A big thank you to Andrea from facebook for sharing a link to this story about one of America’s first extreme couponers:
Ann Cox Williams was the mother of a family of 4 in the 1940’s. She was married to a school teacher, so penny-pinching was an absolute necessity. She fed her family on $12.60 a week by scanning sales at multiple stores {and then doing the footwork at each store}, meticulous menu planning {she even planned meatless lunches to save}, and of course, clipping coupons. {Be still my beating heart, I think I have found my soulmate. Ha.}
Her grocery budget was so impressive, it actually landed her an article in Life magazine in 1947. Most of the response to the article was very positive, but she did have a few negative letters from housewives who were now being pressured by their husbands to adhere to such strict budgets. Ha! {Ann died in 2011, or I totally would’ve have wanted to invite her for a cup of tea and advice.}
After reading the article, I wondered, what would $12.60 a week be equivalent to now with inflation? I went to dollartimes.com and punched in the numbers. I was shocked–because it is totally doable! $12.60 a week in 1947 would have the same buying power as $134.56. I could eat like a king for $134.56 a week. The thing is, I still think most people spend way more than that on their weekly groceries. Of course, there is also the other extreme {which I know about first hand}. Because of the new boxed convenience foods {which weren’t available in the 1940’s} and coupons, you can get “food” for next to nothing {other than quite a bit of time and effort, of course}. But it isn’t always the healthiest choice.
So what is the happy medium? What do you think is a penny-pinching monthly budget for a family of 4 for real whole food in 2013?
~Mavis
Andrea says
Be still my coupon lovin’ heart!
I’d say on average, I spend about $75 a week for a family of 4. We eat lots of whole foods, fruits, veggies, etc. I stocked up this week on smoked sausage, polish sausage, and boneless skinless chicken breast – we got our veggies and grapes from Aldi and the grocery store I shop at. Usually, I maximize overage at the grocery store for some veggies, etc that are on sale, and fill in gaps at Aldi, or our local chain Gas station, Kwik Trip (they have eggs for 75 cents right now, bananas, apples, taters, and onions for .39 a pound.) We eat fish weekly, and meat around 3-4 times a week. We really have a varied diet because I’m so religious about stocking up when something is on sale (for example, the sausages, chicken, etc. I also scored on rice last week – they were BOGO, price for one box was 1.25, and I had .35 off peelie coupons that doubled. SCORE!).
Adrienne says
We budget $150 for two weeks of groceries for 6 people (3 of which are 5 and under). It’s pretty tight, but we’re able to get plain foods (think pasta, flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, veggies, and meats). Some weeks are better than others so I don’t have to go far over that figure, and I don’t often buy organic. I like to visit a local produce stand and we recently got a deep freezer so we could buy 80 pounds of meat from a meat market at about $2.50 a pound. (That includes steaks, hamburger, roasts, and bacon) I’ve put in a garden, but haven’t gotten much more than spinach and chard out of it so far. My blueberries are coming in nicely though and we’re looking forward to cobbler and pancakes 🙂
crlzmmr says
We don’t eat vegetables, mostly starches/”filler foods” and turkey,
( but occasionally some berries and grapes )
$80 – $100 / month is do-able.
crlzmmr says
for a family of two.
( not four )
Christine says
Mavis – did you notice that upper left photo of Ann looking at the newspapers looks a lot like your photo where you are on the floor in front of the coupon inserts? You are soulmates with this lady for sure!
Rose says
We are a family of three and spend about 170 a a week I know I probably spend too much but I love organic fruits and vegetables which costs more. Trying to grow tomatoes, lettuces and herbs!
Stacey says
Rose, you don’t need to feel guilty about spending more for organic fruits and vegetables if you can afford them. I would go all organic if I could, but we don’t even have much available here in the desert.
