How Much do YOU spend in Groceries per Month?

[My2CrazyGirls]

Glad to finally see some realistic numbers being posted. Get tired of seeing the " I spend $150 for my family of 20..." balogny.

Trying to hold below $250/week is starting to get difficult. Soon the $150/week gas budget is not going to work either.

I think people should explain their answers a little bit to be helpful. If someone says they spend 300 for a family of 4 a month, they should include that they eat lots of Ramen noodles, chef boy r dee products, lots of canned and processed food, buy meats from regular stores and will buy ground beef on sale for .99 a pound, only shop at Walmart/Aldi’s etc., have no special diets in their families etc. and they live in rural GA…..for example.

For my family, we spend about 800 a month for a family of 4. We live in MD in a pretty high cost of living area between Baltimore and DC. We do not eat any artificial food coloring, artificial flavors, or artificial preservatives. I shop mostly at Trader Joes and Whole Foods, occasionally Giant and Target. We eat lots of fresh produce (some organic), some frozen produce, meat/fish (just bought ground beef on SALE for 4.99 a pound at Whole Foods for example), we eat lots of rice/beans/tortillas and Mexican dishes. We will eat out/order out about once a week (usually a pizza or weekend morning breakfast). I do use coupons but not too many because they are hard to find for what we buy.

 

[angierae]

Some of the numbers in this thread seem really low....I'm not sure I could even buy paper goods and toiletries for a month at those prices

We buy toilet paper and paper towels every three months at Costco - That probably runs us $25. We don't buy separate napkins. DD and I don't go through feminine hygiene products fast enough for that to really make a dent in our budget, I buy them when they're on sale at CVS, often stocking up.

Glad to finally see some realistic numbers being posted. Get tired of seeing the " I spend $150 for my family of 20..." balogny.

Trying to hold below $250/week is starting to get difficult. Soon the $150/week gas budget is not going to work either.

You're really going to hate me, then - even at today's prices, my weekly gas budget is $25. I drive 100 miles a week to and from work (dropping DD off at school on my way) and rarely drive enough on the weekends to make me fill up again. $25 will get my Cobalt from half a tank to full, and then the next Friday I put another $25 in.

I think people should explain their answers a little bit to be helpful. If someone says they spend 300 for a family of 4 a month, they should include that they eat lots of Ramen noodles, chef boy r dee products, lots of canned and processed food, buy meats from regular stores and will buy ground beef on sale for .99 a pound, only shop at Walmart/Aldi’s etc., have no special diets in their families etc. and they live in rural GA…..for example.

We eat some convenience foods, but certainly not ramen or chef boyardee. This week at Meijer at their 10/$10 and get the 11th free sale I got things like heads of broccoli, bags of baby carrots, bags of salad, bell peppers, etc. I came home with bags and bags of stuff for $60, including ground beef on sale for $3/lb, ham steak, and other cuts of meat that we eat. Eggs were on sale for under $1, too. We're having tacos, hamburgers, the ham steak, and homemade oven-baked chicken tenders this week. I also occasionally buy the treats my family likes, like the turkey smoked sausage and have that as our meat, but that's maybe once a month. When I buy roasts, it's when they are buy one get one free, and they are big enough to cut in half and make two meals out of, so that's four meals for the $7 or however much the roast costs.

And while I do hit multiple stores to get things on sale, the two other stores I go to are one and three miles away, so it's not really out of my way to stop in there for four or five things on grocery day.

 

[LilyWDW]

My mom and I spend about $125 a week at the store for the two of us. We made the decision that we were willing to spend a bit more on groceries and cut other places because we really enjoy good food. We eat meat daily and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. We do have a well stocked pantry and freezer. We simply have decided that, for us, we don't want to be limited to what we eat based off of sales or anything like that.

This does not include our trips to Sam's, but does include paper products and stuff for the dog.

It will be less come summer because I have a garden, I trade vegetables with friends, and I visit the farms around here for cheaper vegetables and fruit.

