What's your monthly food budget?

[jakoky]

We are a family of 5(me, dh, dd-20,ds-18 and dd-16)...my kids have friends over all the time and i babysit little ones in my home...i have been keeping track this year just to "see" and i have averaged $850 a month(food and toiletries). There is no way i can go much lower than this, unless i start limiting my kids on what they can eat. On produce alone, i spend crazy amounts of money,some weeks we go through 35 bananas!!! . My kids drink mainly water, but we still go thru a gallon of milk every 2-3 days, and it is $4.50 each. I would love to see the cupboards and fridge comparison of the 400 vs 1000 a month and see what is in them. I would love to cut my groceries BUT would rather budget in other areas, as i am not willing to tell my kids "you only get half a chicken breast for dinner.".my 18 year old son would starve lol! I do shop sales and try to coupon when i can, but where we live couponing isnt easy, and we rarely eat out and dh and kids pack lunches to school and work! I hate how much we spend on groceries, but we gotta eat

 

[Teresa Pitman]

There was a thread at one time where people were posting what they bought each week for groceries with how much they paid for each item. And sometimes I think they talked about what meals they made with the food. I remember finding it quite interesting. I think there were some problems though because people were making negative comments about other people's food choices being unhealthy.

It did show the difference in food costs in different parts of the country and different places around the world, that's for sure, and how food choices affect costs.

Teresa

 

[Angielynne]

Wow...I can't believe how this thread took off!!!

Thank you so much everyone for sharing what your family does.

I think most of our problem is in our eating out. We didn't realize how much we were spending until we saved our receipts. DH and I sat down and decided to change that and only spend $100 per month on eating out. He will be taking his lunch to work more and only getting fast food once monthly and I am going to cut down my "pumpkin-latte impulse trips to starbucks " We will still and try to have at least one date night out per month.

My plan is to try and get by on $400 per month for groceries, toiletries, etc. I"m budgeting my Sams trip for diapers seperately LOL!

I've gotten back on my coupon/deal shopping and already seeing huge differences. For example, I hit up the deals at Rite Aid and Cvs the past few weeks and stocked up for about 3-4 months on mouthwash, toothpaste, shampoo, condtioner, body wash, excedrin and makeup and they actually paid me! We ever have enough to donate some!

I need to cook more from scratch as well. Sometimes by the end of the day after I've ran kids everywhere and taken care of the baby I"m so exausted that I get lazy and don't want to cook. I plan to plan out my menu at the beginning of the week and try and do more crockpot meals as well to help with this.

I don't slam anyone for what they spend...if we had the extra money, we'd probably spend more too....but we don't.

 

[Mom_Rides]

I budget $250 every other week for our groceries. This includes all meals (excepts DD's lunch which is included in her preschool tuition), petfood (2 dogs & a cat), cleaning products, laundry soap, etc. I can usually keep our big grocery shop to around $200 and then about $30-$40 for our refresh trip.

I menu plan and start making my grocery list starting the week before I shop. For example, this is a pay week for us so this is a grocery shopping week. I've already started my grocery list and have started to think about our menu for the next two weeks. Once DH and I started this method, we have ate out MUCH less then what we did when we went to the grocery store without a plan. And I plan our dinners completely and the complete meal goes into my shopping list.

We primarily have the 3 of us to feed (DH, DD and me) and then my DSS's 3 weekends a month. During those weekends, I add in a big Sunday breakfast into our plan because we enjoy those moments when we're all gathered around the table. I also go through the house and take inventory before we grocery shop to make sure that we don't need to run to the store during the week. I shop at Aldi first and then Meijer second and try to get as much at Aldi as I can. It really does save money.

We visit the grocery store on the weeks when we don't don't shop big to replenish milk, bread, lunchmeat and pick up any fresh veggies/fruit that we might need for the week.

As for eating out, we have some room for improvement but we are doing much, much better then what we used to. We eat out once every pay period and then usually one other time as well. I would say we probably spent $100-$150 eating out per month. Sometimes its less but I'd say its never more.

