Good idea Deb!

 I prepare meals for five. The kids are 16, 12 and 3. My expense amount is $310.

 We are still using some pantry items- I picked up my property tax refund form today, that comes in October, is good for Christmas shopping and this year will use some of it to restock the pantry for winter-

So we are buying for me, dh, Tasha, age 19, True, age 12, Ivy, age 10, Violet, age 8, Promise, age 5, Cherish, age 2, and Capri is 6 months tomorrow, still just nurses. 

Some things we will be buying- snacks for when we start football practice, ice cream out, produce from the farmers market, a case of apples for freezing if it's a good price, some sugar for making jelly or jam if peaches are low priced, or if we get plums from a former co-worker.  I want to go out to breakfast one Saturday this month. Ivy goes camping with Girl Scouts three days, I think she's bring some veggie burgers and a few other items.  She'll need bug spray and sun screen.  We have a friend potluck.  Diapers will be out soon- still buying for two.  Also cat food, litter, dog food, and crickets for our dog, two cats, and two toads.  Our fish have food.

We get WIC for me, Cherish and Capri, about $100 worth of milk, cereal, juice, cheeses, and peanut butter.  Also Promise gets a MAC box of juice, evaporated milk, dry milk, canned fruit and veg worth about $40.  This summer we also are using a food program that gives us some lunch and breakfast items for the four school agers every week as they are on free/reduced lunch. We are vegetarian, which makes it cheaper.

With the food help, I'm hoping to spend $350 for food and household.  I'm trying to use less and also use up the pantry some to refresh my supplies for winter.  In August I'll budget some to help stock Tasha's dorm a little, she buys the 14 meal a week plan, and tries to bring groceries for her other meal a day and snacks.  She also brings pans and kitchen items, and bakes some in the dorm kitchen.  She stocks up on the soy milk, which is shelf stable.  This year we'll need to buy a fridge-has anyone bought a dorm fridge?  I'm thinking of Sam's Club if I go with my sister who is a member, or maybe Best Buy or Home Depot.  She's had very little "new" college items, and I figure it'll be in use for many years-if she'll pass it on down!

So, 9 people, $350, plan on using cash maybe for a change.

Tracy 

My July goal is $500, for me, dh son 18, son 13 and a 15 lb. shih tzu.  I didn't do very well in June,had some stocking up to do from cooking from the pantry 2 weeks and had a large stock up on h&b items (first one since Jan.)

I want to join in on the fun. Now that I have my dd's school planned out, I am hoping to join more in all discussions.  For July I want to keep my house budget at $600.00. That is food, cleaning products, personnal items, paper goods, and pet supplies. There are four of us, (hubby, son-19, daughter-13, and myself) plus a cat and kitten that has shown up in our back yard. I tried to catch them, but they will not let me near them. The break down is as follows:

       Main grocery trip (once every 3 weeks as the commissary is about a 45 min. drive):  300.00

      Bread Thrift Store ( We found it today) : 40.00   (My ds could live on bread alone)

      Local stores for perishables between trips to commissary: 100.00

      Savings for the extra trip to the commissary since we go every 3 weeks: 100.00

       Milk: 20.00

      Extras: 40.00

In a normal month we spend around $500-700.  Between myself, husband, son, daughter & son-in-law, new baby and several guest.  It is not unusual to have anywhere from 2-15 for lunch or dinner.  We also have to buy drinks for my husband and his crew, on a daily basis.  We don't have to do this, but my husband usually does anyway.  This usually adds about $35.00 every other week to our budget.  We also have 5 dogs.  We live at the end of a country road and they get dropped off all the time.  My mother-in-law has lived with us for 16 years and his uncle for eight.  His father lived with us until he passed three years ago.  My daughter's family does not live with us, but they are over almost every day.  My friends call our home, The Mercy House.  Our home was mostly destroyed in a storm a few years ago.  We got it repaired but then mold set in, which is not covered in our insurance.  Now we live in a second home, but are paying for 2.  We have to cut out somewhere, and this seems like an easy place to start.  I learned early how to cook cheap, yet tasty meals.  My husband says this is not why he married me, but try skipping a few homemade meals and he tells a different story.

What kind of job does your husband & his job crew do?

You are doing wonders, sticking to such a low budget for so many hungry mouths!

He's part owners of a construction company.  We own the smaller percentage which means we make the least amount of money.  We grill a lot of chicken legs, burgers, and sausage.  We cook a lot from scratch and we eat a lot of casseroles.  Beans, cornbread, rice, potatoes and carrots are usually cheap.  I use boxed mixes for cakes and brownies when they are on sale.  I can make them, but with homeschooling, work, baby sitting on the side and helping my daughter with my 3wk old grand child, I stay pretty busy.  I love serving hungry people, and seeing them enjoy their meal.  My mother-in-law and her brother live in a house on our property, so I don't feed them all the time.  It's good that my mom taught me to cook early.  I love cooking, it's the clean-up I dislike.  It's also the part of the meal where everyone seems to disappear.  lol   I usually buy ice, but since I decided to try this challenge I cleaned out my freezer and put the ice trays in. 

LOL, maybe the construction crew could give yoru DH a Christmas gift of -- a dishwasher that cleans pots & pans, too!

You said that you feed between 2 & 15 at any given meal.  Perhaps you could estimate how many people you cook for on a given day?  It would make it easier for me to keep track of your aclompisment (or however you spell that!!).

Your life sounds challenging, but the new grandchild & your enjoyment of cooking & hospitality sound very rewarding.

I started shopping for July today- we have a baptism BBQ tomorrow, I said I'd bring drinks, a dessert, and chips.

Spent $70 on milk, cheese, party food-4 bags 2 for one chips, dog food, eggs, 2 boxes band-aids, salad dressing- 2 for one plus coupon, a play ball, ice cream sandwiches,  a 4 pack of Blue Hawaiian wine coolers, dinner tonight- veggie corn dogs, bananas, etc.  Tomorrow will only need one meal and one heavy snack before bed at home.  I saved close to $17 on specials and coupons.

$350-$70=$280 left.

Tracy 

Dear Tracy, You have more than $280 left!  You have spent money on a play ball b& 2 boxes of bandages.  Neitehr is food.  Personally, I wouldn't count the alcoholic beverages or certainly not the dog food ezither, but that's up to you.  All the rest IS food, but I DO think that you should recalculate!