How much do you spend on groceries per week?

FL_Hiker · June 2018

I'm trying to get better about budgeting and saving money.. lately instead of shopping by recipe, I've been shopping by sales (BOGO!) Once a month I'll go to Costco with my mom and stock up on proteins but we do the majority of our weekly shopping at our nearby publix. I've found that I'm not really saving much by cooking from home... I buy mostly fresh veggies, fruits, cheeses, etc. and very little processed foods which seem to be breaking my bank! There's only two of us so I freeze leftovers and we eat them the next week. We do however order a small pizza every Friday, and wednesdays we go out for all you can eat fresh caught fish. My husband and I spend about $500 per month on our food alone!!! That seems insane to me! We're in Central FL if that makes any difference... I've made a menu of food with common reuseable ingredients that we go through every week how much do you all spend?

Here's our weekly menu! (I just added in lentil soup this week)

Monday: tacos or fajita bowl

Tuesday: chicken nuggets, potatoes, and veggies

Wednesday: Fish

Thursday: spaghetti meat sauce, Texas toast, salad

Friday: pizza & salad

Saturday: leftover pizza & salad

Sunday: spicy sausage lentil soup & quesadillas

pinuplove · June 2018

More than I probably care to admit, but I have 2 teenage boys

$500 between 2 people in a 30-day month is $8.34/person/day. Doesn't seem terrible to me, but I suppose it depends on how many of your other meals aren't included in that. Do you eat lunch at home or bring food from home, or is it usually from somewhere else? Is your dining out budget included in that $500, and if not, is it significant? Are any toiletries or other items included in the $500 or is it purely food? Rhetorical questions - no need to answer! Just musing. I don't separate our food budget from paper goods, toiletries, pet supplies, etc. because they are usually bought at the same place and same time, and I don't need that much detail in my budget frankly.

FL_Hiker · June 2018

pinuplove wrote: »

More than I probably care to admit, but I have 2 teenage boys

$500 between 2 people in a 30-day month is $8.34/person/day. Doesn't seem terrible to me, but I suppose it depends on how many of your other meals aren't included in that. Do you eat lunch at home or bring food from home, or is it usually from somewhere else? Is your dining out budget included in that $500, and if not, is it significant? Are any toiletries or other items included in the $500 or is it purely food? Rhetorical questions - no need to answer! Just musing. I don't separate our food budget from paper goods, toiletries, pet supplies, etc. because they are usually bought at the same place and same time, and I don't need that much detail in my budget frankly.

Right so for us that $500 includes all meals as well as toiletries, shampoos, etc. For lunch my husband eats leftovers so nothing goes to waste and I drink a protein shake which is included in that. I get my shakes at Costco which is a huge savings at least!! I'm embarrassed to admit we spend even more money on our dogs food per month than us.. he's got major dietary issues but I'm working on cutting it down. It's hard cooking for just two people I feel like we always have tons of leftovers and recipes are usually designed for large families. Sure I cut the recipe in half sometimes but it gets real awkward when you only use 1/4 of an onion lol.

deannalfisher · June 2018

that honestly doesn't seem that bad - my goal (single, female, eating between 29-3200 cal a day) is about $10 a day for food

cwolfman13 · June 2018

$200-$300 per week depending. Includes toiletries, etc and alcohol. Family of 4.

pinuplove · June 2018

FL_Hiker wrote: »

pinuplove wrote: »

More than I probably care to admit, but I have 2 teenage boys

$500 between 2 people in a 30-day month is $8.34/person/day. Doesn't seem terrible to me, but I suppose it depends on how many of your other meals aren't included in that. Do you eat lunch at home or bring food from home, or is it usually from somewhere else? Is your dining out budget included in that $500, and if not, is it significant? Are any toiletries or other items included in the $500 or is it purely food? Rhetorical questions - no need to answer! Just musing. I don't separate our food budget from paper goods, toiletries, pet supplies, etc. because they are usually bought at the same place and same time, and I don't need that much detail in my budget frankly.

