I have never spent more than $400 on groceries and that is with two adults full time and four kids every friday, saturday and sunday. We rarely eat out and we do not eat junk food. I don't even buy it very much! We eat alot of chicken (love it!) as well as veggies. As the kids get older (they are 9, 10, 11 and 12) I expect it will get a little higher. Our normal meals: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn. Spaghetti and garlic bread. Boneless chicken breast grilled, corn on the cob, pasta dish. Chicken and stuffing dish, Homemade stew, Hoagie sandwiches made with hot dog buns with ham, turkey, chicken, and cheese. Tacos are a favorite. Occasionally we eat pizza. I can actually count on one hand the number of times we have had hotdogs in the past year. Those are usually used at cookouts. Out of those meals, I used coupons on more than 3/4 of the items making some of it free and some of it really cheap. these are some of the dishes I have made over the past week. It is possible to eat well or at least not total fat junky food and save money and not break the bank! I buy a large bag of frozen mixed veggies at walmart for $5. Lasts through at least 3 or 4 meals. My kids "junk" on pickles, fruit, and stuff like that. The only junk food I buy is velveeta and tostitos. We love chips and cheese. I do not buy candy. I rarely make brownies, maybe once a month, and every once in a while I do buy oreos. my weakness! We drink iced tea and milk. I do drink soda personally but don't allow the kids any except for special occasions. Regular potato chips are not a popular item for us. I still have half bags left from the last cookout we had. and that was over 2 months ago, I think I need to throw them away!
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