Monthly Grocery Budget
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About 100-150 a week for my husband and I and our dog (the dog is included because she we raw feed so eggs, meat, and bones when on sale we buy alot of) I keep trying to trim our budget down, a good website ive found for us while we are slowly cutting down on the amount of meat we eat is Budget Bytes. We made a great soup the other night for around $9 that lasted four days (lunch and dinner)0
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Idk the prices there but here in California in the US I spend about 100$ per person per month. That's 4 of us. And we eat healthy foods.0
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I spend about $70-100/week (USD) for myself. But I usually have steak twice a week (anemic so need red meat cause I refuse to take pills),salmon and chicken, fresh veggies and fruit, milk, eggs, yogurt.1
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I am loving buying fresh produce at our local 99 cent store! Fresh asparagus,mini peppers,broccoli all for $.99. Asparagus was $3.99 a lb at our local Whole Foods store this week so I passed it up. Always shop grocery store sales for meats,fish,poultry.3
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We live in New Zealand now and spend about 200nzd a week for 2 adults and 2 kids, one who eats like an adult. I think we spent about the same when we lived in the US0
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7 person household.. about 800$ a month.0
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We're in the US and I aim to spend $400/mo for a family of four. Used to be $300/mo but we gradually upped it (and I don't coupon as much as I used to) to allow for more fish, fresh produce, etc. Aldi is one of my favorite grocery stores. I also get some good deals through Amazon S&S and then I meal plan and shop based on what's on sale at other local grocery stores.0
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for those who use coupons go to the krazy coupon lady website. they have a running list of just about every coupon online at any given time and links to them. Lots of other stuff on there too. money saving tips and such. she also has a youtube channel with alot of good videos.3
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for me & husband around $400/month US dollars plus we have dogs. I buy bulk meat if it's on sale. We rarely eat out & most of our food consists of ground turkey, chicken & some pork, lots of veggies, fruit- frozen & fresh, yogurt, almond milk, eggs, ham etc0
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Thanks for all the replies everyone. It's quite obvious to me that we should be able to eat for less money.
Over the last few months we've averaged nearly $1000, again, not eating out or buying liquor.
I spend about $900-1200 a month for a family of 7, including cleaning products, personal hygiene, all the extras. I don't buy very much meat because we do butcher a couple of pigs each year, and we have our own laying hens for eggs. We only eat out as a family about one a year, if that (yes, you read that right!) and we don't buy liquor.
We're in Ontario.
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http://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/2014/09/09/homemade-counter-top-yogurt-heat-required/RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »Uk and spend £240 a month for 3 adults.
Eat seasonal fruit and veg and what ever is on Aldi super 6. Make my own yoghurt by the kg.
Cook beans/chick peas in bulk from scratch then freeze. Buy whole chickens, remove the skin and dice the whole thing up. Freeze in 100g servings.
Buy large joints of gammon etc that are cheaper per kg and cook and freeze in 100g servings.
Bulk everything out with veg.
How do you make yoghurt? I'm really addicted to natural Skyr, but it's either expensive at Tesco, etc or usually not available at Lidl.
Here you go, takes me 3-4 minutes before bed and it's ready by morning.
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It's just me & my husband, and we spend only about $60/week on groceries. That is not including things like laundry detergent and other household stuff (I guess some people include that in their budget for groceries but we don't).
We don't eat meat which I think helps with the cost staying so low. We buy a LOT of in-season and/or frozen produce and staples like beans, rice, lentils, potatoes, etc. Stock up at stores that specialize in ethnic (Asian & Hispanic) and the old school health food stores that sell in bulk w/ no frills, and we rarely purchase prepared things like protein bars. I bake bread, naan and any treats we may have, like cookies.
We also stick very strictly to a list. At the beginning of each week we plan out X number of meals (breakfast, lunch dinner) and only buy what we need to make those meals. He works from home and cooks a hot lunch for us every weekday and I am able to come home for lunch. So there are many things about our lifestyle that makes this work for us that I know don't apply to everyone!
We do eat out 2-3 times on the weekend.2 -
I'm in Australia so the dollar amounts will not be comparative anyway, but I have found a couple of things that help reduce our budget are:
- Making a meal plan for the week and sticking to it. This might include a night where I make a meal that will last for two nights (Soup, Lasagne, pasta bake, etc) I don't always do this but I do notice the difference in what we spend when I do!
- I buy meat from the grocery store and then use half of it and then bulk out the meal with added beans or lentils (or skip the meat entirely)
- I grocery shop online...it takes a bit longer than if I were to go in but I can keep track of what I'm spending. The only thing is that I miss out on any discounted items that might be on the shelf but I possibly didn't need them anyway...
