How do you determine your grocery budget?

[easyas123]

just buy what we need and like ...

I don't have the mental energy to meal plan and shop sales and look for the lowest price.

You guys make good points-
There does come a time when you have to factor in if it’s worth YOUR time to go thru some of these motions. Every family has different budgets, time constraints and situations.

 

[morgan98]

even if we still lived in very close proximity to any grocery stores i don't think i could handle shopping that frequently. i'm down to once, maybe twice a month tops (thank you local dairy for ultra pasteurized milk that's good for a month and a half ), and i was reminded today when i went how much more cumbersome and time consuming the process has become. got to find the que of carts that have been sanitized, got to coordinate going down the aisles with the correct directional arrows, everyone takes so long getting items off the shelves, the produce sections was horrific-had to stand in line to get an item b/c no one was willing to intrude on someone else getting their one item of produce out of an area that held 12 different items. then it's the 6 foot spacing between customers at checkout-i'm all for the safety of it but i can't put my stuff up on the belt until the other person has already completed their entire purchase. a grocery trip that would have taken me 20 minutes tops pre-covid was closer to a 75 minutes.

I think this must really be determined by where you live and when you shop. I am in a Northwest Atlanta suburb. Pre-COVID, I did our grocery shopping on Saturday mornings around 11am. In the past year, that has changed to 8:15am on Saturday morning. I go to my two grocery stories and am in and out in record time. Everything is fully stocked that early and it is very peaceful. I plan to continue this habit even when things are back to "normal."

OP, it is hard to know where you can cut because we do not know exactly what you are buying. I know I spend about $200 week for two people, but I buy lots of fresh, high end food. We regularly eat fresh seafood, lean cuts of meat, lots of fresh produce and I always have to look at the cheese and olive bar. I am sure I could cut if we started to eat cheaper things, but we are not willing to do this at this point. Maybe if you are buying snacks in single serving portions, you can buy them in bigger bags and portion them out yourself? Grocery shopping and what people eat is very personalized, so it is hard to compare.

 

[tzolkin]

I would sit down an write out some lists of the types of items that you are currently purchasing and then weigh out the cost savings of not purchasing those items and/or buying less expensive things instead. Ex. If you buy the pre-cut vegetables in the produce section, decide if the cost difference is worth the time savings to you. Or maybe you're purchasing tons of individually packaged snacks when your family could just share a big box of goldfish instead. Perhaps you're buying expensive drinks that you could cut back on?

This is just an assumption and I could be wrong, but I think you must be buying high priced items that are unnecessary/luxuries in order to be spending that much. We are a family of 5 (all teens/adults) and typically spend $600/mo or less. We have never set a "budget" or restricted our food purchases, that's just what we naturally spend (and includes alcohol). Even if you doubled that since you have more people, that's still only $1200. You indicate that you're spending $2250.

Rather than setting a specific amount that you can spend, maybe it would be beneficial to start with the amount you are currently spending and try to cut back in different areas each month. Then whatever is left over you can put into a Disney savings account. (Ex. Add up your grocery receipts for April and if you only spent $2000, put the "extra" $250 toward a fun goal. Maybe in May your "extra" will be $400 that you can roll into the savings.) As you watch that money grow that may give your family incentive to cut back on some of the unnecessary grocery items.

 

[TwoMisfits]

PS - Op, you do seem right on target for a normal moderate grocery budget for 8 if you use this calculator...https://mint.intuit.com/blog/food-budgets/monthly-grocery-budget-calculator/

 

[Darcy03231]

While we're now empty nesters, at one point we had between 8-9 adults living at home. My best advice is to meal plan based on what's on sale at the local grocery stores. I'd do a lot of "big" meals, i.e. turkey, ham, roast and then use leftovers for other nights. Night 1 Turkey dinner, Night 2 ham dinner, Night 3 homemade turkey soup and sandwiches, Night 4 ham croquettes or ham and scalloped potato casserole. etc. We'd also do breakfast for dinner occasionally. When I made casseroles I'd make 2 and freeze one.

