Grocery Budget

dlavender

dlavender

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 7, 2015
I've searched the internet and have found countless articles and blogs regarding how to keep your grocery budget in control. A little background, we are a family of five. Myself, wife, dd 7, ds 3, and dd 1. We have never really stuck to a grocery budget, and it is killing us so its time to get that under control! We are very busy and have had trouble meal planning a week in advance. I have found some sites that post their meal plans, but most seem to be a little too exotic. Does anyone have any advice or plans they use that help? We are trying to stick to $600-$700 a month. Is this possible? Thanks in advance for any tips or tricks!
 
IMHO there are two ways to cut the grocery bill quickly:

1. meal plan and stick to the list while shopping
2. shop at a cheaper grocery store

Our budget for 2 adults, 6 year old boy (who eats like an adult!!!) & picky 4 year old girl is $500 a month. We only spend $100 a month on eating out (so once every other week). We shop at a discount grocery store for most of our food. I buy what I want the first three weeks, then on the last week of the month if we have less money I just buy less. You kind of have to have a bit of a stockpile of basic ingredients going first in order to do that though.

As far as meal planning goes I'd start with a list of EASY go-to meals: tacos, grilled chicken, pasta, breakfast, whatever you all like to eat often. Then add in 1-2 more interesting/time consuming meals a week.

Also consider buying ahead on the meat and freezing it so you can catch deals.

Consider using the crockpot/slow cooker once a week or more for an easy dinner that's ready when you get home.

Good luck!!!! :)
 
I agree with what tink9702 said! We are a family of 4, myself, DH, a 8 year old boy (who eats a ton) and 6 year old boy who is much pickier then his brother. We spend $500 a month on groceries and typically spend about 50 a month on eating out.

What I do is I have a list of food that we like to eat and go off of it to make my menu. Typically we have the same basic meals during the week and then I add in 1-2 "bigger" more complicated meals. I try to put a new recipe in every 2 weeks or so. A meal plan and grocery list that I stick to is key to staying on my budget. If I don't stick to it I can spend way more money. Know I do buy as much fruit and veggies as I can so we don't budge on that. We buy generic when possible also.

I would consider buying meats and chicken to build up a stock of food. Plus can goods and dry goods are always good to have on hand. If you have a fresh market near you on Tuesdays they have meat for $2.99 lbs. Which is much cheaper then any other store around me. I buy the chicken from Sam's club for typically $1.89 lbs. I just separate it into freezer bags and then pull out what I need for that meal.

Some good to meals are tacos, pasta, breakfast dinners, grilling chicken, Sweat and sour meatballs, pulled beef sandwhiches (in crockpot) supper easy and you have a ton of leftovers. Freezer cooking is also something I love to do. I take a few hours on the weekend and cook/prep meals for the week or 2 weeks. I like to precook my taco meat and separate it into meal size bags.

I hope this helps, we figured this all out after a lot of time wasting money going multiple trips to the grocery store a week.
 
I can't stand food shopping OR meal planning so I've recently come up with a system that has been helping with both.

I planned out 2 weeks worth of meals (with each Friday designated as "new recipe" to give me a little freedom/spontaneity) which I then keep rotating (so basically we're eating the same thing every 2 weeks).

Now I don't ever have to meal plan again (at least for a while until I get sick of these 2 weeks' worth of meals, then I'll just swap out some of the meals for different ones & continue on with the same system!)

Also, from this 2-week schedule, I created a grocery shopping list on the computer. All ingredients for those 2 weeks of meals are preprinted onto my list - all I need to do before I shop is add on ingredients from those 2 Friday "new recipe" meals, any staples we've run out of or anything on sale or a special item we want.

Biggest bonus is that now I only need to shop once every 2 weeks which is PERFECT for me since I'd much rather clean toilets than food shop!!!!

As for budget.... I have a $500/month food budget for myself, DH, and DS 18. That includes 2-3 fast food outings. We've been trying not to dine out in sit-downs other than for special occasions since we've been really concentrating on saving as much $ as we can.
 