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OliveGirl128 wrote: »(Midwest, USA here), I'm a very frugal grocery shopper. Family of 5 here, plus 2 cats, and we have a $100 a week/$400 a month budget for groceries-this also includes non-food items like paper goods (toilet paper, kleenex, trash bags etc), cleaning supplies (laundry soap, dish soap, bleach and vinegar etc), personal hygiene, (feminine hygiene for 2, soap, shampoo etc), and then cat food/litter (litter is sporadic because our cats use our yard as a giant litter box most days
).
My biggest tips:
-explore the different (hidden) resources in your area! What stores do you have? Are their unconventional options around? Things like bread outlets, farmers markets, farm stands, Dollar stores that sell food, friends/family that have gardens/chickens that you can trade etc etc.
-learn how to 'shop' from your kitchen-before you sit down to make a menu plan/grocery list go through your cupboards/fridge/freezer and see what you already have, that you can build off of. That pkt of taco seasoning hiding in the back of your pantry is a good start for a taco bar. Have a 1/2 container of sour cream? Find a new casserole recipe that uses it etc etc.
-along with that menu plan, menu plan, menu plan
It doesn't have to be set in stone, but I spend a few minutes writing out a list of suppers that I want to rotate through during each grocery cycle. I always have store ads pulled up online when I do this, and from my kitchen 'shopping' and then what sales are going, I put together meal ideas.
-after you have your menu plan then it's time to get your grocery list hammered out. As I'm menu planning I jot down ingredients I need on scrap paper, and then I organize this and make a list. I also organize my list based on store layout-grouping similar ingredients/departments together. This will save time when you're shopping.
-walk into the store with CASH. This will prevent impulse purchases that can get your budget off course. Leave your debit/check book/cc at home.
-and then learn how to properly store food. This is a biggie that I've really been focusing on. I only shop every 2 weeks so the fresh produce I buy has to last a long time. Same with bread products. I've spent a lot of time reading up on how to properly store things to make them last-this reduces food waste and prevents extra trips to the store!
eta: we do an envelope system (Dave Ramsey), and we have a separate account labeled 'fun'-this gets $40 a week/$80 per pay period and covers eating out, alcohol, Redbox movies etc. We usually eat out as a family once a week-usually pizza or Fazolis (the 5 of us eat here for under $25 and they have unlimited bread sticks-score lol!). My good quality coffee comes out of this envelope as well
eta #2: me and the kids eat at home for all our meals but hubby has a separate account for his work lunches.
Great advice!
I'm definitely guilty of being an impulse shopper. The past few weeks I've gotten better by going through my cupboards, freezers, fridge, & pantry & looking at what I already have & trying to make meals with what I already have. Since doing this I've barely had to buy anything at the grocery store with the exception of some fun treats that I bought to experiment with the protein ice cream I've been making for dessert almost every night.1 -
I want to work on my grocery budget, too. I spend probably $75 per week on average for myself. Sometimes that includes food I'm preparing for myself and my boyfriend. I do make an effort to plan out my meals for the week. I usually go to the grocery store on Sundays with my shopping list and then meal prep for the week. I've been trying to get better about only buying what is on my list or only adding in one impulse buy. Sometimes if I see a good sale on something I use all the time, I'll buy extra. If I'm getting several kinds of meat, then I know I'll be spending more. Everyone is sharing great advice! I need to revisit Aldi. I've only been there a few times, but they definitely have great deals on meat.0
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I'd say on average we spend around $250 per week...sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less. This typically also includes household items like dish soap, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, etc...1
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Stuff that makes a difference for me:
• Shopping at the PriceRite versus Wegmans saves a lot of money (your chains will be different, but many people have 1 really nice chain with everything and a cheaper chain. The difference on simple staple items adds up (a lot). $0.50-$1 difference for each item of canned veg/dried beans/dairy container/frozen bag of veg, etc adds up pretty quick. You also won't be passing by a patisserie, sushi stand, olive bar, cheese counters, gourmet sausages and junk food. The tempting impulse items aren't at the cheap place (unless you have a penchant for cheap snack cakes/off brand cheese doodles, etc).
• Taking a more modular approach to food and not being too picky. For instance, "a meat" rather than some specific meat - whatever is cheap. And being more flexible on lean-ness (as in buy the rest of the chicken not just the boneless, skinless chicken breasts). I don't buy the really fatty stuff (which includes the cheaper 80/20 beef), but allow much more fat than chicken breast & fish. I'm usually too cheap to buy beef. What I buy gets cooked up in bulk, chopped, and thrown in a freezer bag to be added to stuff interchangeably.
• Not paying for convenience. (pre-bagged,chopped salads and indivdual yogurts-although I throw an occasional individual flavored yogurt into the mix for a change- add up pretty quickly). However, I do appreciate the convenience factor in frozen vegetables being pre-washed and chopped for me (but due to ease of logistics, you don't usually have to pay for that convenience).