Right so for us that $500 includes all meals as well as toiletries, shampoos, etc. For lunch my husband eats leftovers so nothing goes to waste and I drink a protein shake which is included in that. I get my shakes at Costco which is a huge savings at least!! I'm embarrassed to admit we spend even more money on our dogs food per month than us.. he's got major dietary issues but I'm working on cutting it down. It's hard cooking for just two people I feel like we always have tons of leftovers and recipes are usually designed for large families. Sure I cut the recipe in half sometimes but it gets real awkward when you only use 1/4 of an onion lol.

I realized I never actually answered your question lol. We spend $12-1500 month for a family of 4, depending on if the kids are at home or in school and how often my husband decides to grill steaks. This doesn't include the $180/month on dog and cat food - not quite as much as yours but enough! My elderly golden/German shepherd mix has skin issues and eats grain-free, therefore I buy grain-free for all of them (the dogs like to get into the cat food bowl when opportunity presents itself). We could tighten it up and have subsisted on a much leaner budget in the past, but are enjoying having a little more leeway these days.

I imagine cooking for 2 is its own set of challenges! Someday maybe I'll find out

Lounmoun · June 2018

hesn92 · June 2018

I budget $550 a month on groceries for my family of four. $500 doesn’t seem too bad to me. My husband eats a large portion of our food lol. Weekly anywhere from $80-$100 or so. I also buy my meat in bulk once per month, around $130 or so.

avskk · June 2018

My household is just me and my 13-year-old son. I spend an average of $550 per month ($100-150 per week) on "groceries," which includes non-grocery stuff like cat food and cleaning supplies and whatever. I eat lunch out maybe once a week, which usually costs around $5; maybe once every two weeks I'll pick up pizza or order takeout for both of us at home, which usually costs around $20. I live in rural eastern NM where the cost of living is low, but I spend disproportionately on food because it's a cornerstone for me.

jgnickel · June 2018

My husband an myself spend right at 700-800 per month here in Alaska. I shop sales and buy bulk when I can (Costco is three hours away). Our menu every week is based on what is cheap. We only eat out about once a month. When I can I shop at the farmers markets, but they can be pretty spendy.

Amerane · June 2018

Single, southeast US, and I spend $35-40 per week on groceries and household consumables. I eat a fair amount of chicken, fish (fresh salmon, frozen shrimp, occasionally catfish cause it's cheap), and beans/lentils. I cook almost everything and buy very few processed foods, which cuts down on my grocery bills. My most expensive items each week are usually meat and fruit. Veggies are generally cheap down here. I eat a lot of rice-based dishes (aka meat & veg + sauce + rice). I plan my weekly meals based on whats on sale and in season.

AnvilHead · June 2018

Huge discussion of it here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10666596/how-much-do-you-should-you-spend-on-food-us/p1

TonyB0588 · June 2018

FL_Hiker wrote: »

I'm trying to get better about budgeting and saving money.. lately instead of shopping by recipe, I've been shopping by sales (BOGO!) Once a month I'll go to Costco with my mom and stock up on proteins but we do the majority of our weekly shopping at our nearby publix. I've found that I'm not really saving much by cooking from home... I buy mostly fresh veggies, fruits, cheeses, etc. and very little processed foods which seem to be breaking my bank! There's only two of us so I freeze leftovers and we eat them the next week. We do however order a small pizza every Friday, and wednesdays we go out for all you can eat fresh caught fish. My husband and I spend about $500 per month on our food alone!!! That seems insane to me! We're in Central FL if that makes any difference... I've made a menu of food with common reuseable ingredients that we go through every week how much do you all spend?

Here's our weekly menu! (I just added in lentil soup this week)

Monday: tacos or fajita bowl

Tuesday: chicken nuggets, potatoes, and veggies

Wednesday: Fish

Thursday: spaghetti meat sauce, Texas toast, salad

Friday: pizza & salad

Saturday: leftover pizza & salad

Sunday: spicy sausage lentil soup & quesadillas

I've recently started following another similar thread here on MFP and I'm still unsure what people mean by "food". It's difficult to separate the food and non-food items which are all included in the same supermarket bill.

