Tell me about your grocery / food budget - family of 4 edition

[Anonymous]

This is how I keep myself on track: https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/Cost_Of_Food_Low_Moderate_Liberal_Food_Plans_February_2024.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 2 kids, 14 and 11. They eat a lot. We have a HHI of about 300k, and we spend about $1500 month on groceries and about $500-800 on take out, restaurants, and date nights.

We shop at Lidl, Costco, and Giant. Lots of fruits, vegetables, snack food, meat and stuff for lunches.

We're in a similar boat (income and family size). We spend about $1,000-$1,200 on groceries and about $200-$500 eating out.

Wen the to go with less expensive meat (chicken, ground beef) and less steak, shellfish, etc. We also try to eat out only when necessary for schedule reasons or as an occasional treat or celebration.

Family of 4-
We go to Harris Teeter and we spend about $200-250 a week.
eating out about $500-600 a month, sometimes my kids friends will come so we invite them. We do drink soda, and apps.

Our household income is about 125k. We save about $500 a month, just wish we could save more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First figure out what you are paying. Then if you want to reduce - cut back say 10% each month for a certain period of months.

Do you try 10% for a few months? Then reassess and see if you can cut back further?

[Anonymous]

Aldi has been a good savings for us. After just 8 weeks, we're ahead of our grocery budget by $300.

We started comparing prices and what a single grocery order looks like if we shopped at Aldi versus Wegmans (where we have shopped for years). The first receipt was a $37.11 Aldi order that would have cost $61.58 at Wegmans. That totally motivated us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aldi has been a good savings for us. After just 8 weeks, we're ahead of our grocery budget by $300.

We started comparing prices and what a single grocery order looks like if we shopped at Aldi versus Wegmans (where we have shopped for years). The first receipt was a $37.11 Aldi order that would have cost $61.58 at Wegmans. That totally motivated us.

I also shop at Aldi's once a month or so for the savings but you just can't compare the selection and the quality to a Wegman's or a Whole Foods. It's not an every week grocery store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is how I keep myself on track: https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/Cost_Of_Food_Low_Moderate_Liberal_Food_Plans_February_2024.pdf

This has been remarkably accurate for us. We've tracked all our spending with YNAB going back six years now (I'm pretty skeptical of anyone estimating their expenses for any category if they're not actually tracking) and for the past three years we've been at 111/108/110% of the Moderate Plan and 89/87/89% of the Liberal Plan.

It's wild how much kids eat. Our twins are just about one and the Liberal plan says they'll eat about $5,100 worth of food this year alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aldi has been a good savings for us. After just 8 weeks, we're ahead of our grocery budget by $300.

We started comparing prices and what a single grocery order looks like if we shopped at Aldi versus Wegmans (where we have shopped for years). The first receipt was a $37.11 Aldi order that would have cost $61.58 at Wegmans. That totally motivated us.

I also shop at Aldi's once a month or so for the savings but you just can't compare the selection and the quality to a Wegman's or a Whole Foods. It's not an every week grocery store.

The produce is equally good, but if you don’t see it, you don’t see it. 8 days ago they had honey mangoes on sale for .39 each at Aldi. They were $1.15 each at WF and $1 each at Amazon grocery. I bought about 30 and put them in the fridge when they ripened. I still have about 10 left. They are delicious. I thought of this thread when I bought them (as I did when I got cheap strawberries at Lidl yesterday).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aldi has been a good savings for us. After just 8 weeks, we're ahead of our grocery budget by $300.

We started comparing prices and what a single grocery order looks like if we shopped at Aldi versus Wegmans (where we have shopped for years). The first receipt was a $37.11 Aldi order that would have cost $61.58 at Wegmans. That totally motivated us.

I also shop at Aldi's once a month or so for the savings but you just can't compare the selection and the quality to a Wegman's or a Whole Foods. It's not an every week grocery store.

The produce is equally good, but if you don’t see it, you don’t see it. 8 days ago they had honey mangoes on sale for .39 each at Aldi. They were $1.15 each at WF and $1 each at Amazon grocery. I bought about 30 and put them in the fridge when they ripened. I still have about 10 left. They are delicious. I thought of this thread when I bought them (as I did when I got cheap strawberries at Lidl yesterday).