• Lots of soup. (dried beans are really cheap, then just add random veggies and a meat). - Cheap and pretty much no work required.
• I don't eat out anywhere near as much (and order fewer drinks), which makes the biggest difference. (Not worth the calories).
Edit: missing decimal point2 -
Aldi is a NO for me though. Way too many inexpensive gourmet junk food and cheese options. I don't have the impulse control for it. (Seriously, first thing on walking in the door, you are met with a wall of amazing Belgian chocolate - how evil is that, followed by very excellent continental cookies,..., <$3 wheels of camambert and brie,...).1
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carterbrent wrote: »I spend about 100 a week for me and my husband and adult son . We pack all lunches and eat out dinner about 1 or 2 times a month. I plan my weeks menu based on the store flyers ad sales for meat and produce. Aldis has a fit & active line of foods that are quite good. Their produce is very fresh and cheap. I do not buy much from a deli or bakery department unless it is marked down. We eat alot of hamburger and chicken, tuna and ground turkey. Not much goes to waste. Also try to shop from my freezer before I bring more food into the house. Don't want to have to throw away food that has become freezer burnt.
This sounds a lot like our household, too. I really don't like to be too "stocked" because I find it gets harder to plan meals we will actually look forward to...we try to go through most things in our freezer pretty quickly, as you mentioned. Very little waste.
I also like a lot of Aldi's Fit & Active line. Good stuff. I mostly go to Aldi for produce and dairy. Their nonfat plain Greek yogurt in the big tub is the best we've tried, better even than Fage or Oikos.
My ex husband was a bit of a nightmare in this area as he had a list of easily $50-70/week of random snacks and various drinks he absolutely "had to have". Just cutting that stuff out, it's amazing how much you can save! That's the entire grocery budget with my current husband.
I do wish I could say we're as frugal about dining out. We don't spend a ton on our meals out, only splurging on a $70 sushi meal once or twice per year. But we do eat out 2-3 times every weekend.
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seltzermint555 wrote: »carterbrent wrote: »I spend about 100 a week for me and my husband and adult son . We pack all lunches and eat out dinner about 1 or 2 times a month. I plan my weeks menu based on the store flyers ad sales for meat and produce. Aldis has a fit & active line of foods that are quite good. Their produce is very fresh and cheap. I do not buy much from a deli or bakery department unless it is marked down. We eat alot of hamburger and chicken, tuna and ground turkey. Not much goes to waste. Also try to shop from my freezer before I bring more food into the house. Don't want to have to throw away food that has become freezer burnt.
This sounds a lot like our household, too. I really don't like to be too "stocked" because I find it gets harder to plan meals we will actually look forward to...we try to go through most things in our freezer pretty quickly, as you mentioned. Very little waste.
I also like a lot of Aldi's Fit & Active line. Good stuff. I mostly go to Aldi for produce and dairy. Their nonfat plain Greek yogurt in the big tub is the best we've tried, better even than Fage or Oikos.
My ex husband was a bit of a nightmare in this area as he had a list of easily $50-70/week of random snacks and various drinks he absolutely "had to have". Just cutting that stuff out, it's amazing how much you can save! That's the entire grocery budget with my current husband.
I do wish I could say we're as frugal about dining out. We don't spend a ton on our meals out, only splurging on a $70 sushi meal once or twice per year. But we do eat out 2-3 times every weekend.
I was shocked with how much I loved Aldi's nonfat plain greek yogurt.1 -
2 people, 6 animals, approximately $600 a month including toiletries, paper towels, etc. That's down from $800. I used to do a lot of my shopping at Costco or Sam's until I moved to Texas. Now I have H-E-B and I love it! If I were to break it down to just human food and no extra household stuff or pet food, probably $500.
What can I say? We like good food.0 -
@JeromeBarry1 - I don't think we throw out that much stuff, although my husband does most of the cooking/fridge clearing, so maybe I'm out of the loop on how much waste we really have. I find too that we seem to pay for convenience to some extent. Powdered milk and home-made yogurt may be cheaper, but I don't think we would find the time trade-off worth it. I guess it can't be convenient and cheap.
@zdyb23456 and @Ninkyou - that seems insane to me. I've always been amazed and what people can feed families of 5 or 6 on, considering how much we spend on 2. We don't have Sam's Club but it would probably be worth it to get a Costco membership. It's just balancing the waste that can come with buying larger quantities for 2 people. My in-laws have a membership and we've gone with them and bought large portions of meat and things so we can freeze it. I thought that would cut down on the next month's spending, but nope. We just seem to find other grocery things to buy even though we did well at eating the frozen meat.
Most of what I'm reading from everyone's responses seem to line up with "have a plan and follow it". I guess we'll just have to work harder at that. We're generally okay at making a plan, but I'm realizing we come up short on following it a lot of the time. At least I have a place to start working from now.
