S/O $150k a year- low food budget- how??

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:04 pm

amother Emerald wrote:

I think we all vow never to be like our parents in certain ways, and then when we get older we understand exactly why they did what they did. It's part of growing up. We need to be able to pay the bills so we make choices to be frugal where we can.

Yes but in my case it was more of a control issue. My mother controlling all my choices including what I ate and when.

Anyway doesn’t matter- my childhood isn’t the point of this.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:05 pm

amother Azure wrote:

I also think Imamother skews Superwoman, I don't know how you all work full time, have a bunch of kids and never ever use frozen food. I don't know what's wrong with me but I can't do that, I work full time and have a bunch of young kids (all too young to be of substantial help) and I use frozen bourekas, frozen breaded fish, French fries etc regularly. I physically can't feed my family otherwise. And though I don't do fleishigs every night, I usually do around one night milchigs, 1 night parve and one night Shabbos leftovers, my husband is hungry by 10 pm when I don't serve fleishigs and he ends up filling up on snacks. I do it anyway because I have picky kids but I don't think non fleishig is saving any money after my husband's second supper of snacks.

It definitely skews frugal.

I don’t know anyone IRL who wears the same wig for 10 years and never buys new clothes or yogurts.

amother

↑ Myrtle ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:08 pm

amother Azure wrote:

And I did the math, individual yogurts and large yogurts are the exact same price per ounce because we buy the small cheap ones. So I don't see how that's luxury

It's not luxury, but some of us don't buy yogurt at all on a regular basis. It's not fun to live on a tiny grocery budget, but it is doable. But you have to be flexible with what you get and adjust based on prices.

My entire grocery + household spending for the past month (includes over $250 in toiletries and undergarments for kids going off to yeshiva/high school, over $80 in diapers, plus $75 for past grocery account balance) was just over $1500.

amother

↑ Azure ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:10 pm

amother Myrtle wrote:

It's not luxury, but some of us don't buy yogurt at all. It's not fun to live on a tiny grocery budget, but it is doable. But you have to be flexible with what you get and adjust based on prices.

My entire grocery + household spending for the past month (includes over $250 in toiletries and undergarments for kids going off to yeshiva/high school, over $80 in diapers, plus $75 for past grocery account balance) was just over $1500.

What's a cheaper option for breakfast than a bowl of cereal and a 69 cent yogurt? I'm asking honestly, I don't understand what's specifically luxurious about yogurt over anything else

amother

↑ Chartreuse ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:11 pm

amother Azure wrote:

What's a cheaper option for breakfast than a bowl of cereal and a 69 cent yogurt? I'm asking honestly, I don't understand what's specifically luxurious about yogurt over anything else

Cereal is crazy expensive. We rarely buy it. We make oatmeal. 69 cents for a yogurt isn't bad imo.

amother

↑ Myrtle ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:12 pm

amother Azure wrote:

What's a cheaper option for breakfast than a bowl of cereal and a 69 cent yogurt? I'm asking honestly, I don't understand what's specifically luxurious about yogurt over anything else

A bowl of cereal without the yogurt, or oatmeal. Maybe if you only have one kid and therefore one yogurt it's no big deal to spend the 70 cents, but I have 6 kids at home right now and that would be $30 a week on yogurts alone. I do sometimes get them as a Yom Tov treat.

amother

↑ Lilac ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:27 pm

amother Myrtle wrote:

Yogurt adds calcium and protein. We don't actually eat yogurt for breakfast but some of my kids eat yogurt as part of their lunch. Never heard of yogurt being a luxury food until ima.

amother

↑ Azure ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:29 pm

amother Myrtle wrote:

Cereal without yogurt won't keep my kids full til they get to school let alone til snack time. The yogurt is some form of protein. I have 5 kids and I don't see 70 cents a morning for breakfast as expensive. Anything cheaper is just cereal which isn't filling

imanotmommy

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:39 pm

amother OP wrote:

I’m shocked that I was the only one to point out that $1k a month on food for a family of 6 is very low.

Or is it?

I live in the tri-state area and according to my bank I spent $2,800 on food alone for my family of 4. That’s $700 a week. A few years ago I was doing $400/500 a week with the same family size but this was pre-inflation.

We rarely eat out or buy takeout. I did do a lot of food shopping for YT this month. We moved to a new city which kosher food is significantly more expensive as it’s limited here. Obviously, I buy from regular supermarkets as often as I can though- though food went up there as well!

Twice as month I go to a large grocery in a city an hour away from me, they have the best prices so I try to stock up as much as I can. I spend around $400/500 each time.

My kids take 4 snacks a day to school. BH they get school lunch.

Dinner costs about $20 a night, usually chicken or chop meat. Then there’s Shabbos each week, the occasional parties of BBQs, and meals we host… it all adds up very quickly.

Am I doing something wrong? Or is my food budget normal?

