Weekly/monthly grocery budget?

[olliesmom]

Just curious what others' weekly and monthly grocery budgets look like! In chatting with friends, this is one budget item that seems to vary dramatically from one household to the next. I have friends who spend $800/month for 2 adults and friends who spend $500/month for a family of 4. We live in Canada, so our prices are a little higher overall, but I'm wondering what other budget board-ers are spending.

I aim for $350/month for 2 adults which breaks down to 87.00/week.

We do eat a lot of meat and vegetables, but making it under budget requires a lot of flyer scouring, price matching and using grocery loyalty points. I also do big batches of chilis, pastas, soups and beans for lunches and freeze a lot of leftovers.

We usually end up spending about $320-350, on the higher end if we have a lot of friends or family over for dinners.

Interested to see the range of budgets out there!

 

[DLgal]

Family of 4, two pre teen boys...live in Southern CA...eat very little processed food...$1200/month. It's ridiculous, I know.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Family of 4, two pre teen boys...live in Southern CA...eat very little processed food...$1200/month. It's ridiculous, I know.

Totally not ridiculous...for a family of 6 (with teen/tween/boy eaters), I spend about the same amount ($1200/month), and I don't live in Southern CA. That breaks down into a weekly grocery shopping trip of between $180-$200, an extra Aldi's trip every month for about $75, Amazon subscribe and save and Staples orders for K-Cups, toiletries, and single serve snacks/meals (for spouse's lunch) of about $100/month, Target runs for pet supplies and other household needs of $100/month, and about $30/week for my husband to stop on the way home from the gym and pick up milk, chocolate milk, or a needed item for a dinner (or his beer making supplies if we don't need anything extra that week).

Yes, I don't break down food vs pet supplies vs toiletries vs household needs...it's all part of the grocery/store shopping...

Looking at this week's receipt, we buy a TON of produce (only organic if it's the same price or cheaper) and eat a ton of produce...and really eat a ton in general b/c kids who are active eat! Last week's receipt, I bought 5 lbs of gala apples, 4.5 lbs of reduced price bananas (all green and just yellow b/c apparently people ripped off singles), 4 lbs of D'Anjou pears, 3 lbs of strawberries, 3.5 lbs of red grapes, 1 20oz Asian cabbage/lettuce/carrot salad bag w/ dressing and toppings, 2 lbs of organic broccoli (it was cheaper), 1 large container of organic baby lettuce (cheaper), 2lbs of baby carrots, and 3lbs of sweet onions to add to my only leftover produce of russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, a small container of fresh pineapple (that I cut - we're 3/4 of the way done), 1 bell pepper, 2 lemons, and 1/2 an English cucumber...I should be able to make it to my next real trip with about the same amount left, but no days where mother hubbard's cupboard is totally bare...my garden herbs are the only produce I grow, so I can't save by growing any of what we eat...

But to be fair to the grocery budget, I have to include our "eat out budget" b/c if someone gets school lunch/work lunch every day or eats out every meal of the weekend, they will have a low grocery bill, but a high eat out bill. We budget $60/week for one meal out for the family - every other meal for everyone is eaten in or brought in...sometimes we are under (our favorite lunch sushi buffet always comes to $51 w/ tax/tip already included and pizza ordered in is only $25) and sometimes we are over (our Easter meal was $106 w/ tax/tip/Groupon cost already included)...but we tend to be about $250/month. With such a low eat out budget, our overall "disposables" budget (it's how I differ from shoes/clothes shopping) is $1450 and I think it's pretty close to a minimum healthy budget. Could it be a little cheaper - sure, I could give up coffee and K cups...but then I'd be miserable and probably buying the coffee out, wasting the savings. My dad said everything in moderation...and I keep to that mantra (except maybe in produce, b/c I love to eat and cook fresh over frozen or canned)...

 

[bcwife76]

I'm also in Canada (just outside of Vancouver so VERY high cost of living); 2 adults 2 kids (6&8 who are ALWAYS hungry lol) and I spend about $800/month (including cleaning supplies, paper products, etc)

 

[Westcoastwild]

Totally not ridiculous...for a family of 6 (with teen/tween/boy eaters), I spend about the same amount ($1200/month), and I don't live in Southern CA. That breaks down into a weekly grocery shopping trip of between $180-$200, an extra Aldi's trip every month for about $75, Amazon subscribe and save and Staples orders for K-Cups, toiletries, and single serve snacks/meals (for spouse's lunch) of about $100/month, Target runs for pet supplies and other household needs of $100/month, and about $30/week for my husband to stop on the way home from the gym and pick up milk, chocolate milk, or a needed item for a dinner (or his beer making supplies if we don't need anything extra that week).

