How much do you spend on groceries per month?

[barkley]

I've always budgeted a flat rate for all household expenses (including food-groceries/eat out, cleaning products, toiletries, meds-scrip co pays/otc, basic clothing, haircuts, gas/parking/small car items-fluids, wiper blades...,hardware-lightbulbs, filters, yard stuff-weed whacker cord, sprays, hot tub chemicals...entertainment...), basically anything that is out of pocket vs. being billed for (if I order something online w/a credit card I immediately deduct it from my monthly budget). I have to say that it became easier to stick to the budget when the kids stopped constantly outgrowing stuff.

currently it's at $1200 total for a family of 3.5 adults (dd goes to college but she visits and I buy her stuff).

that said-last month I started tracking every penny to see where it was going. this month I took it a step further and started breaking it down to see what was specifically 'groceries' and how it cost out (down to categories of meat/produce/dairy/convenience foods/dry goods...). I'm currently at about $418.50 for just groceries for the month-but I suspect that's low b/c i'm making a concerted effort to stop taking advantage of sales and use what we already have on hand. i'm meal planning around what I've already got (which includes a very well stocked freezer).

one thing I've done the last few months that has made a HUGE difference in our grocery bill is to pretty much limit our household to one major grocery shopping day per month. at the beginning of the month one day is dedicated to powering through a trip to Walmart, Costco and trader joes. I keep a running list during the prior month of what i'm running low on/out of and then think if there's anything in particular that I want to cook (so if it weren't currently 11 degrees with a wind-chill factor of below zero here I might think bbq and add bbq fixins). with the exception of dairy and produce we haven't found a need to shop for anything much else during the rest of the month (and it keeps me out of the grocery store where i'm tempted to stock up on something just b/c it's on sale).

 

[AllthingsDisMom]

We are a family of five and spend about $250 - $300 per week on groceries (includes cleaning supplies, lightbulbs, air filters, etc). My husband and I pack our lunches everyday for work except Fridays (my department orders out every week).

 

[Louie7080]

I didn't read everyone's response but I guess I am surprised at how much more I spend at the grocery stores than just about everyone else. Granted we rarely eat out, make our own coffee/never buy starbucks etc, I buy tons of fresh fruit, veggies and dried fruit, much of it organic, better meats without all the antibiotics and often grassfed, organic dairy, and other organic foods..... I don't eat much meat and lots of beans but can't get my other family members to do the swap. I comparison shop and pay attention to sales etc... 2 adults and 2 kids (son is 15 and eats a lot) and probably spend at least 1800 a month at the grocery stores in my area.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I didn't read everyone's response but I guess I am surprised at how much more I spend at the grocery stores than just about everyone else. Granted we rarely eat out, make our own coffee/never buy starbucks etc, I buy tons of fresh fruit, veggies and dried fruit, much of it organic, better meats without all the antibiotics and often grassfed, organic dairy, and other organic foods..... I don't eat much meat and lots of beans but can't get my other family members to do the swap. I comparison shop and pay attention to sales etc... 2 adults and 2 kids (son is 15 and eats a lot) and probably spend at least 1800 a month at the grocery stores in my area.

You're not much over the average for your family size (4 over 12 years of age) for a liberal eating plan (since your kids don't "trade off" as much as you will)...that difference could be the cost of living in your area...so I wouldn't stress too much...

https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodJan2018.pdf

My philosophy is that I always try to "value" eat healthy in my budget - I don't eat the cheapest things just b/c they are the cheapest...I don't eat the most expensive things or all organic b/c I don't have the funds to trade off to eat "that" clean. I try to cook and eat the best way my funds allow me to do so...and I eat with moderation for all things, including junk things, so I'll have the soda or the dessert or the cheesesteak every once in awhile, and including high end things, so if I see a crazy sale on crab legs or smoked salmon, I'll buy it and enjoy it (b/c I'm not eating it at a restaurant and wasting even more money - and I can control how I make it...

