We spend about $150/week on groceries so approx. $600/month, but I think we have 1 less person in our family than you (there are 3 of us total), so if you break it down by person, we'd both be spending about $50 per week per person on food. That seems reasonable to me. I did, however, talk to a financial advisor a few months ago, who told me that $600/month in groceries was a big expense, and that he talked to people who spent considerably less than that. He suggested thinking about my values with regard to food vs. money and going from there. I thought that was a good way of putting it. I like "high quality" food; it doesn't have to be name brand but it needs to have wholesome, natural ingredients, and sometimes (but not always), those do tend to be more expensive. We could eat Ramen for dinner, but I don't want to go there (did enough of that in college, heh!). Something I've done that helps me reduce my food bills is trying to cook more and buy less pre-packaged, and setting a limit on cost for any given food item (e.g. we won't pay more than $2.99 if it's just going to be 1 meal for one person...) Other things that work include not buying the stuff on the end of aisles (these tend to be more expensive items), never shopping when hungry, buying less meat & dairy & using bean/veggie replacements (cheaper and generally healthier!), buying store brands instead of name brands, limiting "junk" food (desserts, etc).... so many ways to save! I don't do weekly menu planning or coupon clipping but I've heard those are good ways also. Sounds like I need these responses just as much as you! ;-) Good luck!
hmm, I have a family of 6 (love food) and my grocery bills are not that high.
I do purchase cereals, bread, toilet paper, cleaning supplies at costco.
The rest of my foods are purchased at our local grocery store.
Just a suggestion, and no judgment if I'm wrong....We drink water so I don't purchase beverages. I limit snacking foods so I don't buy a lot of junk food or even bags of chips, pretzels, etc. I don't buy foods that are put into extra packaging, I purchase the bigger jar and divide out myself using tupperware, for example yogurt, apple sauce, trail mixes.
I don't use paper towels, paper cups, napkins or paper plates. I wash cloth napkins and dishes, each kid has a special mug to use and it is only washed every few days.
I hope this helps, I always think that if you're going to cut your budget it would be in the extras that you don't really need. Food is good, if you buy good food and make stuff from scratch, it's a lot cheaper and healthier....
Good luck....
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Lots of great suggestions here. One thing I'd like to add/emphasize is to cut out prepared foods and cook more from scratch (healthier too). There are lots of great freezer meal recipes and it is so nice (and doable at your family's size) to cook, for example, if your family likes lasagna, put it into two (6x8?) pans instead of one 9x13 and freeze one, to have a week or two later. You did the cooking once for two meals (and I bet you'll have leftovers from both of those pans so that's 4 meals, with only two being "true leftovers")
Things like that - combine with all the other suggestions to shop elsewhere, coupon shop, price match, shop/menu plan to the sales, etc. It doesn't have to be hard, it's a fun challenge to see how far down you can get it to go.
I am a Costco member but find myself rarely shopping there anymore. I always spend too much when I go! So, maybe you could cut down to once a month?
Best of luck on getting your bill down!! It is so rewarding to see it go down!
Sounds like you are well on your way, but here is another voice from a family of four. I am a working mom and don't take the time to clip coupons (we don't get a newspaper anymore) or travel 20 plus miles to go to discount places like Walmart or Target (and I hate BJs always spend three times more and have way more stuff than I can store). I do all my shopping at the closest Stop and Shop, don't budget and I don't make lists and I spend $150 per week.
I love all these ideas and have bookmarked the links for savings. I shop the circulars and have assigned each night of the weeks to either pasta/pizza(T&F), chix(W), pork/roasts(Sun), leftovers(M&Th), surprise(Sat) One or 2 nights I make extras for the left over night. This way I can stock up on specials and I usually have what I need for the next 2 weeks and simply need to pick up perishables....saves time and money and reduces the amount of throw away. I now make my own chix stock, harvest herbs, and make my own artisan bread. The bread seems like a chore but actually it is very easy and real treat (http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/) , I always have dough in the fridge and can make gourmet sandwich bread, rolls. appetizer and treats to bring to party/sick friend for the fraction of the cost of the typical hostess bottle of wine. Our spend is usually under $400/m for 5 w/ one on the way.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned www.thegrocerygame.com. You cut your bills in almost half with it. We have 2 adults and a 2 year old, and a dog, eat 75% organic, use only "chemical free" cleaning supplies, and only spend about $350-$400/month. Coupons can really save you, and knowing what is on sale when so you can stock up makes your life so much easier...
