[LuxLiving]

For the moment I'd treat the elementary and preschooler as one person and consider myself feeding four adults which is what I actually do at my house and we are doing it VERY TIGHTLY I might add at 150 a month. I am a very frugal from scratch mostly cook and do pantry cooking - shop the scratch and dents, bargain bins, clearance sales and loss leaders - but as a general rule don't do coupons. Your area of the country may be a high COLA (cost of living area). I do most all of my regular grocery shopping at Save-A-Lot and Aldi's. I did this budget even when three of us were home all day when I was homeschooling the last two kids - Hubster still brown bags it. CashHappySon pays for his own brown bag stuff now and FrugalSon usually eats one free meal a day at work.

$150 is for in home food only. We currently don't do eat aways unless it is for a family event and carefully budgeted and saved for - or one of us takes it out of our allowance money.

I spend anwhere from 20-30 a month for papergoods, laundry and cleaning supplies at a dollar type store.

Lots of folks can do four adults on 50.00 a week IF they do some of things I mentioned above. If you're talking lots of mixes and convenience foods then better make it 75.00 to 100 per person a month. Of note is that I'm currently a SAHM (stay at home Mom) and thus have time for this type of shopping and cooking.)

see hillbillyhousewife.com for sample menus. Also check this site's grocery & recipe forums.