Weekly/monthly grocery budget?

[janicept]

To save money on our budget I don't buy veggies unless they are $1 a pound or less. When meat has a good sale I buy a ton. We have two fairly large chest freezers for overflow. My husband is a hunter so he eats his deer meat mixed with pork. We have a large meat grinder so processing is easy. He makes his our sausages and hamburgers. I will only buy steaks if they are $6 a pound or less. I don't eat red meat so all of that is for him. I mainly shop at Harris Teeter and get rainchecks whenever possible with really good sales. I am just using some for 39 cent a pound chicken thighs and $5 a pound ribeye roast. We buy the $1 loaves of bread at Walmart. With my couponing I never spend over $1 a box on cereal and most of the personal care items like toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo is basically free. We only use Scotts toilet paper that I get on sale at CVS mainly. On sale this week for $7 for a package of 12, buy $20 worth and get $5 back toward next purchase. Couponing does take some time but once you get the hang of it you know what is a good price and what is not. Generally most things go on sale at least every 4 to 8 weeks. There are not many things I pay full price for - just things we have to buy each week like milk and apples but they're not too pricy.

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

We are 4A now that sons are 18 and 21, they still can eat! We spend at least 1200/mo. A ton of fresh produce, a lot of fish and seafood, poultry, beef 1x a week,nuts, very little alcohol-maybe a 6pk for DH every now and again... DH is only 1 who eats out for lunch and that drives me crazy because it is and 160+ a month. We are in SFla- I use coupons for toiletries, pasta,..and Publix BOGO helps.

 

[TwoMisfits]

To save money on our budget I don't buy veggies unless they are $1 a pound or less.

I'd love to stick to veg $1/lb or less (fruits, too)...but I watch too much food tv and like to cook too much...I tend to have dollar value ranges in my head that I'm willing to pay...all types of mushrooms $2.50/lb or less (since they are sold in such small containers, you have to do the Math), lettuce/tomatoes/asparagus/brussel sprouts $2/lb or less, heads of cauliflower for $2 or less, colored peppers (not green)/avocados $1/each or less, etc...

I will agree that I don't buy root veg (carrots, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabagas, onions, etc), greens (like kale, collard, mustard, spinach, etc), or green beans/broccoli/all squashes for more than $1/lb (and usually less)...

I have also traded real artichokes for jarred in water for most of the year (which saves prep and price)...and I now have a container of jarred roasted red peppers in my pantry for when peppers prices are stupid high (and I still want all these Italian flavors in my sauces/recipes)...the peppers are not a problem lately, but I will say lettuce prices have been surprisingly stupid high ($4 for an small iceberg head this week and the same for romaine and green leaf - uh, no...thankfully, while I need lettuce, we'll eat multiple types so that's how we ended up with baby lettuces and an Asian salad bag this week - it was the cheapest way to buy the lettuces/salads - and since all my kids have decided salads are good now, it's something I have to buy some type of each week b/c I won't miss the chance to get them a veg into their meals instead of all fruits)...

EDIT TO ADD: Okay, now I know why lettuce costs so much (and I guess I should be ecstatic about my broccoli pick up this week, b/c I paid under $1/lb and that is also apparently in a large shortage)...

http://fortune.com/2017/04/21/salad-prices-rise/

 

[pigletto]

Canada here (Ontario). We have basically three adult eaters during the week and four on weekends that dd is home from University . She's home for four months now for the summer . Dog food, toiletries , cat food etc is all included . I would say $750 for the month.

 

[khmorgan]

We are a family of 4, we budget $800/month. That includes groceries, farmers market, toiletries, paper products, laundry and cleaning supplies, and restaurants.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

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?

No, no alcohol. I buy a bottle of wine a few times a year but that is seperate.

This week it included dog food for 2 dogs , paper towels, water, cheese, coffee creamer, special K shakes, a few frozen soups, 8 bags of kroger frozen organic veggies because they were on sale, 2 gallons of milk, pull ups, wipes, conditioner, avacados, bananas, cuties oranges, apples, grapes, strawberries, refried beans, veg. stock, biscuits, sunbutter, jelly, lettuce, salad dressing, mixed fresh veggies, carrots, a cucumber, bread, blackberries, 2 pizzas, a few frozen meals for DH, graham crackers, ritz crackers, cottage cheese, lunch meat, , idk, a bunch of stuff. This week was a big week though.