Depends...according to the USDA, a thrifty plan for 5 would be around $700/month and a low cost plan would be around $900/month. But this doesn't take into account cost of living where you are, availability of grocery stores where you are, what you HAVE to eat (organic, meat and potatoes, vegan, high-end coffee, etc) vs what you'd give up eating, what you can grow yourself (herbs/veg/etc), what you can scratch make yourself, etc. I'd say the 1st step for you would be to tally up what you spend this month and see if you can take 10% off the next month and stick to it...and eliminate most eating out. That would be a very reasonable # to make work.
 
Thank you all for your help! I'm encouraged that our budget can work at $700! We don't ever eat out, so that helps. I like the idea of buying meat in advance and freezing. We are on week #1 of our meal planning, and we will see how we do.
 


TwoMisfits said:
Depends...according to the USDA, a thrifty plan for 5 would be around $700/month and a low cost plan would be around $900/month. But this doesn't take into account cost of living where you are, availability of grocery stores where you are, what you HAVE to eat (organic, meat and potatoes, vegan, high-end coffee, etc) vs what you'd give up eating, what you can grow yourself (herbs/veg/etc), what you can scratch make yourself, etc. I'd say the 1st step for you would be to tally up what you spend this month and see if you can take 10% off the next month and stick to it...and eliminate most eating out. That would be a very reasonable # to make work.
Click to expand...

I've always thought those USDA estimates were kind of high - I don't live in a low COL area, and at most my grocery budget for 5 is $600 a month. That's below the the thrifty plan, and although I'd call myself thrifty to an extent, I'm nowhere near some of the people I read about on blogs. I do cook from scratch nearly all the time so we don't buy prepackaged foods, but I buy things like local honey, coconut oil vs. other types, and organic eggs which are way more expensive than the cheaper alternatives. I also keep a well-stocked pantry, and I wonder if that's the difference - does the USDA estimate assume that the family is buying every thing that we eat in the month that they eat it?

One thing that REALLY saves me money is having a garden. This month I've spent ~$60 a week buying groceries for my family. I haven't had to buy veggies in 6 weeks now and probably have at least 3 more weeks until my garden is completely done. I know that's not a good option for this year, but you may look into it next year if you have space to do it.
 
We recently moved to a 5 acre property and definitely have plans for a garden! That will help immensely, and taste better.
 
Another idea is to freeze items other than meats. You can freeze milk, butter, cheese. Make homemade meatballs ahead of time and freeze enough for a bunch of meals. When I make lasagna I make more than one and freeze the other. Same with stuffed shells, homemade spaghetti sauce, homemade pizza sauce. Making items from scratch is often a lot cheaper than store bought.

Also watch out for things like pre-cut veggies, packaged foods etc. they always cost more than the basic ingredient foods.
 
Stock your pantry with staples your family will eat-pasta, sauce, rice, beans, mac &cheese, etc. Stock your freezer with easy food your family will eat-veggies, nuggets, fries, pizza. These items are not always the healthiest but are quick to prepare and can stop you from eating out which will cost more and might be more unhealthy. Buying meat on sale and freezing it is a great way to save money. In my area chicken goes on sale every 8 to 10 weeks. I try to buy enough to last between sales if I have the freezer space.

For us the trick is knowing what the family will eat, having a few convenient go-to items on hand, remembering to pull something out of the freezer, knowing what is a good sale price, and Aldi.
 
We have tried freezing things before and frankly do not like how things taste coming out of the freezer. Is there a method that you use to freeze things?
 
I use freezer bags and get as much air out as possible. When I freeze ground beef, I flatten it to a rectangle that fills every corner of the bag so it is easier to stack and defrosts faster. I tend to use a lot of spices, sauces and marinades so we don't notice a huge difference between previously frozen food. Italian, Asian and Mexican might be the way to go.
 
