What's your monthly food budget?

[britfish]

I had to laugh when I read the OP. Our family is me, DH, DS8 and DS6. We have cut down our groceries to $600 a month (includes paper goods, hygiene, cleaning and DH beer) from a previous average of $800-900. We also lowered our eat-out budget from around $400 a month to $200. And I think we are doing great by paying off our debt an extra $400 a month! I don't know really how to cut it down anymore and we are eating better and healthier than ever.

I think you have a point here. I mean we could all survive on white noodles and rice for a very low budget but if you are buying fresh fruit, veggies, organic, etc. it will make your bill higher. For example light wheat rolls are $3.79 and white store brand rolls are $1.29. I think sometimes your budget also reflects what you buy so it depeneds so much on your personal choices.

 

[Svhadden]

Hmmm, I'm not sure, but it's easily over $800/month for everything...groceries, paper goods, eating out, etc. We're a fam of four (me, DH, daughter 10, and son 5).

A few qualifiers, though. We're dairy-free and gluten-free, and we eat very little meat. A lot of people thing it's cheaper to eat less meat, but in our area organic produce (the only kind we'll eat) is very expensive. I paid $10 for 7 organic apples a few days ago. $2.99/lb. Ridiculous.

We have our own hens, who provide us with yummy organic fresh eggs, and I have a small totally organic garden. What little meat we do eat (chicken and turkey) is antibiotic/steriod/hormone free, and therefore not cheap. I make almond milk using raw organic almonds, and again...they're not cheap.

But this works for our family. I'd rather pay a higher grocery bill for fresh organic produce, and know that I'm feeding my family a healthy diet, which will then enable us to be healthier people. We eat NO processed foods, nothing out of a box, avoid food dyes, etc. Again, we believe that good health doesn't cost, it pays.

Because of the way we eat, we eat out rarely. My husband and I do date night once a week and there are a handful of restaurants we can go to that serve good fresh food. We buy our kids one "eat out" meal a week as well, along the same lines.

I completely believe that the money we spend on good food is well spent.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

One thing we have found helpful is to get the entertainment book. By get one meal free is a great way to save. Typical savings is $12.00 to $18.00 each time we eat out. So we save roughly $800 a year on dinning out which pays for the book. Friday night is our eat out night and it has to be one of the places in the entertainment book. If we eat out another night it is usually Subway or Qudoba nothing too pricey.

Planning ahead for meals is great. Just sit down and write out all the meals you fix for your family and keep the list on the fridge. When it comes time to shop sit down and pick what meals you want to make and then write out the grocery list. I find it easier if I can see the list of meals that way I am not trying to come up with what we like to eat.

COUPON COUPON COUPON. Walking away from the register and having the store put money back into my pocket to use for another shopping trip is the highlight of my trip. Why give them more of your hard earned money than you have to. I love the fact that our store prints the running total of savings for a 12 month period and we are at just over $550 saved. So that in and of itself makes me enjoy couponing and no I am not an extreme couponer. Just a smart, frugal one.

Between the savings we get with the entertainment book plus couponing there is a little over a grand a year saved!

 

[charming23]

It is just my mom and I, and we spend around $300 a month for groceries and household goods. I coupon when I can and shop at Aldi's a lot. We eat healthy and usually stick with leftovers for lunches rather than buying expensive lunch meats. I also meal plan for us which helps out a ton.

We have stopped eating out so much and both the bank account and my waistline have improved. We do get the ocassional pizza or chinese takeout but other than that we eat at home. I have figured out how to make some of our favorite restaurant meals at home for a fraction of the cost and calories.

 

[DawnM]

$300 a month is high?

I guess ours is high, 300$ for the month. However, that includes eating out and the occasional time we went out for drinks with friends. We know if we want an expensive dinner out then we have to save on other food for the rest of the month. However that budget is also kind of gone out the window with my cravings!

 

[budafam]

$340 a month for 4 of us and 3 dogs. For eating out I would say $30 a month does it for us. I buy gift certificates for restaurants off of our local radio station (like a $10 gift certificate for $5)... that helps stretch the bucks. I budget $85 per week but rarely use it all (and that is to cover EVERYTHING, food, household, dog food, etc.)

