How much do you spend on groceries?

245

Replies

  • time4changexx
    time4changexx Posts: 103 Member
    $40/week for 2 adults & 1 toddler including the odds & ends TP, PT, etc. we make it work
  • MeDoula
    MeDoula Posts: 233 Member
    It would be good to add the location as well. Cost of living varies greatly.

    We spend 600-800 for food and household/bathroom stuff/pet for a family of 3 in South California. This includes some organic foods (apples, potatoes, celery, eggs mostly), lots of fresh/frozen veggies and fruit, legumes, frozen chicken/turkey, greek yogurt, Ezekiel & gluten-free bread, canned tomatoes (I love canned tomatoes), rice brown/wild, stuff for sandwiches.

    We (before DD came along) spent around 200 Euros per month while living in Germany, around 400 on Hawaii (military stores), and between 400-600 in Colorado after DD was born (we cloth diapered mostly and she was breastfed).
  • whatjesseats
    whatjesseats Posts: 228 Member
    For 2 adults, our weekly grocery haul in Charlotte is typically $60-$80, though sometimes will go over $100 when stocking up on certain bulk items.

    I get a lot at Trader Joe's but also pop in at Harris Teeter and Earth Fare regularly.
  • AmandaLY17
    AmandaLY17 Posts: 184 Member
    We have a budget of $1100/ mth for a family of 6. This includes everything I would buy at a grocery store (ie lightbulbs, garbage bags, cleaning supplies......) We spend close to $100/ wk on produce alone. We typically dont eat out as its around $80 an outting (though we'll occasionally order pizza or something, but even thats over $40!)

    ETA. live in the fraser valley of BC, Canada
  • Liatush
    Liatush Posts: 627 Member
    I haven't had to budget for a while so we have just been spendig on what we wanted when we wanted it, signing up for this cooking class or that CSA program, purchase a food groupon here and there, etc. Now that we are saving for a house, we set up a budget and started to monitor what we are spending and I was shocked to see that we spent about 2K this past month on food. (this includes eating out, Costco bills, local meat/veggie markets, our CSA, etc.) - I will say that our focus has shifted quite a bit to buying pastured eggs, fresh meat, locally grown veggies, etc.

    We are a family of 4 (or 5, if you count my college aged sister who we kind of support and buy food for etc.). I would love to chop this number by at least half...

    I live in NYC btw...
  • Bakerchk
    Bakerchk Posts: 424 Member
    I go grocery shopping every payday, twice a month and buy all the necessities. I spend anywhere from $80-$120 twice a month. I also shop a week after I get paid for fresh fruit and veggies. I usually spend around $20-$40 then. So I'm looking at between $200-$320 every month. And it's just me. I have a roommate but I don't buy her food. ;)
  • KariAnn_09
    KariAnn_09 Posts: 19
    We don't go over $60/per week for 2 adults and one baby. It's tight but we make it work. We buy plenty of fresh produce and lean meats. With limiting ourselves to $60 we are forced to pass on the "junk" because we simply won't have enough to buy that AND produce, milk, whole grains, and lean meats.

    We have separate amounts for toiletries, formula, and diapers, so the $60 is strictly food for ourselves (and our 2 cats).

    We budget for $125/month for eating out (4 times/month).

    Any extra from the groceries goes into a money jar. This can be used for certain occasions when $60 just wouldn't cut it for groceries (holidays, family visiting, ect...).

    Note: we live in a very cheap state :)
  • WendyFitMomCHANGED
    WendyFitMomCHANGED Posts: 311 Member
    I spend about $250 / week for a family of 5. Me, Husband and 3 boys ages 4 - 12. We do not eat out or eat fast foods. We also eat very clean so that's fresh produce, meats, dairy and whole grains. I eat about 7 - 9 cups of veggies a day, myself, so I'd say vegetables are most of my cost as they don't last long.

