How much do you spend a week on groceries?

gym_rat
gym_rat Posts: 94
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
I'm curious to know what your grocery bill is every week. Right now my husband is deployed so it's just me and I shop on post since I live about a 8minute walk from the commissary. I usually go twice a week since I walk or bike everywhere and can't carry a lot with me. I usually spend about 40-50 a week with a lot of veggies and chicken. I don't eat any red meat and try to stay away from most processed foods. Does that sound reasonable?
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Replies

  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
    Anywhere between $30-40. Stock up on non-parishables once a month (about $100).
    Should note that this is for me, my hubby, and my 6 yr old daughter (I didn't include the dogs food-them alone is about $60 a month). And that this is food alone-not tp and stuff like that.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    For my wife and I together we spend about $70/week plus I stock up on Protein powder once a month. If that was included it would be more like $80 for the 2 of us.
  • HelloSunshine
    HelloSunshine Posts: 135
    We usually go once every two weeks and spend somewhere around $150-190 ... so that is like $75 - $95 a week.

    We shop at Walmart though so part of our groceries include cat food, cat litter, and hygiene products, etc.
  • SammiAnne11
    SammiAnne11 Posts: 158 Member
    Oh man...I am so at the other end of the chart...I have a family of 5 and can easily spend at least $140 a week(average). And that cost is going up since we are now Gluten free...I tend to try to stretch meals, make leftovers and we eat lots of veggies!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Yeah, that sounds about right. I go shopping twice a month (each pay period) and try to spend no more than $100 each time, so it rounds off to $200 per month which is what you're spending. We're through week one and still have all the meat I bought. Almost all my produce is gone (I buy fruit for snacks while at work) but I still have most of the non-perishables I bought (pasta, rice) and bf has a little left of his lunch supplies which I'll stock up on over the weekend with my tax refund :)
  • Laceylala
    Laceylala Posts: 3,094 Member
    Depends on where I shop. If I shop at WalMart, between $60-$85 a week. If I shop at a local grocery store, anywhere between $90-$150.00. I usually buy about the same things at both stores, with the exception of gourmet cheeses and range free meats. I don't buy much processed foods.
  • hollyroode
    hollyroode Posts: 76
    I spend anywhere from $150-$200 every other week.. that's for my husband, my 3 year old and myself.
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,064 Member
    It's my husband and I here...so per person, we spend about $30/week each plus meat and plus non-perishables. We get our meat from a local farm co-op which means they deliver it twice a year, but it's all grain fed, top cut meats that are vacuum packed and frozen right away. Overall it costs us ~ $2400 for 2 years worth of meat, which works out to ~$25.00/week. The veggies/fruits are all organic...and the non-perishables are about $85/month.

    I guess all in it's about $60-70/week each for organic, top of the line foods. Very little processed foods in the house and we hardly eat out anymore, we also have people over at least once a week.....And no one here ever complains about there being nothing to eat.....
  • RacheBell
    RacheBell Posts: 111
    I go shopping once every 2 weeks (i live on the 3rd floor of an apartment, and I spoil my dog too much and hate to leave him alone), and I'll spend between $140-$175 every two weeks on groceries. I also plan my meals two weeks in advance, so that I know what ingrediants I'll need, and when I get home I know exactly what I'm cooking. Since I started doing that I have saved alot of money. I used to find myself guessing on what I might want to make, then it would go bad because I never used it. Wasted money. Also, i try and get frozen fruit and frozen or canned vegetables. They last alot longer.

    Oh, one money saving tip. Frozen spinach is the cheapest thing you can find, and really healthy for you. I always have at least 6 packages of it in the freezer, and throw it into pasta, pizza, soup, stews, rice, anything!
  • skyline200418
    skyline200418 Posts: 2 Member
    I spend about 30 every week for myself but I really only buy meats :S
  • Triquetra
    Triquetra Posts: 270 Member
    I usually spend about $100-$125 CDN per week for myself and 2 children (7,11), that is including toiletries as well. My son is allergic to corn so I usually have to buy the higher priced "brand names" or "organics" that don't use corn as a filler so that probably adds a bit to my bills.
  • Hawkeye83
    Hawkeye83 Posts: 1
    I only get food from the dollar menu so about 20 - 25 dollars
  • acakeforawife
    acakeforawife Posts: 207
    I live with my boyfriend but we eat pretty much all seperate food, except once a week or so I'll make a big dinner for both of us. I probably spend 60-80$ a week, but that covers ALL my meals, since I never really eat out or buy my lunch or anything. Some weeks is probably a bit less depending how well organized I am with my meal-planning. :)
  • dominatrixsins
    dominatrixsins Posts: 4 Member
    I spend about $130 CDN on groceries a week. I live with my boyfriend and his brother. I almost always pick up organic or local items, as well as grain fed meat.
  • Ang8178
    Ang8178 Posts: 308
    I'm curious to know what your grocery bill is every week. Right now my husband is deployed so it's just me and I shop on post since I live about a 8minute walk from the commissary. I usually go twice a week since I walk or bike everywhere and can't carry a lot with me. I usually spend about 40-50 a week with a lot of veggies and chicken. I don't eat any red meat and try to stay away from most processed foods. Does that sound reasonable?

