It's a serious cut, and it's painful. Furthermore, even though I coupon fairly aggressively, I'm not sure how to manage feeding all of us on that budget without resorting to more processed foods, and lots of pasta-rice-bean type meals. Which is a bit disheartening because I'm diabetic and have been trying to cut back on my carbs, not load up on them. And fresh produce? Fuhgeddaboudit! Not on that budget!
Still, $250 is MUCH better than the $100 I was initially looking at, so I'm not nearly as stressed about it as I was. I am still troubled at the cost of healthy foods though. I'm hoping that with practice I'll pick up more tips and tricks for healthy eating on a severely limited budget.
In the meantime, I'm spending a lot of time thinking about the cost of food and what we, as average families, tend to spend on food and on what TYPES of food and all of that fun stuff. So, here's an informal little poll just out of curiosity:
1) How much does your family spend on groceries each month?
2) How many people are in your family?
3) How much does your family spend eating out (fast food and restaurants) each month?
4) What type of groceries do you predominantly purchase? (processed / quick foods, fresh produce and meats, a combination, etc)
5) What would your IDEAL grocery budget be for your family each month?
6) What is your family's annual income range? a) up to $25,000; b) $25,000 - $75,000; c) above $75,000
What are your thoughts on the cost of food in relation to your family? Would you be interested in reading more articles that explore the cost of different foods we eat, and looking at ways to lower those costs and/or improve the health quotient of those foods?
