and it keeps well in the freezer, so it's worth it to stock up then.

How much is it in Rami Levi when it's on sale?

Quote:

Drinks - I am totally addicted to Diet Coke. My DH fortunately loves water. I have started making home made ice tea, it's not difficult or time consuming. My kids can down a 2 liter of bottle of soda in minutes so I now buy only the cheapest brand, hide them and only bring out one bottle for Shabbat.

I think you need to change your mindset a bit. Anything you save is good. So if you cut down on paper goods and spend 95 instead of 125 that's a worthwhile savings. It's not realistic to suddenly cut your costs in half but you should take pride in whatever savings you can manage.

Currently I barely wash dishes. So to start washing dishes every night to save 30 nis a month is just not worth it. I work full time including at night. So it is not worth it to inconvenience myself to save an insignificant amount of money.

grace413

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 2:57 am

[quote="suomynonaWe buy the fresh sliced cheese. It is sliced pretty thinly. I don't think it costs more than 1 shekel a slice. If I eat to slices, that is approximately the same price as 2 eggs, or 1/2 can of tuna, no?

I was computing on a price per kilo basis; I don't know how to compare cheese slice vs. eggs vs. tuna.

Quote:

We also eat whole wheat bread - sometimes it's on sale on Rami Levy and it keeps well in the freezer, so it's worth it to stock up then.

How much is it in Rami Levi when it's on sale?

Don't remember how much the bread actually cost, but it's about 4 shekel a loaf cheaper than regular price when it's on sale.

]
Currently I barely wash dishes. So to start washing dishes every night to save 30 nis a month is just not worth it. I work full time including at night. So it is not worth it to inconvenience myself to save an insignificant amount of money.[/quote]

I also hate washing dishing and use paper for chalavi (Have basari dishwasher). I do use regular cutlery because I hate eating with plastic cutlery. If you don't feel it's worth the savings, then it isn't. Sanity is also worth a lot.

I do believe most people can find a way to cut costs in a way that works for them. You have to decide what is worthwhile for you.

catonmylap

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 2:59 am

suomynona wrote:

catonmylap wrote:

Chicken - you are spending a fortune IMHO - we get ours a lot cheaper - I'm wondering if there are any other ways to get chicken you will eat cheaper.

How much do you spend on chicken a month, and how much per kilo? I assume it's not Rubin or Shearis. I mentioned in another thread that I can save about 100nis a month by buying whole frozen chickens, but it will complicated my life so much, that I made the decision that it's not worth it for me.

I don't know per month. It's not Rubin or Shearis (that is something that is costing you and is just worth being aware of noting..) It varies based on sales. But a whole chicken on sale is often 10 NIS/ and not on sale is 17 / NIS. We usually buy whole chickens. When we can't get good sales, I prefer to serve wings during the week.

This week I bought some pieces since they were on sale.

Rami Levi advertised 8.90 for whole chickens and 13.90 for legs.

shalhevet

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 4:45 am

suomynona wrote:

Yellow cheese is a luxury in Israel. Try and get your son used to other things (my kids would also love yellow cheese every day!) like peanut butter, white cheese (you can add spices or herbs to make it more interesting - my kids love just about anything with pizza spice sprinkled on), carob chocolate spread etc. For supper it should be stretched - homemade pizza, spaghetti with cheese etc - this uses much less cheese per person.

Quote:

Yogurt - If I would one day make my own (and that's a big IF) I would be saving less than 100nis because I would have to buy the milk. In order to save $100/month I would have to completely eliminate 3 more items like this, not just cut down.

What do you call yogurt? Danona at 3.5 shekel or so per yogurt, or gila at 1.20?

Quote:

Whole wheat bread - this is pretty much a staple. If I would make my own, I have no idea how I would slice it normally to make sandwiches and to fit in my toaster, and how I would make sure it's not higher in calorie per slice than the bought kind.

