How Much Do You Spend On Groceries?

[Blackcat31]

I don't know how some of you manage to keep costs so low? I must be a horrible shopper.
Yesterday I spent about 90, 5 dcks and myself. That includes all cleansers and paper products. And I'll probably hit the store again to make sure I have enough produce to make it through the week.

I shop at Walmart and Sam's Club.
I never buy paper products unless there is a sale and I only buy them in bulk so that right there is a huge savings. I know that paper towel at the grocery store is 2x what it costs at Walmart and 4x times what it costs at Sam's when bought in bulk..kwim?

I also buy very simple too. Lots of fresh veggies (in season) and lots of filling foods (wild rice, oatmeal, pasta etc). I don't buy a lot of fruit as I feel kids get alot of that at home and to me it's just added sugar. I focus on extra veggies instead. I plan ahead and try to use left overs for hotdishes and casseroles later so there is less waste. I also have a clean out the fridge day on Friday so that helps too!

On a side note, I don't know how much milk is where you are but I can buy a gallon of milk for $1.79 at Walmart.

[BrynleeJean]

. blackcat31

[storybookending]

I was hanging out socially with one of my dcms last night and she was talking about what great deal she got on bread and buns at the grocery store and I said “you know that’s the price it always is at walmart right?” She refuses to shop there but agreed that when it comes to kids it makes sense as a lot is probably wasted anyways. I have no problems with shopping at walmart for the kids or even myself.

[Country Kids]

I was hanging out socially with one of my dcms last night and she was talking about what great deal she got on bread and buns at the grocery store and I said “you know that’s the price it always is at walmart right?” She refuses to shop there but agreed that when it comes to kids it makes sense as a lot is probably wasted anyways. I have no problems with shopping at walmart for the kids or even myself.

We shop at Wal-Mart but sometimes I want to go somewhere else just because I need a break from Wal-Mart. I love how other grocery stores seem so nice and everything stocked so well. I needed band-aids this weekend and wal-mart was out of the kind I was specifically looking for and out of most band-aids. I'm like really, was there a run on band-aids. The weekend before they were out of bananas.

I want to be a rebel and start shopping somewhere else but it would sadly blow the grocery budget

[Blackcat31]

I was hanging out socially with one of my dcms last night and she was talking about what great deal she got on bread and buns at the grocery store and I said “you know that’s the price it always is at walmart right?” She refuses to shop there but agreed that when it comes to kids it makes sense as a lot is probably wasted anyways. I have no problems with shopping at walmart for the kids or even myself.

All of our local stores will price match any advertised deals.
It takes work sometimes to follow up on all the ads etc but sometimes it's totally worth it.

I don't like shopping at Walmart much either but instead of just spending more by shopping elsewhere I do a price match or I have just learned what times are ideal and what times are not so ideal for shopping at Walmart.

[Jo123ABC]

Okay.... so jealous of your grocery expenses! I spend around 700 a month on groceries. I just bought 3 gal of whole milk from the local grocery store for $4.29 per gal! It's horribly expensive here. And... The food program pays only about $160 per month. I have 7 children total right now (2 are mine).

[daycarediva]

I have 12 children daily, breakfast, lunch, snacks. I serve whole wheat, organic. Produce is the biggest chunk. I am part of a farm share and that's 495/6 months. I spend about 100-125 a week aside from that.

I do a monthly amazon auto ship for diapers, wipes, TP, diaper genie, disposable gloves, and printer ink. It's around 150. No paper towels as we use reusable.

I also spend a good 20-25/week on crafts, books, curriculum, and reusable art items. My kids are big art lovers.

My FP pays well, I get around $1,000/month so it covers my expenses.

[daycarediva]

Dh and I were just doing estimates out loud because of this thread and he said "You realize we spend more feeding the dogs than we do the kids."

They eat a combo of expensive grain free and a raw diet.