Yes, I don't break down food vs pet supplies vs toiletries vs household needs...it's all part of the grocery/store shopping...

Looking at this week's receipt, we buy a TON of produce (only organic if it's the same price or cheaper) and eat a ton of produce...and really eat a ton in general b/c kids who are active eat! Last week's receipt, I bought 5 lbs of gala apples, 4.5 lbs of reduced price bananas (all green and just yellow b/c apparently people ripped off singles), 4 lbs of D'Anjou pears, 3 lbs of strawberries, 3.5 lbs of red grapes, 1 20oz Asian cabbage/lettuce/carrot salad bag w/ dressing and toppings, 2 lbs of organic broccoli (it was cheaper), 1 large container of organic baby lettuce (cheaper), 2lbs of baby carrots, and 3lbs of sweet onions to add to my only leftover produce of russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, a small container of fresh pineapple (that I cut - we're 3/4 of the way done), 1 bell pepper, and 1/2 an English cucumber...I should be able to make it to my next real trip with about the same amount left, but no days where mother hubbard's cupboard is totally bare...my garden herbs are the only produce I grow, so I can't save by growing any of what we eat...

But to be fair to the grocery budget, I have to include our "eat out budget" b/c if someone gets school lunch/work lunch every day or eats out every meal of the weekend, they will have a low grocery bill, but a high eat out bill. We budget $60/week for one meal out for the family - every other meal for everyone is eaten in or brought in...sometimes we are under (our favorite lunch sushi buffet always comes to $51 w/ tax/tip already included and pizza ordered in is only $25) and sometimes we are over (our Easter meal was $106 w/ tax/tip/Groupon cost already included)...but we tend to be about $250/month. With such a low eat out budget, our overall "disposables" budget (it's how I differ from shoes/clothes shopping) is $1450 and I think it's pretty close to a minimum healthy budget. Could it be a little cheaper - sure, I could give up coffee and K cups...but then I'd be miserable and probably buying the coffee out, wasting the savings. My dad said everything in moderation...and I keep to that mantra (except maybe in produce, b/c I love to eat and cook fresh over frozen or canned)...

That's really pretty good for fresh fruit and veggies. That and coffee are the two things that get me into trouble.

My budget isn't very stable honestly. I tend to eat out too much. Or on "good" budget months, something comes up that needs replacing- like feminine products, TP, soap, printer ink, make up. Dog food is $200 a month, if I count that as groceries.

But grocery wise, I've also gotten really lazy about shopping. I live in the middle of an expensive triangle- Whole Foods, the co-op, and the chain store that makes whole food prices look reasonable. So I know I could cut my budget by a third if not a half if I was willing to trek to the big box store once a week.

 

[A State Of Autumn]

This is super interesting! I'm in Australia - there's two of us and we're eating a strict diet as we've started training at the gym. I get pre-prepared meals delivered (for lunches and dinners during the week, everything else is non-processed. We spend around $250 a week for everything.

 

[janicept]

I do more of a running budget since some months are over and some are under. For two adults ours is $250 for the month. I am one of those coupon people though and save a tone of money. I also belong to a restaurant supply store (Restaurant Depot) with my business but I use it for personal shopping as well. The $250 includes all shopping and going out to eat. I don't include vacation food in this budget except what we buy at grocery stores.

 

[brooke789]

Ours is around 800-900 a month for a family of 5. Also something to note is that we rarely eat out, so there is no additional food money beyond this. For families who eat out a lot or buy lunch vs pack a lunch for work/school they could have a much smaller grocery budget!

 

[QueenIsabella]

Ours is around 800-900 a month for a family of 5. Also something to note is that we rarely eat out, so there is no additional food money beyond this. For families who eat out a lot or buy lunch vs pack a lunch for work/school they could have a much smaller grocery budget!

Yes, but a much higher total cost!

I don't have an exact budget, except I know it's high. We rarely eat out--we're a family of 6, it costs $50 just to say "hello". We mostly avoid processed foods. I don't do organic, but I do get a farm share every week. I could go cheaper, but I like the variety, and that it's fresh.

