What's your food budget?

Barneystinson

I was having a convo over the weekend with a group of friends about groceries and spending. A lot of people would like to cut back but interesting enough, they already spend less on their groceries than I do! I don't really know (honestly) where my own budget falls in the scope of things. So now I'm curious...

How much do you spend monthly (roughly)?
How many are in your household?
What region / area are you from?
Do you think that's high / low / average ?
Does anything affect that total? - Buying organic, couponing, etc...

I'll start...

I spend around $400 / month
I buy for 2 adults
Southeastern PA
I think my habits are average, maybe a little bit high.
I buy some organic, don't generally coupon - but do follow sales, buy meats and other ingredients in bulk and store them. I buy from farmers markets in the summer time.

LindseyC87

My budget is $400 we feed 2 adults and 1 child... I coupon when there's things I buy but I for the most part only buy meat, produce, and dairy products. I live in utah and I think my budget is pretty good. I buy bulk in things like rice, oatmeal, spices, and meats.

momma3sweetgirls

I probably spend $800 a month. We're 2 adults, and 4 kids - 6,5,3,7mos. S. Central PA. No organic, rarely coupon, mostly fresh veggies, fruit, meat and dairy. This also includes the household things like paper towel, toilet paper, tissues, cleaning supplies, etc. I've never broken it down to just food.

jraps17

I think it depends on your income and the types of foods you are buying, you'll obviously pay more for organics and also buying from local farmers but i think that is great. If you have the funds in your budget go for it. My wife and I coupon as much as we can but now we buy less with coupons because what we have coupons for isn't always the healthiest of stuff with some exceptions. I think as long as you live within your means don't worry about what others spend and keep supporting your local farmers if you can.

hush7hush

I give myself $50 a week to spend.
I usually only spend $30.

krislshoe

Family of 5 (3 boys ages 12, 9, and 8) plus I babysit.....I spend about $125 a week on groceries and yes I am very health conscious and dont buy a lot of pre packaged foods....we live in PA.

kimmerroze

I spend anywhere from 200-300 a month for 2 adults. I use coupons when I have them, but I am not religious about it. The times that my grocery bill are higher is when there was a sale on meat or frozen veggies or pasta sauce, or canned veggies and bean or something like that and I stock up big time. My grocery bill is also higher when we need shower supplies like shampoo and conditioner body wash toilet paper deoderant toothpaste but this is only about every 6 weeks.

I shop twice a month, I try to stay away from the temptation of the grocery store as much as possible.

HeidiMightyRawr

I spend about £400 (~$600?) in England, that's on household stuff as well as food though, maybe £350 food? That's for me and my partner. I think it's quite high from what I've heard, but we get alot of fresh meats and fruits/veg's. I try to get stuff that's on offer as much as possible, don't go for organic or anything like that though as it's all the same to me!

sarah_ep

I would say 250-300 for two adults. We buy half of our produce from farmers markets and the rest from the grocery store (not organic). We also only eat meat on the weekends (which has really cut down our food bill).

JDMPWR

600 a month, I only eat out one meal a week. This includes my bi monthly casein and protein powders.

dls06

I too am from Southeastern Pa. Phila.
I live alone and spend about $300.00 a month Not including eating out once or twice a week.
I do not buy organic. Only because the selection is not great where I shop. Food Basics for Fruit and Veggies, Milk, Cheese, Frozen Veggies, Breads and Pasta. Shop Rite for my meats and other things they have on a sale that week.
Sometimes do Sam's Club for meats if I need to get something else or go with a friend or having a party.
My biggest problem is shopping for one. I was so use to shopping for 7 for 30 years and now it's just me. It is taking a while to shop for only what I need. I have a pantry so full I could probably eat from it for 3 months.

electricnarwhal

Hm, I'd say about $400 a month or so. There's just the two of us in the house and we live in WV. I think it's pretty average for the most part. Nothing organic and no coupons. We stock up on a lot of meats when they're on sale, and generally everything else is dairy, veggies, fruit, a few canned things, dog food, and house stuff.

tararocks

I spend about $450-$500 a month for two adults and two kids (13, 5). My youngest daughter eats almost exclusively fresh fruit and veggies (I am happy that she does this but we don't make her, it's just what she prefers) so i spend most of my budget on fresh fruit and veggies, I can't get away with just the lower cost bag of apples, we eat all kinds, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, oranges, melons, etc. and veggies, we eat them all and i prefer the fresh, carrots, peppers, squash, cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce, green beans...so this all adds up. the otehr thing we spend a lot of money on is meat and cereal. I wish i could get my budget down but doing so would mean eating a lot of processed boxed high calorie/sodium food (don't get me wrong, i eat my fair share of that too, that's why I don't need anymore). I'm in southern Illinois.

