Grocery budget is supposed to be $100 a month per person?

Sometimes factory made is just that much cheaper. Mass production and all that.

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I have a family of 8 and we spend about $800/month on groceries and that includes toiletries, pet care, diapers etc...so it's possible. It's a lot of cooking and when you buy larger quantities of stuff it's cheaper. We don't buy a lot of processed foods...i think that's where we could go over budget if we did. We also don't really eat out either so it sounds crazy and I'm just realizing how little we spend considering what I'm reading. I don't think we feel deprived either...we eat pretty good

My husband and I lived off of $100 a month for awhile when we were newly weds. We ate like absolute crap.

Hamburger Helper, instant potatoes, rice, beans, canned goods, sandwiches...the luxury was being able to get a Lil' Caesar's pizza after grocery shopping together.

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

kellyjellybellyjelly wrote: »

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

on average i spend $75-100 a WEEK for my son (11 years old) and I.

More when my fiance is home.

generally speaking, the only pre packaged foods i buy are for his breakfast and lunch.

we eat at home every day. i take leftovers or a salad or sandwich for lunch to work.

I will say, that usually includes dog food (we have 5 dogs) and at least some non grocery items.

Could I reduce that cost, yes. But I dont have to. I'm picky about what i eat (mostly meat and veg) and while much of what i get is generic brands(especially for canned/pantry items), there are some name brand items i prefer. If I am baking I am VERY picky about brands and quality.

I do miss living near an aldis. the nearest one is almost 2 hours from me

LiveLoveFitFab wrote: »

100 dollars a month would be living in poverty and not sustainable where I live. I spend about 150 a WEEK. That's just for me and my husband. Not only that, but I'm vegetarian, so that's half the amount of meat. I could probably do $60 a week on my own just because I don't eat meat, but it's nothing for me to spend $100 a month just on meat, and that's just for him. A pack of four chicken breasts is 16 dollars here. A small strip steak can be 6-15 dollars, depending on if there is a sale or not. Even a can of tuna is two bucks.

Where I live, 100 dollars a month would literally be rice, beans and frozen vegetables. Not much else.
I'm Canadian btw.

i was going to say, those sound like Canadian prices (thats where my fiance is from and i spend a lot of time up there LOLOLOL) i dont see how anyone can afford to eat up there! LOL! only the chicken breast packages tend to run around $22 in his stores (outside Toronto)

Try going up North...a head of lettuce is $26 bucks up there. Yikes!

That's crazy .

What's usually the highest priced food/food group in Canada?

based on the shopping i do when im there, i find meat and dairy to be the most expensive. dairy is CRAZY expensive. BUT - their quality control with those products are much much more stringent than the US. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

*most* everything else is slightly higher, but not by much. and with the exchange rate, maybe on par.

this is all at least as i see it in southern ontario. as the other person said, the further north and more remote you go, the more expensive it gets.

I can give some background on the dairy prices. I understand the US protects dairy farmers by subsidy and by buying surplus (American Cheese). Canada protects dairy farmers by quota. There can only be so many dairies. This guarantees a market for the farmer and higher prices for the consumer.

Our quota system is called unfair by the Americans under the NAFTA agreement. It's one of the areas in dispute. (From our point of view, no undercut dairy prices are welcome here. We protect our dairies.)

I did read an article a while back that in the USA people spend much less on food than the previous generations. I think now we spend so much on RENT (or mortgage) that some people have to skimp on food. I was in Europe last month for vacation and the food was a lot cheaper, and also fresher. But I was in an area that grows produce so they didn't have to ship it from somewhere else. I think I spent about $25-40 US on groceries (if not less) for me per week, and that included fresh turkey each week, ham and beef/pork. Still not $100 per month but less than half of what I spend here.

$100 or more per person per week for me in the SF Bay Area. Meat and fresh produce are expensive! A gallon of organic milk is $7 here.

diannethegeek wrote: »

I'd be curious to know where this $100/month ideal comes from, how old it is, which agency came up with it, and whether it's before or after sales tax is applied.

In most areas there is little or no sales tax on staple food items. If you start getting into chips, cookies, pop, etc you may see some higher rates.

My main food spend is around 120-140 euros a month but that is since I started meal prepping and wasting a lot less money on food I just ended up throwing out. I still have a fairly varied menu as I freeze a lot of my meal preps to mix them up.

Usually my monthly shopping will look something like this (I will also check what's in the reduced section of the meat/fish aisle) to jazz up my meal prep in future weeks)

Aldi
5 cases Sparkling Water
20 pack of Eggs (used for weekend breakfast and as ingredient in meal prep)
Berries or Bananas (for weekday breakfast)
36 pack of Aldi's own Weetabix (equates to 5 weeks of weekday breakfasts at work)
2 or 3 packs of Pancetta (used for weekend breakfast or in pasta)
Usually 5-10 euros Fresh Vegetables (for Meal Prep Recipes such as soups, curries, etc)
2-3 Bags of Frozen Vegetables (for a quick side to evening meals)
Bag of Potatoes (for soups, homemade fries/roast potatoes)
Bag of Grated Cheese (kept in freezer for melting on top of food/grilled cheese sandwiches)

