Shopping at its Best

So how do YOU shop? Heidi has been off to Whole Foods and doing well staying within budget (mostly, I think). Personally, out in the boonies of New Jersey (yes there are boonies here), I have few choices for grocery stores. There are no Trader Joe's OR Whole Foods in my area. The closest are in Princeton which is about 45 minutes. I do know of one mom who travels every Thursday to fill her family of good, healthful nutritious foods. Personally, we don't believe in EVERYTHING organic. In fact, little of what we buy is (only if its on sale). With a husband who has a Master's in Nutrition and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology I try to follow his lead when he notes what we should and should not eat organic...and his opinion is that though chemicals are used to protect from insects, those chemicals can also protect us from food borne illness and disease. So he's a huge proponent of actually WASHING, not shining or rinsing your fruits and veggies...and doing it twice even if it says you bag of Spinach is already "prewashed".

So since we've moved to teh great Garden State ( I actually reside where the REAL gardens are), we have had the challenge of getting to the grocery store. With three girls, who are homeschooled, and a husband who works full time, I usually trek out on my own accompanied by 3 helpers. I can't tell you the number of times I hear "wow, are they all yours". Um, its three people, in Michigan this is a minimum requirement (LOL).

Anyway, since our only option in town is a disgusting store known as the "DIRTY SHOP RITE", I often venture to a nearby town 10 miles down the road OR over the border to Pennsylvania 16 miles to my dear old Wegmans. Since its a TREK, it takes an afternoon, and since it takes an afternoon, we typically do it TWICE a month. I feed the family on a total of $500.00 in groceries or less. So, how do I do it? I have learned I HAVE to. I purchase fresh fruits and veggies for the first week and yes, those horrid canned veggies and fruits for the second. Typically oranges, apples, carrots, celery and cucumbers will make it an additional week. I also don't flinch at buying a bit underripe as it allows me to provide fresh fruits and veggies for both weeks before returning to my shop of choice.

Keeping it under $500.00 for a month for five people typically means that I am spending $125.00 per person per month including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. IF I have to make a meal for a friend or neighbor, I sometimes go over. Recently we've added meat into our diet as the children seem to love it, and though I still mostly do fish, fruit, veg and pasta, I have been able to add one large meat product per two week cycle. I also use coupons and circulars to plan my trips. Couponmom.com has some great coupons that allow me to stay within my budget as well.

So, I was wondering, doing YOUR best, how do you do it? What do you spend and how do you save????