DH and I spend about 1k on groceries a month

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prepared food is cheap. Frozen food is cheap. Anything in a can or a jar or that contains tons of preservatives is cheaper, some aren't healthy.
If that's what you are eating, of course you can spend even less than $500 a month for a family of 5.
Fresh food and produce are expensive. For example, we never buy tomato in a jar or can. We only buy fresh tomatoes and grind it if needed.
Same with beans. We buy fresh beans and cook it in a pressure cooker. Beans in a can are much cheaper but unhealthy. We don't buy it.

Most people here that think $1k for a family of 2 is too much are probably not eating fresh.

There is an element of truth to this. But there is really no nutritional difference between fresh and frozen veggies. You may think it tastes different (and I agree), but health wise, there's really no difference.

And you have to pick and choose. For a Sunday gravy that's on the stove for 3-4 hours, the difference in taste between canned tomatoes and fresh is negligible. But the savings is not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What on earth are you buying? We shop at WF (supplemented by Costco for things that aren't available at WF) and spend $500/mo but are a family of 4.

Now tell us how often you eat out/takeaway. Because I fail to believe you're feeding four people three Whole Foods meals a day that each cost less than $2.

I made spaghetti once and made the mistake of buying everything at WF. That one meal cost $86.

Because you bought a $70 bottle of wine.

Spaghetti is nothing but pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, a few dried herbs and salt and pepper.

Add meat (beef/sausage/veal) and it's a lot more expensive. Particularly at WF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What on earth are you buying? We shop at WF (supplemented by Costco for things that aren't available at WF) and spend $500/mo but are a family of 4.

Now tell us how often you eat out/takeaway. Because I fail to believe you're feeding four people three Whole Foods meals a day that each cost less than $2.

I made spaghetti once and made the mistake of buying everything at WF. That one meal cost $86.

Because you bought a $70 bottle of wine.

Spaghetti is nothing but pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, a few dried herbs and salt and pepper.

Add meat (beef/sausage/veal) and it's a lot more expensive. Particularly at WF.

Not $70 expensive. A pound of ground beef is $5.99/pound there. $9.99 if you want their leanest grassfed. The most expensive bottle of sauce is also $10 though there are $2.99 options. Pasta also ranges from $2-7. Still nowhere near $70 even if you add a salad kit, dressing, and a loaf of bread or upgrade to veal which is not even common in spaghetti.

[Anonymous]

Let’s make $70 pasta. I’ll start with squid ink fresh pasta. $$$ Adding tiger prawns. I’m going to sauté those in saffron and garlic butter and olive oil. Add in some clams and scallops. Need some Sauternes to steam them in. Meyer lemons to squeeze on top. Fresh parsley. I’m over $70.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s make $70 pasta. I’ll start with squid ink fresh pasta. $$$ Adding tiger prawns. I’m going to sauté those in saffron and garlic butter and olive oil. Add in some clams and scallops. Need some Sauternes to steam them in. Meyer lemons to squeeze on top. Fresh parsley. I’m over $70.

The remaining $16 is for the sides. Debating between artichokes and a fresh salad with pomegranate. If I buy the prepared pomegranate, I’m over budget though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s make $70 pasta. I’ll start with squid ink fresh pasta. $$$ Adding tiger prawns. I’m going to sauté those in saffron and garlic butter and olive oil. Add in some clams and scallops. Need some Sauternes to steam them in. Meyer lemons to squeeze on top. Fresh parsley. I’m over $70.

Pasta - $10 ( I couldn't find fresh so this could be higher)
Tiger Prawns - $40
Saffron - $10 (this is a lowball honestly)
Garlic butter - $7
Clams - $5
Scallops - $19
Sauternes - $65
Meyer Lemons - $4
Parsley - $1.50

Total: $171.50

That is an expensive plate of pasta!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prepared food is cheap. Frozen food is cheap. Anything in a can or a jar or that contains tons of preservatives is cheaper, some aren't healthy.
If that's what you are eating, of course you can spend even less than $500 a month for a family of 5.
Fresh food and produce are expensive. For example, we never buy tomato in a jar or can. We only buy fresh tomatoes and grind it if needed.
Same with beans. We buy fresh beans and cook it in a pressure cooker. Beans in a can are much cheaper but unhealthy. We don't buy it.

