grocery budget and food allergies

g_belle · July 2011

Our food budget is kind of out of control and I'm hoping that other allergy moms might have some ideas on where/what to cut. Right now we spend around $150/week for the 4 of us (and B is not quite 3 months old so the food isn't for him). Along with J's allergies- I'm now dairy and egg free for B (and that list will probably grow after our allergist visit this fall).

J's "milk" costs us about the same as formula with as much as he drinks. I cook as much as I can from scratch and try to bulk cook/freeze- but with a newborn, DH in grad school and me back at work on Wed- I do buy some convenience items (safe fish sticks that cost $5/for like 6 sticks, safe ckn nuggets etc.). So far- I haven't had much luck finding coupons for allergy friendly foods. Cooking seperate meals for us is exhausting and difficult because J wants to eat what we're having.

So- how do you all cook allergy friendly and not blow a ton of $ on food every week?

sabrina69barnes · July 2011

DS is allergic to peanuts, eggs, and onions. I'm a SAHM so I have more time to cook. I make most things like bread and other baked goods from scratch. No one in our family has issues with wheat but some of our friends do so I know how to make most things gluten free. I shop mostly at Aldi and then get a few extra things from Walmart that Aldi doesn't have. We eat a lot of poultry, veggies, and rice. The rule here is that if DS can't eat something then no one can eat it here if he is awake so we all eat the same things. I spend usually around $100 a week on food and that feeds 2 adults, 2 toddlers, and depending on the week 1-4 kids.

Court0026 · July 2011

I wish I could help. Between allergen-free and some organic, I am $200ish in the hole every week to groceries. UGH. I hope some people have some good tips to share!

g_belle · July 2011

do you mind sharing what you usually buy at Aldi? The one nearest to our house stinks and the floors look gross so I don't shop there. There's a brand new Aldi by my mom's house though and if it's worth the trip I might have to drop the kiddos off with her so I can grocery shop one weekend.

macchiatto · July 2011

Will's outgrown most of his allergies so it's easier now, but I never spent more than about $70-90/week for food for two adults and two toddlers, even with all the allergy stuff. I bought Will's Light Brown Rice Loaf, Pamela's Baking Mix, Oatios cereal and a few other essentials through Amazon's subscribe and save option, and did some couponing/sale-watching for the rest. www.afewshortcuts.com is a great site because she does deals and couponing but also has to work around several major food allergies in her family and posts good allergy-friendly recipes and tips.

sabrina69barnes · July 2011

g_belle:
do you mind sharing what you usually buy at Aldi? The one nearest to our house stinks and the floors look gross so I don't shop there. There's a brand new Aldi by my mom's house though and if it's worth the trip I might have to drop the kiddos off with her so I can grocery shop one weekend.

I just noticed that you are in STL. I'm around an hour away from you. Our Aldi is really nice. I buy almost all of our produce there unless I want something specific or that may not be in season. I buy their frozen chicken breast and ground turkey regulary. Sometimes I get pork but that isn't a regular for us. I get their canned goods, milk, eggs, egg whites, flour, sugar, rice, yogurt, cheese, pasta, dried fruit, pretty much everything. The only things I get from Walmart are sliced cheese, ice cream, wheat flour, and some veggies that Aldi never seems to have like brussels sprouts. Sometimes when I need just 1 potato instead of a whole bag I'll get that from Walmart too.

Have you looking into Angel Food Ministries? They sell an allergen free box that has breaded chicken nuggets and stuff that your LO could eat if you are wanting convience foods.

g_belle · July 2011

sabrina69barnes:

g_belle:
do you mind sharing what you usually buy at Aldi? The one nearest to our house stinks and the floors look gross so I don't shop there. There's a brand new Aldi by my mom's house though and if it's worth the trip I might have to drop the kiddos off with her so I can grocery shop one weekend.

I just noticed that you are in STL. I'm around an hour away from you. Our Aldi is really nice. I buy almost all of our produce there unless I want something specific or that may not be in season. I buy their frozen chicken breast and ground turkey regulary. Sometimes I get pork but that isn't a regular for us. I get their canned goods, milk, eggs, egg whites, flour, sugar, rice, yogurt, cheese, pasta, dried fruit, pretty much everything. The only things I get from Walmart are sliced cheese, ice cream, wheat flour, and some veggies that Aldi never seems to have like brussels sprouts. Sometimes when I need just 1 potato instead of a whole bag I'll get that from Walmart too.

Have you looking into Angel Food Ministries? They sell an allergen free box that has breaded chicken nuggets and stuff that your LO could eat if you are wanting convience foods.

