At our house we like to eat and we like to cook. Typically in that order. We’re also living most of the year on one income while Jeff finishes school. When, in an unusual fit of organization, I calculated how much we spent on food in 2006 I was shocked (shocked!) to discover it was almost twice what I had guessed. Apparently we really like to eat.
We decided to work on shopping, cooking, and eating more consciously; no more eating out because we didn’t plan dinner or throwing away vegetables that spoiled because we never got around to preparing them. Our weekly grocery budget is $75. We plan a menu, make a grocery list, and shop once a week; there are no quick trips to the store for things we many have forgotten or run out of.
I realize there are many families who have far less than $75 a week to spend on groceries. It’s a number we settled on in part because it’s what I had had guessed we spent on groceries before I actually crunched the numbers. We still eat very well, with lots of fresh, often organic foods. I’m sharing our menus, grocery lists, and other food musings here because I know there are other people who are also trying to shop, cook, and eat more consciously (hi mom!) and I figured we could compare notes. Your mileage, as they say, may vary.
