Wednesday, September 14, 2011

BQOTD: How Much Do You Spend on Groceries?

Lately, we spend about $250 a month on food-- about $100 the first week of the month and then $40-$50 a week thereafter. Justin gets paid once a month, and lately due to working prevailing wage jobs, his checks have been a bit larger than normal. So, we've been spending a bit more on our first trip of the month to make sure we're re-stocking our freezer with meat and our pantry with staples. Usually we shop strictly on the perimeter of the store with a few detours in for pasta, beans, and rice...which has saved us TONS of money. We also shop with a calculator in hand, which is a BIG deterrent from tossing that extra box of cookies in the cart.

That said, because Justin's checks have been a bit larger, we've recently had the luxury of being able to "splurge" a bit. For me, that was some fancy cheese and a TON of fruit. For Justin that was buying more snacky type foods for lunches--chips, fruit snacks, cookies, etc. But when money is tight for us (as it often is), those are the first things to go. I usually do meal plan for at least the first two weeks when we go grocery shopping, because it definitely helps me spend less!

What about you guys?

BQOTD: How much does your family spend on groceries each week? Do you have a set budget, or do you just fly by the seat of your pants? Do you meal plan in advance? Does your grocery bill comprise most of your food budget for the month, or do you eat out too?

22 comments:

  1. I always budget $400 a month for food, but we almost always spend $200-$300. Up until last month, we went shopping once a month. I started meal planning 2 weeks ago, so, I was going to go once a week, and I decided that's not realistic for me, so, my new goal is to go every other week. :) I'm interested to see how/if this affects our budget.

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  2. I love hearing about other people's grocery spending habits! There are only two of us to feed...I do all of the shopping because hubs likes to go all willy-nilly. We don't work off of a meal plan per se, but do keep only those things we regularly go through (pasta, sauces, meats) in the house.

    Everything else is on an as needed or coupon only basis. With the CSA this year, we've been able to save heaps on produce, taking our grocery bill down to about $50 a week. Winter will stink, but we've been able to stock up on canned goods with some of the CSA savings.

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  3. Lady you put me to shame. I spend probably $100 avg./week for just the two of us (and whatever parties/get-together we host or bring food to- maybe 1-2x/month). Some weeks it is up to $150 (if we are having people over or I find meat on sale) and others it is only like $60 (the essentials- John's bread, OJ, milk, baking goods).

    My groceries (in the summer at least) include a trip (or two) to the farmer's market for eggs, cheese, lunch fruits, and whatever veggies we need for the week.

    We also avoid the center aisles in the grocery store except for flour/sugar for making John's lunch cookies & cereal bars, and pasta.. How do you do it so cheaply!?

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  4. About 800 a month. But there are six of us. I do include diapers, wipes, and formula in that total because I do most of my groceries at SuperTarget and so I use their generic of all three. I'm not brand loyal, and do coupon some. We eat a LOT of fresh food, which is why its on the higher end. We don't eat meat except for chicken. I don't really meal plan but instead have about 10 things I rotate regularly. And we don't eat out. Maybe 3-4 times a year we eat in a restaurant.

    Having a big family is just expensive.

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  5. We sit somewhere around 300-350 per month. We meal plan each week and try to eat out only once a week. This amount includes all cleaning supplies and "bathroom" stuff like shampoo, body wash, toothpaste etc... For two people it seems like a huge amount, but we eat a high protein (expensive) diet and don't have a chest freezer to stock up on sale items.

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  6. Oh yeah and I do meal plan, though not necessarily around what is on sale or what we have on hand- just what I feel like cooking...

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  7. We spend about $600/month on food for the 2 of us...usually between $100-$150/week.

    Since we follow Dave Ramsey, we abide by a strict budget every month, so this is our standard budgeted amount for food. If we're having a party or something of the sort, we adjust our budget at the beginning of the month when we're creating it.

    We don't do any type of meal planning--with hubby being a firefighter & gone for anywhere between 24-72 hours at a time (sometimes without warning), meal planning doesn't really work out to its full advantage for us.

    And eating out IS included in that $600/month :)

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  8. Wow. You tapped on a vein here. I've been desperately trying to get us on a budget. I do a little meal planning and we do eat out a few times a month. My husband gets out every day :( because he works out in the heat for 10+ hours and can't keep anything but PB&J good in a cooler. I'd say I spend $250-300 a month on groceries but I buy a lot of organic and tons of produce. I usually end up buying a massive load at Costco and do some fill-in shopping at a regular grocery store. That is for 3 of us.
    www.itbeganwithawink.com

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  9. I really need to look at ours again. It was falling around $400 a month for the two of us. We do also go out at least 2x a week as well. Ever since we started doing Bountiful Baskets I'm sure it's gone down. The amount of fruit and produce we get for $15 lasts us two weeks so I've been going to the store a lot less. I'd guess it may be around the $250 mark now. I do stock up on meat when it's on sale whether we need it or not. We also spend a bit more every 3-4 months when we have to restock things like toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo and detergent.

