Possibly off topic - food budget survey question

Soy_K

I'm finding that protein powder, supplement, etc can get quite pricy. I'm really trying to keep our household on a budget. About how much do you generally spend on food per month? It's so easy to overspend

puffbrat

My husband and I average $80/week which is approximately $320/month on food. We buy most of our packaged food like cereal and pasta at Target and use coupons whenever possible. We buy the fresh food at Sprouts and try to find things that are on sale or avoid items which have gotten really expensive. This does not include eating dinner out once a week.

CrabNebula

I stopped buying protein powders and bars once I got my Instant Pot. It makes Greek yogurt for very cheap, much cheaper than powders/supplements/some other forms of protein. I can make a few days worth for $1.70.

I will often buy pork loin instead of BS chicken breast because it is cheaper for basically the same macro profile, though occasionally, they will have split breasts for as low as .89 a lb and I will pick that up and trim, debone, and deskin the meat myself. It has the added advantage that I can boil the bones for broth and additional meat I use for pulled chicken or enchiladas.

Soy_K

@puffbrat - i spend about the same for me and my husband, but i went a little* too supplement and powder happy one or two months and i wont even divulge how ridiculous my spending was. i try to do a big shop at costco once per month for staples. my goal is to keep us at $300 or lower per month.

@crabnebula - i didn't know that about pork - will have to check it out. i don't eat much meat myself, but my husband does so i try to cook it a couple times per week. we usually roast a chicken once per month and do the same with the bones for broth. so delicious.

Lounmoun

Soy_K wrote: »

I'm finding that protein powder, supplement, etc can get quite pricy. I'm really trying to keep our household on a budget. About how much do you generally spend on food per month? It's so easy to overspend

2 adults, 1 teenager
No special diets, not vegetarian but eat some meatless meals, don't eat beef very often, almost all meals prepared from home. We spend about $400-600 on food a month.
Our spending seems to be in line with what the USDA considers a thrifty food budget for our family size.
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodMar2015.pdf

Soy_K

Lounmoun wrote: »

Soy_K wrote: »

I'm finding that protein powder, supplement, etc can get quite pricy. I'm really trying to keep our household on a budget. About how much do you generally spend on food per month? It's so easy to overspend

2 adults, 1 teenager
No special diets, not vegetarian but eat some meatless meals, don't eat beef very often, almost all meals prepared from home. We spend about $400-600 on food a month.
Our spending seems to be in line with what the USDA considers a thrifty food budget for our family size.
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodMar2015.pdf

I've never seen these charts before, thank you!

Soy_K

i'm sure the costs fluctuate based on where you are too. i live in the sf bay area, california so everything here is bank. i cut fancy coffee drinks out and saved an alarming amount of $

DanyellMcGinnis

Ah, I had never seen those charts before either. My fiance and I are on the "liberal" plan. But we live in the suburbs outside Atlanta (fairly cheap part of the country as it goes) and both make comfortable incomes so we shop for dry goods mostly at Whole Foods and dairy/produce at Publix. (We don't buy meat. My fiance is not vegetarian, I am, and he might eat some chicken or something when we go out but that is about the extent of it.) Every now and then we get a box from the Purple Carrot but it is hard to fit those meals into my calorie goals so that is rare.

We are lately buying a lot of Kind bars and Quest protein bars and those are not cheap but we have found Target.com to have a good selection of the low-sugar Kind bars for a better price than local stores (free shipping at $25 right now) and Drugstore.com has cash back you can use like once a quarter so that is where we usually buy Quest bars. (Plus use Ebates for both sites!) Also I get a lot of subscription boxes so I am usually well-supplied with sample packets of protein powder/preworkout drinks/BCAA supplements and I almost never have to buy them separately.

So, I don't really have any advice on saving money except if you can find an international market nearby, they often have good produce, sometimes exotic stuff, for not much money if you don't mind picking through it for a little longer and if you are going to use it within a few days. When I was in grad school and on a juicing kick, a little Korean market saved me $$$.

MelaniaTrump

protein powder .57 cents a serving.
not really that expensive.

markswife1992

oh wow, that's hard to say. i have 3 children (21, 19 and 7) plus a husband and myself. i would guess that i spend about $100 every few days. average, perhaps $800/mo. i buy protein powder from walmart, it's the cheapest there.

kommodevaran

If you don't overbuy, and stick to real, ordinary food, it's easy not to overspend
Plan your meals using your food diary (get in appropriate calories, and aim to hit moderate amounts of protein, fat and carbs; you define moderate) and buy foods you like - this increases the likelihood of it getting eaten. Don't buy more than you have planned for - or plan one more meal to use it up, if you can't get a package that is just enough for one meal. Look at unit price, consider store brands. Look at what you get for your money - price vs all the parameters that may mean something to you, and they can vary from situation to situation - taste, convenience, ethics. Buy in season, or buy frozen. Don't throw food out just because its sell by date has passed; look, smell, taste, but be careful with (raw) meat/fish and especially shellfish

DisneyDude85

We spend about $300/m (me and 2 kids (4 and 5), but their mother and I share custody, so they are with me 2 weeks a month). We seem to be in between thrifty and low cost. However, I don't purchase any supplements or protein powders.

HealthierRayne

My boyfriend and I average about $500 a month - although that is slightly skewed as my monthly grocery bill also includes household crap like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, magazine, birthday cards etc - if I go to the grocery store, whatever the receipt says when I walk out is what goes on the food budget - even if it's not all food. I am far too lazy to break everything down and negate the non-food items on the receipt.

