Grocery Help for Family of 7....

[aukxsona]

I have 7 people in my family. We eat about 2.5 meals a day or three small ones.
We eat oat meal or fried eggs for breakfast
we have rice and beans, stew, fried rice, or meat and veg for dinner.
For lunch we might have fresh fruit.
We have popcorn for a snack, or may be carrot sticks.
We have tea and sometimes coffee for a drink. The rest of the time it's water.
We collect food from the garden.
We raise our own chickens and eggs. Our chicken feed is about 20 dollars a month due to high supplementation with scraps and bugs.
Our food bill is still about 250 dollars a month. How can I get it lower without sacrificing quality of nutrition or a meal.
We don't eat organic except what I grow.

I am looking into bulk buying, but I don't really see a huge savings per annum this way, once all cost factors are accounted for. The only meat we eat is what I raise and sausage. The only milk we have is powdered.

I just can't figure out a way to lower the food bill. It needs to be around 180 to 200 dollars a month. It used to be easy to get what we needed for this amount, but prices are so high now. I am planting more this year, may be this will help. Are there any discount bulk shops.

This is about what we need per month,
19 lbs oatmeal
24 lbs rice
some frozen vegs for stir fry
tomato sauce
20 lbs potatoes
1/2 gallon olive oil (can't use peanut)
12 lbs fresh fruit
12 lbs fresh veg
1 box powdered milk
1 box tea
20 lbs sugar
3 lb sausage
5 lbs real butter
24 lbs dry beans (any type)
1 canister of salt
1 canister of thyme, dill, rosemary
2 lbs popcorn
2 loaves bread (25 cents each- husband works for bakery)

I can't let go of the tea or coffee, I would go nuts. Everyone has to have their vice I suppose. The sausage is my husbands thing...him and the kids. Any ideas?

[aida2003]

I'm sorry but for me $250/mo. for 7 people seems very low already.
Maybe Angel Food Ministry would help...

[disneysteve]

As I suggested in another thread, I'd be looking into what types of assistance you qualify for. You are living well below the poverty level. I can only imagine how difficult that must be. I know you are opposed to government assistance. Maybe, as aida suggested, there are non-government sources you can tap for help - religious groups, community groups, etc. If not, you may want to reconsider the government aid. It is there for families like your own that simply doesn't earn enough to adequately care for everyone.

[aukxsona]

It's not that I disagree with government aid, it is my state in particular takes advantage of those disadvantaged. As in they come in to my home, demand rug tests, question my children, and demand all sorts of things. If I refuse there goes any aid and I would be at risk of losing the children. I think you see this as an "option", it's not.

Example: When I was on assistance when I first moved here, I was ordered to go certain Drs and received treatment. It was not court ordered mind you, I never did anything to warrant it, but I was told if I did not comply my children might be called on because we were so poor. Then the worker made it clear adoptions were very likely as we were so poor. The system is corrupt here.

Even though I qualify for all types of assistance, they will first deny me like last time... then once I appeal, they will allow me assistance and then put the screws to me to get off or live life their way. So state assistance is not an option. As one worker put it, "By asking for assistance you are essentially saying you can't care for your family. If you can't care for your family then your children should be in foster care." Not lying. So this is not an option at all.

I will look into angel food ministries although I am not sure how they can help.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by aukxsona

As one worker put it, "By asking for assistance you are essentially saying you can't care for your family. If you can't care for your family then your children should be in foster care."

That's a shame. What is the point of having public assistance if nobody can really get it?

I would definitely look into Angel Food ministries, your church, etc. Most communities have multiple organizations that provide assistance for folks who are having trouble making ends meet. If you attend a church, I'd speak with your clergy person and see what he/she recommends.

[speakmato]

As one worker put it, "By asking for assistance you are essentially saying you can't care for your family. If you can't care for your family then your children should be in foster care."

That's an utterly terrible thing to say. Makes it seem like those workers are there to KEEP you from benefiting from your tax dollars.

