How much do you spend on food per month?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:About $100 a week, 2 tweens and 2 adults. I cook 95% of our meals so eating out is minimal. We eat a lot of produce which is one of the biggest costs each week.

You feed four people on $5,200 a year?? How??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About $100 a week, 2 tweens and 2 adults. I cook 95% of our meals so eating out is minimal. We eat a lot of produce which is one of the biggest costs each week.

You feed four people on $5,200 a year?? How??

Those kids must be starving. My tween eats $100 a week herself! We do buy organic dairy and some veggies, but even with Aldi’s I can’t make your math work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About $100 a week, 2 tweens and 2 adults. I cook 95% of our meals so eating out is minimal. We eat a lot of produce which is one of the biggest costs each week.

You feed four people on $5,200 a year?? How??

Those kids must be starving. My tween eats $100 a week herself! We do buy organic dairy and some veggies, but even with Aldi’s I can’t make your math work.

$100 is a small grocery shop for me. 3 paper bags TOPS.

2 adults one tween. We spend $1200 a month on everything. Trying to eat out less to get it below $1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Either you eat out/take out 3x a week OR you “cook a lot.” The two are mutually exclusive.

PP, some people cook a hot breakfast (eggs, pancakes, oatmeal etc) and or are home to cook a hot lunch (soup, sandwiches, etc). You don't know people's circumstances. If the poster does takeout 3x a week that could be referring to any takeout meal, not just dinners. Someone could absolutely do takeout three times per week, yet be cooking the vast majority of the other meals (and snacks)

[Anonymous]

I’d say between $200-300 per week including Starbucks and eating out. My son needs a high fiber diet to manage some GI issues and we consume masses of fresh berries, regardless of the season. I should look into getting a blender and trying tofu smoothies....

Family of 4....2 adults, 8 year old and an almost toddler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About $100 a week, 2 tweens and 2 adults. I cook 95% of our meals so eating out is minimal. We eat a lot of produce which is one of the biggest costs each week.

You feed four people on $5,200 a year?? How??

Those kids must be starving. My tween eats $100 a week herself! We do buy organic dairy and some veggies, but even with Aldi’s I can’t make your math work.

I do shop at aldi. Here might be an average week:

- chicken legs (thighs and legs as one piece) and/or a whole chicken (typically with a $2 o on it)
- pork chops (typically with a $2 off on it)
- edamame
- Cans of beans
- most of the fruit on sale and then some. This week I got avocado, watermelon, blueberries, mandarins and bananas).
-lettuce
-tomatoes
- broccoli and cauliflower
-mayo
-3 doz eggs
- yogurt
- frozen ravioli
- carrots
- celery
- onions
- bread
- bag of shrimp
- lunch meat
- milk

I buy meat and often Bread at aldi that has $2 off stickers on it and pop it in the freezer. I thaw it and it is a main protein (when meat) for about $3 with usually left overs. I often look at their special buys in their front freezer section. Two weeks ago they had tortellini for $.99 a bag frozen. That’s about 3.5 lunches (main meal) for one of my kids.

If I roast a chicken on day one then day 3 we have soup with bread for dinner from the chicken. We have enough for lunches the next day. If I make pork chops, the next day my son might have pork for lunch or a pork sandwich. 85% of the meat I buy at aldi is reduced in price and then frozen, thawed and cooked. That saves me usually 20-40% off the package.

I may also go to an Asian market for their produce - sometimes off their discount bin. This week it was strawberries ($1.19 each x 2) and plums, nectarines and peaches (discount bin - 6 for $1.50). I only do this about 1-2x a month if I’m driving by one.

I don’t ofte got to other stores but will if it is an amazing sale. A week ago giant had 1.99 cherries. We got a to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d say between $200-300 per week including Starbucks and eating out. My son needs a high fiber diet to manage some GI issues and we consume masses of fresh berries, regardless of the season. I should look into getting a blender and trying tofu smoothies....

Family of 4....2 adults, 8 year old and an almost toddler.

Also, if you're making smoothies, frozen berries. I live by them, as my son demands berries everyday and I want him to eat them for health but could never afford ALL fresh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About $100 a week, 2 tweens and 2 adults. I cook 95% of our meals so eating out is minimal. We eat a lot of produce which is one of the biggest costs each week.