 

[Marionnette]

PS - Op, you do seem right on target for a normal moderate grocery budget for 8 if you use this calculator...https://mint.intuit.com/blog/food-budgets/monthly-grocery-budget-calculator/

Wow! Based on that calculator, I am way overspending on food for 2 adults in our age groups!

 

[TwoMisfits]

To actually make a grocery budget, it also helps to get an idea of what the family actually eats through per week.

In my house of 6 (4 teens/tweens), we eat, no joke, about 45-60lbs of produce per week. Just Wednesday at Aldi's I bought...

6 lbs of gala apples
3 lbs of pears
3 lbs of mandarin oranges
3 lbs strawberries
3 lbs red grapes
3lbs green bananas (my kids don't like them when they turn brown)
2 lbs lemons
1 lb limes
1 pineapple (so 3lbs)
10 lbs russet potatoes
3lbs sweet potatoes
3lbs yellow onions
1 lb fancy green beans
1 lb asparagus
1 lb roma tomatoes
1lb green bell peppers (3)
1 lb baby carrots
1 celery (2 lbs)
1 iceberg lettuce (2 lbs)
8oz white mushrooms
8oz green onions
4 oz cilantro (I have a bag of avocadoes to use up from last week, so the green onions, limes, and cilantro will go to guac - this was about my only leftover produce from my last shop)

At 50lbs+, this will get me 5-7 days - I was lighter on veg this week b/c my friend is making us dinner Saturday and I'm ordering Easter dinner in and making brunch, so I'm only doing 5 dinners, or we'd have more veg (b/c lunch is fruit, and dinner is fruit and veg, with more emphasis on veg - and snacks are fruit, so more fruit does tend to get eaten).

But knowing my fresh produce needs (I also bought cans of great northern beans, tomato sauce, and corn on the trip, since I had used those up in dinners last week - I only replace cans when needed), I know I have to hit a cheap produce store every week (either HMart or Aldi) b/c my regular store would be at least $1/more per lb of produce on average...and $50/week is worth a 2nd shop...

I could do the same list for "lunch and dinner protein" needs...and get an idea of what I spend and what I need. And in the produce list above, most of my items were the "deal" items or "normally cheapest price" items...I skipped squashes b/c they were not cheap for squash...same for skipping broccoli/cauliflower/kale...outside of bananas, I buy whatever looks good and is on sale...

 

[barkley]

PS - Op, you do seem right on target for a normal moderate grocery budget for 8 if you use this calculator...https://mint.intuit.com/blog/food-budgets/monthly-grocery-budget-calculator/

'the thrifty food plan' boy that takes me back. when i supervised a food stamp unit that chart was on everyone's desk for reference and it was so out of touch with that region's food costs but seeing it reminded me of one factor that can greatly impact groceries-sales tax. if you live in a state that taxes them it adds up quickly (we live adjacent to a state that taxes them-our grocery stores benefit from residents of the other state regularly shopping here).

4 oz cilantro (I have a bag of avocadoes to use up from last week, so the green onions, limes, and cilantro will go to guac - this was about my only leftover produce from my last shop)

yesterday i needed 2 fresh herbs-parsley and mint. instead of getting it in the produce aisle i went to the garden section and bought 2 plants. i'll keep the in the house for a month or so until our weather is better then plant them in a planter on my deck. i do this with herbs i frequently use in the summer months b/c one plant costs less than one bunch of herbs in our area.



op-just thought of something. are you buying ANY non food items when you do these daily shops? it doesn't take many just 1 or 2 non food items (acne pads, shampoo, razors, detergent, dish tabs, paper products...) to really skew the numbers for a grocery budget. those items (in pre covid times) i really worked to get on sale and stock up (and with time the ability to do that is slowly returning).

 

[808blessing]

To clarify, when. I say shop the sales, I do not look at ads because I am at the mercy of the one store I know puts a lot of the groceries we normally buy on sale. I go once a week and costco once a month.

So I just look at vegetables available and buy the ones on sale and cook with those. My meal plan is based on sales. Stew meat on sale and not shrimp, then that’s a go! Same with fruit- we like all the berries but if blackberries are on sale then that’s the one I choose. If apples on sale, we get more of those than pears. I usually buy the brand on sale and try it out. Except I don’t usually like Best Yet. My meals are determined by sales. Shelf stable items get bought when it is on sale vs. when we run out.