We are in STL- we live in the city and the closest Aldi is gross. I've heard of Angel food- just never thought it might be allergy friendly. The current menu isn't on their site right now but I'll definately look for it. Thanks!

magdusia · July 2011

I'm with you! i can't tell you how much $ we spend. it's ridiculous! and my nanny eats at our home breakfast, lunch (and i have caught her take dinner home) b/c i don't let any outside food in. I can't wait to switch nannies so i can actually create a tin of food for her.. so she's not eating my sons expensive stuff which my DH and i don't even touch. (but that's all another story).

I work full time and i cook 5 out of 7 days.. We have 3 different diets in our house. I'm a vegeterian/diabetic, DH is a mean meat eater, son has allergies.

i try to buy in bulk cereals, juices.. things that can be stored for a long time. I'm still looking for his milk that i can buy in bulk for cheaper.

So i learned that a crock pot can go a loooong way, with time and money. I use my crock pot twice to 3 times a week and always make enough for 2 days. DH loves it! and i can't tell you how easy it is for me. I can whip myself up a meal pretty quickly (sometimes i take left over lunch from home and that's my dinner - free lunch at work rocks!) my son is usually chicken nuggets/fries. my ultimate dream is for DS to eat same as DH.. Everything i make for DH is safe for my son, he's just picky. So hopefully one day he'll eat with us and our food.

All of this is breaking bank, i think the crock pot is the best money and time savoir out there.

carlinlp · July 2011

I wish we were under 200 a week. There are 5 of us, 4 with allergies/sensitivities and one teenager who never stops eating. We are strictly organic and non GMO due to DS vax injury. I shop at the farmers market and natural grocers to save money. I try to buy a lot that is on sale, cook then freeze. I get our meat and fish from whole foods though. We gave up red meat bc it's inflammatory and that saves us a lot. I also do meatless meals 1-2 times a week and that saves us a lot. I'd say the fastest way to lower costs is to get rid of processed food. We eat very very little that is processed, bc it's bad for us, and it's expensive too. We don't buy a lot of grains other than rice and lentils. My DS will make bread gfcf bread about once a month. I use beans, lentils and rice to make filling meals. I make a lot of soups/stews that go farther and last longer. Also love the crockpot. My advice, don't begrudge the expense of quality food. We treat it as healthcare.

ABColeslaw · July 2011

I wish I could help. We spend nearly $200 a week on groceries. Its out of control.

Boizmom · July 2011

I am at a loss too. We are on an extremely tight budget. Last week alone food for Z cost us about $60. One thing I did do though was contact some of the companies that make the products I need to see about coupons. A few of them agreed to send me some, but it'll take 4 to 6 weeks to get them.

julandjo · July 2011

We spend around $100 a week to feed 2 adults and 2 toddlers - this includes ALL meals, as we take their food to daycare for them and we bring lunch to work for ourselves. The biggest money-saver was cutting out 95% of the processed food. We go through a LOT of meat. We buy about 30 pounds of chicken at a time when it goes on a good sale. We buy 1/4 cow at a time too... it's about $400 and lasts 3-4 months. (A deep freeze is necessary obviously). Most of our produce is organic, which can be spendy. If you buy whole cases of anything at Whole Foods, you get 10% off - so we buy 40 pounds of sweet potatoes there every 3 weeks (yes we eat that much sweet potato), and a whole case of Sunbutter at a time, etc. Carrots are bought in 5 pound bags. Fruit is bought based on what's on sale. We do Costco for things like olive oil, frozen fruit, milk, etc.

It's frustrating that there are no coupons for produce/meat, and rarely coupons for allergen-friendly convenience foods. But if you gradually transition to an unprocessed diet, your grocery bill will go down. And your body will thank you.

DandelionMom · July 2011

I feel your pain, we're at $200+/week for 5 of us. I buy extras when things are on sale, we eat very little meat, we try to stick with foods that naturally don't have our allergens instead of buying pricey replacement foods. And our biggest budget helper is we don't eat out.

luvmagoldn · July 2011

I have really been working on our budget lately. I started shooting for $150 a week, then $125. So far this week I've spent $85! I may just keep this one below $100!

I menu plan and shop according to the store's weekly sales. I buy meat/fish, fruits/veg and olive oil at our local international market. It saves me a TON over the big brand store and the quality is great. Yesterday I saw ham steaks on sale 4 for $10. I cooked two for dinner last night and froze the other two for later. Whole chickens were also on sale this week so I made one Sunday night (just roasted in the oven with some Paula Dean's sprinkled on it with potatoes and a veg) and tonight we are having the other one (a crock pot recipe I found - will serve with rice and a veg). Are they the most exciting meals ever? No. But they are fine for every day and my boys love them. Right now that works.

I also make our bread and most of our treats too (cookies, cakes, etc) so we don't spend a lot of that kind of stuff.

