My family is in the process of cutting down food costs (and all costs, since we're going down to one income soon). This month we're tracking all expenses. Looks like we'll be at around $500 for food groceries. We're a family of four with the kids being 1 and 3. We have not eaten out, so the food groceries are the whole food cost. We have tracked non food grocery items separately.

We like to eat organic and pasture raised animal foods. Eggs are the cheapest way to go for that kind of thing. Even at almost $4 a dozen, that's a lot of good food for the money.

I roast an organic chicken about every other week. After picking all the meat off the carcass, I make stock. This is a great way to enrich other foods we're eating. A very simple soup, made with rich homemade stock, can be truly fabulous.

OP here again, DH is allergic to beans, nuts and I'm allergic to fish and shellfish, so we're not really looking into eliminating meat from our menu. Any other suggestions?

^^pp here - we eat almost no meat.

Are the people who only spend $600 a month counting only food or all items you buy at the grocery store? I spend about $1,500 a month at the grocery store, but this includes toiletries, diapers, cleaning supplies, cat food, etc.... We are a family of four.

In reviewing our own budget, we also realized that our food expenses were quite high, and one of the steps we took was to limit the amount of meat intake. I find that we don't lack for satisfying meals without it, and it definitely helped our budget (now down to about 85/week for fam of 3). We also have a small fridge/freezer combo, so we try to limit long-term storage. In a way, it helps because it forces us to use up everything (nothing is hidden out of sight) and to limit how much we buy at one time. One thing that has helped me immensely with budget and time constraints is doing a bit of meal planning, so I can use up ingredients and not feel too stressed every night coming up with something (also, nce you plan it, you're more likely to follow through with the cooking). We try as much as possible to buy in season, and I find that to be cheaper than buying frozen or canned in most instances. The exceptions are beans, which I buy in cases whenever they are on sale (a PP asked what to do with beans; I make black bean soup, use chickpeas and lentils to make a stew; all sorts of curries, though my favorite is chickpea with spinach) and canned tomatoes, which I found to be very versatile (use them for sauces, curries, poaching eggs in them, several casseroles - lots of stuff).

We are a family of 3 and spend $600-650 a month on food only, and we are pretty careful. Organic dairy and most produce but not organic meat. My husband is allergic to almost all legumes, though, so no beans for him.

Anonymous wrote:our budget is $500 for a family of 3. we don't cook a lot of meat and buy mostly fruits, veggies, beans, milk products and eggs. we limit packaged foods to the necessities (hummus, crackers to eat with cheese, peanut butter, oatmeal, etc). we also shop at trader joes pretty exclusively, which we find to be much cheaper. for staples (rice, nuts, beans) we hit the asian grocery stores for better prices. reducing meat intake is IMO healthier and cheaper.

What dishes do you make using beans? (I do beans/rice, burritos, sloppy joes)

OP, that actually sounds quite reasonable to me.

We spend about $200/week and we eat very well. Everything fresh and home cooked. I use lots of specialty ingredients.

We spend about $150-200/week (family of 4). For meatless dinners, we do a lot of quinoa based salads. I'm sure we could reduce the cost, but with 2 working parents, right now it is more about convenience.

OP here: We spend around $600 on groceries a month on a good month.

our budget is $500 for a family of 3. we don't cook a lot of meat and buy mostly fruits, veggies, beans, milk products and eggs. we limit packaged foods to the necessities (hummus, crackers to eat with cheese, peanut butter, oatmeal, etc). we also shop at trader joes pretty exclusively, which we find to be much cheaper. for staples (rice, nuts, beans) we hit the asian grocery stores for better prices. reducing meat intake is IMO healthier and cheaper.

Since meat is so expensive, you could cut that out more. Depending on how frequently you eat meat.

How much are you spending?

We spend about $900 for a family of four including one teenage boy. I think that's a lot but havne't been able to get it much lower -- for months when I'm very careful and make everything I can from scratch, it's still around $800. This includes packed lunches for the kids and lunch at home for me but not lunch for DH, who insists on buying it every day.

We are a family of 3, soon to be 4. We have been looking for ways to lower our expenses and realized we have been spending way too much money on groceries. We do have a Costco membership, but a tiny fridge and can't possibly fit tons of frozen meat in it. We are going to get a horizontal freezer in the future, but right now we have nowhere to put it (freezer and laundry will go to the basement once the electrical/plumbing part is done.)
So I'm wondering if we actually do spend too much or if it's normal and we just need to suck it up for now. How many people do you have in your house and how much do you spend a month? Any saving tips you can give would be appreciated.

If it helps, both of us work full time and pack lunch. I pack breakfast, as well as lunch for DD. We have dinner at home daily and don't mind having "quick dinners" a couple of times a week (like hotdogs, for example.) I am the designated cook and I not only work till 5, I also have to get DD from school and make dinner. I also take online classes, so I avoid spending so much time/energy on cooking, mostly putting something in the crockpot in the morning and making quick sides when I get home (from frozen vegetables or boxed rice/mashed potatoes.)