Food Budget

[Maggie Mae]

36 minutes ago, louisa05 said:

A friend of mine trying to cut sugar and caffeine decided to give up her 32 oz daily soda break and trade it for 32 oz of sweet tea because that would be healthier---she bought it at McD's and wouldn't believe anyone who explained to her that she was actually getting more sugar and caffeine. 

This isn't even "I read it on the internet so it must be true" ignorance. I wouldn't bother me if people would just say "I gave up soda for the sweet tea. I like it more." Or if they thought that the large sweet tea was "healthier" for them at 280 calories and 71 grams of sugar, compared to the 300 calories and 81 grams of sugar of a large coke at McDonalds. It's basically the same. 20 calories is, like, vacuuming the living room or walking a quarter of a mile. It's all unhealthy! (Also, the sweet tea is served in 30 ounce cup and the large diet is served in a 32 ounce cup, so now I am irritated at McDonalds for not letting me compare sugar per ounce. I could go back and compare the smaller sizes but I need to go drink some water now. Looking up the sugar counts on various sodas has made me feel like I just drank 32 ounces of sugar.)

[louisa05]

1 minute ago, Maggie Mae said:

This isn't even "I read it on the internet so it must be true" ignorance. I wouldn't bother me if people would just say "I gave up soda for the sweet tea. I like it more." Or if they thought that the large sweet tea was "healthier" for them at 280 calories and 71 grams of sugar, compared to the 300 calories and 81 grams of sugar of a large coke at McDonalds. It's basically the same. 20 calories is, like, vacuuming the living room or walking a quarter of a mile. It's all unhealthy! (Also, the sweet tea is served in 30 ounce cup and the large diet is served in a 32 ounce cup, so now I am irritated at McDonalds for not letting me compare sugar per ounce. I could go back and compare the smaller sizes but I need to go drink some water now. Looking up the sugar counts on various sodas has made me feel like I just drank 32 ounces of sugar.)

This woman is, sadly, that ignorant. Particularly when it comes to food and nutrition issues. She grew up in a family where chicken was the "healthy choice" compared to lean beef. But the chicken was always fried. Rice crispy treats were considered "healthy" because they were made out of cereal but they tried to only rarely have actual cookies because those were bad (she had 2 or 3 rice crispy treats or a similar one made out of corn flakes in her lunch every day of high school). When I've been out to lunch with her, I've watched her have 3 huge slices of pizza with everything on them and declare the meal "a healthy choice' because she had a side salad with it. She was not being facetious in the least. She has a "daily break" routine where she buys an enormous soda or sweet tea on certain days, extra large frappuccinos on another (which she deems healthy because they have milk or cream in them), those giant smoothies made with sherbet or sugary yogurt on another, and so on...She gave up afternoon candy bars for this routine as part of an attempt to lose weight. Except that there are 500 calories in a venti mocha frappucino and 215 in a Snickers bar...

[NewOrleansLady]

(Sub topic-What to drink during the summer)

O.K. JINGERITES-  We will drink 2% milk with meals and water during the day but sometimes the kids want something else to drink or as a snack.  Thought about fruit punch with no added sugar made into ice pops ( lemonade concentrate, pineapple juice, pear nectar ,orange juice, grape juice, apple juice, etc)  Your  thoughts are always appreciated.

[nausicaa]

My friend is dating a guy like that, @louisa05. If it's not a dessert, it's not bad for you. So chocolate cake: bad. But a chili cheese dog from 7-11 is fine because it's savory. And Slurpees are okay, because drinks don't count and don't have "real" calories. Don't know if this also extends to milkshakes. 

It is surprising how little some people know about nutrition. And I'm not talking "Ew, you ate a carb!" snobbery here, but just basic stuff, like that fried chicken isn't low fat just because it's chicken. 

[NewOrleansLady]

6 hours ago, Geechee Girl said:

@NewOrleansLady I didn't see mention of the age of the children. Are they adventurous eaters? Long list ahead...

Our summer meals included items which could be served room temp or chilled. gazpacho, borscht w/sour cream, frittatas, muffin tin crustless quiche, falafel, open-faced avocado sandwiches, black bean burgers w/sweet potato fries, tuna salad, panzanella salad, fruit salad, quick pickled veggie plate, salmon croquettes, roasted veg in pita pockets w/pesto, baba ganoush, and all manner of dips with crudite or chilled roasted veggies. Any leftover veg at the end of the week became the basis for fried rice. 

The kids are 10 and 9.  They are becoming more adventurous as they get older.  I sometime take them to the grocery with me.  If they ask for something in the produce aisle, memaw is happy to buy it for them and we cook it together.