 

[eliza61]

I'm generally around $600 bucks a month and thats what I budget for. Eating out for us is not that expensive, mainly we do pizza night once a week (~30 bucks).

I'm a family of four and 1 dog. 2 teen/young adult sons (17 & 20)

 

[mombrontrent]

We are a family of 5 and I'd say we spend $1000/mth. I don't keep track but I can easily go to the grovery store twice a week and spend $100 each time plus we go to costco a couple times a month. My 12 year old eats more then me and probably close to what Dh eats if not more. He's ALWAYS hungry (but rail thin). I don't coupon (not worth it here in Canada) but I do try to buy most things on sale. I'm a vegetarian and like to buy alot of things in the health food section which are pricey, I try to buy organic when it's reasonably priced. My Dh and kids eat some meat but only the most expensive cuts of meat or lunchmeat We rarley eat out, so under $100/month for that if not much less. We drink mostly water here so not to much money spent on drinks. I cook and bake from scratch almost everyday but it's still expensive and we eat alot of produce.

 

[Irin997]

Typically we spend about $300 per month for me, DH and DD10. Last month we did spend $150 on eating out but soccer season has started and getting dinner or lunch at home can be a challenge.

I only buy on sale and usually try to stack with a coupon. For example, we ran out of cheddar cheese but I refused to buy any because it wasn't on sale (which I would have combined with a coupon). I refuse to pay $4.00 for cheese when I know I can get it next week for $2.50 or less per package.

I shop off a list and only buy what we need. We usually have 1 big BJ's stockup on meats and things every 6 weeks. I try to eat out of the pantry and replace things instead of adding to the pile.

I try to only go to the store once a week and that is typically for produce and sale/coupon items only. I usually spend about $30-$50 per week in the grocery store plus the every 6 week BJ's stockup.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Am I the only one who goes shopping and buys what I need and and therefore not know how much I spend per month? I think I will keep all my October receipts to find out, should be interesting. I pretty much only shop at Trader Joes and Whole Foods to avoid preservatives and artificial colors/flavors. If I had to guess I would say $800 for family of 4. We will eat out maybe twice a month but nothing fancy, just Panera Bread or other kid friendly spot. Food is expensive. I think eating out is probably what gets most people in trouble. You can prepare a beautiful meal for less $ than 4 value meals at a fast food place....once you realize that you will save.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We're a family of 6 (me, DH, DD15, DD13, DD10 and DS4) and we average about $500-$700 a month for groceries, paper/cleaning products and pizza 2-3times a month. We eat a lot of chicken and A LOT of fresh fruit and frozen veggies. We don't generally go out to eat unless we're celebrating a special occasion.

 

[kinntj]

We are a family of 4 and we average $600 a month for groceries and $160 for eating out.

 

[MomToOne]

I think you have a point here. I mean we could all survive on white noodles and rice for a very low budget but if you are buying fresh fruit, veggies, organic, etc. it will make your bill higher. For example light wheat rolls are $3.79 and white store brand rolls are $1.29.

Or you can buy name-brand wheat rolls at a local bakery outlet. I generally pay less than $2 for whole-wheat (and often HCFS-free) rolls and bread at mine. And a lot of time they even have those things on sale for only $1 - which is when I stock up.

There are often ways to cut your costs without sacraficing what is important to you. You just have to think a little out of the box.

 

[janey99]

Easily over $1000 a month for food, probably about $300 a month for eating out. Our family is me, DH and DS13 and DS3.

I don't get the shame expressed by some posters if they spend more than is considered the norm (a couple of people said they were "embarrassed" by how much they spent, another said she "was bad" for buying snacks her kids like).

I like cooking and we like eating - eating happens every day several times a day - why make it potentially unpleasant by making the goal to spend as little as possible, when the metric should be how healthy it is or whether everyone enjoys it? Of course, when I make this statement, I don't refer to people who are truly needy and can't make ends meet unless they are on a strict food budget, but to people who have 40 prior trips listed in the sig line and try to feed a family of four on $20 a week due to some misplaced sense of virtue.

