Family of three how much should it cost

[PatsGirl]

I average $150/week or $650/month for three including all meals (we pack salads for lunch) and household items with the possible exception of one night when we might go out. This includes a cat who costs about $15/week or so. On a weekly basis, I make a list of what meats/fishes/fresh veggies I have available for the following week. I then look over the two local sale flyers, add what I need to make up seven meals and voila ! done. I have a menu posted on the fridge, everyone knows what we're having each night although it isn't concrete depending on if we decide to eat out or something comes up. Saturday night is usually leftover night or homemade soup night. Sunday morning is "use up the leftover veggies in an omelete" morning lol. And then we start again. We generally eat a low carb, low sugar diet which can be a bit more labor intensive and expensive. The day I go shopping there is usually very little in the fridge except eggs, cheese, and condiments. I truly hate to waste food. My husband, OTOH, hates Saturday night dinners lol.

 

[hsmamato2]

Op I suggest you shop for everything you all use on a weekly basis,and see what your total comes to.... it really depends on region,and grocery store that you choose, prices vary quite a bit. One town prices can vary from the next also. Look at local stores,and sales. Try it and see what you come up with- I personally spend around 100-150 per week for 4 'adults' with special diets. Plus pets etc in there.....

 

[msmama]

Could you do it for less? Possibly (probably).

But you'll probably have to change the way you eat. You said you bought $31 of food, but no fruits and veggies? I don't know that I would consider that food for meals then, personally!!

Do your meals consist of mostly fresh foods? Those cost more than processed stuff. You also pay a premium for convenience.

I often spend $150-$200 for my family of 2, but we eat mostly fresh fruits and veggies (and I admit, I often buy already cut up melon because for some reason I HATE cutting melon). That could be as much as an extra $5 per trip. Stuff like that adds up.

But you have to balance everything, not just total cost.

 

[MomToOne]

How does your family tend to grocery shop? Do you meal plan and only shop once a week? Or do you decide what you want for dinner that night and run to the store every day or two? Frequent grocery shopping trips will result in a higher bill - impulse is a budget buster. Weekly meal planning will lower your costs, but it takes a commitment that many find hard to do. From there, you can further lower your costs by learning the sale cycles for your stores, and buying items you use a lot of or that are expensive (meat!) during those sales. But that's yet more commitment. The right balance is different for each family.

 

[Minnesota!]

Family of 4 - we spend about $300 - $400/MONTH. 2 preteen boys who are human garbage disposals.



I would say the "other stuff" (TP, shampoo, soap, cleaning supplies) is never over $25/month. TP being the general bulk of that. Shampoo tends to last 2 - 3 months, soap - a pack will last a month, etc.


Yes, I think your wife is spending too much.

 

[tink9702]

I cut my budget from $900 to $500/month when I switched grocery stores & got rid of name brands. We didn't switch how we ate at all (lots of chicken, some beef, veggies, ton of fruit & make our own baked goods other than bread). I now shop primarily at Aldi. I do meal plan weekly and stock up when I see sales on meat. I actually save a lot of money by making stuff from scratch like pancake mix, corn bread, cookies, muffins etc. I do this because of a peanut/tree nut allergy in the family, but it also saves a bunch of money to just use flour, sugar etc. I live in the Northeast so most likely similar prices to NJ.

 

[SparklePixie]

Family of 4 - we spend about $300 - $400/MONTH. 2 preteen boys who are human garbage disposals.



I would say the "other stuff" (TP, shampoo, soap, cleaning supplies) is never over $25/month. TP being the general bulk of that. Shampoo tends to last 2 - 3 months, soap - a pack will last a month, etc.


Yes, I think your wife is spending too much.

How can you spend only $25 a month on TP, shampoo, soap, cleaning supplies, etc when TP alone is $12 a package?

 

[havaneselover]

How can you spend only $25 a month on TP, shampoo, soap, cleaning supplies, etc when TP alone is $12 a package?

This must be regional. With sales and coupons I get 12 rolls of cottonelle for about $4.

 

[Gracie09]

Go shopping with her and actually see the prices of things. My husband was shocked at the price of food when I made him go shopping with me about a year ago. Apples that use to be under a $1 a pound now $1.50 or more. yogurt, milk, cereal a lot of items have skyrocketed in price in the last few years.

