What is your monthly grocery expense?

[magicofdisney]

We're a family of six. Our monthly grocery expense runs around $1,000. This is in a good month. My husband thinks it's excessive, but I have a hard time staying within budget some months. I'm curious what others usually spend per month on groceries excluding meals outside the home (i.e. any restaurant meals).

[disneymom15]

We're a family of 3. My monthly totals run about $575 to $600. We usually eat out 3 nights a week.

[bshaw96]

Well, we do lots of unnecessary dining out which contributes to our food bill, but if we were to stick to just groceries, our bill for the month for 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids) comes to about 600.00. (Again, this does not include dining out, school lunch, lunch at work, etc.) I could easily see us spending 1000 if there were 2 more of us, especially if there were any teenagers. I don't really see much of a way to cut back either. I buy generic on most items (with a few exceptions). I would say meats are what kills us. I buy the lean cuts of everything, which really adds up. And unfortunately, the healthier options of foods are always more. It's sad, because people living on a fixed budget/income often have to choose unhealthier foods (higher fat, etc.) just because of price. But that's my soapbox, I'm sorry, you were asking about price :mickey: Yes, 1000 is a lot, but it's easy to add up, especially with hungry kids around. Let me know if you find a solution!

[#1donaldfan]

I just wanted to say OUCH !!! we're a fam of 5 and I don't think ours is that high.....I'll have to check with the boss on how much...it does seem like we're at the grocery store at least every other day......it has to be very high.....

[mreinventtt]

Hi..
Well we are a family of 4, plus a :cat: and a :dog: and my average weekly grocery bill is about 150 dollars. So I would say 600 a month. Give or take some extra items you pick up during the week at the store.
Maybe trying to buy in bulk would save you some money...Do you do that already?
Missy :minnie:

[IloveDisney71]

We usually spend around $700 per month and I shop at the local discount store, not the more expensive stores in my area. We are a family of four who have recently adopted a more healthy diet and I have noticed that our bill went up due to that. I do buy some things in bulk, but you've got to watch that because it's not always the better deal. We also eat dinner out about 2 times each week.

[Ian]

We're a family of four and our weekly grocery bill is normally about $100. Then you probably have to add in another $75 a week for the stops at Target to "pick up a couple things" ...

But that is a little misleading, because we eat out probably 3 or 4 times a week. If we were to actually go to the store and buy enough food to eat for a week it would be significantly more than that, I would think.

Although, to be fair, DS is only 1 so a lot of those expenses go towards things like diapers, wipes, etc.

Forgot to add that we have two cats, too. That adds cost for cat food, litter, and the like.

[January-2007]

We spend between $100-$160 on groceries a month. It's just DH and me. The way I keep our costs down is to do a lot of scratch cooking, I bake my own bread, etc. Not much in the way of convenience foods around here. And I watch sales. There are prices I'm willing to pay for things and there are prices I'm not willing to pay. We eat in season. We don't go out to eat. I make homemade pizza that's better than takeout anyway. I stock up when there's a good sale and we belong to Sam's Club so we save there too. I've just started shopping at a health food store about 25 minutes away that has bulk bins where you can just get as much of something as you need. I am thinking of trying that out this weekend when we go. Lots of saving when you eat whole foods and cut out all the extra packaging. Also, we don't eat much meat. I was a vegetarian before I got together with DH so I still don't like to eat a lot of meat. A lot of weeks we don't have any at all, sometimes we have it up to 3 nights. Just depends.

Do I think what you spend on groceries for 6 peopel is excessive? No.
Do I think it could be lowered? Yes.
If it's within your budget comfortably then do what works for your lifestyle. Things add up fast.

We're saving for a house so we'll be sticking with the small grocery budget long term. Plus, you know, there's always that next WDW trip to save for! We are living 100% debt free and a lot of that is through sticking to a budget.

[Melanie]

We are a family of four (2 adults, 2 kids - ages 8 and 9) with two cats and our monthly grocery bill is around $500. About the only thing we pick up between bi-weekly trips to the store is milk. And we eat out about 2-3 times a week.

[rcaide]

There are 3 adults in my house. Me, DH and DS who is 16 (almost 17). We average $150-$200 a week on groceries plus an occasional dinner out. We also have a black lab that likes to eat. Those dog bones really add up :thumbsup:.