[cptacek]

Can you try the United Way?

[LuxLiving]

Lots of churches have food pantries that you could access. No strings attached!

Have you been to the hillbilly housewife website. Her low dollar menus might give you some ideas.

Have you done any sprouting?

Do you have any scratch-n-dent grocery stores around?

Last time I went to mine I was getting things like ketchup for a quarter and mayo for 33 cents. Look in your area for off-beat places to grocery shop.

I'm still thinking.

[Seeker]

Originally Posted by aukxsona

This is about what we need per month,
19 lbs oatmeal
24 lbs rice
some frozen vegs for stir fry
tomato sauce
20 lbs potatoes
1/2 gallon olive oil (can't use peanut)
12 lbs fresh fruit
12 lbs fresh veg
1 box powdered milk
1 box tea
20 lbs sugar
3 lb sausage
5 lbs real butter
24 lbs dry beans (any type)
1 canister of salt
1 canister of thyme, dill, rosemary
2 lbs popcorn
2 loaves bread (25 cents each- husband works for bakery)

I can't let go of the tea or coffee, I would go nuts. Everyone has to have their vice I suppose. The sausage is my husbands thing...him and the kids. Any ideas?

Isn't Olive Oil like 3 to 4 times the cost of other vegetable oils? I know it has taste, where most vegetable oils have no taste.... but it's always been more expensive.

Other than that I agree with the others, feeding a family of 7 is going to be very hard on the food budget, especially since food prices keep rising.

Maybe another option is to grow garlic and use that exclusively to spice up your foods. Not a lot is needed, and home grown garlic is healtyh for all.

[LuxLiving]

Are you doing any bartering, trading or selling of the produce you mentioned in another post that you are growing ?

Also can you give us an idea of ages for the children? Are any of them old enough to work to make any additional income for the family? old enough to babysit for the others while you work for a few hours? Also to assess nutritional needs.

Can you give us some idea of the overall household budget, perhaps we could point out some areas to be considered for cutting back? Not like you haven't poured over it already, but some fresh eyes may come up w/an idea or two!

[aukxsona]

We do grow Garlic (Had a huge harvest last year), and this year I am growing more of my own spices too. I am looking into those other oils. I am allergic to peanuts, so can't use peanut oil. I used Olive oil for years, for health reasons. However, I don't know if it really is better health wise than other veggie oils. However that is something to think about, I could certainly lower the budget a few bucks by limiting the spices and may be changing the oil. Thanks for your suggestion.

I have never done sprouting before except to plant. I have been to the Hill billy housewife's web site. It had some good ideas I implemented. In fact that combined with gardening and bulk buying the cheapest grains and beans is what has my budget so low compared to where my friend's budget is.

In my 30 mile radius, as far as I know, there is no dented grocery. My town has may be 1k people. They have a dented can cart. I do buy as much as possible from there. Especially if the coffee or tea is there. I have even been able to get flour from there for cheap.

[aukxsona]

"Are you doing any bartering, trading or selling of the produce you mentioned in another post that you are growing ?"

I am currently not nor haven't been, but I do plan on doing so in the future. I am planting twice as much this year to do so. It was actually going to be part of my income.

[LuxLiving]

Aukxsona, I went back and edited my last post to ask you some other questions. You may have missed it.

Have you ever heard of making your own tvp like meats?

Do you do any foraging, wild-gathering or gleaning?

[LuxLiving]

Have you tried to buy meat directly from a farmer or butcher instead of thru a grocery store?

