How much do you spend on groceries for the family and for the daycare ?

[Sunflower]

I would love to hear from you all... I have a feeling I could be cutting our grocery bill down quite a bit:o we are a family of 4 and our groceries cost about 1000 a month.This includes the daycare groceries. Is this normal ?

[Emilys4Guppies]

We are a family of 6. I budget $800/month for groceries for home and daycare and always fall under that number. Sometimes not by much, but always. We do have a large pantry and chest freezer though...because of that I am able to stock up on sales so that I can save down the road.

[Mommy-Jenn]

I budget $600.00 per month for family and daycare. This feeds my family of 3 and 5 daycare kids. I make lots of homeade soups, stews, and chili's. We are also hunters and have a chest freezer of deer meat which I use as my ground beef well its deer and any steaks we wants. It saves us tons of money, but I think making homeade also saves $$$.

[daycaremom]

I'm the same as you Sunflower. I have a family of 4 and 5 daycare kids a week. My grocery bill including daycare food averages about $1000 per month.

[fruitloop]

I spend about $1000/month on groceries here too for a family of 4 and 5 dckids. I serve organics and whole grain foods to my daycare kids and family though so that is where a lot of my costs go but I would rather serve healthy whole foods than garbage foods to my dckids and family.

[giraffe]

We are usually around $1000 per month for family and daycare.

[Tot-Time]

I run about $1000 a month for groceries for a family of 4 (youngest is 13) and 5 daycare kids.

I serve homemade foods as much as possible, definitely whole grain and healthier choices. The average dc meal consists of an appetizer of soup or salad, main course of grains, veggies, and meat, and a fruit for dessert. (Only on ocassion will my dc kids or my own be served hot dogs, KD, or chicken nugget type foods).

[Sunflower]

thanks for all for your input. I guess I am not as bad as I thought ! lol

[Stircrazy]

Were a family of six as well and it ranges from $800-$1000

[giraffe]

I am usually just over $1000 per month. Its nice to know that I'm not the only one.

[BCParent]

Oh wow, and here I was ready to cry at the $1000 a month...lol. This is what nearly everyone pays?! So I'm not doing it 'wrong'. ;)

[Tot-Time]

When I moved here to Ottawa, I almost cried over our grocery bill, it sky rocketed from our previous home.

Besides the difference in price of groceries from area to area, I think how much groceries cost also depend on the type of food you serve. I have a friend who has a family of 7 and has 7 kids in her daycare (2 are over 10) and she runs about $1000 in groceries too. I will also willingly admit she is more frugal than I am and I could take some lessons. lol.

[lilac]

Hmm, I was wondering as I was doing my groceries the other day if I was over spending. I spend about I guess about 700-900/month . Although I do feel that by the weekend there is not much left for us to eat, we are scrounging.... I have a family of 4 and 5 dcks.

[Play and Learn]

Just hubby and I in the household currently, with two dckids. We spend approx $400-500/month. We save by going over to the US every second Friday for groceries, especially for dairy and chicken.

Dairy is cheap compared to over at home in ON. We can buy shredded cheese for $4.49/bag, whereas in Kemptville/Ottawa it costs on SALE $5.50 (reg price $7-8). It's crazy. Eggs for an 18 pack is $1.99. There was one sale that was buy one 12 pack of eggs, get the second free if you had your coupon! Thank god for online flyers!!!!

I go to Costco for toilet paper, paper towels, salsa, napkins, etc., and I go with my mom or sister because they have the membership! I scour flyers, and then make the list. I tend to only buy things on sale unless it's an item we absolutely need. Wish we had coupons like in the US though, could save more!!!!

[mlc1982]

Id love to have the coupons like in the US too! Im inspired by the new show "Extreme couponing."

[momof2cuties]

We are a family of 4 and I have 2 part-time daycare kids and we spend about $600 a month, sometimes less. My kids and husband have allergies so there are special items for them that cost a little more.

[Toregone]

I spend between 400 - 500 a month. Family of 3 with 4 dck's. I scour the flyers and find everything on sale at the various stores and then make a list. I go to Wal Mart to grocery shop and then have the price match anything that was on sale cheaper elsewhere. I also use coupons sometimes. I dont extreme coupon or anything (why stock up on crap that will expire before I use it?) but if there is a coupon for something I normally buy I will use a coupon for sure.

[Inspired by Reggio]

I spend on average about $150-175 a week for the DAYCARE alone and at least that on our personal groceries for my spouse and myself plus a teenager one night a week and every other weekend ~ my annual grocery receipts over the past 5 years have ranged between $17,000 and almost $19,000 a year and it just keeps rising with the cost of 'fresh produce' rising :roll:

However I have Celiac and serve a mostly gluten free menu for the daycare so that I am able to eat with them whenever possible as well as a full gluten free menu for my family.

