Breakdown of Money Spent For the Month

  tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post9001071783111897391..comments2013-11-23T15:45:05.779+02:00Penniless Parentinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671140279531925880noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-14302862165858814462013-11-21T13:44:40.773+02:002013-11-21T13:44:40.773+02:00I cant use a dusty litter because of husband's allergies so the chicken feed is great. I don't notice dust and we have one very eager digger! When I used clay or scoopable litter there was a layer of dust on everything in the room. This is a great alternative. Maybe you can buy a small portion at the feed store to try in one litter pan to see what you think. Good luck!Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00390294772849414204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-13441161247540049892013-11-21T12:12:13.235+02:002013-11-21T12:12:13.235+02:00Good for you! I try to keep my grocery spending in the $350-$450 range and am eating in a very similar way to your family. IT IS TOUGH!! I only buy sale items unless its a necessity (high quality eggs, for example.) We order our meat, eat very little grains, no legumes (my tummy can't handle them) so the bulk of our groceries are veggies, meat, fruit, eggs, and nuts. I love to bake but Beccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00498001044863410827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-73788924767350727812013-11-21T11:51:59.031+02:002013-11-21T11:51:59.031+02:00As a vegetarian, sometimes, I do get tired of legumes... :[ But I have a few go-to recipes where legumes melt into powerfull & delicious flavours. They are always a hit :) 1. Simplified chili : onions + garlic + pepper + tomatoes & usually with red beans but it can be a mix of green lentils & red beans etc. 2. Simplified rissotto / jambalaya : a mix of rice & peas &cicilenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-6776553311137196352013-11-21T03:50:54.078+02:002013-11-21T03:50:54.078+02:00How/where did you get your produce soooo cheap???Rabeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00372486101460584146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-78529125266983105262013-11-21T03:24:42.377+02:002013-11-21T03:24:42.377+02:00Thanks for the concern :) I checked out the link too. In general I'm not too concerned with chemicals or additives, I admit they're bad for ya, but I have other things that will probably kill me before food additives will. I have been medicated with prescriptions my entire life to keep me from dying.. The side effects of the drugs that keep me alive will eventually one day take me out.. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-26820658205460132162013-11-21T02:12:30.160+02:002013-11-21T02:12:30.160+02:00I had a bunch of legumes in my stock from previous months when I bought them on sale. Avocados should only be refrigerated once they're soft- they won't soften in the fridge. But once they're soft, the fridge stops them from going overripe and spoiling. Penniless Parentinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671140279531925880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-36295509128909739282013-11-21T02:09:22.005+02:002013-11-21T02:09:22.005+02:00I also love this idea. I will be on the lookout for it. Thanks Mindy!kitbluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019115567982952470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-15018368289621339262013-11-21T02:08:40.829+02:002013-11-21T02:08:40.829+02:00I didn't see beans/legumes on your list so this must have been a month when you did not need any.I noticed avocados in your fridge. I did not know they could be refrigerated. I can buy a package of 5 cheaper per piece than individual ones but, unless I am disciplined enough, I end up throwing some away.I confess that discarding produce that has gone bad is one of my biggest kitbluhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17019115567982952470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-62072596899924125742013-11-21T01:11:30.230+02:002013-11-21T01:11:30.230+02:00I noticed Splenda on your shopping list. I'd encourage you to read this and make up your own mind- http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/12/3/sucralose-dangers.aspx#Benhttp://www.google.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-79272131700944340162013-11-20T22:17:22.741+02:002013-11-20T22:17:22.741+02:00That's amazing. I'm going to check the farm store my mom buys chicken feed at this weekend!!! Is it low dust? My cats have several issues health-wise from the dusty litters, that's why we buy the lowest dust we can afford. I'm so excited to try this thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-52116408946347313482013-11-20T19:19:02.001+02:002013-11-20T19:19:02.001+02:00I use purina crumbles chicken feed as cat litter and its great. I used to use Sweat Scoop natural litter but it was too expensive and smelled more than I liked so now I find the chicken feed to smell better and its also easier to scoop out the wet areas. It clumps well. I spend about $5 a month for three