We spent 200$ a month on groceries(food toiletries pet food ect.)
I shop at HEB and Walmart and spend $650 per month. It's me, my spouse, and 3 kids, but the kids are only with us 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends
We are a family of three ( four during summers,spring breaks and thanksgiving). We also have a dog,2 cats, and now a rabbit. We filed bankruptcy last summer and since then have read Dave Ramseys book about budgeting. We do this every other week bc that's how often my hubby gets paid. We spend 250 every two weeks on food, toiletries, pet food etc. My son is 6 and his daughter is 11. We shop at walmart for everything except meat. If the store I work at has sales on stuff we buy that and our meat from there.
No one has mentioned Aldi's. We shop at Save-a-lot, but we sometimes go to Aldi's for "luxery" items, like hummus, frozen fruit (to put in yogurt or cottage cheese). Aldi's cheeses are high quality.
We also go to Whole Foods. I find if I go fairly often I am not prone to impusle buying. Sometimes the 365 brand at Whole Foods is cheaper than Save-a-Lot. Some of these items include fruit cereal bars, yogurt and frozen broccoli. Salad is a bit more, but lasts longer. 365 spices/herbs are much cheaper than grocery stores.
Shelley,
The only caveate I have to all these answers is that they are from a lot of different places and cost of living can vary WIDELY. In Florida on the coast, for example, I spent $600 a month for a family of 6 with 2 in diapers and that included all paper and toiletry goods. In Wisconsin, with the children 5 years older I spent the same amount and we were eating HIGH on the hog! I mean, expensive steaks etc. Now we are in NY, in the burbs of NYC and we cannot get away with anything under $800 a month and that generally means I will be buying extra the next month to make up for what I skimped on this month. Of course, now I have 4 ravenous teens- 3 boys and a husband who is a long distance runner- they eat me out of house and home. I do use coupons and ads for the two stores closest to me. I do not have options like walmart with a food center to rely on as the closest one is over an hour away. I do use the farmers market in the summer and I also do the drive to buy in bulk when you can pick your own fruit/veggies and we can those for the winter.
I also buy flour in bulk at BJ's (or any of those stores) and make our own bread in less than 5 minutes every other day. Yes, it still has to raise, but it could be put in the fridge to raise overnight and then baked in the morning to be done before we all head out the door.
Someone mentioned generics- they are SUPER. In fact, I often find they taste better than many name brand ones. Many people are right about the warehouse stores- double check what you are spending per unit and you may find it cheaper elsewhere. I also stock up on meats at those places because I can buy choice at much less per pound and also get it organically raised. (we buy organic milk and meats if at all possible, but simply cannot afford it in veggies too out here).
Cut down Sam's to once a month and do see if there is another grocery store to shop at rather than Target. I was at one yesterday (quite a drive) and noticed they were NOT cheap compared to the ma and pa chains nearby.
Good Luck!
I have a family of 8. We have budgeted 850.00 a month for grocery. One bad habit I have is stock piling on this. But with that there are months I don't spend that much. On closing, my husband was saying we needed to cut the bill and I was telling him that I have gotten our bill to $1 per meal per person and then he says to me, does Sams Club still have the filet mignon on sale. Wow.
