How much is your grocery bill every month?

TakeOne

I can tell you exactly how much I spend at the grocery store..lol..one of my goals in 2010 was to start a budget. I just set averages and tracked my spending. I was really surprised to see where my money was going and it helped me make some minor changes. That said, I spent $184.32 ($36.87 per week) in the month of Jan. On the high end I have spent $270.72 ($54.00 per week). That was for me and my dog : ) It also includes non-edibles that you would pick up at walmart (like soap, detergent, etc.). I am a coupon user as well : ) Hope this helps.

Beastiephile

Before I started eating healthy, me and my boyfriend would go out to eat for every meal. It became very costly, so we bought a small fridge and started eating food at home. That's when I started planning my meals very carefully and mindfully. Since then, for my own food I spent about $50 a week (we shop separately because I'm a vegan and he's not). I buy some things from Costco, which is a little costly up front but saves so much money in the long run.

MzBug

At a quick glance I would guess about $600 in January for the entire household purchases. That includes laundry products, paper goods, toiletries, medications and food. The food is the easy part of it, my guy doesn't care what brand I purchase food wise, as long as I can make it taste good. The other non food items he is VERY particular on the brand. He has his favorite products that he won't even consider changing. When I do buy brand name products I usually do so at the local warehouse store, and I buy them in multiples that last longer than a month.

AmeMahoney

It's really not more expensive to eat healthy, contrary to what most people say. If you stock up on lots of whole grains and beans, you can eat for pennies a day. Subtract out all of the food you may have been spending on fast food or going out to restaurants when you track your budget, too.

Some of my friends spend a couple hundred dollars a month on medication for diabetes, cholesterol meds, and other preventable issues. Some of them even sleep with C-Pap machines. These expenses should be added to your grocery bills as well because as they eat healthy and lose weight people generally come off medications. Of course, the lessening of aches, pains, and depression - you can't really put a price on that. It should all be taken into consideration in an overall "health and wellness" section of your budget (that includes gym membership, if you have one). At least that's the way I like to do it.

We spend about $150-$200 a week on all of our groceries and home supplies. I need to cut back a little, though - I find myself not planning my meals well enough and having too much leftover food that I can't get to!

♥Amy♥

We are a family of 4 and spend roughly around $200 per month on groceries. But, I am an extreme couponer (not too extreme) and only buy stuff (and buy it in bulk) when it's cheap/free.

We also only eat ground beef, chicken, and pork chops for the most part, so we don't have the expense of other meats and we aren't huge veggie eaters either, so we don't have that expense.

SevenisHeaven

Approx. 800-900. Yup.

emchamberlain

$600/month for a family of four, no eating out. We eat about 60% vegetarian for our dinners, almost no processed foods. That counts household goods like toilet paper and cleaners. I like to spend money on fancy organic stuff and ingredients like coconut oil and unusual grains, which can be really expensive.

newmeat30

$200-$225 every 2 weeks.

Costs more to shop healthier.

Why is it that everything that is related to being healthy or that has the word "baby" in it is double the price??

Grokette

For our household of 2 adults and 2 large dogs we spend:

$700.00 per year on a CSA membership which includes eggs and raw dairy items as well as fresh flowers in spring/summer, herbs, vegetables and fruit (whats in season) $58.50 per month average

$175.00 per month on meat from a local butcher.

About $100.00 for miscellaneous items from Wal-mart.

msemejuru

I'm at $200 for a family of 5. I make most things from scratch including ketchup, bread, chips etc. My husband, son and Mother in Law are vegetarians so I'm normally in the produce isle shopping seasonally.

chrissym78

I spend about $150-180 a week, but there are 5 of us and my boys eat as much as hubby, LOL!! I think I spend about the same as I used to, but I don't buy much from the middle of the store. I'd say 95% of mine is in the outside loop of fresh stuff, organic and clean as much as possible, so it's money well spent I so wish we had a CSA here! During the summer I mainly shop at the Farmers Market, maybe once a month to a grocery store.

Meganne1982

When I was living on my own I was spending about 30-50 a week. Now I live with my fiance, and every week, unless we have to get something special, it's always between $92-$95. So, average of about $400 a month to feed two people, a small breed dog, and a Guinea Pig

dawnkitchen

My boyfriend and I spend about $600 every month (this includes household odds and ends and dog food - which is almost $60 by itself!). We also spend about $150 to eat out every month (Mondays we always eat out with his friends).

