I Feed My Family Of Five For $120 A Week — Here's What A Week Of Groceries And Meals Looks Like For Us

Buzzfeed via Yahoo ^ | January 21, 2023 | Sydney Martin

[grundle]

Hi! I'm Sydney, a stay-at-home mom of three, and I make homemade meals for my Colorado family every week.

Each weekend — with that budget in mind — I plan all my family's meals for the upcoming week. This includes choosing the recipes I will make, plus the actual shopping. I cook pretty much every meal every day due to a severe peanut allergy in my household. We don't rely on much takeout for this reason.

(Produce: Garlic, bok choy, green onions, cilantro, ginger, red bell pepper, green beans, carrots, lime, avocado, oranges, lettuce, tomato, bananas, parsley. Dairy: Ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, cream cheese, cheddar, colby jack, sour cream, milk Meat: Chicken, ground beef, breakfast sausage, hot dogs. Pantry: Marinara, lasagna noodles, artichoke hearts, chicken broth, ramen, soy sauce, taco seasoning, refried beans, salsa, coconut milk, basmati rice, taco shells, black beans, tortillas, cheddar cheese soup, oats, brown sugar. Misc: Mini muffins, crescent rolls, frozen hash browns, frozen spinach. (**Not pictured: Costco eggs.)

[rktman]

🌮🌮🌮🌯

[CFW]

“I had 3 teenagers for a few years...No leftovers...they were’; like animals...with good manners.”

____

I had two teenage sons, plus about three or four of their friends here all the time. One summer I had two extra boys here for the entire summer. (Hubby and I had gone to high school with their parents,so they knew us quite well).

I cooked stock pots full of spaghetti, chili, soup, etc. They drank a gallon of milk a day. Teen boys eat non-stop. One morning I came downstairs to find that overnight they had cooked all the steak in the freezer.

I suspect the children of the parents referenced in this article aren’t being fed the necessary foods to insure they grow up healthy, and in fact may be hungry most of the time.

[agere_contra]

The Dems’ Inflation Reduction Act has NOT kicked in.

It kicked in just fine. It just wasn't designed to reduce inflation

[DCBryan1]

You need to write a book/start a blog.

[TexasGator]

“Thrifty folks?? Is that a NIKE emblem on her sneaks??”

Old style. Sale price $35.

[Mariner]

She is lying.

Not nearly enough for all of them.

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

Just by looking at the picture of her groceries, I would say that there's still some savings to be made in a few places. Buying the ingredients in bulk, and avoiding pre-made foods, like the spaghetti sauce and muffins would make some savings. You can buy large bags of flour, rice and sugar at Costco. Same with tomato paste and whole tomatoes. Of course, cooking from raw ingredients takes more time, and having three little ones is demanding.

All in all, I think this story just shows that with some attention to the bottom line, there are ways to make the trip to the grocery store a little less painful, but other factors often come into play.

[TexasGator]

“Make me laugh....They’re al wearing NIKE sneakers. “

Not expensive Nike’s. Hers can be had on sale for a very reasonable price.

“They’re not poor...”.

They never claimed to be.

“just looking for 15 minutes.”

No. Freelancing for a few extra bucks. Pays better than posting on FR.

[Roccus]

I’m right behind you at 78 and do likewise. I practically live on left-overs. Doncha hate it when they run out? Not fun when there’s nothing to eat....just ingredients.

[TexasGator]

“She is lying.

Not nearly enough for all of them.”

She does a day-by-day. Where is she lying?

[TexasGator]

“muffins would make some savings.”

She agrees with you and explains her reasonong in the article.

[jmaroneps37]

Shame on you ungrateful comrades!
Comrade Joey’s Pravda has told you a number of times that things are getting better - why one government sponsored “poll” said about 1/3 of American comrades say they are doing better than they were doing a year ago!

Come on man!

[central_va]

Teen boys eat about 5,000 calories a day.

[kaktuskid]

Bar S Franks? No thanks. And what you put in a taco decides if it is healthy or not.

[Sacajaweau]

I've freeze meals I would never dream of freezing...like Chicken French...OMG....Chicken French for lunch...

Then there's goulash, stew, pot roast, chicken soup, chili. All homemade with love.

For the stew and pot roast...I boil a few potatoes and had my frozen carton. I also use chicken or beef bullion and double the carton amount.

Then there's my Progresso Soups...I add frozen Broccoli to the Broccoli and Cheese...and add a can of clams to the Chowder. Watch my protein carefully.

[EQAndyBuzz]

I put a pound of ground turkey, an onion, couple of carrots and some celery in a crock pot, add chicken broth I made from previous chicken meals and let it go for 5 hours. In the last hour I add rice. Two bucks a meal and it lasts me 5 days. That’s my lunch for the week.

H-E-B has small pizzas for $7.99 which feeds two. We add green pepper and tomato slices. I also buy the ingredients for Chinese sauces and make my own. I made a char sui sauce which I use on chicken and pork which I buy in bulk. Goes great with fried rice or noodles. I recently made Char Sui chicken thighs with chicken chow fun and steamed dumplings for 7 people. Entire meal cost me 20 bucks.

[Sacajaweau]

Hmmm...that means I fail??

[TangoLimaSierra]

Here's their dog.

[Albion Wilde]

Reminds me of an old book I used to have 55 years ago. How To Feed Four for a $1.

Same era, I went traveling for almost half a year for $1000, using the book Europe on $5 a Day. I remember that one dollar was worth three British pounds at the time.

[Sacajaweau]

I agree...Half the stuff is for tacos....with a two lb pkg of ground beef?? 4 bananas for 5 people. Those muffins are junk food.