I love WholeFoods but it is far from my house. Many are surprised at the prices since Amazon took over, at least in my area.. They are affordable and produce is always fresh. My conscience tugs whenever I use them though.

So I think you are doing ok (I have a very small family) but if you want to cut, choose your store- time you shop (so it’s not crowded and you can think and learn)- look for sales.

 

[robinb]

Wow! Based on that calculator, I am way overspending on food for 2 adults in our age groups!

Me too, even when I factor in "generous" spending . .

 

[scrapquitler]

I don't budget for groceries. I buy what we like/want. . When something we love is on sale, I buy extra. (Like right now I have 4 corned beefs and three hams in the freezer). But if we are in the mood for something and it's not on sale, that doesn't stop me from buying it. I know I could save a lot more if I were more careful about the groceries I do buy, but I'm not that concerned about it.

That said, I've spent a lot more on groceries in the last year than ever before...prices went up and I had the attiude of buying what I want, But we have hardly eaten out during the pandemic...I'm cooking a LOT more than normal.

 

[dclpluto]

No budget get what we need or want within reason. Try to stock up on things that’s on sale.

 

[tzolkin]

PS - Op, you do seem right on target for a normal moderate grocery budget for 8 if you use this calculator...https://mint.intuit.com/blog/food-budgets/monthly-grocery-budget-calculator/

Guess we must be super thrifty. For our family it calculated "Thrifty" at $820 and we only spend about $600.

The "Generous" budget is well over $1000 more than what we have ever spent. I can't even fathom what we would have to buy to nearly triple our grocery spending.

 

[Marionnette]

Guess we must be super thrifty. For our family it calculated "Thrifty" at $820 and we only spend about $600.

The "Generous" budget is well over $1000 more than what we have ever spent. I can't even fathom what we would have to buy to nearly triple our grocery spending.

And yet I cannot fathom feeding a family on only ~$600 a month. But a lot depends on how many meals individuals eat out, whether the kids get free breakfast, lunch and weekend backpack meals at school, whether you purchase organic foods, stick to canned/frozen vegetables instead of fresh, etc.

 

[DLgal]

even if we still lived in very close proximity to any grocery stores i don't think i could handle shopping that frequently. i'm down to once, maybe twice a month tops (thank you local dairy for ultra pasteurized milk that's good for a month and a half ), and i was reminded today when i went how much more cumbersome and time consuming the process has become. got to find the que of carts that have been sanitized, got to coordinate going down the aisles with the correct directional arrows, everyone takes so long getting items off the shelves, the produce sections was horrific-had to stand in line to get an item b/c no one was willing to intrude on someone else getting their one item of produce out of an area that held 12 different items. then it's the 6 foot spacing between customers at checkout-i'm all for the safety of it but i can't put my stuff up on the belt until the other person has already completed their entire purchase. a grocery trip that would have taken me 20 minutes tops pre-covid was closer to a 75 minutes.

Wow. That's not my experience at all here with grocery shopping. I do live in a place with a massive supermarket every mile or so, though. I guess that helps spread out the crowds.

When I say I am there every 3-4 days, it's for just a few things we might have run out of in between my weekly big shop, namely fresh fruits/veggies, milk, and random ingredients I might need for dinner prep. We buy Fairlife brand milk and it does last forever on the shelf, but I have 2 teen boys who go through chocolate milk like it's water and we only have one refrigerator. We also eat a lot of produce and can only store so much. I can be in and out of the store in 5-10 minutes for these quick shops. I use self checkout and our stores got rid of directional arrows a LONG time ago. Carts are always lined up and clean. It's not a hassle at all.

I do my shopping at a combo of Target, Costco, Trader Joe's and big chain supermarkets. I buy certain things at each place every week (except Costco, which is every other week). I don't like to spend all day running these errands, though, so I space it out, which means I find myself at one of these places approximately every 4 days or so. It works for me. I shop in the late morning during the week and never run into many other people at all.

