Grocery Budget Help

[bekkiz]

I have a real problem with grocery spending. I am not good at planning ahead for meals or looking at sales. I go to the store about every other day (it's an easy way to get out of the house with the kids). I buy stuff and never use it. My pantry is INSANE.

Luckily, it hasn't made a huge impact on our budget, but I would like to take the kids to WDW next year, and if I could get a handle on the spending, it would be easier to pull off. I'm thinking that if I give myself a weekly/monthly limit, I would be able to function within it and not be all over the place with meals and shopping.

What is your weekly or monthly food budget? We have my DH and I, plus our almost 2 year old twins. I understand this is different for every person/family, but ballparks would be great!

 

[Marionnette]

I have a real problem with grocery spending. I am not good at planning ahead for meals or looking at sales. I go to the store about every other day (it's an easy way to get out of the house with the kids). I buy stuff and never use it. My pantry is INSANE.

Luckily, it hasn't made a huge impact on our budget, but I would like to take the kids to WDW next year, and if I could get a handle on the spending, it would be easier to pull off. I'm thinking that if I give myself a weekly/monthly limit, I would be able to function within it and not be all over the place with meals and shopping.

What is your weekly or monthly food budget? We have my DH and I, plus our almost 2 year old twins. I understand this is different for every person/family, but ballparks would be great!

Sorry. A ball park number from someone who lives on the east coast. Near a major city. And with 3 teenage kids (two are boys). Two dogs and a cat. And a gourmet passion for better cuts of meat and organic produce. My budget wouldnt be anywhere close to one that a person with toddler twins on the west coast would have. The best advise is to read the circulars. And plan your meals around the perishables that are on sale. Then stock up on nonperishables and stuff with long shelf lives when they go on sale. Use coupons when you can. Budget grocery shopping takes time to learn. You have to practice and put some effort into it. I spend between $200-$250 every week if you need a number.

 

[TiffanyK]

Shop with cash. That really helps with overspending.

And do a week or two of trying to use up the foods in your pantry. That will save money too.

I don't think my ball park figure would help much. I've got 4 kids, including teen boys.

 

[phamy76]

Pennsylvania here!

2 adults, a 10 yr old son and 2 yr old daughter.
Our budget is $80 per week, but we're working to clean out the cupboards right now.

This is FOOD ONLY, not paper/hygenie supplies.

 

[williamson_ja]

We spend $100/week for groceries with 3 teens and a kindergartener. We are pretty frugal with our meals.

 

[ilovepete]

I don't have a strict budget but I spend around $350 - $400 a month on groceries for myself, DH, DS5 who is a BIG eater, and DD2 who also eats a lot for her age.

We buy only organic milk & eggs, and most packaged goods are organic as well, and a TON of produce so while I save a lot each week with sales and coupons, I still spend a big chunk of it on things like produce, meat, and organics which are harder to find sales and coupons for.

Meal planning is a HUGE help, and what I do is meal plan around the sales. I plan my meals for the next week while looking at the sale flyers and my coupons.

 

[danielephant]

Try Afullcup.com if you need to get out of the house everyday...you totally will when you figuer the site out...but instead of spending money you will be saving it!!!!

it is a couponing site, but it makes it fun, and each grocery store has its own forum, and tells you what coupons to use on what product for the best deal possible...

I LOVE IT...and BTW i have saved 9,276 bucks this year!! yeah 9 thousand!! and last year i saved 14,806!~LOVE that site!

You will never pay for toothpaste shampoo or soap again---Promise!

 

[LuLuO]

I too am trying to get a handle on our grocery budget. I tracked my spending expenses for a month and was completely shocked at how much we were spending. My goal is to spend about $175 a week on food for a family of 4 (DD3, DS1.5). We are in Missouri.

This is challenging for me because I also need a gluten free diet so my breads, pasta, soups, etc., are a more expensive than the regular stuff and I rarely find coupons for the items. I am also allergic to raw fruits and veggies so for me everything needs to be cooked which makes everything even harder because I can't just eat a salad or snack on raw carrots or an apple. Also, DS is lactose intolerant so I buy him Lactaid and Rice Cheese which are also a bit pricey. The rest of us don't consume milk except for cooking/baking.

Anyway I bought a new 6 qt crock pot and I plan to wear the thing out and because there are so many free and easy recipes on the Internet I don't have to buy a bunch of crock pot cook books. The one I bought automatically switches to 'warm' when done cooking so that will make it easy to prepare the meals in the morning and then be able to do all of our running around without needing to be home at a specific time.

I do look at the ads and I always check out the reduced bins. Honestly I rarely use coupons but that is something I'd like to be better about. I buy as many store brands as possible.

One area we need to be better about is using our leftovers. We are so bad about letting them spoil and so we may as well be throwing cash in the trash. We also need to be better meal planners.

 

[Darcy03231]

DH and I and three teens (1 boy, 2 girls-one of which is a vegatarian). I average $150-$200/wk which includes paper products, cleaning supplies and hygene products. I live about an hour north of Boston.

I plan my meals for the week on Friday night. The circulars for our grocery stores come out on Thursdays. I check to see what's in the freezer/pantry and plan around what's on sale and what I have on hand.

I also buy in bulk for meat when its on sale so some weeks I don't end up buying meat. For example last week one grocery store had boneless skinless chicken for $1.49/lb. I bought about 20 lbs and put it in the freezer. This week another store had baby back ribs for $1.99/lb. Again, I bought about 20 lbs. A couple of weeks ago I bought steak tips for $2.49/lb.

Good luck!

