Grocery Shopping and Food budgets

[lvillotta1]

I enjoyed the thread about where everyone grocery shops. I was wondering if most readers here on the budget board have a food budget every month?

I have many stores to choose from also. First stop is Aldi's always and then price matching at WM. We are getting a Natural Thyme store just a mile from my house. Was wondering if anyone has heard of this store and what to expect?

I really do not have a strict food budget. We are trying to really only shop around the perimeter of the store and not eating so much processed food. So this tends to be more expensive esp meat and seafood. I would say maybe $300 for my family of 3. My goal over this next year is to stock up on TP,PT detergent etc at Sams. We would probably be good for at least a year. I also need to find a local butcher for more fresher meat and seafood too. Any suggestions?

 

[LJSquishy]

We budget $400/mo for the 2 of us which includes groceries, toiletries, haircuts, cleaning supplies, etc. We have a separate budget for eating out which is $50/mo (which we currently blow every month but are trying to be better). Sometimes we spend more than our budget and other months we're under.

 

[jonahsmommy]

Our monthly food budget for the 3 of us is $500.00. That includes all cleaning supplies and eating out, which we rarely do. We live in a high cost area and we try to not eat processed foods.

 

[MariMama]

For 4, our budget is around $600. That includes all paper products, cleaning supplies, multiple craft beers every week, pet products and toiletries.

We spend $200-$250 eating out every month.

 

[chris31997]

Our budget for 4, during the month is $450 which includes toiletries. I also try to shop the perimeter of the store. I'm thankful that I am a stay at home mom and can make alot of stuff from scratch.

Eating out if about $200 a month

 

[GreatLakes]

I don't really keep track of a grocery budget so I went back and checked our credit card statement from the past month. My wife and I spent about $1,000 on the combination of groceries and meal delivery services like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron. That was a little higher than normal because we tried a larger number of the services while we decided on which ones to stick with.

We really don't set a grocery budget. We decided long ago that food was one place where we would pay for quality.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I'd say we're usually between $300-$400 for 2 of us in a median cost of living area. That includes all toiletries/laundry detergent/etc. We did a little better this month and we're at about $325 including eating out. Trying to keep it that way for a while.

 

[kymom99]

We have a new place here called Fresh Thyme. Is that what you mean? If so, its ok. It's got a farmers market theme to it. They sell some bulk items like nuts and also have a natural section. They have really good prices on a few fresh fruits/veggies every week. They also run sales on eggs from time to time. Last week they were $.69 a dozen! It's not really on my way to anywhere but once in a while I make a point of stopping there and get a few things.

 

[KarenAylwood]

We don't have a set food budget either (we probably should but we don't). I was unemployed for a period of time last year and started couponing and stockpiling. We've moved and I have a large area in the basement to stockpile. I haven't had to buy personal care items except for a few things in about a year or more. Some months I don't spend much at all, other months I spend a lot because there was a good deal and I stock up on something. I know the prices of things that are a good deal and others that aren't. I just pulled the numbers- all in for a family of 3 I spent $640 in April, $380 in May and $555 so far this month (cycle ends tomorrow). All in means toiletries, personal care, medical expenses, food. We also had events in these months- hosted parties, had family in town, etc. I'd imagine my March bill was lower. Nice to pull the numbers though- I think I'll keep today's shopping trip simple and small haha. I've got a chest freezer with things in it that I can pull from. Eating out was $30 each month all three months.

 

[Judique]

We are two and we just spend for what we want . I'm not really on any kind of budget except when I shop I do watch prices of the items I buy and try to get the most bang for the buck. I have many pets so that is expensive also. We eat out if we feel like it.

I rarely eat processed food. I am diabetic so my menu is usually a small portion of meat or fish, and tons of veggies. I buy a lot of fresh fruit and snacks are cottage cheese and fruit, hummus and veggies,etc. I avoid carbs and drink no soda, or no diet drinks, just water and the occasional glass of wine when I am in a social setting.

I think eating this way ends up to be economical because my portions are smaller so even if I buy high priced quality items, I don't need a whole lot. And eating out costs less because of the newer choices I make also. For example a trip to Five Guys for fast food is a small hamburger with veggie toppings. No soda, no french fries, so about $5.

 

[hsmamato2]

our budget for 4 is about 450 right now..... includes special diet items (GF,paleo,some OG) it's kind of high ,but the prices where we live are fairly high in comparison also. We don't eat a lot of junkfood,or processed foods. LOTS of fruit and veggies tho....