 

[nausicaa]

6 minutes ago, NewOrleansLady said:

(Sub topic-What to drink during the summer)

O.K. JINGERITES-  We will drink 2% milk with meals and water during the day but sometimes the kids want something else to drink or as a snack.  Thought about fruit punch with no added sugar made into ice pops ( lemonade concentrate, pineapple juice, pear nectar ,orange juice, grape juice, apple juice, etc)  Your  thoughts are always appreciated.

I know some people dilute juice with water. I've never really tried it. Maybe sparkling water? I drink this when I need something soda-y. And I know some people put fresh fruit in water for a bit of a kick. 

 

[Maggie Mae]

10 minutes ago, NewOrleansLady said:

(Sub topic-What to drink during the summer)

O.K. JINGERITES-  We will drink 2% milk with meals and water during the day but sometimes the kids want something else to drink or as a snack.  Thought about fruit punch with no added sugar made into ice pops ( lemonade concentrate, pineapple juice, pear nectar ,orange juice, grape juice, apple juice, etc)  Your  thoughts are always appreciated.

Water and milk (skim or 1%) is the best for kids. Water is sugar free, caffeine free, and calorie free. Low-fat milk has 100 calories per 8 ounces and 11 grams of sugar, but 300 milligrams of calcium. kids and teens from 9 to 18 need 1,300 milligrams of calcium daily. So a glass of low-fat milk with breakfast gets almost a third of that requirement out of the way. Fresh oranges have about 50 mg of calcium each. Orange juice sometimes adds calcium, but the juice will remove the fiber in oranges which is why I would recommend whole fruits over juices. 

[NewOrleansLady]

4 hours ago, nausicaa said:

I know some people dilute juice with water. I've never really tried it. Maybe sparkling water? I drink this when I need something soda-y. And I know some people put fresh fruit in water for a bit of a kick. 

 

The enhanced fruit water sounds like a great idea.  Fruit taste but no added sugar and more water means a great waste system (their bodies) being used

[Season of life...]

@NewOrleansLady Hello! You mentioned up thread that your grandchildren like peanut butter. A friend of mine uses whole wheat tortillas spread with peanut butter as the base for roll-ups, and then her kids choose the other ingredients.

The day I was there the options included thin sliced apples, bananas, raisins, shredded carrot, raw sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

I made one with carrot, raisins and sunflower seeds. It was pretty tasty, and it was fun to watch the kids make their concoctions.

 

[Kitcae]

10 hours ago, nausicaa said:

I know some people dilute juice with water. I've never really tried it. Maybe sparkling water? I drink this when I need something soda-y. And I know some people put fresh fruit in water for a bit of a kick. 

 

My mom likes to drink bubbly beverages but she avoids soda. So, she likes to take fruit juice and mix it with seltzer/sparkling water, which makes a great replacement to soda! You should try it sometime. I really like adding lemon to my water to change it up sometimes. 

[Ali]

On 5/24/2016 at 1:38 PM, NewOrleansLady said:

(Sub topic-What to drink during the summer)

O.K. JINGERITES-  We will drink 2% milk with meals and water during the day but sometimes the kids want something else to drink or as a snack.  Thought about fruit punch with no added sugar made into ice pops ( lemonade concentrate, pineapple juice, pear nectar ,orange juice, grape juice, apple juice, etc)  Your  thoughts are always appreciated.

What about making homemade smoothies? If you use fruit and plain yogurt, it is fairly healthy and quite refreshing on a hot day. I have a sweet tooth and have never felt the need to add additional sugar to homemade smoothies. I usually just put in whatever I have on hand that sounds good and have never been disappointed.

[AlysonRR]

My kids like herbal sun tea, using peppermint or blueberry tea bags.

They also like decaffeinated iced tea and fruit- or vegetable-infused water. Think watermelon, apple, cucumber, mint, mango, etc.

Fruit juice spritzers with seltzer have decreased in popularity, but they liked them a couple years ago.

Homemade popsicles are always appreciated! Or melon slices.

[NewOrleansLady]

Think I'll try blending mixed fruit with fruit juice, freezing in 3 oz. cups and offering that to them for a treat.  Thank you everyone for the great suggestions.

[Bubble girl]

Our grocery budget varies. When I was out of work it was a around $50.00 per week for 2 people and that was in 2006. My husband was so tired of chicken legs and cheap wine!

Since then we have managed to increase that by double and triple on some trips. Most of the time we are right around $100 per week for 2 people for paper goods, cleaning supplies, alcohol and food. I am working on keeping that BELOW $75 due to some massive medical bills that will be coming up. This week was more as hubby went to Sam's and got a years supply of basmati rice, 10 lbs. of sugar, wine and 30 days of alcohol. ( I like my nightly bourbon and is cheaper there). 

