Can a family of three, realistically live on a grocery bill of only 200 dollars a month.?

Question

If so how do you all do it. BTW I don't qualify for any special gov. programs

Answer 1

we havn't been able to but people do it all the time cause they have no choice.

Answer 2

This isn't very realistic. You would have virtual no meat in your diet (if you are a vegetarian then you are all set). You can drastically cut your grocery bill by buying sales (currently our grocery store has buy one get one free, that is when I stock up on frozen chicken breasts; twice a year you can get chicken leg quarters for 29 cents/pound- 10 lbs bag equals $2.90). Depending on the sale some name brand ends up being cheaper than generic or store brand- be patient and do the math on the items. We hunt so all of our ground "beef" is venison- that saves a lot of money. A friend does the processing and all we are out is the hunting license and bullets. Shop at Sav-a-lot and Aldi, etc.

The above posters are correct, raman noodles mac & cheese, etc will keep the food bill down. But you need protien, you will be malnourished if all you ate were ramen noodles, etc. (Protien, eggs, peanut butter, meat, chicken, etc.) And if you have a child or 2 they need milk.

If your child/ren are school age- double check with the school when it gets back in session and see if you qualify for free or assisted breakfast and lunch.

This doesn't have anything to do with groceries but it will help you budget- I suggest you read The Total Money Makeover by Ramsey. You may be able to trim other areas of your budget to get your food budget up to a realistic number ($400 or so).

Answer 3

You could do what my sister in law did, and get a part-time or full-time job at a preschool, where you can take your child. Try a mommy & me class, like My Gym... or be a babysitter for other families (cash). I think you should try to earn more than you need. You can do it! It is wonderful to chill at home, I wish I could be a stay home wife all year. Think of all the other people who can use your help as well as your child. My mantra is, if I'm healthy and able, I want to work, for as long as I can. I have to go in to work tomorrow/today. I'm looking forward to it. It's hard to live within your means on any budget, there's so much shopping temptation. I say, earn double! And park your surplus in a CD. You will be wealthy. You have the springboard of your spouse. Working is fun when you don't NEED the money, you can do what you are good at. 600/week take home is ok, but do you have enough insurance? I say, stockpile your earnings, buy foreclosed houses for 10,000 cash and rent them out. You could become a multi-millionaire. Then in 20 years your divedens will pay out so much per year, you can collect 2,400 a week. Also, you can't skimp healthy eating. Can you afford vitamines? Cheap food isn't always the best for you. Veges are inexpensive. Hey, I'm frugal sometimes. My BF wants to buy a shirt for 190$ He's immature. But I HAVE TO get shopping money! If I see a pretty dress and necklace on clearance, I'd rather work a few hours overtime, and get both! (or ask him to buy them for me) And the dentist for you: well: eventually you will need or want expensive medical care. Start saving sweetie. You will show your child the best role model, how to balance career/family and manage money. It's godly to be a good steward of money. You deserve to have prosperity. As for strangers, I was a babysitter. I was with the families for YEARS. They liked me. They paid me about minimum wage on saturday nights or afterschool. I liked it. You could also clean houses, like I did in college. It's just 2-4 hours, and its 2x/week (CASH). Maybe 16/hour. Good luck!

Answer 4

Cut coupons and go to stores that have double or triple coupon days.
Buy meat that is marked down. It is OK to use on the day bought,or to freeze. (You can usually find meat marked down if you shop early in the day.)
Buy store brands.
Read thru the weekly ads and decide your weeks meals around what is on sale.
Don't compromise your family's health. Buy fresh fruit in season, possibly from a farmer's market. Don't spend money on junk foods. Learn to drink water or tea instead of sodas.
Check in the grocery section of stores like Big Lots. Most of their stuff is still good; usually just has out-dated labels, or torn packages.

Answer 5

Yes. It will take planning meals and sticking with it, cooking bigger amounts to allow for 2 or 3 meals (freeze), choosing a few nights of simple/cheap meals of like: grill cheese & soup.
After planning the meals, then put together a list of groceries to buy at a discount store using coupons when you can.

Answer 6

Look on the brite side. You can spend .75 cents per person per meal 3 times a day. Thats about $6.75 a day you can spend on food. You can live off sandwiches for much less than $6.75 a day.

Answer 7

Sure you can. Plan you expenses carefully. The 200 dollars is to spent forward till end of the coming month in cash. You can do it. You can if you think you can. Off course you can.

Answer 8

stay away from most prepackaged foods. buy sale items. stock up on things when you can. buy meats in super-saver sizes & wrap & freeze, use sparingly. eat a lot of beans, veggies, produce.

it's certainly possible. many things you may need to make from scratch. find inexpensive recipes. always use leftovers. waste nothing.

the most expensive items are often unnecesary (sweets, sodas, processed snacks.) meat is also expensive. buy lesser expensive ones, use smaller portions, eat it less frequently.

Answer 9

I assume this is you and your two children.

It certainly sounds tough to do, especially as food prices are going up because the government wants to divert corn away from food and into making ethanol. [Wholesale price of corn has doubled in last two years -- corn is/was basic to nearly all animal feeds so meat, chicken, and fish are all going up -- plus corn was source of about 1/2 our sweeteners so lots of other things from soda through baking mixes and sauces are also going up.]

It sounds to me like you need to reduce your other spending. Can you move to somewhere cheaper? get a better job?

GL, i'm afraid you need it.

Answer 10

Well it is realistic,but you would have to change what u buy and where you buy it. You would have to stop buying name brands. (Like things you see on commercials) And start buying them at whole foods or Wal-mart. You would also have to look for as many discounts as you can.

Answer 11

Super Wal-Mart, or Winco..... Costco but be modest on what you eat and spend and you should stay right at 300.