 

[mrodgers]

I think people should explain their answers a little bit to be helpful. If someone says they spend 300 for a family of 4 a month, they should include that they eat lots of Ramen noodles, chef boy r dee products, lots of canned and processed food, buy meats from regular stores and will buy ground beef on sale for .99 a pound, only shop at Walmart/Aldi’s etc., have no special diets in their families etc. and they live in rural GA…..for example.

Exactly. We get paid on opposite weeks and budget $250 for groceries. Usually it comes to about $230. My wife buys organic vegetables when she can (I'm in the middle of nowhere, no Whole Foods and such around.) We eat a lot of chicken, which she buys the Amish no hormone, no antibiotic stuff. Here's the real kicker, we don't pay a penny for beef. We have about 300 pounds of ground beef in the freezer right now, a boat load of steaks and roasts. My father-in-law raises cows and splits it up 4 ways when butchered. Too bad

You're really going to hate me, then - even at today's prices, my weekly gas budget is $25. I drive 100 miles a week to and from work (dropping DD off at school on my way) and rarely drive enough on the weekends to make me fill up again. $25 will get my Cobalt from half a tank to full, and then the next Friday I put another $25 in.

Yeah, I drive 200 miles just to work a week and my wife drives about 300 miles. Then she also drives 20 miles to and from school to take the kids in the mornings and once a week drives 80 miles round trip to grocery shop. We use a lot of gas, we live quite a ways away from, well, everything.

And while I do hit multiple stores to get things on sale, the two other stores I go to are one and three miles away, so it's not really out of my way to stop in there for four or five things on grocery day.

That is our biggest problem. To hit multiple stores, we would have to drive 40 miles north to our normal Walmart shopping, then 30 miles to the west for the "cheaper" grocery store, 35 miles south to a really expensive grocery store but use the double coupon up to $1 and hunt the sales, and another 35 miles to the east if I want to hit that grocery store. All the traveling to multiple stores also take a ton of time because we don't have access to ads from anywhere. You have to see what is on sale when you get there.

 

[kinntj]

We spend $800 a month on average. This week was $135 because we had quite a bit of stuff stocked up. Bought tons of veggies and very lean meat. I'm working hard at buying healthy stuff, with only a few items for the kids that are a treat.

 

[budafam]

$280 a month on groceries for 2 adults, 2 children & 3 dogs. That includes everything... food, paper products, hygiene, etc. We do eat out 2-3 times a month and that is not included in the total but usually it doesn't cost much if anything thanks to my secret shopping job

 

[lurkernj]

We're probably in the $800 range. We are two adults, two teen boys, and a large dog. This amount includes all food/healthcare products/cleaning supplies. In addition to this amount, the kids don't pack lunches, and we(DH and I-kids dont want to go with us anymore) eat out maybe once a week (generally with groupons/dining deals, or just go to applebees).

I will admit that after several years of digging through old purses/coat pockets for money to buy some milk, we are a little better off financially now and I buy things I wouldn't have considered before like shrimp, fish, steak, favorite snacks that might not be on sale, so we could definitely eat cheaper if needed.

 

[punkin]

There was a time I was consistently over the $1000 mark monthly. I had a dog (his food was pricy) and oldest DD had friends over here constantly, and they were always starving. Now that my dog is gone and DD19 is in college, I usually manage to spend under $600 per month. We do eat out more than we should probably.

 

[angierae]

I will admit that after several years of digging through old purses/coat pockets for money to buy some milk, we are a little better off financially now and I buy things I wouldn't have considered before like shrimp, fish, steak, favorite snacks that might not be on sale, so we could definitely eat cheaper if needed.

And I think that's the crux of it, really. Some people eat cheaply because that's all they can afford, some people eat cheaply because it's a priority for them, and some people have budgeted an amount for food that they are comfortable with, and don't lose any sleep over it. And really, no one's right or wrong. We spend a lot of money on things that some people would consider "frivolous" (three smart phones, subscriptions to Audible, Netflix, Spotify, etc) but they are things that enrich our life. We aren't ones to eat steak at home, but someone who does finds that makes their life more enriched.

