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Forum
-> Household Management
-> Finances
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amother
Lavender
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 Tue, Aug 13 2019, 11:35 am
| amother [ Floralwhite ] wrote: | We live in the city and usually use fruit carts for fruits and veggies. Anything we'd want to get is just $1-3. That's a few dollars a week but nothing to drive the budget up an insane amount. I don't freeze anything, I just put it in the fridge and reheat the next day. Or if my husband is bringing leftovers to work he'll eat the chicken or salmon cold. I don't find myself buying household goods that often, we usually buy bulk stuff and it lasts a long time. You're right, these are little things that drive up the cost here and there, but even with my $250 guesstimate there is wiggle room for that.
edit - I'm only speaking for me and my husband, not trying to insist that this budget is typical for everyone. I know that I don't spend so much money on food but I've never sat down and added it up until my attempt right here right now. If I'm missing things I'm very open to adjusting. Challah, for example, I don't have on there but I make it myself in advance (cheaper than buying) and when I think about how 5lbs flour cost $1.99 here, 4 lbs sugar is $1.99, a dozen eggs are $1.25, etc, I know it isn't that much. Whatever I'm forgetting, I don't think it's enough to raise my $250 to $600 or anything drastic like that. |
I agree.
And I don't even use leftovers for supper..
But I can see how ppl would spend that much if their buying precut and checked foods..
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 11:40 am
| amother [ Brunette ] wrote: | Yes good point. Shabbos can cost another 50 easily. Breakfast/Snacks/ fruit etc another 25 a week.
=125 a week. = 500 a month
It's not hard to get to 500 a month |
I think I once calculated Shabbos can cost me under $20..
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 11:44 am
| amother [ Emerald ] wrote: | Those who seem to spend extremely low amounts of food seem to have extremely unusual eating habits.
Especially there seems to be very minimal amounts of produce. I always have lots of fruit in the refrigerator as well as nice amounts of vegetables. I probably spend more than $50 per week just on produce. Especially in the summer when I can't help be bring home all the wonderful fruits of summer - and the good quality fruit tends to be expensive even in the summer.
Granted I do love food and can afford it but the posted menus reflect a very austere diet -no bagels, cheese, not even a little lox, no crackers - anything that brings a bit of excitement to the diet doesn't seem to be purchased.
This is not a criticism of those with an austere inexpensive diet but merely that I don't think it is realistic or necessarily positive to eat in this manner if one can afford not to. If one has a tight budget that's a different issue. Of course this probably reflects the manner in which my family lived - no matter how tight finances were, food was something my parents didn't scrimp on - there was always fruit and fresh vegetables, cheese and one of my fond memories was accompanying my father on Sunday morning to the teeny appetizer store for lox, whitefish, herring and bagels. |
We ate plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. I buy the ones in season.. and I don't scrimp, I have a bit leftover but it doesn't get eaten the next day..
For example you can get blueberries for .99 now, and I got strawberries 2 boxes for 1.49 last week. This week their 1 box for 1.49 watermelon was $5 for a whole or 45¢ a lb somewhere else.
Some other examples:
Eggplant 49 cents a lb
a large head of cauliflower is 1.29
Long green cucumbers - 5 for 69 cents
Red skin potatoes 39 cents a lb
Zucchini squash 39 cents a lb
Kiwis 10 for a $1
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 11:47 am
Again, I'm not pushing a thrifty lifestyle, I really hope not coming across that way.. I totally see how ppl can spend more, or not 
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amother
Mauve
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 11:54 am
| amother [ Lavender ] wrote: | | Again, I'm not pushing a thrifty lifestyle, I really hope not coming across that way.. I totally see how ppl can spend more, or not |
Where do you live with such great prices?
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amother
Emerald
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 12:39 pm
| amother [ Mauve ] wrote: | | Where do you live with such great prices? |
Even on sale, a box of strawberries is $2.99 and a tiny box of blueberries (6 ounces) is $2.50. I can eat the entire small container with some yogurt for breakfast.  stone fruit on sale is $1.99 per pound and they are heavy so not many peaches or nectarines in a pound. A pineapple is $4.59 and so on.
A kiwi is 79 cents - a gold kiwi is $1.80
Avocado is $1.99
Cucumber is $1.09
Cantaloupe is $2.99
Plain white mushrooms are $4.00 per pound
Red onion is 75 cents
Corn is $1.00 per ear
Cherry tomatoes are $2.49 for 10 ounces
Mangoes are $1.25 each
Red pepper is $1.49 each -
Cherries - $3.99 per pound
Honeycrisp apples - $2.99 per pound
This is from a basic supermarket near me - not one of the fancy ones and not organic produce. I generally bring home much more produce than this because we like to eat fruit and veggies instead of chazeroi. I like to make a big bowl of fruit salad and have around as a nosh. Or I will slice a red pepper and have with some string cheese or hummus.
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amother
Linen
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 12:48 pm
| amother [ Lavender ] wrote: | We ate plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. I buy the ones in season.. and I don't scrimp, I have a bit leftover but it doesn't get eaten the next day..
For example you can get blueberries for .99 now, and I got strawberries 2 boxes for 1.49 last week. This week their 1 box for 1.49 watermelon was $5 for a whole or 45¢ a lb somewhere else.
Some other examples:
Eggplant 49 cents a lb
a large head of cauliflower is 1.29
Long green cucumbers - 5 for 69 cents
Red skin potatoes 39 cents a lb
Zucchini squash 39 cents a lb
Kiwis 10 for a $1 |
I have no idea how much DH and I spend monthly, as he is the one who is good with numbers. But we also shop around for these good and low prices for produce. We mostly buy from small local produce stands. We keep an eye out while we are running errands, etc, to get good prices. I picked up strawberries for $1 and blueberries for 99c on my way home from the psychiatrist. We live in Brooklyn.