Bought a delicious Aldi Pineapple for 1.76 yesterday but passed on raspberries that were not so red.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aldi has been a good savings for us. After just 8 weeks, we're ahead of our grocery budget by $300.

We started comparing prices and what a single grocery order looks like if we shopped at Aldi versus Wegmans (where we have shopped for years). The first receipt was a $37.11 Aldi order that would have cost $61.58 at Wegmans. That totally motivated us.

I also shop at Aldi's once a month or so for the savings but you just can't compare the selection and the quality to a Wegman's or a Whole Foods. It's not an every week grocery store.

The produce is equally good, but if you don’t see it, you don’t see it. 8 days ago they had honey mangoes on sale for .39 each at Aldi. They were $1.15 each at WF and $1 each at Amazon grocery. I bought about 30 and put them in the fridge when they ripened. I still have about 10 left. They are delicious. I thought of this thread when I bought them (as I did when I got cheap strawberries at Lidl yesterday).

The produce is "not equally good." If it's seasonal and you're in the store at the right time, you can get pretty decent fresh tasting items. But it is definitely, unquestionably, not as reliably good as WF's produce. I go to Lidls and even Aldis at time and you can get that one produce that happens to be in stock that is ripe and good enough, but the rest is bland/close to expiration/decaying/going off within days. Which is the issue with shopping at Aldi's or Lidl's. They are not reliable for weekly shops unless you are broke and you cook based on what is available that week. They make their money by getting produce pretty close to their sell-by date and reselling to customers, hopefully quickly before it goes off.

[Anonymous]

^^ my strawberries from LIDL from 8 days ago are still great (fridge-kept). My mangoes from aldi are now 17 days old and are delicious (frige-kept after ripened).

But you do you. 💰 🪽

[Anonymous]

Not sure how much we spend on food each month. Don’t really keep track of it, but probably $2,000 a month for two people including grocery’s and restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ my strawberries from LIDL from 8 days ago are still great (fridge-kept). My mangoes from aldi are now 17 days old and are delicious (frige-kept after ripened).

But you do you. 💰 🪽

I've lost plenty of money trying to buy produce from Aldis and Lidls and having to toss them out. Boxes of spinach going manky after a day or two. Berries going moldy. Apples that were mushy and tasteless. But you do you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ my strawberries from LIDL from 8 days ago are still great (fridge-kept). My mangoes from aldi are now 17 days old and are delicious (frige-kept after ripened).

But you do you. 💰 🪽

I've lost plenty of money trying to buy produce from Aldis and Lidls and having to toss them out. Boxes of spinach going manky after a day or two. Berries going moldy. Apples that were mushy and tasteless. But you do you.

Then you don’t take advantage of their double money back guarantee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ my strawberries from LIDL from 8 days ago are still great (fridge-kept). My mangoes from aldi are now 17 days old and are delicious (frige-kept after ripened).

But you do you. 💰 🪽

I've lost plenty of money trying to buy produce from Aldis and Lidls and having to toss them out. Boxes of spinach going manky after a day or two. Berries going moldy. Apples that were mushy and tasteless. But you do you.

Then you don’t take advantage of their double money back guarantee.

Well, no, I didn't know they had it. Will remember. I still stop at Lidls every other week for a few items. Some of their offerings are excellent value. Just not their produce. I'm not impressed by strawberries that sit in your fridge for eight days because it means they can't be that great to start with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ my strawberries from LIDL from 8 days ago are still great (fridge-kept). My mangoes from aldi are now 17 days old and are delicious (frige-kept after ripened).

But you do you. 💰 🪽

I've lost plenty of money trying to buy produce from Aldis and Lidls and having to toss them out. Boxes of spinach going manky after a day or two. Berries going moldy. Apples that were mushy and tasteless. But you do you.

Then you don’t take advantage of their double money back guarantee.

Well, no, I didn't know they had it. Will remember. I still stop at Lidls every other week for a few items. Some of their offerings are excellent value. Just not their produce. I'm not impressed by strawberries that sit in your fridge for eight days because it means they can't be that great to start with.

You’re wrong…they are excellent but I made sure to check carefully for no wet ones .