Lisa says
I’ve been unemployed for 4 years. We do not qualify for any assistance. Our food budget is $30 or less a week. We are a family of 4. You can’t get a whole lot of whole foods for this many people for $30 so we resort to boxed “food like products.” We do get potatoes, onions, carrots and lettuce fresh. All other veggies are frozen.
The Prudent Homemaker says
Lisa, have you tried buying beans, rice, and flour in bulk? Are you making your own bread?
Stacey says
Frozen veggies are great, possibly even having more nutrition in them than fresh because they are usually frozen so soon after picking, from what I’ve read.
Cindi Myers says
One thing I noticed from the article was that there wasn’t much in the way of fresh veggies and fruit — lots of canned goods. We eat a ton of fresh veggies and dairy — yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, etc. I’ll admit that my focus is not on eating as cheaply as possible — but by shoping sales, couponing, menu planning, stocking up and a little gardening, we spend about $375 a month — that includes pet food and cleaning supplies. For two adults and two dogs. We eat a lot of organic products in that mix.
IC says
I would assume their fresh food was all self provided at that time.
Kathy in Chicago says
I’m totally embarrassed to say this. The food for our family of 4 (including dining out) is over $1200/month. Dining out is a killer. Last night 3 of us went out for burgers & it was $40. I would like to blame our jobs, kids whining for stuff, etc, but in truth, I’m a bad shopper. Since I’m also 50 lbs overweight, I’m also a bad eater.
I’m trying to get our grocery bill to under $100 a week. It’s slowly working, but getting other people on board is hard. The main issues: ice cream, seltzer water, beer, & food that ends up growing mold because it’s not found in the fridge due to a lack of organization in the fridge. Son knows if he doesn’t like what’s for dinner, hubby will pick up fast food for him. Daughter is vegan & likes microwave meals for when she’s hungry.
We just need to work together at this goal of reducing our debt. I appreciate all you write about in your blog. I’m slowly learning how to adjust my food bill.
Sakura says
Kathy,
You can do it, it just takes time to figure out where you are and where you want to go. We used to spend $800+ a month on groceries and eating out was on top of that. I’ve peared it down to $350 on groceries/HBA and I don’t have an eating out budget, it’s part of my entertainment budget so as long as I stick to it I’m ok. I have a suggestion that I just started doing a couple of months ago for the fridge. I hated finding yucky food at the far ends of my fridge so each week I take stock and I post a list on my fridge of what fresh foods I have to use that week. As they are used I cross them off. I’ve also done the unthinkable, I’ve removed one of my veggie drawers and I use containers in it’s place. I prep veggies/fruit at the beginning of each week and portion them out for snacks or lunches. This has saved me a whole lot of time and I’d like to think money. One thing I do is grow and preserve food for the winter months. This also helps to cut down on some of the veggies/fruit that you might buy during the winter.
Seems like you’ve identified your weak spots, now just take some action. Getting the whole family on board can be tough, I think it’s the biggest hurdle as the kids get older. Don’t give up, you can do it!! 🙂
Kathy in Chicago says
Sakura,
Thank you for your advice & support! I’ll have to try prepping in the beginning of the week. & I never thought of removing one of the drawers! Great ideas!
Pam says
The top shelf of our fridge is like the black hole – things get stuffed at the back and forgotten for a year or two. I bought 4 narrow plastic trays so they could be pulled out to get something at the back instead of rearranging every single thing to get at it. Much easier to access. The items that go in here are things like our endless varieties of mustards, jams, HP sauce and Worcestershire sauce, the little jar of olives, stuff like that.
The trays I bought are 15″ x 6″ x 2″, made by Rubbermaid.
The Prudent Homemaker says
Mavis,
I think you should pose your next shopping trip like in the photo above 🙂 Make sure to spread out your dress on the carpet 🙂
Lisa (not the same one as earlier!) says
Try as I might I can’t get our costs under 500 or 600 a month. Which isn’t really a lot more than the adjusted 2013 price. There are 3 of us, but all are adult (youngest will be 18 in a couple of months), so no small children who eat less! A lot of the time magazine articles feature families with 3 and 5 year olds. They are cheap to feed! I can’t get free produce (my stores don’t do it).
