How much actual special food?

[aklap]

bump for Momto4. While this does not answer the question about coupons, it does discuss grocery bills.
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[whisperr45]

In the begining I bought alot of gluten free food cuz I didn't know better. And I would cook it taste it cry and throw it away.
Now I have a pantry full of gluten free pasta and some pancake mix. And haven't touched them probally since December. Guess it's time to throw them out.
I do buy Gluento waffer cookies at least twice a week. Tried their ice cream cones not bad . Today I was going to buy the cones again cuz it's now summer. But didn't because the price doubled from $3.98-9.98 that is nuts.
I eat mostly watermealon and fruites, veggies and salads. And being that thats pretty much all I eat. Except for my 2cups of coffee and cases of water. It's expencive at least $100.00 plus a week.
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After fifty one years of suffering with blisters and gut pain. And now arthritis.
It only took that long to find out I have Celicac Diease. Go figure.
bon

[Purrsnikitty]

It's just DH and me, so even though he doesn't have to, he eats GF along with me and really likes the dishes I've made so far. He does still have an occasional beer or breakfast out with a buddy and just makes really sure to brush his teeth. I buy GF pasta (there's a brand called Ancient Harvest - corn/quinoa blend which is really good. We've also tried Tinkyada with good results) and GF cereals - I make a trip to Whole Foods about once a month for those. I bake bread and muffins etc. for us and the most versatile mix I've found so far is the Fearn's Brown Rice Mix. I buy it by the case, so it's not too outrageous. The only trick I have discovered with that is to add a teaspoon of xanthan gum - keeps the crumble factor way down. We never were much for cookies, so I haven't tried yet.

I am not sure really how much the monthly bill has gone up - it seems like a little, but that's way offset by eating out only very rarely - it's just too much trouble.

Except for those items, it's the regular grocery store; lots of label reading any time we think we want to try something new.
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"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

[cultureslayer]

My grocery bill has gone up some, but I am eating healthier and cooking to keep it down. For bread I mostly eat cornbread (easy to fix and doesn't require much special flour). I make cornmeal pancakes as well (love those). I eat more fruit, but I used to eat more than average anyway (I go through over a lb a day between apples, oranges, bananas, and whatever else I happen to bring home). I'm going to buy a rice cooker because now I'm eating brown rice as my main carb a lot (with bean dip, or stir fry, sushi, and it's a lot cheaper and easier than making GF bread). When I'm reunited with my yogurt maker I'll start with that again too.

When I do eat out it's usually Wendy's chili, potato, and water. $2
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Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

[SoIhaveAdisease]

Joining in this topic"


I do my shopping bi-weekly, and it averages out to about $120 a week. $20 of that is for sunday luinner. (Late lunch/early dinner after church). toss in supplies like detergent and cat litter.... but here's how I do it.

I make everything from scratch. I grind up my own rice flour from whole rice. I buy tapioca and potato starch at the asian store. THANK GOD, they're AFFORDABLE! (read: cheap!)
We do eat some canned veggies, but I comparison shop for cheap frozen veggies. We buy fresh veggies and fruits often. We eat very little meat in our house. Not because of cost (although everyone KNOWS how expensive meat can be), but for some reason, I've never had much meat on my plate, and neither has my husband!

I haven't been baking much lately, because it heats the house up too much in the summer and I faint easy in heat. LOL! I'm as cheap as they come by...by the way, I also do NOT buy paperplates, I will rather wash dishes than spend money, when I could spend that money on Mi-del oreos. LOL! I get GF cat food, but I think once they turn 1 year old I'm going to be making whatever I eat for dinner in cat sized portions. I do not think that my cats' nutrition needs are fully met by kibble. (but I'm off topic now so I'm signing off! )


Oh- another great budget strecher is buying off brand stuff like...syrup for pancakes. off brand baking soda to add to the clothes wash.... cat litter is and always will be the $2 bag of walmart litter. That sort of thing. Great for small families on small income. Ya' know?
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Is ferret meat gluten-free?

[momto4]

Yikes,thanks for the bump Al I am getting a lot of ideas!
Now to my grocery bill $360 plus my DH bought another $70 (this is why I almost cried and added the coupon question!). We do eat out too. This includes all cleaning supplies and diapers etc. Most GF food I buy online and that is not included in the price. We do eat well, I make most of what we eat from scratch and do not buy over processed convenience meals. I have one meat lover, one skinny would rather not eat anything, one fussy teen and one very fussy DH. I usually make three different meals at a time because of their fussiness. DD wont eat any meat that has veins in! Neither will DH. So most of the chicken is thrown away. DD wont eat ground meat. MY CD son is a darling and loves meat, hates veg but is very easy to make food for which is why I spend alot on GF stuff online for him. My second youngest really only likes cheese bagels! My little guy trys and likes most things! After writing this I now see where my problem is. (My DH sulked because I put turkey in his curry instead of chicken). Maybe I should charge them before I cook!

[mrsppmrxky]

I would suggest that it is time for you and DH to sit down and have a heart to heart! Discuss the food budget and what you can do to make it better.

