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Thread: What's the Average Grocery budget?

  1. #16
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    For 2021 I am keeping track of what I spend in groceries and trying to be smart about what I buy.
    We started the year off with a stocked freezer and cupboards so using stuff up is my plan.
    We are totally on healthy eating so shopping for fresh stuff is really my main goal (and of course shop the sales and make meals we enjoy)

    As of today I have spent $118.00 but this does include a large container of protein powder (will last me for months) stock up on canned soup and cereal DS requested (he is home 24/7 because of school and work shut down so eating all the time) so some easy meals are good for him.

    Will be interesting to see how the year goes.
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    My freezer is overflowing again and have to keep my focus on using items up. Weekly, I have been coming in under $100 and still stocking up on some items when on sale. I want to track my spending in a spreadsheet (or on paper) to carry forward my excess for more expensive items like steak etc. Honestly, it's much easier to save since we don't have guests visiting. My numbers may skew when things "get back to normal"
    This week, I need to focus on refilling my printable coupon stash for items we regularly use. I left $1 on the table last week for a common cpn I normally have.

  3. #18
    Smart Canuck Arjon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by crafter View Post
    I stayed within budget woot! $98.70 on food and have enough mix of meat for the week. Only .25 earned in rebates tho (eclipsa)
    As with total grocery spending, one week is too short to be a representative period length for rebates. That said, depending on what you buy, they can add up to hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.

    Also as I've noted before, I don't count all rebates are money saved in the sense of my net spend being less than it would have been without those rebates. For example, if I pay $1 for something, donate it to the food bank and get a $1 rebate, I don't regard this as money saved because had there been no rebate, I would have spent the same net amount, $0, by not buying it. Another example is when I buy a higher-priced brand with rebate whereas without it, I'd have bought a lower-cost one.
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  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by crafter View Post
    My freezer is overflowing again and have to keep my focus on using items up. Weekly, I have been coming in under $100 and still stocking up on some items when on sale. I want to track my spending in a spreadsheet (or on paper) to carry forward my excess for more expensive items like steak etc. Honestly, it's much easier to save since we don't have guests visiting. My numbers may skew when things "get back to normal"
    I've got two refrigerators/freezers and two chest freezers and all are stuffed for just a couple of old folks.

    You are absolutely correct for writing things down. Everyone tends to 'mind fudge' the details. If you don't write it down, numbers tend to get generalized and rationalized, but hard facts cannot lie. I always thought I was frugal, until I started writing down amounts and realized that I wasn't as thrifty as I originally felt. Delusions of grandeur.

    Quote Originally Posted by Arjon View Post
    Also as I've noted before, I don't count all rebates are money saved in the sense of my net spend being less than it would have been without those rebates. For example, if I pay $1 for something, donate it to the food bank and get a $1 rebate, I don't regard this as money saved because had there been no rebate, I would have spent the same net amount, $0, by not buying it. Another example is when I buy a higher-priced brand with rebate whereas without it, I'd have bought a lower-cost one.
    Spending a dollar to save a dollar is how governments might count, but not us folks in the real world.
    Last edited by HermanH; Mon, Jan 11th, 2021 at 01:45 PM.
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    My food may not befit a king, but I eat like a horse.

  5. #20
    Smart Canuck Arjon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HermanH View Post
    I've got two refrigerators/freezers and two chest freezers and all are stuffed for just a couple of old folks.
    At least 20 years ago now, we traded our large chest freezer for a smaller one my sister and her husband had. A main reason, although not the only one, was so we couldn't stockpile as much.
    You are absolutely correct for writing things down. Everyone tends to 'mind fudge' the details. If you don't write it down, numbers tend to get generalized and rationalized, but hard facts cannot lie. I always thought I was frugal, until I started writing down amounts and realized that I wasn't as thrifty as I originally felt. Delusions of grandeur.
    It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't track their spending well at all while telling themselves they have control of their finances, but also contradicting that by complaining they can't save and/or don't know why they can't.

    Spending a dollar to save a dollar is how governments might count, but not us folks in the real world.
    Not always. I suspect you know people who, for example, think they "saved" $10k by buying a car that would have been $50k at full price for $40k even though they had budgeted $30k-$35k.
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    We have 2 adults and I just have the bottom freezer on my fridge. When that is full I don't buy more stock up items until there is room. Perhaps if I had a big veggie garden I might buy another freezer but I prefer to just keep track of a small amount of stuff.
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    @lizzie bargain @arjon on smaller freezer's are a great way to keep your freezer stash under control. Good for you @herman for being upfront about your stuffed freezers and fridges lol. Hey it's a good time to stay stocked up .
    Technically we have 2 other small fridges, wine fridge for pop and wine and a small beer fridge in the "man cave"

    Although, I would love a small upright freezer it just doesn't make sense for us (at this point). We grew most of our vegetables last year but we did container gardening and veggies in our rose garden (great shield from bunnies). I did oven dry and freeze surplus cherry tomatoes but aside from that, we either ate or gave neighbours the veggies we grew.

