Your monthly grocery bill and a celebration for me lol

[LaDonna]

Yeah this is my 500th post I love you all!

Anywho here lately I've been wondering exactly how much I have been spending on my monthly grocery bill(I included toiletries too)......I always thought it was around $200 but after keeping track last month I realized I was more at close to $275......and I coupon heavily. I'm hoping over the months it will average out to less, ya' know sometimes when you stockpile your bill may be higher that week. What do you spend monthly?
And unfortunately we didn't buy a quarter cow like we usually do(we drove out of state to get it and didn't justify the cost this year w/ gas prices being so high) So now I'm going crazy because GEE meat is higher than I'm used to paying, we were paying 3.50# for everything, even tbones/roast etc......So now I got to get my head around paying more. So any tips on meat buying?

 

[SFWife]

I have the advantage of shopping at a Commissary, which usually has great prices on meat, but I've found Sams to have pretty good produce prices, I just separate packages into smaller portions and freeze for later.

 

[tarheel618]

We are having a few nights a week meatless meals, pasta or breakfast for dinner to help combat the cost.

 

[rnorwo1]

That is your monthly bill?!? I have 3 kids, so food, toiletries, diapers, etc average about $600 a month... and my friends are always asking how I keep it so low! I do not coupon much, it doesn't seem to make sense with the stores I have access to, but I buy generics, stock up on sales, avoid package/processed foods, etc. I do pack everyone's (all 5 of us) lunches every day, so I'm not sure if your figure includes weekday lunches too. How do you spend only that much a month??

 

[VirataMama4]

I have the advantage of shopping at a Commissary, which usually has great prices on meat, but I've found Sams to have pretty good produce prices, I just separate packages into smaller portions and freeze for later.

Don't you love the Commissary! During the blizzards in winter 09/10 we had to shop off base and I cringed every time I looked at a price tag. With the threat of a Gov. shutdown, I think I was more worried about the Commissary closing then not getting paid!

OP, with the advantage of the Commissary and couponing, we usually spend around $350 a month for 2 adult and 2 kids. If I had to take a guess of what we'd spend at your average grocery store I'd guess it'd be closer to $500-$550! I'd say for meat buying, you're better off to watch the sales and stock up when its a decent price or shop at a warehouse store like Costco, BJ's or Sam's Club.

 

[MissBritt]

We always undercut our meat for recipes... 0.8 pounds instead of a pound. I know a lot of people never think to do this. Also, if you have a WinnDixie nearby, they always have BOGO on meats.

 

[richmond282]

My monthly budget for a family of 3 is $320, but I don't usually spend that much. Usually I can make it through the month for $200-$250 depending on whether I can find meat on sale and how much food I have in the freezer. (And I don't have a commisary, just regular grocery store shopping.)

 

[LaDonna]

oh okay well I guess for a couponer I am doing pretty good then, we are a family of 5, and 2-3 times a week I actually feed 2 extra kids snack and dinner, BUT like I said I have to start buying meat more so not sure how much that will make my bill go up, this will be a new challenge

oh and I SO miss the commissary! I use to love the case sales!

 

[marmalade]

Wow! $200/month for a family of 5, that is impressive. I probably spend that just on beverages alone in my house.

 

[LaDonna]

Wow! $200/month for a family of 5, that is impressive. I probably spend that just on beverages alone in my house.

well it is actually closer to $300, last month I was at $260 and the month before that I was around $275

 

[formill]

This is REALLY for a month. WOW. We live in Canada......there are 5 of us at home-one away at school so here sometimes and I spend $200-$250 a week. We don't buy a lot of pre-packaged stuff. We never eat out. That does include all paper supplies, shampoo etc- although I don't even use paper towels. We have one or two meatless meals a week. Guess I need to try harder and/or move to the states!

 

[marmalade]

well it is actually closer to $300, last month I was at $260 and the month before that I was around $275

Even at $300 that is a monthly grocery bill that I want.

I have noticed at my grocery store that usually on Mon or Tues they have the meat that is getting close to the sell-by date on sale for roughly 1/2 off. It's probably what's left over from the weekend. But I just put it in the freezer when I get home and have never had a problem with it.

Another thing is I am not picky with is my chicken. If they have chicken quarters on sale for $0.69/lb I stock up. I don't necessarily need chicken breasts.

We also have a grocery store that it's standard price for ground beef 90/10 is $1.99lb so I will make sure to get my ground beef there.

 

[angierae]

That is your monthly bill?!? I have 3 kids, so food, toiletries, diapers, etc average about $600 a month... and my friends are always asking how I keep it so low! I do not coupon much, it doesn't seem to make sense with the stores I have access to, but I buy generics, stock up on sales, avoid package/processed foods, etc. I do pack everyone's (all 5 of us) lunches every day, so I'm not sure if your figure includes weekday lunches too. How do you spend only that much a month??

My monthly bill is 250-300 a month but DH eats at work a lot (he's a sportswriter and they feed the media at the games) and DD buys lunch at school ($15/week). But I take my breakfast, lunch and snacks to work every day and SOMEONE is eating dinner at home every day for dinner, whether it's 1, 2 or 3 of us.

I pretty much never buy anything except produce if it isn't on sale. And if I save $12 a month on coupons or $20, I still clip coupons.

 

[dd50]

So any tips on meat buying?

I use to buy meat in the cryovac bags and have them cut it how I wanted it done. That use to save a lot of money on meat. I haven't done it in a few years now because I don't have the large freezer any more and we don't eat meat as much any more.

 

[williamson_ja]

We're a family of 7. Everyone eats every meal from home. I homeschool my kids plus I brown bag my hubbies lunch. We spend about $350/month right now including all cleaning supplies and toiletries. I don't use coupons at all. We just eat really inexpensive foods. That does not mean we eat unhealthy foods either. We actually eat more healthy than most people. It's lots of beans, rice, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies that I get really cheap from the local co-op. Around here, there are only coupons for junk food, cleaning products, and cosmetics. I make my own cleaning products, rarely buy cosmetics, and don't buy junk food. I've read that in other areas, there are coupons for healthy food. I really wish we had that around here. I also don't buy milk/cheese/ dairy products. I've just learned to make a lot of things myself.

 

[Celidh]

This is REALLY for a month. WOW. We live in Canada......there are 5 of us at home-one away at school so here sometimes and I spend $200-$250 a week. We don't buy a lot of pre-packaged stuff. We never eat out. That does include all paper supplies, shampoo etc- although I don't even use paper towels. We have one or two meatless meals a week. Guess I need to try harder and/or move to the states!

I was just sitting here reading this and thinking the exact same thing. I'm also from Canada. There is no way we could feed our family of 5 on $300 a month and although I do buy some packaged food, there is a lot I cut out or only buy when it is on sale.

 

[mombrontrent]

We are also from Canada. We are a family of 5 and spend a good $1000 a month on groceries. I try to buy on sale, and use a few coupons a month but food is more expensive here and to be honest we like expensive food. In the winter produce can get pretty pricey here and I won't give up the food we love to save a few (ok maybe more then a few) bucks.

 

[Bungle]

$65/wk for a family of 4 is what I am for.

Twice a year I buy 50lb bags of flour and rice, that is not included in our budget. We don't eat a lot of processed foods and I try to grab things when they are on sale. I do have a great garden that helps bring that even lower during the spring/summer.

 

[Reese]

My monthly budget is between $500 to $600. This includes toiletries and diapers. I buy in bulk, look for sales and coupon.

 

[mrssmith06]

Wow, I think your grocery bill sounds great.
We are a family of 5 and we spend about $500/month and that is with me using coupons!!!