Costs vary by region, to be sure. We moved south a couple years ago--I've had to get used to apples costing more than peaches. Deli meat is pricier down here, too, as is ground beef, but pork is cheap. It just took some adjusting, finding what was cheap/good here. OTOH, we have a new Aldi's opening in a couple months that is walking distance from our house. I loved Aldi's and miss them, so I get excited when I drive by the construction site. That should save me some on my groceries. Every bit helps, right?

 

[melanielll]

We spend about $1000 per month. There are two of us at home full time and a daughter in college - most of her groceries are bought by me and are included in that.

I think it is too high, but my husband has a fruit, nut and wine problem. Fruit problem goes like this - he is in a store. Sees cherries. They are $10 a pound. He says ,"Cherries!" Buys two pounds. Eats half a pound before they go soft. Tosses the rest. Grrr. Nut problem goes like this - he is in a store. Sees exotic nut blend. They are $15 a pound. Buys two pounds. Eats a few. Decides the mango/wasabi spice mixture is not for him. Tosses the rest. Grrr. Wine problem goes like this - he is online. Reads about some wine. Hunts it down in a store. It is $25 a bottle. Buys it and three other "interesting" bottles. Drinks all of each of them - because he's not tossing the wine if he doesn't like it.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We spend about $200/week, but that includes grocery store and the meat store. Our town has only 1 grocery store, and that is Walmart. We prefer to shop at Kroger, but it is an hour away. We buy our meat from a local butcher and it is more expensive but worth it to us. Family of 4, 2 adults, 2 teenage boys who eat anything that isn't nailed down. We eat out only a few times a year unless on vacation, and we try not to use processed food. All 4 of us pack lunches for work/school.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I am always shocked at the low food budgets I see on posts like this. I spend about $1200/month for 2 adults and a 4 year old, and I don't even feel like we eat extravagantly. We eat very little meat, fish 2-3x per week, lots of fresh produce, usuallt a frozen pizza once a week and spaghetti once a week (DH makes those on days thay I work).

We live in a lcola. Kudos to those of you who make it work on less!

 

[DaisyJ]

I am always shocked at the low food budgets I see on posts like this. I spend about $1200/month for 2 adults and a 4 year old, and I don't even feel like we eat extravagantly. We eat very little meat, fish 2-3x per week, lots of fresh produce, usuallt a frozen pizza once a week and spaghetti once a week (DH makes those on days thay I work).

We live in a lcola. Kudos to those of you who make it work on less!

How in the world do you spend $300 a week on fish, spaghetti, frozen pizza and produce? Do you buy tons of beer? Liquor or expensive wine?

 

[TwoMisfits]

We spend about $1000 per month. There are two of us at home full time and a daughter in college - most of her groceries are bought by me and are included in that.

I think it is too high, but my husband has a fruit, nut and wine problem. Fruit problem goes like this - he is in a store. Sees cherries. They are $10 a pound. He says ,"Cherries!" Buys two pounds. Eats half a pound before they go soft. Tosses the rest. Grrr. Nut problem goes like this - he is in a store. Sees exotic nut blend. They are $15 a pound. Buys two pounds. Eats a few. Decides the mango/wasabi spice mixture is not for him. Tosses the rest. Grrr. Wine problem goes like this - he is online. Reads about some wine. Hunts it down in a store. It is $25 a bottle. Buys it and three other "interesting" bottles. Drinks all of each of them - because he's not tossing the wine if he doesn't like it.

Oh, never toss the cherries - when you see them start to go, dice them up and toss them in a muffin or in the blender for a fruit smoothie (or even in a pot with a pat of butter and cook them down with a spoonful of sugar and a splash of water into a warm ice cream/pancake topping). I would be so sad if I ever tossed them...they are a favorite fruit of mine that is only in stores fresh about 3 months a year (and only on sale, which is how I buy most produce, maybe for 3-4 weeks of that time)...

 

[TwoMisfits]

How in the world do you spend $300 a week on fish, spaghetti, frozen pizza and produce? Do you buy tons of beer? Liquor or expensive wine?

To answer for the OP...
Fish is $5/Lb or more - usually $10/lb (or more) if you are buying fresh, not on sale...my store had fresh salmon for $9.99/lb and that was a sale price (it's normally $13.99)...I wait til it's on the deepest $6.99/lb sale to buy as a splurge...but if ops kids like salmon (as an example), they might buy it every week and buy it fresh (b/c I've found there's no comparison on fresh vs frozen salmon - you have to eat that one fresh). So, if in the meat/fish department (or deli meat, which is also sky high), you don't stick to sales or prebuy and instead buy based on meal plans, your cost will be sky high...a separate freezer helps worlds for this (except for fresh fish - never freeze that)...

