Do you really want to know? I suspect Hubby will want to know when late June rolls around…
Here it is, rough, but more-or-less complete. I plan a flexible menu for the month, so obviously it will vary a bit from month to month, but you might be surprised at how little it varies. I am.
Notes:
- This list represents average consumption more than actual purchases: in real life, I don’t buy 2 bottles of salad dressing or a jar of mayo each month. Instead, I buy a years’ worth when they are on sale.
- We also shop specials at other stores when the specials are good enough to warrant the time and gas. These specials usually replace items on the lists below, so they don’t affect the bottom line.
- Items are single quantity unless otherwise indicated.
- I shop monthly, then Hubby or I usually make a quick mid-month trip to the store for fresh produce and specials.
- Our total food budget is $600/month.
Walmart - monthly, ~$250-300
non-food
chewable vitamins
shampoo
conditioner
kid shampoo (tear free for the Littles)
gerbil food
dog food
socks (somebody needs these every month)
kid shoes (when we can’t find them secondhand)
diapers – 1-2 lg bags
baby wipes
toilet paper (scott tissue) – 12 pack
paper towels – 3 pack
paper plates – 2
dish soap
glass cleaner
misc. school supplies: pencils, paper, etc.
dry/baking goods
sugar – 4-8#
brown sugar
chocolate chips
oil
grits – 2
oats
mac/cheese – 3
animal crackers – 2# bag
pasta – 8#
coffee – 1 lg. columbian
cereal – 3 boxes
canned
evaporated milk – 4
spaghetti sauce – 8
tomato sauce – 3
diced tomatoes – 3
rotel-style tomatoes – 4
refried beans – 5 lg
canned beans – 12
green chiles – 2
cream of mushroom soup – 2
cream of chicken soup – 2
creamed corn – 2
bottled salad dressing – 2
jam
meat/perishable
pepperoni – 1#
bologne
precooked sausage patties – 4# (breakfast to go)
freezer burritos – 2 bags (breakfast to go)
chicken leg quarters – 20#
ground chuck – 10#
add’l meat (depends on menu and specials) – 30#
tortillas – 6-8 dz
bread – 12
frozen veggies – 6 bags
bananas – 10#
apples – 25# (winter sales)
oranges, kiwi, grapes, etc
onions
garlic
lettuce
tomatoes
cucumbers
Walmart – occasional
non-food
body soap
hair ponies
toothbrushes
bandaids, etc.
alcohol
peroxide
toothpaste
floss
deoderant
body soap
cat food
cat litter
flea collars (dog & cat)
flea oil
zip lock bags
foil
plastic wrap
laundry soap
tub cleaner
toilet bowl cleaner
children’s shoes (when we can’t find them secondhand)
food
cream cheese
salt
powdered sugar
baking soda
baking powder
corn meal
corn starch
crisco
vanilla
spices
Pam
syrup
condensed milk
cream of wheat
Koolaid
rice
pickles (gallon jar)
ketchup
mustard
taco sauce
mayo/miracle whip
tea
instant coffee
Costco ~$140
Items with an asterisk are less than monthly:
corn – 2 gallon cans
peaches – ” “
green beans ” “
*nacho sauce
*salsa
ramen noodles
peanut butter (twin-pack Jif)
flour – 25#
*spices
*bouillion paste
*parmesan cheese (large twin pack)
milk – 8
eggs – 6-8 dz
butter – 6#
sour cream – 3#
american slices – 5#
grated cheddar – 5#
grated mozzarella – 10 or 15#
owen’s sausage – 8#
baby carrots – 5#
frozen OJ concentrate (large 6 pack)
*napkins
*coffee filters
tortilla chips (3 lg. bags/box)
Related posts:
Do you really only use 12 rolls of toilet paper a month? Hubby and I were just scheming about toilet paper last week and wondering how we can bring down that cost. As a family of five we currently go through one roll a day. I am 24 weeks pregnant which mulitplies the bathroom trips but so are you… Just curious. I think our food and misc budget is around $400 per month. ~Diana Miller http://www.xanga.com/islandlife
Diana,
Yes, 12 rolls/month *if* we buy Scott Tissue.
If we try the cheap stuff, it lasts less than a day.
Scott tissue is also better for the septic system, but we buy it mainly because I hate always finding an empty roll on the TP holder, and because it really is cheaper – or at least very competitively priced.
Also, I don’t know where I would store a month’s worth of cheap toilet paper. We would probably need 40 rolls!
I don’t know how you do it! $300 for that many people. I spend more than that for my husband, myself and our two dogs. My son is still nursing, so he hasn’t cost us anything yet. That is incredible!!
Now you need to blog about how you budget for that many people… I would love to know!
Don’t give me too much credit – $250-300 is just what’s on my list every month for WalMart. Our total comes up closer to $600. Some of that is from Costco, the rest is rabbit food, mid-month produce and specials,less-than-monthly items, etc.
I went back to your old post with your master grocery list spreadsheet. It would be very interesting to see how the prices today compare with that.
I’ll freely admit that the total has shifted upward dramatically. I suspect that we now spend about $1,000/month – partly because of rising prices, partly because of growing children with larger appetites, and partly because hubby does a lot of the shopping now while he’s in town for work.
This saves gas and time, but the tradeoff is that we spend more on food. I think it’s a good trade: with the money that I would have spent on gas, he buys items that wouldn’t have made it onto my list.