Cau, this is what I've been doing also the past 2-3 months. Once a month a big shop then fill in at the local stores with milk, fresh veggies, etc. This is working out better for me than weekly or bi-weekly shopping. We have to go a little over an hour to the city to shop where there are big supermarkets and WalMart, etc.
Like the rest of you I can't come close to Roberta's low totals, I don't use that many coupons and no one doubles here anymore. For Oct. I spent $447.93 on food only and $89.05 on non food items (HBA, pet food, etc.) for a total of $536.98, that's about average for me. I'd like to keep it to $100 a week for everything but haven't been doing that for quite awhile.
Jacki
well dang lost my post, said it was too short LOL was almost a book
I don't include eating out which we do 3-4 times a month, DH buying lunch, and the kids reduced school lunches so that would add another $250 a month to the food budget.
So $500 total eating in and out a month. I have been trying different meals so DH doesn't have the need to eat out but once or twice a month and he's packing a couple times a month to help lower the sodium in his diet.
Small grocery list on 11-13-09. My list was milk, eggs, greenbeans, sugar, gravy, coffee, tortilla,bacon, sausage & Cheese. Sausage and cheese were for sausage balls. Made a double batch one for girls night out and the other in the freezer for Turkey day.
Balance from 11-09 $186
Spent on 11-13 37
Leaves $147 for the month.
__________________ Friendship is like the sun, it just makes you feel better!
Well this grocery trip, I orginally planned small, but time I added in the extra fixing for Thanksgiving, my grocery bill added up to $57.
Balance from 11-13 $147
minus 11-20 groceries -57
Leaves me a balance of $ 90.
That will be good, cause I need laundry stuff and personal toiletries.
Well, for 11-30-09 I did pretty well. I spent 87.59 at the grocery store. Had to get some toiletries and laundry soap. Bought some snacks and soda, because of friends coming over, my biggest expense to the budget. Leaves me 2.91 to put towards Christmas fund.
Next week, I have AFM box to purchase. I will set my groceries for December for $360 because of Christmas and New Years coming up.
__________________ Friendship is like the sun, it just makes you feel better!
Instead of setting a specific dollar amount weekly or monthly I do better just trying to beat last month's total. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I keep 2 different categories 1. food only, 2. HBA, pet food, cleaners, paper products, etc. The food only category has been consistant the last couple months but I bought a lot of non food in Nov., needed pet meds which I add in there. Nov. totals, food only $424.85, non food $255.15 for a total of $680.00, Oct. was only $537.00 so I certainly didn't do better this time. New month now, time to try again. I also LOVE to eat out, one of my downfalls. I keep a separate category for that.
Jacki
Friendship is like the sun, it just makes you feel better! 
