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.

I don't believe this at all.

Ok?

But I recently went through our last 6 months of grocery spending and this is what it came out to every month.

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.

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 do too. Spouse, me, 6 yo and 3 yo. Plus baby but I'm not even counting her purees I have shipped fresh to me.

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.

I don't believe this at all.

I think we’re closer to $2000/month with 2 adults, 2 teens…..

We spend a huge amount on groceries too - 3 adults and a toddler, usually around $1200-1500/month. But it includes alcohol, diapers, vitamins, cleaning supplies, paper goods, basically everything you get at the grocery store/Costco that isn't food. And we eat a lot of meat.

It used to bother me to see it added up, but now I just practice gratitude that we can spend it without affecting our other goals and focus on reducing food waste.

Eh I don't think you are spending that much, especially if the total include wine or beer.

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

Same for 2 parents and an 11 year old.

Anonymous wrote:It’s hard to get a good response here because depending on how people account for groceries varies widely. Are you including beer/wine in grocery costs? Does grocery cost include other things other than just food? People account for “groceries” different so people on here saying “I only spend 500 a month for a family of 10!” Probably aren’t including diapers / alcohol and other things in the “grocery” category

There's only a limited selection of non-food items at Whole Foods, so clearly OP is spending a lot on very expensive foods, instead of buying vegetables, starches and meats and cooking from scratch. Or they're eating filet mignon stuffed with caviar every day

It’s hard to get a good response here because depending on how people account for groceries varies widely. Are you including beer/wine in grocery costs? Does grocery cost include other things other than just food? People account for “groceries” different so people on here saying “I only spend 500 a month for a family of 10!” Probably aren’t including diapers / alcohol and other things in the “grocery” category

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.

Anonymous wrote:I have kids who would prefer to live on fruit and berries, but I'm a vegetarian and would easily spend that much here in DC even without kids.

But it's _where_ I'm spending that makes my shopping list so expensive: a weekly CSA and small NW DC markets like Yes that are close to us.

We temporarily moved to my rural hometown at the beginning of the pandemic, and everything - especially produce - was SO MUCH CHEAPER at the suburban grocery store 15 miles away.

So OP, talk to other urban/suburban/rural shoppers based on your own situation.

Wherever you are you can also make different choices--so it's worth it to take time to solve imaginatively. When I was a vegetarian living in an expensive downtown without a car, I'd periodically--like every couple months-- rent a car and get all my bulk dry goods at an ethnic mart outside of the city that had great prices (this was before Amazon made it easy with extensive food offerings!)--dried beans, grains etc. (The car rental would be generally a weekend where I'd do all my errands that needed a car). Then I would just shop the local market for produce and other perishables in the meantime. I never ate so cheaply or well.

I have kids who would prefer to live on fruit and berries, but I'm a vegetarian and would easily spend that much here in DC even without kids.

But it's _where_ I'm spending that makes my shopping list so expensive: a weekly CSA and small NW DC markets like Yes that are close to us.

We temporarily moved to my rural hometown at the beginning of the pandemic, and everything - especially produce - was SO MUCH CHEAPER at the suburban grocery store 15 miles away.

So OP, talk to other urban/suburban/rural shoppers based on your own situation.

Anonymous wrote:I noticed we average at about 1k on groceries a month. We shop at WF. I think this is a bit much since we are DINKS.

What do you recommend we do to bring it down?

I'm not sure why people find that this is a lot. This is not a lot. This is reasonable. That's only $15 per person per day. That's $5 per meal per person.
Since you are buying at WF, I would assume you are not eating junk.

Wow you spend a lot.

I have 2 kids and spend about $800 a month