Feed 10 Organically for $150 Wk?
January 14, 2008 by Tracee Sioux
Filed under Parenting
I pride myself of being frugal, fiscally responsible and downright cheap.
It’s downright genetic and in my upbringing and out of middle-class economic necessity.
Inflation is out of control as going to the grocery store gets more expensive every time I go. The increased price of gas is leaking out to the price of everything.
I’ve been combating the guilt and frustration at the grocery store by raising my budget and saying, It’s out of my control. We have to eat. I don’t control the price of gas or groceries.
Imagine my shame when I heard Kate Gosselin, mother of twins and sextuplets from Jon & Kate plus Ei8ght, say she feeds her kids as organically and healthily as possible for $150 a week. Which is about what I spend, only I accidentally go over nearly every week.
It makes me feel like I’ve got to step up my game. Last week I saved about $1.50 just by telling the Walmart clerk that Brookshires had a better price in the paper on melons.
I’m going to try coupons too. I’ve never really use them because I figure .15 cents and .35 is a pain in the badonkadonk. But, then watching my grocery bill skyrocket every week is a pain in my budget.
I’ve got a coupon organizer and I’m logging onto Couponbug.com to print the coupons I want. Wishing a grocery store in my area had double coupon day.
Anyone else have a coupon source that can save me money? Thrifty Mommy?
I’ll get you some links for my info about coupons.
Okay, I failed at coupons. I used about 6 of them and saved about $3. But, I bought the Fruit Roll Ups because I had a coupon so I spend $3.50 I wouldn’t normally have spent. My grocery bill didn’t go down.
Maybe I just need more practice.
You have to buy the items on sale and use the coupon.
Here’s some links to get you started:
http://www.thriftymommy.com/frugal-friday-23-coupon-tips/
http://www.thriftymommy.com/frugal-friday-27-let-the-games-begin/
http://www.thriftymommy.com/im-back-in-the-game/
Let us know how it goes, please! If you had a “coupon challenge” or something like that, it would probably inspire me to stick to my budget better and it might become more of a game than a chore?!
You also need to got to stores that double and triple coupons. There is an art to it.
Oh, and if you buy just about everything in bulk, and cook from scratch you can totally feed that many people organically for 150.00 a week, but prepare to spend A LOT more time in the kitchen. ‘Cause you’re kind of screwed when you don’t preprep/cook and you all are starving and staring down some frozen chicken, unchopped carrots, and a pile of whole grain rice. *See: emergency meal.
where is the store that double and triples coupons? I’ve only seen that on TV.
Kroger does. I think the double all the time and triple on certain days. Then you shop for stuff that is on sale, and WITH a coupon and get it for practically nothing or free.
Did you see that lady on Oprah who opened a food pantry for the homeless and has weekly coupon clipping gatherings at church to do so? They spend all most nothing and feed hundreds. Really cool!
Harris Teeter and Lowe’s Foods doubles coupons here. Every now and then they run a triple coupon special. I’m not sure what you have out your way. You can do the first time subscription to the grocery game for $1. I have information about it in the links above. If you have people sign up under your name you can get free months.
I’m pretty sure I remember Kate saying she spent $150 just at that store a week…not that she only spent $150/week on groceries.
On the Gosselin’s site Kate said that that 150 a week is just at ONE store. I think she seems to be an excellent shopper anyhow, but they do spend more than the 150 a week..and of course they should!
These are some great ideas. I prefer organic foods, but I often find that they are just too expensive where I live.
I am continually surprised to see how much o-food Ingles is putting on the shelves. They are getting more of my business.