How much do you spend on food?
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Also I popped back in to say we have almost zero food waste. I clean, cut & vacuum pack all veggies, freeze leftovers, make stock from bones, etc etc. About all that gets composted are the tail ends of a bundle of cilantro, or something that came damaged like one avo out of the bag from Costco.
We don't buy meat but I agree on the no waste thing. In our house just about the only thing getting tossed is banana peels or other bits of produce meant to be tossed. I think we had some cheese go bad ONE time 6 months ago and it was totally foreign to me...I can't stand wasting and throwing away food.0 -
Reading through this thread makes my head spin... I'm spending maybe $30/week... including protein powder (Lean1 Choc PB.) How are some of you spending so much??? LOL0
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Reading through this thread makes my head spin... I'm spending maybe $30/week... including protein powder (Lean1 Choc PB.) How are some of you spending so much??? LOL
My question to you: what are you eating that you're spending so little?
In all seriousness, though. This is my meal plan for the week, and grocery list. I am feeding 2 adults (myself and husband). The recipes I make for dinner have 4 servings, so the left overs get packaged up and eaten for lunch the next day.
Sunday: Asian-Glazed Chicken Thighs, Mirin braised bok choy, pureed turnips
Monday: Southwestern pinto bean burgers with chipotle mayonnaise, garlic roasted beet greens (original recipe was for kale, but I wanted to use up my beet greens)
Tuesday: Beet, blood orange, kumquat, and quinoa salad
Wednesday: Spicy basil chicken, brown rice with sesame, sauteed snow peas and peppers
Thursday BLT pasta, roasted broccoli
Friday: Turkey burgers with cranberry-apple relish (will use chicken I have in the freezer), Caesar salad
Shopping list:
Bananas (bunch of 5)
Apples (3 lb pag)
1 red pepper
1 navel orange
1 lemon
5 blood oranges
Fresh Express Lite Caesar Salad Kit
1 pint grape tomatoes
Snow peas, 12 oz
1 bunch basil (2 oz)
1 bunch beets
1 pint kumquats
1 avocado
1 bunch green onions
1 jalapeno pepper
1 bunch cilantro
turnips (2 lbs)
1 bok choy
1 jar minced garlic
2 shallots
Pecorino Romano cheese, 8 oz
Muenster cheese, 1 lb sliced in deli (for the hubby)
Roast beef, 1 lb sliced in deli (for the hubby)
1 package chicken thighs (family pack contained 10 thighs)
1 small can corn (8.5 oz)
1 can pinto beans (15.5 oz)
1 jar strawberry jelly (for the hubby)
1 box cereal (store brand Special K, 12 oz)
1 bottle lower sodium soy sauce, 10 oz
1 box Mini penne pasta, 16 oz
1 bag hamburger rolls (bag of 8 rolls)
1 box quinoa, 12 oz
Half gallon organic skim milk (this is my splurge)
Frozen broccoli florets, 16 oz
Edy's Outshine pomegranate bars (box of 6)
Weight Watchers Giant Latte bars (box of 6)
3 12-packs Diet Coke, 12 oz cans (Diet Coke is my vice, and it was on sale so I stocked up)
1 Box white tea, 40 bags (this will last a while)
1 jar multi-vitamins
1 bottle Systane eyedrops, 1 oz (my eyes get super dry, especially in the winter)
Total spent: $160.780 -
I spend about $4-500 a month for our family of 5 (dh, myself, ds15, ds10, and dd9) including our cat here in NJ. I do not use coupons. I plan what we're going to eat according to the weekly sales. That includes all our food, toiletries, cat food, etc. I grocery shop at Aldi's, Dollar Tree, and Trader Joe's. Occasionally, if there's a good sale then I'll go to 2 other stores (a local store and Shoprite). I can't stress this enough, shop sales. In addition, to save money my husband and I go one full week every month where we do not spend any money on groceries. This allows us to use up what's in our pantry and fridge and reduces waste. Our meals get really creative during this time lol but nonetheless delicious. Also, we buy certain things in bulk such as rice, potatoes, meats, pasta, cat food/litter, toilet paper, cereal, oatmeal, and eggs. Hth!0
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Wow, is food so expensive in the US? With the two of us we spend aboyt 300-350 Euro (320-380 USD) per month. We're in the UK.0
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2 adults (one SAHM, one husband who mainly works from home) 2 preteen boys, and a large dog. We spend about $150/week. I shop around, last week I went to 4 stores! Luckily, they were all right in a row. I mainly shop around the edges of the store, dairy, meat, produce.0
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My husband and I average $80/week not including eating dinner out one night a week. All other meals are made at home. We do live in the Southwest which is generally inexpensive in terms of cost of living. We buy most of our packaged food including yogurt at Target, and use the Cartwheel app to get as many discounts as possible. We then buy all of the fresh food and some packaged food at Sprouts including bulk nuts and oatmeal, deli meat, bagels and sandwich bread, and milk.