I spent $200/month on myself when I lived in Florida, which included organic items and all the eggs/dairy/meat was more humanely raised.
Until I read the bolded, I was going to guess the problem area was meat, because that's where I economize. Chicken is cheaper than beef, and thighs are cheaper than breast, and bone in is cheaper than boneless, plus I save the bones and make stock. How much are you spending per pound on different types of meat and fish?
So now my new question is about making things from scratch vs using convenience foods? For example, big bags of rice are so much cheaper per serving than boxes of rice. Etc.
There are some exceptions to "making from scratch is cheaper" - my OH used to buy already made brownies for $5 a container, and I spent months experimenting with making brownies from scratch, and finally came to the conclusion that the Ghirardhelli mix made more brownies than the pre-made ones, and at $2 a box at Walmart were less than what it cost me to make from scratch, and with a whole lot less effort too. When I'm not planning on having any, I use Dunkin Hines or Betty Crocker, which are only $1 a box, but include artificial flavors, which turn me off but not my OH.0 -
For just myself I spend about 70$ a week. It's a little on the higher end for a single female but that's because I buy protein bars, some natural products and frozen stuff.0
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Awesome thread! This is an underdiscussed topic in my opinion!
I live in Southern Ontario, and I live alone but feed my boyfriend on weekends. I spend on average about $60 a week on good-quality groceries (yes to fancy cheese, no to ramen!), which typically consists of fresh produce/dairy, and meat. I cook every meal for myself, only rarely eating out. I don't typically buy bread or snack foods, and only periodically spend more when I'm restocking staple foods in larger amounts (like oats, pasta, cheese, soup broth, cereal etc.). Im a student so keeping my grocery bill down is important, so I'm constantly shopping for sale items, and I also grow some of my own food in a small seasonal garden (some things are just sooo easy to grow) and preserve fresh things when I can! When things are in season and cheaper, I typically buy lots of it and can or freeze it for the winter/off season so I'm not paying a premium for good veggies in the winter etc.. I also have this app called Flipp, which, based on your location, shows you all your local grocery flyers and you can even compare deals by searching for individual items! It's super handy to have and I'd recommend it to anyone! Between all this, I'd say my grocery spending habits aren't bad! Message me if anyone wants to chat about these things further!1 -
beckycumming wrote: »Awesome thread! This is an underdiscussed topic in my opinion!
I live in Southern Ontario, and I live alone but feed my boyfriend on weekends. I spend on average about $60 a week on good-quality groceries (yes to fancy cheese, no to ramen!), which typically consists of fresh produce/dairy, and meat. I cook every meal for myself, only rarely eating out. I don't typically buy bread or snack foods, and only periodically spend more when I'm restocking staple foods in larger amounts (like oats, pasta, cheese, soup broth, cereal etc.). Im a student so keeping my grocery bill down is important, so I'm constantly shopping for sale items, and I also grow some of my own food in a small seasonal garden (some things are just sooo easy to grow) and preserve fresh things when I can! When things are in season and cheaper, I typically buy lots of it and can or freeze it for the winter/off season so I'm not paying a premium for good veggies in the winter etc.. I also have this app called Flipp, which, based on your location, shows you all your local grocery flyers and you can even compare deals by searching for individual items! It's super handy to have and I'd recommend it to anyone! Between all this, I'd say my grocery spending habits aren't bad! Message me if anyone wants to chat about these things further!
I just added this app (after reading your post), looks very helpful. Thanks for mentioning it!0 -
2 adults and 2 cats, I spend on average £60-£70 a week on shopping including cat food, cat litter, cleaning products, soap, etc. We also have take away once a week at around £15.
I could save money if I wanted to but I prefer using the local butchers and the local farm shop for my fruit and veg because it tastes so much better that the stuff from the supermarket. Although for fruit and veg in season the farm shop is actually cheaper anyways.0 -
Definitely love the Flipp app.... Living in NYC, you need every penny you can save.0
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Westchester NY - about $500 a month on average for a family of 4. Add on another $100 a month for alcohol and toiletries from other stores. I miss Aldi's where I used to live closer to the city. There my food was about $350 a month for the same stuff.
We rarely eat out.0 -
I'm glad the Flipp people developed it. I saw the need for it in 2011 and recommended creating this type of service to an entrepreneur who was actively looking for his next thing and a friend who was a programmer, but neither of them ran with it. Their loss!
Ghirardelli squares sales; you can't hide from me any longer!2 -
For those that shop at Wal-Mart don't forget to download the Wal-Mart App that includes The Savings Catcher. My mom has used her's for a little over two years & almost has around $400.00-$500.00 saved & then can be used for an e-gift card.
It's also nice for people who throw away their receipts & need to return a larger item to the store since you can use the app & the service desk associate can either scan or type in the transaction bar code.0
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