I found this info about Food storage for $5 a week (It's 5$ per two people, e.g. $10 for four, etc..). I think this could be also used to build a pantry that will provide low cost food for a family. You will need to bulk buy some things but I believe that this would greatly reduce our grocery bills. Here is what I found that someone else posted(http://www.frugalsquirrels.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=27&t=000075):

"What you are supposed to do is set aside $5 a week and then buy specific items each week. You have a kitty set aside that you put the $5 in and you can't touch it for any reason but to buy the food storage item for that week. You put in whatever remaining change you have back into the kitty. Some things in the beginning are going to be cheap and then later will be more expensive. In order to pay for the expensive stuff later you need to keep the leftover money in the kitty.

Week 1: Two cans tuna fish, 2 boxes salt Week 2: 5 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese, 4 cans tomato soup Week 3: 3 cans mushroom soup, 1 2.5 lb peanut butter Week 4: 1 bottle vitamins Week 5: 4 cans tomato soup, 1 10 lb powdered milk Week 6: 1 bottle aspirin (500 tablets) Week 7: 1 100 lb container wheat Week 8: 1 5 lb powdered milk Week 9: 1 5 lb honey Week 10: 4 cans tuna, 4 boxes macaroni and cheese Week 11: 1 10 lb sugar, 1 box salt Week 12: 4 cans mushroom soup Week 13: 1 bottle vitamins Week 14: 1 100 lb wheat Week 15: 1 box macaroni and cheese Week 16: 1 5 lb honey Week 17: 2 cans tuna, 4 can tomato soup Week 18: 1 10 lbs sugar Week 19: 1 100 lbs of wheat Week 20: 2 10lbs of sugar Week 21: 1 10lb powdered milk Week 22: 1 can mushroom soup, 1 10 lb sugar Week 23: 1 can tuna, 4 cans tomato soup, 1 10 lbs sugar Week 24: 1 10 lbs sugar Week 25: 2 cans tuna, 2 cans mushroom soup Week 26: 1 100 lb wheat Week 27: 3 10 lbs sugar Week 28: 1 10 lb sugar Week 29: 1 10 lb powdered milk Week 30: 2 10 lb sugar Week 31: 1 can tuna, 3 cans mushroom soup Week 32: 1 can tuna, 4 cans tomato soup Week 33: 1 100 lb wheat Week 34: 2 cans tuna, 1 box salt Week 35: 1 10 lb powdered milk Week 36: 2 10 lb sugar Week 37: 4 cans tomato soup, 2 boxes salt Week 38: Week 39: 1 100 lb wheat Week 40: 1 10 lb powdered milk Week 41: 3 10 lb sugar Week 42: 2 cans tomato soup, 1 10 lb sugar Week 43: 2 cans tomato soup, 2 cans mushroom soup Week 44: Week 45: 1 10 lb powdered milk Week 46: 4 cans tomato soup, 4 cans mushroom soup Week 47: 1 10 lb powdered milk Week 48: 4 cans mushroom soup, 1 10 lb powdered milk Week 49: 7 cans of tomato soup Week 50: 7 cans of mushroom soup Week 51: 2 10 lbs sugar, 1 box salt

A few weeks you will have "off" to replenish the kitty. I haven't figured it out myself, but by the end you should have 700lbs of wheat, 240 lbs sugar, 40 lbs of powdered milk, 13 lbs of salt, 10 lbs of honey, 5 lbs of peanut butter, 45 cans of tomato soup, 32 cans mushroom soup, 15 cans tuna fish, 10 macaroni and cheese dinners, 500 aspirin, and 730 multiple vitamins plus they suggest adding 6lbs of dried yeast and 6 lbs of shortening and this should be enough to sustain 2 people for a year. For every 2 people you have in your family add $5 more and double or triple the amount of whatever you are buying that week."

Now I realize you'd have to change this to fit your family's tastes (i.e. tuna Vs. chicken, etc..) or supplement home grown veggies and meats. But I wanted to post this for those who really only have $10 a week for groceries and to challenge us to use our money more efficiently. I believe this could go further if you would arrange the weeks so they include loss leaders, sales, coupons that week.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 20, 2001

Answers

Ann..

Your list was certainly food for thought.

I've been living on $20 per month for food for the past few months [not including dog food, cleaners, paper products, cheese]. I belong to a food buying club and prepay $10 twice a month. I get vast quantities of diverse foodstuffs. Fresh, frozen, canned, boxed. Even coffee and cookies.

With my recent expenses of getting heat and hot water here, this has been a godsend. It helps that I have an upright freezer to store stuff I won't use right away. I think of the food parcels as a challenge. I never know what I'll get. But, I'll tell ya..if I see one more bunch of celery next week I think I'll scream! :-)

This program is very similar to the Share program which is US wide [Share is called Serve in VT]. Share requires 2 hours of volunteer work per month. 2 hours anywhere, doing anything. I know somebody who takes an older neighbor shopping and errand running and that counts towards volunteering.

I will start up with Share/Serve soon. As well as continue with the food club I belong to now. I just hope they don't have a thing for celery too..or potatoes! I'm up to 40 pounds of potatoes now!

I'll look up and post Share URL if anybody is interested.

-- pc (jasper2@doglover.com), November 20, 2001.

thanks for posting this Ann! I may have to put this plan into action. I tend to get way stocked up on several things..and have not enough of other things....unbalance food storage..but this sounds like it could help.

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), November 20, 2001.

www.worldshare.org click on us affliates to find local hosts.

-- bj pepper in C. MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), November 20, 2001.

DH and I have been doing something like this for awhile, only we chase the sales, instead of having a set item for each week. Last shopping trip we bought so many cans of toms (the deer got mine) that we won't be buying canned toms for a year. Next trip, who knows? We do keep an inventory of the storeroom and keep the stock well balanced. As for dog food, my fluffy friend Friday is a Science Diet kinda gal, there was a $3 coupon in the Sunday paper a few weeks ago, so I went dumpster diving at the local deli and came up with 10 coupons! I'll buy a bag every other week or so (to keep it fresh); end result 2 bags free.

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), November 20, 2001.