Grocery budget

[jkscott]

$800. Im feeding my wife and I and our infant son.

Formula and diapers are expensive! He is off formula starting 2011 though so hopefully it gets cheaper!

[Agatha]

$300 every two weeks for a household of three adults. I can't say we are strict about it and meat substitutes are fairly expensive. One of my nephews is vegetarian so I have to adapt our meals for both ways.

[suzwantstobefree]

Last month I spent $247 in food - both eating out and groceries. I only feed myself and occasionally friends. Check on the Grocery Challenge and you will see it is pretty easy to cut down on your spending for groceries with just a little extra work.

[stillontheroad]

Looking at the past 6 months, my wife and I have spent an average of $185/month on groceries (only counting food items, not household expenses like paper products, detergent, soap, etc). The big caveat is that we've been spending at least that much per month on eating out.

I think we could eat very comfortably on $300/month if we limited eating out to rare occasions, and could probably squeak by on $200/month if we never ate out and really pinched pennies on groceries.

[SVT]

$450/month for food and household items.

[The J]

I spend usually $200-300/month on groceries and another $50-75/month eating out. That's for just me.

[Deleted]

We spend about $25 a week for two people. That doesn't include alcohol or going out. I bring lunch from home, and DH is retired so usually eats at home as well.

Daphne, I've discovered that if you make going out to eat more of a treat, you actually enjoy it more.

ETA: We are two older adults. We do have a cocker spaniel, and I didn't include her food. But basically all that consists of is a 15 lb. bag of Beneful from Target when it is on sale. Her food isn't expensive . . . about $15 or so a month.

[whoisjohngalt]

No way I am posting my budget after the numbers I just saw. Let's just say that I could probably buy a small car on the amount of money we spend on food alone this year

Lena

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

We have two adults, a 20 yo son, a 13yo (on Monday ) daughter, and an 8 yo daughter.
We are spending $750 per month on groceries, including dog food for a 14-pound dog.
We eat fairly well (good food, not "rice and beans, beans and rice" @@). I budget $100 for dining out.

[dividend]

If I don't count Thanksgiving (which effed my grocery budget, because somewhere in the planning of it I just stopped caring and started swiping the CC), I've loosely stuck to my $400/month budget for groceries, beer at home, toiletries, and cat stuff for me + DBF + the cat.

I've never budgeted eating out into the "food" budget, because in my mind that belongs in the fun money category. I view restaurants, bars, and specialty coffees as discretionary. $400/month for groceries allows us to eat relatively healthy with the occasional extravagance. I used to fret about getting that lower, but I don't want or need to, so I'm not going to worry about it any more.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My grocery and household budget runs between $200-300/mo for myself and 2 cats.

However, the one thing that I have noticed that the prices of (what I consider) basics vary wildly across the US. For instance, I can buy a dozen jumbo eggs in KY for $1.65. Yesterday when we went out, a dozen medium eggs was $2.19. Orange juice is another item that runs almost 50% more in WA than what I pay for it in KY.

I know I could probably go less than $200/mo, but a good portion of my grocery bill is fresh produce.

[bobbysgirl]

Three weeks I spend 25.00 on 2 adults. The forth week I spend about 50.00. This includes dog food and health and beauty supplies as well as fresh fruits and veggies. We eat very little carbs and try to concentrate on proteins and fresh food. I am an extreme couponer though and have a full pantry that I try to keep flowing when items are on sale.

[DVM gone riding]

I spend 150/mos +/-50 for groceries and basic household. I also budget 40 for lunches out and another 50 for eating out with BF (don't ask why I split those it just makes sense to me) That is for just one ( I don't know what BF budgets maybe a little less) I could do a lot better but shoot I am cheaper to feed then the horse!!

[mtshastawriter]

We spend about 1K a month on groceries, WalMart stuff, pet food, etc... We are a family of 4 with 18 and 16 year old boys. I swear the kids could eat the paint off the walls... I can't get it much lower because those boys can pack it away.

