Average Monthly Groceries

MrsJax11

I was using the Suze Orman budgeting tool on the Oprah website (yeah, you can pause here to chuckle at my dorkiness)
and it said that I was more than 20% outside the national average for groceries. The National average is $371 per month.
I spend about $500 for two of us, but we pack breakfast and dinner and go out to eat less than twice a month...
so my question is, if you feel comfortable sharing...
1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding?
2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch?
3. Do you dine out often?
4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP?

Just thought it may be an interesting conversation! And if there is some super secret to getting my budget smaller, I want to know what it is

goddesshanna

Does this take into account where you live? I know cost of living here in IA is really low. We were spending $180 every 2 weeks for 2 people. Since mfp and losing my job, It's running $130 or so :P

heather0416

I was using the Suze Orman budgeting tool on the Oprah website (yeah, you can pause here to chuckle at my dorkiness)
and it said that I was more than 20% outside the national average for groceries. The National average is $371 per month.
I spend about $500 for two of us, but we pack breakfast and dinner and go out to eat less than twice a month...
so my question is, if you feel comfortable sharing...
1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding?
2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch?
3. Do you dine out often?
4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP?

Just thought it may be an interesting conversation! And if there is some super secret to getting my budget smaller, I want to know what it is

1. we usually spend about 100 a week on groceries. Feeding 4 people. One baby so that includes formula and baby food as well.
2. I am a SAHM so i eat at home every day for breakfast and lunch. I usually make extra for dinner so my husband has leftovers to take for lunch every day to work. He never buys a lunch.
3. We dine out MAYBE once a week. Going out to a sit down dinner, probably every other week.
4. Yes, because im buying more fruits and healthy foods in general. Its worth it though!!

ilikejam33

i would take these numbers with a grain of salt, Most people dont buy the best stuff when the shop,so these may be quite skewed. I try to stay on a budget of $100 a week, for 2 adults, and i like you cook at home and rarley buy meals out. I have a friedn at work who think i spend way too much (he spends $200.month for 2 adults and a kid) i like to remind him he also spends $10 a day on his unhealthy and expensive lunch.

pauljsolie

I spend $200 per month, one person, I shop at Whole Foods alot. Food budget could go down dramatically if I went back to shopping in the supermarket. Budget would have gone down, I eat way less food dollars since I went to eating healthy and cut way down on processed foods.

JessieGurl

Wow, I am waayyyy over the average! I spend about $550.0 a month for 4 of us. That is not including the fast food lunch we usually get on Saturday afternoon while out and about. I cook all meals at home since I am a stay at home mom and my husband brings a packed lunch 3 out of his 4 days of work. I try to cut back but it seems impossible!

emccand

I work from home and my husband packs lunch almost everyday. We go out to eat way way to much lol and probably spend like $300 a month on groceries. We have 1 daughter, and then my step daughter comes and stays with us every other weekend. When we have here, we do buy more food. Its hard to keep track because sometimes we will decide to make a certain meal and run to the store for a few items, and that probably adds more to our monthly total. I have been trying to use more coupons, buy sale items, and plan meals instead of just buying items it helps a little.

Kagard11

Mine has increased just because I buy more fresh fruits and vegges!!!!!

DancingYogini

1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding? Average (because I do one huge trip at the beginning of the month) $150-200 per week. Feeding 5 people, 3 are vegetarians, 1 is a teenager!! And, I try to buy mostly organic.
2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch? Everyone packs lunches and all eat breakfast at home.
3. Do you dine out often? Depends on the month, but maybe once a week.
4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP? It is the same, I just eat less .

SparksFly460

I'm probably about 450 per month. Feeding two. I make 95% of my meals, I pack my bf's lunch for work and we eat dinner at home. But he does his dunkin donuts run every morning. If I count his DD morning trips...we're closer to 500-550 a month (yes he spend almost 5 bucks a day, five days a week on donuts and coffee lol). It really is a lot but I always cook double portions for him...he's always had a pretty insane metabolism. So in reality I think Im actually feeding three sometimes

We don't dine out too often anymore. Before we moved in together we actually ate most of our meals out. I actually enjoy cooking home and packing food...now the dine-outs just seem more special.

Where I REALLY save is by going to Costco. Things like cold cuts, fresh seafood, diet soda, seltzer and frozen foods all come from there. I get TWICE the amount of food than I would at the supermarket for the same price.

CharlieBarleyMom

Mine is hard to figure out sometimes but I believe I'm somewhere around $300-$350 per month. This is for me and the dog and 4 cats. But since I go to the Farmer's Market, to the grocery store and to Wal-Mart, depending on what I need, I lose track of a budget.
Yes, my groceries are always more expensive when trying to eat healthy. Fresh fruit, fresh meat, fresh veggies... they're all more expensive than the preservative-laden canned and jarred items that you can buy and eat 10 years later.
Of course, because I shop at the Wal-Mart super center, dog food, a new frying pan, a garbage can for the downstairs bathroom all seem to get added into the overall "food" bill. And I refuse to make more than one trip there or to make my time there any longer than it already is by possibly separating my items... nope, I'll just rough calculate thank you very much!