I tried doing big shops spaced out by 2 weeks at the beginning of the pandemic, and it just wasn't feasible, again due to limited refrigerator/freezer capacity. You just cannot store 2 weeks worth of food for a family of 4 that includes 2 teen boys in a 25 cu ft side by side.

 

[DLgal]

While we're now empty nesters, at one point we had between 8-9 adults living at home. My best advice is to meal plan based on what's on sale at the local grocery stores. I'd do a lot of "big" meals, i.e. turkey, ham, roast and then use leftovers for other nights. Night 1 Turkey dinner, Night 2 ham dinner, Night 3 homemade turkey soup and sandwiches, Night 4 ham croquettes or ham and scalloped potato casserole. etc. We'd also do breakfast for dinner occasionally. When I made casseroles I'd make 2 and freeze one.

I see these kinds of suggestions and just laugh. This works only in SOME families. In our family, we have 2 autistic teens and they have very specific tastes and things they will eat. I could NEVER meal plan like this. There are literally only like 3 meals I can make that everyone will eat and they are the types of things that don't have leftovers. Instead, I prepare food for my husband and myself, and then my youngest eats from a preselected "menu" of about 8 different meal options and he repeats those every week. My older son is the same way, but he has a much more narrow "menu." He frequently makes himself eggs and toast with fruit for dinner, unless I am making one of the "3 universal meals" or it's pizza night.

So, my "budget" is only flexible in so much as I am willing to alter what DH and I eat, because my kids need "their foods" every week, regardless. I love to cook and we prefer high quality, fresh food. I kind of hate leftovers, although I will eat them for ONE more night. My mom was a restaurant manager when I was young and she was always super strict about food safety. 2 days tops for leftovers, then into the trash it went.

 

[Blanco]

Budgeting for groceries is much easier than budgeting for the food you’ll consume inside the park.
number of people in your party plus what they normally eat. Multiply that by the days you’ll be in the park/ resort. That’s your budget.
Of course, put some allowance on it. Give ample room for flexibility.

 

[tzolkin]

And yet I cannot fathom feeding a family on only ~$600 a month. But a lot depends on how many meals individuals eat out, whether the kids get free breakfast, lunch and weekend backpack meals at school, whether you purchase organic foods, stick to canned/frozen vegetables instead of fresh, etc.

Apologies if my post came across snarky. I was not judging anyone for spending more, just sharing my experience. We don't limit/budget so I already feel like we are buying whatever we want for that price, so I would have to drastically change our purchases to spend triple that amount.

My husband has been doing all the shopping, meal planning, and cooking since last summer. His meals and shopping habits are different than mine, but still has wound up within the range of $470-$720. We started eating out once per week during the pandemic, but everything else we consume is from our groceries. I am conscious of prices-- ex. I won't spend $5.49lb for asparagus when I know I can get it on sale another week for $1.99lb-- but I don't feel like we are being super frugal either.

 

[Merlin's Magic]

Apologies if my post came across snarky. I was not judging anyone for spending more, just sharing my experience. We don't limit/budget so I already feel like we are buying whatever we want for that price, so I would have to drastically change our purchases to spend triple that amount.

I bet some of this has to do with location, too. My friend who lives in a farm-heavy area posts her grocery store's ads occasionally and I am so jealous! Meat, produce, and even some prepared foods are so much cheaper. It's hard for me to feel like I got a bargain paying $1/avocado when I see an ad for a bag of 20 of them for $3. LOL Even trying to buy things that are more locally sourced doesn't mean our grocery bill will be even comparable to hers.

 

[JennP78]

I didn't read every response so this might have been mentioned but meatless meals really help us keep the budget lower.

Eggs, French toast, pizza, pasta, salads, burritos, etc.

We do our share of meat - DH is not a veggie person - but it's only in relative bulk and/or on sale.

In general we buy what is on sale and make sure we use up as much as possible. I had leftover carrots that had to be used or tossed, so I used them in a soup. We have cinnamon bread that's about to expire and the freezer is stuffed so it's French toast tomorrow morning. Etc.

By doing the above, we find we don't really "need" to make a budget. Having those practices keeps the budget as low as we can get it without feeling like we are denying ourselves or driving ourselves nuts budgeting.