[ummboutthat]

SADNESS!!
only two in my household - Myself and girlfriend
I want my budget to be only $300 per month on all food costs.
I checked with my excel spreadsheet before posting and the LOWEST I've spent is $339.39 (Fast Food, Grocery Store, and Restaurants) this year.
The MOST I've spent is $648.66!!! I still have to put in Oct, Nov, and Dec numbers.
1- I think it's impossible for me to have a $300 food budget
2- I live in the city so prices are higher
3- well 3rd I only buy name brand items.
it did try that generic /store brand shit and it...that don't work for us.
I did save money clipping coupons - BUT coupons are for families not 2 single people living together.
lastly when Pathmark closed two stores ....get this how overpriced our city is okay.
I purchased $50 to $60 worth of groceries and only paid $27!!! the sale was ridiculous 50% to 70% off all items.
LOL - I saved a picture of the receipt

[Deleted]

Dec 31, 2010 11:00:55 GMT -5 The J said:

I spend usually $200-300/month on groceries and another $50-75/month eating out. That's for just me.

Me too. But I have cut out the starches and I think that has a big impact. Pasta, rice, potatoes, bread...those are all the food stretchers.

[motherto2]

it's hard to say, because kids are coming and going around here. When it's just me, I try to shoot for $160/month, but turns out to be closer to $200. When kids are home, who knows. always running to the store for something! I buy mostly generic since I'm not a picky eater. coupons don't work very well for me since it's just me, we don't have a store that doubles coupons, and I don't have the storage space to do the couponing the correct way

[Poppet]

We spend between $320 to $400 per month.

Family of 3.
One teen.
Two cats.
Southern California prices.
No coupon clipping
No weekly flyer scanning
No loss leader chasing
Lots of scratch cooking
Use the pantry principle which means I keep staples for our favorites on hand at all times.

$80 bucks a week with careful meal planning and shopping at the slum supermarket.

$100 bucks a week when we're let loose at Trader Joe's.

[moneygirl]

I spend around $100-$130 a month in grocery and household items just for myself. I maybe eat out once or twice a month, about $10-15 each time.

[notallwhowander]

We budget $300/month for food/alcohol/toiletries/household supplies for myself and DH. Last month we spent $125. November we probably spent $320. So, it varies.

We eat well, lots of lean proteins and veggies. We limit salt intake for DH, but have no other real dietary concerns.

Pets get their own budget, I probably spend $100/month just on their food.

[emptypockets]

Use coupons; cut them out of the newspapers, magazines, coupons.com and other coupon websites, store coupons. Check your market for the days they double the coupon values. Only use coupons for stuff you actually use/eat. Buy store brands, not name brands. Day old breadstore. Buy in bulk the staples you all like, such as rice (large bag instead of small if you eat alot of rice), macaroni pasta since they don't go bad. Look online for cheap cleaning tips and cleaning products you can make in your kitchen, like vinegar or sudsing amonia instead of buying the expensive name brands. Simplify your menus. All leftovers are eaten, whether as lunch tomorrow, or soup or stew, so nothing is wasted. We all waste so much. No fast food; overall it is very expensive. When making your burger patties, it does not have to be 100% beef; mix up what you have, chicken, pork, and season; chili and stews will use any kind of protein. Grow your own herbs on your windowsill, like parsley, green onions, cilanthro; a packet of seeds in a bit of dirt in a tuna can or margerine tub works fine; punch holes in bottom for drainage. Bread heels dried and cubed make great croutons with herbs, bread crumbs for toppings and meat loaf, stuffing. Boil down your chicken bones to make your soup broth. There's only 2 of us old fogeys, but we still cut coupons, save the bread heels, buy staples in bulk. However, got us very spoiled in the extras in the supermarket while we were both working, and now this year must really cut down on all the luxurious extras, as we are both now retired and on fixed income. Do look on the web for other $$$ saving ideas; every bit of info helps us trim the grocery bill. I mean, paper towels, facial tissue, and potty paper are expensive now, so you will have to figure where your comfort level is. I shop for those at Costco discount store buying the Costco brand; they are in bulk so we get them quarterly. The brand names are still too expensive for my wallet. Under the bed is a great place for all those rolls of potty paper, paper towels, and tissue boxes. I find that cheap dishwashing liquid is more wasteful than saving a few cents since it tends not to be an effective grease cutter in the sink; I get a more expensive quality brand when it's on sale and pick up an extra for later. I like fresh bread for sandwiches; however, days old bread is still ok for toast and cheaper to use to make your own stuffing/bread crumbs. I would wait until the day old bread store was ready to toss out the old stuff and make a deal to buy in bulk for a last ditch discount; then I would throw the old bread into the freezer and use as needed. It sure saved us alot of $$ when our sons were teens with hollow legs to fill. We used powdered milk reconstituted to liquid and added to a half gallon of store homogenized milk to stretch the milk needs. and if you add some chocolate flavoring, couldn't tell the difference. Buy cheap pizzas from the grocery store and add your favorite toppings rather than ordering from the major pizza stores or expensive freezer brands, or make your own pizza bottom with tortillas. You just hafta step back, observe and be creative, and that will help you prepare some adventurous meals. I don't like soaking dry beans for bean soup, so I just buy the cheapest beans in a can I can find cuz they're already cooked and soft. If you make time to soak beans and cook them down, you will save that much more money.