You feed four people on $5,200 a year?? How??

Those kids must be starving. My tween eats $100 a week herself! We do buy organic dairy and some veggies, but even with Aldi’s I can’t make your math work.

I do shop at aldi. Here might be an average week:

- chicken legs (thighs and legs as one piece) and/or a whole chicken (typically with a $2 o on it)
- pork chops (typically with a $2 off on it)
- edamame
- Cans of beans
- most of the fruit on sale and then some. This week I got avocado, watermelon, blueberries, mandarins and bananas).
-lettuce
-tomatoes
- broccoli and cauliflower
-mayo
-3 doz eggs
- yogurt
- frozen ravioli
- carrots
- celery
- onions
- bread
- bag of shrimp
- lunch meat
- milk

I buy meat and often Bread at aldi that has $2 off stickers on it and pop it in the freezer. I thaw it and it is a main protein (when meat) for about $3 with usually left overs. I often look at their special buys in their front freezer section. Two weeks ago they had tortellini for $.99 a bag frozen. That’s about 3.5 lunches (main meal) for one of my kids.

If I roast a chicken on day one then day 3 we have soup with bread for dinner from the chicken. We have enough for lunches the next day. If I make pork chops, the next day my son might have pork for lunch or a pork sandwich. 85% of the meat I buy at aldi is reduced in price and then frozen, thawed and cooked. That saves me usually 20-40% off the package.

I may also go to an Asian market for their produce - sometimes off their discount bin. This week it was strawberries ($1.19 each x 2) and plums, nectarines and peaches (discount bin - 6 for $1.50). I only do this about 1-2x a month if I’m driving by one.

I don’t ofte got to other stores but will if it is an amazing sale. A week ago giant had 1.99 cherries. We got a to.

Ha - and no my kids aren’t starving n

[Anonymous]

My budget is $700 a month for food and household items (paper towels, plastic bags, laundry detergent, etc) for me and two kids (4 and 7). That includes buying lunch (about 1x a week), takeout (2x a month), dinner out or happy hour (1x a month). My younger kid gets lunch/snack at daycare. The kids stay at their dad’s 1 night a week plus alternate weekends so I don’t have to feed them those days.

I hardly ever hit $700 unless it’s a month when I’m hosting a party or we’re traveling and eating out a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About $100 a week, 2 tweens and 2 adults. I cook 95% of our meals so eating out is minimal. We eat a lot of produce which is one of the biggest costs each week.

You feed four people on $5,200 a year?? How??

Here is an example of tonight's dinner:

I had a package of chicken legs (thighs/legs attached) that came with 4 pieces in it from Aldi. It was $3.50 for the package. I used two pieces for dinner on Thursday and froze the other two. I defrosted them and two are for tonight's dinner. I put them in a large pot (like a paella pot) in the oven with 3 cut up carrots, 3 celery ribs cut up, 3 sweet potatoes cut up, 3 white potatoes cut up, garlic and a carton of bone broth from aldi that was $1 (discount) + water. The bolded veggies were in sold like $.99 for carrots, $1.29 for celery, etc. I got a bread (bagette) there that had a sticker on it for $1 off and it was originally $.1.69. Dinner of warm bagette. When it finishes, I'll take the skin off, take the chicken off the bone and we'll have soup with bread for dinner. There will be plenty left over and this will be my son's school lunch for Monday and Tuesday.

I'm actually what most people would consider wealthy, but I don't just go into a grocery store and buy whatever I feel like buying. I try to steer towards items that are on sale, even discounted so long as still fresh. Grapes are on sale this week? You're eating grapes. You like raspberries at $3.99 a carton...you'll have to wait on that. I have plenty of money for the "raspberries" in life that aren't on sale, but I HAVE that plenty of money because I've alway watched what I spent. I'll go to Aldi when possible. So, yes, I have been watching my receipts for awhile and it is absolutely around $100 a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About $100 a week, 2 tweens and 2 adults. I cook 95% of our meals so eating out is minimal. We eat a lot of produce which is one of the biggest costs each week.

You feed four people on $5,200 a year?? How??