Local Butcher
2 Packs of 10 Large Chicken Breasts (sets me back around 20 euros and will normally last me a month)
1-2 packs Steak Mince/Lamb Mince (for various meal prep recipes)

Tesco - weekly top up shop
Fresh Milk
Orange Juice
Low Fat Yoghurt
Fresh fruit/veg as needed
Microwave Rice for hot lunches
Small Chocolate Bars

Staples kept in cupboard/fridge at all times - replenished every couple of months as needed

• Herbs & Spices
• Low Fat Coconut Milk
• Chopped Tomatoes
• Kidney Beans
• Gravy
• Tinned Salmon/Tuna
• Dried Soya beans/Chickpeas/Lentils
• Stock pots - Veg, Chicken & Beef
• Low Fat Mayo
• Mustard
• Ketchup
• Flour
• Ground Almonds
• Dark Chocolate Chips
• Butter

deputy_randolph wrote: »

I probably spend about 400 a month on groceries for a family of 4. We eat A LOT of eggs (which are cheap). I roast a whole chicken twice a week. We eat the meat and then boil down for bones/skin for soup. Frozen veggies are usually cheaper, last longer, and aren't significantly less nutritious than fresh.

I buy a lot of items in bulk too (oatmeal, nuts, seeds), which is a cheaper way to buy those items (usually). Canned meats like chicken and tuna aren't extremely expensive, easy lunches, and last a long time in the cabinet.

Eating on a budget just requires pre planning.

This, except we have 6 in my family.

I think I need to reevaluate my grocery shopping. I spend $150+ a week for a family of 4. I'm in Australia but I'm thinking that's still a little too high

stanmann571 wrote: »

crazyravr wrote: »

animatorswearbras wrote: »

I think anyone who thinks it's easy to live off 3 dollars a day 1 dollar a meal has probably never done that for longer than a week!

Nahhhh it would be boring sad life (month) but it can be done. But you will not be eating the best nor the most nutritious stuff. Im in Canada (Mississauga) spend about $100 / week for myself only, cook all of my food, hardly ever go out to eat. I buy grass fed, organic meats and dairy, organic fruit and vegg if it makes sense taste wise, mostly WF (some things are worth it some absolutely not).

Moderately boring, requires a good bit of imagination, and the $100 a month is generally an aggregate taking economies of scale into account for a family of 4. It's hardest as an individual.

Staying healthy means shopping coupons and chasing deals for frozen food that makes multiple meals.

Yes. At lower food expenditure, you do have to be willing to eat a lot of the same thing over and over if only 1-2 people. I spend much less on groceries now that I count calories (and thus plan and prep own meals). Limited time coupled with limited calories (and viewing food less as a means to enjoyment and more for nutrition) means I usually make a large pot of something, that I eat repeatedly most of the week, instead of buying stuff for 1 meal at a time.

(And, of course, not being picky...the 'food is so expensive' posts are pretty much always the "I'll only eat organic/grass-fed/... / fresh &/or organic produce / only like some specific breed of apple not native to my region and out of season / buy only the 2 most expensive protein sources" BS. -northern Canadians/Alaskans are excluded from this last observation).

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

vnb_208 wrote: »

svel713 wrote: »

I've heard elsewhere multiple times that its "easy" to live off $100 a month for groceries. This was after I patted myself on the back for eating below the food stamps max allotment for 2, which is $357 a month. So of course I felt like I was a super overspender after that.

I did math for months on and off, and found I could live off rice and dry brown lentils, leaving only $30 a month for fruit, veg, and vitamins. But that sounds like it would be unhealthy with such a lack of variety.

So is it actually possible to live off that and be healthy? Are these $100/mo people living off just 30g of protein a day? What is the proper lowest amount of money to live off for groceries that is healthy?

i have a household of 2 we get $60 p/m in food stamps

Food stamp allotments are adjusted based on your income. The OP said the maximum food stamp allotment, presumably what's allowed for those with zero income.

Maximum here is $352 p/m for a household of 2 based on gross income.
My gross incomes is about $1905 after taxes $1318 per month but my bills alone w/o grocery or gas included is about $1300-1400 So even with the $60 p/m I have very little to no money to buy foods for my weekly meal prep. Idk where you live but here alone milk $4.99 , Eggs $3.99 Bread $3.00, so I usually stick with canned*beans, rice, bread, eggs, frozen vegetables and rarely even buy meat anymore.

We spend so much on food. But when I was a single mother working two jobs and skimping by we made it on a lot less. My theory in all things money is that you live up to the amount of money you have. When i had to make it on very little I was very creative with food and bills. Now that we are very comfortable we spend a lot more. We do about 200 once a month at Costco and about 150 each week at our regular grocery store. So for a family of 4 about 800. That doesn't include date night or the husband eating out for lunch everyday.

I can eat for $100. But it’s bare bones. Usually what I do is I stock up on non perishables and stuff I can freeze when it’s a good price. My guess is that I’m $150-200 in food a month. I’ve got a limited diet for medical reasons so I cook most of my food. Going out is a treat.

If it’s a tight month I shop at winco. It’s got great prices. Yesterday I picked up salad mix, two small avocados, two pounds of bulk popcorn kernels, a pack of cheese sticks, and 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs for under $16.
Normally it’s Safeway, Trader Joe’s and a local natural foods store.