How much do you spend each week on groceries?

[LuckyMamaInDE]

I do not compare shop as much becuase I do not want to waste gass. Also I dont buy the paper my mom gives me her coupons and news paper when she is done

I do all my comparison shopping and list-making by checking the stores' websites. All of the weekly flyers are viewable. One store even has special coupons on the website!

 

[Bribrittmom]

For our family of 4 (DS' are 3 and 5) I spend 250-300 per week on groceries.

Finally somebody who is not afraid to admit what they really spend!

 

[albertamommyof4]

We usually average about 150 to 200 a month and we are a family of 6 , 2 adulta and 4 kids ranging from almost 11 to 2 and i also do day care and we live in alberta , canada . We do use coupons and watch sales we do shop at Safeway , superstore and Costco and we only buy , well try to , organic fruits and veggies , meat sometimes as it is hard to find and always pasta and pasta sauce is organic

 

[tonilea]

Finally somebody who is not afraid to admit what they really spend!

That is implying that everyone else is lying. Just because you can't or don't spend less doesn't mean that everyone else is lying. I know I spend quite a bit of time and work to keep my grocery budget down and feed my family healthy meals.

 

[ImaFunMom]

My best hints for cutting down what anyone spends at the grocery store are these: make a detailed list and stick to it (plan around meats and other sale items), have a well stocked pantry and freezer, shop with cash, don't shop when hungry, and take a calculator with you.

I cook from scratch (mostly) and seldom buy convenience foods. I buy lots of organic (esp. milk). I shop for fresh fruits and veggies at my local farmer's market (that cost is included in my weekly food budget).

I am sure part of the difference in prices is where we all live. It costs less in some places and more in other places to buy food.

 

[IDoDis]

ahahaha, its a man thing, my DH is the same way. For every dollar I save he spends so we always come back to zero.

Same here! Since I keep track of the bank accounts & money, it is no skin off his back if he goes out and spends a ton. I try to save and then he goes to the store and comes back with Starbucks bags of coffee, expensive fruits like blueberries & boisenberries for his smoothies, huge cans of protein powder and other certain foods. I see the receipt which is around $50 to $60 and just cringe because that is in addition to what I've already spent for the week on food. Those are all things for him! He doesn't realize what a budget buster he is. I would rather buy his fruits in large bags at Sam's club, but he doesn't care, so if we run out of something, he goes to get it. He hates to shop, so he just goes and buys and doesn't look or care about the prices.

 

[mefordis]

Finally somebody who is not afraid to admit what they really spend!

Tell me about it! $75 for a family of five? Do they eat Ramen all week? I think that is what a college student would spend on food per week. They eat Ramen.

I'm not saying anyone is lying, but I'd love to see a breakdown to see how one can feed a family of five on just $75 per week, including toiletries, etc.

We spend around $300 a week for a family of three.

 

[mefordis]

My best hints for cutting down what anyone spends at the grocery store are these: make a detailed list and stick to it (plan around meats and other sale items), have a well stocked pantry and freezer, shop with cash, don't shop when hungry, and take a calculator with you.

I cook from scratch (mostly) and seldom buy convenience foods. I buy lots of organic (esp. milk). I shop for fresh fruits and veggies at my local farmer's market (that cost is included in my weekly food budget).

I am sure part of the difference in prices is where we all live. It costs less in some places and more in other places to buy food.

Great tips! How do I find out when things are going on sale? I shop at:

Whole Foods
Stop n Shop
A&P

I find I rarely get sales because I don't buy very many packaged things. I buy more fresh.

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

Tell me about it! $75 for a family of five? Do they eat Ramen all week? I think that is what a college student would spend on food per week. They eat Ramen.

I'm not saying anyone is lying, but I'd love to see a breakdown to see how one can feed a family of five on just $75 per week, including toiletries, etc.

We spend around $300 a week for a family of three.

I believe you are referring to me Yes, we spend on average $75/week for a family of 5 with two teenagers.

If you had read my post, you would have seen that our dd13 has multiple food allergies. Even if I had wanted to buy ramen, I couldn't.

