Comments on: Weekly Roundup: Weekend Reading Edition

By: Ron@TheWisdomJournal

Ron@TheWisdomJournal — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:11:19 +0000

We easily break through $700 per month for my family of five. Two teenagers can eat you out of house and home…and I have a son that is coming on strong. We buy no junk and virtually nothing pre-made. They just eat A LOT. Sheesh.

Thanks for the mention.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:01:54 +0000

Food certainly is expensive, and prices are continuing to rise. I can see a family of 4 spending almost $800 per month, particularly if they purchase a lot of premium ingredients, junk food, or pre-made meals. In Trent’s case, he values high quality food and ingredients and I would venture that he is willing to spend a little extra to enjoy good food. Families can certainly get by on less than that per month by buying in bulk, buying inexpensive staples, avoiding expensive sugary snacks, and not wasting food.

Thanks for the mention.

By: Jeff@MySuperChargedLife

Jeff@MySuperChargedLife — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:39:07 +0000

Great round-up! I think a Frugal Dad Carnival is a fantastic idea. Thanks for including my article about why I think having children is so great!

By: David

David — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:41:53 +0000

Thanks for the mention FD, I really appreciate it. Hopefully as more people turn to freelancing, the mortgage market will adjust! As for TSD’s food budget, we spend $500 on just the two of us!

By: Elliott - 21st Century Dad

Elliott - 21st Century Dad — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:14:16 +0000

Thanks for the mention. People think saving time means spending more money, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Trent’s article on his monthly food budget is a real eye opener!

This week’s link roundup will keep me busy for hours. Thanks again, FD.

By: Kate@Living the Frugal Life

Kate@Living the Frugal Life — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:33:09 +0000

I too was stunned at Trent’s reported food budget for the month, especially considering that he gardens and bakes bread, as I do. I’ve been running an experiment over the last few months to trim my grocery budget (food only, nothing else) back to the bone. The challenge was to spend $50 or less per month for our family of two. I never quite made it, but I came pretty close several months. We also have laying hens, and we’ve been eating out of our extensive pantry and well-stocked chest freezer during that time. So maybe it’s not as radical as it sounds.

I think we could have done it with a little more discipline and careful planning. In any case, it was interesting to watch how aiming for such a low figure changed our shopping habits. I can say that it didn’t lower the quality of the food we ate *at all*.