I buy on sale and freeze. Bar Kol often have it on sale every few weeks - sometimes one brand, sometimes another. Also chains are much cheaper (by two or three shekel a loaf) than in the makolet, so even if it isn't on sale I stock up when I'm there.

Drinks - We spend a lot on this, but again, no one specific drink is a significant expense, it's a combination, so I would have to cut down on buying all drinks to see savings.

Quote:

Paper goods - I only spent 125 nis. So even if I would stop using paper goods cold turkey, including cups, plates, pans, cultery, I would still buy garbage bags, sandwich bags, etc.

It really doesn't take long to wash up a few plates and cutlery. I buy paper cups (3 for 10 on sale), giant pans lined with baking paper (8 for 10 at the shuk - I use maybe 3 or 4 each Shabbos), cheapo sandwich bags and garbage pans - it's only a few shekel a week - maybe 30 or 40 shekel a month.

Quote:

Chicken - I don't think cutting down once a week and substituing something else would make a big difference. We have fleishigs 2-3 week nights and I would have to substitute something else.

Cutting up a frozen chicken (after it's defrosted!) is really not such a big deal.

Quote:

Fruits and veggies - this totaled less than 400 nis. We already go to the shuk for most, and while we don't only buy the cheapest and lowest grade, we don't buy out of season stuff either.

This is a lot. I don't spend anywhere near 100 shekels a week and my family is bigger. Buy mostly what is cheap/ on special. For example, this week carrots were on special, so lots of carrots and potatoes... Fruit right now is bananas and citrus.

suomynona

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 5:05 am

shalhevet wrote:

Cutting up a frozen chicken (after it's defrosted!) is really not such a big deal.

.
Don't have time to respond to your whole post now, but I will respond to this.
Currently I have a "system" for using whole cut up chicken and to change it would be very difficult. I considered this, and even tried it once, and made a decision that it's worth the extra money.
Also to buy from the chicken sales, my husband has to go down 2-3x between dropping off the order form and picking up the chickens, and he's not always around at those times.

We eat bottoms separately, we don't eat tops - only shnitzel, I use shnitzel bones for soup, I make wings separately.
So let's say I buy frozen whole chickens and I want to make chicken soup. I have to partially defrost 5 chickens, cut off the tops and refreeze the bottoms. Then cut the shnitzel off the bone, and then I have to cook all the shnitzel the same day I am making chicken soup, which I certaintly don't have time for.

Get the picture?

Tamiri

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 5:52 am

suomynona wrote:

Hi again everyone,
So I was looking at my records from June when I tracked the items on my grocery bill for almost a month, trying to figure out what we spend the most money on, and I remembered why I gave up. there is no one or 2 or 3 things that if I cut down on them, I would be able to save even $100/month on my grocery bill. The expenses are spread out.
I looked for items that I spent more than 100 nis (approx $27) a month on.

Yellow cheese - we buy a lot of this. I know people who won't buy it at all because of the expense. But it's the only thing my son will take in his sandwich to school, except for triangle cheese which costs even more. Sometimes my husband eats it with bread as a supper, and for a main meal, it's not expensive. Sometimes I eat it for lunch, and I don't think my other lunch options - eggs and tuna, would be cheaper. WOW. You are spending a lot of money on this necessity. SO: change the way you buy it. I, too, buy a lot of cheese for a larger and older family, including specialty cheese and I don't think it's 100 nis/week. I buy at the deli counter and have them slice it thin. Some cheeses, after slicing, I request be cut in two to make it look like more when the kids more than once slice (two halves is one slice, but psychologically it's as if they are eating 2 slices). If you are buying pre-packaged, you may be paying as much as double what it would cost at the deli counter, plus you have no control over the thickness and size of the slices.

Yogurt - If I would one day make my own (and that's a big IF) I would be saving less than 100nis because I would have to buy the milk. In order to save $100/month I would have to completely eliminate 3 more items like this, not just cut down. How much are you spending on individual cups per week? I recently spoke with a lady who said she spend over 100 nis/week because she buys her kids yogurts daily. If it's not a necessity, eliminate.