I do not spend money on toiletries. I "do" CVS Extra Care Bucks deals and Walgreens Easy Saver rebate deals, rolling the money from one special into "purchasing" the next, rinse and repeat. Through the use of coupons with the special deals, I actually make money which I then use on things that don't go on sale, like our contact solution and good hair products.

I shop at three grocery stores, at a Pepperidge Farms outlet (for the all-natural, no hfcs, whole wheat bread that dd can eat), at Costco (for coffee beans, dairy products, frozen organic veggies, fresh organic veggies and fruits), at CVS and Walgreens as mentioned above, at a natural foods store (for bulk spices mainly), at an orchard, at a pick-your-own farm, and at a farmers' market each Sunday at our natural foods store.

I visit www.HotCouponWorld.com almost daily to read the accumulated wisdom of all the posters on the site (I prefer this to www.GroceryGame.com because (1) it's free and (2) I have such a wide variety of stores in the area, including ones I don't normally shop at, that I can easily check at HCW).

I buy 4-6 newspapers every weekend for the coupons. I will trade for more when an especially hot deal comes around.

I buy what is on sale. And lots of it. By doing so, after a few months I have a great variety of food. I know how much of a particular item my family will use AND I know how often that item will go on sale, so I stock enough to last us until the next good sale. I kept a price book for years--now my price book is in my head as it's second-nature

I cook and bake almost everything from scratch. My exceptions are the Pepperidge Farms bread, flour tortillas, crunchy taco shells, and salad dressings.

Chips and soda are for parties and special occasions. Candy is for holidays (except for my secret Hershey's Bliss stash--that's for pms )

I garden. And garden. I have five 4x8 raised beds plus an herb garden (and dh's hops), strawberries, 4 blueberry bushes, 20' of raspberries, 10' of blackberries, two peach trees and two apple trees (planted last year so not producing yet).

It IS a lot of work, that's for sure. And it's not for everyone. I began shopping this way our of necessity 10 years ago when dh made a career change that drastically cut our income for 3 years. Although our income has increased to a level that I don't NEED to shop this way, I continue to do so. Our kids are in private school, we've got good college savings, we're at a comfortable retirement savings level, we pay cash for everything, and we're blessed to be able to take an annual vacation.

So that's how I can feed my family of 5 for $75/week, average

 

[DMickey28]

Same here! Since I keep track of the bank accounts & money, it is no skin off his back if he goes out and spends a ton. I try to save and then he goes to the store and comes back with Starbucks bags of coffee, expensive fruits like blueberries & boisenberries for his smoothies, huge cans of protein powder and other certain foods. I see the receipt which is around $50 to $60 and just cringe because that is in addition to what I've already spent for the week on food. Those are all things for him! He doesn't realize what a budget buster he is. I would rather buy his fruits in large bags at Sam's club, but he doesn't care, so if we run out of something, he goes to get it. He hates to shop, so he just goes and buys and doesn't look or care about the prices.

My DH is the same way. Not necessarily just groceries but everything. He'll go to whatever gas station is around when he needs gas. I try to buy at the one on the corner that always has the lowest price. If I ask him to stop and get hamburger rolls on the way home he stops at Publix because he hates Walmart which is just across the street and will get a $3 bag of rolls, a $4 bag of chips, $6 container of ice cream and a soda. So my $1.13 rolls from Walmart just cost us $15.00. Drives me nuts. I budget for one round of golf ... he'll decide to play three times. He just bought himself TWO new golf clubs and new shoes. Now I see where part of my $2K lost this month went ... ARGH.

 

[global_mom]

I believe you are referring to me Yes, we spend on average $75/week for a family of 5 with two teenagers.

If you had read my post, you would have seen that our dd13 has multiple food allergies. Even if I had wanted to buy ramen, I couldn't.

I do not spend money on toiletries. I "do" CVS Extra Care Bucks deals and Walgreens Easy Saver rebate deals, rolling the money from one special into "purchasing" the next, rinse and repeat. Through the use of coupons with the special deals, I actually make money which I then use on things that don't go on sale, like our contact solution and good hair products.

I shop at three grocery stores, at a Pepperidge Farms outlet (for the all-natural, no hfcs, whole wheat bread that dd can eat), at Costco (for coffee beans, dairy products, frozen organic veggies, fresh organic veggies and fruits), at CVS and Walgreens as mentioned above, at a natural foods store (for bulk spices mainly), at an orchard, at a pick-your-own farm, and at a farmers' market each Sunday at our natural foods store.

