What is your grocery budget for a family of 4

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Okay--

I've never posted a poll, but I'm going to try.

Me and hubby's most heated debate is over what is an appropriate grocery budget. He wonders what everyone else's budget is.

So via the poll--please select the range your budget is in for a family of 4 or more.

Please be sure to calculate food and non-food (shampoo, cleaning supplies, diapers, etc)

And be sure to post on the poll at the top as well.

Thanks!

 

[CookieGVB]

We average about $150 a week...sometimes less

 

[cokegal19]

I live in Wisconsin, and groceries are very cheap here. We have a family of 3 (DH, me and DS - who is 2). We usually spend no more than $135 every 2 weeks.

Works for us!!!

 

[kfeuer]

We usually spend around $350 (that's with LOTS of coupons and rebates). We were spending less until we started eating healthier. Our area doesn't have winetags (and traders want the moon for them) so the only way I save on meat and produce is when I can get overage on something else (which isn't too often). However, my family's health is worth spending a little more. That total includes one in diapers, but I get almost all our health and beauty items for free so that helps lower our total.

 

[HunnyPots]

Are you asking per week, per month, or what?
We are a family of four: Me, DH, DD 17, and DS 13. We are averaging about $135 per week these days. A good portion of that goes toward keeping DS in cereal and milk! His sister has started calling him "Jethro"!

 

[momx2]

Is this per month? I'll respond as if it is.

 

[powellrj]

thats a hard question to answer. There are so many things that can affect your budget. If your kids are younger, your budget will be much, much less than if you are feeding teenagers. Do you fix 3 meals a day or does your family eat lunch out everyday ( school and work meals). Are you breakfast people or do you skip breakfast. Do you allow your children and their friends snacks? Do you usually have 1 or 2 extra people at dinner every night.


we spend about $600 a month, I have 1 teen and 1 pre-teen who usually invite a friend to dinner everynight. I also allow friends to snack at our house. I usually cook most meals from scratch and we usually eat out on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. We eat breakfast every morning, but the kids buy their lunch at school and dh and I both eat lunch out every day.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Oops--yes I meant once per month (see I told you it was my first survey--and I knew I would miss something ).

In any case--our expenses went down by over $300 in one months time as we modified our dietary habits and haven't ate out except for one drive thru on a road trip in over a month.

So, in my case--I was looking for a hard numbers comparison and guess I goofed my survey. SORRY about that

Anyway--solid grocery numbers to include all toiletires and household items usually bought in a grocery store (or Walmart or equivelant) such as cleansers, paper towels and such.

As people are responding and not adding eating out expense--please do not include that in your figure.


(I posted a new post--but maybe I should've edited the old one).

Thanks for the responses!

 

[Banshee]

We nd anywhere from 80- to 150- a week it all depends. On weeks when I need to stock up on staples again it costs more. It is sad though how the price of dairy has gone up, and how little of the price the farmers actually get.

 

[jann1033]

actually i feed 5 adults and spend about $450 a month, sometimes less on everything including cleaning supplies, health and beauty ect but i am the coupon queen and we eat very well so i could and do cut back if i have to. i also do not work outside the home so i have time to cook.

i do find it hard to believe 33% spend less than 300 unless they have 2 babies, eat out a lot and don't count that or live someplace groceries are practically free! milk alone for kids would have to cost 30-40 a month at least! ( a gallon every 3 days) which means everything else would be $260... around here a lb of burger is close to $2.50 on sale! ( so even if you ate that for 30 days it would be another $75) something does not comput!

 

[shirleyb]

About $100 per week for my family of 5, including 2 teenage boys. It's tough to do it on that, but shopping at a discount store, I can usually manage.
Shirley

 

[PattiPB]

I voted in the $450-600 category. DH and I are 38, kids are 10, 8 and 6.

I do almost all of my shopping at Walmart Supercenter and Sam's Club. We eat (I think) very healthy, and I buy virtually no frozen or pre-packaged foods at all. We eat out maybe once every two weeks, and have pizza once every week or every two weeks. We have fast food lunch every so often on weekends if we are out and about.

Our budget downfall is cereal. My kids eat at least two bowls each per morning, and even with Malt-o-Meal, it adds up. Kids snack of choice is apples or grapes. I am the only soda drinker (HUGE help!) in the family. We go through a ton of bread (each kid eats 1 1/2 sandwiches for lunch) so I buy the cheap Walmart bread, which saves a lot of money.

Did I mention generic stuff is my life/budgt saver!!! LOL!