    In the summer, I plan on growing a lot of my own veggies so we can cut down on costs a bit. That might seem like a lot to some, but Boys eat A LOT! :)

    About the same here except we are family of 4. I'd say $250 ish a week as well. No eating out and very clean. I am picky about organic so I know that adds to the cost a little bit but we never get sick so I say we save on doctor bills. LOL

    Amen! I always say, spend a little more on food now and spend less on Healthcare later. :)
  • mlcastle
    mlcastle Posts: 33
    I'm working on figuring that out. I estimate about $100/week for my partner and I, but I might be low as I love grocery/food shopping and was going 2-3 times/week. I'm trying to get the budget under control. I'm actually treating it kind of like counting calories. I'm going to save receipts and track what I actually spend for a couple of months and then see where I'm at and where I can save a few $$$. I've also changed to only going grocery shopping once/week to make it easier to track. We don't eat out very often. Maybe 3-4 times a month which includes lunches and suppers.
  • ton40orbust
    ton40orbust Posts: 155
    My family (My parents, me, 3 dogs a cat 2 birds and my friend) spend quite a bit. Food is probably 500-600 a month. But my dad has a 12 pack a day faygo habit. Our animals cost probably 250 a month (dogs go through a big bag of food every 4-5 days)

    I'm about to be moving out with my boyfriend and after combing through several grocery stores for prices and figuring out what we enjoy eating. I'm hoping to keep our grocery bill at $60 per week or less.
  • RabidCarrot
    RabidCarrot Posts: 50 Member
    I average about $100 to $150 a week for myself, my 7 yr old and our doggy. This includes food and household items, I also buy predominantly organic foods and natural cleaners/shampoos/soaps.
  • fotofreak01
    fotofreak01 Posts: 397 Member
    I feed a family of four on about $50-$75 a week. We do not eat out often so that is all food from the grocery. I plan our meals a week at a time, use coupons and store sales. My normal grocery bill per week would be $100-$150 if I didn't do all that.
  • Bakerchk
    Bakerchk Posts: 424 Member
    I feel like I spend way more than the average! Can I get some example shopping list? It's my husband, myself, 2 boys 5 and 8. I feel like I spend double you guys and we still eat out a lot.

    I only shop for myself but my grocery lists looks something like this.

    Frozen Chicken $10-15 (I buy the big bags from Walmart or I will buy large quantities at Safeway if they are on sale)
    Frozen Fish $10
    Eggs $3
    Milk $3
    Butter $4
    Pasta $2
    Pasta Sauce $4
    Past Roni or Rice a Roni $5
    Canned Veggies $6 (I buy these for the times when I run out of fresh)
    Fresh Veggies $5 (I usually pick a few for the week and will return in a week for more)
    Fresh Fruit $8 (same thing as the veggies)
    Toiletries $40 (I don't always buy toiletries but I try to budget for them)

    So that's around $100 which I usually spend on payday and I return a week later to stock up on fresh veggies and fruits. I don't like frozen or canned so I only buy enough for one week. :)
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,895 Member
    about $400-$500 on a family of 5 a month, and maybe $100 on eating out
  • dakotawitch
    dakotawitch Posts: 190 Member
    There are two of us in our household, one vegetarian and one flexitarian (me). We eat mostly whole foods, cook at home for nearly all of our meals, and spend about $50 a week. It helps that we have an Aldi, and that we buy very little meat. We probably spend $25 a week going out together, and each of us occasionally picks up a sandwich or something for lunch on our long work days. Sometimes we spend more than $50 because we stock up on something on sale. Also add about $40 once a month or every other month at Costco for things like agave nectar, bulk canned tomatoes, and other staples.

    I'm happy to share my grocery list if that helps :)
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
    About $80/week for 2 people, Low cost of living area. (Although I didn't find food prices that much better when we moved here from NJ- it's housing that's the biggie.) Sine I bring lunches to work and we rarely eat out, that's 99% of the food and household supplies budget.

    That includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, moderate quantities of meat on sale. DH can do magic with cheap cuts of meat (stew, pot roast, ham hocks) and we're very creative with leftovers.
  • daniellealys
    daniellealys Posts: 301 Member
    We spend about $150/week for my husband and I and our two cats :D We eat out about once a week, so about another $50 for eating out each week. So I guess $200/week.
    We eat all organic foods and grass fed beef, etc (the cats too :D). We live in Chicago so prices are higher that most places.

    That doesnt include vitamins...we spend a lot on those! I dont even want to know how much we spend on our vitamins...I might cry :sad:

    Honestly, we dont have a budget when it comes to our health. We buy the best foods, healthcare, etc. Feel very blessed to afford the best quality foods ;)
  • jillybeanpuff
    jillybeanpuff Posts: 144 Member
    I spend around $125 a week or so on food for my boyfriend and I. We shop at Publix, which can be more expensive, but they are they only store that has everything I need in one spot as opposed to driving all over town and going to 4 different places. So for the convenience, I'll spend an extra $30 or so a week.
  • jillybeanpuff
    jillybeanpuff Posts: 144 Member
    I spend around $125 a week or so on food for my boyfriend and I. We shop at Publix, which can be more expensive, but they are they only store that has everything I need in one spot as opposed to driving all over town and going to 4 different places. So for the convenience, I'll spend an extra $30 or so a week.