I am part of a food delivery service so I can confidently say that I spend $240/month on local organic produce for the 2 of us that is delivered to my door on a weekly basis.

jenovatrix

I spend maybe $100 - $120 week for me and my boyfriend but this includes everything including paper goods, cleaning supplies, and food and litter for our cats. They finally accept cards at Aldi now so I'm doing a lot of produce shopping there. Otherwise I do Target + cartwheel awesomeness. We meal plan which is super important for keeping your food budget down.

Cynsonya

About $400 a month approximately. It's just me but I shop organic wherever possible.

SuperheroSadie

My s/o and I are both strict budgeters, so we're not the norm but.. about $30/wk for the two of us? Of course that doesn't count if we need something extra that week, like a new tin of coffee, or whatever. But that's our base.

babyseal_24

According to that chart, I must live in a very very low cost area because, even spending liberally, I could spend *maybe* $100 a week on myself, my husband, and our son (who is almost a year old). And while it's not Whole Foods, the majority of our produce comes from the organic section. It's usually around $50 a week when I'm buying just the basics. To keep it low, we plan our meals (including snacks) in advance, make them (mostly) from scratch, try to reuse or freeze leftovers, and buy common dry goods in bulk (rice, beans, etc.) We also make our own yogurt, but we do it on the stove. Oh, and my husband gets lunch at work, which helps.

Edit: My husband brought it to my attention that we also don't eat meat, which probably makes a financial difference...

jolinemariem

I am a vegetarian and try to eat gluten free as well. Me and my wife spend probably about 200 a month.

tcunbeliever

I budget $600 a month for grocery, paper, and toiletries for 2 teenagers, husband, and me. I shop at Costco for much of it, and a mix of food lion, wegmans, and martins for the rest. The teenagers probably eat $400 of it.

robininfl

Large family checking in. I don't have a specific "food" category, it includes groceries, household items, pet care and stuff, that runs us about 1,400 a month for between 6-8 people, depending on the time of year. Not limiting what we buy. In times of low money i have fed 6 for $50/week but it's not sustainable forever, at some point you have to buy olive oil and spices, and fruit.

SezxyStef

Not sure if you want to know.

I feed myself, my husband and our son. Ages 43, 34, 22...two of us work out one has a physical job.

I cook a lot from scratch.

We spend appx 200 a week on food....doesn't include eating out or liquor or "extras" and that is not bad for here.

vikkihogan

Oh I wish. In my home there are 3 teenagers, a very physically demanding job of being a roofer (he eats about 3500-5000 calories a day) and me who trains 6-7 days a week. We spend approximately $1000.00 monthly. Goes fast but we stick to mostly clean /non processed foods.

Amerane

Apparently I'm below thrifty...for one person, I spend about $35/week on groceries with individual weeks running anywhere from $17 (this week) to $50. All in all, it's right about $140/month.

Cynsonya

Amerane wrote: »

Apparently I'm below thrifty...for one person, I spend about $35/week on groceries with individual weeks running anywhere from $17 (this week) to $50. All in all, it's right about $140/month.

That's amazing! I spend that much on fruit alone

RodaRose

Hubby and I both work sixty hours a week. We buy "convenience" and read to eat foods like rotisserie chicken and some pre-cut or packaged produce.

KDar1988

$800 to $900 a month. I'm eating better which equates to more fruit, veg and protein, plus a construction worker husband, a teenager and when he's home from college, my 20 year old and his girlfriend! This figure doesn't include any extra I buy in the way of protein shakes, bars or a salad for dinner when I don't eat what I'm making for them.

JeromeBarry1

Yesterday I bought a 3lb package of chicken that cost nearly $19 at Wal-Mart. That blows a hole in any household budget. The chicken had no injected salt. It was Perdue Harvestland brand. For my goals, which include low-sodium, it was worth the price, but I won't often buy it.

My 'budget' for shopping at the grocery store is odd because the 3 other people want strange crap and I want good stuff. Those 3 are not in bad shape and I am so I guess it's all my fault.

deadlifts_and_lipstick

I have 4 in our household right now, and I'm pregnant with our 3rd child. We usually spend about $500 every month on groceries, but the "grocery budget" also includes diapers, pull-ups, wipes, ect...
I will say, for good, pure protein, it will be expensive. My hubby and I just spent about $600 on protein powder, bars, pre workout and other things. The good thing is is that it should last us about 4 months!
Anyways, that's where we factor in! We also just got stationed in Italy with the military and have only been able to shop on the base commissary, which is a bit more expensive...
At home, I was able to shop at Kroger and use their BOGO's, then I'd only spend about $300 a month!

mom22dogs

Holy crap people spend a LOT of money on food! I'm single and it kills me to spend about $130 a month on food. I might eat out once or twice a month, but that only adds on about 30 bucks for twice a month eating out.

ashliedelgado

Household of 7, blended family. Hubs has a physically demanding job, I'm very active and pregnant, we have full custody of his twins (14), and my kids half of the week (13, 10, and 8). During the school year, I spend between $120 and $160 a week on groceries, and during school breaks this easily becomes closer to $200-$250. I meal plan, which makes a big difference. I'm a big fan of budgetbytes.com - she has some great recipes.

Soy_K

mom22dogs wrote: »

Holy crap people spend a LOT of money on food! I'm single and it kills me to spend about $130 a month on food. I might eat out once or twice a month, but that only adds on about 30 bucks for twice a month eating out.

Children seem very expensive! I have a large elderly dog and cook her food and have to buy her medicine, so I guess I have another "dependent" too. $130/mo seems very reasonable!