 

[NotSoMini]

I am almost too embarrassed by the amount that we spend to respond to this poll!

What I would like is a grocery shopping list from one of you great shoppers (less than $150 a week)!

I agree that a lot of what we eat is expensive stuff (ie, chicken breast versus sausages), but our grocery expenditures (I refuse to use the word "budget" when referring to what I spend) is totally out of control.

For two adults, two teenagers plus the occassional visiting teen - about $225 a week.

HELP MEEE!!

 

[CheapMom]

Family of 5
kids are 8, 7, and 1.5.
We average $200 per week on food, supplies, diapers...
We are in the mid-Atlantic. Costs are a bit higher than average here.

 

[mrspaha]

NotSoMini -- are these canadian dollars?

 

[Anne34]

It depends on what you buy - I put $600 for my monthly budget (not always). With the kids home in summer I go through 7 or 8 gallons of milk per week (kids ages 11, 9 & 6) -- at over $2.00 per gallon it adds up quickly. Once school starts the costs will go down.
I go to regular grocery stores. Try to buy multiples packs of meat when it is on sale, G1G1 free offers, etc. I am somewhat of a budget shopper (I stock up on items when on sale), but I also like the convenience of chicken breasts, etc.

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by NotSoMini
I am almost too embarrassed by the amount that we spend to respond to this poll!

What I would like is a grocery shopping list from one of you great shoppers (less than $150 a week)!

I agree that a lot of what we eat is expensive stuff (ie, chicken breast versus sausages), but our grocery expenditures (I refuse to use the word "budget" when referring to what I spend) is totally out of control.

For two adults, two teenagers plus the occassional visiting teen - about $225 a week.

HELP MEEE!!

isn't american money worth less ( or would it be more???)..i mean 100 american is 100+ Canadian so you may not be spending that much more! i shop sales at 3 stores ( which takes me all day but at least the stores are close by so not much gas, just time), don't buy hardly any pre-prepared stuff or lots of snack stuff like chips except for lunches. we have a garden in summer and i freeze some of the produce from that. i try to shop once a month except for produce since the more i go the more i spend and get most of my produce at a discount place that has stuff as good as any supermarket. i use coupons and our local stores offer double coupons ( my best saving ever was $150 in coupons and instore sales off $300) i get free samples at a sample site and usually get coupons from them and signup for all the laundry soap ect. sites for sample, coupons ect to be mailed to me since our stores no longer accept online coupons. if we run out of something hubby picks it up since he usually just buys that and i remember "oh yeah i wanted to try this" and end up spending more! we eat very little hamburger since imo it doesn't go very far except for things like spaghetti and i go to a meat market that has good prices if i can ( boneless skinless chicken breasts there are under $3 a lb vs in store $4.50) or buy what ever meat is on sale ( we eat lots of roasts, chicken dishes, fish once or twice a month and i buy some fast meals, like stuff to make vodka pasta or burgers for weekends and we love meals of soup or chili, homemade or bread machine bread and salad during cold months which are cheap.) i make up menus according to what is on sale so i don't waste expensive bonelss skinless chicken on something like chicken salad or soup. hope some of this might help

 

[skiwee1]

I voted for $901 or more! There are two adults, one 16 y/o boy, and a 5 y/o girl. The 16 y/o boy and his friends eat us out of house had home every weekend! I easiluy spend $250 a week and that doesn't include the late night pizzas that come when I am in bed! LOL!

 

[twinmomplus2new]

I have no idea how any of you do it for less than 150 per week.
Really how in the world?

We have 5 people dd17, ds,10 ds,4 ds,4 and myself 35.

I am never under $150 a week. And that is with no meat what soever. Occaisonal chicken and pasta dishes. Honestly it's mostly fruit and veggies ( fresh not frozen or canned) Even with spending this we eat out all the time

For instance we were away last week, so the day we came home I had a 168 dollar grocery delivery.
The same day $52 on stuff I forgot.
2 days later another $75

And Now that I look at it I am mortified to say..... Even with buying all that.... We ate lunch and dinner out Monday, Lunch out Tuesday, Wednsday dinner out. Thursday dinner and lunch out. And today we had dinner out as well. I think maybe I should just not bother to food shop anymore. It sure looks on paper like it doesn't make any sense!

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

We are at about $175 per week--one in diapers and on EXPENSIVE formula ($60 per week just for the formula!!).

Family of 5 here and we do not eat out much these days, maybe take out pizza every other week or so.