I am finding it harder and harder to come in at or below my budget for groceries lately though. The cost of food and household supplies is outta control! Let me tell you I've watched these shows like Extreme Couponing and I'll admit those people are impressive, but they also don't usually work and spend hours each week searching, clipping, organizing, shopping and checking out. I don't think I can do that in my 1/2 hour of free time each day. I clip on Sundays, shop at 2 different stores, dependent on my list, and buy generic but I'm still struggling to come in at my $125 per week budget. My budget is for food, household supplies and pets. Since January, I've been consistently coming in at $150 per week for my family of five. I'd like to squarely place the blame on my bottomless pit of a pre-teen boy, but I think it's more accurately a rise in prices and smaller packages!
I started looking into it and it seems that, along with gas, this is a trend to continue. Stink.
"In the 12 months through January 2011, the official inflation rate in the U.S. was a benign-sounding 1.6 percent. Only problem is, that stat is just for a broad basket of all sorts of goods and services. Narrow it down to just the cost of food, and recent price trends are anything but benign. A smaller basket of meat, poultry, and fish cost 6 percent more this January compared to a year ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price data. Given that average wages grew less than 2 percent last year, the rise in food prices is indeed taking a bigger bite out of our wallets. Here’s a breakdown of some specific food prices that are rising a whole lot more than the general rate of inflation:
12-month price change in selected foods:
Butter + 19.6 percent
Lamb: +18.9
Bacon +11.3
Beef & Veal + 9.7
Potatoes + 6.0
Roast Coffee +5.6
Sugar +4.8
Eggs +4.8
Fresh Veggies + 3.7
Fresh Fruit +3.1
General Inflation: +1.6" - CBS moneywatch.com
So, what's your budget for food and household goods? Do I need to rethink mine? Am I way high or way low realistically for a family of 5? How are you planning to cope in the coming year?
Overheard at our house:
Mom - "You know, we didn't have iPods or even CDs for our music when I was your age."
Beebo - "I know. You just all sat around the radio and listened to movies, right?"
Tanya,
ReplyDeleteI don't want you to compare yourself to me, since we have different family sizes & situations, but since you asked for reader input... :)
We have:
2 adults, 2/3 of one child (custody reasons)
No pets.
Our grocery/household goods budget includes: food consumed at home, laundry supplies, cleaning supplies, toiletries (shampoo, TP, toothpaste, contact solution, etc)
It doesn't include school lunches, occasional dining out, medication, light bulbs, haircuts or make-up.
Our grocery budget is $45/week. We don't utilize any outside aid, other than a small home garden in the summer. We eat pretty well. More chicken & ground beef, less steak & such. I'm not "organic-only" inclined and we have no food allergies or restrictions so that helps.
I coupon A LOT. I also work 25-35 hours a week, depending on Gabe's home schedule. Since I work in Peoria, I can make quick stops at several grocery stores to pick up the uber-deals without wasting extra gas.
What I do may not work for some, but it's worked well for us the past 3 years. I don't think my grocery budget has changed for several years, but I'm starting to feel a little pinched too. Plus Gabe's hollow leg is starting to really kick in. :)
Thanks for the input Meg! Maybe I need some lessons from you! We don't eat expensively, I don't think... protein is mostly beef, chicken and beans. I make soups and casseroles to stretch, but most casseroles now have to be 2 9x13 pans due to the monsterous appetite of my 12 year old!
ReplyDeleteI didn't mention that our budget does include pet supplies (2 cats and a dog) and those run us about $65 per month.