We only make two, maybe three, dinner meals per week and eat leftovers the remaining nights. My husband eats bagels for breakfast, and sandwiches and fruit for lunch during the work week. I eat oatmeal or a smoothie for breakfast, and a salad for lunch with some snacks in between meals.0 -
£800 ( $1200 ) month a disgrace i know0
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I'm from western Canada and for my husband (3000-3600cal a day) myself (1900-2300cal a day) and our 11 month old who is a big eater. Plus company about 2x a week we spend about $200 a week including toiletries and cleaning supplies. I usually shop a few stores and build my meal plans around what is on sale and work to get extra points (never on things I will not use or do not need just items that I can store for later. sometimes I will get items I don't use but know the food bank or winter packs for the homeless in our area) for store credit to help our budget go a long way. I'm hoping when we move we find a place where I can grow a garden so I can get our veggies from the garden and help cut down cost.0
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We spend about 200 euro per week for a family of 4 adults. That includes toiletries and cleaning stuff and alcohol. Ireland is very expensive, but Im surprised that some people in the USA seem to be spending nearly as much!!0
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I spend about $30 - $50 a week-ish (if I don't need anything more, I don't go to the store every week), depending on what I need, at the grocery store, for just myself. This typically includes hygienic items, cleaning stuff, etc that I might have run out of. I never run out of everything all at once, which is probably why I never have to spend much. Plus, I used to be purely Wal-Mart, but my college town has a HEB, which always has coupons hanging around for cents and dollars off stuff, or buy-this-get-that free kind of stuff, which saves a lot of money. So my weekly total also varies on what coupons they have hanging around0
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I spend about 250 a week in New England for a family of 4. So your estimate sounds right to me!0
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$75-$100 a week in Chicago, at Mariano's supermarket, just food and some cleaning supplies.0
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Reading through this thread makes my head spin... I'm spending maybe $30/week... including protein powder (Lean1 Choc PB.) How are some of you spending so much??? LOL
Let's see. One week = 14 meals (I usually skip breakfast, but will eat dessert).
One pork shoulder (enough for 12 meals) costs ~$30. That's probably the cheapest cut of meat available where I am.
I still have to spend for vegetables for all meals, and beans/legumes for 2 meals. That's probably $10-$15.
I like to have eggs around - I often eat a poached egg with spicy foods. Add $2.
And some kind of dessert - pint of ice cream, ingredients for cake/cookies/brownies, etc. Add $5.
So, around $50 for the minimum of what I'd normally buy. And forget it if I add tea at $7-9 per box (I go through the stuff like crazy), or prepared foods, or a splurge like smoked salmon ($9 for 4oz) or sushi ($11 single meal) that I'll get maybe once a month.
I can cut costs significantly if I stretch the meat out by making soup or with beans, etc. But if I do that it does start getting difficult to get enough protein. I lift and don't want to be short on it.0 -
I feel like I need to start making a stronger effort to save in the grocery department after reading all of these responses. I spend on average, $200-$250 a week (including miscellaneous toiletries) for myself, husband and son (6 years old, not a big eater). I usually prep one dinner and daily lunches for both my husband and myself on Sunday (protein, veggie and brown rice for 5 days for each of us), we typically eat egg sandwiches for breakfast, and I make a few more dinners throughout the week that typically don't require a ton of ingredients. My husband is constantly hungry, even after dinner as he works a physically demanding job and works out 5-6 times a week so I tend to buy cereal, protein bars, turkey jerkey, etc. every week as well. Any suggestions on keeping the house pretty well stocked, but cutting down on the bill?0
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We spend about $75 a week for a family of two adults. However, we also purchase from the local butcher a quarter of a cow and a whole pig once a year which is no included in this weekly amount.0
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Hello from Omaha, Nebraska!
I usually spend anywhere from $30-100 a week. Mondays I cook for myself and a friend, Tuesdays are date nights so either my boyfriend cooks or we eat out, Wednesdays are potluck game nights, Thursday and Friday I usually cook for myself, Saturdays are date night so either the bf and I cook together or eat out, and Sundays I cook for myself. Occasionally I cook for and eat with my roommate and sometimes her boyfriend, but they're usually doing their own thing.
For breakfast and lunch, I bring something to work. I used to eat out a lot more, but I've been saving SOOOO much by cooking more often.
Grocery list staples for me include but are not limited to pasta, fruits (usually apples), canned tuna/chicken breast, fresh chicken breasts, and salad. Not a ton of variety, but it works for me.0 -
Reading through this thread makes my head spin... I'm spending maybe $30/week... including protein powder (Lean1 Choc PB.) How are some of you spending so much??? LOL
My question to you: what are you eating that you're spending so little?
In all seriousness, though. This is my meal plan for the week, and grocery list. I am feeding 2 adults (myself and husband). The recipes I make for dinner have 4 servings, so the left overs get packaged up and eaten for lunch the next day.
