Grocery Budget?

[Shopaholic Beaver]

Hmmmm, seeing some of your budgets I'm thinking I have to tighten the boot straps. Really not sure what I spend but I know it's not that cheap. Good job everyone.

[travel-mum]

Also, check the recipe thread in SC for good cheap meal ideas.

[mpbabes]

my budget is $400 for 2 adults & 1 toddler for groceries and all household items (diapers, baby food, soap, shampoo, etc etc.) Lately I've managed to go to the grocery store and do my shopping for the week for like, $30.

How? Well...planning. I plan all my meals in advance. I use the 5-day planning method as per "Fixing Dinner". I try to plan 1 meal a week with fish and 1 meal a week that is vegetarian. I try to buy as little meat as I need.

I love cooking things such as stir-fry and soup because I can get away with using little meat.

Plus, I use flyers to decide my meal planning and I shop around that.

[Tiki]

We go shopping once a month and spend about 150$ to 200$ depending on the month.. There are two of us, one hungry cat and 2 fish... I'm saving up for a larger freezer :D So then we can cut the cost Five days a week I eat for free at work, I freeze lunches for him.. For dinner he mainly eats canned stuff or frozen dinners I make...

[Terelda]

I spend $120-140 a week for all groceries and household items. There are 2 adults, 2 children (3 & 5) and 2 cats. My pantry is bursting at the seams..

Like others, I try to meal plan around the flyers, I shop NoFrills on Friday mornings so they're stocked, I buy as little meat as possible and I love me my coupons.

In addition, I bought those little Rubbermaid drink containers for my daughter's lunches, I have never bought juice boxes! She can use it all day and there's no waste. Also, I bought sm. freezer packs from the $ store so I can send milk or juice in her lunch and it stays cold. My dh takes a lunch everyday (usually leftovers from supper).

I make my own cheese sauce for pasta, we eat alot of fruits and veggies, make our own muffins, in general I try to stay away from prepackaged junk! Also instead of ordering out, I plan an easy meal or 2 per week in advance.

[cady]

We're 2 adults and 2 kids (3 and 1)

I use to spend around 160$ each week for food and household items but now that I'm shopping with flyers and coupons, I spend around 90$ a week for everything! DH is so impressed!! at first he was always complaining when I came home from the store with huge bags, but he got used to it and now he likes the way I shop!! each week I use around 40$ worth of coupons just for groceries and the cashiers hate me for that...

[travelgeek]

a little over a $100 per week for a single person. that includes a bottle of wine every few weeks or so and takes into account organic foods and that I don't use coupons very often.

[cady]

I try to buy as little meat as I need.

I do the same. I buy chicken breasts at cosco once a month and I also buy fish but no red meat unless we have a craving and it's on special!

I prefer to cook vegetarian meals because it's cheaper and better for our health! I've been able to make DH and the kids eat tofu and beans!!!

[vibrantflame]

I will be honest. I don't have a grocery budget. Right now, hubby is only working part time delivering pizza, so the amount of money we make each month fluctuates. However, I'm extremely frugal, so I am pretty positive I don't spend more then $300 a month to feed two adults (both of us eat more then a regular portion size), a young child, and a cat. This also includes diapers, wipes, cat litter, laundry needs, cosmetics, oral and personal hygiene products.....everything is included in that. Most days I even wonder how we do it.

We "splurge" on a Costco membership every year. We don't buy that much there, mostly just cat food, diapers and baby wipes, but the amount that we save just on those three items makes it worth it.

I buy no name products as much as possible. I usually only buy meat when it's on sale, and then I stock up. And I know what is a sale and what the grocery store is trying to pass off as a sale. For example, I rarely ever buy medium ground beef for more then .99/lb, even if it means waiting months to get my hands on some. You can often get bone-in chicken for .99/lb, and if you can figure out how to de-bone it, you can use that in all of your boneless chicken recipes.

Like a lot of others said, if you have the freezer room, make it ahead in bulk and freeze some. That way you don't have to eat the same thing for a week, and it also reduces the temptation of going out to eat on days when you're just too tired to cook. Soups, stews and chili's are pretty cheap things to make and they're filling too.

Buy fresh produce only when it's on sale. Don't buy more then you will use. I use a lot of frozen vegetables when my budget is tight and I can't afford much fresh stuff. You may lose some of the nutrition, but it's better then not eating vegetables at all.

