27 responses so far ↓

• 1 Meg from FruWiki & All About Appearances // Jul 8, 2008 at 2:01 pm

  Looking over the prices, I’d be spending a lot more here, too, even though I buy generics whenever possible and those are cheaper than coupons here, too.

  I could probably match some of those prices if I went to some really, really cheap stores (the kind where the smell hits you as you walk by), but I’d still have to shop around to get most things on the list since the selection at those stores is very poor.

  Regarding the items on the list, I wouldn’t get bagged tea. Loose tea is MUCH cheaper, even if you get the good stuff. Plus, all you need to make a big pot of it is a tight wire mesh strainer that you can sit on top of the pot.

  Skip the ramen noodles and mac & cheese, too. Regular pasta is cheaper. Get whole wheat pasta and it’s actually sort of healthy — which ramen noodles and processed mac & cheese are definitely not. Whole wheat pasta costs a bit more, but you don’t eat as much generally, it’s cheaper long term (health-wise), and you can usually buy it in bulk if you have a Sams club membership. (Same goes for brown rice over white rice.)

  Hot dogs? Bacon pieces? Sausage? I find that just getting a whole roast is cheaper and much healthier. Throw one into a slow cooker,

  Shredded cheese? You’re better off shredding your own from a large block.

  If you’re using ranch dressing for seasoning while cooking, there’s other seasonings in powder form that you can combine. For salad, try olive oil and a bit of good vinegar. Much cheaper, though not all kids like such bitter tastes.

  Instant mashed potatoes? Get a big bag of potatoes and either make mashed potatoes yourself (leaving the peels in it), or just make baked home fries if you don’t have the time.

  As far as fruits and veggies go, you just have to check around and see what’s in season locally. That’s usually the cheapest.

  Anyhow, that’s my two cents.

• 2 Angie // Jul 8, 2008 at 7:25 pm

  I don’t know – my family eats pretty healthy, and very well, and we spend about $400-$450 for a family of 4. I am married to a die-hard carnivore who eats lots of meat (steaks) and we don’t spend as much as your list up above. We’re in Arizona, but even in San Jose, CA it was in the low $500s. I do shop sales, use coupons, stock up on good cuts of meat when they are on sale and buy the freshest (and cheapest) in-season produce available.

• 3 Kristy // Jul 9, 2008 at 7:40 am

  You wouldn’t have to buy the spices every week though…so there’s about $35 a week that you could save. I normally buy everything on special or just what we need for the week. I shop the sales ads and don’t clip coupons. Typically, I spend $75 a week for a family of 3. We eat pretty healthy, but the best way for us to save money is to eat 2 meatless meals a week.

• 4 LivingAlmostLarge // Jul 9, 2008 at 5:06 pm

  Definitely it would be cheaper if you didn’t have to buy spices. I also think though it’s a pretty cheap meals for many people compared to buying a lot of processed foods. And for a family of 4 it’s cheaper than what many do.

  I too mostly shop sales and use some coupons but I find that just shopping at Costco saves me the most food wise.

• 6 Grey // Jul 15, 2008 at 11:09 am

  I currently live in North Carolina, and I used to be able to swear by that list, but with the price hikes, it’s definitely not as doable as it once was, even here. If my pantry is well-stocked, I can get away with $80/month (for 4 of us). Otherwise, I spend roughly $85/week (up from $50/week last year).

  I generally love HBHW, but I do question the healthiness of that diet.

• 7 Jill // Jul 15, 2008 at 2:22 pm

  I live in the Pacific Northwest (Portland area) and prices are more than the HHW list but significantly less than in New England. Maybe I should be glad of where I live? Baking powder is about $1.00 cheaper, 10 lbs of flour $1.00 cheaper, meat is way cheaper here than where you are. I agree with Meg that I would buy differently – I wouldn’t buy bacon ends and pieces I would just buy a package or two of cheap bacon (at $1.69 a lb).

  We spend about $125.00 a week for a family of 6 (two adults, two teenagers, two kids under 12). This number is slightly misleading, however, because my “grocery” budget includes TP, shampoo, laundry soap, saran wrap etc. I count everything I buy at the grocery store (and Costco) as my “grocery” budget – it requires way too much brain power to separate them out! Mostly I keep costs low by stocking up when prices are rock bottom and cooking from scratch. Oh, and we have chickens in our backyard so we have a endless supply of free eggs (ok, not free but really, really cheap!).

  I do, however, really like HHW for a lot of the recipes.

  Jill

• 8 Rachel W. // Jul 15, 2008 at 3:15 pm

  A couple of things:

  First, food prices have climbed SHARPLY in the past year. Around here (I also live in New England) flour and egg prices have actually doubled, with more modest, but very noticeable, increases for other staples, meat, and produce.

  Second, sometimes it is all about where you shop. I am guessing she buys her spices and baking powder in bulk from a health food store. By weight, the price is a fraction of what you pay in a grocery store. I am also guessing she shops around for dollar stores for condiments and canned goods, and shakes down Walmart for all it’s worth. If you scout the stores in your area, you are likely to find appreciable differences in their prices.

