Grocery Budgeting

[tobiwobi]

I do about $100/month for myself (mostly splurge on fruit, I eat a lot of it and a variety) and $120/month for dog food (he eats homemade raw). I am looking for a cheaper way too feed the dog (no luck approaching butchers to get offcuts).

from other posts - my god kids are expensive!

[lucy16076]

I do about $100/month for myself (mostly splurge on fruit, I eat a lot of it and a variety) and $120/month for dog food (he eats homemade raw). I am looking for a cheaper way too feed the dog (no luck approaching butchers to get offcuts).

from other posts - my god kids are expensive!

They certainly can be!! They eat non stop once the tween years start & don't hesitate to open something & leave it 1/2 eaten or thrown out before it's done. They will learn once the bills are in their own name....ahhh...the time is coming!

[Retiree]

We average $100 a week for 2. That includes all cleaning supplies, toiletries and vitamins. We could eat meat out of the freezer for at least a month because I do stock up when things are on sale. Our diet includes lots of fruits and vegetables and nearly no processed foods. It also does not include bread because I always make my own.

[AlisonMalambri]

Easy Tips: -

Always go with a list. If you go without a list, you may as well just throw your money away. Better yet, donate it to me — I probably need it more than you. Seriously, though, you need to prepare a list of everything you need, pulling from your weekly menu (next tip) and checking to make sure you don’t have it in your pantry, fridge or freezer. Make sure you’re not forgetting anything. Now stick to that list.
Plan out a weekly menu. This is the best way to ensure that your list is complete, and that you have enough to serve your family dinner for the week. I often plan a weekly menu and then duplicate it for the next week — this way I can shop for two weeks at once. Be sure to plan a leftovers night.
Don’t go when you’re hungry. This is a common tip, but it’s true: when you’re hungry, you want to buy all kinds of junk. You’ll end up spending a lot more. Eat a good meal first, and you’ll be more likely to stick to your list.
Have a budget. When I go to the store, I know exactly how much I can spend. Then I try my best to stick within that limit. If you don’t know how much you can spend, you’ll certainly spend too much.
Do a rough running tally. Related to the above tip, if you want to stay within your budget, it’s best to know where you’re at. Then, when you can see you’re going to go above it, you can decide whether you really need that 10-lb. box of bon bons. I keep a running tally on my grocery list, just rounding off so I can do some quick math. An item costs $1.85? I say $2. Then I don’t need a calculator or all those complicated math skills.
Keep a list on your fridge, and write things down immediately. When you run out of something, don’t leave it to your memory. Jot it down immediately, and you’ll never have to run back to the store because you don’t have eggs.
Make a pantry checklist. Make a checklist of everything you normally stock in your pantry. Keep it posted on the pantry. Put a slash next to each item for the number of items you have (if you have two cans of stewed tomatoes, put two slashes). Then, when you use something, turn the slash into an x. This makes it much easier when it comes time to make your list.
Keep things stocked for quick-n-easy meals. Easy meals for us might be spaghetti or mac-n-cheese or a quick stir-fry. We’ve always got the ingredients on hand, so we can whip something up fast when we’re feeling lazy.
Buy in bulk when it makes sense. If you can save money, over the course of a month or two, by buying in bulk, plan to do so. But be sure that you’re going to use all of it before it gets bad — it isn’t cheaper to buy in bulk if you don’t use it.
Keep your receipts, then enter into a spreadsheet. This will be your price list. Use it so you know when bulk or sale items are a good deal. It’s also a great way to comparison shop between stores — buy your baking goods in Store A but your fresh fruits in Store B. The spreadsheet can also serve as a checklist to use when you’re compiling your shopping list.

[momof5boys]

Kids can be expensive if you give them free reign to the food. From when our boys were very young, we implemented a routine. They could choose a cookie (home made usually) in the morning, a snack in the afternoon, and one in the evening. Other than that, food was off limits and they just had to wait until meal time. The exception we made was that they could eat as much toast as they wanted in the evenings if they were still hungry before bed. I always make my bread so cost is very minimal and bread is filling and healthy.

Cooking is nearly all from scratch, I do a lot of gardening, freezing, canning and juicing and it saves us a ton of money. I also keep a record of everything we spend in a month - keeps us all on our toes as far as spending habits are concerned.

Our boys were also taught from a very early age that snacks were taken to the grocery store for them to munch on when they were in the buggy. Under no circumstances were they ever to whine at the check out when they saw the chocolate bars/candy - parents just give in way to easily to their kid's whining...saw it happen again the other day. Little junior wants a candy bar and mom says no, but junior keeps up the whining and as it gets louder and louder, mom gives in.....so you can guess what is going to happen next time.

[momof5boys]

I do about $100/month for myself (mostly splurge on fruit, I eat a lot of it and a variety) and $120/month for dog food (he eats homemade raw). I am looking for a cheaper way too feed the dog (no luck approaching butchers to get offcuts).

from other posts - my god kids are expensive!

Forget about kids being expensive - from your post, dogs are way more costly! lol We feed our family of seven for usually less than $500 per month (no dogs included

[sweetnlow30]

Before I discovered couponing I spent at least $150-$200 a week on everything for a family of 4. Now I spend about $100 a week, sometimes less. Today I set a budget of $75 for the weekly shopping and I was able to stick to it because we didn't need any extra meat for the freezer. I find I spend less during the summer since I don't need to buy lunch box items. Since our school started the two mini lunch periods in place of a noon hour, I find I have to pack more food. At home they don't eat nearly as much as they do at school. I often wonder if half of their lunches are feeding other children
I also agree that pets can be so expensive! Our pug has food allergies and requires holistic food. He sure likes to eat and the food is $20 for a 2.5 kg bag. We also have a puppy, conure parrot who eats pellets and fresh foods, and a beta fish. I wish all the pets were as cheap to feed as the fish LOL

[cath007]

I dont put a fix amount...but I buy what I need ..mostly milk,eggs,meats,vegetables and fruits...I am pretty well stocked on the rest..an it make a huge difference on the bill. I goes to complete by sales.

