Sweetheart, I didn't answer your post because I don't have kids. It's just hubby and me. But if you want a response from anyone, okay here goes.
Hubby and I spend a whopping $138/week on groceries. I kept all my receipts for 3 months and averaged them all out, and it came to exactly $138 for each month. That sounds like a lot, I know. BUT WAIT! That amount is for EVERYTHING, including staples, drugs, potty wipes, Equalactin, eye drops, vitamins, booze, even bottled drinking water -- everything! AND, we never go out to eat. So that amount feeds us every single meal for an entire week.
Since hubby and I are on fixed incomes (we're both retired), we try to save wherever we can. I buy all Safeway brand items whenever I can, and it does save a lot of money. Take, for example, Pepcid AC. It's very expensive. However, Safeway's brand has the exact same active ingredients and costs dollars less.
I also clip coupons, but only for those items I would normally buy anyway. Then, before I use those coupons, I compare Safeway's brand against those items, and if Safeway's cheaper (and it always is), I toss the coupons.
The only item I splurge on -- and it's exorbitant, I admit it -- is my beloved Veggie Stix. I have to order them online, and I spend a lot of money on them. Last month it was $48! Ouch. I'm trying to cut down on them, because I feel terribly guilty. On the other hand, if this is my only vice, it ain't much! After all, I've cut out my beloved Jack to a point where I can honestly say I don't remember the last drink I had, and even then I recall giving half of it to hubby.
Okay, I'm rambling. Let me just say this one last comment: if you have a family, it makes sense to shop at Costco, because there you can buy huge quantities of stables, items you need like toilet paper, buy in bulk at Costco. You can save big bucks. My girlfriend used to shop there -- she has two kids -- and she was the most frugal person I know.
Hope this helps.
Bev
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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