Sam899

I spend 400-600 / month on food alone. It's just for 2 adults. I'd say it's average to high I'd guess and I also live in south eastern PA. I try to buy whats in season to keep it more reasonable. I read a book once that talked about how people in European countries spend much larger portions of their income on food every month but in turn, they buy and eat healthier. Since then I make it a point to spend a little more and get good food because it should be more important to eat good then to have extra money to go shopping for nonsense I don't need. I'm trying to spend money where it counts i.e. my food and exercise lifestyle.

hush7hush

Wow.
I feel cheap now.

BeckyKSmith

I probably spend $800 a month. We're 2 adults, and 4 kids - 6,5,3,7mos. S. Central PA. No organic, rarely coupon, mostly fresh veggies, fruit, meat and dairy. This also includes the household things like paper towel, toilet paper, tissues, cleaning supplies, etc. I've never broken it down to just food.

Same here, but it is getting tough to stay in the $800 with grocery prices going up....diapers don't help either.

ladybg81

$400 per month for 2 adults and 1 child. I live in South AL and feel my budget is pretty average. We buy lots of fresh meats, fresh veggies and fresh fruits. I do not coupon and sometimes will buy organic if I can find it. I shop at a local farmer's market for a lot of my veggies and some fruits. I try to buy some things in bulk that we eat a lot of, like chicken, cheese sticks things like that. I make a menu for 2 weeks and buy everything I need for those meals on one big trip. I still go to the Farmer's market weekly to restock my veggies and sometimes I have to get more milk. The menu option really helps me to stay within my budget but I do go over by a little usually. Of course, if my DH is there, he seems to "need" everything under the sun so I've started trying to go by myself because I can stick to a list better than he can. This does include all household items, not just food.

eryn415

We live in San Francisco and spend about $500 per month on groceries. I coupon for my big Safeway trip about every three weeks. I hit Trader Joe's about twice a month, plus trips to the produce market about twice a week. We eat lots of fruits and veggies. There are 2 adults and 2 kids (7 and 5) in our household.

hbrekkaas

We spend around $800 to feed 2 adults and 3 kids (8, 3, 1) I am in a little town in Northern BC, Canada. We have 3 grocery stores and every single thing is shipped in, nothing is grown here, with the exception of meat if I want to double my meat budget and buy local. (I don't) We can also get some veggies during the summer from the farmers market: lettuce, cucumber, carrots and potatoes. I don't think our budget is actually that high for our town.

bmmarti3

I target about $80 per week (~$350 per month); we switched over to the health food store recently and are running between $80-100 week now (~$350-435 per month).

2 adults and 1 toddler in central Florida

*edit* Food and drinks only (diapers and the like don't go in the grocery budget)

milaxx

I was having a convo over the weekend with a group of friends about groceries and spending. A lot of people would like to cut back but interesting enough, they already spend less on their groceries than I do! I don't really know (honestly) where my own budget falls in the scope of things. So now I'm curious...

How much do you spend monthly (roughly)?
How many are in your household?
What region / area are you from?
Do you think that's high / low / average ?
Does anything affect that total? - Buying organic, couponing, etc...

I'll start...

I spend around $400 / month
I buy for 2 adults
Southeastern PA
I think my habits are average, maybe a little bit high.
I buy some organic, don't generally coupon - but do follow sales, buy meats and other ingredients in bulk and store them. I buy from farmers markets in the summer time.

I think you are a little high. I buy for 1 adult and 2 cats and spend anywhere from $100 - $150 a month. I clip coupons (seriously I have a binder and everything). I also shop sales and make as much food from scratch as possible. I also buy some organics items and buy from local farmers. This includes cat food, and household items.