[hawkeyes2001]

Roughly $500-600 for a two adult household. This is food only (groceries and restaurants) as I don't mix household goods in.
Admittedly food is where we splurge. We like to eat out, I like to cook and I like to use quality ingredients. I look for sales on canned goods/frozen goods but I will go ahead and spend $5-10 on a good wedge of cheese.

[littlepixy]

Jan 2, 2011 9:59:24 GMT -5 @daphne87 said:

Mmmm ... cheese! Everything is good with cheese! (It's kinda like bacon!)

I TOTALLY agree with you on this one!

For 2 adults we spend roughly $150 a week, but this includes groceries, paper goods, personal products and prescriptions.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Hi All. I'm a long-time MSN lurker who has decided to come out from hiding and am hoping you'll let me join you all. I am sorry to see the MSN boards go, but thrilled that so many wise and veteran MSN posters have moved here. I've secretly relied on your advice for years. You're a good group of people to "know".

I live in a major metropolitan area in the Northeast, so my grocery budget appears extremely high, but allowing for cost-of-living differences is probably similar to those I've seen posted. In addition, we have some significant dietary restrictions that eliminate some cheaper priced foods (i.e., eggs, tree nuts, tofu). I feed DH, 2 early teen sons with hollow legs, and myself and buy household cleaning products and health and beauty aids for approximately $1,000/month. We eat out once per week (usually Chipotle) but that is not included in the $1,000. We eat most meals at home from scratch. DSs brown bag it to school. We bring our own snacks to sporting events, travel, etc. I also generously feed the constant flow of teen friends (it's a small price to pay to keep an eye on them). I rely upon the pantry principle, loss leaders, eating in-season, a mental price book, coupons, and non-traditional grocery sources to keep this budget as low as possible. We do tend to be fairly brand loyal, but that is due to the dietary restrictions. I am always looking for ways to bring that total down, but I'm not willing to change our healthy eating standards to do so. We eat a lot of fresh produce, drink at least a gallon of milk per day, and rely on lean meats for the bulk of our protein. The kids will stand only so many carb fillers and I can't say as I blame them -- they're very active and athletic and need good nutrition for energy and recovery.

I, too, am open to any advice or suggestions to lower my grocery bill. We made some large (beneficial) financial changes in 2010 that now require us to tighten the purse strings.

[Poppet]

I, too, am open to any advice or suggestions to lower my grocery bill.

I also generously feed the constant flow of teen friends (it's a small price to pay to keep an eye on them).


You can reduce this or cut it out completely. You do not have to feed a constant flow of teen friends in order to keep on eye on your children.

If you enjoy doing it, then fine, but it's not mandatory. I don't believe it's a small price to pay. I suspect it's jacking up your food costs along with eating out weekly. Try eating out every other week.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Jan 2, 2011 14:14:46 GMT -5 @wrongsideof30 said:

Goldenrulegirl, we drink a lot of milk in our house too. I started the thread complaining about grocery prices because the price of milk (among other things) has gone up in my area.