"Interesting front-page news story in the Grand Rapids Press the other day about Maria Gajewski who is living on a food budget of $30 this month. She’s donating the savings to a local nature center. In part she’s foraging for food from the wild - so there’s plenty of resources on her blog for natural ways to save money on your grocery bill:

http://ricebeansmixedgreens.wordpress.com/


and here's another lady pinching those grocery pennies feeding herself and her husband thriftily:
Eating Organic on a Food Stamp Budget :: Rebecca Blood
It took me quite a while to read thru her entire month long experiment but very informative. She's buying thru a CSA group. Do you have one of those available to you? I would think it would be cheaper than angelfood ministries.

and you may have seen this already but LifeInAShoe features a family of 8. She has a food section:
Life in a shoe: the methods and madness of one mother of 8


Even if you never buy a thing it's a great place to poke around at:
Welcome to Walton Feed, home of your dehydrated food storage needs.
Check out their archives and recipes.


Do you live near a LDS church? They have a food program for families in need thru their Bishop's Storehouse. CALL THEM!!! Even if you don't take the food they give away for free, they have a canning program where you can go in and can up some great food for your family at a very low price. edited to add: I went there once and canned. It was great. There was absolutely no prostelyzing.

If you don't mind my asking what state/area of the country do you live in?

[aukxsona]

Thank you thank you for the links! This will definitely help! I live in Arkansas

[LuxLiving]

just an idea:

Have ya'll got scrub oaks coming up in the yard right now from all the acorns? Can your kiddos dig them up and put them w/a little dirt in papercups to sell maybe in a Walmart or grocery parking lot? Maybe a way to make a little extra food money right now. You could donate a percentage to a cause you support.

Also on the general financial front - in relation to various needs, do you have
a freecycle organization in your area?

[SnoopyCool]

Originally Posted by LuxLiving

Do you live near a LDS church? They have a food program for families in need thru their Bishop's Storehouse. CALL THEM!!! Even if you don't take the food they give away for free, they have a canning program where you can go in and can up some great food for your family at a very low price. edited to add: I went there once and canned. It was great. There was absolutely no prostelyzing.

In order to use the Cannery, you have to go in with an LDS member (or you are supposed to, anyway). They have foods there you can purchase for cheap. For instance, a 3# can of red wheat buds is about $2.05. You have to grind it yourself. The foods are packed in such a way that things like sugar and wheat will last 30+ years. Rice is cheap, too, and will also last 30 years.

To use the Bishop's storehouse, you can call the Bishop in your area (go to Mormon.org and type in your address to find out where your local Ward (congregation) meets). However, if you use this you will have to - eventually- do a budgeting-type meeting with the Bishop (congregation leader), that's if you continually use the program. And the Relief Society president (woman in charge of the women's organization) will want to go over your food plan with you.

You can also try the LDS website Provident Living Home.

Here is another website I like: Pinching Your Pennies Home

I don't have any suggestions for you, as you are already my hero for being able to do what you're doing currently. I would just look into a local dairy farm for milk (assuming they pasteurize it and sell it off the farm - I don't think that is the norm, but they are around). Do you can your food from the garden to use all year long?

[LuxLiving]

snoopycool, back when I went we didn't have to do those things you mentioned. Maybe times have changed. Maybe it depends on the area? I only went once and it was a good 2 hour drive across my state to get to the cannery. But I had a fun day doing it!

I agree aukxsona is already a hero for working herself as hard as she does to take care of her children!

I wonder if she's considered owning a goat? Or who was it that used to raise fish in a barrel???

[SnoopyCool]

It may just be the area I'm in that you have to go with a member. That's what the lady who runs the cannery here told me a couple of weeks ago when I was there. You can also purchase some things online at www.lds.org .

[aukxsona]

I do can my harvest. I also dehydrate and freeze. I have looked into a goat many times, but my husband always felt it was more trouble than it was worth. He is changing his tune now though.

I also make jams and jellies with found foods. In the center of Batesville city there is a peach tree. No one ever eats from it, but it is just loaded with fruit. No one owns it. I mean it grew in a parking lot from a crack! Anyway, we (last year) collected peaches form it. About 30 lbs. I made 12 pints of peach jam with what was left from the kids snacking. It lasted about 4 months. Totally free except the sugar. I cut per 2 lbs.