Our costs include our pets though, which are 3 large dogs and 2 cats, one a kitten who eats like a big dog. I don’t count the rodent food, since it isn’t from the grocery store.
We have a smaller refrigerator (any larger and you couldn’t reach the light switch!), and no garage, so no way to have a freezer. The former owners had one, but they kept in on the patio where it isn’t completely dry, so not safe. I canned apples last fall, and they are almost gone, but I had to buy the apples, so there went much savings. Buying a jar of apple sauce every few weeks is cheaper than buying apples (even at the orchard for cheap) and canning supplies.
Evonne says
$134 a week is TOTALLY doable – that’s what I feed my family (2 adults and 1 kid). We get a lot of produce and my husband is a TOTAL carnivore. I shop the deals and stock up and hit Winco, Cash and Carry, and Costco for bulk items. For meat (chicken, hamburger, Bacon) you can’t BEAT Zaycon Foods. What we are cutting out of the our diet/budget is the processed/pre-made food, well, except for the pepper potato chips that my son is addicted to. That helps with the food budget too.
Kathy Petersen says
Mavis ~ I Love your site and I am envious of your gardening skills. ( I live in Ga. But grew up in Md. Whole different idea of gardening here. Heat is a major factor and the BUGS. It is an uphill battle to keep houseplants outdoors for me )
However my skills are in the coupon realm surpass many.
I have taught couponing classes & Taught more ladies than I can count to coupon. A few years back when Hubby was unemployed we lived mostly off my stockpile. We almost lost our foodstamps- Because I was could not use them all. I explained I use coupons with foodstamps. They explained if I do not use all my food stamps I could loose them. So I stockpiled, stockpiled, stockpiled.
I do not have kids but I do feed 4 cats a crazy dog… strays…and snag pet food for the neighbors animals. I never go over $200 per month in Groceries. This includes everything from Toilet paper to cat food/ litter/ meat… veggies… etc.
I also do freelance artwork and barter my skills. Offer to paint signs for local farmers in exchange for food… etc. I believe we all have skills we can trade and barter with. When I was up north I helped a farmer clean stalls in exchange for food- I lived in an apt. Where there is a will there is a way. We just need to dig in our heels and be determined to find our own path.
I’d be Happy to share any info I have with you.
Kathy
IC says
It really makes a difference where you live. Food prices vary tremendously by region.
We spend a few hundred dollars a week on food for seven of us. I buy bulk, mostly from the farm and cook from scratch. I buy a lot of organic fruit in season directly from the farm and make jam, dehydrate or freeze. We buy whole pigs and half cows and make a lot of soup with the bones in the cold weather. I don’t use a lot of white flour and cook beans and rice in broth. I don’t have picky eaters which makes it a lot easier, too.
Appetites make a difference as well, my six year old eats almost as much as my teen.
Beth says
My kids are little (the oldest is 4) so we probably don’t need to buy as much food as most people. To feed my family of five, I get a produce basket from a co-op every week, and that is around $16.50 – there are a ton of fruits and veggies in there. And then for everything else (milk, bread, cheese, etc) is $30-$50 per week at the grocery store. Once a month we go to Sam’s Club and get some things in bulk, usually spending about $50-$60 at a time. We’ve also started buying meat in bulk from Zaycon, and that’s $100 on average every couple of months. It usually lasts us quite a while.
Kathryn says
We moved this summer to TX, so no garden right now. I am so lucky to be in an area where we can get Bountiful Baskets weekly–$15 for a laundry basket of veggies and fruit. I get add-ons from their site as well, this week I will be picking up a case of nectarines and a case of mangoes to can. I usually get meat at Albertson’s, ours marks down on Saturday morning. I get milk weekly at Sam’s Club, and make monthly stockup trip for specific items. The rest comes from Walmart or HEB. I try not to spend more than $100 per week for a family of 4. I’m hoping to get that down a little once I get my stockpile back up to pre-unemployment and pre-move levels. We ate nearly everything that we had and were beyond thankful that God provided.
