Monthly Grocery Budget

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Replies

  • IsabeausRose
    IsabeausRose Posts: 129 Member
    aylajane wrote: »
    I can only afford $150 dollars a month for groceries for just me. That gives me barely 1200 calories a day. That's all I can afford right now. I'm shocked at all of you spending hundreds.

    How much you spend has absolutely no bearing on how many calories you can eat. You can spend $3 on a jar of peanut butter and eat the whole thing for over 2000 calories, or you can spend $3 on a bag of sugar free popsicles and eat the whole thing for under 100 calories.

    "Healthy" food doesnt cost more. Eggs are under a dollar for a dozen and I get breakfast for 5 days. I get 12 salads worth of lettuce at costco for $4. etc.
    I've been going over my grocery budget and think I have found a way to fit some fruits and veggies in there and get rid of some not so healthy stuff. Thank you all for all your help! Xoxo
  • mrsbarnett1012
    mrsbarnett1012 Posts: 63 Member
    For a family of 3, we budget $125/week, so about $500/month. I always make a list of what meals we'll be making for the week and then make a grocery list of the items that we don't have but that we need from the store for those meals. And then stick to the list! I use coupons some, but not enough to make it significant. I've also just recently started pulling out cash to go to the grocery store with and not using my debit/credit card. You'd be surprised at just how much this one act saved us. I now shop with a calculator and add things up as I go through the store and it makes me realize that at times I have to choose one item over the other because if there's not enough cash, you can't get it!
  • twinkles4
    twinkles4 Posts: 124 Member
    I feel your pain. I'm also in Alberta (rural) and i'm way over that average number too. I've been trying in vain to get our grocery budget under control, but it's crazy how much food costs in this area. I literally passed on a pint of blueberries for $6.99 and asparagus that was $8.99/lb.

    Checkout 51 used to be good until they locked all the produce down. If you don't buy a lot of boxed/brand name items, you won't find it that helpful.

    I'm currently trying out the Flipp app. Its just a coupon and list organizer. When you add items to your list, it will tell you if there are any coupons or if the item is in a flyer close to you.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    edited August 2017
    I can only afford $150 dollars a month for groceries for just me. That gives me barely 1200 calories a day. That's all I can afford right now. I'm shocked at all of you spending hundreds.

    You should be able to get a wide variety of foods and many more calories for that budget. At least in the US.

    I lived on about $100 or often less a month for food 20 years ago. I bought things like rice, pasta, beans, fresh and frozen vegetables and more. But things like meat were a treat.

    Even now, I rarely spend more than $200 on food a month for me and I eat comfortably.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    Shop for 2. Average about $200/month. I buy a lot of stuff in bulk though. A deep freezer and meal prepping for the week is a money saver.
  • abbynormalartist
    abbynormalartist Posts: 318 Member
    With a family of four in the midwest we spend between $900 - $1200 a month (kitchen, bathroom, cleaning products and protein powder included). It's bonkers, I know. We don't eat out but my husband and I work full time with a crummy commute so we don't shop around or spend time clipping coupons.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    Cartwheel for Target is also a good hidden moneysaver app.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    cmtigger wrote: »
    I can only afford $150 dollars a month for groceries for just me. That gives me barely 1200 calories a day. That's all I can afford right now. I'm shocked at all of you spending hundreds.

    You should be able to get a wide variety of foods and many more calories for that budget. At least in the US.

    I lived on about $100 or often less a month for food 20 years ago. I bought things like rice, pasta, beans, fresh and frozen vegetables and more. But things like meat were a treat.

    Even now, I rarely spend more than $200 on food a month for me and I eat comfortably.

    Yeah - soup can be done immensely cheap (probably the quickest way to throw together everything you just listed into a large batch of many nutritious meals). - it is my go to when I am particularly stretched for time (toss random stuff in electric pressure cooker, leave a while, cover and throw pot into fridge, later scoop into bowl and microwave). I do normally add either ham (at time of initial cooking; Price Rite has very lean ready-to-eat boneless ham quarters at $2.49/lb - usually $4.40ish for the chunk; I dice and freeze it after grocery shopping) or rotisserie chicken (added right before microwaving)(Wegmans has them for $5 if you manage to score 1 before they run out. the last few yielded between 1.5 and 1.8 lb of final cooked meat after removal of bones and most of the skin - not including most of the wing meat which generally does not survive me during the carving & chopping stage before weighing and freezing).
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    twinkles4 wrote: »
    I feel your pain. I'm also in Alberta (rural) and i'm way over that average number too. I've been trying in vain to get our grocery budget under control, but it's crazy how much food costs in this area. I literally passed on a pint of blueberries for $6.99 and asparagus that was $8.99/lb.

    The prices on fresh blueberries and asparagus for most of the year are ridiculous enough down here in Buffalo as well that I pretty much never ever buy them. (But I expect that). Grocery prices up there, in general, must suck though. Even non-perishable goods need to be moved so much further that I'm guessing you have to pay a premium on those as well. I've never been to Alberta. I do remember seeing things like loaves of bread and bags of potato chips going for $8 in parts of Alaska though.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    edited September 2017
    I can only afford $150 dollars a month for groceries for just me. That gives me barely 1200 calories a day. That's all I can afford right now. I'm shocked at all of you spending hundreds.

    We're at around 250 per week +/- but it's also a family of 4 with two young and growing boys.

    Before kids and in our early years before our careers took off, we lived on much less and ate a lot of beans from the bulk section, rice, soups and stews (which we still do in the winter), pasta, lots of PB&J sandwiches, etc. We ate whole chickens that we would roast rather than getting parts or boneless and skinless breasts, etc. Red meat was mostly ground beef.