I do keep a full pantry and we have the kids and grands over every month or so and that is all included. We have a pantry and we can jam, pickles, peppers and other items as time permits. Hubby is a chef and I have a culinary degree so we do have tons of "weird" ingredients but we eat REALLY good. Additionally, I am allergic to wheat so that requires spending more $$$$ on non wheat ingredients and flours.

We could most likely get by one even less but right now between work, family obligations and my health that most likely is not happening.

Advice? Shop loss leaders, stock up during sales (we have a freezer for meat), and buy foods you like because if you don't like it you won't eat it then you didn't save anything!

 

 

[NewOrleansLady]

We are both type2 diabetics and try to follow a wise food plan (hubby said never to use the word DIET because it denotes doing without something)  I have had problems with bread and pasta lately and am trying to cut down or eliminate those triggers. (I'm Italian and the thought of being pastaless is frightning)  Everything is possible and I have to have a mindset that I will eat healthy so I can see the grands graduate from college.  A new freezer is on my "We need it now" wish list.  Suggestions on chest v upright please.  Rereading this post, I am rambling all over the board.  Apologies...

[Jesse911]

8 minutes ago, NewOrleansLady said:

We are both type2 diabetics and try to follow a wise food plan (hubby said never to use the word DIET because it denotes doing without something)  I have had problems with bread and pasta lately and am trying to cut down or eliminate those triggers. (I'm Italian and the thought of being pastaless is frightning)  Everything is possible and I have to have a mindset that I will eat healthy so I can see the grands graduate from college.  A new freezer is on my "We need it now" wish list.  Suggestions on chest v upright please.  Rereading this post, I am rambling all over the board.  Apologies...

We have both a chest and an upright. By far the upright is the way to go. Everything is accessible and laid out so much nicer. There's stuff buried in the bottom of the chest freezer that hasn't been seen for years lol 

[LadyCrow1313]

According to family legend, my great aunt used to mash watermelon & give the juice to my cousin when he was a baby (as a treat, especially during the summer). That sounds pretty good, actually (by itself or mixed w/an adult beverage).

And speaking of food budgeting, an Aldi's opened up a new store in my area, & I loved it. Lots of cool things at cheap prices, which to me is always a Good Thing. There are a few others in my general area, too, but too far to make it really feasible to travel to.

 

 

[Pravda_Iskra]

I spend less than $30 a week on groceries with the occasional $40 week when I need to buy chicken in bulk. I eat a pretty regimented diet which helps since I always buy the same things. I'm in Wisconsin. 

[Maggie Mae]

19 hours ago, Jesse911 said:

We have both a chest and an upright. By far the upright is the way to go. Everything is accessible and laid out so much nicer. There's stuff buried in the bottom of the chest freezer that hasn't been seen for years lol 

We have both also. The chest is outside, because we are apparently the kind of people who keep an outdoor freezer on their deck. It's useful for things that are kept frozen for months - fish, caribou, moose meat, bags of chicken from costco. The other freezer is for stuff we use on the regular and doesn't need a lot of time to thaw before use - bags of veggies, frozen homemade breakfast burritos, ice, ginger, bread, alcohol. 

My grandmother had one of the BIG chest coolers. The ones you could put a couple of human bodies in or most of a cow. Most of the time she did have lots and lots of cow meat. And ice cream because she was my grandmother and that's what all grans have in their freezer, right? 

[Black Aliss]

I can't give a budget $$ amount because I buy my meat in bulk from a rancher, raise my own poultry, and have a huge garden and fruit orchard so any attempt at calculating cost/month would be wildly misleading. But I've been poor, and I'm still terrified of the prospect of being poor, so I'm pretty frugal in the kitchen. Mostly that means not buying processed or semi-prepared foods. My freezer is full of soups and stews for those nights when no one wants to cook. I don't use coupons because they're always for stuff that I wouldn't normally buy. YMMV on that one. We buy rice at the Asian market in 25# sacks, dried lentils/beans/peas in bulk. I second the recommendations for Grocery Outlet and Smart and Final, if you have those where you live. I don't bake all of our bread anymore, but I do occasionally make pita bread and corn tortillas, not just because they're much cheaper, but they're tastier, too. Same goes for muffins and scones, although, now that we have old people's metabolisms, we don't eat those very often.

