It's just the two of us, and we spend about that. No prepackaged anything, no organics, but we do eat meat almost every night.

We never eat out, though.

Anonymous wrote:Frugal Poster here...

What are you buying?

Frugal Poster, I missed you.

And I knew right away, when I saw this thread, that you'd be here.

We spend about $500-$600 for 2 adults and a 17 mo. But this includes diapers, wipes, etc for baby and other 'household' items like toilet paper and laundry detergent. We mostly pack lunches for all 3 of us mostly cook from scratch at home.

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, no. Food prices have really gone up too! I paid $6.69 for a gallon of organic milk last week at Giant. 4 sticks of butter was $4.99. That is really high.

A gallon of milk at Whole Foods or Trader Joes is $3.49 and it's better quality. Why are you spending $6. 69 on milk? Even butter is under $3 at Trader Joes.

Anonymous wrote:If you eat meat several times a week, how do you avoid paying that much?

Let's say every week you have 1.5 lbs chicken breast, beef of some sort one time, and pork tenderloin. If you don't buy on sale, that's got to be $40 or $50 right there.

Fresh vegetables are also really expensive.

Whoa. Where are you buying your meat?

OP - look at your grocery bill. If you're buying a lot of premade or frozen meals then you are overspending. Cut those out and you save a lot of money. Also look at dairy products - spending $6 on a gallon of milk (like someone else mentioned) is ridiculous - Whole Foods 365 brand is probably half that cost and if you buy it elsewhere it's probably even cheaper. Buy frozen veggies to cook with, they last longer. We typically only buy onions, garlic, celery, potatoes, and tomatoes fresh. How much do you spend on meat? We buy organic prepackaged from Wegman's and it's about $5-9 for 1lb or 1.5lb. Balance meat based meals with non-meat based meals.

We have two teenagers and like to cook and eat well and use good ingredients. So that number doesn't surprise me.

If you eat meat several times a week, how do you avoid paying that much?

Let's say every week you have 1.5 lbs chicken breast, beef of some sort one time, and pork tenderloin. If you don't buy on sale, that's got to be $40 or $50 right there.

Fresh vegetables are also really expensive.

Anonymous wrote:I spend around $60/week at the grocery store (may include other items beyond groceries such as personal products or dog food) and about $200 at Costco every month to 2 months. We have 2 adults and 2 school-aged children. I think your grocery spending is really high.

What do you eat?

Yes, we spend about that much. I have a twelve year old boy who burns through the milk, especially and at about $6 per gallon of skim organic, that adds up! I bet we go through three gallons a week, so that's 12 gallons a month or $72 on milk alone! Yikes!

I don't buy a lot of junk food or prepared food but I do feel like it's just so expensive.

Nope, I saw a 1/2 gallon of Horizon's organic milk in a near-Boston sea-side resort area for TWO dollars LESS than here. I was shocked. I think food companies have figured out that our salaries are somehow better than others and so gouge us for pricing.

And to the OP, no your amount is not high but food is the one thing I won't give up. We drive an old car, we don't have cable, we have cheap phones, old clothes. A dinner out these days is over a hundred dollars -- two entrees, two drinks and dessert. CRAZY!

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the posters that point out that quality food, fresh vegetables etc. are just plain expensive. I refuse to eat boxed anything. We do eat out on the weekends and our grocery bill is around $900 (meals only) for the 3 of us.

Same here! Sometimes, when we stock up at TJs or Costco, it is up to 1100 or so.

To PP whose parents are from Chicago burbs: interesting... I guess I thought food prices were high everywhere.

Don't beat yourself up too much. My parents, who are from Chicago (burbs), came with us to the grocery store recently and were gasping at the prices of everything. I picked up some "odds and ends" last night and it was $70. I remember when that used to get me a basket full of stuff. It sucks.

OP, we spend about as much as you - between $150 and $200 per week - with only two kids.

We spend $600 per month for a family of four, but the adults also pay for lunch out during the work week.

I spend around $60/week at the grocery store (may include other items beyond groceries such as personal products or dog food) and about $200 at Costco every month to 2 months. We have 2 adults and 2 school-aged children. I think your grocery spending is really high.