cats. Mindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00390294772849414204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-17156491132595049162013-11-20T19:06:58.593+02:002013-11-20T19:06:58.593+02:00I think you're doing great on your groceries. Its hard to stay organized and to plan ahead with pregnancy-brain! In my opinion.. I wouldn't blame u if u grabbed a box of macaroni and cheese and called it a meal. Lol. Sometimes life happens, and even the most healthy eater has to grab the nearest thing at the store and call it a meal. And you haven't done that yet, so you are skilled Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-43143282900743165752013-11-20T18:03:12.634+02:002013-11-20T18:03:12.634+02:00On the nights that they have practice (swim practice currently), they come home REALLY hungry. In the long run - having more protein means they don't go scrounging for "junky" stuff later. I also have learned to have dinner ready to go as soon as they get home, so they don't grab a "snack" as soon as they walk in the door. And using your hamburger example - it Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999838147173390906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-60958394926753649152013-11-20T17:35:30.771+02:002013-11-20T17:35:30.771+02:00The question is- do they need as much protein as they're consuming, or do they just want to eat more? I once showed a picture of a family dinner, showing us each eating a hamburger, plus lots of veggies and some carbs, and people were shocked- they "could eat" 3 burgers in a meal. Yea- so could we, but just because we CAN eat that much doesn't mean that we need to eat that much.Penniless Parentinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671140279531925880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-64185696335935213432013-11-20T17:32:39.098+02:002013-11-20T17:32:39.098+02:00Would your husband be open to menu planning in advance, to help save money?Feel free to disagree about referring to those things as healthy sweeteners. No sweeteners is healthier than sweeteners, that's right (which is why I didn't buy much by way of sweeteners this month- one jar of honey, one jar of date syrup, and 2 small packages of pureed dates), but I do believe that thePenniless Parentinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671140279531925880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-14173124686845076742013-11-20T17:28:48.432+02:002013-11-20T17:28:48.432+02:00Haha, I beg to differ. I sometimes sit and watch movies hour after hour- that's called laziness... :-D I could be doing money saving stuff instead of wasting time. And yes, frugality takes energy, at least mental energy to prepare things in advance... Stuff like lentils are both cheap and quick, but if people are picky eaters, then you have to deal with that as well....Penniless Parentinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671140279531925880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-73050231699584003092013-11-20T17:27:24.589+02:002013-11-20T17:27:24.589+02:00No I haven't, at least not regularly. I'll check it out again.Penniless Parentinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17671140279531925880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-49670265245292410632013-11-20T15:52:46.849+02:002013-11-20T15:52:46.849+02:00I'm desperately trying to cut our grocery bill - but I know I spend a LOT more on meat than you do. I have large (as in tall!), teenage boys who are athletes, and they really pack in the protein. And no one (except my husband) likes legumes in my house. On average, we eat 2 - 3 lbs of meat for a dinner, and it's not cheap. It would be nice to be "local" to you to see where Krishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02999838147173390906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-69376296642849971722013-11-20T15:44:51.214+02:002013-11-20T15:44:51.214+02:00I don't track our grocery spending, mostly because I get 400 euros a month to pay for everything with, and that's it. So after the cat food and diapers are paid for, that's a bit more than 300 euros a month, and then it's up to me to figure out how to make things work. However, I will say that when my husband is home, he does the cooking, and therefore we end up Juleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15177864294778546164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-14592388220976160462013-11-20T15:42:49.354+02:002013-11-20T15:42:49.354+02:00Hi,You really hit on the key for living frugally. While I don't for one minute believe that you are "being lazy", running around doing what you do while pregnant, while being mommy and wife, and taking care of the world, living frugally takes energy - lots of it. Without energy you can't plan, which leads to spending when you don't want to, and spending for convenienceShoshana Kleimannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1300660817354328186.post-91140477963295171822013-11-20T14:58:26.577+02:002013-11-20T14:58:26.577+02:00Have you read the Mr Money Mustache blog? He talks about groceries and is also on a no gluten, etc diet.noellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00933342483893137880noreply@blogger.com