    We made it a point to become more financially stable before we had kids. We are fortunate that a number of things have gone our way over the years...bought our house at the right time and have an insanely low mortgage and interest rate...careers went in the right direction, etc...lots of years, lots of work...and a bit of luck thrown in...
  • laurasampair
    laurasampair Posts: 39 Member
    Menu Planning is key - try 'limemeal' app - great recipes - can tailor make your requirements very easy -- PAIR with 'online grocery' ordering - I use 'clicklist' at King Soopers (Colorado). You can put in your menu - and aim for a target budget - if you're over - adjust a recipe or trim an unnecessary item - all at your computer. You avoid going into the store - as they come out an load it into your car. Fee is $5. Well worth it for convenience and for sticking to budget and proper diet items!
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
    I spend about $210 per month on groceries/toiletries/cleaning supplies. If I add restaurants, and food eaten in hotels/other countries (multiple days a month), that total food figure is closer to $550 for one person each month. Yes, it's a lot.

    For a cheaper grocery bill, review the sale flyers that come in the mail or check online sales/prices for your nearby stores. Keep track of what things cost so you know when you see a good price. See if you can find coupons for any items you want to eat. Make a weekly meal plan based on the most inexpensive items. Plan about 5 days of meals. Make a grocery list. Buy only from that list unless you see some fabulous price on something else. Cook the meals from the meal plan. For 2 days during the week, eat leftovers or make "clean out the refrigerator stirfry." When you're familiar with regular prices, when something you use regularly goes on sale at a great price, stock up.

    When you're familiar with prices, you know what to buy. I see people buying stuff at the dollar store all the time that costs less than a dollar at regular grocery stores. Or I see sale prices at Ralphs that are much higher than regular non-sale prices at Whole Foods. I love their 10 for $10 sales where they include things that normally cost less than $1. Don't be taken in. Some things are cheaper to make from scratch and some aren't. Yogurt is, if your batch turns out. It isn't if it doesn't culture and you end up throwing it out. Big cartons of yogurt, however, are significantly cheaper than buying individual servings. Just portion it out. Powdered milk is more expensive than fresh milk. Every frugal living website will tell you chicken thighs are cheaper than chicken breast, but that is not necessarily true anymore...the stores have caught on and raised the prices significantly.

    When I was in the earlier Dave Ramsey baby steps, my budget for all that stuff (including restaurants/coffee/business meals) was $110 a month and I stuck to it carefully. That was a few years ago when I lived in the south and the midwest. I could not do that now in SoCal with the way prices have risen. The smallest grocery budget I've managed is about $125/mo, but that doesn't include any items beside food eaten at home and it would be too restrictive to keep up long term. Now that I'm in the last baby step, my food category of my budget is my freest one. I like to spend money on food, restaurants and room service, I like to grocery shop, and I can afford it.

    Most of my food tends to be pricey. I like pastured eggs at $6-8 a dozen, but eggs can also be found for $1 a dozen. I like $15/gallon raw milk, but regular milk is only a couple of dollars. Grassfed beef prices have come down very low, often $4-5/lb. I've recently discovered the 99 Cent Store has a fabulous selection of vegetables. I've loosened my standards as organic has become so expensive lately, most of my produce comes from the 99 Cent Store. It cuts about $40-50 out of my monthly budget to do that.

    I did eat a lot of beans, rice and pasta during my frugal days. That was dried beans I soaked, not those fancy luxurious canned ones. And I couponed (free cans of tuna or bags of pasta are a budgeters best friend) and shopped sales and planned meals and worked from a grocery list of frugal items. I bought one whole chicken a month and stretched that out with casseroles, stirfries, soups and stews.

    My stores, in order of general priciness: H Mart, Trader Joe's, Sprouts, farmer's markets on weekdays (weekends they jack up the prices), Costco, Ralphs, Vons. Aldi's is cheaper, but is a long, long drive so I go only about twice a year.
  • artbyrachelh
    artbyrachelh Posts: 338 Member
    Family of 8, $200 (give or take 20) a week. I cook our meals and use all leftovers! LOTS of produce, meat 4x a week for dinner.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,227 Member
    $200-$250 a month for just myself, but that also includes over the counter meds/toiletries/paper products/kitty litter/ etc. Most likely about $150 per month of that is actual food.
  • kellyjellybellyjelly
    kellyjellybellyjelly Posts: 9,480 Member
    Bump!
  • Gracie12311
    Gracie12311 Posts: 44 Member
    edited October 2017
    I can easily spend $100 per month on groceries (for one person though). It’s more if I include my husband. But for one person, it’s easy. This excludes household items like paper towels, etc. and alcohol. But for food? Easy.

    People should really, really find out when their local supermarkets put meat on sale. Since this costs the most money the majority of the time, it’s really beneficial to find this out. Doesn’t matter the grocery store or what area you live in, you can find meat marked down. Even the expensive stores near me (Wegmans, Publix) mark their chicken and hamburger meat to $2 a pound sometimes on sale days. And definitely pork products - I can get a small pork loin for a couple of dollars. I can also find cheaper produce at Aldi’s and it’s good. Aldi’s by us has tortillas for $0.64 per pack and I stocked up.

    I cannot eat beans, lentils and soups to fill up. Even if could, I don’t like them so there’s that. I find eating on the cheap to be very easy. Jut takes a little time and effort and you can stock up. It doesn’t mean you can buy whatever you want (cereal, desserts, prepackaged items), but you can definitely meet your nutritional and calorie goals.

    ETA: This includes not just dinner but leftovers and sandwich items for lunches (I pack my lunch everyday for work). Also to add that you don’t need to eat organic or grass fed to get nutrients or healthy food. I used to eat that way and found it was completely unnecessary unless you have an ethical issue regarding it, which I totally understand.