[Lou]

We are a family of 4 and budget $200/week for groceries and personal care. This also includes diapers for my son, and anything like shampoo, soap, detergent, etc.

[Toregone]

Wow you guys must all live somewhere much more expensive that I do. I feed the kids all home cooked meals except for the occasional treat day so I don't know why I come in so cheap compared to others.

[Cocoon]

Two adults in the house and 3 dck. If I have to include everything like toilet rolls, soap and all the cleaning stuff. I think we are paying at least $140-150 a week. I spend more on grocery and cleaning stuff. I don't promise organic but I do buy them if there is not much difference between the non organic ones. I guess all those extra dollars adding up :) My husband and I eat decent, good quality food and I provide the same for my dck. One thing gets my nerve is supermarkets are changing the price every single week! For example, I buy melon for $3 andnext week if I want to buy the same melon it would cost me $4. I drink soda water and for a pack of soda(12 cans) I pay. $3.50 one week, $4.99 another week and woping $6 another week. I don't buy when they raise but stock up when they come down to $3.50. You have to be clever when you shop. They are out there to rob us :)

Looking at the amounts you guys spend I think I'm spending way to much on my grocery:(

[Inspired by Reggio]

I think it definitely depends on how you eat not just organic verses regular brand but what options you serve at meal times and in what quantities not to mention how much your crew eats or if you 'limit' servings and so forth?

I know when I was in centre care they would serve cheese whiz or cream cheese and count that as main meal protein ~ which it technically it does contain 'protein' ~ but IMO just not the same 'gram for gram' nutritionally nor is it the same for 'filling up a belly' to promote sleep ;)

They would also chop up meat like chicken or turkey into soup or stew and while we were suppose to serve each child a minimum of 2 oz of meat each it was NEVER that much meat in the stew or soup and so forth so it was technically not meeting the 'criteria' for a serving of protein ... which is why they were able to budget less than $2/child/day for food cause they 'stretched' the rules for following the Canada's Food Guide so that the menu LOOKS good for clients and inspectors but what was rolling out for the kids was not 'exactly' the most nutrition option and often was not enough!

Same with serving a 'fruit' to children .... there are so many different costs associated with fruit .... in centre care we only ever saw apples, pears, bananas and orange 'as fresh' everything else was CANNED ... it was very rare to see a BERRIE or grapes, kiwi, melons and so forth :( And with that they also kept the 'serving side' to a minimum so you would get TWO apples to slice up feed 8 preschoolers because each child was allotted 1/4 of an apple as a serving .... did not matter if some children might be growth spurt coming and would have an appetite to eat a WHOLE apple if allowed they were than filled up with 'fillers' like arrowroot cookies or soda crackers if they were 'hungry'.

I spend a fortune of produce because I only serve fresh or flash frozen produce and I serve a fruit at every snack and meal all year long ~ so in the winter when fresh fruit is not seasonal in Ontario it is very expensive that pushes up the average budget. I do not limit how much fruit or veggies they eat .... so I typically have kids who eat two whole cantaloupe at a snack and if cantaloupe is currently $4 each that is $8 for just the fruit portion on me of ONE snack ... I serve two snacks and a main meal ;)

[Crayola kiddies]

Ok well then I am embarrassed to admit I spend about $350/week on groceries. I'm feeding my husband and my self, and 4 kids ages 16,8,5,3. Plus 5 dcks and a dog (boxer). Plus we have a large vegetable garden and I freeze away all my veges. And store potatoes, squash, carrots , and onions in my cold storage. So I rarely buy a vegetable other then mushrooms and the odd lettuce. ....... What am I doing wrong?

[Inspired by Reggio]

LOL - my guess it's that teenagers your feeding ;)

My stepson is a bottomless pit these days ...at like a bird for years!!!

Do you eat a lot of meat - that is what kills us budget wise!

[Crayola kiddies]

Yes Reggio ... I think my 16 yr old son is hoarding food, I am so thankful he got a job in a restaurant where he gets a free meal per shift ..... I am encouraging him to pick up extra shifts ! He will often say " can I go to ***** house? ... They are going to feed me" I'm like " yes can you stay over night too?!?!?!" He worked this afternoon and he's out at a friends tonight ....thank god ! We generally have meat each dinner but I do shop the sales.... For instance about a month ago sobeys has whole chickens on sale for $4.99 and I bought 10, 2 weeks ago ground beef was on sale and bought 3 club packs. So I try to only buy the meat that is reduced and I buy extra .... Same for toilet paper I only buy when on sale and I stock up so I never run out between sales ... I can NOT pay full price for something I am going to flush down the toilet.
We do consume 4dozen eggs, 12 liters of milk, and 3 loaves of bread, 2 sleeves of bagels, 1sleeve of English Muffins every week, and my kids are huge fruit eaters.

