tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post8590051520389394697..comments2023-09-04T06:26:16.361-05:00Comments on A Life At Home: How I Feed my Family of 8 for $300 a month Q&A- Part 1Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15659128838097326959noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-54189064844107633502010-05-20T11:36:00.192-05:002010-05-20T11:36:00.192-05:00Soontobemomof9, I understand that overwhelmed feel...Soontobemomof9, I understand that overwhelmed feeling. I think we've all been there before. The best recommendation I have is to start by making a list of all your favorite meals as a family and then make a menu from it for a month. Keep all receipts for everything spent for the entire month. After you get you true total you'll be shocked by what you spent. If you're going way over budget, like I was, you'll need to tweak your meal plan to include moore budget friendly meals. Add more sides and less meat. Add more meatless meals. Add more healthy breads to help fill little ones up. You can do it! :-)Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15659128838097326959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-24633009685298651602010-05-18T22:15:14.208-05:002010-05-18T22:15:14.208-05:00Hi! My sister sent me your blog link. I have to ...Hi! My sister sent me your blog link. I have to admit... I am overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with where to start, overwhelmed with picky eaters, and overwhelmed with my 250 dollars a WEEK grocery budget, adn that does not include beef which is our most consistent meat as we raise cattle!<br /><br />My husband and I have 7, soon to be 9 kids ages 17 to 4. I KNOW we are overspending. I just have no idea where to start on getting a handle on this! <br /><br />I look forward to reading through your blog, and coming back! :)Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00780602398588917246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-34627992766550665712009-01-17T09:33:00.000-06:002009-01-17T09:33:00.000-06:00Thanks for sharing all of this! I will take some ...Thanks for sharing all of this! I will take some time and figure out which of your tools I can use... we're in a smallish town in Nova Scotia - no CVS, no Walgreen's, and very few coupons :( <BR/><BR/>Any tips on where to get coupons from?Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06293832138354212402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-36592437898651351332008-04-24T14:42:00.000-05:002008-04-24T14:42:00.000-05:00Hey Shelly, If I was you I would sit down and loo...Hey Shelly,<BR/><BR/> If I was you I would sit down and look at the weekly ads for all the stores in town. I would then see what I need and how good the sales are. If I would save more than the gas money it took me I would plan one day to go to town. <BR/><BR/>If I had to travel 30 miles it would equal 2 gallons of gas. That is about $7.00 here right now. If I were to save more than that, then it would be worth it. <BR/><BR/>I would do all of my grocery store deals, CVS, and Walgreen's in one day so I could save the most time and money.<BR/><BR/>We are planning on moving out of town here in the next 2 years. When we do i'll have to reevaluate the way I shop. My husband doesn't mind doing the deal shopping so I might ask him to stop since he will still have to work in town.<BR/><BR/>If you have questions about CVS just email me.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15659128838097326959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-17211954642031584482008-04-24T14:30:00.000-05:002008-04-24T14:30:00.000-05:00I have been couponing for several months, but not ...I have been couponing for several months, but not saving a ton. Last month I went to Kroger and Walmart and saved and finally saw some significant savings ($50). I live 15 miles from the stores, so gas has to figure in to my grocery trips. I have tried to cut down on my trips to the "big town" as much as possible. I have a month menu plan and try to go to the store basically once a month, except for milk, fruit...I need to get my grocery budget down. Would it be worth it to go to the store more often even with gas prices?<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your help here. I have friends that do the CVS thing, but I have never tried it. Your explaination is great! I will be trying it!<BR/>Shelly @ ssjourney@verizon.netShelly@Sweet Journeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12078815049502170183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-3765952298170867872008-04-08T15:07:00.000-05:002008-04-08T15:07:00.000-05:00Someone organic can also go online and find an org...Someone organic can also go online and find an organic farmer's market near them. Even our small town has one.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15882915902110469241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-51069994716606383222008-04-08T12:59:00.000-05:002008-04-08T12:59:00.000-05:00Hi Ivy six-pack, one thing I have learned since st...Hi Ivy six-pack, one thing I have learned since starting this journey is that you can't always be brand loyal. <BR/>While I do prefer some brands to others, I actually used to use mostly generic items. I am always up for trying new brands. Especially since they are free!<BR/>Good luck as you start trying to lower your food budget.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15659128838097326959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-66532087560825928402008-04-08T11:59:00.000-05:002008-04-08T11:59:00.000-05:00We are a family of eight, but our monthly food bud...We are a family of eight, but our monthly food budget is $900. I am excited to try some of your suggestions and see if we can lower that over the next month.<BR/><BR/>We do hace Walgreens and CVS, but I avery brand loyal. Do you use different TP/ tissues/ shampoo each time depending on what is on sale?Ivymammahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15645611213101442979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-82131614215080232852008-04-07T22:58:00.000-05:002008-04-07T22:58:00.000-05:00amphritrite, yes, that's what I want people to kno...amphritrite, yes, that's what I want people to know. Some people just live in areas that make it a little easier. I wish we had stores that doubled coupons, but we don't. Just to think about the money I could save. :-)<BR/><BR/>Kate, isn't it great to be able to stockpile! It really starts to pay off after a month or so.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15659128838097326959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-29273019427917717672008-04-07T18:52:00.000-05:002008-04-07T18:52:00.000-05:00As always Teresa, wonderful, fabulous tips! I'm s...As always Teresa, wonderful, fabulous tips! I'm so excited to be able to tell you that I am going to get to do some stockpiling this month! My monthly trip came in over $30 lower than I had planned, so I'll be using that to stock up on loss leaders, thanks to your advice! Now I just have to decide where I most want to stock up...what fun.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03112133327097954479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-75189308801593499942008-04-07T14:38:00.000-05:002008-04-07T14:38:00.000-05:00Also, something to remember is that not all parts ...Also, something to remember is that not all parts of the country are equal. For instance, in my neck of the woods, we don't have CVS. We don't have stores like Kroger who double and triple coupons. <BR/><BR/>Just because you don't have all the tools someone else does doesn't mean that you can't save big - I'm a family of 1 (and two kitties), but I've been blessed with learning enough that I can send items to my less fortunate family members throughout the state, despite not having a CVS or a double/triple store.<BR/><BR/>On any given day, I save 60%+ on my groceries by following the simple principles of stockpiling and the FOAF (free or almost free) rule. My current best is 74%, and that was only a week ago. Keep your chins up, dears! You can do it, too.Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04335320552964298416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976283321932512167.post-4549748396536547552008-04-07T13:14:00.000-05:002008-04-07T13:14:00.000-05:00I don't really have a comment, but I wanted to say...I don't really have a comment, but I wanted to say thank you.<BR/>MelissaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com