 

[barkley]

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

we have the same issue with beef here (Washington state). I've taken to watching for sales and taking advantage to stock up. this week one of the local chains has boneless beef cross rib roasts for $2.79 per pound. I had the butcher do up 3-5 pound roasts. i'll use these for either traditional roasting, bbq beef or pot roast in the crockpot (some will be eaten but much would be frozen after the fact for convenience meals some evenings) BUT if I didn't already have a good supply of ground beef and stew/soup meat in the freezer (god bless large freezers and air sealers for packaging) the butcher would have been asked to grind some of that meat and make the rest into soup/stew cuts b/c both cost WELL over that $2.79 per pound price (and have a much higher fat content-which I minimize further by having the butcher cut off the fat band on a roast and just set it on top of the ground or cut up meat to toss out when I individually air seal packages for freezing).


hard to say how much we spend strictly on food-for a family of 3 1/2 adults (dd is in college but comes home frequently and I also try to supplement her food supplies at her apartment) b/c my 'household budget' amount is for everything-scrips/otc meds/toiletries/co-pays/pet food/gas/groceries/eating out/entertainment.....I try to stick with $1200 a month but if a good sale is on i'll up it one month to save/stay on track in future months.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Family of 4. Two adults, DS17 and DD11.

About $600 on just groceries. I order groceries online. Every two weeks I spend $200. On the off week I place a smaller order of around $100.

That doesn't include eating out or toiletries. If I added that in together it would probably be around 800-900.

 

[DisneyHardin]

It is just DH and I and I usually spend $75 a week. We eat mostly frozen veggies instead of fresh. I work a lot of hours, so I do splurge on convience things such as bagged lettuce for salads, pre-seasoned fresh fish, etc. I do try to stock up on meat when I find a deal and I use a lot of coupons.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Two adults here (plus one hungry parrot). We spend about $400 per month, including household products and toiletries. When I lived alone, I spent between $150-$200, so when I got married I just doubled the budget. We buy very little prepackaged foods. We also do not eat pork or beef, so we spend more on poultry, lamb and seafood (salmon and shrimp are favorites), but probably half of our meals each week are vegetarian (pasta, vegetable curries, soups and salads). We spend a large portion of our budget on fresh produce, milk and staples like rice, legumes, pasta, etc. We don't buy sweetened drinks, we just drink tea and coffee at home, so that saves a lot of money. DH generally takes any alcohol he wants out of his personal money, so that isn't part of the grocery budget.

I do use coupons when available, though most items we buy don't have them (meat, produce, etc.). So to really save money, we shop based on sales, especially for meat and produce. We shop at Kroger, Costco and now we have a farmer's market type store called Fresh Thyme that has great prices on produce. I also get most of my household goods and toiletries at Target during sales coupled with coupons and other promotions. These items make up very little of our overall budget since I get such good deals.

And outside of our grocery budget, we set aside $100 per month for eating out. This includes Chipotle once per week, plus one nicer restaurant (sushi, Moroccan, etc.) per month and maybe a pizza every now and again.

 

[DawnM]

Roughly $1000/month.

3 teen boys
2 parents
1 dog

 

[barkley]

We also do not eat pork or beef, so we spend more on poultry, lamb and seafood

we consume allot of lamb-hands down the best prices around here are at Costco (very nice butterflied boneless legs for $4.99 per pound). I get the legs and we break them down into half legs (if we want to do traditional leg of lamb which will provide us with multiple meals), 1 pound chunks (for cutting up into stews and such), and 1 pound packages of ground (I highly recommend a grinder attachment to anyone with a kitchenaide mixer) for shepherd's pie, koftas and 'greek sloppy joes'. for chops we've found better quality (and price with the actual net meat) with Costco's racks vs. their chops (dh just separates them into individual chops).

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

we consume allot of lamb-hands down the best prices around here are at Costco (very nice butterflied boneless legs for $4.99 per pound). I get the legs and we break them down into half legs (if we want to do traditional leg of lamb which will provide us with multiple meals), 1 pound chunks (for cutting up into stews and such), and 1 pound packages of ground (I highly recommend a grinder attachment to anyone with a kitchenaide mixer) for shepherd's pie, koftas and 'greek sloppy joes'. for chops we've found better quality (and price with the actual net meat) with Costco's racks vs. their chops (dh just separates them into individual chops).

This is exactly what we do too. We buy the lamb from Costco and then process it at home. The quality is really great. And when they have a sale on lamb, we usually buy a lot extra and process more for our freezer. We generally make up 1 lb. packages of chunks (Irish stew, lamb pot roast, lamb biryani, lamb curry, etc.) and make ground lamb (KitchenAid attachment!) for burgers or kofta. DH doesn't eat beef because he is Hindu and I honestly haven't missed it. I was never a big beef eater and we just substitute lamb for most recipes that call for beef now, with mostly great results.

