Which USDA Food Plan Level does your family fall under and where do you shop?

[Anonymous]

https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/media/file/CostofFoodFeb2022LowModLib.pdf

We are a family of 3 adults, 2 of us are chefs (savory and pastry), the other is a 6'5" male. We have an advantage when it comes to food costs, because we cook everything from scratch and have access to discount stores such as restaurant and foodservice stores, the military commissary, and Costco. We spend about $900 a month, which is the moderate plan, but we eat at a very high level.

[Anonymous]

Liberal, apparently. One senior, two adults, and a toddler. Spend about $1500/month but that includes alcohol and home supplies. Shop mostly at Costco, with Safeway trips to fill the gap and a CSA every summer.

[Anonymous]

1 adult woman and one tween. We spend about the amount of the low-cost plan which includes both weekly groceries and a good amount of stocking up. I feel like we eat good quality food, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. I do shop primarily at a discount grocery store, buy meat at a not-fancy butcher. I live in an immigrant neighborhood where people value good quality and good prices. I know how to cook and make a lot from scratch.

[Anonymous]

Shouldn't these prices reflect cost of living? We're moderate, but that's because we are vegetarian and buy most of our legumes/grains dry and in bulk.

[Anonymous]

Never looked at that, but I guess me and my husband are low cost without coffee included (I buy my coffee in bulk separately, and I think I might spend another $45 a month on that, which pushes us into moderate?). I don't buy much prepared food, mostly shop produce, meats, eggs, dairy, nuts. Our pre-made foods are cookies, tortillas, tortilla chips and hummus. I get those all at Lidl. I incorporate sale items regularly into my planning. I write out our meals and what I need before I go to the store. We eat all of our leftovers almost without fail - I incorporate them into another meal or freeze for later. Example last week - roast a chicken for dinner one night, make a chicken salad with salad with leftover night two, night three make a chicken stock with all of the bones, then throw in leftover vegetables and meats for a soup, etc.

[Anonymous]

We save a fortune by eating mostly vegan.

[Anonymous]

Ha we are on the low cost plan apparently, family of 3. I also love to cook and bake and make most things from scratch. We primarily shop at Giant, with occasional trips to Trader Joes, Costco, Aldi, Whole Foods and Wegmans.

[Anonymous]

We are probably moderate but my spending is very variable because I stock up on sales. Also, the month I go to an extra store like TJ, it will be higher.

[Anonymous]

Liberal. 5 of us. We shop at mainly Trader Joe's and our local organic/natural foods market. Occasionally my DH will go to a big chain grocery store when they have a good sale (like blackberries for $1)

[Anonymous]

Probably moderate, but that surprises me. I feel like we spend a ton on groceries.

[Anonymous]

Family of 5 (3 elementary kids) and we have a solidly low-cost budget but eat really well. We have a CSA, I cook 5 nights a week from scratch. We splurge on special ingredients and always have a nice cheese or two around. I bake weekly.

[Anonymous]

Family of 4, 2 adults and 2 elementary aged kids. We're solidly in the moderate cost category. We cook at home 5-6x a week. Meat comes primarily from our CSA. We shop at Whole Foods (do watch for sale items and have prime membership for additional savings), Trader Joe's, and Lidl.

[Anonymous]

Family of 4 (boys 10 and 12). I'm surprised that we're moderate. We try to rein in food costs but they always feel like they're getting away from us. Nope, we're still in the moderate range. We try meal planning, buying stuff on sale and freezing it, etc.

We shop at mid-tier chain grocery stores, a reasonable price organic market, and Costco and Walmart on occasion.

[Anonymous]

Probably low cost, but we also do more than our fair share of carry out for dinners a few nights a week.

I shop primarily at Aldi and Lidl. Rare occasion Costco. Very rare occasion Safeway or another expensive one. Will probably do more Amazon when the store opens near us. I also order cereal and other stuff from Walmart or Amazon.

[Anonymous]

Family of four. Make/cook all meals from home. Very little prepared or processed food. Mostly vegetarian diet. Shop at Whole Foods or directly from local farms. Definitely in the middle or possibly high group.