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  10. Right now, with freezer meals, I spend between $40 to $60 a week. This time around, the total cost of freezer cooking was $152, which are the main dinner courses for us for about 2 months. Lately I've been buying fruits, veggies, bread, cheese, sandwich meat, milk (we buy local, hormone-free milk), yogurt, sometimes frozen veggies, pasta and snacky things.

    This past week I only spent $48, and that was including the purchase of all of things I needed to make a pot roast for another family. Right now, the biggest factors in what the weekly bill is are what type of freezer meal we're eating (meatballs required pasta, sauce, cheese; some meals are all-inclusive; some require sides) and if we need to stock up on some of Colton's snacks (he eats organic cereal bars, Gerber Melts and Pirates Booty every so often, but these aren't things we buy every week.).

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  11. I budget $100 a week and $50 a week for eating out. We eat all grass fed beef, organic chicken, eggs and milk and all organic vegetables. It's freaking expensive. I shop sales as much as possible, and we certainly do have snack type foods. As for the eating out, especially heavy right now since were so busy working. So if I go over the eating out budget I remove more from our grocery budget. Sometimes we spend more, sometimes less.

    As for your fruit and veggies. I know in PDX they have TONS of upick farms. You should try going that route. it's a lot cheaper and a fun activity! pickyourown.org is the website I use.

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  12. We try to spend less than $300/month on groceries. The last few months, since we were trying to use our pantry and freezer items, we were around $150. We also eat out more than we should, so I'm hoping once we get settled into the new house, that expense will decline. =)

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  13. I spend an average of $400 a month for the 2 of us. We have a CSA and I don't eat meat...I don't know how you all do it on such a great budget! We only stick to the outter aisles at the grocery store as well. I think we need a post on how to save money in the grocery store! :c)

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  14. There are three of us (almost four!) and we spend roughly $250-300 a month on groceries. That doesnt include going out, but we dont do that very often to be honest.

    Like you, I tend to do a 'big' trip, and then a couple of small ones. I think we spend the most on our milk and eggs. They are two of the few things that I am picky about in regards to organic or hormone free.

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  15. We usually spend anywhere from $75 - $100 per week on groceries (including toiletries). However, because we have a bad habit of eating out more often than we should, it's probably more.

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  16. We spend about the same as you - $250/month. We meal plan every week and I go to the store every week as well. We shop the perimeter as well and we cook almost exclusively with fresh produce, so a weekly trip is a must. I need to start shopping with a calculator though...I used to and then got out of the habit. Too many luxuries end up in my cart and really, they are a waste because they are usually gone within the first two days!

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  17. Oh, a few things I forgot to add - yes, we definitely have a budget, but it changes a bit month to month depending on if we are buying bulk meat that month (we buy both our beef and our chicken from a local farm...hopefully pork will be added to that soon). And our budget is almost exclusively stuff for our house. Very rarely do we eat out.

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  18. Out normal budget a month is 300. Last month we spent 400. (We had budgeted for it) It is harvest season and I have been canning veggies and jams left and right. This extra includes canning supplies.

    Once canning is over, we have been saving for a chest freezer and plan on stocking when sales hit. I meal plan. I try to make at least 2 meals a week that I double and freeze. I love freezer meals.

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  19. I wish we would spend less, I need someone that is better at budget grocery planning to come with me on a trip. :)

    I spend $300-$350 on food each month, this does not include when we go out to eat (which is usually Chick Fil A about once a week, ha!)

    I menu plan and try to buy off-brand as much as possible, but somehow our bill is still so high constantly. :(

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  20. couponmom.com is a great site that keeps track of where the sales are in your state and your area. Knowing how to use the smart source and red plum coupon flyers in the local paper are all explained as well as each store's own coupons. If you are not brand loyal, you can save a lot of money each month. Make sure you watch the videos on how to shop with coupons.

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  21. We budget $120 a week. That includes food, cleaning supplies and diapers and pull-UPS. I still feel like there is some room for me to cut back. With a family of 5 detergent is a killer and I have sensitive skin. (i'm a princess ;) )

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  22. I normally spend about $100 a week for our family of 4. This includes diapers and all cleaning supplies and toiletries. I meal plan and we usually eat out about once a week.

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