How much do you spend?

mommyrana

I live in TX and spend about $900- $1000 a month for myself, hubby and 4 kids. I use coupons, shop sales, etc.... kids eat all the time :0

TeeferTiger

i avoid aldi, im not a snob but the amount of mouldy veg and fruit ive ended up with, so normally asda, tesco or morrisons and its about £60 a week for 3 of us, mainly fruit , veg, meat, pastas.. and i get plenty of meals out of it .

I've ended up with mouldy fruit and veg from ASDA. Some of it was mouldy on the shelf!!

We tend to buy from Tescos now as the quality of their fresh veg has really improved over the last few years, and I buy frozen veg from ASDA because it's cheaper

However, we're growing our own now providing the summer is better than last year. Disastrous weather and bugs last year

I'd say we spend about £200 at the moment, but that's an average for when I go (and spend less!) and when the hubby goes (and buys expensive stuff!!)

hollyberry2012

now compare that to what I used to spend eating out..LOL and buying junk food at grocery stores..

just kidding...I won't bore you but it is a big difference.

Point is...it costs way more to get fat and stay fat than it does to get thin and stay thin..or if you prefer....get healthy and stay healthy.

Lizabee84

I figured my husband and myself spend about $500 a month on groceries, cleaning supplies, and dog food & treats for our two dogs. I think it might be time to cut back a little more.

KickassAugust

We live in poverty I guess and didn't really realize.... We ONLY 75.00 per week never more for 6 humans 2 cats and one dog.

PositivelyFlawed

We spend about 500-600/month for a family of 3. We used to only spent 400$ a month, but that was when we ate a lot of crap devoid of nutritional value, but cheap. Now i make all of our meals and we eat whole grain and healthy versions of everything we buy so it's brought the price up. i figure the slight increase is worth it to improve our health.

I try to save as much as i can. I do coupon, but here in Canada we pretty much only use coupons now for non food items as coupons for food items are all for packaged processed crap. I also price match which allows me to save gas by shopping at just one store, but getting all the great deals. In the on season i buy local, fresh produce which saves a bundle!

We're starting to cut back a bit on that budget by integrating anywhere from 1-3 meatless meals a week. 1 meal of firm tofu = .99 vs 1 meal of ground chicken = $5

hdlb123

I live in TX and spend about $900- $1000 a month for myself, hubby and 4 kids. I use coupons, shop sales, etc.... kids eat all the time :0

It's amazing how much kids can eat. We run out of things daily it seems.

janeite1990

£160 a month, just for me.

My fiancé spends £40 a month.

Sounds like part of your 160 may be going in fiance's tummy. You must be a great cook!

sammyjbray

I live in the UK with my hubby and 6 kids, ans spend £1200 a month, and that's with growing my own veg. I honestly think £900 goes on milk, and it'd be cheaper for me to buy a cow.

lorihalsted

Family of 3....husband, myself and kiddo (10 year old). We eat lunch out most days (work) and the kiddo eats at school and we still spend about $300 a month on groceries.

carolann_22

I spend around $600 a month for a family of five (includes formula & diapers, that's $40 a week right there). I try to buy frozen veggies all the time, but splurge on fruit. Other than that I buy value packs of chicken from Walmart and my beef from a local butcher when it's on sale (I stock up) and try to limit junk, but my kids and hubby are all big eaters.

Leigh14

I'm in Virginia and I spent approximately $30 on food for the work week. During the weekend, I spend approximately $20 going out for various meals.

I limit myself to $30 per work week by making sure I utilize sales at local food markets, price matching at Walmart, coupons on items I actually need and I also shop from my pantry. I make sure I am using things from my pantry either as full meals or to supplement meals so that I'm only buying perishable items. For instance, if I'm making chili, I already have canned tomatoes, all the spices and beans; all I have to do is buy the ground turkey.

I also check out my local dollar store or discount store for deals on things like snacks, gum, spices, coffee creamer, coffee and for the occasional sugar-free energy drink.

hollyberry2012

keep in mind that is for one month for one person....

my son is on his own since I found MFP.....LOL

he's 20 and eats between 4000 and 5000 calories daily.

He has hyper-metabolism <--i made that word up just for him!

He has ADHD....and literally burns food 24 seven.

mskari77

i avoid aldi, im not a snob but the amount of mouldy veg and fruit ive ended up with, so normally asda, tesco or morrisons and its about £60 a week for 3 of us, mainly fruit , veg, meat, pastas.. and i get plenty of meals out of it .

I don't shop Aldi here in the US either, but my sister swears by them. To me it seems the food isn't as fresh as the major grocers. The veggies only last a couple days, and I have to really check the dates of other shelf foods to make sure they don't expire soon. Nor can I get all of the things that I need and I end up having to make a second stop at the regular store. It's always more of a hassle than it's worth, so I usually shop Hy-Vee or Target.