Edit: I pack almost every meal. Every other week or so I eat out with my friends. If I'm running late for work due to an appointment I have stopped at Taco Bell but that was under $3.00.

jhmomofmany

1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding?
Our monthly food budget is $1100 for our family of nine (including two teens and two pre-teen boys, God help me....)

2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch?
My hubby always packs meals for work. I work part-time at a grocery store and you wouldn't believe how difficult it is for me to find a decent meal there! I usually bring food from home or just raid the produce.

3. Do you dine out often?
We live 40 miles one-way from the closest fast food and taking seven children to a sit-down restaurant on a regular basis would be just insane. We eat out once a month or less.

4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP?
It has been about the same. Cutting out junk and processed foods saves money, but buying better quality ingredients (whole grains vs. generic white flour, for example) and produce is more expensive.

hbrekkaas

We spend a ton of groceries, but we are in a very very expensive area. (Northern B.C. Canada, everything is shipped in, nothing is local)

We spend around $800 a month for 5 people. 2 adults, 3 kids. I pack hubbys lunch every day for work, as well as my daughters for school. The rest of us eat at home. We probably eat out, or order in, once a week.

Our bill has actually gone down a little bit because we aren't buying the junk we were buying before. It costs us more to buy candy, pop and chips then it does to buy fruits and veggies.

DancingYogini

1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding?
Our monthly food budget is $1100 for our family of nine (including two teens and two pre-teen boys, God help me....)

2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch?
My hubby always packs meals for work. I work part-time at a grocery store and you wouldn't believe how difficult it is for me to find a decent meal there! I usually bring food from home or just raid the produce.

3. Do you dine out often?
We live 40 miles one-way from the closest fast food and taking seven children to a sit-down restaurant on a regular basis would be just insane. We eat out once a month or less.

4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP?
It has been about the same. Cutting out junk and processed foods saves money, but buying better quality ingredients (whole grains vs. generic white flour, for example) and produce is more expensive.

:drinker: :drinker: You are my hero!!!!!

SKP1986

I spend between $200-$300 for groceries each month for two people depending on what sorts of things we decide we want to eat. It's barely enough food each month, but lack of money dictates what we can purchase. Things are far more expensive now that I am eating healthier, but it really is worth it in the end.

Edit: Forgot to mention that we don't go out that much and all meals are eaten at home.

Namaste1983

I easily drop 200 a month for just me. I eat a lot of fresh produce and buy gluten free options so those add up quickly. I pack and make 80% of all my meals in the week so its easy to feel like i am always at the grocery store. They know me know and i just go to a couple places. Sprouts for weekly produce on double ad day. Frys for frozen meals and Trader joes for awesome new options

odie02

we are limited currently to a budget of $400/mo for 2 adults & 2 teens. Thankfully (well, kinda) the teens are only here 2 wks of the month... We eat out/order in only once every 2 - 3 months, when someone treats us. No one in our house is working, so there is no money for extras like eating out.

When we were both working, we ordered in or went out maybe once every two weeks.

Budget is kept by matching coupons with sales, buying meats only when they are BOGO, and using BJs club membership for bulk items. It is amazing how you can budget when you are poor and at the mercy of the stupid government for a few months!

dez_yaoichan

i shop for me and my mom- spend about $50-$60 every 2 weeks. (used to spend more but i'm not sure how much b/c we'd only shop for a few days at a time)

to control my eatting i buy frozen dinners.

Smart Ones, Healthy Choice, and Lean Cuisine are 2/$5 but are limited in the ones i like.

Michelina's have tones of different flavors with about the same calories for only $1.

CRody44

1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding?

I average about $100 per month for bulk meat (chicken, salmon, cod, halibut, shrimp) at Costco. When I buy a New York strip and/or Tri Tip, I trim and cut it up, vacuum pack it and freeze it, but that usually lasts for several months (Friday night is steak night). I average about $80 per week at the Farmers Market for organic fruits and veggies and eggs . I haven’t purchased any processed food at the store in over three months. So I guess that adds up to $420 per month. This is for two. My 23 year old son lives with us but he seldom eats what we eat so he buys his own junk food.

2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch?

I’m retired and my wife still works. I make breakfast for us every morning. She packs a salad and fruit for lunch. I make my salad for lunch daily.

3. Do you dine out often?

We dine out at a minimum of once per week, about $50 at our favorite Mexican restaurant on Saturdays. On special occasions we will go to a more upscale restaurant and spend $100-150.

4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP?

We started eating healthy about three months before I joined MFP. Since then we spend a lot less since we no longer buy processed foods.

joolzsd

I'd say I average $300/month for my son and me. We both pack lunch about 3 days a week, and pretty much all breakfasts and dinners are at home. (I do 95% of our grocery shopping at Trader Joe's.)

Hollie55

I spend about $200-250 per week on groceries. That is 2 adults & 4 kids.

We very rarely eat out. Every couple of weeks or so I will get mcds for dinner but thats about it

I am finding it has gone up a bit because I am buying sooo much more fresh vege and fruit as I have also started meal planning and trying lots of new recipes.