[pogo]

For the two of us, our grocery bill would be about $500 per month. We rarely eat out, but we enjoy cooking dinners on the weekends with a good bottle of wine paired with it. If you include cocktails and wine, add another $100 per month. :D

[csdavis]

We also have 4 kids! My husband commented just Monday how the weekly grocery bill is always $250. We eat out usually once a week and once on kids night- mine are still young. If you add that in it is usually a little more than $1k for food.

[MissStyles]

There are 2 of us and we spend around $400-$500 a month on groceries. We eat out 2-4 times per month. We love to buy all sorts of interesting foods and try out recipes. We buy generic when we can but we also like to try more exotic items as well. I bake every weekend too. DBF makes all his own doughs and sauces etc. Cooking is our passion and relaxation! :cloud9:

[disneydrmr]

It's just Dh and I.. our monthly bill changes depending on how often we eat out and if I make enough food to have leftovers... it can run anywhere from $40 per week up to $100 per week. I've been trying to cut costs so I have been making soups and other meals where I know there will be left overs so January I would say our monthly grocery spending will be only around $350 or so. We have two medium sized doggies but we buy their food from Target ($16 per bag) and we go thru a 15 lb bag of food every two or three weeks I believe. We buy their treats in bulk and they don't get them very often so they last quite a bit. We have started to pick up our 'non grocery' items at Target too (used to pick them up at the grocery - but they are cheaper at Target)... so that spending can be anywhere from an additional $30 to $50 per week...

[Tinkermom]

We are a family of 5 and spend about $1000/month. My kids are 6, 11, and 13. We have tried to cut way back on eating out. We now eat out about 3-4 times a month where we used to eat out 2-3 times a week.

My goal is to try to cut our grocery bill some. I try to buy generic when I can. I also do need to try to buy at Sam's club more often. I can usually get my meats at pretty good prices there.

[Jenemmy]

We are a family of 5. I have DS11, DS9 and DD2 and the 11 year old probably eats less than the 9 and 2 year old! My 9 year old is a bottomless pit....always has been (he nursed for 5 hours straight the day he was born! that should have told me something!!)

Anyway -- I spend an average of $150 a week at the grocery -- but it always seems like half way through the week, we run out of enough that I need to go spend another 20 or so. Tossing in a few meals out on top of this, I would say we spend $800-850 per month, on average.

I do notice that the healthier we try to eat, the higher the bill goes (not to mention that the fresh things don't last for a full week!!)

[SAHDad]

There are 4 of us here: me, DW, DS (4) and DD (1). Our monthly bill is at least $700 or so, and very possibly higher. Now, some of that is diapers, wipes, the last of the formula, etc, but much of it is normal food. We also don't eat very often (1-2 times/month, maximum).

What raises our bill is my metabolism. I burn better than 3000 calories per day when I am resting, and when I am actively training (for marathons), eating 5000 calories per day is not unheard of.

For 6, $1k per month isn't all that uncommon.

[disneycouple2004]

WOW..guess i need to apologize to the wife..
Its just us 2 and 3 dogs and 1 cat...ours averages about between 400-500 month..i thought that was excessive since we only eat one meal per day during the week and maybe 2 on the weekends at home....but i guess were about the average..good thread !!..thanks !!
:thumbsup:

[tinkwest]

We are a family of four adults and I would say we spend about $250 a week. This includes dog food, necessities such as shampoo, toothpaste, laundry detergent, etc. and eating out.

We all have very different hours (DH & DD start their day early, DS & I end our day late) so occasionally there could be a dozen different times during the day that someone in the family is eating a meal. This results in lots of eating out or purchasing of single serving meals like chicken pot pies. I'm certain that if we could all sit down together for meals at home more often, our grocery budget could be reduced. :cart:

[poohluva]

We're a family of four and after adding in what I spend at the wholesale club every 6 to 8 weeks we spend about $650 to $700 a month.

DH, DD14 and I bring our lunch every day, DD 10 brings hers a few times a week, and we eat out once a week.

We aslo have a dog, but we buy her dry food in bulk and a few treats from the grocery store.