    So back to the freezer dilema, if I buy a small freezer,
    we have 3 risks.
    - Power outage that lasts long enough to spoil food (we've had a few long power outages here)...or a guest puts beer in to cool it down and leaves the freezer door open.
    -I become disorganized (like previous years) and don't use the frozen food in time or gets freezer burn- (note, the Instant pot solves this issue since we can cook beef etc from frozen)
    -THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS THAT I WOULD TEND TO STOCK UP ON FROZEN COMFORT FOOD ON SALE- eg Dr Oetker Pizza, Metro Cabbage Rolls, St Hubert Tortiere, PC Sheppard's Pie, Janes chicken, Pinty's wings, Metro lasagna, Burnabrae egg cups, frozen french fries, onion rings and sweet potato fries etc.... and I haven't even got to ice cream yet! Right now, I only choose one or two of those items a shop since I don't have much room in my freezer.
    So I guess, I've figured out along with others. If I start baking and cooking more to store in a freezer, then it would make sense to get a freezer. I think it's all about being us being honest with ourselves...for us, the freezer works to freeze some raw meat like steaks but we're better to pre cook things like chicken, burgers, ground beef and sausage and then freeze for quick use. It's also nice to stash away leftover soup or chili.
    No matter what, I'm determined to make space for my free Chapmans this year!
    Last edited by crafter; Mon, Jan 11th, 2021 at 06:20 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by crafter View Post
    No matter what, I'm determined to make space for my free Chapmans this year!
    Speaking of which, I bought 140 litres of Chapmans ice cream, when it was on sale for $1/litre. This took up an entire chest freezer and more, but I calculated that it was cheaper than milk (and was the only way to get my mother her daily calcium.) So, she got a banana split every day.
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    My food may not befit a king, but I eat like a horse.

  9. #24
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    I have an old freezer downstairs small version for 22 years and it is full now of bread , have about 6 butter ,ham ,chicken breasts etc

    I found it hard to stock up the past few months as when the frozen veggies were on they had a limit of 2 etc
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  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by coupon girl View Post
    I have an old freezer downstairs small version for 22 years and it is full now of bread , have about 6 butter ,ham ,chicken breasts etc

    I found it hard to stock up the past few months as when the frozen veggies were on they had a limit of 2 etc
    I realize I have so much butter! I was looking the other day and I remember I stocked up awhile ago when it was on sale. Then SDM gave me the $1.99 offer so I bought the limit a few weeks in a row and that butter is in the fridge. Yeah I remember the limit on the veggies at our stores for awhile too. I noticed signs up again on the cleaners and paper products but not on the food.
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  11. #26
    Bean bun going offline Ciel's Avatar
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    I feel our family should have purchased a small upright freezer at least 5 years ago. The top-mount freezer part of the fridge is frequently half or 2/3 full of Bro's meats or veggies or pizza pops. So even if I know space is free, unless I dash out right then and return within an hour in the morning with frozen goods, I won't be certain of having space inside the compartment. Also Mom and I sometimes like to buy puff pastry or frozen chicken breasts and there's a constant shuffle of items to make space (or checking open boxes to see how much air is there to cut down the boxes or repackage things Bro forgot about). The current fridge is awkward for Mom to bend into to see what's on the shelves and the overhanging freezer handle is often banged into (happens to me too while keeping the door open at same time on the fridge). Bro should have realized we are older so a smaller fridge w/o freezer and separate upright freezer would have solved two problems.

    For winter, I like having California mix veggies in the freezer plus at least one frozen fruit during the season. Zests and citrus juices are frozen in ice cube trays. Mom did not preserve any roasted peppers last summer, so there was no need to stack too much in the freezer. But sometimes if she finds a deal on something, she stocks up and she too is getting frustrated always having to make space. Currently, I'd love to have at least 10 tins of frozen juices in the freezer and some frozen dinners and fries but I'd have to toss out some of Bro's items.

    Thanks @Frugalbigmama for the update on store notices on product limits. Feel we are back in April 2020 all over again in shopping and I'm sure pocket tissue packs will be hard to find (easier online than in Shoppers).

    I easily can spend $100 twice per month on online grocery orders. But outside of them, I'm at least $50 per week on foodstuffs then toss in about $10-$20 on personal care items (ideally bought on sale but sometimes I buy when I run out because of the lineups and such now at stores). Mom and Bro buy as they need things and certain household needs are stocked at Costco. Impulse food buys/snacks can easilly be $20+ per week.

    So $90 per week then as a min.
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    2021-Bring on the sunshine, sweets & online shopping.

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ciel View Post
    The top-mount freezer part of the fridge is frequently half or 2/3 full of Bro's meats or veggies or pizza pops. So even if I know space is free, unless I dash out right then and return within an hour in the morning with frozen goods, I won't be certain of having space inside the compartment. Also Mom and I sometimes like to buy puff pastry or frozen chicken breasts and there's a constant shuffle of items to make space (or checking open boxes to see how much air is there to cut down the boxes or repackage things Bro forgot about).
    I face the same struggle with my mother, over freezer space. If I know I need the space, I just leave an empty box or something to act as a placeholder for soon-to-be-added freezer item(s).
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    My food may not befit a king, but I eat like a horse.

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by crafter View Post
    -THE BIGGEST ISSUE IS THAT I WOULD TEND TO STOCK UP ON FROZEN COMFORT FOOD ON SALE
    Have you considered making movie/game-night an occasion where you deliberately eat from that stockpile?
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    My food may not befit a king, but I eat like a horse.

  14. #29
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    A good suggestion @HermanH our kids want us to do a game night and we haven't been doing take out lately
    Quote Originally Posted by HermanH View Post
    Have you considered making movie/game-night an occasion where you deliberately eat from that stockpile?
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