We usually have pasta one night a week, beans with or without rice (the kind of bean and the seasoning vary) another night, a vegan/vegetarian stew or salad with grains another night. I keep portions of meat and fish fairly small, maybe 3-4 oz/person and serve them with another protein, like salmon with a warm lentil salad. Recipes for stews and stir-fries--I cut the amount of meat in half, maybe more, and double the amount of vegetables. Pizza made from scratch is very economical and you can get creative with toppings, using whatever is in season--cubes of roasted squash, steamed kale, and caramelized onions in the winter, asparagus and bacon in the spring.
 

[NewOrleansLady]

Thanks Black Aliss for the neat suggestions.  My parents and in-laws were children of the depression.  We always had a pantry stocked and never went to bed hungry.  We always had fresh fruit and as many veggies as possible.  Hubby is one of 9 kids and mother-in-law always managed to keep their tummies full.  She made onion and pork and bean sandwiches or fish sticks spread out on a loaf of Italian bread.  Father-in-law had a good job and they were frugal as could be.  (OT)-M-i-l shopped clearences, bought school supplies in bulk and handed down clothes from one child to another.  Uniforms were easy to hand down since 8 of the 9 were boys.  The money they saved went to education ( all the kids went to Catholic elementry school ,seven of the 9 chose to go to Catholic High School, and 8 attended college.)  Maybe  that is why I watch the Duggars-It's the accident waiting to happen)

[donnal]

I spend about 200 a month on groceries for two. We probably spend another 150 or so going out to eat or ordering delivery once a week.

I buy a lot of frozen produce and chose where I'm shopping based on who has the best prices for things we need in the weekly ads. That's about as close as I get to budgeting though. Clipping coupons or shopping at multiple stores is more effort than my lazy ass cares for.

[Grimalkin]

I want to eat at @Geechee Girl's house. My kids are seriously the worst eaters. 

We started shopping at Aldis recently and it's actually not so bad. It was when I was a kid. Ours has nice produce and even decent organic produce if you lean that way. It's basic no frills produce but you get the basics. I also stock up on 'filler foods' granola bars, nuts, crackers, fruit snacks....... (I know they aren't healthy) we also buy six boxes of honey buns every week. My 4 kids share one box and my husband eats a box by himself 5 nights a week, people would be horrified if they saw how he eats, his metabolism is insane.

    You asked for kids lunch ideas. Keep in mind raw fruits and veggies are at every meal. Quesadillas, home made 'lunchables', I make smoothies with 2%milk and frozen fruit and put a spoon of frozen juice concentrate into it..... My kids won't eat it otherwise. I make it super thick so it's eaten with a spoon instead of a straw. It keeps well in a thermose for lunch. I put the empty thermose in the freezer before hand so the thermose is cold when I put the smoothie in it. I also put buttered noodles with parm in thermoses for lunch. Cheese and crackers, soup, yogurt and fruit. I make pizza dough and keep sauce on hand with cheese. If I make the dough with half whole wheat flour I don't feel so bad about how much pizza they eat. Speaking of pizza nothing makes my son who is 7 happier than getting him his own five dollar pizza at Little Ceasar's (gag) I even let him sit on the couch with it. He sprawls out and watches tv eating his pizza from the box on his lap, He thinks it's the best thing in the world. It also lasts a few days and he is happy to have the pizza in his lunch. (How do you spell thermose? It looks wrong)

     Honestly my kids come home from school and eat another meal instead of a snack.I buy lean ground beef and make it into patties before I freeze it for burgers. Other not questionably healthy items, frozen chicken tenders, bosco sticks, oatmeal at any time of day, whole grain frozen waffles......hard boiled eggs, on occasion all beef hot dogs. Luckily my kid's like the plain unsweetened Cheerios so that keeps them fed too. 

      I don't go out of my way clipping coupons but I do use them. More for toiletries and household items. I won't use coupons for things we likely won't eat.

[Geechee Girl]

@Grimalkin C'mon by, I'll fix you a plate.  I haven't had honey buns in forever! What brand is y'all's favorite? Way, way back in the day, I would get Duchess from the day old bread place. I'm envious of your DH's metabolism. 

21 hours ago, Grimalkin said:

(How do you spell thermose? It looks wrong)

I think Thermos is a brand name. I'm not sure what a generic version is called. I always have to double check whether because I think it looks wrong too.

[libriatrix]

31 minutes ago, Geechee Girl said:

I think Thermos is a brand name. I'm not sure what a generic version is called. I always have to double check whether because I think it looks wrong too.

Wow, I had no idea it was a brand name. It's permeated the language even more thoroughly than 'kleenex'. Apparently the non-brand name is 'vacuum flask', which I have never heard used. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_flask