Monday, June 8, 2009

At least it starts out well

Does anyone else feel like they got punched in the stomach by the time they leave the grocery store? I can't believe how much I end up having to pay for our groceries every week. With the daycare and my own hungry boys.

It always starts out well. As I am going through the store looking for the deals yet making sure to buy healthy. We are big on whole grains and organics which of course cost more, but make me feel good about the choices I am making. Until I go to pay that is! Organic milk for instance, almost six dollars a gallon! I have to buy half organic and half regular milk and just alternate between the two because I flat out can't afford it! I rarely buy name brand, unless it's a better deal. I seldom buy prepared foods. I buy little meat, because I don't cook (because I myself don't eat) cows or pigs. We eat a lot of rice and beans that I buy in bulk and we still end up spending around 250.00 a week in groceries or more. This seems like a lot to me. Am I wrong? I am thrifty and I hate spending money if I don't have to so maybe I am just hating having to shell out so much money just to go back in a week and shell out some more. Oh and then there is also Atty's food allergies. He is allergic to wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, and coconut so far. We still have to do the elimination diet for corn and eggs. Do you have any idea how hard it is to shop and cook when you have to keep that food out? I often have to make a whole separate menu just for him. The specialty food is so much more expensive too, it's outrageous. A lot of the times he doesn't even really like it, which ends up being an waste of food and money. I don't blame him though some of it is really gross.

Being pregnant and hormonal I almost cried yesterday when I did my usually shopping trip. It's just so frustrating, we don't even buy many extras (if any) and we still end up spending so much on food. I know I am mostly stressed because my husband is laid off again but still. I know that we can live off of rice and bean we have many times, but I prefer to feed my boys well rounded healthy meals. Maybe I should just stop looking at the total and just pay with my eyes closed? Any ideas...

4 comments:

Tiffany said...

Do you coupon? I can teach you how and you can save a lot of money... that is the only thing keeping us going right now because I don't spend much on groceries and get almost all of our toiletries for free. Email me if you are interested.
Tiffany
mylitter@mac.com

Marlea said...

Wow thats alot! I average $125-$200 a week for a family of 4. And we buy meat!
Your doing good with the whole and organics! I am way impressed!

Kat said...

Oh I hear ya. I think we average about $150 a week (but I don't run a daycare either). It seems to me the fruit and meat always add up so quickly. It is depressing.

Lisa said...

Thank you, SO much. :) Your words are like little pieces of treasure to me, and I will definitely try the things you mentioned. Today was better, and tonight I just had to get away for a bit. One thing I read was to never do the disappearing act while they are being distracted by others. Always say good-bye, make it short, and just leave. And then I had also read something about how toddlers have this way of thinking right now, that they are "part" of you, so you should always be there and they don't know what to do when you are gone. But with lots of playing and reading books, etc. from whomever they are with, they "forget" about you, until you return. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to give me some much needed advice!! It helped, and will continue to help, tremendously!!