What are your food costs for a week?

This past week I have been spending some time enjoying Shannon's Cook's Challenge!

In these challenges there are many very common ingredients that one might take for granted, and still others, that to make some of the wonderful recipie ideas that I read would have to be searched out and puchased outside of the routine trip to the grocery store.

Part of my past professional career was spent researching food items, recipies and formulas, flavor combinations and I learned to love reading about food and its history, and of course, where I could find something.

During some of those years, one of my greatest pleasures was food shopping. I loved seeking out unusual and strange to me ethinic products to try out with my collection of food magazines. It wasn't just a necessity it was a passionate hobby, and my cupboards were filled with the means to make just about anything.

We loved to grill outside if we had a day off together.

And we ate out a lot still, because of the hours we worked, and because I spent the better part of my day in a kitchen, so the last thing I wanted to do some days was to come home and cook and do (more) dishes. My favorite was oriental delivered to my house!

In these last two years, I have dramatically changed my life style. We(try to) buy only what we absolutely need( I do figure in treats) and rarely eat away from the house unless a neighbor invites us over or we are at a garden festival or mountian man rendezvous and cook with our cast iron.

Tonight I am baking bread for tomorrow's lunches, cause we ran out and payday is friday. I am not about to write a check for a loaf of bread and any money is in the bank!

So my question is, have you( or do you) keep track of the money you spend on food in a week?

I see many different forms of grocery shopping where I work. People who buy in bulk. Those who shop everyday, obviously to cook at home.

The ones who buy only convience prepared heat and serve food, those who only buy organic or all natural items.

I know people who only eat out, who never cook at all.

I see people who obviously stop at Starbucks every morning. And those who eat power bars instead of meals, or candy and soda pop for breakfast.

Some who obviously budget every penny and others who don't.

Where do you fit in?

Other than when I was singularly raising my boys and at times my meal was what was left from their meal, be it weenies and mac and cheese or happy meals, this is the first time I have had to put limits on myself.

Since committing myself to cooking at home and gardening, I am very aware of extra items that I may have bought on a whim( on sale) that aren't being used up and often have to plan my meals around them, especially when I run out of other things earlier than planned( liked my afore mentioned bread!)

I have also noticed a sharp increase in the cost of just our basic's from last summer to this summer. (In this I note that at one point the cost of celery( I don't grow celery..yet) was more than the cost of a bag of M&M's, and yes I bought the M&M's!)

So for me, food cost is a focus of growing intrest in my quality of life.

How about you?