I am missing Aldi and Trader Joe’s—I had my grocery routine down when we lived in SC, and usually did not spend more than $300 a month. Plus we gardened and canned the bounty for the rest of the year. But on the positive side, milk and meat are cheaper here.
I coupon a little, but only for specific items. I used to be more extreme, but found that the food was not too healthy and we had more trash because of all the packaging. Ideally, we would eat mostly a whole foods diet. I make a lot of items from scratch–cookies, granola bars, chocolate syrup, cream soups (when called for in a recipe).
Jamie says
Nice post! How did someone dig up this article?!? We are a family of 6 and average about $200 per week on groceries. We don’t buy processed food and we are also gluten free. We have an extra line item in our budget for almond flour that we buy in bulk about every 3-4 months that is above and beyond the $200 per week. We also have a different and separate budget for dining out (about 2-3 times per month). I know that $134.00 would be do-able for a family of 4, non-gluten free but we have made the decision to spend a bit more on groceries that include organic produce. We have had great health improvements doing so, so the extra money is worth it!
D'Anna says
My stockpile of dry goods, freezer full of protein and dairy products is such that I think on a heavy week I spend $60 for 4 adults (my 20 & 22 year old sons still live at home). I have certain price points that I’m willing to pay and if it doesn’t hit that price then it doesn’t get in the cart. There are times my dog’s food budget exceeds ours.
Scoobs says
We spend $100 or less a week for a whole food plant based diet for a family of 4.
Christina says
$134/week does seem like a pretty generous food budget, but you can’t just look at that alone, this article was written pre-farm bill, so a gallon of milk at 1947 prices converted to 2013 prices would cost $8.54.
Kristine says
My husband is in grad school so we do everything on a budget. For the 2 of us we spend $240 / month on food. We usually spend $50/ week and then once a month go to Sams club for ground turkey and chicken. Winco and coupons make that possible for us. I know it would be more for a larger family, but of the time the meals I make would feed more. We would just have to do something different for lunch if there were no leftovers.
Traci says
Love seeing this. A family of 4 with 2 bottomless teenagers. We spend about 300-350 month. We hunt and fish so we eat meat and salmon on a weekly basis, only buy chicken at the store. We can and freeze tons of fruits and veges. We do buy organic dairy products and certain veges. I think that is where most my budget goes. Oh, and ice-cream and good coffee.
jfred says
We’re a family of four, kids are ages 6&8, and all of us are hearty eaters! I no longer coupon shop, but I buy around the edges of the grocery store, can food, grow food, and buy in bulk and on sale. I have before, and am right now, keeping our grocery budget at $300-350/month, and we have $100/month to eat out on. About 3 years ago, we spent over $800/month, had bare shelves at the end of the month, and we ate out at least 3x’s/week. (now, it’s 3x’s/month!). Our grocery budget was creeping into the $400-450 range for the past 6-8 months, but this month we went back down. This is with eating 3 meals a day, eating meat regularly, eating fresh fruits and veggies, and the kids eating 2 snacks/day. (they are just soooo huuuungry, lol! They inherited my low blood sugar.).
Snacks are fruit, nuts, baked goods, craisins (bj’s sells 3 lb bags for like $7.50!), crackers w peanut butter, cheese tortillas, peanut butter on a spoon, popcorn, etc. I sometimes buy snack cracker packages at the store, but not all the time.
I don’t buy breakfast cereal at all. It doesn’t keep my kids’ (or my own) tummies full for long enough! we do vanilla yogurt, bagels, eng muffins, eggs (we have our own flock), oatmeal, french toast, pancakes, sausage gravy biscuits, fruit, peanut butter toast, etc.