 

[amylynne01]

I have a family of 4 - me, DH, and DDs who are 2.5 and 1. DD2 is dairy free, so I buy soy milk. Both are still in diapers. I spend $350 a month on everything - food, drink, diapers, paper, cleaning, and HBA. I do a lot of couponing, shopping sales only, and planning meals based on stockpiles.

My thought would be to get into meal planning. I know you said you're not good about planning ahead, but it is an easy way to make sure that you're not overbuying. Make a menu based on the store's sales and what you have in your pantry. Then make a grocery list, and when you shop, buy NOTHING that isn't on the list. If your menu is detailed, you won't need anything extra except some ice cream or cookies. I have also found that my daughters' diets are more varied and nutritionally balanced because I can plan to offer plenty of veggies/fruit/protein/etc.

If I find my pantry is getting too cluttered, I challenge myself to buy only milk, eggs, produce, and meat (if your freezer is empty) for a week or two. It's an easy way to use up what you have without wasting. Putting a limit on your spending will also force you to stretch your dollars and be creative about your shopping and cooking. Good luck!

ETA: I live 1.5 hrs west of Boston where the cost of living is lower but still higher than parts of the country.

 

[tinker&belle]

We are a family of 4 with a one year old and a just turned three year old. I try to spend around 100/week, but that doesn't include paper stuff/cleaners/diapers. We are in the midwest so the COL might be a little less.

 

[asoko]

We are in Michigan. I'm glad people have responded to this post. I'm trying to convince DH that we can do $100 per week. I am a huge coupon freak but DH is impulse buyer. Family consists of me, DH, DS 7 and DD5 (all but DH are light eaters) I've read your posts to DH, he might come around.

 

[travelitis]

We're a family of 5 in FL. I have 2 teen sons, 12 yr. dd, husband, and me. I am an avid couponer who uses them to the maximum effect. As my friend and I were talking today, we used to use coupons a bit, but now we know how to really use them. You can really cut back on your grocery bills IF you want, and even those buying organic can find deals. I just scored 14 boxes of organic juice boxes for free. My average is $70 spent for $210 of groceries. I suggest you look for a coupon class and start combing the web, because the info is out there. Southern Savers, Coupon Mom, the Grocery Game (but this one charges) are all good starting points.

Here are some basics of couponing:
1. No brand loyalty - use the one that is the cheapest after coupons
2. Smaller sizes after coupons are practically always better than applying the savings to the big containers.
3. Look for a grocery store that has B1G1, double coupons, and accepts a manufacturer coupon plus a store coupon for the same item. Ideally, you want a store that also takes competitor's coupons. This may be the chain you have thought was the most expensive in your area. On B1G1, you give the a coupon for the one you buy AND the one that is free.
4. Buy when cheap - Buy enough when the price is low to last you until it goes on sale again. Usually the cycle is 6-8 wks. If you find a ridiculously great deal (like those juice boxes I got), get all you can. You can always give extra to a food shelf or to a friend who is out of work.
5. Read the coupons so you are following the terms. I do believe in keeping it honest. Don't be ashamed of coupons. The retailers are reimbursed for value of coupon plus .08, so they actually do better on the B1G1 when you hand them manufacturer coupons, because they are getting the value of that coupon for the 2nd, free item. It's a win-win.


(For those who would flame me for 14 boxes of juice, I've checked the expiration, and we have until the end of this school year. This is a school year's supply for my dd, and if she doesn't like it or isn't using it fast enough, our church donates juice to a shelter, and I'll send it there. None will go to waste.)

 

[disneygal2007]

We save money on not buying process foods. Since I have started cooking more healthy we have saved allot.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Once a month bulk shopping at a club like BJs then only picking up milk, coffee creamer, etc during the month. Coupons every time

 

[ohlas]

about 500-600 month on food only for 2 adults 1 teen and 7 yr old, but we do lots of fruit and veg little processed food and we over eat lol .

Step one is clean out the pantry, this way you know what you have and get rid of the stuff you will never eat donate it to the food bank.

I normally make list off of what im going to make and yes i buy the thing that i use normally if there is a sale/coupon and a need for it and space in pantry.

i try to make a menu or the idea of a menu for the week to fit what im doing that week... good luck

 

[Shleedogg]

We have 3, me, DH and almost 2 yr old DD. Our weekly budget was $70, but I'm really trying to eat more fruits and veggies, healthier in general so its about $85 a week. I would like to cut this back too but I'm horrible about sale shopping and/or couponing. We shop at Walmart mostly. Our local grocery store for meat and most produce.

We do plan our meals in advance and shop once a week so it's easier to keep track of what we're buying. I find that the weeks we slip are the weeks where we go day by day with meals and we end up loosing track of what we've already bought and spent and end up spending way more.

 

[amylynne01]

(For those who would flame me for 14 boxes of juice, I've checked the expiration, and we have until the end of this school year. This is a school year's supply for my dd, and if she doesn't like it or isn't using it fast enough, our church donates juice to a shelter, and I'll send it there. None will go to waste.)

I have about 10 packages of 8 boxes each in my stockpile with hopes of picking up some more this week.

 

[rumrunnergirl]

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[williamson_ja]

If you are trying to reduce your grocery budget, try looking into food co-ops. We just got one out here that is called Bountiful Baskets (www.bountifulbaskets.org). For $15 each delivery I get at leat 20 lbs of assorted fruits and veggies. You can also sign up to get it all organic for just a little more.
For example, on my last order for $15 I got:
Tomatoes
green leaf lettuce
bell peppers
cantaloup
peaches
celery
carrots
bananas
broccoli
There were a couple more things but I can't remember right now. We ate it all up. It was all very pristine produce. They also had 5 loaves of delicious whole grain bread for $10 that we also got. The bread was similar to what our grocery store charges $4.99 a loaf for, so I was very happy with this purchase. You might try looking into it.