I read most of the thread, and I don't really understand what you want to ask. You are choosing to spend more money on certain things than others. Is it possible to spend less? Yes. Do you need our permission to shop the way that works for you? No.
Doing what works for your family, with the amount that you can afford to spend, is not wrong and is normal.

amother

↑ Myrtle ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:43 pm

amother Azure wrote:

Milk is also protein.

I agree with you that cereal is not filling, but oatmeal usually is, and it's cheaper than cereal too.

Listen, you don't have to feel guilty about buying yogurt or feel like you're indulging. If you can afford it, gezunterheit! I like yogurt too and would be glad to eat it every morning.

But this thread was started with the premise that it's impossible to spend less than a certain amount on food. In fact it actually is quite possible, and I could cut back as well. I choose not to, and I don't consider my purchases as excessive, but that doesn't mean we couldn't survive on less.

amother

↑ Emerald ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:53 pm

amother Azure wrote:

Oatmeal, grits, or farina is more filling and much cheaper. Some cereals are more filling like raisin bran. Or cereal with fruit is filling. Bagel and peanut butter. Eggs and toast- questionable with today's egg prices but it has in the past been a filling, cheaper, option.

amother

↑ Azure ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:57 pm

amother Myrtle wrote:

I'll admit that I didn't read the whole thread, I just got hung up on the yogurt comment Smile

I guess I never saw hot cereal as an option since my kids are very little and can't handle hot water on their own and I don't have time in the morning to make hot oatmeal and then cool it for everyone

But I do stand by my earlier statement which is that this site seems to have some incredibly capable and high energy women who can literally make everything from scratch.

amother

↑ Azure ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 1:58 pm

amother Emerald wrote:

A bagel and peanut butter or eggs and toast is more expensive than a bowl of cereal and a 70 cents yogurt

amother

↑ Myrtle ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 2:06 pm

amother Azure wrote:

I'll admit that I didn't read the whole thread, I just got hung up on the yogurt comment Smile

I'm lazy. Instant oats + water from the urn + an ice cube and you have cooled down oatmeal.

You don't have to do it, but it's not as big a deal as you might be imagining. There have been times when I make old fashioned or steel cut oats in a pot, but I do feel like superwoman when I do that.

amother

↑ Chicory

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 2:10 pm

amother Myrtle wrote:

But saying you can live on less by keeping everyone hungry all the time is not an answer. That means you can’t actually live on less. To me the bare minimum is food at every meal that is appetizing and filling. If it’s not appetizing and we have to hold our nose to swallow or it’s not filling that’s not being able to live on less.

amother

↑ Azure

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 2:13 pm

amother Myrtle wrote:

Instant oats is more expensive than cereal and yogurt

(Which is fine, and I think I'm going to start introducing that because winter and hit breakfast sounds great. But being that this thread is discussing specifically from a price perspective, we must admit it's more expensive)

amother

↑ Azalea ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 2:15 pm

amother Azure wrote:

I'll admit that I didn't read the whole thread, I just got hung up on the yogurt comment Smile

Overnight oats in bulk. I have a container I dump the oats and water in, stick it in the fridge, and in the morning mix it up and the kids each get a bowl. If I was really good I would make each kid their own container but not happening.

I make a lot from scratch for both health and money reasons- when I buy a pack or two of cutlets at Costco, I take half an hour and prepare them into schnitzel/nuggets which I can then just grab a pan, defrost, spray with oil and bake.

I prepare and bake 3 lbs of meatballs at a time- takes about 10 min plus baking time of the extras while the kids eat dinner.

My kids don’t eat fish sticks- they’re happier with canned salmon

I do occasionally buy frozen pizza, but my kids are just as happy with pizza made on a wrap that they get to add their own toppings to.

I have zero time or energy, I just have a lot of meal hacks (crockpot and instapot and microwave help a lot).

amother

↑ Myrtle ↓

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 2:15 pm

amother Azure wrote:

A bagel and peanut butter or eggs and toast is more expensive than a bowl of cereal and a 70 cents yogurt

Mini bagel = 40 cents ($5.19 for 13)
Peanut butter = 20 cents ($4 for 40 oz, assuming 2 oz of PB)
Total = 60 cents, or $1.20 if a kid wants two

Cereal = 17 cents ($2 for a box, assuming 12 servings)
Milk = 32 cents ($3.80 for a half gallon, assuming 12 servings)
Yogurt = 70 cents
Total = $1.19 for one bowl of cereal and a yogurt

Eggs = 60 cents (30 cents each where I live right now)
Toast = 40 cents ($4 loaf of 20 slices)
Total = 50 cents for one, or $1 for two slices of toast and 2 eggs

Instant oats = 18 cents for a flavored packet ($3.60 for 20 from Walmart)
OR
Instant oats = 14 cents for a serving ($4 for a 30 serving canister from Walmart)