Lunch is leftovers or sandwiches. Pretty much the kids are in charge of making their oen. Sometimes I will make soup or a pasta salad w veggies. Dinner is frok scratch and yummy. Dh packs leftovers to take to work the next day. I try to plan enough for plenty of leftovers.
Veronica says
If you read the mag. article that budget doesn’t include milk. WIC is our saving grace some weeks. Our family of 10 (5 adults, 5 kids) eats alot. We grow what we can, have chickens, and shop sales w/coupons when ever we can. We rarely eat out, when we do its usually just a few dollar burgers w/ sides made at home. I’m planning to get chicken from Zaycon soon.
Heather says
There are all kinds of tricks.
I stockpile and coupon shop for ingredients, beans pasta, canned fruits, some snacks but we have moved away from box meals as staples. I have a few for a quick night dinner.
I participate at our local fruit and veggie coop. I help run the site so every other week I get free produce plus the “compost”. Some weeks I clean house just with the compost… it is amazing what people consider not good to eat. I buy fruits and veggies by the case and split with friends/family or freeze/can for future use.
I utilize Zaycon food for meat s and split with friends/family as needed.
FOr my family of 4 – 2 adults although my 8 year old son eats more than I do and my 3 year old daughter we spend about $300 a month or so as long as I can keep my husband out of the meat section of costco… There’s a $35 pack of steaks he loves.
Some months are far cheaper than others. We also have a nice garden. WE tend to eat fresh homemade meals and pack our lunches for work. IT drives me crazy when the girls at work eat out everyday at $10 a pop.
Brenda S says
Hi,
Our budget is set to a max of $75 a week for groceries or $300 a month for a family of 6. mostly teenagers although the oldest just turned 20. He’s still at home and chips in his portion of the food bill. It’s $15 per person per week.
Also, everyone has varied dietary needs like couple of us are allergic to chickens and even eggs so that’s out. Have one who is on dairy free diet and low wheat consumption. Another allergic to Honey, I’m allergic to fruits & veggies that are used all the time like carrots, tomatoes, oranges, almonds, pineapples, and anything they might be in. Have couple allergic to bananas and fish. So with the all the dietary restrictions we do make it work means that we have to get some higher cost speciality foods and organics when possible. I do attempt to plant small garden and even with my allergies, although this year had to replant 3 times due to weather. Things like peppers, tomatos, cucumbers, broccoli plus a few more. I buy in bulk and in season. right now peaches are $15 a lug. that’s 60 peaches for $15 (25 cents each) or you can pay $1+/pound on the stand. Meats I buy direct from producer or local meat locker. I don’t buy the prepackage junk of empty calories.
We ALL drink lots of water, so no money is spent on sodas, kool-aids, sugary drinks, adult beverages, ect. Occasionally, will make tea or coffee.
We do make a lot of our foods from scratch. I can make whole grain bread for about 75 cents a loaf.
We shop smart, we hardly use coupons, because I can find better deals than what coupons offer with better quality foods. May use coupon for things like toilet paper although that i can get at local store for $5 for the months supply without coupon.
Thanks everyone for sharing. 🙂
CathyB says
I think it really depends on where you live. Up until a few years ago we lived in a very agricultural area and were able to grow a big garden, plus get great deals on all sorts of fruits and veges when they were in season. We also had a lot of competing grocery stores with pretty good sales. These in combination with coupons allowed our family of 4 (2 teens) to survive with a budget of $300 per month. This included food, cleaning supplies, paper products, and pets. But we moved two years ago to a new area and there is absolutely no way we could do that now. Here there is very limited growing season, fewer grocery stores, fewer coupons in the paper, etc. I also think that you just can’t get the same deals that you used to be able to with couponing. So our grocery budget has increased quite a bit – I am not even sure how much! My goal this fall is to sit down and figure out a realistic budget again with the new parameters.