I think it's great that you keep your doors open for your teenagers friends. We often have a house full of kids here too. I bake a lot from scratch to help keep costs down -muffins, zucchini bread, homemade pizza pockets, etc.

Have you tried shopping at Aldi? The one near my house has really good, reasonably priced produce. The other day when I was at Kroger, they wanted $4 for a head of cauliflower. It was only $1.79 at Aldi today.

Wrongside, I feed the teen friends the same way. I am always mildly amused at how many of them are far more excited by and appreciative of home-made goodies versus the over-priced store-bought day-glo processed stuff. The best part is that the DSs have developed a "rep" for having good food to eat at their house and are proud of it, LOL. So, as Tometrader said, I don't HAVE to feed them, but anyone who has teens knows that you can surreptitiously learn alot when they're sitting around your kitchen island eating and talking. I also just enjoy talking to them and getting to know them while they're hanging out.

As for the milk, we can usually get a gallon of skim for less than $2.50 at the cheapest grocery store (which is 25 miles away near DH's office -- he gets a list at least once per week!). Sometimes we can nab some at a $1.99 gallon. Instead of a second "beer" fridge, we have a "milk" fridge.

The closest Aldi's near me is about and hour and a half away in another state. Online friends in that area say that particular store isn't all that nice. But, I work so hard at keeping the grocery bill down that I will admit to having stopped at an Aldi in Pennsylvania to load up several years back on our way home from a family event, LOL. And, like you, I won't pay $4 for a head of cauliflower.

On a related note, somewhere I have saved a chart showing the average grocery bills nationwide -- published by the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Commerce? My bill is on the higher end of the range, but still average for my family size and geographic location. If I can find it, I'll post it.

[wvugurl26]

Uh grocery budget? If it looks good and I want it, I buy it. A lot of the money is going to fresh produce. And stuff liked aged cheddar for $7.99/lb, it is so good though.

[bobbysgirl]

Teen boys love fried bread dough with cinnamon and sugar. I love them too. Buy frozen bread dough, let it thaw and roll it in long sticks. Fry in veggie oil for a couple of minutes and drain grease off. Shake in cinnamon and sugar mixture. One loaf makes lots of goodies. Serve with milk.

Now for the milk. My family 'hated' dry milk. They didn't know it, but they drank it all the time. I mixed it with 1/2 regular milk and made sure it was cold. No one ever knew the difference. I also cooked with it. A small step, but hopefully this helps a bit.

[Poppet]

We often have a house full of kids here too. I bake a lot from scratch to help keep costs down -muffins, zucchini bread, homemade pizza pockets, etc.

Don't get me wrong friends. I am no curmudgeon. It's wonderful that Goldenrulegirl offers a safe place to hang out. If I sounded harsh, my apologies. That's not my intention to break out the Draconian measures.

I just protest the financial hardship this type of entertaining can cause especially if one is providing chips, soda and other nutritionally sub par fare. Junk food is expensive.

Scratch cooking is key. I agree. Not only that, but in some places a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch is rarer than a Sasquatch sighting. You'll seriously impress your kids' friends.

And now I find myself craving cookie dough. ;D

[emptypockets]

The volleyball and basketball teams came home with our youngest son all the time, and we always had food for them to munch on. Not only were we able to keep an eye on our kid, we kept an eye on all the other kids, and their parents appreciated it, since most of them worked double jobs. cooking in big pots became a daily happening, so it was alot of pasta, stews, chilis, rice, salads, casseroles. We considered it very good insurance to keep the kids with their heads screwed on. They were encouraged to study together here, so many mornings we got up to bunches of kids sleeping on the floor in his bedroom and our tiny living room. They all graduated from high school and college, and all have good jobs. It's a big financial sacrifice, but we considered it our best investment in our tomorrow, their tomorrows, and they all remain great kids with their own families now. They've been out of our house 12 years now, and I am finally learning to cook for 2, not 12. If anything, the other kids had a place to hang out when their parents were working.