As long as people are taking care of their responsibilities, how much someone budgets towards one thing in their lives is pretty person-dependent. We don't buy alcohol, but I have no problems with people who buy beer or wine to have in the house, you know?

 

[erinmomof2]

I think people should explain their answers a little bit to be helpful. If someone says they spend 300 for a family of 4 a month, they should include that they eat lots of Ramen noodles, chef boy r dee products, lots of canned and processed food, buy meats from regular stores and will buy ground beef on sale for .99 a pound, only shop at Walmart/Aldi’s etc., have no special diets in their families etc. and they live in rural GA…..for example.

I don't think this is a fair statement. I average about $50 a week right now. And we don't eat junk (I don't think my kids have ever had Chef Boy R D or Ramen) and 2 of us have Celiac Disease and do not eat gluten. We live in Michigan which I guess is a fairly average cost of living state. With that $50 I think we eat pretty healthy. I do coupon a lot and am fortunate to live near a store that doubles coupons up to and including a $1.00. I buy a fair about of organic products and lean cuts of meat. My husband and DD take a lunch to work/school and younger DD and I eat home for lunch every day. We sometimes will eat out somewhere inexpensive ont he weekend. To give you an example of what kind of food we eat on our low budget, this week for dinner we're having: Chicken and vegetable stirfry (using boneless skinless chicken breast), chicken and rice soup (I'll make a big pot and probably make enough for two dinners and a few lunches), homemade pizza (I make it gluten free and there is usually leftovers for lunch the next day), chicken sausage with gluten free pasta, and shepherds pie made with chicken instead of ground beef.

The $50 includes all our toiletries, paper products, ect. I use a lot of coupons to get these things for free or pennies. I think it's possible to have a low grocery budget and still eat well. Not everyone who has a low grocery budget is eating junk all the time and feeding their kids ramen and hot dogs every day. I know having the store the doubles coupons nearby really helps with our grocery bill and not everyone has that option, but for our family it is possible to have a smaller grocery budget and still eat healthy foods.

 

[iheartpeterpan]

I don't think this is a fair statement. I average about $50 a week right now. And we don't eat junk (I don't think my kids have ever had Chef Boy R D or Ramen) and 2 of us have Celiac Disease and do not eat gluten. We live in Michigan which I guess is a fairly average cost of living state. With that $50 I think we eat pretty healthy. I do coupon a lot and am fortunate to live near a store that doubles coupons up to and including a $1.00. I buy a fair about of organic products and lean cuts of meat. My husband and DD take a lunch to work/school and younger DD and I eat home for lunch every day. We sometimes will eat out somewhere inexpensive ont he weekend. To give you an example of what kind of food we eat on our low budget, this week for dinner we're having: Chicken and vegetable stirfry (using boneless skinless chicken breast), chicken and rice soup (I'll make a big pot and probably make enough for two dinners and a few lunches), homemade pizza (I make it gluten free and there is usually leftovers for lunch the next day), chicken sausage with gluten free pasta, and shepherds pie made with chicken instead of ground beef.

The $50 includes all our toiletries, paper products, ect. I use a lot of coupons to get these things for free or pennies. I think it's possible to have a low grocery budget and still eat well. Not everyone who has a low grocery budget is eating junk all the time and feeding their kids ramen and hot dogs every day. I know having the store the doubles coupons nearby really helps with our grocery bill and not everyone has that option, but for our family it is possible to have a smaller grocery budget and still eat healthy foods.

