Grocery Budget
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I just reviewed my spending at Harris Teeter for the month of Dec. Holy crap! Something has to change. I spent approximately $750. That's for 2 adults, a 5 yr old, and a 2 yr old. That doesn't include diapers or paper goods. It doesn't include beer or wine.
Can others chime in with what your montly grocery budget is...food only please. I make breakfast at home everyday and pack lunches for everyone. Dinner gets made at home about 3-4 times a week. |
Anonymous
|
Hi-
I JUST did this with my boyfriend. We don't have kids, so I can't accurately give you an estimation that you can relate to. But, I can tell you we've been on a very strict budget and have really had to tone down the spending. We realized we were spending a ridiculous amount on food. It's mostly my fault- I go to the store for one thing, and leave with 3 bags of sun chips, 2 bags of bagels (they were on sale!), and then 5 other things that were either on sale and I had to get them or just things we "need" aka don't really need. We went the other day and spent $160 on a BIG food shopping. Our goal is to do this every other week - so $80/week roughly. For two us, that should be very do-able. We never eat out and pack our lunches for work. We drink almond milk, which lasts a lot longer than cows milk, buy 2 breads (freeze one) because there's always some on sale, and don't have much brand loyalty - so we go with sales, coupons, generic brands - whatever is cheapest. We tried to be organic/cagefree/etc but it adds up so much! So, we buy a lot of frozen veggies, meats that are on sale, etc. |
Anonymous
| Approx $800: 2 adults, 2 kids (10, 8). And, We eat most breakfasts at home, 5-6 dinners at home, but we all eat lunches out. We also spend another $400 a month on paper goods, dog food, wine, and other sundries at Costco. Ridiculous, I know! We do entertain a lot. |
Anonymous
| We spend about $75-$100 per week for two adult and a 2yo. Includes diapers and toiletries, etc. |
Anonymous
| About $140 a week for 2 adults and 2 yo. 2yo has lunch at daycare, but we make all other lunches, all breakfasts, and 5-6 dinners a week. No paper goods, no alcohol, no coffee included in that total. |
Anonymous
|
$500 - 2 adults, 1 kid aged 3. We do not eat any conventional meat or milk, only organic hormone and pesticide free. We eat a lot of vegetarian meals to cut down on the cost of buying meat. I am a meticulous meal planner/budget tracker to make sure I don't waste food or buy things I don't need. I shop at Giant and Whole Foods.
The key is the meal planning/kitchen inventory/budget tracking system. Otherwise we end up buying things willy nilly and wasting them. I only plan for 5 meals a week b/c I know inevitably we will end up eating out or at a friend's house at least a couple of times a week. |
Anonymous
|
12:35 - I am the poster above where it's just me and the boyfriend, no kids... How do you meal plan for the week? I know many people do this, but I haven't figured it out yet and I know it would save us money.
We've been buying meats on sale - ground turkey, chicken breasts, sometimes sausages. And mostly frozen veggies (stir fry mixes, chopped pepper/onions). We keep lots of pastas and canned foods as well. I know, cringe-worthy, but it's for the short term since we have very little money. |
Anonymous
|
12:35 - How do you meal plan?
I haven't yet figured out the secret, and we end up with willy nilly snacking, dinners on a whim, nothning planned. But I know it would save us time and money to have it better planned out. It's just me and the boyfriend (I posted above), and he brings his lunch to work (I eat at work), and often takes leftovers. So, our meals are for 2 people (so we'd cook enough for 4 people -leftovers - lunch the next day and possibly dinner). We are on a tight budget so have been purchasing meats on sale (ground turkey, chicken breasts, sometimes sausages), frozen veggies (stir fry mixes, chopped peppers/onions, spinach etc) and have lots of canned goods and pastas. |
Anonymous
| Oops! Sorry for the double post. It didn't show as going through the first time |
Anonymous
|
I struggle monthly to keep our food budget to $1K a month for a family of 4. That includes eating out, but that happens very rarely (maybe dinner 2x a month and a couple < $10 lunches).
Its high because, I cook almost everything from scratch, we host often, and we keep kosher (meat, chicken, and cheese are at least 30-50% higher). However, I buy only on sale (stocking up when possible), I used coupons, and often go to several stores to get the best deals. I wish we could get away with $750 a month. |
Anonymous
| Two adults, 3 yo and 8 month old. I shoot for $150/week, not including diapers/paper products. Sometimes I can do $120 for the week. We eat breakfast and lunch at home daily, and I cook 3 dinners a week (we eat in 6 nights/week, so the other nights are leftovers from the 3 meals I cooked). I also make all my own baby food. |
Anonymous
OP indicates dinner out 3-4 times per week. There's the extra $250. You guys are way overfeeding your kids. |
Anonymous
| I find that Harris teeter is about 20-30% more expensive then safeway or giant for the same conventional stuff. I would only pay a premium for wf or wegmans. ditch Harris teeter |
Anonymous
How am I overfeeding my kids? |
Anonymous
I was kidding. Assuming $1,000 is the food-only portion of your bill, you're doing very well IMO. Three meals a day for a family of four is 360 meals per month, divided by $1,000 equals under three dollars per person per meal, average. And you host, too, so there you go. |