 

[DaisyD]

I don't have a budget but wow, I don't know how you all eat so cheaply. I think I spend about $175 a week at the large grocery store. About twice a week I go to the little one and spend another $50 each trip. I love their homemade stuff. We eat out at least once a week and that can be anywhere from $50 to $125 each time depending on if its from a pizza place or somewhere nicer. My groceries don't include our pet stuff because I get that at Petsmart. We do eat alot fresh fruits and veggies which is at least $50 a week alone. Factor in fresh chicken breast and a lot of seafood too for another $50 or more. It does include non food items like paper towels and cleaning supplies. We are DH, DD, DS, and myself.

 

[Angielynne]

I do ALOT of coupon shopping. What I do is pull deals from online blogs that match up the sales with coupons. I stockpile those things which I use and aso fill up my freezer when our local stores have deals on meat. For example, this past week my local store had a deal on Juicy Juice where when combined with my coupons I had saved it made it $1.00 a piece. I bought a ton and filled the cupboard! LOL! Then I just fill in each week with my produce, milk, etc. Then I'm only buying when the prices are the lowest. I used to use a website that charged a fee to do this for me, but now I just take a bit more time and find the deals myself.

I purchase my eggs from a friend who raises chickens. They are hormone free and organic and I get them for 1/2 the price at the grocery store.

I do buy organically when possible, but I buy stuff on sale with coupons.

 

[janey99]

I menu plan a lot too. Even if I spend a lot on food, I don't like to see it go to waste from forgetting to use it or not having somewhere it can fit into a meal! Also, grocery shopping would take three times as long if I was staggering around in there with no plan and no idea of what I had to buy (I have a hard enough time if I have to go to an unfamiliar store and find everything!)

I also have a deep freezer and when I make things like chili, lasagna, jumbalaya, eggplant parm, pizza dough, I make an extra (the kitchen's already dirty!) and stick it in the freezer - great for when I don't feel like cooking.

I have a blackboard in my kitchen and every Sunday my whole family hangs around waiting to see what the menu will be for the week!

Jane

 

[21hearts]

Our budget is
$500 a month for groceries - but we've found with coupons we spend between $350 to $450
$150 a month for household items (tp/dish soap/ect)
$100 for eating out -- which usually is DH back and forth to his appointments (The VA hospital he has to go to is about 2 hours away and they make his appointments at crazy times (like 8am in the morning or 4pm - so he eats breakfast or dinner on the way)

 

[girli565]

There are 3 adults in my house (me, DH, and my disabled mother), including paper goods, cat food for 2 cats and food for a sugar glider we spend about $400 a month. The sugar glider eats special insect pellets that I only buy every 4 months, it's about $25 per bag but it lasts a long time.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

To me it's not how much you spend on any one line item, but how YOUR family wants to spend your money.

Check out the "Fix it and Forget It" cookbook at the library. It's for the crock pot. Try a bunch of different recipes. Don't give up if the first few you choose are not a hit.

There are often threads on here for, "What's your favorite Cheap Dinner?" and people will have fantastic ideas.

My biggest tip is to have a minimum of 5 dinners you can throw together (pasta and red sauce, scrambled eggs with leftover vegetables, stir fry, again with leftover whatever). Another huge help is when you make something like chili, double it, and then freeze half. You can thaw it in the mircowave.

Also start brainstorming "double dinners." If I roast a chicken on Sunday I can make chicken noodle soup on Monday.

Find quick ways to cook. For instance soup does not need to simmer all day. Toss it in the pot, cook until vegetables are tender. Done. Red sauce does not need to simmer all day, nor does chili.

I really hope this helps!!!

 

[KGlo]

We spend about $800 a month for 2 adults and 2 dogs. That number includes everything groceries, eating out, personal products, paper products, and dog food (Science Diet). I do clip coupons for things we use and shop loss leaders every week. I also make a meal for about 25 people at work about once a week so this is included in the $800. We also have people over for dinner at least once a week.

 

[DISNEYNV]

We spend about $700 a month on groceries, paper goods, cleaning and pet supplies. I use coupons if possible but mostly buy store brands. How can I get it lower? We rarely eat out, but still spend way too much on food. We belong to a Club (BJs) but it really doesn't help when you are on a bi weekly budget!

 

[sk!mom]

I'm amazed by the low amounts. We have a family of 4- 3 adults and one teen. We only eat out once a week We average about $800-$1000 per month. That is everything household and even includes a few bottles of wine each week.