Whole wheat bread - this is pretty much a staple. If I would make my own, I have no idea how I would slice it normally to make sandwiches and to fit in my toaster, and how I would make sure it's not higher in calorie per slice than the bought kind. Buy it once/week and don't run out "just" for a loaf of bread because you may end up spending more simply by being in the store and remembering what else you "need".

Drinks - We spend a lot on this, but again, no one specific drink is a significant expense, it's a combination, so I would have to cut down on buying all drinks to see savings. If at all possible, just do it. The drinks, no matter what they cost, are very bad for you. You can start by watering down juice to make 3 times as much drink as is in the bottle, then slowly eliminate or prepare your own drink with flavored tea bags. Your health and teeth will thank you and so will your wallet. BTW, sugared drinks promote tooth decay and dentists are expensive.

Paper goods - I only spent 125 nis. So even if I would stop using paper goods cold turkey, including cups, plates, pans, cultery, I would still buy garbage bags, sandwich bags, etc. That is not "only". It's a fortune. Garbage bags - what's wrong with using the supermarket bags after you empty them? Sandwich bags - my goodness, how many do you use? Teach your family to bring home relatively clean bags and reuse them. Paper goods- is this for your sanity?

Chicken - I don't think cutting down once a week and substituing something else would make a big difference. We have fleishigs 2-3 week nights and I would have to substitute something else.

Fruits and veggies - this totaled less than 400 nis. We already go to the shuk for most, and while we don't only buy the cheapest and lowest grade, we don't buy out of season stuff either. That seems high to me as well but maybe you eat a lot of produce.

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts and suggestions.
It's discouraging to start when I know I have to cut down on 5-10 diff areas just to see any significant difference.

I could probably save you hundreds without trying.

Tamiri

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 7:45 am

freidasima wrote:

Tamiri, you and I are oldtime Israeli...we are used to "reusing".
Do you know how many times I can reuse a "disposable" aluminum foil pan? At least ten times unless it gets greasy. Bags. We even use the bags that cereal come in, after moving it into a plastic container. Garbage bags, we buy a roll of the big ones 90X70 for the kitchen garbage but everything else gets supermarket bags. Cutting yellow cheese in half is an old Israeli way to do things cheap, again, for us it's natural, for newer olim they can't imagine it.

Cola? Remember the days of the kinds of stuff that doesn't even exist? Kinley or whatever it was called and the horrible brands? We learned to drink water, with nothing....

There sure is kinley. they have this clear seltzer-like drink with different flavors lightly sweetened. It's a coca-cola brand. I think.
No matter how you slice the cheese, I still probably spend close to 100 nis/week on it.

Tamiri

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 7:49 am

suomynona wrote:

Tamiri, I will send you my list when I finish tracking my food bill for January and you can tell me how to save hundreds Smile

I hope it was a typo when you wrote 100nis/week for yellow cheese. I was writing the monthly total, not the weekly.

Seriously, though, I see from this thread, that I have to figure out ways to save that work for me, and not what works for other people. We are Americans. We don't have Israeli sensibilities and we're not about to give up our shabbos Pepsi for Petel. We do drink mostly water and seltzer during the week btw.

Petel? Do people still drink that? I wasn't suggesting to give up Pepsi for petel. I was suggesting giving it up for ~~Lent~~ your physical and fiscal health. If you drink seltzer during the week, what is it's source? Do you make it yourself?
Regarding your personal sensibilities. You asked how to reduce your bill. You didn't quantify it with: I am an American, not that I think it has anything to do with lowering your food bill. Israelis, davka, are the ones who say "why should we give up xyz, we worked hard for it". Or maybe that's davka a Jewish thing. As a little girl in the U.S. my mother (American born, bred and educated) asked that I bring home my used brown bag and clean plastic bags. Just so you know.

Tamiri

Fri, Dec 31 2010, 7:52 am

freidasima wrote:

Oh. I got it. You are thinking of "Queens": Dor haJeans Shoteh Queens.