Our Grocery Budget

Okay, ladies.

I'm going to do a post about my grocery bill.

I know. You all have an insatiable, burning desire to know how much we spend and what kinds of things we buy.

Right??

Well, since I let everything else hang on this blog, why not give you the rundown on my grocery budget too??

We do have a set budget that we like to spend on groceries, including toiletries, paper products and stuff.

Only I'm quite certain that our budget does not remotely resemble ANY of your budgets out there!

Let's get some things straight first: I am NOT a frugal hacker. Why, you ask? With my large family, (your arguement goes) I ought to be! Well, I find it takes too much of my meager mental and physical energy to be truly frugal. For one, we decided a loooong time ago to no longer support our daily newspaper here, because it just became fish wrap or window rags for us. Expensive window rags! So I don't get any sale ads or anything like that. I'm so much happier!

Secondly, I drive a large van. A GMC Safari van. And it takes lots of gas to run around town to this store and that store just to get the best deal. I ask you, is the money I save on groceries going into my gas tank, and where are the savings in that??

Thirdly (I think I just created a new ordinal word!!), I choose not to support some chain stores and local stores due to their practice of financially supporting causes I am not comfortable with. I do not like it when a store in which I spend lots of money turns around and supports organizations that do not line up with our personal/religous philosophies. I'm on a soapbox here, but this is something that I feel deeply about.

Also, I chose a long time ago to eliminate stress from my life. Stress was coming at me from places I would go that would make rude and "cute" comments about my very large family. Yes, I'm telling the truth. I'd go to local stores and get the whole nine yards. So, in the interest of supporting those businesses that liked my family, I opted to only go to two places. They know us, love us, and treat us like royalty when we come.

I really have tried to be frugal and save money. REALLY! Last shopping trip, I decided I was going to buy generic everything. Even wipes. I was so proud of myself for all the money I saved and was sure my husband would be too...

But I ended up having to take almost everything I had purchased back because of poor quality!

Where's the money saved in that?

I did get attached to Luv's diapers. They're at least $2 cheaper than the Pampers I have been using for about 10 years.

I tried Pampers baby wipes, for $2 less a package than my Huggies. Hated them! They were small and thin and well, I went back to Huggies.

Another thing that we do is we eat organic. We eat almost all natural. This way of eating is not cheap unless you grow your own food, and living in the city we have limited space, especially with The Dog Who Eats My Stuff! We do grow things like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and cilantro out front. The choice to eat organic and all natural has actually saved my family's health. For real. We no longer go to the doctor, EVER. It's really hard to maintain organic, natural eating habits on a $50 a week food budget though...

In the end, how much do we really spend on groceries a month?

Are you sitting down, and does someone in your house know CPR?? Good, because you may have to be rescucitated after I tell you!

I estimate we spend about $1000 a month on groceries.

Yep.

And I do it with the full and complete blessing of my husband.

There you have it.

Don't hate me because I'm not frugal!