Sunday: Asian-Glazed Chicken Thighs, Mirin braised bok choy, pureed turnips
Monday: Southwestern pinto bean burgers with chipotle mayonnaise, garlic roasted beet greens (original recipe was for kale, but I wanted to use up my beet greens)
Tuesday: Beet, blood orange, kumquat, and quinoa salad
Wednesday: Spicy basil chicken, brown rice with sesame, sauteed snow peas and peppers
Thursday BLT pasta, roasted broccoli
Friday: Turkey burgers with cranberry-apple relish (will use chicken I have in the freezer), Caesar salad
Shopping list:
Bananas (bunch of 5)
Apples (3 lb pag)
1 red pepper
1 navel orange
1 lemon
5 blood oranges
Fresh Express Lite Caesar Salad Kit
1 pint grape tomatoes
Snow peas, 12 oz
1 bunch basil (2 oz)
1 bunch beets
1 pint kumquats
1 avocado
1 bunch green onions
1 jalapeno pepper
1 bunch cilantro
turnips (2 lbs)
1 bok choy
1 jar minced garlic
2 shallots
Pecorino Romano cheese, 8 oz
Muenster cheese, 1 lb sliced in deli (for the hubby)
Roast beef, 1 lb sliced in deli (for the hubby)
1 package chicken thighs (family pack contained 10 thighs)
1 small can corn (8.5 oz)
1 can pinto beans (15.5 oz)
1 jar strawberry jelly (for the hubby)
1 box cereal (store brand Special K, 12 oz)
1 bottle lower sodium soy sauce, 10 oz
1 box Mini penne pasta, 16 oz
1 bag hamburger rolls (bag of 8 rolls)
1 box quinoa, 12 oz
Half gallon organic skim milk (this is my splurge)
Frozen broccoli florets, 16 oz
Edy's Outshine pomegranate bars (box of 6)
Weight Watchers Giant Latte bars (box of 6)
3 12-packs Diet Coke, 12 oz cans (Diet Coke is my vice, and it was on sale so I stocked up)
1 Box white tea, 40 bags (this will last a while)
1 jar multi-vitamins
1 bottle Systane eyedrops, 1 oz (my eyes get super dry, especially in the winter)
Total spent: $160.78
Do you buy food just for the week? Or do you stock up when things are on sale? I try to only buy things on sale or when/if I have a coupon. If I can pair a sale with a coupon (or two), even better. For example, last night I bought 4 roaster chickens between 5-6 lbs each for a total of $20.93 (somewhere around $.95 per pound). I went for their $.59/lb drumstick sale (while supplies last), but I'm sure those were completely sold out a half hour after the store opened. We will get at least 12 meals out of those guys plus several quarts of bone stock for soups, rice, beans, slow cooker meals, pressure cooker meals, etc. I plan my weekly meals almost exclusively around what I already have in the fridge, freezer, and pantry or what I can grab on a good deal that week.
Your shopping list looks very much like the types of things I buy, though last night we went shopping and my boyfriend added about 6 items of junk food to the trip. I like when he goes shopping with me, but we always end up with a handful of items I didn't plan on purchasing, which is fine. It might happen once every other month, and he eats most of the junk. He can't have a sandwich (his favorite lunch food) without some sort of chips to go with it.
Two weeks ago, I spent about $150 on groceries (mostly produce). Because it was such a large trip for us, I only spent about $12 last week to fill out what we needed/wanted for meals. Yesterday's trip was about $110 total, and I probably won't need to go shopping, again, for another couple weeks because I stocked up on things like flour, beans, spices (and a variety of chips) for us. We are also going away this weekend, and I am making dinner for Saturday night for about 20 people, so I bought what I needed for that. We are picking up a case of beer for this weekend, too, but I count alcohol into my "entertainment" budget since Pennsylvania laws are weird and we cannot buy alcohol with our groceries and I consider alcohol more of an entertainment/luxury item rather than a food/household/personal care item.0 -
Since I stopped buying junkfood, I've been withdrawing 50€ (ca 55$) per week for groceries and toiletries. Most of the time I do ok with that. I try not to eat too much meat and I bulk-buy fish filets. If I don't watch out, I tend to spend too much on eating out. I know next month and March will be horrible because I have several work-related dinners to attend but I'll need to pay for them myself. I'm lucky though, I only restrict my budget because I prefer to save than spend and I know that by many standards my budget isn't restrictive at all. I manage to buy loads of fresh fruit and veg, so i'm a happy bunny.0
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Oh, I definitely stock up where I can. Fresh produce and milk I buy weekly based on what we'll use. Meat I buy while it's on sale, and also based on the meal plan. I tend to buy large packs of meat, because they are usually less expensive per pound. Extra meat is easily frozen for future use. A lot of staples I only buy when we need them, things like cooking oil, spices, and condiments. I'll stock up on things with a long shelf life, like canned beans and tomatoes, when they go on sale. I save veggie scraps, bones, and shrimp shells in the freezer to make stock.0
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