Family of 4, I have been spending $800-$1200 a month on groceries,which I am trying to streamline. We do a lot of organic chicken/dairy/beef/eggs and only unprocessed foods and either Farmer's Market or organic fruits and veggies for the most part. I try to watch prices and I have gotten back to meal planning, such as: Monday: meatless meal, Tuesday: chicken, Wends: pork, Thursday: fish,....etc as this gives me some flexibility however I know what we are having. I have got to start planting a garden, that is great!
 
tink9702 said:
IMHO there are two ways to cut the grocery bill quickly:

1. meal plan and stick to the list while shopping
2. shop at a cheaper grocery store

Our budget for 2 adults, 6 year old boy (who eats like an adult!!!) & picky 4 year old girl is $500 a month. We only spend $100 a month on eating out (so once every other week). We shop at a discount grocery store for most of our food. I buy what I want the first three weeks, then on the last week of the month if we have less money I just buy less. You kind of have to have a bit of a stockpile of basic ingredients going first in order to do that though.

As far as meal planning goes I'd start with a list of EASY go-to meals: tacos, grilled chicken, pasta, breakfast, whatever you all like to eat often. Then add in 1-2 more interesting/time consuming meals a week.

Also consider buying ahead on the meat and freezing it so you can catch deals.

Consider using the crockpot/slow cooker once a week or more for an easy dinner that's ready when you get home.

Good luck!!!! :)
Click to expand...

I agree with one modification. Do not plan specific meals at home, meal plan while you are in the store, selecting your meals based on what is on sale.
Our meals for this week will be made with the following items on sale:
Ball tip steak at $7.98 lb.
93% Ground beef at $6.99 lb
Pork Loin roast at $2.70 lb
Boneless skinless chicken breasts at $2.88 a pound
Broccoli at $1.99 lb
Potatoes at 99 cents a pound
Zucchini at $1.49 a pound
Mushrooms at $2.69 for 12 ounces
Tomatos at $2.59 lb.
 
I shop at Target and Walmart for most of my grocery items and ALL household items like laundry detergent. I shop Costco for chicken and beef (organic), and toilet paper and paper towels. My local grocery stores are crazy expensive and I generally just buy fruits, vegetables, some deli, and sale items only. I signed up for the rewards program at my local grocery store which, depending on how much you buy, get cash back to be redeemed at store and coupons, including many free items. I also use many Target coupons which can be found on line and Target Cartwheel and watch for things like today.....spend $50 on anything storewide and get $5 target card. I could definitely use help in the meal planning area. That has always been a problem for me. My husband likes beef, heavy type meals. I prefer chicken, salads, vegetables. My daughter is an extremely picky eater which has just gotten worse because she now has braces.
 
tvguy said:
I agree with one modification. Do not plan specific meals at home, meal plan while you are in the store, selecting your meals based on what is on sale.
Our meals for this week will be made with the following items on sale:
Ball tip steak at $7.98 lb.
93% Ground beef at $6.99 lb
Pork Loin roast at $2.70 lb
Boneless skinless chicken breasts at $2.88 a pound
Broccoli at $1.99 lb
Potatoes at 99 cents a pound
Zucchini at $1.49 a pound
Mushrooms at $2.69 for 12 ounces
Tomatos at $2.59 lb.
Click to expand...

This is a great idea!
 
Also when doing your meal planning: don't get stuck on gotta have XXXXX on Tuesdays, keep it flexible. I make a list of meals for that week and make them as my schedule works.

I also thin outside of the box when it comes to the recipe. I routinely sub out stuff as supply/price happens. Nobody said tacos only had to be made with hamburger ;) Or that some shredded veggies might accidentally fall into my meatballs
 
I always liked the relaxed meal plan.... I keep a list of the weeks dinners, and then make whichever one seems like a good idea on that day! that way I'm not stuck on one specific thing, but I have the ingredients on hand- also from a pp- don't make the list of planned meals IN the store, look online at the sale circular BEFORE you go, make list and buy that stuff on sale to make your meals...(I can't think in the the store lol)
 
Meal planning definitely helps, but don't meal plan and then go to the grocery without knowing what is on sale that week. I generally go to the grocery on Sunday afternoon and buy whatever the good deals for the week are, and then go home and make the meal plan from there. I have certain price points that I won't go over when buying meat, so I don't want to put porkchops on the menu and then find out they are $4.99/lb that week when $1.99/lb is all I am willing to pay for pork. When I find a good deal on meat, I do stock up. We have a small deep freeze in our basement that I can keep plenty of meat in.
 
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