• 9 Livingalmostlarge // Jul 15, 2008 at 6:44 pm

  I do not eat most of the food she cooks and have never eaten that way. But I can see how her tips are helpful for MANY people.
  I don’t live by a walmart and CVS does have $1 condiments, etc.

  But I do agree that it can be cheaper to cook from scratch and eat healthier foods but fruits and veggies are expensive! HBHW when I asked her said that if you use coupons and shop inside the store it’s A LOT cheaper than outside edge of the store where there are FEW coupons.

• 10 Nicole // Jul 15, 2008 at 9:08 pm

  Thank you so much for this post! I love HBHW , but I always spend so much more on groceries, your side by side challenge makes me feel better. I did not know how she could do that for $70! Thanks for the validation!!

• 11 Marcia // Jul 15, 2008 at 11:06 pm

  Visiting from cheap healthy good…

  Okay, I worked up my own spreadsheet. I had to guess at things like pancake syrup and margarine, that I don’t buy. But I do keep a spreadsheet of general grocery prices. So I know, for example, that I bought dried milk at $10.99.

  My list was $106.24, guesstimating on many of the condiments that we don’t buy, or that we buy in bulk. That included, for example, yeast from Costco for $3 for 2 lb.

  It also is calculated using the cheapest price for each item. (sale price), which you can’t always get. So if I were starting from an empty pantry, this # wouldn’t be accurate…but long term, it would be.

  My calculations, however, on fruits and vegetable servings show that for a family of 4, this diet only provides 4.6 servings per day, below the recommended minimum of 5.

• 12 Amy K. // Jul 16, 2008 at 11:59 am

  I actually priced outher $45 menu in the Boston area in 2006, and it came to just under $70 at that time. I think the price of food has also skyrocketed since then.

  On my home computer I have a full comparison of Stop & Shop, Hannaford, Walmart, and Market Basket from October 2006 (yes, I was more than a little obsessed with getting my theoretical tally down to the $45 she posted). I never did price out the $70 menu.

• 16 stephanie's mommy brain // Jul 26, 2008 at 9:57 pm

  The problem is you are shopping at Stop and Shop. The only thing to buy there is loss leaders! I’m in Rhode Island and mostly shop at Price Rite (S&S for loss leaders). I’m spending $300-350 a month to feed two adults and three children (ages 2-5). That’s strictly food and very seldom do I use coupons.

  My “In the Kitchen” blog has somewhat monthly menus for this summer if you are wondering what we are eating.

• 17 Livingalmostlarge // Jul 26, 2008 at 11:27 pm

  Unfortunately the closest price rite to where I live is over 20 miles and 40 minutes away! I would LOVE to shop somewhere cheaper but alas it is what it is.

  I picked SS because it’s close.

• 18 Jenna // Jul 28, 2008 at 12:09 pm

  Haven’t done a complete price by price… but I do see more then a few things on the list I buy at the old prices (ex- the local discount shop sells herbs and spices @ 2/$1. Maybe not the premium quality… but still making my dinner tasty. At least until I can make my 4x a year trip to Amish country and the bulk food stores).

  I enjoy HH for her tips and ideas, but I’ll confess I’m far more likely to save $$ on cooking by roasting a chicken (bought at $0.39- $0.69 a pound) and making it stretch to ostrich lengths over the weeks then feed my family on hotdogs and canned tuna.

  I AM glad to see your validation that, yup, groceries are rising and it can be a challenge to make it all work. A dear friend of mine was convinced she was “doing something wrong” when she couldn’t make her grocery bill tally up to HH.

• 19 LivingAlmostLarge // Jul 28, 2008 at 1:13 pm

  Truly it depends on where you live.

• 20 Patience // Jul 28, 2008 at 6:22 pm

  Wow, I am so impressed with your chart. I have considered trying HH’s menu for my family as an experiment, although I knew I’d pay much higher prices than she did. I recently followed the USDA’s thrifty food plan for a week and found it isn’t all that thrifty, and HH’s menu seems like it would be cheaper. You have a great site.

• 21 Amanda // Jul 28, 2008 at 6:24 pm

  I was looking at the HBW site, and I don’ believe I would want to eat much on it. We live in Louisiana, and we shop mostly at Wal-Mart. I have three young children who can eat their fare share of food. I never spend more than $800 a month, and that is more than just groceries (shampoo, laundry soap, toliet paper, ect.) I more often than not can keep it to $600 a month. I try to spend only $150 per week. Today, I bought a weeks worth of groceries (though I will be using a few things I already have) for $120. I bought Chicken Leg Quarters, Wheat Rolls from the Deli, A loaf of Wheat Bread, A box of tea bags, A jug of Orange Juice, Two gallons of name brand skim milk, Shredded Cheese, Canned Spaghetti sauce, Wheat Angel Hair Noodles, Frozen Corn on the Cob, A Large can of green beans, Romaine Lettce, Two containes of cherry tomatoes, 2 pounds of red grapes, Ground Turkey Sasage, A roast kit that includes the potatoes, celery, carrots, seasoning pack, and a 2 pound roast, A bag of baby carrots, A jug of apple juice, A bag of brown rice, a large carton of eggs, a pack of chicken bologna, a bottle of ranch salad dressing, graham crackers, a bag of pretzels, beef jerky, hot cocoa mix, 3 boxes of different size zipper bags, large package of toliet paper, a steak to tie out our dog on, cough drops. I will be using about $15 of groceries I already have on hand.

