How much money do you spend on groceries?

sunburntgalaxy

I would say we spend about $100 a week for 2 people on average, for food only, not including the cats. And not counting any weird stuff that gets taken to work (like the 4 cartons of sparkling water yesterday). We kind of split it up though - usually I buy part and boyfriend buys part - depending on who has more money at the time. Add in the cats and that would jump up a lot (we have a lot of cats though). Some weeks when I am restocking things that last longer then a week (so dry goods like oatmeal, etc) then it goes up. Our problem is that even though we are in the Chicago suburbs, to get to the stores we like we have to drive a bit because there isn't one nearby (not til 2015). But worth it for better produce, better meat, things like that.

MrsGist

There are four of us just outside Chicago. My little ones are 2 and 7 months. We spend about $800/month on groceries, $200 on baby supplies (2 in diapers), and about $300 on eating out. It is pretty pricy out here. My daughter's organic milk is $6.99/gallon. I buy on sale when I can, but it is really relative. When you jack the price of a bag of lettuce up to $4 then mark it on sale for $2.50, it is still crazy expensive for salad. We have a farmer's market, but it isn't that much cheaper. Still $4 for a pint of blueberries. I tried to garden last year, but it's too shady for much to grow.

kathyschance

Hmmm.....hard to say how much of it is food and how much of it is cleaning supplies, paper products, hygiene and cat food/litter, but I spend about $100 a week for groceries for myself. I used to eat a LOT of pre-packaged and processed things and now I'm trying to get back into fresh produce and cooking my own recipes. It looks like doing it this way is going to be healthier....but more expensive.

srmchan

Family of 4 with 2 teenage boys... around $1500-$1700 per month including protein powders, etc. The upside - if there is one - is we practically never eat out, so our restaurant budget is almost nil. The budget figure does include paper goods, laundry detergent, etc.

My wife and I got started in fitness back in late April and with it came an intense interest in healthy eating. I buy a lot of wild caught salmon, tuna, steaks, and a mix of organic and non-organic produce. My 2 boys and I eat a dozen eggs (total) and nearly a pack of bacon every morning. On the flip side, we used to go thru 3-4 loaves of bread per week; now 1 loaf is too many.

Now that I've got a few months of good eating habits under my belt, I need to start making adjustments to bring my grocery bill back down. For instance, I've been learning how to slow cook cheaper cuts of meat like flat iron so they're tender and flavorful; I'm a big fan of sous vide cooking.

Sam

Shalaurise

$250 a week for myself, hubbs, the kid and the roomie.

tjohnston14

I spend probably $175 to $250 per week, depending on how much I have to restock things. That amount also includes eating out once a week, carry out once a week, all household goods, TP, etc. That is for me, my husband, and our three kids (15, 12, and 9). My husband eats a lot of junk food and drinks a lot of soda, but I eat a lot of fruits and veggies so I am buying some of everything it seems. My husband and I also pack our lunches every day and so do the kids during the school year. During the summer months, the kids are all home and eating all day long!!

seltzermint555

Coupon people: Genuine question here...what in the world do you find and use coupons for these days? Are you getting them all online, or from actual newspapers, or what?

I ask because I love coupons, but very rarely find them for things I actually buy. At Target I'll get noosa and Morningstar Farms coupons pretty regularly, but my mom (who still actually subscribes to a print newspaper) gives me her coupons and there's almost nothing in there I buy when it comes to groceries. I do use the coupons for stuff like razors and deodorant, however.

My husband and I don't eat exclusively "clean" or anything, but we do cook a lot from staples and fresh produce. However I almost never come across coupons for things I buy/eat. It's usually like a hundred coupons for cereal, crap shampoo/conditioner, frozen appetizers, and chain restaurants.

MaidensAndMonsters

$85-100.00 per week for a family of 3.

CharleePear

This thread and mint has made me realize I have a problem with money.

I spend about 2000 bucks a month on food and dining for myself and my girlfriend.

We eat out a lot.

I like steak.

And good beer.

I think I spent 50 bucks on a cheeseburger the other night.

Yeaaaaaaaa. :ohwell:

Wait what? Firstly, you have a gf now? I hope you are joking about $50 burger :noway:

shartran

Live in Florida. $600 a month, that includes everything, for 2 adults, 2 sons, 19 and 16 yrs old.

That does not include eating out, which we do a few times a month.

