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How much does your family spend on groceries each month?

  1. mrskansas

    nectarine / 2813 posts

    Maybe $500 max. This includes everything. Luckily we are done with diapers so that saves some $$

  2. brownepiano

    persimmon / 1467 posts

    @Banana330: I have a very supportive husband who eats leftovers and would eat the same meals every single week if it was up to him. Same with my kids. So I have no one to appease but myself! My mantra is I don't have money but I do have time so I make everything from scratch that I can.

    This week we're having egg salad sandwiches, lentil salad and roasted sweet potatoes, pork stir fry, grilled kabobs, pancakes and strawberries, and tuna crescent bake. Sides are carrot fries, brocolli tots, salad, and misc. fruit. DH eats a salad at work every single day. Breakfasts are granola and yogurt (both homemade), bagels, egg scrambles.

  3. brownepiano

    persimmon / 1467 posts

    @matador84: There's been other posts like this where I've written what we do, here's one: http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-budget/page/3
    Some of my habits have changed since then, especially to include more fresh fruits and veggies.

    There are some things that we don't buy (that add up fast if we do get them):
    Cheese- I'm allergic to milk, so I usually cook without milk or cheese. We get it sometimes as a side for stuff but not for snacking etc.
    Juice- we pretty much just drink water and milk, except for special occasions
    Cereal- I only buy cheerios and that's for snacks. We eat other stuff for breakfast.
    Bread- I make my own. I do buy hot dog buns and wraps because those are too time intensive for me with little kids.
    Yogurt- Same
    Alcohol- neither of us like it!

    I think it really helps that I grew up allergic to milk so all those expensive milk products I'm used to just not eating. My husband doesn't care that I don't buy them and supports me keeping our budget low.

    Oh this is the biggest thing: I only buy what I need for the week. Like exactly. I plan it out, write it down, and buy only that. The only exclusion is meat that is marked down. If I throw a few extra things in the cart on a whim I always go over. I don't try to keep a stocked fridge or stocked pantry (with a few exclusions- flour, sugar, oil, rice, eggs, oats). I try to buy exactly what I need and use all of it- close to empty fridge- before I go shopping again.

  4. mrswilson2012

    grape / 93 posts

    You guys make me feel A LOT better. I don't know if we have the time to coupon or shop sales and like someone else mention usually that stuff is just processed food. This week we tried grocery pick up at our local supermarket to see if that helps on the impulse purchases. Gotta wheel DH in at Costco though (he LOVES that store).

  5. yoursilverlining

    eggplant / 11824 posts

    Between $700-$1k a month, including eating out (typically maybe once a week for dinner, out some on weekends but we bring lunches, etc.).

    We don't live where food is cheap. We don't buy cheap food I guess; it all just adds up.. It is what it is!

  6. Littlebit7

    nectarine / 2243 posts

    @yoursilverlining: I'd say we are probably similar to you as far as spending and habits. Food is $$ here, but we also tend to buy expensive stuff.
    DH cooks pretty elaborate meals on weekends but is also a last minute recipe-selector, so I can't really pre-buy. We order out once a week, and typically maybe eat lunch out 1-2x a week (either with or without dh). DH and I like wine and fancy cocktails so it's $$ but I'm not drinking now due to pregnancy
    We don't really ever go out to dinner and I make lunch most days. DHs lunch and breakfast is comped by work so that saves too. With him gone we generally consume less also.
    I get a fresh direct delivery twice a month and shop their house brand. We supplement with farmers markets and local shops.

  7. Coral

    clementine / 874 posts

    We budget around 900-950 for two adults and one toddler. It sounds like a lot but this includes all our target runs, toiletries, diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. Plus, we always bring leftovers to work for lunch.

  8. Banana330

    nectarine / 2317 posts

    @brownepiano: Wow super impressive!

  9. mrs.kiwi

    kiwi / 635 posts

    I used to calculate it monthly and it used to be around 250- 400 for a family of 3 (big eating toddler) not including eating out (maybe once a week), and not including household goods (tp, napkins, etc.)

    I'm positive it's way more now with a family of 4 (and my kids eat a LOT). Probably 500 a month. We tend to buy more organic now for the kids and I just have a lot less time to make things from scratch.. also being pregnant or nursing all the time means I'm pickier and/or eating tons more haha.

  10. mrs.kiwi

    kiwi / 635 posts

    @brownepiano: I am inspired! Yes I should empty my fridge and pantry.. I feel nervous though when my food supply starts dropping lol..

  11. birdofafeather

    pineapple / 12053 posts

    we're at about $750/mo with 2 adults, and 2 kids. DH eats a ton and he also is OOT for training 5 days/wk so his groceries are a duplicate of ours. this includes costco (which i separate out in ynab) and alcohol.

  12. petitenoisette

    pear / 1521 posts

    @brownepiano: I totally agree that just buying for the week is probably the biggest saver. We are the same when I am on my game that the fridge is basically empty by the end of the week. I have no real pantry to speak of and all the dry goods fit in one largeish cabinet (that is usually half empty).

  13. brownepiano

    persimmon / 1467 posts

    @mrs.kiwi: It makes me nervous sometimes too but I'm lucky my husband loves it and encourages it. And I live 5 min from a grocery store so it's not like we are really going to starve.

  14. brownepiano

    persimmon / 1467 posts

    @petitenoisette: Yep. Whenever I try to stock up on stuff we don't actually need that week, I go over budget. And it's ridiculous because I literally don't need it, we just happen to be out. It won't kill us to be out of applesauce or shortening for a week.