Yup I have 1 cat before I had 2..I certainly do hunt for sale because its expensive...And i find mondoux pet store not quite good as before deals..like the purina proplan 2 for 1 bag deals..that helped a lot...with the 3$ off coupon in save.ca...long time ago

or compliments or iga 2 for 1 announced products

[tjthemanto]

I am currently reviewing my monthly budget and I would like to compare it with others to see if I'm being reasonable. I currently budget $500 per month for all groceries, toiletries, diapers, laundry soap etc. I budget that much for the four of us which includes entertaining a large group of friends a couple times a month. Thanks for your help!

Yup..that's a very decent and reasonable budget.

You are doing pretty good for 4 people at 500 bucks a month..since it includes groceries + all the other stuff

If you want to eat healthy food you will need atleast that much for a family of 4 in Canada.

Most of the coupons are on junk foods and processed foods like chips, pop , pizza , canned soups etc and almost never on fresh fruits, veggies , produce , fresh veggies etc .

So to eat healthy and stay healthy you will need to spend the money you are

You can spend less than that but you will be either starving or eating unhealthy

[tjthemanto]

I feel pretty stupid paying aprox. $125 - 150 a week. Don't know how y'all do it, because we NEVER eat out and I buy pretty much 70% of my groceries on sale.
I will say I rarely buy prepared food and buy only high quality lean meats (including lunch meat) but almost always on sale.
I make my own dog( one dog eats 1 lb meat a day) and cat food . . .so that is about 10 lbs of meat a week. (I still find it cheaper them dry food)

That's actually pretty good , if you have a dog and a cat included in it as well ..their food is sometimes way more expensive than human food ..lol

[Shwa Girl]

Most of the coupons are on junk foods and processed fruits like chips, pop , pizza , canned soups etc and almost never on fresh fruits, veggies , produce , fresh veggies etc .

I agree with your post.
However, pink sticker and rip and stick stickers -- to me these discounts are like "coupons".
At places like Metro, reduced produce (e.g. red peppers) are usually in great shape and last for days.
We use them fresh or saute them in other meals.

[momof5boys]

Yup..that's a very decent and reasonable budget.

You are doing pretty good for 4 people at 500 bucks a month..since it includes groceries + all the other stuff

If you want to eat healthy food you will need atleast that much for a family of 4 in Canada.

Most of the coupons are on junk foods and processed foods like chips, pop , pizza , canned soups etc and almost never on fresh fruits, veggies , produce , fresh veggies etc .

So to eat healthy and stay healthy you will need to spend the money you are

You can spend less than that but you will be either starving or eating unhealthy

Buying fresh fruits and veggies on sale are waaay cheaper than using coupons to buy junk food. Use fresh veggies to make a good hearty soup and you have plenty for just pennies compared to buying canned even with coupons.

[roseofblack25]

Buying fresh fruits and veggies on sale are waaay cheaper than using coupons to buy junk food. Use fresh veggies to make a good hearty soup and you have plenty for just pennies compared to buying canned even with coupons.

Very true! I rarely use coupons just because they are always for things I don't eat. I can spend $10 on a bunch of veggies, hummus, and focaccia bread and that will feed me for at least 10 lunches until I run out of bread and need to buy more to use up the rest of my veggies. I try to get the pink sticker stuff for ground meats. Sure it expires in a couple of days but that shouldn't matter if you freeze it. I also stock up on pasta and pasta sauce when it's like .77 because I know I don't always have a ton of time to cook on days I have to work both jobs or go to school after work, so at least I get some veggies in the tomato sauce! I do get "junk foods" once in awhile too, but I use coupons for those and then I have them when I need a quick meal too.

I went over budget this month already for groceries. I know it's because of thanksgiving though since I bought a bunch of spices and ingredients I usually don't have on hand to make a special meal. Plus I made my pumpkin pie basically from scratch and I know that is more expensive than just buying a pie already made up especially when I had to buy all the spices since I didn't already have them laying around. I'm still eating leftovers from the meal I made though, and still have a few more days to go on leftovers so I am assuming I will be spending less money on groceries next month since my freezer is well stocked of things I picked up this month and haven't had time, or wanted to make with so many leftovers still in the fridge.

I'm also a sucker for sales! If I see something I know I eat regularly and it's on sale I will stock up just because I know when I do run out I won't be able to find it on sale. I bought quite a bit of cheese this month because it was on sale at freshco so that eats into my budget too because I love cheese and it's a staple in my house. If I run out I know it will be regular price everywhere and I won't have any so better to buy a block or two when it's on sale just to have so I don't run out!

[blueeyetea]

How do people actually manage to use coupons with groceries? What do they get you?

Buying whole foods and cooking every thing from scratch, I rarely get to use coupons. In the last year, I managed to find only one $1.00 coupon (from Glad) to reduce the price of fresh chicken.

[FallenPixels]

There are coupons for bread, milk, pasta etc that I still use. On top of that I pay next to nothing for H&B and that $$ goes toward groceries