That is impressive - must be very inexpensive to live in sunny Florida...especially with two teenage boys in the house! Do they even eat there? (LOL)

I'm just remembering how my brother was when he was between 15 - 19...he would eat massive amounts
(I mean, whole pizza's and his 'cereal bowl' was a large mixing bowl!)

rainrain83

i would love to spend that much

i spend about $330 (AUD) a week for a family of 5.
don't know where it all goes.
we seem to run out of food by the end of the week.

illuvatree

Around $50 a week for two people, plus bulk items we bought a few weeks ago and plus produce we sometimes buy at the local farmer's market. But if we make a special trip to Trader Joe's, definitely more, maybe around $100.

Quirky_but_nice

That is impressive - must be very inexpensive to live in sunny Florida...especially with two teenage boys in the house! Do they even eat there? (LOL)

I'm just remembering how my brother was when he was between 15 - 19...he would eat massive amounts
(I mean, whole pizza's and his 'cereal bowl' was a large mixing bowl!)

My nephew ate like that as a teenager. By restricting the quantity of cereal we had in the house, he was encouraged to learn to cook!
He would create ever more wondrous menus involving huge amounts of (cheap) pasta!

FindingAmy77

for two people we spend fifty bucks a week. Not including the other stuff like toilet paper, cat food and ltter, baggies, cleaning products, etc.. Then when you add that all in. I usually hit close to a hundred each week. I keep it smart and basic. I make a shopping list and meal plan for the week before I go. I usually start it in the beginning of the week and just add ideas as I go. Right before Friday afternoon hits, I make sure to make a whole new list nice and neat. I pride myself in keeping close to our budget. I check out new recipes, I get creative with what I have on hand, I check the sales at the stores, I check for coupons and deals. I think with my meal and grocery planning, that we eat better now than we ever did before I started my journey (I never refer to it as a diet)

FindingAmy77

Live in Florida. $600 a month, that includes everything, for 2 adults, 2 sons, 19 and 16 yrs old.

That does not include eating out, which we do a few times a month.

That is impressive - must be very inexpensive to live in sunny Florida...especially with two teenage boys in the house! Do they even eat there? (LOL)

I'm just remembering how my brother was when he was between 15 - 19...he would eat massive amounts
(I mean, whole pizza's and his 'cereal bowl' was a large mixing bowl!)

anyone who refers to Florida as sunny must not go there. It rains EVERYDAY. just saying. :laugh:

cHaRlIe0411

My boyfriend and I split the bill and shop for the two of us. My bill is usually between 55 and 80$, and his is much lower because I buy more "health" foods, like chia seeds, for example. Keep in mind that we are students: if I had a bigger budget, I think I would allow myself to spend much more!

HadassahsMomma

I spend between 400-550$ a month and that feeds me, hubs, 6 year old and 10 month old. I buy rice, lower cost meats, lots of veggies (fresh and frozen), deli meats and sodas. I also buy a couple big containers of baby formula, baby cereals and some jarred foods.
These are foods we normally always buy:
20 lb bag white rice (1 every couple months), mac and cheese, gravy mixes and potato mixes, taco shells
avocados, tomatoes, strawberries, bananas, frozen mixed fruit, lettuces, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, guac, salsa
eggs, chicken breast, chicken legs/thighs (hey, it's cheap), corn dogs, pastrami/turkey breast, brauts occasionally, turkey bacon, turkey pepperoni
mozza cheese, kraft singles, shredded mexi cheese, string cheese

benchsquad65

I spend as much as it takes. I need 200g protein, something like 60-80g of good fat, and some good carbs. I just skip buying video games and stupid stuff because my body is a top priority.

jennxx7

I spend, on average, between 50-70 per week for two people. We usually get takeout once a week, and might meet friends for dinner one night every other week. I've been actively trying to avoid buying lunch out since I'm buying more than enough groceries to cover those meals (but sometimes I still do it out of sheer laziness).

It's not always 50-70 each week though... some weeks when there are awesome meat sales I'll stock up and freeze. Then the next week, we might only spend 35 between the two of us because all we need is milk and vegetables.

I grew up in a house where my mom meal-planned around what was on sale, and I think that habit has helped me save a lot. Only buying sale items forces you into eating a variety of stuff anyway, so I kind of like it.

xixshaiyaxix

About $250/month for just me and my husband.