  15. matador84

    papaya / 10560 posts

    @mrs.kiwi: I actually just had to empty my pantry completely (long story) and I have found it is the secret to cutting down on the kids snacking! They have hardly even asked for snacks over the past two weeks. Our fridge usually only holds what we need for the week and a few other items we keep on rotation for longer.

  16. matador84

    papaya / 10560 posts

    @brownepiano: that is great. I do think having an empty pantry now is going to help for the future. It doesn't help that I have a husband who pretty much won't eat any meals if they don't have meat in them and doesn't really eat leftovers. I've tried more recently to cut down recipes to about 4-5 servings and that has helped cut down on waste. We do buy meat in bulk from a college meat lab here though and it saves a ton of money on meat in the long run. I'm really hoping I can get my spending down to 600-700/month on groceries in the future!

  17. yoursilverlining

    eggplant / 11824 posts

    @Littlebit7: mmmm fancy cocktails! Yes!
    I get so much pleasure from food too so I'm not inclined to race towards spending $0 on food. It's mental health too! (Though I try not to spend insane amounts and save where I can. It's just expensive!)

  18. Mrs. J

    pomelo / 5132 posts

    @matador84: my DH is the same. It works out better if I can repurpose leftovers into something different...like if we ate flank steak one night, steak sandwiches another.

    We try to keep groceries to about $400-$500/month. I now want to separate out household stuff and alcohol too. We rarely eat out; this is just the grocery budget. We eat dinner at my parents' 1 night a week. We cloth diaper. We are a family of 4 (DH, me, 3.5yo and an almost 2yo)

  19. JerricaBenton

    pomegranate / 3872 posts

    At least 800 a month for 2 adults, one 4yo. I actually love grocery shopping and find it very zen so I like to try new things or change a meal plan if im inspired. I also feel good having a lot of stuff on hand because I might like to bake something spur of the moment so I never let basics get too low. Seems like a fair number but I could for sure spend less if I tried.

  20. gingerbebe

    cantaloupe / 6131 posts

    We spend about $1000 a month for everything household related - basically I got sick of trying to divvy up my Costco trips, Target runs, and Amazon purchases. I want to say straight up food is $400-600 of that. We are a family of 4 in Northern California.

    I generally shop the sales at 1 store each week and get fruit and veg in season at the farmers market during warm weather each week. My boys are fruit bats so I basically have to buy fresh fruit and milk 2-3 times a week. I have to pack their lunches and DS2 I have to pack all his snacks and breakfast too. So lots of snacky foods and pouches and what not. Both kids are in diapers and one is transitioning to milk so I still buy toddler formula.

    I menu plan for the week and stock up on good sales for meat and frozen veg to keep in our deep freezer. Keeps me organized more than anything else!

    I used to be way better - I could feed me and DH for like $50-100 a week when it was just us, but now convenience has to win out somewhat.

  21. LemonJack

    persimmon / 1130 posts

    I would guess we spend about $500-$600/month on groceries. We don't eat out often so I feel like that's a good amount. Usually I meal plan, and shop for those items on the weekend. DH and I will bring the leftovers to work the next day. We don't buy a ton of meat, which saves money, but we eat a lot of fresh produce, some of which I buy organic, so that costs extra.

  22. Littlebit7

    nectarine / 2243 posts

    @yoursilverlining: yeah so do we. I also really enjoy grocery shopping (admittedly, only if I'm alone. Toddlers really can be fun killers).

  23. Mrs.Pinecone316

    persimmon / 1316 posts

    Thats about what we spend too as a family of 3. I am terrible at meal planning so I usually shop for a few days at a time and end up having stuff go bad and have to throw away because eating out sounds better than cooking lots of nights. I am soon wanting to be better at meal planning/ meal prep because of how much we spend on food.

  24. caterw

    persimmon / 1445 posts

    @matador84: @Mrs. J: I have also had great success with repurposing meat/ leftovers so my husband will enjoy them! I like to make a big beef roast (CostCo round roast for the win! It's $3.99/ lb here) and then I use the leftovers for Philly cheesesteak, beef fajitas, French dip sandwiches, etc. I also like to make a whole roast chicken and use the extra in pot pie, fried rice, chicken Alfredo, chicken Caesar salad, etc. My husband looks at me like a kicked puppy if I try to serve him meatless meals so I have given up on that haha.

  25. caterw

    persimmon / 1445 posts

    @brownepiano: You are my budget hero! I have been really trying to trim it back since we are saving money for a down payment on a house so I am pretty excited to read that other post!

  26. Anagram

    eggplant / 11716 posts

    We spend a lot on groceries and food in general. I don't separate it from other household foods and baby stuff though, so I'm not sure how much exactly. My guess is 1k a month.

    I started eating paleo 2.5 months ago and our foood budget went up further because it's made me more aware of food in general, so now I've switched over to high quality/free range/organic/grass fed almost everything we buy now, even if it's something I don't eat like dairy. And finding stuff like paleo salad dressing or mayo is expensive and although I legit cook 3 meals a day, I don't have time to even be making basics like mayo from scratch, so those things I buy. I also buy some convenience foods like rices cauliflower and zucchini noodles, so I don't have to do that stuff myself (I only have a box grater, not a food processor, and I'm already grating a shit ton of veg a week for recipes, so I don't feel bad buying premade when I can).

    Also, we just eat a lot. In one week, my husband and I can eat a bag of sweet potatoes,a ton of organic veggies and fruit, several pounds of meat, 4 spaghetti squash (those are pricey when bought organic), a ton of nuts and nut butters and berries. It just all adds up. Also, now I buy unnecessary and expensive stuff like manuka honey and the best grade Maple syrup, and cassava flour and blah blah for paleo recipes.

    Tl;dr: I spend a ton.

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