 

[MariMama]

I don't really keep track of a grocery budget so I went back and checked our credit card statement from the past month. My wife and I spent about $1,000 on the combination of groceries and meal delivery services like Hello Fresh and Blue Apron. That was a little higher than normal because we tried a larger number of the services while we decided on which ones to stick with.

We really don't set a grocery budget. We decided long ago that food was one place where we would pay for quality.

We don't have a grocery budget, either. That was my best guess. LOL

 

[TwoMisfits]

We have $200/adult and $150/kid budget per month for everything (including paper products, cleaning products, personal hygiene, and pets). It's a little easier to use this type of data to extrapolate. We also have a $50/adult and $25/kid eat out budget per month - we have not blown the eat out budget in over a year, since I made buying groceries that would keep us from eating out a priority.

In raw terms, this is $1050/month for groceries/cleaning supplies/hygiene/pets and $225/month for eating out. I'm about $100/month below the USDA low cost food plan for my family size and age (and right about at the thrifty level), so I feel very good about what we eat and how we eat. I will splurge on the occasional steak or fish, especially salmon or shrimp (but we normally have chicken, ground beef, pork, eggs, pasta, or veg) and I will buy any sale fruit/veg I want to eat and my family loves to eat (so we buy the berries in the summer, the tropical fruits in winter, etc), although I don't have the funds to buy organic unless it's almost the same price (so I do buy organic carrots and occasionally the organic produce that matches the price of the reg produce).

 

[minniebeth]

We have a new place here called Fresh Thyme. Is that what you mean? If so, its ok. It's got a farmers market theme to it. They sell some bulk items like nuts and also have a natural section. They have really good prices on a few fresh fruits/veggies every week. They also run sales on eggs from time to time. Last week they were $.69 a dozen! It's not really on my way to anywhere but once in a while I make a point of stopping there and get a few things.

We have a Fresh Thyme close to us~ When I go, I go on Wednesdays, it's their double ad day. So their ad from the present week and the following week overlap, so both ad items are on sale. I get a lot of fresh produce at a good price that way. Their produce in our store is very nice! They also have some good meat sales. Pretty much all of the meat I bought on sale there has been good, and they do have a money back guarantee on it. I wasn't aware of it until a cashier told me one day that if I ever get a bad pkg. of meat, to feel free to bring the receipt and they will refund or replace it. I watch their ads, because they do occasionally have a good deal on other items as well. It seems like they are opening a lot of stores and are starting to carry a decent selection of their own label. They are good priced items. Most of their other groceries are very high priced, but worth a trip for their sales. My location is close to an Aldi and a Trader Joes, so I usually hit up all 3 for some savings.

 

[jsmla]

Out food budget has skyrocketed lately. My husband (who eats very, very few veggies) has decided to "do" Atkins. He has to have hormone-free beef for medical reasons. Previously we were big dried bean and pasta people. It's killing me!

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I don't really closely stick to a "budget " for food. I buy what we need and what is healthy. I stick $1000a month on my grocery column when making a budget but I usually spend closer to $800/ month for 3 of us and 2 dogs. We were very poor and very hungry at times when I was a kid so food is an area where I won't scrimp.

 

[aprilchem]

Our food budget is $600 a month for 5 people. That includes paper products, personal care, and dog food for two 100 lb dogs. I usually end up with about $125-$150 a month left of that, which I put into an account to save for the half-cow and pig we buy per year at a local farm. We buy the cow in January and the pig in July, so I've got enough money put away for that when the time comes.

I cook entirely from scratch (I even mill my own flour for bread) so most of our budget goes toward fruit, veggies, whole grains, etc.

 

[neatokimmo]

I was really bad at buying too much fresh stuff that went bad before we could eat it. Since our Aldi opened and I limited my volume, we are at 50-75 a week for three people. Just food, house and pets are a different budget.

 

[duffybear32830]

We spend about $1,000 all in for groceries, eating out, and drinking for family of 3. Guess we eat out a bit plus we tend to pick up the more expensive items (BBQ) when going to family gatherings and such. I'm impressed by these smaller amounts. I could cut back if I planned better.

 

[superme80]

I would like to spend $600 a month, but it is usually $800 a month for a family of 5 including paper products. Trying to do better.