That is just amazing. I am not sure I could buy all my toiletries, paper products, cleaning supplies etc for my family for $50 a week, much less any food at all. Consumer goods must be a lot cheaper where you live.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

I don't think this is a fair statement. I average about $50 a week right now. And we don't eat junk (I don't think my kids have ever had Chef Boy R D or Ramen) and 2 of us have Celiac Disease and do not eat gluten. We live in Michigan which I guess is a fairly average cost of living state. With that $50 I think we eat pretty healthy. I do coupon a lot and am fortunate to live near a store that doubles coupons up to and including a $1.00. I buy a fair about of organic products and lean cuts of meat. My husband and DD take a lunch to work/school and younger DD and I eat home for lunch every day. We sometimes will eat out somewhere inexpensive ont he weekend. To give you an example of what kind of food we eat on our low budget, this week for dinner we're having: Chicken and vegetable stirfry (using boneless skinless chicken breast), chicken and rice soup (I'll make a big pot and probably make enough for two dinners and a few lunches), homemade pizza (I make it gluten free and there is usually leftovers for lunch the next day), chicken sausage with gluten free pasta, and shepherds pie made with chicken instead of ground beef.

The $50 includes all our toiletries, paper products, ect. I use a lot of coupons to get these things for free or pennies. I think it's possible to have a low grocery budget and still eat well. Not everyone who has a low grocery budget is eating junk all the time and feeding their kids ramen and hot dogs every day. I know having the store the doubles coupons nearby really helps with our grocery bill and not everyone has that option, but for our family it is possible to have a smaller grocery budget and still eat healthy foods.

Yes, that is what i was looking for! A nice explaination of what you get with what you spend! Thank you! I am intrigued though on how you spend 50 a week though. Do you not buy any snacks? What types of healthy items do you get with coupons? I never see produce coupons. Is there a website with coupons for gluten free items you use? What store doubles coupons?

 

[erinmomof2]

That is just amazing. I am not sure I could buy all my toiletries, paper products, cleaning supplies etc for my family for $50 a week, much less any food at all. Consumer goods must be a lot cheaper where you live.

I don't know if it's much cheaper, but I think what helps us is shopping sales and coupons. For instance one of my favorite brands of shampoo/conditioner is regularly about $4.50 a bottle. I wait until it's on sale and use a coupon and get it for $.50 a bottle. Toothpaste, deodorant, femanine products, and lotion I get for free when it's on sale and I have a coupon. I am pretty brand specific on a lot of things, but I have found that I can stock up on my favorite brands when they go on sale. I try to keep 2-3 extra on hand so I won't run out before the next sale.

My biggest expense each week is meat. I do find some coupons for it, but it's tricky. I try to buy what is on sale and plan my meals around that. Last week I got a lot of boneless skinless chicken on sale so we're eating a lot of that this week.

 

[mirage0306]

I have couponed before and I do know that household products like toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. can be purchased relatively cheaply if you shop sales and combine with coupons. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but I am sure we spend at least $50/week on produce (fresh and frozen). We do buy some organic, but not all. We just eat so many salads! Lettuce (romaine and iceberg), tomatoes, carrots, avocado, frozen broccoli, apples, bananas, berries, oranges. Those foods are huge in our house and they cost what they cost. I can't stock up on lettuce and tomatoes when they're on sale, yk? I have to buy them no matter what.

 

[erinmomof2]

Yes, that is what i was looking for! A nice explaination of what you get with what you spend! Thank you! I am intrigued though on how you spend 50 a week though. Do you not buy any snacks? What types of healthy items do you get with coupons? I never see produce coupons. Is there a website with coupons for gluten free items you use? What store doubles coupons?

There is a Kroger 20 minutes away that doubles coupons. The Kroger down the street from me does not so I drive a little further for the savings. For snacks I buy my extremely picky DD who can eat gluten things like Cascadian Farms granola bars (stocked up when I got them for $.49 a box), Clif Bars (these are often free with coupons), bananas, yogurt (almost always free with coupons), goldfish crackers, and I buy some junk snacks too like animal cookies, ect. For my gluten free daughter and I we snack on apples with peanut butter, bananas, yogurt, homemade gf granola bars (I make them with gf rolled oats), fruit snacks, homemade cookies, gluten free pretzles, or homemade trail mix. I also keep pudding mix and other easy dessert snacks in the pantry for when we feel like a little treat.