SheilaSisco

I spend around 500 a month in Kansas for a family of four. I do a majority of my shopping at Walmart, since I work there. It's more convenient that way. Although, when I have the opportunity, I do drive to Kansas City and hit Hy-Vee... I wish there was one where I live... I'd do ALL of my shopping there... Their fresh meat counter is AMAZING.

jennylsapia

In south Louisiana I spend approximately 150-200 a month for me and my fiance. (his 2 kids come on weekends occassionally). As much as I disspise Wal-mart I do most of my shopping there because they are by far the cheapest store in my area.

Asil76

I live in Canada and for our family of four we spend anywhere from $125-$175 per week.

cowgirlslikeus86

We live outside of Philly. Our budget is based off of 4 weeks. This is what the last 5 cycles have looked like the last few months. On top of this,we spend about 200-250$ a month on entertainment which three quarters of, is eating out. There are just two of us.

$621
$338
$689
$590
$450


We cut back from spending $800ish a month eating out and $200 at the Grocery store to what you see above.
I don't know how people eat healthy and do it on less. I am very careful what I buy and if it's on sale or not. I try to buy Organic on some things (Milk and dairy products mostly). I don't hardly coupon at all because I cannot find coupons for things I need. I maybe save 5-10$ a month from coupons, however, we do shop at a store that has great gas rewards so we also save several dollars there (Also got a free turkey at Thanks Giving).

We eat alot of meat. I told my husband to start hunting :-) We have lots of squirrels and deer come through our property ( I secretly think it's a sign. (I can learn to make squirrel stew) :laugh: We could live on deer, canned grean beans and biscuits and everything in our garden for $500 a year instead of a month.........Guess I'll have to wait for an apocalyiptic event to try that theory out....sigh.......

ninerbuff

$450 for a family of 3.


A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

EmCarroll1990

I have budgeted $400.00/ month, but we always go over the budget. And that's for 2 adults and a 16 year old that's with us on weekends.

mamagooskie

I am also in canada.......I feed 2 adults and 2 children for approx 600$ a month. I like to spend a bit more when I can so we can splurge on fun treats and I almost never spend less than that.

maryrr88

My fiance & I moved in together on December 30 so we only have 2 months of food expenditure info available, and since it's our first home together (both of us previously lived with parents) we had to buy a lot of stuff for the first time like spices, oils, etc. In January we spent a little over $400 and in Feb we spent about $365. The budget that I'm hoping to stick to is $300/month for the both of us. The problem is, when there's a good sale on meat or something, I like to buy it whether or not we "need" it right away. My philosophy is that it's better to get the sale & hang on to it for a while than to buy the meat when we actually are planning to use it - saves $ in the long run! I think over a year, though, we'll be able to stick to $300/month on average. This figure does not include paper goods or cleaning supplies or alcohol or eating out - strictly food we buy for our meals at home (and work - we both always pack our lunches).

Edit: We are located in central NJ, USA.

viclee1

what an interesting topic, it's amazing to see how much it varies by where you live and what kind of food you eat!
We live in Central Canada (Praries), and spend about $600/ month on food. This does include cleaning supplies and diapers for our 20 month old. There is 2 adults a 4 year old and a 20 month old in our household. Besides our mortgage and daycare this is our next highest bill.

ltlemermaid

I'm in Illinois. I usually spend $240/month on 2 adults. This includes groceries, cleaning suppplies, paper products. I started making my own laundry detergent and that has saved us some $$$ so far and getting interested in making my own cleaning supplies too. Sometimes I go slightly over my $60/week budget but not often.

I shop sales at Krogers and do most of my shopping at Aldi. I also LOVE trader Joe's (about an hr drive from me) and stock up on stuff while I'm there which is every 2-3 months. We try not to go out to eat often, maybe 2-3 times a month and I want to cut back on that as well. I cook a lot from scratch and have a well stocked spice cabinet.

This does not include pets-they have their own budget since I have 2 dogs, 5 ferrets, and 2 bearded dragons, and in the warmer months Koi fish in the backyard pond.

slay0r

What this thread has shown me, is i eat about as much as a family of four. FML.

Welcome to my world..

Italianyc84

I'm in NYC...for two of us I spend about $250 a month. Not too bad considering I buy all organic and shop mainly at farmer's markets...

edena1987

I live in DC. Spend about $400 per month on groceries (the BF eats SO MUCH FOOD). We eat out about once or twice a week, depending on the schedules (if I end up not getting home until 8pm then we order something and we try to have date night once a week). A lot of the price comes from buying vegetables and fruits and healthy snacks. I also have to shop almost everyday because I don't have a car and I can't drag a week's worth of groceries 10 blocks uphill!

beccci91

about £100-150 for both my partner and I, we can't afford any more than that

igibson2012

I live in Indiana!! I have 2 adults and 3 children(5yr old,2yr old,and 10month old) and our food bill is usually between $800-$900 a month. I shop aldi and shop sales. We are eating healthier now and it seems like we spend so much more.

DorothyR87

I spend $200 a month for my husband and me. I coupon and usually am able to save 50% or more betweens sales and coupons. I probably don't even need to spend that much a month but I like to stockpile items when they are a good price.