How to Feed a Family of Five on $300 a Month

Here's a piece where the author tells how she feeds her family of five on $300 per month -- a pretty good accomplishment given the state of food prices. Some of her key tips:

• I use what I have. If I don't have milk in the house, I don't make a special trip to the store for it.
• Shopping the clearance sections, I regularly find milk on clearance for $1.20 a gallon.
• Purchase meat only on sale or on clearance.
• I never buy meat unless it's on sale for $1.99 or less a pound.
• I can get "soup bones" with enough meat on them to make a great vegetable stew for under $2.00 for the entire family!
• Ask. Most people are intimidated by asking, but I regularly ask when things will go on sale or be marked down.
• Serve your family proper portions of food.
• As a general rule, I try to give them one vegetable and one fruit for lunch and dinner and then a piece of fruit with cookies or cheese as a snack.

These seem like some pretty good ideas in general and I think we should probably consider a few of them. Our main cost savings on food usually come from the following:

• Buying on sale -- especially if you can combine it with a coupon of special offer (CVS often has buy one get one free offers)
• Purchasing store brands or generic products
• Buying in bulk and storing in our pantry or freezer
• Getting larger sizes at Costco when there's a price savings
• Eating out less (we're trying to eat healthy anyway, and it's hard to do so when you eat out)
• Having a few meals a week without meat

That said, we're spending $450 a month for a family of four, so we could certainly improve. Some of the things we do that are hurting us include:

• We HAVE to have (and pay for) brand name items for some products.
• We buy more "junk" than we need to.
• We make frequent trips to the store each week. We need better planning for food purchases.
• Proper food portions -- yikes!
• We often buy organic -- which is more expensive. Not sure we're going to stop doing this, but it's an issue and needs to be stated.

Any other tips out there for saving on food purchases?

Comments

[JB]

I would just be cautious... you still want to feed your family - you don't them to starve.... and you also don't want them to hate you because all you eat is rice and beans. Would the few extra dollars you save really be worth it?

[FMF]

JB --

I don't think we're talking about anyone starving. I think the issue is being wise in your food purchases. We certainly have a lot we can cut from our budget -- and the nutritional value of what we eat would probably go UP as a result!

[LC]

I'm curious what foods you HAVE to have name brands. Not that I'm saying it's wrong (I do it too), I'm just wondering.

I would also question your need for organic food. It hasn't become prevalent except in the past few years but people ate healthy for centuries before that. Perhaps it may be a little healthier, but it's not like eating "regular" produce and whole grains, etc is any worse for you. Unless you are making a political statement or are opposed to the use of chemicals and are willing to pay for it.

[sahm]

I do many of the things the author & FMF recommends (using what I have, watching for sales, buying meat, Costco, eating out less). My family certainly does NOT starve. If you watch the sales at your local grocery stores and stock up, you end up saving a lot. I use couponmom.com to help organize my coupons and make my grocery list. I usually only buy when it is on sale.

There are certain things we ONLY buy the name brand, but many things it doesn't matter. Check out Aldi (if you have one) for some great prices on milk ($2.49/gallon), canned goods, and even some produce. My hubby bought a turkey tenderloin there this weekend and grilled it yesterday. It was DELICIOUS and very tender.

If you can save on your basic and typical purchases, it will be ok to OCCASIONALLY splurge.

[FMF]

LC --

A1 steak sauce and Kraft parm cheese. ;-)

And, yes, my wife is trying to have us eliminate chemicals and dyes from our food.

[Compounding Interests]

LC - You say that "people at healthy for centuries before" organic agriculture became prevalent. I would say that in those "centuries before," most farming and ranching was organic and sustainable, i.e. without harmful chemicals, hormones, etc. It is only relatively recently that farmlands became such intense chemistry experiments.

[womanofthehouse]

Related to using what you have is making sure you eat leftovers and the food you've already bought. Don't let leftovers go bad sitting in the fridge. Eat bread, crackers, etc. before they go stale. I've read that the average family throws out 14% of the food it buys.

[Kevin]

FMF - I'm with you on the name brands - I can only eat Heinz ketchup and Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing - any substitutes for those just don't make the cut. Almost everything else I can do the store brands however - especially cereal.

[rdub98]

FMF,

My wife and I, too, are eating much more organic foods. We discovered through a session with a personal trainer about just how many chemicals are in those non-organic foods and how they impact your body. We are even using organic soaps and shampoos because of it. We go to an organic market here where we live, but it is exorbitantly expensive. We have found that the local grocery stores are starting to carry some of the same brands and for much cheaper prices.

I think that in order to save on food costs, you have to budget your food intake, just like you budget your finances. Like womanofthehouse said, eat your leftovers. Take them for lunch the next day, but don't throw them out. That is money in the trash. Also, portion control is a big money saver too, not to mention it helps with weigh control. Eat the proper portions and measure before you cook, not after to minimize the amount of leftovers. Plus all of the things that you have mentioned before like sales, coupons, buying in bulk. If you are doing all of that, you shouldn't fret that your food bill is $450 per month. You can feel better about it if you think about how much higher it would be if you didn't do all of that.

[Susan]

Please tell me how and where you can buy milk for $1.20 per gallon. This has got to be the gold nugget of the day!

[Cheap Like Me]

I agree, $1.20 a gallon is really cheap. I buy milk on clearance, too, and sometimes I pay $2.69 a gallon (for organic) but haven't seen it that low.

[MetaMommy]

Eating proper food portions is a very good point.

We learned one trick while traveling in China a few years ago. All of the meals were served family style on a lazy susan, and we served ourselves. The plates and glasses seemed too small at first, but we soon realized that we were eating and drinking less. We never left hungry, but we never left uncomfortably full.

We brought home that sensibility and use smaller dishes to serve meals on. It encourages us to eat until we're full, not until the overloaded plate is empty.

[Lauren]

The best thing I've done that helps us save on food is to create a weekly meal plan. I look at what we have in the pantry, look at what's on sale and what I have coupons for, and then sift through my recipe pile to find things using those items. Then I come up with a meal for each day of the week and make a list. We don't deviate from the list, except to buy items to take for lunches during the week.

This has almost eliminated impulse buys, saves us money, and prevents us from eating out too often.

[Rick]

For those who are paying more for organic food, you should read this article...

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/the-great-organic-myths-why-organic-foods-are-an-indulgence-the-world-cant-afford-818585.html

It was eye-opening for me. Also, found out that there is really no legal definition for the term 'organic' so how do you know if the food is grown the way 'organic' implies.

If you want to eat healthier food, cut out hydrogenated oils and high fructose syrups.

[Philip Robert]

I can feel your struggle with the organic food. I know that in the long run buying organic is better for me and for the earth, but sometimes the prices are just crazy. One way that I have found to watch the food budget is making things from scratch. This really helps with the brand name deal. I also get to tweak the recipes to make things taste better than the manufacturer without all the added chemicals. :) Great post.

[Norma]

I'm not sure how this will all pan out as this year is an experiment. We are planting a garden. So far I've spent $59 dollars for plants, seed, and black plastic (it keeps the ground weed free, holds water and heat). Next there will be increased water and canning supplies. I'm excited!!

[Kevin]

How does anyone find milk on clearance? I think the lowest I've paid recently is just under $3.

Rick - that article deals with UK - I believe the USDA certifies products Organic so you know what you're buying. Although I'm sure a few things fall through the cracks - it is a government agency after all.