I went to Stuffmart yesterday for my groceries, probably for the first time in a couple of weeks.  Whoa, have prices ever gone up!  They were going up all along, I know, but all of a sudden it had a big impact on my grocery budget. I understand prices go up, but why does the ethanol thing mean milk goes up 40%??  Yes, I know, cows eat corn.  But 40%??

Lately I have really trying to be a more prudent wife, watching the grocery bill closely.  Last month we spent $720 for FOOD!!!  That has got to be a sin.  I can't stand it that the "belly god" gets that much ("whose god is their belly")! That is $120 per person. Is that a lot?  I think it is a lot. We spent an additional $50 going out to eat, which I think is above our monthly average -- we don't eat out very often.

So here is what I want to do.  I want to hear from other bloggers who are in similar circumstances, and I want to know what you spend for groceries, on average, per person.  We live west of the Rockies, where things are more expensive anyway.  We don't have Aldi. I usually buy the Stuffmart brand, if there is a choice.  I go to Smiths (Kroger) and Safeway for their loss-leaders (if it is stuff I would have bought anyway), and especially for produce (Stuffmart's is horrid) and meat (again, horrid at Stuffmart; usually the bottom side of the package is lined with an extra pound of fat, not meat).  I don't often use coupons, because the generic is usually cheaper than the brand-name sale price, even with a coupon.  My grocery bill INCLUDES all household cleaning supplies, paper goods, shampoo, etc., and also included diapers, when we used them. We do not drink pop/soda, smoke cigs, or feed a Starbucks addiction.

This all wouldn't bother me quite as much if I didn't know that Crystal Paine, the queen of good deals, spends about $35 a week for groceries! (She now has two(?) in diapers, and her budget has probably gone up a few dollars.) By the way, if you do have Aldi, and you can do the deals at CVS/Walgreens, and you collect coupons, Crystal's book, Secrets to Supermarket Savings, is awesome. (The problem here is that I am not an awesome shopper!)

So, out with it.  Tell me what you are spending.  Am I going to feel better or worse??  I am ready to starve the belly god to death. He costs too much.