are you a food hoarder? (odor, pickle, consume, apple)
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And I didn't say to stash it in some other form of food - I meant save the money in some other way.
There's no way you can save that kind of money anywhere else in a household budget. Food has the greatest flexibility in a budget. Mortgage and utilities are set in stone. You can't save hundreds per month anywhere else like you can with food, especially on meat, by turning down the thermostat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clemencia53
I also live rural. I leave the house once a week at the most. And yes, I've been to desolate places where the closest real store is 90 to 100 miles away. I was only there for Air Force work and told myself I would never be in that situation. Confession - by rural I mean the closest big store is 8 miles away.
A lot of Americans are in that situation living in truly rural areas. It's one answer to your questioning why people stock up on food. Even my son lives where the closest real grocery store if over 50 miles away. The local general store is way too expensive. They try to only go shopping once every two months because the gasoline to get to the store adds up. Most people who live in his area shop less frequently than that.
You can't save hundreds per month anywhere else like you can with food, especially on meat, by turning down the thermostat.
And that is why I wonder if people just eat and/or buy too much?
I probably spend 250 or so a month for the both of us on just food and drinks. I do have 14 domesticated cats and dogs, a bird, and feed about 10 feral cats, so I spend about 7-800 a month on them. This includes bags and bags of carrots, pounds and pound of cheese for treats. If I only had one dog, I would buy a small bag of food. I would not buy a huge bag to save money since it could go bad before he ate it all.
We know what hoarders are...how about "food hoarders"?
People who buy random food, don't eat it, put it in the pantry, and never get rid of it...
I am a small scale food hoarder, I always buy some odd health food product, like Chia seeds, or oat bran, bee pollen, and I never get around to eating it, but I don't throw it away.
My SO was quite a food hoarder, he bought random things at Costco, filled a store room, never ate the food...I cleaned it out last summer, quite a project. ..
Okay, are you a food hoarder? What products are in your cupboards you have had for over three months, and have not touched...
I try to use up the things I buy. For some reason I bought some whipping cream during the holidays. I must have read up on some recipe that required it.
Anyway, it sat in the fridge until it almost reached its expiration date. What could I make? Butter! I put it in a jar and shook it up until it formed a nice chunk.
The leftover liquid, otherwise known as buttermilk, went to the feral cats.
And that is why I wonder if people just eat and/or buy too much?
I probably spend 250 or so a month for the both of us on just food and drinks.
You're making a lot of assumptions about people. Since she has six teenagers, she's not eating/buying spending too much. By your $250/2 people standard, food would cost her $1,000/month. She feeds her family of 8 on $600/month. I know this because she's always talking about ways to cut back more on her food budget. She can't cut back $400 elsewhere in her budget because she has her budget as lean as possible.
You're making a lot of assumptions about people. Since she has six teenagers, she's not eating/buying spending too much. By your $250/2 people standard, food would cost her $1,000/month. She feeds her family of 8 on $600/month. I know this because she's always talking about ways to cut back more on her food budget. She can't cut back $400 elsewhere in her budget because she has her budget as lean as possible.
But we were talking about small families - two people - buying too much.
I said that for a large family, stocking up would be the norm. Not so much for a small household.
But we were talking about small families - two people - buying too much.
I said that for a large family, stocking up would be the norm. Not so much for a small household.
Your comments were in response to my talking about my girlfriend. If she can save $400/month for 8 people, a two person household can save 40% on groceries doing it her way too. Your $250 would be $150. That's only $100 savings, but $100 means a lot to many American households, even many two person households.
You're making a lot of assumptions about people. Since she has six teenagers, she's not eating/buying spending too much. By your $250/2 people standard, food would cost her $1,000/month. She feeds her family of 8 on $600/month. I know this because she's always talking about ways to cut back more on her food budget. She can't cut back $400 elsewhere in her budget because she has her budget as lean as possible.
Does she buy mostly organic and grass fed beef? If so, no she wouldn't , but if I didn't, I could probably make it on 150 a month for food for the two of us. Her 600 a month is 75 dollars a person, so 150 for the two of us.
And does that include other items besides food. I do not count cleaning products, personal care items etc in that amount.
You said that they eat meat at every meal? Could she cut that by making the meat not the main item, but part of the main dish? When I make a steak, we split it. We don't eat a whole steak each.
Your comments were in response to my talking about my girlfriend. If she can save $400/month for 8 people, a two person household can save 40% on groceries doing it her way too. Your $250 would be $150. That's only $100 savings, but $100 means a lot to many American households, even many two person households.
But you didn't mention that she had 6 kids until later down the thread. And at that point we were talking about you and your other half getting a freezer for the two of you.
You just said that when she lost power she would cook up all the food and then refreeze it.
Does she buy mostly organic and grass fed beef? If so, no she wouldn't ,
Yes, she does. She buys whole cows from the local organic farms and puts them in her freezer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clemencia53
but if I didn't, I could probably make it on 150 a month for food for the two of us. Her 600 a month is 75 dollars a person, so 150 for the two of us.
Yes, I already did the math for you. That means you would save more than $100 if you didn't buy organic grass fed beef.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clemencia53
And does that include other items besides food. I do not count cleaning products, personal care items etc in that amount.
Yes, her $600 includes nonfood items. That means you're spending way more money on food than her. She buys those in bulk too. I saw her toilet paper arrive via UPS. She buys it ever 6 months. It took up her front porch. Buying in bulk does save significant money. It might be a hassle for you, but it's a necessity for people who have tight budgets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clemencia53
You said that they eat meat at every meal? Could she cut that by making the meat not the main item, but part of the main dish? When I make a steak, we split it. We don't eat a whole steak each.
Meat isn't her main item. It's just in almost every meal, except when she uses beans. She's very frugal with her cooking. She's not feeding steaks to the family. That would be crazy. She cuts up steaks and makes meals that require less meat.
But you didn't mention that she had 6 kids until later down the thread. And at that point we were talking about you and your other half getting a freezer for the two of you.
You just said that when she lost power she would cook up all the food and then refreeze it.
That's true, but my husband and I are interested in saving money anywhere we can. Buying our meat cheaper is one way for us to do it. I told you we aren't big eaters. That doesn't mean we can't save money by changing our ways. My girlfriend is my inspiration. If she can save money for 8 people, I most certainly can apply that and save money for two, ESPECIALLY since we're not big eaters.
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