    I think so. When my husband was deployed I used to walk to the store and spend about the same. It was just me though, (we don't have kids) Yey for staying away from most processed foods:happy: When he came back we more than doubled that amount and I wasn't exercising as much... thus the weight gain :laugh: Sounds like you are doing great.
  • cmurphy04722
    cmurphy04722 Posts: 254
    We (2) spend about $100/week, sometimes $70 and sometimes $150, depending on what we get. When we go grocery shopping, we also get cat food/litter, household stuff, beer/wine, in addition to the food. We're pescatarian, you could say, meaning that we are mainly vegetarian but eat fish 1-2 times per week. If I buy fake meat stuff, the groceries are more expensive. But it's worth it, for me. I always get a cart with the 2-tier setup and fill the top half with vegetables and fruits. Then the bottom half is whatever else, like fish, cereal, soy milk, pasta, tortillas, etc.
  • ColoradoGirl
    ColoradoGirl Posts: 423 Member
    We spend on avg $150 - $175 per week but that is for my husband and I and TWO TEENAGERS sometimes 3! They eat EVERYTHING in the house!

    I too shop at walmart and Sams Club. In the summer we have a HUGE garden and grow many of our veggies so, that is always a help. Then in the fall we freeze different kinds of squash and other veggies and fruit that we use through out the rest of the year.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    I spend about $75 - $100 a week for myself and my boyfriend. That includes all of our personal hygiene products and the cost of rawfeeding 6 dogs (2 of which weigh over 90 pounds) and a cat. I shop at 3 different grocery stores (all on my way) so I can catch the best deals at each. Frozen (unsauced) veggies and awesome sales on boneless skinless chicken breasts are my saviors. :smile: When I find boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $2.00/pound I stock up like a madwoman. Last week I think I bought 10 pounds. This week they were on sale again at a different store so I bought 5 more pounds (also on sale were chuck roasts so I ended up with 5 pounds of that, too). I keep a couple pounds in the fridge to use over the week and then I individually freeze & vacuum seal the rest for later.
    I've become pretty much an "if it's not on sale, I'm not buying it" kind of shopper out of necessity. I plan meals and menus around what's on sale.
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
    it's about $90 a week for us (a family of four), including toiletries. we shop the sales and get the rest at walmart. once a month, a costco run of about $320 and we always eat out once a week (around $50). it is less in the summer/fall when we grow our own food. i do some canning but not as much as i should. we also hunt and fish during the summer and fall season. we use that year round so we don't buy much meat except chicken, pork and salmon. i'd like to purchase more ham (bone-in) because it goes such a long way, but i always forget when i am making the menu each week. :) your budget sounds just right.
    dawn
  • cds2327
    cds2327 Posts: 439
    we do about 200 every other week. that's for three of us....me, myself and my 3 yr old
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
    It is just me and my flea-motels (cats) but the 'my' grocery end is about $40 a week give or take some - I also buy jugged water for the coffee-maker and I buy bottled water to drink so that is added in there as well (I have very hard water). :flowerforyou:
  • afyfe
    afyfe Posts: 93
    I shop twice a month on a budget of $250 each time, so average $125 a week. I usually push that budget, but it includes everything (toiletries, cleaners, laundry stuff, etc). We also eat out too much, so all in all we spend way to much on food (husband, 8 year old and myself).
  • catherine1979
    catherine1979 Posts: 704 Member
    We spend about $150 a week for a family of 3. Our budget, like many others, includes toiletries, diapers, cleaning supplies, and so on.
  • imdamom
    imdamom Posts: 42
    There are 6 of us, plus a dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, bird and fish. Including all pet foods, household cleaning items, toiletries, food, etc., we spend $300 on our big shopping weekends and $125 on our little shopping weekends. Big shopping weekends are every other week alternated with the little weekends. We shop at Costco (they just closed our Sam's) and Walmart.
  • mmnichol
    mmnichol Posts: 208 Member
    I just got back from Costco...spent way too much, but couldn't resist all the great stuff.....$150. That will last for almost 2 weeks depending on how much my husband eats!! :laugh:
  • TCASMEY
    TCASMEY Posts: 1,405 Member
    Wow, I am impressed at how little you guys spend, but I am also buying for my daycare kids. It easily 200 or more each week at the grocery store. We go through a little over a gallon of milk a day so that is more than $15 per week just for milk.
  • ka_42
    ka_42 Posts: 720 Member
    Reading this makes me think I need to cut back on something! For myself, and my boyfriend we spend about $200 every two weeks on groceries & toiletries! We have a dog, but she's not too costly. I guess I need to find more bargains! We could definitely use the savings!
  • Vallandingham
    Vallandingham Posts: 2,177
    We spend about $300 every two weeks, but still end up going back during the week for milk, produce etc.
  • maurierose
    maurierose Posts: 574 Member
    What a fascinating topic!!!!! :bigsmile:

    We spend $80 a week for a family of 5 (two teens and a toddler, my hubby and me); does not include dog or turtle food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc; that's exclusively food.

    We have a fantastic pantry, and a chest freezer; we stock up on good sale items, freeze meat when it's on sale, and buy lots of yogurt, fruit, veggies, oatmeal, peanut butter-and-jelly, cheese, etc that our kids can raid for breakfasts/snacks. We also shop by the best bargains - if Stater Bros has what we need or good meat sales, we shop there.... if we need bulk items, cheese, dry goods, etc we'll shop at Winco... every now and then we'll shop at Fresh And Easy.... and we use coupons when we can. A little planning goes a long way! :drinker:

    Your grocery expenses sound like they're working for YOU, which is the most important thing.... great thing to avoid processed food and to go with the healthy options! :happy:
  • luv2run4fun
    luv2run4fun Posts: 92
    Well...I don't know how you guys all do it! We spend $200-$250 per week for a family of 5! Two parents, 3 daughters--ages 13, 11, and 8. I rarely buy any junk food but we do eat a lot of organic and healthy food. Unfortunately, that is probably what is costing us so much. So sad that we have to pay such a high price for pesticide free, hormone free, unprocessed healthy food! Our daughters also have to take snacks to school everyday...
    How nice it would be to have a Trader Joes closer to home!!! :wink:
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