For breakfast we usually have cereal and milk. I buy it on sale and won't spend more than $.50 a box for regular cereal and $1.00 a box for gluten free. I also usually keep a box of gluten free Rice Krispies in the pantry to make Rice Krispy treats every once and a while. Lunch is usually leftovers for DH and me. My older daughter takes sandwiches to school and some snacks. My younger gluten free DD eats leftovers or her two favorites are a Van's gf waffle with peanut butter or a Rice Cake with peanut butter and jelly (she would eat that every meal if I let her).

I keep some convience items in the pantry, like Annies GF mac and cheese if we're having a crazy night. Both girls are in gymnastics and we're at the gym a lot, some night I don't have a lot of time, so it's nice to have a fall back meal. Overall, though, I think we eat pretty healthy, at least we try too.

Oh, try mambosprouts.com for coupons. It's all organic items. Sign up for your favorite companies newsletters for coupons. Earthbound Farms has coupons on their website frequently, and I use them for free organic salad or carrots. Cascadian Farms also has coupons out online. Coupons.com has a lot of coupons and occasionally has organic. Udi's has coupons on their site and facebook often and I use it for my gf bread. Kashi has had a lot of coupons out lately too.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I take out $280 a month in cash for our food budget (just two adults). This includes only our food, no paper/cleaning/hygiene products or pet supplies. This also includes our Friday "date night" which is typically a $10 pizza and movie from redbox and anything else we do for entertainment (we have season passes to Busch Gardens and go a few times a month and typically get a snack to share and a $.99 refill in our souvenir mugs). I clip coupons, but we don't eat a lot of processed things, lots of salads and fruits/veggies. I peruse the sales ad's before figuring out dinner/lunches for that week or day. I love all fruit and veggies, so I just get whatever I can find for a good price.

 

[angierae]

I have couponed before and I do know that household products like toothpaste, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. can be purchased relatively cheaply if you shop sales and combine with coupons. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but I am sure we spend at least $50/week on produce (fresh and frozen). We do buy some organic, but not all. We just eat so many salads! Lettuce (romaine and iceberg), tomatoes, carrots, avocado, frozen broccoli, apples, bananas, berries, oranges. Those foods are huge in our house and they cost what they cost. I can't stock up on lettuce and tomatoes when they're on sale, yk? I have to buy them no matter what.

I tend to buy the produce that is on sale - if carrots are on sale, then I'll get enough to eat before they go bad, if peppers on sale, etc. Saturday, the bagged salads that will feed my family of three were on sale for $1, and had a "use by" date of 3/12, so I bought four or five - we'll go through those before the tenth. If those weren't on sale I might have just bought a 2-pack of romaine. Bags of baby carrots were on sale for $1, so I bought a couple of those. Grapes were on sale for 99c a pound - if oranges or apples or whatever were on sale, that's what I would have bought.

 

[2DisPrincesses]

I spend $300 a month for everything for our family of 4. This is groceries, toiletries, paper products,etc. we do NOT eat processed, boxed foods much at all (Mac and cheese for dd is an exception)

I coupon and get toiletries, paper products, etc for pennies, if not for free.

Many things like yogurt, cheese, pasta, and cereal are very inexpensive with coupons. I have a great farmer's market about a mile from my house where I get produce cheap!!