So, while I do keep a budget that's lower than yours, if I had more money, I'd budget it for my grocery bill and probably have a budget like yours b/c I have more areas I'd love to trade up...like buying fresh fish at the counter every week (and not just when I see a crazy sale)...or always buying fresh deli roast beef each week for sandwiches (instead of every 6 months when they run a crazy sale)...but you learn to also live with the money you have, not what you'd like to have...so, when I see a lot of folks' budgets, I think they probably have both a necessity and choice aspect to those budgets just like I do...

 

[Eureka]

sorry, my iPad just posted some random quoted post.

 

[Juliet25]

Family of five in MCOL area. I’d estimate $1000/month on food. That would include some take out meals. I’ve been keeping track, but I haven’t added anything up yet. It feels like our food buying is out of control. I shop with coupons, the expired shelf at grocery store, and buy a good deal from Aldi, but my family seems to eat non stop.

 

[Louie7080]

You're not much over the average for your family size (4 over 12 years of age) for a liberal eating plan (since your kids don't "trade off" as much as you will)...that difference could be the cost of living in your area...so I wouldn't stress too much...

https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodJan2018.pdf

My philosophy is that I always try to "value" eat healthy in my budget - I don't eat the cheapest things just b/c they are the cheapest...I don't eat the most expensive things or all organic b/c I don't have the funds to trade off to eat "that" clean. I try to cook and eat the best way my funds allow me to do so...and I eat with moderation for all things, including junk things, so I'll have the soda or the dessert or the cheesesteak every once in awhile, and including high end things, so if I see a crazy sale on crab legs or smoked salmon, I'll buy it and enjoy it (b/c I'm not eating it at a restaurant and wasting even more money - and I can control how I make it...

So, while I do keep a budget that's lower than yours, if I had more money, I'd budget it for my grocery bill and probably have a budget like yours b/c I have more areas I'd love to trade up...like buying fresh fish at the counter every week (and not just when I see a crazy sale)...or always buying fresh deli roast beef each week for sandwiches (instead of every 6 months when they run a crazy sale)...but you learn to also live with the money you have, not what you'd like to have...so, when I see a lot of folks' budgets, I think they probably have both a necessity and choice aspect to those budgets just like I do...

We have relatives in an affluent area (homes and taxes are fairly high) of NY while we live in a smallish community in CO where the standard (edit to mean cost instead of standard) of living is lowish BUT food seems to be the same cost which I thought was weird (at least the fresh stuff). Maybe that is because of the transport costs making it more level? I feel that good food is a foundation for health and think that processed food is crap and counter to health. I don't buy everything organic but as much as I can or buy produce that isn't as "dirty" with pesticides or I just won't buy it. I feel like I can't compromise on this. I rarely buy new - our clothes and furniture are second hand, our cars are over 10 years old and small so hopefully our monthly expenditures aren't higher than average. Thanks for your comment!

 

[star72232]

Family of 6 in Ontario (2 adults, 4 kids - 12, 11, 8, 5). I spend about $200/week or about $800-900/mth. That's groceries 1x/week, the occasional run out for milk and Costco every 2-3 weeks. We will order pizza about once a month, but rarely eat out.

Kids take their lunches to school every day and DH and I eat lunch at home.

 

[Darcy03231]

Family of 2 in central NH. We average about $125/wk at the grocery store and probably spend another $100/wk eating out. We don't eat much canned, boxed or processed foods. We eat wild caught fish 3-4 times a week and that's expensive, along with organic fruits and vegetables.

 

[hsmamato2]

fam of 4 'adults' I try to keep it at $600 or less monthly (sometimes that's not easy) we have a couple of special diets in our house (GF) but Aldi helps me keep that budget. (we also eat mainly OG non processed foods cooked from scratch here. High COL area.I find that if I avoid warehouses mostly I can stick to my budget better.