[ibrowse17]

For just the two of us, DW spends between $300-$400 a month on groceries.:thumbsup:

[EmiB]

For two people, we spent about $250 a month on food.

A good tip is that when we go, we eat beforehand so we don't fall prey to our "hungry eyes" and go on an impulse buying binge.

[ckaranassos]

We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children 8 & 11) We eat out 1 maybe 2 times a week and our grocery bill runs around $150 to $170 a week. I find I do my best shopping when I sit down the night before I go and figure my meals for the week (using the store flier for sales). I find I stick to a list much better and do not pick things I do not need. I find the kids lunches are putting us over the edge. My little guy needs a healthy snack and water for in class and then eats a sandwich, milk and snack for lunch and still comes home starving. My DD is in middle school and no longer needs the snack packed, but she eats lunch @ 10:20 am so when she comes home let's just say I stay out of her way;)

[tinkerbell04]

We are a family of three, plus one big doggie, we spend about 90 a week at the grocery store. Generally we cook during the week and eat out on the weekends. On Sunday, we have diner with my in-laws, so it is really food for about 4 dinners a week and lunches and snacks for the three of us. This only includes lunch meats, fresh meats, produce and some groceries. We buy a lot of stuff from the Target, because it is cheaper and I love it there! WE get all of our cleaning products, health needs, pet needs, some frozen food and other general groceries and most of the time the soda is cheaper there also. So if you combine the 200-300 per month at Target with the 360 a month at the grocery, we are about 560-660 a month.:mickey:

[SBETigg]

This also depends on where you live. We moved to Michigan for a few years from our home in Massachusetts and we were amazed at how much lower our grocery bills were for the same stuff in MI vs MA.

We're a family of four (two adults, two teens) back in Massachusetts (no tax on grocery food items) and we spend between $600 and $800 a month. It's lower when I plan ahead and look at store flyers and higher when I don't. Plus, we do eat out or take-in once or twice a week, depending.

[Tink&Goofy]

We are a family of 5, and we spend about $550-$600 a month. 3 girls (5,13,16) don't have huge appetites. I think milk counts for at least a quarter of the budget! :D We eat out maybe once or so a week. Kids usually take their lunch, and so does DH. Me? not so much..:secret:. I thought we spent alot until I see everyone elses costs! I guess we do pretty good!

[TheMartellFamily]

We are a family of 4 and we spend about 250 to 400 dollars a month in food. We do not purhcase beef in the store as for we buy it though a family member and pay less than what we would at the store. we buy a 1/3 of a cow for 350 and that lasts for the year. we get hamburger, roasts, steaks so we do not buy that at the store. I do though buy specialized food for DS who was diagnosed ADHA which are gluten free meats, hot dog, mac and cheese, and bread. This does cost much more than regular but he eats it. I also have learned to look though weekly grocery flyers that this also saves me alot of money. Very rarely do I buy brand names only if it is on sale or I do have coupons. Never do I have anything in my cart that is not on sale brand name or not. I also know where I can get the lest expenive items that I need so I save there. the lists work great oo.

[Jeff G]

:jaw:

Are these grocery bills for your food costs or do they include your HBA products as well? We budget $75 per week or $300/month for groceries and $50 per week or $200/month for HBA products. On average I would guess we spend another $100 - $ 150 on misc runs to the grocery store.

We are a family of six who is on the go alot. We eat out 2-3 times per week while chasing the kids to their many activities. I assume this is why we can get away with such a cheap grocery bill.

[jennbunn]

for the 3 of us i spend around 100.00 to 150.00 a week on food. i work in a grocery store so i am allways picking up a little here and there.

[vizsla]

There are three of us in the household, and we spend $125 to $150 every week on food.

[merlinmagic4]

This also depends on where you live. We moved to Michigan for a few years from our home in Massachusetts and we were amazed at how much lower our grocery bills were for the same stuff in MI vs MA.
.

I think this is true. Actually, I was thinking of posting a thread to see what people pay for common items across the country. Here on Cape Cod prices are going up every week. I've really started to notice it...........cream from 2.99 to 3.19, disposable diapers 8.54 to 10.54, etc. etc.

To answer the original poster, I have no idea what I spend a month on groceries......I guess it's whatever I have left :D I would estimate at least 800.00 per month but that would be food and household items together for a family of two adults and three children.