For a familyi of 4 here we tend to spend on avergage $320 a month or so.... and that does include a teen - of course it helps my teen doesn't like junk food and prefers fresh veggies so that helps w/the cost! I totally am an ad shopper - and most my shopping is done at value stores as opposed to big chains like Jewel/Dominicks which i find too expensive (except for their 3 day sales etc.) otherwise i am at Butera, Valli, Ultra, Food4less, Shop/save mart..... usually I will plan my meals around the ads too (if pork is super cheap i make something w/pork etc.) and by doing this i find what is key is MAKING a menu for the week ahead of time then shopping - not knowing what you are making each day to me is what causes impulse buying etc... so this has helped me tremendously! I use coupons when i can but not TONS.... I shop at Sam's but only buy the same things whereas a sam's trip can be only $35 for me (and here i always see people LOADING Their carts high and here is my little purchase.. lol) because I have shopped around enough to know what really IS a deal so i never buy big bulk that i know i won't use in time and figure out the per unit price to realize i can get that item actually cheaper at ultra that week or something (i mean their can veggies - there are sales at times for .25 cents a can way cheaper than sams so i wait til those sales and stock up) you just have to know your prices.... and i make a lot of by scratch food - spaghetti sauce, chicken/beef stocks/broths (this really goes far!) , etc. you become a bit creative and you will see how you can save $ once you do it will feel so good that you get better at it! :) oh and wanted to add... I become diligent too about certain foods - for example i will NOT pay anything over $2.50/lb for ground beef (jewel seems to always have it for over $3.50/lb) the 1.99/lb sales i really stock up... also chicken - i never pay over $1.99/lb (prefer looking for the 1.49/lb or less sales) and stock up - never will i pay $3.00/lb for chicken - that is so huge in savings if you do this w/these sales as those "regular" prices are nasty! lol
We are five foodies, I cook excessively, it is not really about bugdeting (although like every one here, I should) it's about REALLY high quality ingredients, trying new things, enjoying good things, cooking with the kids, etc., it's my single largest expense, way more than the mortgage, not sure exactly but a guess would be a least $1200 a month, probably more...I could buy non-food items at a bigbox and pay much less but we are trying to support our local business...I prefer to go to our mom and pop butchers and local farmer's markets...etc...
I know some others mentioned a couple of sites that you have to pay a monthly service. But to save more, check out www.couponmom.com! She teaches you how to use coupons. There are even "e-coupons" for additional savings. Best of all, couponmom is FREE!!!! Trust me! Your bill will be cut more!
We are a family of 2 and I spend around $300 per month on groceries. We don't eat out at all and I bring my lunch to work everyday. I guess we could spend less but I do buy organic milk for my little girl to avoid all the hormone stuff in regular milk and I buy some organic veggies and fruits to again avoid pesticides and the potential neurological side effects of exposure to such chemicals. I find Trader Joes has good veggies and fruit and some interesting prepared foods. I know if we went to a mac and cheese every day approach it would cost less but I would be very tempted to eat out. I use Costco for toilet paper and that kind of stuff. I sometimes go to aldi'. So I think there is a balance between price and healthy.
I live in Colorado. I struggle with keeping my bill under $800, when that includes everything, like toiletries, cleaning supplies, food, etc. I try to cook large amounts so I have leftovers, which don't last long, as I have two boys (one is 14 and could eat the ass end off a dead horse). I try so hard to make balanced meals, and have to make sure I have stuff for packing lunches for them at school, as those are a huge expense. I do shop at Costco twice a month, mostly for the stuff we use all the time like toilet paper, ground beef, milk, eggs, cheese. I do not buy desserts. I try to cook with what I already have in the house. I use as many coupons and sales as I can find. I swear, this is the most frustrating part of my budget! I had a budget analyst tell me I am over half of what I should be spending on groceries! Yet I really consider myself a savvy shpper. I don't know....super frustrating!
I shop at Wal Mart too, mostly for toiletries, sometimes groceries. My question to all you mamas - how do you do the price match? So you bring the competitor's food ads, shop like normal, then give the ad to your cashier? They figure it out for you? Or do you have to point out every item you want matched? I'm just worried it will turn into a 30 minute ordeal at the register? Please let me know your experiences. Thanks!
great stuff here! but here is something that has helped me. We used to budget 150 a week for food(2 adults, 4 kids, 1 baby in diapers) I have made a menu with six meals and we have been using that menu for the past month- we have one meal a week that changes. The meals are cheap but healthy like spaghetti with salad or homemade chicken soup. This has cut our cost down by $50 a week! We also include diapers and other toiletries and cleaning supplies in this budget. For the homemade chicken soup, I get a whole cut up chicken every other week and use half of it for the soup and freeze the other half. I make a big crock pot full and with the left overs the next day I just thicken the broth, dump it in a casserole dish and put biscuits on top and bake it for a chicken pot pie.
Good luck!
~Carrie