 

[FredtheDuck]

Three adults and a toddler in the DC metro area. We spend around $200-$230/week on just groceries. We shop at Whole Foods and can't get everything we need there, so there's usually another $80 run to Safeway/Costco during the month. Toiletries and household goods, plus beer and wine, are all purchased elsewhere, too, and have their own line items in our budget. We eat at home every night except maybe once per month and take leftovers or brown bag lunches to work, but we do have lunch out on the weekends.

 

[tvguy]

You're not much over the average for your family size (4 over 12 years of age) for a liberal eating plan (since your kids don't "trade off" as much as you will)...that difference could be the cost of living in your area...so I wouldn't stress too much...

https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/CostofFoodJan2018.pdf

My philosophy is that I always try to "value" eat healthy in my budget - I don't eat the cheapest things just b/c they are the cheapest...I don't eat the most expensive things or all organic b/c I don't have the funds to trade off to eat "that" clean. I try to cook and eat the best way my funds allow me to do so...and I eat with moderation for all things, including junk things, so I'll have the soda or the dessert or the cheesesteak every once in awhile, and including high end things, so if I see a crazy sale on crab legs or smoked salmon, I'll buy it and enjoy it (b/c I'm not eating it at a restaurant and wasting even more money - and I can control how I make it...

So, while I do keep a budget that's lower than yours, if I had more money, I'd budget it for my grocery bill and probably have a budget like yours b/c I have more areas I'd love to trade up...like buying fresh fish at the counter every week (and not just when I see a crazy sale)...or always buying fresh deli roast beef each week for sandwiches (instead of every 6 months when they run a crazy sale)...but you learn to also live with the money you have, not what you'd like to have...so, when I see a lot of folks' budgets, I think they probably have both a necessity and choice aspect to those budgets just like I do...

I don't know, $1,800 seems very high, It's 40% more than the $1,285 listed on the liberal eating plan for a family of 4 with kids over age 12. That's $15 a day per person. Of course, my mom could get a full week of meals out of a $4 Rotisserie chicken! But she grew up in the Depression.

 

[BoardwalkFamily]

Family of 4,Massachusetts. Alot of fresh produce and mostly plant based items. Around $1100.00 Monthly, includes an occassional take out pizza/Whole Foods prepared bar,etc. and household/paper goods

 

[TwoMisfits]

I don't know, $1,800 seems very high, It's 40% more than the $1,285 listed on the liberal eating plan for a family of 4 with kids over age 12. That's $15 a day per person. Of course, my mom could get a full week of meals out of a $4 Rotisserie chicken! But she grew up in the Depression.

Nah...for a family of 4, that's nothing to increase from the average (remember, the site is the average, so it's also likely the average should match folks from the average income level - many folks on here are above that average)...that's $125/person for a month...one day of fresh fish every week (at $10/lb minimum and more like $15-$20/lb- 2lbs/week) would add $80-$160 as a single item....do the same by adding steak (a nice, not on sale cut, runs $12.99lb min) or by switching to organic milk (2 gallons/week probably are $15/week)...or by buying free-range organic meats or vegs...and you can see how easy it is to make "substitutions upward" that many of us would love to make that add to budgets very, very quickly...if I had the money, I'd make them for both health and happiness reasons...but, I don't...thus why budgets are both need and choice-based...

PS - And we know that the average folks also eat out a ton (based on averages done on that topic, too)...so if OP eats out below the average, their groceries will obviously likely need to be above average...(4.2 meals/person/per week and $232/person for a month is the average spend for meals out)

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/dont-eat-out-as-often-188365/

 

[tvguy]

Nah...for a family of 4, that's nothing to increase from the average (remember, the site is the average, so it's also likely the average should match folks from the average income level - many folks on here are above that average)...that's $125/person for a month...one day of fresh fish every week (at $10/lb minimum and more like $15-$20/lb- 2lbs/week) would add $80-$160 as a single item....do the same by adding steak (a nice, not on sale cut, runs $12.99lb min) or by switching to organic milk (2 gallons/week probably are $15/week)...or by buying free-range organic meats or vegs...and you can see how easy it is to make "substitutions upward" that many of us would love to make that add to budgets very, very quickly...if I had the money, I'd make them for both health and happiness reasons...but, I don't...thus why budgets are both need and choice-based...

