October 2019 15k SPAM Thread

[Aiden]

FERGIE

 

[Will.I.Am PE]

That's my purse! I don't know you!!!

 

[Aiden]

FERGIEFERGIEFERGIE

 

[Aiden]

STARKS

 

[Aiden]

STARKS

 

[Aiden]

STARKS

 

[Will.I.Am PE]

It's over [seventeen] thousand!

 

[Aiden]

HADUKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Aiden]

Great Job.

 

[Aiden]

Now where is my project number?

 

[JayKay PE]

@JayKay PE, @LyceeFruit,

Tagging because I want to continue the discussion about food budgets.

My $650 budget doesn't include eating out. Our eating out budget is most definitely too high. Well, because we don't really have a specific budget for it. Eating out around where I live is not particularly cheap, either.

That...is a huge food budget.  I think my budget was like that when I first moved into Indiana, and had to buy everything new.  A budget is different for everyone.  Did you actually want to make this cost go down, or are you fine with it being $650?

 

[TrussMe.Civil]

 

[leggo PE]

That...is a huge food budget.  I think my budget was like that when I first moved into Indiana, and had to buy everything new.  A budget is different for everyone.  Did you actually want to make this cost go down, or are you fine with it being $650?

I'd love to make it go down! 

I do like to buy local and organic stuff and we do typically eat a fair amount of food, and cook at least 6 nights a week for our lunches and dinners.

Lunches are often leftovers from previous dinners, which is good, but maybe not the most cost effective solution. Part of the problem is, I really don't like eating the same thing for multiple lunches or multiple dinners. So we're pretty much making something different each night. i honestly don't even buy a ton of meat each week. I know the most expensive things on my grocery bill will be the meat and beeI, if I am buying a six pack (which is not always). I need to get a better handle on what is making me spend more than $100 at Trader Joe's every week.

 

[JayKay PE]

View attachment 14633

But I don't want Spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon, and spam.  I want spam, egg, spam, spam, spam, and spam!

 

[WaitingTooLong]

But I don't want Spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon, and spam.  I want spam, egg, spam, spam, spam, and spam!

Substituting is $1 extra

 

[txjennah PE]

@leggo PE It is probably about the same with us. 

 

[LyceeFruit PE]

Ohhh interesting! I spend what I consider to be toooo much on groceries for two people per month. I think I'm more in the $650/month spent on groceries range. I think I need to be more intentional on what I'm spending money on.

I shop pretty much exclusively at Trader Joe's and order additional produce through Imperfect Foods, and also occasionally shop at Safeway, for things like specific paper products, cream cheese, and of TJ's doesn't have something specific I'm looking for (like whole wheat pasta).

Speaking of paper products, I'm thinking about divesting our household of paper towels. Does anyone do this? What kind of towels do you use in place, if so?

Currently we have paper towels but I wont buy more when theyre out.

You can use rags, microfiber towels, or cut up tshirts as replacements.

Im waiting for Boyfriend to be annoyed and buy clorox wipes. We ran out a month ago and I wont buy them

 

[JayKay PE]

I'd love to make it go down! 

I do like to buy local and organic stuff and we do typically eat a fair amount of food, and cook at least 6 nights a week for our lunches and dinners.

Lunches are often leftovers from previous dinners, which is good, but maybe not the most cost effective solution. Part of the problem is, I really don't like eating the same thing for multiple lunches or multiple dinners. So we're pretty much making something different each night. i honestly don't even buy a ton of meat each week. I know the most expensive things on my grocery bill will be the meat and beeI, if I am buying a six pack (which is not always). I need to get a better handle on what is making me spend more than $100 at Trader Joe's every week.

Hmmm, my budget is based off a lot of history/research into what I like to buy, but I def know I can trim it down if I really need to.  Some times I do a "no buy" food week, where I go through my cupboards, see what I have, and make something from that.  Grab some noodles, maybe a can of something, use stuff at the back of my fridge that I forgot about.  Have you experimented with doing something like that?  I think you need to start by just listing what you buy when you go shopping, maybe for an entire month.  Are there things you're buying over and over again that you can maybe get a bigger package of?  Are there pre-mixed things you are buying that might be cheaper to make by hand (like me switching to buying quinoa in bulk instead of the pre-made salad at Costco).

Also, it sounds like your palette gets bored.  Is it possible to start a rotating leftover schedule going?  I used to do something like that where whatever I made, I'd keep half out to eat and the other half to freeze.  When I moved that half into the freezer, I'd take out something I had frozen previously.  So I'd be moving maybe half of my soup into the freezer, but while doing that I'd pull out maybe 2 chicken breasts for something future in the next day or two.  As for making something different every night...is dinner always something complex/requiring many ingredients?  Or do you switch to 'cereal-dinner' to relax the wallet and your palette?  For meat being expensive = true, but do you do the full portion all the time?  There will often be recipes that ask for 2-lbs of beef and I usually drop it if I'm adding in veggies or beans or whatever.

Thoughts?  Sorry for the text dump.

 

[squaretaper LIT AF PE]

Speaking of paper products, I'm thinking about divesting our household of paper towels. Does anyone do this? What kind of towels do you use in place, if so?

I super, HIGHLY recommend Skoy cloth (https://www.skoycloth.com/). I've been using their "cloths" for almost 10 years. You use them new, as they get crummy, you demote them to sink/tub/toilet/cat box duty, then you toss. I get months and months of usage out of them with an occasional zap in the microwave or a quick boil to knock out smells. They also come in different sizes (e.g. I like the bigger ones for dish drying duty, no lint either!). There are some knockoffs you can buy at the big box stores, but Skoy is the best and it's a family-owned import biz. Pitch over. Ditch the paper!

 

[leggo PE]

@leggo PE It is probably about the same with us. 

What's the same? Overspending on groceries AND eating out? I hope not!!