I'd love to see what people are eating for only a few hundred per month. Produce alone is a big chunk of my budget.

 

[sskem96]

Our budget is $250 biweekly for me, DH, DD12, and DD14, 2 dogs and 2 cats. That's groceries, pet food, toiletries, paper products, cleaning supplies, and eating out. Well, it pretty much keeps us from eating out, but we can usually squeeze in a $10 or $15 takeout meal. I only buy 3-4 days worth of meals at a time becuase I have found that it helps me make sure I use up what I bought and don't end up wasting it because it got shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten about.

We are doing the Dave Ramsey plan for our budget, and it's really helping us get on track with our spending. We also budget $125 biweekly for gas and $75 for misc. which could be anything from clothing to a birthday gift, basically whatever wouldn't be purchased on a grocery shopping trip.

 

[albertamommyof4]

it is me and 4 kids age 14,11,9 and 5 and i take out $200 a week and that is my total weekely budget for everything not just groceries( this includes any eating out, clothes, gifts, entertainment, and i also manage to save at least $15 of it for my disney fund/savings. I do only buy on sale with the exseption of if i truly need it. I do coupon and stockpile. I usually get stuff really cheap and sometimes free.
everyone will spend different as for one they live in different areas and the price is different for everything.
You do what you can with the money you have. my kids do eat healthy and a variety of food( yes there is some snacks that are treats for the kids lunches but it is not a more then once a day treat. We do have juice and pop as that is what we drink and we can fit it in our budget.
For anyone trying to budget and lower i say make a list of everything you have in your pantry, your freezers and your fridge( i try to never run out of something i know i will use( hence my stockpile). Make a a family budget to see what you want to spend( or have to spend) for food. then make a weekly or monthly menu plan( this helps a lot) watch the stores for sales and watch when they items go on sale as it is every few months usually around4 months that stores use as a rotation( sometimes less and sometimes more) and then you stock pile when it is the cheapest.
and honestly i think if there was more moeny in budget for food i probably would just add more to stock pile but and maybe treat everyone out for a meal or 2.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

I spend $400 per month on groceries but there is just 3 of us for 3 weeks of the month. My DH is only home from work one week per month and my kids go to their dads house every other week. So the 2 weeks that my kids are here we spend $200 at the store. So you spending $600 is not outrageous. I only budget in $50 per month for out to eat. That gives us one sit down meal and 2 fast food runs per month.

 

[glss1/2fll]

We are a family of 4 with 2 teenage boys. We budget $575 on groceries, $125 on toiletries (also includes things like earbuds and photo developing) and $100 on dining each month. Some months we're way over and some months we are under. Lately mostly on groceries we've been over! The boys go through a gallon of milk a day. No double coupons here, but I do try to use them on products I already use or am interested in trying--but only if the cost with coupon is cheaper than store brand. Buy mostly generic, nothing really organic. Dining is mostly fast food because that's what DH likes. He drinks Diet Coke like there is no tomorrow--last month I bought 4 cases of cans from Costco! My grocery bill would plummet if he quit that and the Dove dark chocolate. He has his own budget of $100 a month for eating lunches out, Diet Cokes and candy bars at work. He rarely uses it all. Everybody takes their lunch to school/work.

 

[earthfaries]

We are a family of 5 and spend about 300.00+ a week on groceries. I know that sounds like a lot but it really does not buy a lot of food, just a lot of varieties from the different food groups. We don't eat meat, junk food or sodas so that saves us a lot! We eat natural and organic so it does cost more but to us it's worth it, an investment in our future (and our earth's!)

As far as pet food and products go, we have 4 chihuahuas so they don't eat much. Their food (Blue) a natural dog food runs about 30.00 a medium bag but lasts months. We also have 4 cats and they also eat a natural catfood which runs about 25.00 a bag every month. Cat litter really adds up as we use Swheat Scoop which is about 30.00+ a large bag which we use once a month.

We could save more if we shopped differently but we feel food is one of THE most important things we can do to keep ourselves and the earth healthy so we aren't going to cut back.

 

[TnTWalter]

we do some organic. Also buy some soda capri suns wine beer...lots of fruits vgies and meat...hubby eats lunch at home most days...i am always amazed at how some of u can stretch the food budget...if I really try I can get to maybe $200 week...