EVERYONE eats well though. ::

[CityGarden]

Hi friends!
How much do you spend per week on groceries for the daycare only? How much on supplies? How many children do you watch? Are they over 2 yrs old?
Does anyone use meal apps to configure costs?
Also, has anyone researched or have a low cost meal plan that I can see?

Thanks so much!!!

I spend $100-$150 per month on groceries for the dcks. All groceries are organic and local when possible and the bulk of the expense is on fresh produce. I provide morning and afternoon snack - parents provide their own child's lunches.

Supplies like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, cleaning solutions and wipes are purchased as need about every 2-3 months at Costco and I spend about $100 each time.

I have 6 dcks all are 2+ years old.

I have used Plan to Eat in the past and liked it for menu planning but it did not track cost (not sure if it does now as I have not used it in a long time). I no longer offer as much variety so there is no longer a need to menu plan for the dcks.

Our snacks are on a weekly rotation so every Monday the dcks have the same thing, every Tuesday is the same, etc. it helps me to avoid waste and creates a nice rhythm for the kids.

Since I have a preschool program I spend about $100-$150 on materials for that.

[Josiegirl]

I shop at Walmart and Sam's Club.
I never buy paper products unless there is a sale and I only buy them in bulk so that right there is a huge savings. I know that paper towel at the grocery store is 2x what it costs at Walmart and 4x times what it costs at Sam's when bought in bulk..kwim?

I also buy very simple too. Lots of fresh veggies (in season) and lots of filling foods (wild rice, oatmeal, pasta etc). I don't buy a lot of fruit as I feel kids get alot of that at home and to me it's just added sugar. I focus on extra veggies instead. I plan ahead and try to use left overs for hotdishes and casseroles later so there is less waste. I also have a clean out the fridge day on Friday so that helps too!

On a side note, I don't know how much milk is where you are but I can buy a gallon of milk for $1.79 at Walmart.

I do clean-out-the-fridge on Fridays too. I still end up with too much waste. I paid 2.99 for a gal. of milk Sunday but it's usually 3.29. I'll have to check out our closest Walmart and see what their prices are. They just added more to their grocery aisles within the past couple years. I've tried to limit my trips there because the cart becomes a magnet and I easily spend $100 before I know what I'm doing. The local store I go to usually has good deals and I follow their sales circulars, buy what's in season.
I haven't gone to a club store for a long time because 1) closest store is an hour away and 2) my cart was always a magnet there too. I can be a terrible impulse shopper.

[storybookending]

I do clean-out-the-fridge on Fridays too. I still end up with too much waste. I paid 2.99 for a gal. of milk Sunday but it's usually 3.29. I'll have to check out our closest Walmart and see what their prices are. They just added more to their grocery aisles within the past couple years. I've tried to limit my trips there because the cart becomes a magnet and I easily spend $100 before I know what I'm doing. The local store I go to usually has good deals and I follow their sales circulars, buy what's in season.
I haven't gone to a club store for a long time because 1) closest store is an hour away and 2) my cart was always a magnet there too. I can be a terrible impulse shopper.

Do you follow a menu with the dcks? I have found that rotating my menu and having an exact plan of what we are having helps me when I shop. I only buy the things on the list for that week. I shop on Thursday nights for the following week.

[Blackcat31]

I haven't gone to a club store for a long time because 1) closest store is an hour away and 2) my cart was always a magnet there too. I can be a terrible impulse shopper.

A super great way to break that habit is to use their mobile app and shop without going into the store. It helps keep you to buying only what's on your list since you aren't in the store to see all the other good stuff they have...

I use the app, buy what's on my list and then when DH and I get to the store, we go to the pick up area and pick up all the items on my list all bagged and ready to go. Nothing extra in my cart.

You can "practice" doing this in regular stores too and pretty soon it gets super easy. I make a list and challenge myself to buy ONLY what is on the list. Nothing more.

Sometimes I'll see something I think I forgot to add to the list but I'll still pass it by and not get it because the focus is staying on task and buying only what is on the list. I figured if I could master that, I'd be doing ok.