I shop different markets. I buy only needed things from Whole Foods. I then hit up the local produce market which has many bargains including 3 dozen eggs for $4. I then go to whatever supermarket is having the best deals. Last summer I did a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for 8 weeks. It was $30 a week and I received so much food I split it with a friend so $15 gave me all my produce except lettuce and eggs. In fact I had so much that I blanched and froze a lot of it. I just finished the last of that in January.

I joined recyclebank and use the point to get coupons and free cat food.

I'm ovo- vegetarian, eat limited gluten and soy.

I live in Philadelphia.

milaxx

dupe

pa_jorg

I just increased my budget to $150 a month for 1 adult. I try to shop sales and use a few coupons per trip.

Barneystinson

I forgot - 2 cats, also.

One of us (me) can't have gluten, the other, lactose intolerant. We eat a lot of meat, veggies, and fruit.

shallo

My budget is $275-$300 a month for 2 adults and an 8 year old. I live in Oregon, about 40 minutes outside Portland. I don't do coupons but watch sales and don't buy name brand often, unless it is on sale for less than the store brand.

jmgj27

I spend maybe £150 - £200 a month on food and it's just me. Food is very expensive in the UK and getting more so. I shop around to try and get some decent deals and will often go to independent butchers because although the price of the meat is more expensive I can get smaller amounts which works out better for me (I don't have a freezer which is also annoying as I can't store food and it pushes my budget up). I don't buy organic but will buy fresh fruit and veg from a fruit and veg stall. In comparison with others I'd say my budget is low to average in the UK.

michelleisgettinfit

I spend about $800 a month as well... 2 adults, 3 kids. But that also included household items as well... I wish I could coupon like those people on extreme couponing. Would love to buy $1000 worth of groceries for $5.

kristelpoole

Haha, my boyfriend and I were just talking about this. We live together and don't count dog food in our grocery bill - she has her own budget and is also pescetarian.

We just lowered our grocery budget to $450/month. We live in Richmond, VA and mostly buy from Whole Foods, the local fish market, farmers markets and the local organic market. I'd say this also includes our monthly wine trip to Trader Joe's but we don't buy much else from there. We don't really buy meat (he eats it out occasionally but we don't keep or cook it at home) since I'm a pescetarian and we almost never coupon. The good stuff just isn't coupon material, apparently. We often buy organic and we also try to buy local and/or sustainable. We don't buy junk food, soda, or processed foods for the most part, so the majority of our bill is fresh foods. I think it's moderately high compared to what others spend but it feels like a tight budget for us. We'd rather spend our money on our body's fuel and know we're healthy and happy, supporting our local economy and supporting positive environmental movements. Plus, we like to cook at home and know what we're getting as opposed to eating out too often. Our restaurant budget is $50/week, including drinks and tips.

After all, you are what you eat. Too many people in the US don't spend enough on food, in my opinion. It makes me sad that the main thing sustaining the body isn't a top priority for a lot of families. I get tired of hearing "I can't afford it" because that's just an excuse. You make a choice to sacrifice food and instead buy your kid a gaming system or an iPhone, let's be honest.

Angela_MA

We spend about $650-$700 a month for 2 adults and 3 boys (yes this makes a differences)! We live in the Chicago region and things cost al ittle more around here. However, my husband is in the military so we do most of our shopping at the commisary; but go to Costco or other grocery stores to get better. I do tend to think this is high because i buy foods for myself and foods for my family. Most of what i buy is a mixed bag. I do coupon and usually save the amount I would pay on a surcharge or on taxes! Rarely do I buy organic, because it costs more. Mostly I buy meat, dairy, fruits and veggies, but also snack items and things I can pack in lunches. Also, we rarely eat out, maybe once or twice a month as a family.

mericksmom

I spend roughly abloout 150-175 a month on groceries
I feed 2 adults and one growing 7 year old who can eat a whole lrg pizza in one sitting
I am in AZ
This is the low average but not the lowest of what I will spend
I coupon so I can save money. If I do better on couponing I can spend maybe 20 a week on groceries if it a bad sales week with coupons it is normally about 50-100 a week

lynnmarie60

We spend roughly 1200 a month for 3 adults and 6 kids, we live in the Detroit regional area of Michigan. I do coupons electronically on my kroger card only, look for sales; especially manager specials and buy in bulk if I can.

I spent less when I wasn't watching what we consume in the house but with the fresh fruits, low fat items and careful recipes I pick for the week I spend more than I use to.