I've also been getting eggs and the whole wheat bread we like for .90 lately. I freeze things like chicken and ground turkey when I find a good sale.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

There is a Kroger 20 minutes away that doubles coupons. The Kroger down the street from me does not so I drive a little further for the savings. For snacks I buy my extremely picky DD who can eat gluten things like Cascadian Farms granola bars (stocked up when I got them for $.49 a box), Clif Bars (these are often free with coupons), bananas, yogurt (almost always free with coupons), goldfish crackers, and I buy some junk snacks too like animal cookies, ect. For my gluten free daughter and I we snack on apples with peanut butter, bananas, yogurt, homemade gf granola bars (I make them with gf rolled oats), fruit snacks, homemade cookies, gluten free pretzles, or homemade trail mix. I also keep pudding mix and other easy dessert snacks in the pantry for when we feel like a little treat.

For breakfast we usually have cereal and milk. I buy it on sale and won't spend more than $.50 a box for regular cereal and $1.00 a box for gluten free. I also usually keep a box of gluten free Rice Krispies in the pantry to make Rice Krispy treats every once and a while. Lunch is usually leftovers for DH and me. My older daughter takes sandwiches to school and some snacks. My younger gluten free DD eats leftovers or her two favorites are a Van's gf waffle with peanut butter or a Rice Cake with peanut butter and jelly (she would eat that every meal if I let her).

I keep some convience items in the pantry, like Annies GF mac and cheese if we're having a crazy night. Both girls are in gymnastics and we're at the gym a lot, some night I don't have a lot of time, so it's nice to have a fall back meal. Overall, though, I think we eat pretty healthy, at least we try too.

Oh, try mambosprouts.com for coupons. It's all organic items. Sign up for your favorite companies newsletters for coupons. Earthbound Farms has coupons on their website frequently, and I use them for free organic salad or carrots. Cascadian Farms also has coupons out online. Coupons.com has a lot of coupons and occasionally has organic. Udi's has coupons on their site and facebook often and I use it for my gf bread. Kashi has had a lot of coupons out lately too.

This all sounds great! However I never see coupons that would make a product (the kind I buy and apparently you buy) free or close to free. Most coupons say for Cascadian Farms or Natures Path would be something like 1.50 off of 2 products. So if the product costs 3.50 each then 7 minus 1.50 = 5.50 for 2. I have gotten Udi's coupons before but the last time I printed one was December and it still won't let me print another one! Please enlighten me

 

[lurkernj]

I don't think this is a fair statement. I average about $50 a week right now. And we don't eat junk (I don't think my kids have ever had Chef Boy R D or Ramen) and 2 of us have Celiac Disease and do not eat gluten. We live in Michigan which I guess is a fairly average cost of living state. With that $50 I think we eat pretty healthy. I do coupon a lot and am fortunate to live near a store that doubles coupons up to and including a $1.00. I buy a fair about of organic products and lean cuts of meat. My husband and DD take a lunch to work/school and younger DD and I eat home for lunch every day. We sometimes will eat out somewhere inexpensive ont he weekend. To give you an example of what kind of food we eat on our low budget, this week for dinner we're having: Chicken and vegetable stirfry (using boneless skinless chicken breast), chicken and rice soup (I'll make a big pot and probably make enough for two dinners and a few lunches), homemade pizza (I make it gluten free and there is usually leftovers for lunch the next day), chicken sausage with gluten free pasta, and shepherds pie made with chicken instead of ground beef.

The $50 includes all our toiletries, paper products, ect. I use a lot of coupons to get these things for free or pennies. I think it's possible to have a low grocery budget and still eat well. Not everyone who has a low grocery budget is eating junk all the time and feeding their kids ramen and hot dogs every day. I know having the store the doubles coupons nearby really helps with our grocery bill and not everyone has that option, but for our family it is possible to have a smaller grocery budget and still eat healthy foods.

Wow, $50/wk. Last week I went into A/P just to get a few things for the week. I got three packages of meat that were on sale, some fruit/veggies, and some yogurt that was on sale and my bill was $65. That $65 was the lowest amount I have walked out of there spending in probably 6 months, and that was only because I was going to Sam's club a few days later to get the other things we needed. My kids go through 5-6 gallons of milk each week. If I didn't go to Sams, that would be $25/wk just on that! I just can't fathom spending $50/wk on everything.