PS - And we know that the average folks also eat out a ton (based on averages done on that topic, too)...so if OP eats out below the average, their groceries will obviously likely need to be above average...(4.2 meals/person/per week and $232/person for a month is the average spend for meals out)

https://www.thesimpledollar.com/dont-eat-out-as-often-188365/

Certainly you can choose to spend more. Wow, $5 a pound is our cutoff point for fresh fish! But I understand food prices vary. And organic, well, with a little homework you an find out what milks etc are not labeled as organic but meet all the organic standards. The label, not how the product was produced are what drives the price up. These are current prices here. Bone in Rib Eye steak $5.97 lb. Fresh crab Dungeness Crab $4.97 a lb. Cod $4.99 lb Grass fed sirlon steak $7.99
https://www.raleys.com/images/imageslayout/021418_Insert.pdf

 

[TwoMisfits]

Certainly you can choose to spend more. Wow, $5 a pound is our cutoff point for fresh fish! But I understand food prices vary. And organic, well, with a little homework you an find out what milks etc are not labeled as organic but meet all the organic standards. The label, not how the product was produced are what drives the price up. These are current prices here. Bone in Rib Eye steak $5.97 lb. Fresh crab Dungeness Crab $4.97 a lb. Cod $4.99 lb Grass fed sirlon steak $7.99
https://www.raleys.com/images/imageslayout/021418_Insert.pdf

Those proteins are wildly low for most areas - you should enjoy them...(most areas are 200-400% higher than those prices...

 

[tvguy]

Those proteins are wildly low for most areas - you should enjoy them...(most areas are 200-400% higher than those prices...

That would be painful. Although I hear Lobster is cheap in Maine.

 

[Minnesota!]

Family of 4 - I recently bumped up our amount so that we could continue to support our neighborhood butcher But, about $400/month is what we spend.

 

[Judique]

Certainly you can choose to spend more. Wow, $5 a pound is our cutoff point for fresh fish! But I understand food prices vary. And organic, well, with a little homework you an find out what milks etc are not labeled as organic but meet all the organic standards. The label, not how the product was produced are what drives the price up. These are current prices here. Bone in Rib Eye steak $5.97 lb. Fresh crab Dungeness Crab $4.97 a lb. Cod $4.99 lb Grass fed sirlon steak $7.99
https://www.raleys.com/images/imageslayout/021418_Insert.pdf

How much do you pay for salmon? That's assuming you eat salmon.

Editing: I see Raley's has salmon for 7.99 a pound. I think I pay a bit less at Costco.

I did notice the oreos and bevita crackers. 1.99 a lb. Then, 2.99 for 1 single item. Buy 3 you get for 1.99 a lb. I beat that at Costco. Normally the multipack comes out to 1.99 a package. On sale they are cheaper.

Looking over your prices in the sales flyer, they are similar if not slightly higher than specials I can find right here 20 minutes from DC,

I would have to visit your store to get a true picture for my spend. I understand your strategy is to fix meals according to the specials, which is a great strategy if it keeps you not hungry and relatively healthy.

 

[Minnesota!]

Also, on top of that, is the $75 in cat food/litter each month. I take $200 from each of my husband's checks for food shopping.

Paper products? We buy napkins maybe once every 3 months, toilet paper 1 time a month. Cleaning supplies last a LONG time...a year or two. I don't budget for them.

At the end of every paycheck, after I pay our regular bills, I pay any one-off bills that came up - doctor, home maintenance, etc. And then I take what is leftover and that is what we have to spend on "things"...haircuts, eating out, paper products. But groceries are a hard-fast item that I don't go over the budget often, if at all.