 

[Bree]

It most definitely is a regional thing. My grocery bill has almost doubled since I moved from MA to South FL. I shop at Target & Whole Foods. I have yet to find a Publix or Winn Dixie with produce that isn't rotting on the shelves. We try to eat organic or as naturally as possible and I spend about $250-300 a week on groceries. I stock up on sale items when I can, but since I no longer have a basement or a deep freezer I have storage issues.

ETA - That number includes food, toiletries, household supplies and the occasional item that makes it's way into my cart at Target.

 

[Minnesota!]

How can you spend only $25 a month on TP, shampoo, soap, cleaning supplies, etc when TP alone is $12 a package?

I have never spent $12 on TP...usually between $7-$9. We go through about 1 1/2 of the big packs in a month. So, looking at $12 or so at most a month. Soap is a big family pack of whatever brand we use - Zest, maybe? For $5. Shampoo....like I said, this is bought every few months. I get the big industrial sized ones from Target - usually is about $7 for shampoo and conditioner together, broken down over 2 - 3 months, that is what, $2.33. And, cleaning supplies? I have to buy them maybe 1x a year...like the actual ones. I do buy baking soda, vinegar, and bleach in mass quantities when I see a sale. But, baking soda is about .33/box, vinegar is less than $2 for a massive jug.

$25 or under...

The only paper product we buy is a massive stack of paper plates from Target or Costco once every 5 - 6 weeks.

This must be regional. With sales and coupons I get 12 rolls of cottonelle for about $4.

Exactly.

 

[Mad4Dizne]

We spend around $175-$200 a week, Northeast. Diligent meal planning helped me go from $800-$1200/month to what I spend now. We do a lot of organic, local dairy, Costco, Aldi , this includes most meals, toiletries but not takeout/occasional restaurant 1-2x month. I shop sales, compare prices,etc.

 

[gursk]

I echo the sentiments about cooking.

Cooking from scratch and meal planning can save you big$$, the real cost there is the time.

Do either of you have the time it takes to plan and prep?

Perhaps do a 2 week experiment - each of you take a week and do up a food plan and handle the shopping/cooking. It will be hugely interesting to see where you each land on the convenience-cost continuum.

Plus, don't forget the costs of pet food and baby/feminine sanitary products, they add a considerable amount to the bill.

 

[ml sumner]

Our family of three and two dogs easily spend $200 a week. We live in Ga. I shop at walmart. I use what coupons I can (on items I truly want to buy) and use their savings catcher app. We eat mostly chicken, some beef and pork chops occasionally.

 

[DisDadDVC]

Family of 4. Spend about 1k per month consistently at grocery store. This is strictly grocery stores. We don't have a Costco, etc near us. Lot's of people exclude Costco-type purchase from their "grocery" budget. Garbage bags, etc.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

Going to take the other angle on this. I was just having a conversation with my friend yesterday and they spend $200 on food a week for 2 adults and 2 small children. I was shocked because I would guess that would cost me around $100.

She explained that it is all on her husband. We're both military wives and she said she was showing him how much less money she spends cooking when he's not home. Her husband is very picky and wants to eat expensive meat over and over again. He also refuses to eat left overs so they have to throw some food out every week.

I meal plan, use some cheap meats, try to stretch with veggies and we throw away almost nothing.

Throwaway costs get almost everyone.

OP, are you part of the reason your wife is spending a ton of money at the grocery store?

 

[Divslp]

Seems like a lot to me. I could easily budget $100 or less a week for my family of three, and that includes organic produce and dairy. I shop at wegmans, trader joe's, and Costco.

 

[Marionnette]

Seems like a lot to me. I could easily budget $100 or less a week for my family of three, and that includes organic produce and dairy. I shop at wegmans, trader joe's, and Costco.

OP's budget includes personal hygiene, cleaning and paper products.

But I'd love to see a sample shopping list from you. Wegman's and Trader Joe's aren't usually for budget-minded shoppers.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I'm also in southern NJ.

For a family of 4 I spend about $150 a week including toilitries. That's with a teenage boy and 9 year old girl. My DS can eat and DD likes lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I'm not a coupon clipper but do buy sales. I will say we are hispanic and rice and/or beans is on our menu at least 3 times a week. And my kids love chicken.

Once my son moves out I see us being around $100 a week.

 

[havaneselover]

OP's budget includes personal hygiene, cleaning and paper products.

But I'd love to see a sample shopping list from you. Wegman's and Trader Joe's aren't usually for budget-minded shoppers.

I'm extremely budget minded and Trader Joe's is a weekly stop.