Is that too over the top?

[DCP_But_Momma_1st]

I range from 800-1000 for a family of 4 and 5 dck's.

[Starshine]

I spend under $300/month on groceries (me, my son, 3 daycare kids).

I price match which saves a lot, especially on fresh fruit/veggies. We also do not eat much meat--everytime I buy it I'm shocked at how much it is!

[daycarewhisperer]

I spend about five dollars per kid per day for the daycare with an organic menu. I do a TON of work to put food up during harvest time. I have two freezers that are full by October. Buy meat directly from the farmer.

[mommy22kids]

We do $1000 a month and here i thought i was doing to much.

[ilovetolive]

I am a family of three (i have two kids) plus 12 day home children . My monthly budget is $800/month for groceries, including my day home. However i mostly due before and after school care so I don't have to provide lunch every day for the kids.

[fruitloop]

I am a family of three (i have two kids) plus 12 day home children . My monthly budget is $800/month for groceries, including my day home. However i mostly due before and after school care so I don't have to provide lunch every day for the kids.

Wow, how do you feed so many kids/people on such a little amount? I have a family of 4 and anywhere between 4 - 6 dckids here and I easily spend over $1000/month. I couldn't even imagine feeding 12 on such a small budget.

[PPF123]

Our grocery bill is usually $700.00 a month. I use my slowcooker, meal plan, shop for deals, and whatever else I can to keep it as low as possible.

[Artsand crafts]

I spend about $300/ week (for a family of 3 and 3 dck). Everybody eats like there is not Tomorrow! I serve organic food only with lots of produce in our meals. Before I was doing organic I was spending a little more than half of it with about the same amount of people... Unfortunately I do not have an organic farm to get my food and have to go to a healthy super market. Instead of paying $8 for a regular chicken I pay around $24 for an organic one for example...

[Woodsy]

Does anyone do freezer cooking for thier daycare?
Also, anyone out there have a menu that repeats? Or do you go based on the childrens taste?

[bright sparks]

Does anyone do freezer cooking for thier daycare?
Also, anyone out there have a menu that repeats? Or do you go based on the childrens taste?

When I am at full capacity I freezer cook. It saves prepping every weekend and/or cooking daily. I also don't serve left overs as my husband usually takes any to work the next day. Here is what I typically do.

I have a 3 week cycle which includes 15 meals. My recipes make enough for 3 of each meal so I have 9 weeks worth of meals. I can cook them all in a day at a push but as I typically have busy weekends I will split the cooking time between the two days Sat & Sun.

While I will make adaptions to my menu plan if the group specifically is not into soups for example or something else like that, I do not make my menu based on the current fad or power trip the kids are on lol I am not a restaurant where they get what they want. I am the adult and it is up to me to determine what they should have and then it's up to them to choose whether or not to eat it. The repetitive menu means that they get a few exposures to the meal to encourage them to acquire a taste to a particular food group that they may not necessarily favour initially.

I believe that by catering to their taste it encourages picky eaters. Once they learn that there is no alternative then they are more likely to try what I give them. Which by the way is delicious, homemade organic meals. Unfortunately if they are having heavily processed foods elsewhere that are gmo or full of , msg, salt, artificial sugars and simulated flavours then it does make this whole process more difficult. The fussy eaters get a much smaller portion initially so there is less waste and if they want more then I load them up :-)

[Momof4]

I don't freezer cook, I buy my groceries weekly and use them up because I cook from fresh veggies and don't use much from a can or a box. My crockpot is my best friend. I don't have a set menu and I strive to give the children variety but once I learn their tastes I kind of serve the same things every week but in a different order. I haven't had any complaints yet, but I don't believe children get bored with food, I believe as long as you give them a good variety and they are hungry, they will be happy.

[Samantha33]

I've been looking at the last few years and what providers were spending. People have told me I spend a lot on groceries. Three adults at home and 5 daycare kids and I spend app. $235 per week. This includes t.p. detergent, shampoo, vitamins (my husband has to take many vitamins) etc. which is all bought on sale. I serve meat and vegetables at every meal and bananas, yougurt, muffins etc at morning snack and fresh fruit at aft. snack. Dog food is separate. Winter is coming and crock pot meals will be more common. Now off to look at some new recipes for the crock pot.

[Rachael]

Well, I think you all do fabulously.

6 day care children, 2 teenagers and myself, and I easily spend $250-$300 a WEEK at the grocery store. That does included household toiletries, cat food, cleaning products, etc.