I visit www.HotCouponWorld.com almost daily to read the accumulated wisdom of all the posters on the site (I prefer this to www.GroceryGame.com because (1) it's free and (2) I have such a wide variety of stores in the area, including ones I don't normally shop at, that I can easily check at HCW).

I buy 4-6 newspapers every weekend for the coupons. I will trade for more when an especially hot deal comes around.

I buy what is on sale. And lots of it. By doing so, after a few months I have a great variety of food. I know how much of a particular item my family will use AND I know how often that item will go on sale, so I stock enough to last us until the next good sale. I kept a price book for years--now my price book is in my head as it's second-nature

I cook and bake almost everything from scratch. My exceptions are the Pepperidge Farms bread, flour tortillas, crunchy taco shells, and salad dressings.

Chips and soda are for parties and special occasions. Candy is for holidays (except for my secret Hershey's Bliss stash--that's for pms )

I garden. And garden. I have five 4x8 raised beds plus an herb garden (and dh's hops), strawberries, 4 blueberry bushes, 20' of raspberries, 10' of blackberries, two peach trees and two apple trees (planted last year so not producing yet).

It IS a lot of work, that's for sure. And it's not for everyone. I began shopping this way our of necessity 10 years ago when dh made a career change that drastically cut our income for 3 years. Although our income has increased to a level that I don't NEED to shop this way, I continue to do so. Our kids are in private school, we've got good college savings, we're at a comfortable retirement savings level, we pay cash for everything, and we're blessed to be able to take an annual vacation.

So that's how I can feed my family of 5 for $75/week, average

That is awesome! We are a family of 5 and $75 per week is my goal. Now that would not include eating out which we would try to keep to one chick-fil-a meal and one TS meal each week. Last month (April) I spent $853 on groceries and $650 on dining out. Obviously we have a lot to cut and we have been much better in the month of May. I am really cracking down in June. Hope that I can do it!

 

[Plantlady]

Tell me about it! $75 for a family of five? Do they eat Ramen all week? I think that is what a college student would spend on food per week. They eat Ramen.

I'm not saying anyone is lying, but I'd love to see a breakdown to see how one can feed a family of five on just $75 per week, including toiletries, etc.

We spend around $300 a week for a family of three.

I also do a family of five for less than $75. The boys are 11, 9 and 6. The 9 year old eats a ton.. the other two not as much.

We don't eat meat. Ramen has meat in it.. so that's out of the question. DH doesn't eat dairy or eggs. We buy a lot of in season produce. We eat a lot of beans for protein. I garden during the summer. Not a lot.. I plan on increasing that soon... that should cut it back even further. So, every dinner that is cooked here, is a vegan meal. Lunches, when DH is at work, have dairy.

Toiletries are included.

I DON'T by chips, cookies, soda, candy, or other junk food. Those are for special occasions only. That was a big step in knocking down our grocery bill.


I doubt anyone here on the DIS is lying about how much they're spending. What would the point of that be?

 

[mom2my3kids]

I also do a family of five for less than $75. The boys are 11, 9 and 6. The 9 year old eats a ton.. the other two not as much.

We don't eat meat. Ramen has meat in it.. so that's out of the question. DH doesn't eat dairy or eggs. We buy a lot of in season produce. We eat a lot of beans for protein. I garden during the summer. Not a lot.. I plan on increasing that soon... that should cut it back even further. So, every dinner that is cooked here, is a vegan meal. Lunches, when DH is at work, have dairy.

Toiletries are included.

I DON'T by chips, cookies, soda, candy, or other junk food. Those are for special occasions only. That was a big step in knocking down our grocery bill.


I doubt anyone here on the DIS is lying about how much they're spending. What would the point of that be?

That is my problem, my kids are snackers and I buy lots of fruits, chips, crackers, breakfast frozen items etc. Plus I do purchase soda, the kids drink it occasionally and my husband and I drink it every day..

 

[ImaFunMom]

I look either in the newspaper for the store sales papers or online. I have the local grocery stores marked online and check prices each week. If I go to WM, I have them price match all the sales from the papers. I take proof with me (they are fine with the computer printed sales paper or the newspaper version).