If you don't stick to sale produce, that will also hike a budget. The reason I got 3lbs of strawberries this week is they were 3lbs/$5. Last week, they were 1lb for $5, which would be a $10 difference for just one item in my cart. My kids know they only get most produce when it's on sale (and usually a big sale), unless I want to cook with it...and even then, I plan based on sales. If you plan based on preferences, it will be sky high...

To the Op who says beef is high and pork is dirt cheap in their area...amen...we added more pork to our diets and took some beef out in our area...that wouldn't have gone over as well if it was a beef for chicken swap, but good pork can be wonderful...

 

[Heidi K]

We average around $1000 a month for a family of five. That includes anything purchased at the grocery store (paper products/pet supplies/etc). We also rarely eat out and all pack lunches for school/work (but the sitter does feed the kids breakfast).

 

[keelyhealthnut]

It's getting increasingly more difficult, but we make it on a food budget of $300 a month. We're a family of four: husband, wife and two elementary aged kids in Texas. We're predominantly vegan (though we will eat vegetarian at restaurants) and I'm gluten free. I do a lot of shopping at Aldi, Costco, and the mark downs at the other local grocery store. We eat most of our meals at home and when we won't be home at meal times I often pack food for us to eat. I do usually buy a Groupon once a month for us to have a meal at a restaurant and that's not included in this budget.

I don't make a grocery list ahead of time anymore. I know when we need to stock up on our usuals, but otherwise I just shop sales. I start in the produce section. Shop the produce sales for the week and the discounted produce area. They'll bag up produce that is about to be too ripe or things that have had the package break. Like yesterday I got a bag with 2 ripe pineapples in it for .99. Two entire pineapples! Then I loop around to the "natural section" and get a bulk of our groceries from whatever is on sale or closeout there. There's three other discount aisles in the store that I make sure to visit. Other than that, I don't really shop in much more of the store unless I know that we need specific items. I just keep extra money in the budget each month for good finds. Like last month there were specialty imported Italian products on deep discount. I stocked up on artichoke hearts and good quality tomato sauce.

We haven't had a good garden in about a year so I'm excited to get that going again. That will make it a lot easier to stay on budget. I've had to make some concessions in some areas like we used to buy sprouted Ezekiel bread which is $5-$6 a loaf here. I started making our own organic bread at home. The bag of flour costs about as much as one loaf of bread and I can make several loaves from that one bag. It's not as healthy, but sometimes you have to cut costs. The almond pulp from making almond milk is dried out and made into homemade almond flour. Orange peels are soaked in vinegar for a kitchen counter spray. Veggie scraps are saved to make vegetable broth. When fruit is getting a bit too ripe, it'll go into smoothies, pancakes, or oatmeal. I try to do things like that as much as possible.

 

[StaciaRae]

We are a family of 5, 3 adults and 2 children. We used to spend close to $1000 a month on groceries. I would go to the grocery store once a week and spent $200-$250 every time. The last few months I have tried really hard to reduce that. Now, we are closer to $600 a month - about $150 a week. I started shopping more at Aldi's and then just going to the grocery store to get the things I couldn't get at Aldis. I meal plan now and only buy what I need for the week, instead of keeping the pantry stocked for the apocalypse at all times! I'm happy with our progress - in addition to saving money, it's keeping me more organized. It's nice to know exactly what I'll be cooking for the week instead of trying to figure out dinner at 6am before I leave for work.

 

[LilyWDW]

I also do not separate out stuff like OTC meds, kitty litter, paper products, or other things from my grocery budget. So that skews my budget quite a bit.

I spend about $100 every 2 weeks or $200 a month. This is for just me. Normally I come in under that unless I run out of everything at once or I plan on a special meal. This last week I spend about $75 for 2 weeks.

 

[QueenIsabella]

One thing that can really help is, having sources for cheap food. For example, going to the farmer's market at the end of the day, you can get deals because they just want to get rid of the stuff. OTOH, they might run out. I used to get good, marked-down produce at the grocery store--you got the best selection first thing in the morning. Ditto for baked goods. I haven't ever seen the discounted, blemished produce since I moved south, though. I also snag marked-down meats when possible, like fresh turkey on the day after Thanksgiving. It helps that I have a fridge and large freezer in my garage--I can stock up on a good find, like the $0.79/lb hot dogs I found.