Hubby just comes home for lunch & the oldest takes her lunch to school. They other 3 are not at school yet.
That also includes nappies for the 6 month old too.

We are in New Zealand too.

StarArly

$160-$360 a month for 2. We also eat at restaurants a lot probably at least once a week. Definitely the cost has gone up lately because I'm eating a lot more fruits and veggies.

Abigailblue39

1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding?
About $ 220 per week (includes stuff like detergent, toilet paper, diapers etc..) for 2 adults, a 2 year old and a Great Dane (fresh veggies and fruit, frozen fish, milk, German muesli bread, cheese,chicken breast, chicken breast and again chicken breast - The Dane eats chicken breast, too)

2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch?
I only eat an apple for breakfast and I always pack lunch: salad and some chicken or fish on top.

3. Do you dine out often?

2-3 times a week. A lot of times, I eat half, the other half I eat for lunch the next day

4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP?

no, I've always been that way, only since MFP I buy less cheese and more chicken breast

getting my budget smaller:
since the nanny quit, we're about half what we used to spend... wonder why???
I also don't throw away food, I keep left overs for the next day.
I shop 2 times per week, when I went once, fruit and veggies would spoil.
Make your own salad dressing.
I don't buy pre cut fruit/veggies, its more expensive.

PamalaJoy

1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding? about 100/wk. for 4 of us. If you count pet food, dry goods (paper towels, laundry soap etc. it's a lot more)

2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch? My husband always makes his lunch from dinner the night before. So I cook for 5. If we have "fend for yourself" night, he'll take other left overs. (I still don't have cooking for 4 down very well. I always cook too much!)

3. Do you dine out often? Usually once a week. Fast food lunch on Saturday for hubby and I while we run errands. Take out pizza every couple of weeks or so. A really nice dinner out is a rarity. And my budget numbers don't include any of this.

4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP? Too soon to say. I suspect it will go down because I'm not buying the junk foods as much. Truthfully I'm still eating what I love, just less of it. And I've become VERY aware of the caloric cost of butter! YIKES!

I did a budget last year or so and was told we were waaayyy over the national average on groceries. But at the time I included cleaning supplies, pet food, livestock feed....it adds up!

"Just thought it may be an interesting conversation!" This is! Thanks! It makes more sense to see how others are doing with groceries than some arbitrary budget calculator. And I've wondered how expensive groceries are in other parts of the country (ok the world). Thank you for an interesting thread!

kittyloo123

i just shop for myself. Probably about $150 per month. I go for lunch probably once a week. Thats 6 bucks. Buy mostly fresh, but still pinchin' my penny's hard. I want fresh, but on sale. I'm not that picky.

jhuntl01

1. What is your usual weekly grocery budget? How many people are you feeding?
About $ 100 per week (includes stuff like detergent, toilet paper, pet food etc..) for 2 adults, 2 teens an 11 year old and a 7 year old, a saint bernard, a hound dog and two cats (oh and 35 chickens, 5 ducks and 4 turkeys)

2. Do you pack breakfast or lunch?
My husband is in college to be a minister so he is home all day with the kids (we home school) and I eat breakfast at home and pack my lunch

3. Do you dine out often?

We used to do fast food often, but our food budget decreased (plus I am trying to get fit) and therefor we don't eat out at all anymore.

4. Has your grocery bill increased or decreased since MFP?

No because the money is not there, however we have become more frugal in order to get the fresh fruits and veggies (I'm sure others have noticed, but proccessed foods are cheaper than real ones)

Swimgoddess

I'm a SAHM and hubby makes his own darn sandwiches (lol).

We spend about $550/mo for a family of 5. Didn't have to buy a drop of formula with this last baby and doing elimination communication cut our diaper usage in half.

We eat fast food maybe once a week and go out to a sit-down meal about once a week on average.

youngmomtaz

I am in a small town in Manitoba, Canada. We are about 150km from any center larger than 1000 people. I spend $500-$600 each month to feed 5 of us. Groceries are very expensive here but we budget well, bake everything we can and buy whole, work required to prepare foods. Not easy but saves me big bucks. According to the manager of the local grocery store many families my size are spending over $800 each month so I am proud of myself for keeping the budget reasonable and healthy!

bloodbank

My family of 3 (self, husband, & toddler who gets probably half of her food free via breastmilk) spends about $800/month on groceries, which are comprised entirely of whole foods. However, I'm in Canada, and for the lowest earners in my province, minimum wage is $10/hour - stuff here doesn't seem to be nearly as inexpensive as in the US. We do all of our own meals, eating out maybe once every 2 months or so.

alslau02

We try to stay under 400 for a family of two. Sometimes we are over by a bit and raid the restaurant budget.

Alaranio

Mine is around $250.00 for a family of 3. We eat out atleast once a week. So if that adds in about $150 more, $400.00. I pack a lunch some times and starbucks infrequently. I actually spend more now that I have joined MFP. Getting better quality ingredients and snack options. I shop at the military grocery store, farmer's market and Fresh & Easy.