ETA: We have milk, egg, peanut, tree nut and sesame allergies.

anonsouthernbell · July 2011

Some things that I have done to cut down on our budget:

- bought a coffee/spice grinder so that I can make our own almond and rice flours

- buy frozen organic veggies (I can find a pack at Whole Foods for right around or under $2 and unless you grow veggies yourself or buy them local, frozen has more nutrients than fresh)

-plan out our meals monthly (HUGE savings); I use different sites like Once a Month Mom so that we can try new things. I really like OAMM b/c it makes more than one meal, so I am able to freeze another entire dinner or two. (I will do the servings and freeze the rest, if we are still hungry we will eat fruit, etc).

- I buy almost 100% organic except for things like cantaloupe, mangoes, etc. where we aren't eating the skin

- We don't eat meat at every meal. My husband loves meat, but he likes saving on our grocery budget even more so he doesn't complain. I try to offset costs by having rice and beans, spaghetti, vegetarian tacos, leek tart, etc on a regular rotation. These meals are cheap, my son ADORES them, and are quick to make. (I make big batches of different beans in my slow cooker and use them throughout the week. I.e. black beans w/our scrambled eggs, black beans w/rice, black beans w/our veggie tacos).

- DF milk can def. be expensive. We use coconut milk, but since M is still bf it isn't his "main" drink. I know some people who make their own almond milk and have saved considerably doing so. Maybe that is something that you could look into as well - buying the almonds in bulk and then making your own milk.

- We have a small, container garden this year, but next year I hope to expand on it and have even more home grown, cheap fruits and veggies.

webMistress0609 · July 2011

The pp have given lots of good tips already, but I wanted to add Amazon Subscribe & Save for dry goods. For example, Puffins Honey Rice cereal is 4.99 @ WF, but I pay 3.41 per box buying a case through the S&S.

STLBecca · July 2011

I hate that its just my DH and I..and baby on the way and we spend over our budget! I try to cut coupons and buy things onsale..but still...not helping! I do not shop at Aldi...dont like it...so I guess I'll never go back. I do shop Dierbergs, Schnucks, Walmart...and try to use ad matching at walmart. We are buying more fruits, veggies, and meat for meals. I use the crock pot which is great! We buy our meats at a local meat store that has an amazing selection and reputation...I just dont trust buying meat anywhere else.

My DH needs to eat GF now...so were thinking about going to local health food stores for more options. They are in the city and costly, but I need more to choose from. The grocery stores here just do not have much in the way of helping out the GF people! I am making lists of what is GF at our stores..and looking for coupons, waiting for things to go on sale, etc. His whole family eats GF but they live 1,000 miles away..so not helpful when they tell us what to buy..not offered here.

I feel as if we're going UP in our bills because of the GF issue...and its hard! I do buy things at SAMS too..which helps.

I feel for all of you with families that have special allergies. Grocery shopping and cooking is not an easy task! Grocery prices just keep going up..which makes matters worse!

g_belle · July 2011

STLBecca:

I hate that its just my DH and I..and baby on the way and we spend over our budget! I try to cut coupons and buy things onsale..but still...not helping! I do not shop at Aldi...dont like it...so I guess I'll never go back. I do shop Dierbergs, Schnucks, Walmart...and try to use ad matching at walmart. We are buying more fruits, veggies, and meat for meals. I use the crock pot which is great! We buy our meats at a local meat store that has an amazing selection and reputation...I just dont trust buying meat anywhere else.

My DH needs to eat GF now...so were thinking about going to local health food stores for more options. They are in the city and costly, but I need more to choose from. The grocery stores here just do not have much in the way of helping out the GF people! I am making lists of what is GF at our stores..and looking for coupons, waiting for things to go on sale, etc. His whole family eats GF but they live 1,000 miles away..so not helpful when they tell us what to buy..not offered here.

I feel as if we're going UP in our bills because of the GF issue...and its hard! I do buy things at SAMS too..which helps.

I feel for all of you with families that have special allergies. Grocery shopping and cooking is not an easy task! Grocery prices just keep going up..which makes matters worse!

Becca- I don't know where you are in StL- but the Dierbergs selection of GF stuff is the same price as WF usually.

There are some awesome suggestions on here! Thanks! I just looked at the Amazon S&S for GF dry goods and that's going to help a lot. For dinners I try to do things that are naturally allergen friendly instead of replacements/convience things- but J recognizes when his foods are different than others now so I try to "match" the daycare menu as closely as I can for him. Mommy guilt = budget breaker.

STLBecca · July 2011

Well Ive noticed that some Dierbergs have a whole aisle dedicated to GF while others have very little..and its not all in one place. I forget which one I went to where there was such a HUGE selection! The two nearest me just do not have much. Our Schnucks actually has a small area where they have GF only section..small.but at least its all together.

Im fine with it not being in one aisle...but just learning what is GF is hard. I LOVE walking down aisles and seeing foods with Gluten Free right on them! Thats awesome.

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