Click on "weekly specials" or "store specials" - you may have to sign up for emails of speicals, but that's not usually the case.


http://www.apsupermarket.com/

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/

http://www.stopandshop.com/

 

[jmpellet]

We do spend very little in comparison (I CVS) to others but we like pasta and red sauce and I make it in bulk. I probably spend $14 on tomatoes (and only use Pastene ground peeled and Contandina paste), $14 for meat for meatballs and/or meatsauce, $6 for 3 sticks of pepperoni, and $6 for italian sausage. Other stuff included is chopped onion, bread stuffing for the meatballs, garlic, italian seasoning, parmesan, etc. I usually have around so not included in total. So I spend about $40 and this yields about 20 meals as I have containers I freeze them in. I also keep some meatballs out of the sauce for other things. So for about $3 per meal (added $1 for pasta) I feed a family of five with this.

 

[SnowWhite607]

Finally somebody who is not afraid to admit what they really spend!

If I spent more, I would admit it. Why wouldnt I? But I dont. For my family of 3 (me, DH and DD7) and 2 cats, I average about $80-$100 per week including all household cleaners, paper goods and toiletries (when I dont have some in my CVS stockpile). And we dont even like Ramen.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Looks like we shop pretty much exactly alike! Judgiing form where you live most likely the smae stores as well! I really don't like grocery shopping so getting stuff monthly and then just the fresh foods from the perimeter weekly really saves me time and energy!

Yes we may have crossed paths... Funny its such a small world! Wegman's, SuperWalmart, Sams, then Tops for any extra specials...

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Tell me about it! $75 for a family of five? Do they eat Ramen all week? I think that is what a college student would spend on food per week. They eat Ramen.

I'm not saying anyone is lying, but I'd love to see a breakdown to see how one can feed a family of five on just $75 per week, including toiletries, etc.

We spend around $300 a week for a family of three.

Okay, I'll do it.... You want to know how and I will post my shopping here for the month of June.... Below is my original post and budget..

Oh by the way DS12 eats Ramen... But he is limited to 6 packages per month...

Original Post: I do the majority of my shopping monthly with trips weekly for fresh fruit, veggies, milk, and cold-cuts...

Monthly w/ all toiletries $375.00
Weekly for extra's $25.00

On month's with 5 weeks I drop the montly by $25.00 so that it is the same each month...

$475.00 for a family of 4 (DH, me, DD15, and DS12) If we eat out, it comes out of this budget, so needless to say, we don't eat out often

Here is the link to the thread I started for this challenge: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=25431975&posted=1#post25431975

 

[mefordis]

Okay, I'll do it.... You want to know how and I will post my shopping here for the month of June.... Below is my original post and budget..

Oh by the way DS12 eats Ramen... But he is limited to 6 packages per month...

Original Post: I do the majority of my shopping monthly with trips weekly for fresh fruit, veggies, milk, and cold-cuts...

Monthly w/ all toiletries $375.00
Weekly for extra's $25.00

On month's with 5 weeks I drop the montly by $25.00 so that it is the same each month...

$475.00 for a family of 4 (DH, me, DD15, and DS12) If we eat out, it comes out of this budget, so needless to say, we don't eat out often

Here is the link to the thread I started for this challenge: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=25431975&posted=1#post25431975

That would be great to see your list for June! I am trying to start off the month right. Here is what I'm doing differently:

1. I've started a shopping list by going online to Stop n Shop and Whole Foods. I'm going to stick to this list!!
2. Creating menus for each day of the week
3. I like the idea of buying toiletries and paper ONCE a month!

Thank you for your help! I AM an impulse buyer and trying to overcome this. You would roll your eyes at the things I pick up at the store and put in my cart!

 

[shamrock30]

For just DH and I, we're averaging about $150 a week. This does NOT include toiletries. We shop at several stores and stock up on sales, but there are rarely any coupons we can use. We don't by food with HFCS or hydrogenated oils, and tend to buy "all natural" items with some organics. We rarely eat red meat, but buy hormone free chicken and wild caught fish. There's no way to eat the way we do in my area for much less, and it seems like the prices are going up every week.