• 22 Livingalmostlarge // Jul 28, 2008 at 8:57 pm

  I believe it’s a good menu in a pinch. It’s how to stretch your money when you are broke. It includes buying spices, everything, etc.

  Most couldn’t do it without their pantry. I could live without shopping for one week probably 2-3 weeks. But a month? It might be tight.

  BUT we don’t stockpile meats with an extra freezer or anything. and the hardest part would be going without fresh fruit and veggies.

• 23 Rachel // Jul 29, 2008 at 10:57 pm

  I think I might be able to do it here- we’re in Montana. But prices are going up so much that it would depend on what I could find at the scratch and dent store– I was able to get the 4 lbs dry milk for $4. there, but it’s always iffy on what they have. I enjoy some of HBHW recipes, but I don’t cook with alot of the stuff she has on her menu either. If I were to shop Walmart it would probably be somewhere between $100. and $150.

• 24 savvysuzie // Aug 1, 2008 at 9:14 pm

  I was wondering where those prices came from – when I started trying to cut our food budget I printed out her $45 and $70 menus as a reference. It seemed unrealistic for this area (Massachusetts) but those numbers are a HUGE difference. I do my shopping at Price Rite for anything not cheaper with a coupon or on sale, and a lot of those prices are pretty close to what I pay there…but I definitely eat better than her menu because I stock up on meat when it goes under $2 a pound and have a lot of roasts, pork chops, chickens and such in the freezer to pull from. And the whole reconstituted milk thing never appealed to me – I’d rather buy whole milk and cut it a bit with water. But it is a good reference tool and has given me ideas on meal planning.

• 25 LivingAlmostLarge // Aug 7, 2008 at 2:46 pm

  Many people live in areas without Aldis, double coupons, cheap prices. I think the point is you can try to do what she does, and use her list as a guideline for cheap eats, but realize it does vary.

  It’s impossible for me to mimic her success but if I were in a desperate situation I would use it.

• 26 dialectically_yours // Jan 17, 2009 at 7:27 pm

  I cannot use MOST of the “ultra-frugal” food menus on the ‘net, due to food allergies. No milk, butter, cheese… but necessity also spares us MOST boxed and pouch mixes, which is a hidden benefit. Her menu is decidedly weak on veggies, especially the dark greens I MUST eat at almost every meal as a calcium source.

  For most meals, we use whole grains, brown rice mixed with white as a compromise,and our main “convenience food” is salad macaroni, which I can hardly find as whole wheat at *any* price. We also buy veggies on sale, in season, more chicken than beef, and use fresh fruit instead of juice. We seldom have the opportunity to use coupons, so we have more stable prices over the year, BUT do what we can to buy in bulk, generic or unprocessed items to cut costs that way.

  A side note– Ground beef is often MORE expensiv than leaner, tougher cuts of beef, and MUCH more expensive than bone-in chicken parts, usually including breasts!

  Prices have risen sharply even here in CA (I live in an area KNOWN for its orchards and farms) — so sharply that I’d have to dig out last week’s receipts to discover whether they were a few pennies higher or lower per item than your New England list.

  The suggestion I have for anyone thinking of an emergency, bare-bones shopping list is to sit down and work out a week’s menus for simple to prepare, frugal foods you LOVE– family faves include minestrone soup, veggie sushi, hummus, and sweet potato fries– and check the plan for missing nutrients, then build your OWN “crunch list”. If you shop sales and keep even a SMALL pantry of these staples, it’s easy to remember and mak off the items you already have. That frees up a few dollars for unexpected expenses or padding the plain list with extra fruits and veggies. DO plan to include daily snacks of some type and a dessert or two for the week, as a surprise. Feeling “deprived” and “broke” is a BIIG reason our family makes an excuse to go out to fast food, so I’ve learned the hard way to make our menus VERY appealing.

  Also bear in mind the benefit of doubling batches, especially of things like hummus dip for carrot sticks and broccoli. Packing lunches for those who head off to work/school becomes simple and frugal.

  All in all, our family’s staple weekly menu comes in at about $120, for a family of 4. It’s not filet mignon, not even top sirloin, but I’m not worried about adding a multivitamin, either.

• 27 LivingAlmostLarge // Jan 17, 2009 at 7:33 pm

  Personally I just live in an expensive area. I’ve lived in San Diego and food where I live now used to be cheaper than SD, but I’m thinking SD is very expensive now too!

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