With a fresh attempt to actually track spending, it's looking like our food spend per week, is what you spend in a whole month. Will report back here after I get to track a second or third month.

Strawblackcat · June 2018

Probably way too much, but grocery shopping is a hobby of mine, and I like buying all that organic/grass-fed/super-expensive stuff. And I also review food and snacks as a side job, so there's stuff associated along with that, too.

smb397 · June 2018

I am in the UK and spend between £400 and £500 a month. This includes toiletries, kitchen paper, toilet rolls etc. This does not include cat food, cat litter or wild bird food. My husband eats meat, but I do not. I cook from scratch using fresh vegetables mainly in season. We have lunch out probably once a week not an expensive restaurant but usually at a small independent cafe rather than a big chain.

yirara · June 2018

I usually stay below £100 per month for all groceries, single person, lots of fresh produce, fairly small amounts of meat or fish (about 100gr per dinner), larger amount of veggies and grains or potatoes. I usually cook for two days. Soups, stews and curries usually for more and freeze the leftovers.

yirara · June 2018

TonyB0588 wrote: »

With a fresh attempt to actually track spending, it's looking like our food spend per week, is what you spend in a whole month. Will report back here after I get to track a second or third month.

I don't have a lot of money coming in, thus budgeting is important for me. I have a spreadsheet on my phone where I list all money coming in and going out, and a total left for the month. I have columns for food, house (cleaning, kitchen items, furniture or decoration, etc..), medical things (need a few things I can't get on the NHS), car (incl. tax, insurance, petrol...), utilities and services, me (personal care, clothes, hairdresser), rent, fun and others. I usually put the single numbers from my groceries bill in the appropriate column and can see where I went over the top.

SabAteNine · June 2018

Non-US and with a totally different diet than my husband, which is why I am aware of what everything costs.

Breakfast is a protein bar - $1.5
Lunch is usually about $5.5 (chicken and veggie side, tuna salad, whichever protein+vegetables)
Dinner depends, around the same. If it's wine / beer as well, it's an extra $3-5 per night.

All in all, on average, about 14 dollars a day, 420 per month. I could lower it significantly, up to 300 if I cook everything, but I absolutely have no time. And to be fair I don't eat potatoes, rice, things which are very cost-effective.

Add to that coffee ($10-$20, non take out) and stuff for the house, toiletries, etc etc. It seems a lot compared to the others here - the prices in Eastern Europe are the same as in Western Europe, but the salaries aren't.

We do however compensate with affordable utilities and rent, dirt-cheap internet, and I don't need a car.

nutmegoreo · June 2018

I aim for about $200/month, for personal care and food (includes detergent, toilet paper, etc). I usually finish the month closer to $300 though.

pinuplove · June 2018

AnvilHead wrote: »

Huge discussion of it here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10666596/how-much-do-you-should-you-spend-on-food-us/p1

Thank you! I knew I'd seen that thread but couldn't find it for some reason.

WholeFoods4Lyfe · June 2018

A lot. But there are 6 of us, well, sometimes there are 6 of us, I have joint custody with my exH, so half the week it's just H and I. I'd say I spend about $150/week at the grocery store, another $30/mth for school lunches (obviously not in the summer), I probably spend $50/week eating out at work and my H probably the same, and then once a week we go out to dinner which is $50 or so. I don't really want to add that up, but if I did, I'd say that we spend about $900-$1000 per month on food.

ruqayyahsmum · June 2018

About £400 per month. Would be cheaper if my son would eat a wider variety than one type of cereal imported from south africa

snemberton · June 2018

US - East Tennessee. Between $800 and $1500 a month depending on how many of our kids are home. (We have a total of 6 "kids".) Two have officially moved out and started adulting, but one of them comes over for dinner once or twice a week. One is sometimes home from college, but he's got an internship this summer and isn't living at home. Another in college locally and living at home and she's home for the summer. The twins (15) live with us during the school year, but go to their dad's during summer and school breaks. That amount is on breakfast stuff, snacks, dinner and some lunch stuff, but not all. Husband and I work from home and go out for lunch a few times a week together. That doesn't count the amount we spend on eating out or the food for our pets.

