Anyone want to join me on my $100 per week food challenge

[cookie1]

My shopping was up round the $220 again this week. It did include fruit and veggies, 500g heart smart mince, a piece of girello about 500g, 6 chicken breasts, and 3 thighs.
Yes Hally, prices seem to go up regularly. It makes it rotten when you have a fixed income.

[Cornish Cream]

I did notice when in Oz last year that your food is more expensive than the UK.

[Halex]

I am glad its not just me that has noticed it. The challenge in  2012 was doable at. $100 per week, now its not.

I am struggling with $120. & am raking up more than this.

[Itsnotartitsdinner]

$150 today. Fruit, veg, lamb chops, marinated mussels, bulk toilet paper, bacon, jarlsberg sliced, ham, raisin toast a couple of tins. Find we get much more for our $ at IGA

[*suzanne*]

I spend about $30-$35 a week on milk alone then about $80 on fruit & vegetables and $100 on meat,  chuck in baking needs and extras like cheese, coffee beans, juice etc it really adds up .I'm trying to keep my budget for six of us at $250, getting serious about it now starting tomorrow since it's my food shopping day.
Are you thinking of changing from $100 a week Hally?

[Itsnotartitsdinner]

Oh yes we buy 9L of dairy farmers milk a week plus a 2L of mungalli organic and beautifully creamy milk. We call it special milk. Kids love it. I would buy it as our primary milk if they sold it in 3L bottles.

[obbie]

I spent $160 again, lots of fruit and veges..

[jo_nz]

I'm definitely finding it dearer.  I was managing quite a lot of weeks under my $150 budget last year (some down to $120-ish and often $140), and that included a reasonable number of extras (includes cat food, cleaning stuff, toiletries, plus the odd bottle of wine or cider and specialty cheeses on occasion etc).
Now I'm spending usually over that budget and leaving out the extras as much as possible.

[Halex]

I put my budget up to $120 but the last few weeks have been over & this week I am very high.

I could do a cheaper week if we are from the freezer & pantry, but at the moment I am into trying a few new recipes each week

[judydawn]

That's when the budget gets blown Hally, I find that as well - as soon as I start trying new recipes. If I'm in the mood to cook and try something different more than once a week, I spend much more than usual buying in the ingredients I need. As my housekeeping challenge has only been an exercise in frugality for me for many years now, there is no harm done if I go over from time to time.  Sometimes I just refuse to pay the asking price of some items though and I do try to stick to seasonal fruit & vegies to keep the spend down.

[kmw]

Agree Judy & as I've been trying new recipes for DH. I'm really trying to use the pantry/freezer though & need to get back into a regular routine with shopping instead of popping to the shops when we run out & meal planning. As whilst I did $100 food shop today, DH popped to the shop on the weekend.

I'm always amazed at the difference between the deli prices & meat section, like today with chicken breasts being way cheaper at the deli just had to be prepared to wait to be served.

[Halex]

This week was $252!! I knew it would be high as i did a woolies on line order. I am finding as its so hot we are eating a lot of ice creams etc. I have given up making as they are gone in seconds. I buy icecream on specail but they add up. Also was out of all fresh fruit & veg. Next week is going to be high too, as i am doing 2 new recipes per week. Hopefully the following week it settles down.

It would help if we just lived out the freezer

[obbie]

we live out of the freezer alot, except for fresh fruit and veges..

must do a online order soon

[jo_nz]

$159 this week.  Finally a few weeks in a row of "reasonable" shopping.  And the pantry/freezer are still looking fine.

[cookie1]

Shopping day was $143, which I thought was ok. It didn't have much fruit and vegies in so I popped out today and bought some special ingredients I need for dinner on Sunday and fruit etc. That added another $102 to the budget. I'm not stressing as WW have offered me an $80 voucher if I have 3 weeks of over $200. Now I only have next week and if I don't look like making it I'll stock up on some chicken and meat. That will help the average for those 3 weeks go down.