 

[javeyloveschelsi]

Family of 6 (one is an infant who is solely BF, but that increases my appetite a bit), but between food and household toiletries/extras, we aim for around $600-$700 a month. We are hoping to cut that number down by growing a garden this year and I always buy bulk meat and break it up and freeze it. We also do a lot of food prep/freezer meals around here. My goal is to get us to $500 a month by the end of the summer and hopefully go down from there.

 

[tasha99]

I travel a lot for work, so this is very dependent on where I am. When it's me and bf in NYC, we spend maybe $600/ month plus a lot of eating out. When I'm home with my adult kids (who are occupying/looking over my house when I'm gone), we are 4 people and it's maybe $900/month. Oregon prices are cheaper, so we get 2 more people for only $300 more, plus we eat out less frequently. We don't buy processed foods much and try to stick to paleo-ish foods (low sugar, low processed carbs like white flour, but not fanatically). In NYC I shop mostly Fairway and Trader Joes and in Oregon, it's Costco and Winco.

 

[Dakota731]

I cut $200 a month off my grocery bill by shopping at Aldi almost exclusively now. They are carrying more and more products and rarely do I need to go elsewhere. The prices of their produce and meat can't be beat in our area.

 

[pblack]

I always love reading about what/how other people spend their money. It's a brief glimpse into someone else's life which I always find intriguing. Its just the hubby and I at home, we probably spend 300-400 a month (including toiletry items). I really don't know though since I don't really track it. I try to meal plan, but it generally doesn't work out, or will only work for a week. We eat a lot of chicken and "cheaper" red meats (thin steaks, pot roast, etc). We do burgers 1 or twice every 2 weeks, and when making burgers I will only use grass fed ground beef (which can be pricey). When we make spaghetti or tacos (or burritos/taco salad) we use ground turkey since it's cheaper and healthier.

I shop at a variety of stores, and i'm not loyal to just one. Winco, trader joes, safeway, costco, sam's club, target, and sprouts are generally the ones I shop between. Here's kind of an overview at what I get from each store:

Winco: Basic pantry staples, canned goods, frozen items (veggies normally and some microwave meals for work lunches), milk, creamer, cheese, sometimes veggies and meats depending on sales/what they have that looks good.
Trader Joes: Ground turkey, snacks, sometimes produce, frozen mashed potatoes (sooo good).
Safeway: Really only shop here on $5 friday when they have good deals. (I buy $5 stouffers lasagna usually 3-4 at a time and keep them in the freezer), sometimes last minute things or other items on sale.
Costco: Hubbys work lunches (he likes the frozen burritos, chicken melts, philly cheesesteak sandwiches), snack items (granola bars, etc), bread, sometimes produce and meat depending on prices/items
Sam's Club: Very similar to costco, just depends on what they have "on sale"
Target: Meats (yes i know this sounds weird, but i can usually find great sale prices on chicken), toiletry items
Sprouts: This is a new one to my list. It's pretty much been produce and meats.

We have a big freezer in our garage that allows us to stock up on items on sale.

 

[aprilchem]

I cook for 5 people (me, DH, DS11, DS9, and DD7) and our grocery budget is $150 per week (or $600 per month, most months). That's a pretty tight budget so to make it work I cook entirely from scratch (including baking all of my own bread products and making my own pasta). We get our meat from a farm (I buy 1/2 cow per year and 1 pig per year and that mostly feeds us; we don't eat fish and I'll occasionally buy some chicken) and I get most of our produce from a CSA or from an international grocery store near us that has amazing veggie prices. We eat a ton of fruit; about 1/3 of my grocery budget goes toward it.

We've also cut out a lot of things to shave down the budget - I don't buy soda or snack foods (I mostly make our own), juice, cereal, etc. I also keep a bunch of stuff in bulk quantities; for example, I have bins in my pantry where I've got 50 lbs of rice, 50 lbs of wheatberries for flour, 50 lbs of oats, etc. so I can skip a week of grocery shopping if I need to.

 

[mich311e]

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).

Yeah, me too. We are a family of 2 adults, and a 12 yo boy. We spend at least $1000 to 1200 a month. (Including toiletries, paper towels, etc.) We don't eat cheap food though. We do about 50% organic or natural. And we usually eat out once a week. I'm vegetarian and we just don't have much meat at home ever. Our biggest expenses are probably fresh produce.

 

[DnA2010]

We spend $400-500 ish- not much I know- that's for 2 adults, 1 13 year old and a 8 month old. This is for everything other than beef and eggs and some pork- my inlaws have a farm and raise enough beef for the family, and also have chickens for eggs. I buy in bulk, buy things on sale, have a big stocked pantry so really most of my purchases are fresh stuff. This doesn't include eating out but we don't much. We don't buy a lot of "extras"