(around here, they just had chicken tenders $1.50 a pound.........guess what I bought a LOT of? LOL)

My DH used to eat anything that was set before him. He has had a change over the last 27 years due to his tummy hurting with certain foods.

We always had the agreement with the children 'This isn't Burger King" and "you can't have it your way".............they had to at least taste a teaspoon of a new food......if they liked it, they got more. If they didn't like a dish, we did not put it on their plate. (I didn't make other foods to fill in for them.) They had to choose from other dishes on the table.

If they didn't eat, then they had only water between meals.......no snacks and no juice.

It may sound harsh, but now my then picky eaters will eat just about anything you put before them.

My FIL told me when the first one came along: They will eat when they are hungry, you just have to be stronger willed than they are. He was right.

I know not many people will agree, but it really helped us! We were/are a one income family that lived for 20 yrs on a enlisted military paycheck. We made it work.

If you aren't big meat eaters, then try adding some one dish casseroles for the family.

I am not sure if the wonderful spinach quiche has been posted or not. (if not, let me know and I will go and find it for you.) To top that, it is GF, so it is cheap for the entire family to eat.

I don't know how you survive having to cook so much, and run after 4 kids!!!! You need to have some time savers as well as penny savers!

My hat is off to you for all the effort and work you pour out for your family!
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[cultureslayer]

[momto4]

Thank you for the replies. I think you are right that there is a lot of waste when I think about it. My 'darn' H wont eat re-heated food! Or curry,stew etc that has been left-overs and put in the freezer. Strange if I make it and freeze it he fine? I agree with the fussy eating too but it is very hard when my DH is fussier than they are. I do leave my DD to fend for herself these days more but she has a hissy fit and always says there is nothing for her to eat. ie no avacados or pita bread or rotissarie chicken basically! Honestly I realise my kids are very spoiled. It sounds that they are brats but they really are quite lovely most of the time. I think my best bet is to get back to work and get a break! Then I will have more money for the grocery bill We dont eat a lot of red meat but we do eat chicken a great deal. Basically because it is a meat they will all eat. My DH wont eat chops, turkey unless it is roast, ground beef has to be mashed with a masher to make sure there arent chunks of ground beef stuck together. DD and myself will eat fish, DH will eat cod only if there is definately no skin or bones in it. If he found one he would throw the whole meal away! He sounds a tyrant but he doesnt shout or rant it is just very obvious from his face that he does'nt like it or he moans about it. I cut everything out of chicken but there is still bits he doesnt like the look of on his plate. Run outa room guess I had better end this

[momto4]

Mrsp I am going to take your advice and ignore the faces. One meal and if they dont like it too bad. Btw I used to love cooking now I hate it!

[cultureslayer]

Won't eat frozen leftovers, but food put directly in the freezer? Strangest thing I have ever heard. My answer: Once a week cooking and EVERYTHING goes in the freezer (when GF frozen meals are $4 each it saves me a lot of money on lunch).

Your family would die if I had to cook for them. I have been known to put peas and bean sprouts in my mac and cheese. Never had a problem with roommates stealing my food through college, guess that's why .
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Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

[cultureslayer]

Get a kid's cookbook, or a basic betty crocker one depending on their ages. Cooking is a very useful skill. Before going GF, everyone loved my cookies and breads .
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Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

[Purrsnikitty]

Momto4 - I agree with the others; you really need to set some boundaries. Make something good and healthy for the entire family and anyone who pouts can just go hungry - it won't take them too long to get the picture.

Did your hubby's mom fix special food for him and cater to his whims? He has to have learned somewhere that this brat routine works.

Good luck,
Marcia
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"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

[momto4]

His Mum left them when he was 8 and never catered to them at all. Then he had to fend for himself.. He is very thin too. He used to refuse his food all the time both when his Mum was there and after. I have been told by many that it is crazy and I do set boundaries. Maybe I should stick to them more! Its funny I was never brought up that way and was forced to eat food I didnt want. We were to sit at the table until we had cleared our plates. Even when I left home my Mum told me to eat my eggwhite. So a great deal of the problem is not wanting to do that to my kids! I think food is probably a big screw up in my home and I need to do something about it. I guess it is more of a problem than an expanding grocery bill. Thanks you guys for reading all my woes

[mrsppmrxky]

momto4........I know how tired you must be. Food is such a control issue with finicky eaters. (sounds like it is with your hubby.......he could not control his childhood, so he is sure to control what he can...and now he is just used to his likes.) You mentioned that he is very texture finicky.

I wonder if he is super smart and slightly autistic? My son and two nephews are very intelligent and they are very finicky over textures. 2 out of the three exhibit slight autisctic texture likes and dislikes.
Not meaning to be nosey, I had just kind of formed a throught on slightly autistic behaviour.

If your hubby is mostly a veggie eater, maybe fix a meat that the kids will all eat.......stick to your guns and hubby can have a veggie dinner one or two nights a week. You could prepare GF pizza for everyone. Taco salads another night. Pancakes and sausage for dinner......(have a backwards day. (leftovers for the kids one morning and breakfast for dinner.)

Discuss with your hubby about how you know how expensive it is for him to have to pay for and you are wanting to help save money to make life a little less stressful for him. Hopefully meals will get easier!
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