We live in a nice suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, for reference. We need produce each week and usually stock up on chicken and meats once per month to save on shopping trips. We both also drink soda and he loves his beer. Sooooo, yeah.

cindysg3

Aldi's does have some deals. We also went to a local supplier, GFS-Gordon Food Service, and found 2 lb bags of restaurant quality frozen brocolli and frozen cauliflower for $2 each. People shouldn't be afraid of lower nutrients with flash frozen veggies that are picked and frozen within 8-12 hours of the picking. These can be more nutrtious than something that was picked a week before and shipped. Tonight I cooked another brand of frozen brocolli and there was no comparision to the GFS. We love Aldi's frozen young tender green beans. I tend to try different brands and stick to those with the most bang for your buck.

snowdays

We spend $600-$750 a month, sometimes more ,that is for me, my husband, & two boys. One is 8 and the other is 17. We all pack our lunch for school & work and cook dinner every night. we usually have cereal, milk, fruit for breakfast. It is more expensive to try to eat a balanced diet. We enjoy eating dinner together every night. My sons friends like to come to our house to eat,

Hearts_2015

It's really not more expensive to eat healthy, contrary to what most people say. If you stock up on lots of whole grains and beans, you can eat for pennies a day. Subtract out all of the food you may have been spending on fast food or going out to restaurants when you track your budget, too.

Some of my friends spend a couple hundred dollars a month on medication for diabetes, cholesterol meds, and other preventable issues. Some of them even sleep with C-Pap machines. These expenses should be added to your grocery bills as well because as they eat healthy and lose weight people generally come off medications. Of course, the lessening of aches, pains, and depression - you can't really put a price on that. It should all be taken into consideration in an overall "health and wellness" section of your budget (that includes gym membership, if you have one). At least that's the way I like to do it.

We spend about $150-$200 a week on all of our groceries and home supplies. I need to cut back a little, though - I find myself not planning my meals well enough and having too much leftover food that I can't get to!

Great points on the medications being part of the over all bill. I agree I find it far less costly to eat healthy meals than eating out and eating empty calories. Now THAT is expensive and we have nothing much to show after the food is gone but unhealthy weight and unhealthy bodies.

I too buy beans, rice etc. in bulk and find it very cost efficient. We spend $125 a month on 2 of us and have wonderful and very healthy meals.

It CAN be Done!:flowerforyou:

KokomoJoe

I spend $100-$150 a week for myself. That is buying 90% organic and also includes other stuff like laundry detergent, TP, supplements (Udo's oil, bee pollen, protein powders) etc. That being said, last week I was short money but have enough reserve food in fridge, freezer pantry, I still ate healthy and only spent $50 for fresh fruit, veggies etc. I have no problems buying food on sale then freezing it until I need it. I have frozen bananas, mango, blueberries all ready for smoothies.

I have been packing lunches as well and that is probably saving $50 a week that would have gone on fast food, etc for lunch. Now if I buy a lunch it will be a small salad and I will add chicken or salmon to it that I bring.

whatupskinnyjeans

I'm gonna estimate about 130 a week- like 500-600 a month

janesmith1

Between $800 & $1000 a month, for 2 of us.

CalorieNinja

I spend about 200/week (for a family of four) I was actually spending more when I wasn't eating healthy because we piled on the snacks! I make a menu and that really helps as far as planing goes and keeps costs down.

punkrockmama

For ALL household grocery/toiletry/cleaning needs, we spend about $200/week.
But thats for a family of 5, all of whom eat 3 full meals and snacks at home every day.
Plus my husband is an extremely active fighter/power lifter who has high dietary needs.

Are you after some tips? Or just a gauge to see if your spending is on par?

Buying individually is so different than buying for a family, but I'm sure many of the concepts are the same.

We buy as much as possible from Costco and Farmers Markets.
The rest I plan based on what's on sale AND what I have a coupon for.
When I buy in bulk I have a plan for it so that it gets used up properly without us getting sick of it. (I.e. broccoli will be the "veggie of the week" and it will be prepared as a side, as crudite and dip, in a stir fry, or a soup.)
Pack your lunch or eat at home.
Freeze leftovers.
Don't buy more than you will consume. (This was a big surprise for me when I became conscious of it!)
Pick and choose your name brand items sparingly.

