Food Budget

[Juniper]

If we don't include soap, paper towels, pet supplies, adult beverages and that expensive shampoo my daughter makes us buy for her lovely platinum blonde hair . . . I'd guess we spend an average of $80 a week just on food at the grocery.

This does not include the kids' lunches bought at school, which I need to work on decreasing --my son can easily spend $7 a day in his cafeteria, which is astounding to me. It also doesn't hubby's lunch every day; he refuses to pack because he's so damn picky (he's a mail carrier, so not someone who has access to an office fridge/microwave). Doesn't include all the pizzas and the fast-food and sit-down dinners we get because I really hate cooking and, though I usually do it anyway, I look for any excuse not to.

However, we do sit down as a family and have meals together most nights, which I've heard only 20% of U.S. families do on a regular basis (I'm too lazy to look up the exact stats or source) so I think we're doin' something right anyhow.