How much is your grocery bill running weekly?

[CloveLeaf]

We spent $250 to $300 per week for a family of 5

 

[tasha99]

Lately it's been $125-150/week for a family of 2 (one being a bottomless pit teenage boy). It's been just killing my budget, but food here in AK is really high.

 

[Beezle2]

We have averaged $450 a month this year so far. This is for 3 people and seems to be the best I can do. I amheading to Sams this month though and that will be expensive and bump up my average!

 

[kaismommie]

Food wise I spend less than $400 a month. I coupon when I can and try to only buy what I need and what's on sale. Up until now, we were going out like crazy. It's stopping since we're on a very tight budget.

Not sure how much I spend on other items like pull ups, toilet paper, etc. I tend to separate those items from my groceries.

We are a family of 3. Myself, an almost 6 year old, and a 4 yr old.

 

[kaismommie]

We're spending about $150-200 a week, but we eat nearly every meal at home. And now that schools back in session, I'm packing a lunch for my little one that can't contain a sandwich (her rules, not mine, lol) I'm trying to be creative and reuse our leftovers for Miss Culinary PITA. I babysit a little guy during the school week, so there is an extra milk guzzler and snack hoarder in my house.

For little kids, these guys can eat. And that's not to mention by oldest child, my bf who seems to eat anything and everything that stops moving for .02 seconds.

My goal this month is to get it under $500 for the month, here's to holding my breath!

My son just started K and even though I do send sandwiches, I'm preparing mini freezer meals for him, and warming them up the morning of, and sending them to school in his thermos container. So far, he enjoys his hot lunches.

 

[ellone]

We're at about $250-300 a week for a family of 3 - (well 4, but the little one isn't eating many solids yet). We eat organic when we can, grass fed beef, non-hormone/antibiotic meats. A lot of my shopping is at Whole Foods - watch their sales.

 

[radiatorsprings]

$30 - $40 a week for my boyfriend and I. We live a very simple whole foods plant-based lifestyle. We only eat grains, beans, fruits, and veggies. No processed foods or oils or anything from an animal. We shop primarily out of bulk bins to cut back on throwaway packaging and because it is cheaper. We try to buy organic fruits and vegetables but that doesn't happen all the time (I always buy the dirty dozen organic tho). We also don't eat out hardly because it is difficult to find places that serve food we can eat. Also we don't buy paper products (except recycled toilet paper) and I make my own deodorant, cleaning supplies, and hair products out of baking soda, vinegar, and coconut oil to avoid toxic ingredients.

 

[njcarita]

we are a family of 5( with one bottomless pit 17 year old son) and 2 dogs.....and i am thinking at this point $200/wk..........but not 100% certain.....been trying to get this undercontrol......was sick for a while and was ordering in a lot .....so i think i was at double that for a while...................

 

[worm761]

We spend $275 ish every two weeks so that would average out to $135 a week. We are a family of 5. Me, DH, teen son, toddler daughter, and my father lives with us. We have two dogs. This includes all household needs, food, cleaners, dog food (different for each dog), paper products, diapes/wipes, and such.

We eat a fairly healthy diet. I make most things from scratch so not many coupons out there that I can use. Can't make Goldfish from scratch. My father does help out with groceries though. He will purchase anything that he specifically wants like his boudan (sp?) and if he sees we are low on milk then he will pick up a gallon or two. He also likes to buy the kids snacks and treats so I don't always have to buy snack foods for the kids.

 

[Purrrrfecta]

It depends on if we need detergent and paper towels, which I swear all of that stuff runs out at the same time!!

But on average we spend 200-250 a week.

LOL yeah I have to admit yesterday's shopping did include toilet paper, big thing of Tide, and ribeyes for our "last hurrah" Labor Day bash so yes that added $80 to the bill

 

[Couchy]

$110-125 weekly for DH and I. Just a few years ago that $ was like $75
We spend about $40-50 just on fruits and veggies because we eat alot of produce.
We both love greek yogurt and that adds $15-20 a week and then about $15-20 on chicken, ground turkey, etc...
Food is expensive

 

[LilyWDW]

It ranges depending on the time of year, how low my stockpile is, and what I have planned for that week. Is the Farmer's Market open? What meats do I have on hand? Are we planning a "special" meal that week? Ect.

Right now I am averaging $75-$110 for 2 people weekly. Plus a once a month trip to Sam's that usually rings in at about $200 (Salmon, Hamburger, Steaks, Chicken Breasts, Chicken Thighs, ect). Once the Farmer's Market closes for the year (October-ish), then the bill will increase again since I don't have as much access to inexpensive produce which is normally about half my grocery list.