There's so many more, but eating healthfully AND cheap can definitely be done!

Good luck!!!!

Ravyn1982

I'm very limited on my food budget. Just above the fed requirements for being able to get food stamps so I get alot of things at food pantries. Most of what they give me would probably cost me about 50 a week. But then I spend about 50 a week on fresh produce and pop for my hubby. But I also shop around instead of all in one place so its really hard to tell. I also just spent almost 50 tonight just on meat. But I just bought enough meat to last my family for the next 2 months at least. Was an extremely good price on pork so we bought a bunch. But That is what I do when I can. In the summer I buy produce at the farmer's market cause it is cheaper there and I shop at Aldi's for certain things and I have a bread thrift store that sells the bread that is about to go bad pretty close so I shop there. Also USE coupons. I know they make it longer when you are at the store checkout but at some stores they double any coupon that is under $1 up to a $1 off and it really adds up in savings. I'm a huge coupon mom. Sometimes that means buying more of something then I need but I know I'll eventually use it.

So I know I got a little rambley there hehe But I'm a thrifty person and like to share how I do it with people:) But I probably spend about 200 on groceries every month but actually eat and use about 400 every month.

punkrockmama

for my family of 4 I feed everyone meals at home 7 days a week (okay we eat out twice a month!) for $280 a month.

INCREDIBLE!!!! You are my hero!!!!

NicolioRussell

It is more expensive to eat healthy food. Do you have Aldi in your area? Their produce is very reasonable and of good quality for the most part. It's prepackaged so you might have to buy more than you want, for instance, I like cucumber in my salad but they come 3 to a package and it's hard to use them up sometimes. But their romaine hearts and spring mix are excellent and at just over half the price of the other supermarkets in my area, are a real bargain.

I do all of my shopping at Aldi. It's so much cheaper when you add it all up. My boyfriend and I do end up spending about $75 to $100 on average a week...sometimes less. This includes random trips to Meijer to pick up things we need between our biweekly grocery trips. Some things we spend more money (sashimi grade tuna @ $13.00 a pound so we can make homemade sushi) but most things we pick the cheap option. Unfortunately in my area, the aldi produce is less than stellar so we tend to get that at meijer.

We started out doing all of our shopping at Aldi, but we are paying $50/annually for chase ultimate rewards on our debit/credit cards....but you only get the points if you go credit when you use the card. Aldi only lets you use the card as debit. I agree that aldi's veggies aren't always the best quality, but they usually are pretty good if you go mid-week. They also have a lot of great "Fit and Active" stuff that tastes just as good as a lot of other low-fat options, though much much cheaper.

Hearts_2015

Between $800 & $1000 a month, for 2 of us.

WOW:noway:

KWSR16

we food shop every week and our bill has actually gone down from about 100-120, to 80-90 a week now that we aren't buying processed foods and junk. we go to a local farmers market and can get enough fruits and veggies for the both of us for 25 or under. also, when you actually portion everything out it's amazing how much longer food lasts.

Me and my fiance are spending about the same amount! Its so great that we can actually spend less and seem like we are getting more. I totally agree with the portions, it really is amazing how a box of cereal can last SOO much longer when you are actually only taking ONE cup instead of 3 or 4 at a time! We also go for a lot of the gereric versions of healthy foods to save money and its working out pretty well.

richars65

For two adults we spend about $65-75/week. Lots of produce, almost no boxed or packaged food. Mostly bulk and produce.

pyro13g

About $100.00 a month for just me. But that's everything else too, not just food, so more like $80.00

shannonshock13

I'm gonna estimate i spend $150-200 a month on just feeding myself, that price is excluding protein powder, vitamins and bee pollen. Add another $40 every 2 months for my dog.

I don't buy hardly any processed foods, i buy A LOT of chicken and fish and produce and oatmeal...hahaha i seem to live off oatmeal.

When my husband gets home we'll probably end up spending $400-500 a month on groceries and a couple date nights

tenessaa

My family of four is good on around $600 a month