Try to look for a budget dog or cat food that is still decent quality. For example, I buy the Kirkland brand cat food. It's actually really decent.....it contains no ash, pretty sure it's got no by-products and it's got lot's of good stuff that the fancier brands contain. But it's like $10 I think for a huge bag of it.

[ame555]

If only I could convince my husband you don't need meat at every meal!!

We average about $240.00 a month on groceries, (some months more if there are good deals and i stock up) I'd still like to reduce it a bit, there is just me and husband, baby who is still just on breastmilk, dog and a cat.

The dog and cat used to eat Wellness at $70 a bag, but now that I'm on maternity leave she's on the costco brand, so is the cat -- don't think it has affected them at all.
The only thing I find so expensive is fruit and veggies and meat if it's not on sale...
You guys mentioned some great tips!

[rachel1496]

If only I could convince my husband you don't need meat at every meal!!

Would he consider subbing eggs for meat? We do at least one egg meal a week, usually quiche or something similar. Eggs are usually under 2$ a dozen here and they can be used for so many different things.

I almost never buy fresh produce in the winter, with the exception of squash and potatoes. It's way too expensive and most times it's not great quality. Frozen or canned works just as well.

[Melody113]

Ok group, you are the best, brightest and most knowledgeable about this kind of stuff, and I need your help.

There are three adults living in my house. We all eat portions that are a little bigger than we should. Understanding that, I also want to add that we cannot buy regular milk as one of us has a lactose intolerance issue.

So here's the question: What do you spend on groceries for a month?

We are spending way too much - not including any fast food, I would estimate the range to be anywheres from $450-750 a month.

Recently, we have made efforts like going to the butcher to buy direct and in bulk, buying the sale items and stocking up, and trying to have set foods that we always eat that are not expensive to have available for us. We don't eat steak and lobster, much of this cost is dairy, fruit, vegetables and ... ??? I don't buy candy, cookies, etc... But it all adds up so quickly!

Your help is really needed, from advice, menu info, etc... Or is this normal for three adults to pay?? It seems too much!!!

Thanks in advance....

Before coupons and coming here in Sept we spent around $250 per week to feed to adults a child of 8 and a small dog who at that time never ate dog food as she eats what we do. Always has and before anyone starts there are no bags of kibble in the wild and I'm 51 so I'm pre dog food. That also included toiletries. $450 I can't even imagine as I just spent $100 on T-bones yesterday at Zehrs($5.99lb) and another $100 on skinless chicken breast as they were on for 1.99 a lb. That will last us likley 2 months for chicken and steak but we still need fish and such. I went $128 last month per week but realized this month I needed to restock meat so this month I'm back up to $800 which by the way is awesome as that also included xmas as I'm doing baskets. I think you are doing great I'm just glad to get mine to where T-bones are always an option and so are skinless chicken breast.

[Melody113]

I've been reading all of your post and I'm in awe WOW how do you do it? Last month alone although I spent $865.35 in groceries
$302.76 in cleaners
$662.70 in cosmetics
I used $837.55 coupons
$100 optimum rebate
$60 airmiles redeemed




Total Spent $833.26

Which devided by 4 is $208.32

Now in all fairness my house is puking out gifts and every cupboard is stocked it is all name brand and it is all high end. We entertain loads and hubby is impressed as lucky for me this is my down time and something that is fun. Around here apparently I have loads to learn but I love my steak and no meats are really not happening I coupon so I can afforf T-bones.

[Aliciax]

I live in a family of 4 (2 adults,2 kids) We spend around $450 a month. My daughter doesn't eat any meat with fat (cause she hates the texture, but gosh she's less than 90 pounds and 5'2!) So we only buy chicken breasts and steak for her and that adds up, and I can't stop buying them or else she'll loose alot of nutrition. I'm still not that stable with coupons since there are no coupons for produce . But I think we're doing well. SC is really helpful

[Maple]

My grocery budget is $400 a month for 5 (2 adults, 1 teenager, 2 small children).

I stock up on things we use when they are on sale, never buy meat at full price, meal plan, and cook from scratch. On most weeks I just buy a bunch of produce, milk, and eggs. Everything else I buy in bulk when it's the best price.