Ready for the slamming - I'm sure few people will agree with my post!

 

[IUTBAM]

Easily over $1000 a month for food, probably about $300 a month for eating out. Our family is me, DH and DS13 and DS3.

I don't get the shame expressed by some posters if they spend more than is considered the norm (a couple of people said they were "embarrassed" by how much they spent, another said she "was bad" for buying snacks her kids like).

I like cooking and we like eating - eating happens every day several times a day - why make it potentially unpleasant by making the goal to spend as little as possible, when the metric should be how healthy it is or whether everyone enjoys it? Of course, when I make this statement, I don't refer to people who are truly needy and can't make ends meet unless they are on a strict food budget, but to people who have 40 prior trips listed in the sig line and try to feed a family of four on $20 a week due to some misplaced sense of virtue.

Ready for the slamming - I'm sure few people will agree with my post!

I'll agree with you. I don't even HAVE a budget. That's too much work, lol. I am fortunate in that I don't have to budget for our groceries/toiletries/eating out, but if I had to guess, I'd say I spend about $300 week for everything (people food, toiletries, cat food, grain for our horse, and the occasional meal out 2x-3x a month). I don't keep track. I just pay the CC bill every month when it comes, and enjoy my cash back reward at the end of the year, lol.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

Easily over $1000 a month for food, probably about $300 a month for eating out. Our family is me, DH and DS13 and DS3.

I don't get the shame expressed by some posters if they spend more than is considered the norm (a couple of people said they were "embarrassed" by how much they spent, another said she "was bad" for buying snacks her kids like).

I like cooking and we like eating - eating happens every day several times a day - why make it potentially unpleasant by making the goal to spend as little as possible, when the metric should be how healthy it is or whether everyone enjoys it? Of course, when I make this statement, I don't refer to people who are truly needy and can't make ends meet unless they are on a strict food budget, but to people who have 40 prior trips listed in the sig line and try to feed a family of four on $20 a week due to some misplaced sense of virtue.

Ready for the slamming - I'm sure few people will agree with my post!

Good point and I agree that people should not be ashamed of spending money on quality food for their family. I use my Whole Foods coupons when available and I buy produce, meats, organic milk etc. that are of good quality. Sure, I may spend more money on food than people who always buy the cheapest of everything. But I like the choice I have made.
I think some people are embarrassed when they look at WHAT they spend money on. If you want to eat fast food 3 or 4 times a week, stock up on sodas, cookies and processed goods you will probably spend just as much as or more than people who cook nutritious foods everyday....maybe that can be an embarrassing wake up call for them? But I am not the food police, I say do what you are comfortable with.

 

[kinntj]

I agree with you Janey99!

We eat out at least once a week, because I need a break from cooking.

Everyone's budget will be different, but those with higher grocery budgets shouldn't feel bad. It is what it is. I seriously don't know how some can get by with $100 a week for more than 3 people. Still scratching my head.

We're eating out of the freezer this week, so our grocery bill was lower with bread, produce and dairy. I don't buy strictly organic, but try to buy the leanest meats and most nutrient rich veggies I can. I buy Romaine over iceberg and such.

 

[ilovemk76]

The exact dollar amount is not what one needs to compare but what % or your net pay.

http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/

According to this site the numbers are 7% for food at home and 12.4% for all food.

 

[janey99]

The exact dollar amount is not what one needs to compare but what % or your net pay.

http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/

According to this site the numbers are 7% for food at home and 12.4% for all food.

Cool website!

I wonder, though, what are "tobacco supplies" included in the price of tobacco - The matches?! The empty Poland Spring bottle?!

 

[LaDonna]

I just started really keeping track of my budget back in March when we decided not to buy meat from my fil farm back in Ky, I was curious how much more we would spend if anything.........I average $350 a month for a family of 5 and that inlcudes toiletries, medecine, etc....