 

[tinkmom2]

I spend about a hundred a week no matter what season it is. My bill was $75 this week though. That's for 2 adults, 2 children, and 2 cats.(I maybe shop for them once a month. I buy it at the grocery store so it comes out of my food budget) I don't buy a lot of processed foods, don't always buy name brand, and use about $10-20 in coupons each time I shop. Mostly everything I make is from scratch. Our store has a clearance section and I always hit that first. Meat from the weekends is usually on sale on Monday. I sit down on Sunday with the coupons and plan my meals. My store Woodmans doesn't have a discount card but is really inexpensive compared to our main store Pick n Save. It takes about 2 hours to get through the store. Less for me because I know what I need and where it is.

I just bought a 6 lb container of Hominy for a dollar. I am going to divide that up into zip locs and then I have it in the freezer to pull out when I need it for soups. I also buy bulk beans such as black beans cook them up in the crock pot and freeze them too in one cup packages. They are great not only in Mexican dishes but in salads.

I buy a huge 20 lb bag of rice. It is about $10.00 but lasts us the better portion of the year. Soups like the French Onion I make I also divide into freezer packages and use it in stews, roasts, or for a meal.

I just made some homemade pickles yesterday and plan on making some jam in the next few weeks. I also make huge batches of tamales twice a year and freeze them.

There are a bunch of us here on the budget board that blog about food. Come and check out my blog here:http://tinkmomfoodie-foodobsession.blogspot.com/2012/09/my-first-pickling-experience.html

 

[disneychrista]

Here is another problem with comparing "grocery budgets" not everyone "grocery budget" contains the same things. For me grocerys are food for the humans, not else. Paper products, cleaning supplies, HBA go under the "household supplies" category. And pet food & meds go under "Pet Supplies."

So my grocery budget of $50-$75 per week is FOOD.
Household supplies are $30 - $40 per month.
Pet Supplies is $30 - $35 per month (including medications for Eplilectic Dog)

 

[FLmomof6]

I average $200 per week for my family of 8. This includes food, paper products, hygiene and cleaning/laundry supplies. My kids are 19,16,14,11,10 and 8. We homeschool the younger 4 and the older 2 live at home and attend college........ so 3 meals a day come from my kitchen. We only eat out 1, maybe 2 times a month. I coupon, and make a lot from scratch (most of the bread we use is baked in my oven). Some weeks, I can keep it as low as $100 (half of which is produce and dairy), but I have a decent stockpile also. At the moment, my 2x2 pantry is over flowing, 2 upright deep freezers are full, 5x5 pantry is 2/3's full and I have enough laundry detergent/cleaning supplies for 3 or 4 months. The USDA says a family the size/ages/location of mine should spend 341 per week on food alone. I find that number ridiculous! I only spend 3 or 4 hours a week on coupons, sales adds and meal planning. The money saved is well worth my time ( then I spend it at Disney )

 

[J3nn78]

We average $100-150 a week for a family of 4 (about to be 5). That includes all household items. I pack inches every day for all of us and make most things from scratch. My biggest portion of the budget is in produce.

 

[disneychrista]

I average $200 per week for my family of 8. I only spend 3 or 4 hours a week on coupons, sales adds and meal planning. The money saved is well worth my time ( then I spend it at Disney )

At Minimum Wage ($7.61 in FL) your time adds $30 to your budget.

 

[FLmomof6]

At Minimum Wage ($7.61 in FL) your time adds $30 to your budget.

HUH? I should spend $400 a week on everything. I only spend $200. That is a savings of $200 per week. Divide that by the 4 hours in prepping....... I MADE $50 and hour!

 

[disneychrista]

HUH? I should spend $400 a week on everything. I only spend $200. That is a savings of $200 per week. Divide that by the 4 hours in prepping....... I MADE $50 and hour!

You only "MAKE" money if you spend less than you ACTUALLY would. Would you ever spend $400/week on food? Would you buy those "sale & coupon" items at full price? Do you really think you are "making" $50/hr for your coupon & sale flyer time?

For me the answers to the above are NO. If I wouldn't spend $3.50 on XYZ item but only buy it when it is on sale for less than $3 I am not really saving 50¢, since I would have never spend that money to begin with.

 

[FLmomof6]

You only "MAKE" money if you spend less than you ACTUALLY would. Would you ever spend $400/week on food? Would you buy those "sale & coupon" items at full price? Do you really think you are "making" $50/hr for your coupon & sale flyer time?

For me the answers to the above are NO. If I wouldn't spend $3.50 on XYZ item but only buy it when it is on sale for less than $3 I am not really saving 50¢, since I would have never spend that money to begin with.

What I purchase wouldn't change with the price. I feed my family wholesome foods. We eat lean cuts of meat, a lot of fruit and veggies, brown rice, and many things made from scratch. If I HAD to spend more for the same foods, I would. I choose not to. Therefore, I am saving (or "making" money with my time).