Athijade · June 2018

About $200 a month, though I am increasing that to $230 or so to give myself a little more wiggle room. That is for a single female in IN and includes things like OTC meds, kitty litter, personal items, and paper items. So not just food. I also only eat out a couple times a month. Usually Mexican for dinner with a friend and then one other splurge. To give an idea of what I eat:

B- Greek Yogurt, nuts, eggs, toast, egg muffins, fruit, oatmeal
L- Salads with fresh vegetables, nuts, cheese, protein, and dressing usually with a hardboiled egg on the side. Sometimes I will stuff the same items into a pita or tortilla.
D- Lots of options. Over the next 2 weeks I have pulled pork, green chili chicken tacos, and chicken topped with cheese and spinach. I always have some sort of vegetable and I buy a LOT of frozen vegetables in steamable bags cause I can be lazy.
S- Cottage cheese, hummus with vegetables, popcorn, fruit, individual chocolates, frozen fruit bars

COGypsy · June 2018

I shop just for myself and spend $30 - $40 per week on groceries. The vast majority of that is just groceries, I use Amazon pantry for most household items, so only pick up non-food household items occasionally. I could probably trim that a good bit if I didn't buy as much prepared food as I do, but I hate cooking, so if I didn't buy most things ready to go, I'd be living on takeout. I mostly only buy fresh vegetables if they look good on the salad bar, otherwise I just get whatever frozen sounds good and/or is on sale. I do limit things by having a hard and fast rule that no food comes into my house unless I have a specific plan (day/meal) to eat it. Doing that makes it very easy to avoid doubling the size of the trip just because things sound good or are on sale or something.

jessef593 · June 2018

I work out of town often in more secluded towns with less access so generally in a week while in a different town I spend about $250 just for myself.

That is a conservative estimate though. It can be much higher considering fruit can be up to $0.40 more a pound it not more

peleroja · June 2018

We don't make much effort to economize, truthfully, and live in a fairly expensive area food-wise (Canada, not near the border.) My husband and I spend in the $600 - $700 range most months including misc house stuff (cleaning supplies etc.) We shop almost exclusively at Costco and eat a lot of fresh vegetables and husband eats a lot of meat, and we eat at home the vast majority of the time.

maybe1pe · June 2018

I'm from Michigan so I'm not sure of price point comparisons. So for my gf and I and our two dogs (they eat home cooked meals because of epilepsy and allergies). We spend about $400 a month.

We are able to cut down to $300 or less a month from June - October because we signed up for a farm share. $300 for the season and we get over a half bushel of fresh, organic vegetables every week. Honestly the best money I've ever spent is on this farm share. If any of you have the ability to sign up for one I would recommend looking into it.

We also batch cook. So some weeks we only make two different recipes and we eat it every other day. Kind of boring but typically only do this with things we really, really love. This also includes us going out to eat once a week for dinner.

Scottgriesser · June 2018

Live in Tampa, FL so I'd imagine our prices on groceries are similar. I don't think you're spending all that much. I've always considered <$10 a day to be a comfortable food budget. And I'm a rather large dude, 250lbs. My wife who is significantly smaller and eats less calories spends just as much or more because all of her intake is fresh fruits and veggies.

Budgets are a tricky question as everyone has a different income level.

Fresh fruits and veg are definitely more expensive than frozen. Publix is definitely more expensive than Wal-mart. You have to pay for higher quality.

Dollar per calorie is something that I am looking into as we are also in the process of re-working our budget. Proteins have a really large variance in this regard.

sbrooks0387 · June 2018

Family of 6. We average out to around $100/week. Some weeks I only buy milk and bread, some weeks I stock the freezer. I also grow a lot of our food. And we have a large flock of chickens, so all the eggs we could possibly eat.

callsitlikeiseeit · June 2018

depends. for me and my son, usually around $100. but that includes non food items too.

When my fiance is home, probably closer to $125-$150, depending on beer consumption and what im cooking (i cook more when hes home and do more easy/quick/convenient things when hes not)

How much do you spend on groceries per week?

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