Most people here that think $1k for a family of 2 is too much are probably not eating fresh.

You're generally correct, but the bolded is complete nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s make $70 pasta. I’ll start with squid ink fresh pasta. $$$ Adding tiger prawns. I’m going to sauté those in saffron and garlic butter and olive oil. Add in some clams and scallops. Need some Sauternes to steam them in. Meyer lemons to squeeze on top. Fresh parsley. I’m over $70.

The remaining $16 is for the sides. Debating between artichokes and a fresh salad with pomegranate. If I buy the prepared pomegranate, I’m over budget though.

OK but that's not really "I made spaghetti from WF and it cost me $96" - the spaghetti there is really quite beside the point. You made a seafood dish with the most expensive possible ingredients. Where could you get those exact ingredients for less than WF and how much would they cost you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Prepared food is cheap. Frozen food is cheap. Anything in a can or a jar or that contains tons of preservatives is cheaper, some aren't healthy.
If that's what you are eating, of course you can spend even less than $500 a month for a family of 5.
Fresh food and produce are expensive. For example, we never buy tomato in a jar or can. We only buy fresh tomatoes and grind it if needed.
Same with beans. We buy fresh beans and cook it in a pressure cooker. Beans in a can are much cheaper but unhealthy. We don't buy it.

Most people here that think $1k for a family of 2 is too much are probably not eating fresh.

You're generally correct, but the bolded is complete nonsense.

+1 And frozen produce is better quality health-wise and often taste wise than produce out of season or shipped from long distances (because it has to be picked before ripening).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prepared food is cheap. Frozen food is cheap. Anything in a can or a jar or that contains tons of preservatives is cheaper, some aren't healthy.
If that's what you are eating, of course you can spend even less than $500 a month for a family of 5.
Fresh food and produce are expensive. For example, we never buy tomato in a jar or can. We only buy fresh tomatoes and grind it if needed.
Same with beans. We buy fresh beans and cook it in a pressure cooker. Beans in a can are much cheaper but unhealthy. We don't buy it.

Most people here that think $1k for a family of 2 is too much are probably not eating fresh.

I would sincerely like more information on dried beans being healthier than canned. Maybe I need to switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do people spend on groceries? I easily spend close to 1000/month on myself, my spouse and our 3 year old.

I spend around $300/month for myself and a teen boy at the grocery store. I also spend about $100/month for his school lunches. I might get takeout or eat at a restaurant once a week so maybe $40ish/week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do people spend on groceries? I easily spend close to 1000/month on myself, my spouse and our 3 year old.

I spend around $300/month for myself and a teen boy at the grocery store. I also spend about $100/month for his school lunches. I might get takeout or eat at a restaurant once a week so maybe $40ish/week.

Dinner for $40 with a teen boy is not at a "restaurant." It's at "Chipotle."

[Anonymous]

Family of four with 1 on the way. Our grocery bill at WF has shot up to about 450 a month from a steady 300 in years prior.
The difference is partially due to inflation, partly due to the fact that I am sending two school lunches every day now, and also I have gestational diabetes, so I'm having to buy a bunch of weird cauliflower substitutes and specialized foods for my meals.

It's a painful cost, but so far we aren't switching from whole foods because a) it's very close and convenient, b) the produce and meats are the best quality near me, c) i don't have time to make multiple trips to different stores, and d) the selection of organic food is more than anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

That's great OP!

Family of 3, and inflation has brought our groceries up this year from 275/week to 400/week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Family of four with 1 on the way. Our grocery bill at WF has shot up to about 450 a month from a steady 300 in years prior.
The difference is partially due to inflation, partly due to the fact that I am sending two school lunches every day now, and also I have gestational diabetes, so I'm having to buy a bunch of weird cauliflower substitutes and specialized foods for my meals.

It's a painful cost, but so far we aren't switching from whole foods because a) it's very close and convenient, b) the produce and meats are the best quality near me, c) i don't have time to make multiple trips to different stores, and d) the selection of organic food is more than anywhere else.

A month? or a week? If a month, you must eat carryout 6 days a week.