Here is an example of tonight's dinner:

I had a package of chicken legs (thighs/legs attached) that came with 4 pieces in it from Aldi. It was $3.50 for the package. I used two pieces for dinner on Thursday and froze the other two. I defrosted them and two are for tonight's dinner. I put them in a large pot (like a paella pot) in the oven with 3 cut up carrots, 3 celery ribs cut up, 3 sweet potatoes cut up, 3 white potatoes cut up, garlic and a carton of bone broth from aldi that was $1 (discount) + water. The bolded veggies were in sold like $.99 for carrots, $1.29 for celery, etc. I got a bread (bagette) there that had a sticker on it for $1 off and it was originally $.1.69. Dinner of warm bagette. When it finishes, I'll take the skin off, take the chicken off the bone and we'll have soup with bread for dinner. There will be plenty left over and this will be my son's school lunch for Monday and Tuesday.

I'm actually what most people would consider wealthy, but I don't just go into a grocery store and buy whatever I feel like buying. I try to steer towards items that are on sale, even discounted so long as still fresh. Grapes are on sale this week? You're eating grapes. You like raspberries at $3.99 a carton...you'll have to wait on that. I have plenty of money for the "raspberries" in life that aren't on sale, but I HAVE that plenty of money because I've alway watched what I spent. I'll go to Aldi when possible. So, yes, I have been watching my receipts for awhile and it is absolutely around $100 a week.

That is NOT enough chicken for two adults and 2 tweens. Stop it!

[Anonymous]

I am fairly thrifty and mostly cook vegetarian meals at home, and our groceries cost in the region of $800-$1000/month. I just don't believe these $100/week posters.

[Anonymous]

We spend $1000-1200/month on groceries and maybe $50 eating out max, because we very, very rarely eat out and make our coffee at home.

2 adults, 2 ES kids, we buy what we want (don’t plan ahead to shop sales or run to multiple stores). We also spend a good chunk of that budget on fresh produce because we like a variety and my kids eat fruit like it’s never going to be available again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:About $100 a week, 2 tweens and 2 adults. I cook 95% of our meals so eating out is minimal. We eat a lot of produce which is one of the biggest costs each week.

You feed four people on $5,200 a year?? How??

Here is an example of tonight's dinner:

I had a package of chicken legs (thighs/legs attached) that came with 4 pieces in it from Aldi. It was $3.50 for the package. I used two pieces for dinner on Thursday and froze the other two. I defrosted them and two are for tonight's dinner. I put them in a large pot (like a paella pot) in the oven with 3 cut up carrots, 3 celery ribs cut up, 3 sweet potatoes cut up, 3 white potatoes cut up, garlic and a carton of bone broth from aldi that was $1 (discount) + water. The bolded veggies were in sold like $.99 for carrots, $1.29 for celery, etc. I got a bread (bagette) there that had a sticker on it for $1 off and it was originally $.1.69. Dinner of warm bagette. When it finishes, I'll take the skin off, take the chicken off the bone and we'll have soup with bread for dinner. There will be plenty left over and this will be my son's school lunch for Monday and Tuesday.

I'm actually what most people would consider wealthy, but I don't just go into a grocery store and buy whatever I feel like buying. I try to steer towards items that are on sale, even discounted so long as still fresh. Grapes are on sale this week? You're eating grapes. You like raspberries at $3.99 a carton...you'll have to wait on that. I have plenty of money for the "raspberries" in life that aren't on sale, but I HAVE that plenty of money because I've alway watched what I spent. I'll go to Aldi when possible. So, yes, I have been watching my receipts for awhile and it is absolutely around $100 a week.

That is NOT enough chicken for two adults and 2 tweens. Stop it!

+1

Previous poster, please admit that you all must be starving if this is truly what you do.

[Anonymous]

1 chicken leg (thigh plus drumstick) is about 5 ounces of meat.

PP's soup menu would add up to:

10 oz chicken
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
3 sweet potatoes
3 white potatoes
chicken fat
baguette
(probably some butter?)

I did a recipe analysis of this and divided by 4 it comes to 670 calories per serving, not counting any butter for the baguette or any drinks.

Protein is 27 g per serving which seems adequate for a dinner?

Fiber is only 10 g. Probably add some seasonal fruit on the side.