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amother
Bisque
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:09 pm
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Those who spend very little are getting ridiculously low prices on produce. And eat very little. 2 pieces of fish and couscous would be 1-2 days lunch for dh not 4-5 days. Naturalmom I think you posted before dh gets free food to take home from yeshiva so that helps.
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:14 pm
| amother [ Mauve ] wrote: | | Where do you live with such great prices? |
Brooklyn
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amother
Crimson
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:18 pm
Agree with amounts of food and how long they last depending on different people and how much they eat. I have noticed that people with very small appetites way underestimate how much an average person will eat. Not even talking about someone with a voracious appetite!
Learned this the hard way when I made sheva brachos with a frugal, small eater type friend and we ran out of food. The servings were skimpy enough as it was!
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:19 pm
| amother [ Emerald ] wrote: | | Even on sale, a box of strawberries is $2.99 and a tiny box of blueberries (6 ounces) is $2.50. I can eat the entire small container with some yogurt for breakfast. stone fruit on sale is $1.99 per pound and they are heavy so not many peaches or nectarines in a pound. A pineapple is $4.59 and so on. |
Actually it's a pint of blueberries which is 12 ounces. I'm holding the box now so I checked.
Strawberries were 1 lb boxes.
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:21 pm
| amother [ Linen ] wrote: | | I have no idea how much DH and I spend monthly, as he is the one who is good with numbers. But we also shop around for these good and low prices for produce. We mostly buy from small local produce stands. We keep an eye out while we are running errands, etc, to get good prices. I picked up strawberries for $1 and blueberries for 99c on my way home from the psychiatrist. We live in Brooklyn. |
Maybe we buy at the same fruit stands 😉 it maybe not and it's not so uncommon
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:22 pm
| amother [ Bisque ] wrote: | | Those who spend very little are getting ridiculously low prices on produce. And eat very little. 2 pieces of fish and couscous would be 1-2 days lunch for dh not 4-5 days. Naturalmom I think you posted before dh gets free food to take home from yeshiva so that helps. |
We get very cheap prices on produce yes, but we don't do leftovers..
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:24 pm
| amother [ Crimson ] wrote: | Agree with amounts of food and how long they last depending on different people and how much they eat. I have noticed that people with very small appetites way underestimate how much an average person will eat. Not even talking about someone with a voracious appetite!
Learned this the hard way when I made sheva brachos with a friend and we ran out of food. The servings were skimpy enough as it was! |
I have a voracious appetite.. as in I eat more than one portion size..
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amother
Crimson
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:27 pm
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Yes, but that depends on what you consider a portion size. A piece of chicken or a quarter? A heaping spoonful of rice or half of the plate? How much of a box of pasta will you eat at a meal? Etc
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amother
Bronze
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:40 pm
Wow. These food plans would not fly in my house. Good for those of you who can do it!
DH (and myself for that matter) would never agree to have the same thing for lunch every day and the same thing for dinner every day. We like food too much Not to say that your menu isnt delicious!
Typical dinner would be Monday- meat, Tuesday- chicken, Wednesday- homemade dairy meal (salmon, baked ziti, etc) Thursday- pizza or takeout. I should be better about shopping around for deals but at this point (with kids), I buy whatever is convenient.
Lunch we try to make our own sandwiches but we both buy lunch near work about 1-2 times a week for approx 10 bucks.
Before we had kids our budget was way over what has been posted here. I am not proud of it, but its the reality.
I dont think weve EVER done 250 a month for food/groceries while making shabbos. No way. Thats 8 shabbos meals not including shalishudis!!!!
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amother
Emerald
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:41 pm
| amother [ Crimson ] wrote: | | Yes, but that depends on what you consider a portion size. A piece of chicken or a quarter? A heaping spoonful of rice or half of the plate? How much of a box of pasta will you eat at a meal? Etc |
Well pasta or rice is cheap but I find the portions of chicken and fish to be skimpy for two adults. Maybe my definition of a chicken leg is different - does that include the thigh and the drumstick? Four ounces of protein like chicken is pretty small.
Also depends on how you prepare food as I don't cook with a lot of heavy sauces so fish or chicken is less filling without fatty sauces which tend to satiate more.
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amother
Lavender
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:42 pm
So I just checked some deals for this week in one store
Watermelon 39 cents a lb
1 pint of blueberries 2 for $3
Avocados 3 for $1
Peaches 69 cents a lb
Pears 59 cents a lb
Plums 79 cents a lb
Squash 59 cents a lb
Celery 69 cents a stalk
Italian peppers 59 cents a lb
This is 1 store. Not even a stand. This week.
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amother
Bronze
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:44 pm
| amother [ Lavender ] wrote: | So I just checked some deals for this week in one store
Watermelon 39 cents a lb
1 pint of blueberries 2 for $3
Avocados 3 for $1
Peaches 69 cents a lb
Pears 59 cents a lb
Plums 79 cents a lb
Squash 59 cents a lb
Celery 69 cents a stalk
Italian peppers 59 cents a lb
This is 1 store. Not even a stand. This week. |
Which store is this? 3 avocados for 1 dollar? I also live in brooklyn
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amother
Crimson
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Tue, Aug 13 2019, 1:46 pm
Emerald, exactly my point!
Also you can reheat these foods a time or two but they must be very dried out and old tasting by the third or fourth day.
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