[Dakota Rose]

$320-350 per month. But that's in ND. I think we need to factor in where we live. When we lived in CA, our grocery bill was almost double for the same type and amount of food.

[Jimenyfan]

We spend about $600.00 a month on our grocery bill. We are a family of four, 2 sons age 15 & 10. I try to cook meals that will leave leftovers for atleast 1 more meal.

[NewmanFamily6]

We ar ea family of 6 and as I said on the Gas thread we have gone on Dave Ramsey's envelope plan. We make a menu for 2 weeks at a time and those are the only items I buy with my grocery envelope (this includes milk, cereal, bread etc) We allocate $250/2 weeks or $500/month. Once the cash is gone its gone no cash no buying anything. It's working we are really getting things paid off and in 2 years will be debt free:thumbsup: It was really hard at first but it will be worth the sacrifices not to owe anyone.

[magicofdisney]

We ar ea family of 6 and as I said on the Gas thread we have gone on Dave Ramsey's envelope plan. We make a menu for 2 weeks at a time and those are the only items I buy with my grocery envelope (this includes milk, cereal, bread etc) We allocate $250/2 weeks or $500/month. Once the cash is gone its gone no cash no buying anything. It's working we are really getting things paid off and in 2 years will be debt free:thumbsup: It was really hard at first but it will be worth the sacrifices not to owe anyone.
I'm a huge Dave Ramsey fan. We don't do the envelope system but I do like a lot of his ideas. I just find it amazing you can feed a family of 6 with only $500. I need to get a copy of your grocery list. ;) Does this $500 include non-food items like paper towel, cleaning supplies, toiletries, etc. (basically, anything you'd buy at a grocery store)? My $1,000 budget includes all those items.

[NewmanFamily6]

No I have a separate envelope for household items. I have $30/2 weeks or $60/month in that. So in that regard it would be $560/month. We don't buy "snack foods". You would be surprised on how much you save when you don't buy snacks. We do not buy anything that could potentially be eaten in one day (ie:chips, soda,snack cakes) Everyone here is healthy and doing fine. The kids did whine about the snacks at first but they adjusted. We do plenty of casseroles and large meals. This way my DH can take leftovers to work for lunch;)

[jeddalynn]

I actually have no idea how much I spend! I'll confess, I'm a terrible budget-er :S I'll get a whim to make something fancy and run out and spend 30 bucks on ingrediants. I always start out a week saying that I'm going to be organized and plan meals in advace etc. but then Wednesday rolls along and in the hecticness I give up!

DH an I (its just the two of us) are doing an experiment though this week. We got 75$ in cash and we're going to see if we can make it last through the week for EVERYTHING we need (for daily living.) That includes food, drug store stuff like shampoo etc, eatting out and entertainment. Should be an interesting week :)

BTW, has anyone tried once-a-month cooking?

[MNNHFLTX]

We are a family of three humans (husband, teenage son and myself) and four pets (two larger sized dogs and two cats) and our monthly grocery bill is usually $500-600 dollars. A fair portion of that is for cat and dog food (including pricey canned food for the diabetic dog), cat litter, etc. It would be more but I do clip coupons (and feel like a dinosaur while I do it--I never see anyone else using coupons), and also get discount coupons from my grocer, all of which saves us about 20-25/week. We tend to bring lunch from home to eat at work, although my husband does eat lunch out occasionally. And we eat out/take-out 1-2 times a week.

[princessjojo]

We are a family of 4. Three of us are boys/men and all eat like it's their last meal. I honestly don't know where they put it all. I usually do a major grocery run every other week and it runs roughly $250-$275. The inbetween times I spend anywhere from $75-$100 on milk, bread, and other staples that happen to run low. On our schedules lately with school, sports and crazy working schedules we eat out 2-4 times/week, but try not to. I guess overall if we were a family of 6, $1000/mth wouldn't be too bad, but could be better.

[BronxTigger]

I'm not 100% sure how much we spend, but it's around $250-300 for food at the supermarket. We do eat out a fair amount, but we are cutting back on that because it's bad for you and expensive (even fast food adds up a lot faster than supermarket food).

I do use coupons when I can. Especially if they are paired with sales (and many times they are planned that way), you can get things for really cheap!