    I eat out once a week and spend probably $15. I pack all my lunches and snacks to take to work. My boyfriend works at a restaurant and has crazy hours so he probably eats out about 4-5 times a week at around $15 at a time.
  • dakotawitch
    dakotawitch Posts: 190 Member
    About $80/week for 2 people, Low cost of living area. (Although I didn't find food prices that much better when we moved here from NJ- it's housing that's the biggie.) Sine I bring lunches to work and we rarely eat out, that's 99% of the food and household supplies budget.

    That includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, moderate quantities of meat on sale. DH can do magic with cheap cuts of meat (stew, pot roast, ham hocks) and we're very creative with leftovers.

    The cost of living here in DFW is pretty low, too....that definitely makes a difference!
  • bubbleskiwi
    bubbleskiwi Posts: 148 Member
    2 adults and 2 kids, around 500 a month.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Just under $100/ week for two adults, including sundries. Our regular processed foods are olives, canned beans, hummus, cheese, yogurt, deli meat, cereals (shredded wheat and grapenuts), polenta, sandwich thins and frozen spinach. Everything else is either whole foods or a special treat. As you can see, we could make a few of those things on our own if we needed to tighten the budget. He tracks that expense and says it has only gone up about $5 per week since I stopped eating at McDs. We were already eating pretty well at home, I just always eat lunch out of our grocery budget now, but I don't bake as much and since I don't make pudding, we don't go through the milk as fast.

    For January, we spent $70 eating out - two lunches with his work team and one friend's birthday. I used to spend at least $100 a month on fast food.
  • cleotherio
    cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
    About $500 a month for groceries (2 adults and 2 kids), paper products and personal items. Everybody packs lunch everyday. I buy local or organic meat, which is more expensive than the store brand stuff. I could cut about $50 off the monthly bill if I went back to buying cheaper meat, but as long as I can afford to, I wont. I buy lots of produce and cook almost everything from scratch.

    Eating out - $100-150, pizza a couple times a month and a couple sit-down family restaurant type dinners. Fast food once every couple months.
  • SDHudgins1976
    SDHudgins1976 Posts: 140
    Family of 4, $300-$350 including all household products...
    We do lots of frozen meats and veggies because of budget, and since I'm a teacher I only get paid once a month.
    Eating out? Anywhere from $100-$200 depending on the month.
  • Jenism1
    Jenism1 Posts: 149 Member
    I spend 700-800 a month on groceries. Toiletries/cleaning included in that. I buy very little red meat as my husband is a hunter. I do buy chicken and pork We live in a ridiculously expensive part of Canada. West Coast British Columbia. Takes a ferry to get here so they justify the stupid food prices with that crap excuse.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    My daughter and I we eat pretty well and depending on what we decide to bring home and how much we want to spend it could be 50 CAD a week or at most 100 CAD a week and that's when we get prime rib roasts or something crazy.

    Last shopping I did lasted us about 2 weeks at about $200 but I also bought soaps, detergents, protein powder (for me) and a couple dvd's. I can't remember how much of that bill was actually food.
  • Lifting_Knitter
    Lifting_Knitter Posts: 1,025 Member
    Around 500 a month for 3 but that included personal care and cleaning.
  • Cathy7794
    Cathy7794 Posts: 223 Member
    We rarely ever eat out...too expensive for a family of 5. Maybe once a month we'll splurge and buy a couple $5 pizzas from Little Caesar's. :laugh:
    There's myself, my husband and 3 children (2 of them teenagers). Just for food alone, we spend about $250 a month. And that's a good month! Most months average around $200 or less. Believe me, it's not by choice; that's all we have for groceries after the bills are paid. But we make it work. Some weeks, like this week, I have to sacrifice going to the gym to save on gas so that we do have enough for groceries, but we look at it as no matter how bad it may seem, it could always be so much worse. :smile:
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Two adults and one 17 year old.
    $200 to $250 per week, plus pizza delivered one night.
    These are groceries delivered to our door, so we miss out on some in store sales, etc....
    That includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.

    We eat out maybe once every two months, so I wouldn't add that in.

    Those numbers include Tide detergent, cleaning products, paper towels, dog treats, etc.....
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    Article: Keeping costs down in a real food kitchen:

    http://www.stacymakescents.com/keeping-costs-down-in-a-real-food-kitchen

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