Off Topic How much money do you spend on food each month/week?

[Muddlethru]

I've been searching for some current data on how much an average family (say, a family of 4) spends on groceries each month. There are very little and current statistics available in the internet (maybe I am using the wrong search engines). We've allotted, what I feel is a sizable amount for food. Yet, I can't seem to stay within budget. So, I thought maybe the amount we've allotted for food is not realistic in this day and age. What do you spend on food a month? Please indicate the number of people in your family. And by food, I mean everything, eating out, groceries, lunch allowances. Thank you.

 

[MaryA]

I'm afraid that I don't keep very good track of such things, but I do have a suggestion. Maybe 6 weeks ago I got a new cookbook called "The Stocked Kitchen." It has a grocery list in it and if you have everything on the list, you can make any recipe in the book. I have been using it pretty consistently since I got it and the recipes are pretty good. The advantages are that you don't end up eating out just because you can't figure out what to cook out of what you have in your kitchen, and you don't end up buying a $5 ingredient that you will use 1 tbs of and then it will sit in your fridge until it goes bad. You also don't have to do menu planning before you go grocery shopping... you just have to get anything frozen out of the freezer in time for it to thaw. I've done a lot more cooking since I got this cookbook, and I'm sure it's saving me money.

 

[bogwoppit]

I also do not track food spending. But we do live in Canada in a tourist region and one of the biggest complaints I hear when people visit, is that food costs here are crazy. When we travel to the USA and go to grocery stores we find our dollars go much further.

We eat out about four times a month, but not high end at all, $60 for four type of thing,usually asian food. We live in an area where dining out "because there is nothing in the house", is not an option. Dining out is planned ahead.

We try to eat very well, no soft drinks, no chips etc. We don't eat dessert except if we go out to eat.

We have a freezer and buy when things are on sale, chicken last week, pizza the week before. We do not buy a lot of meat, DD1 is a vegetarian, and we are happy to eat that way sometimes too. I do not eat red meat either, so it is rare to see steak or a roast in our shopping cart. We eat fish, tilapia, salmon and tuna and we tend to buy it on sale, though the salmon from costco is very good.

We do not buy junk food. Girls buy lunch at school once or twice a week at $5 a time, so about $60 a month. Kids take packed lunches to school, we do not buy prepackaged snacks or drinks. They take a reusable bottle filled with water each day and we use reusable lunch boxes. We buy in large containers and divide into smaller portions.

I do not buy fruit juices, kids drink water or milk. We buy lots of fresh fruit and veg, usually from a specialty store that sells to restaurants. The quantities are large, but we always manage to use them up. We also shop at Costco as we do have storage for the extra that you end up with. We buy rice and pasta in big quanities as they keep well.

In summer we have a veg garden and grown mainly beans and lettuce that we enjoy as long as they grow.

The easiest place to cut back, for us, is dinng out and buying school lunches. Whenever I feel things are a bit tight that is what goes first. Neither hubby or I drink coffee, so there is no monthly coffee budget either, I understand that a fix at Starbucks can be pricey.

For sure food is getting pricier, not easy is it.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Again we don't live in the US so prices are different. I cook everything from scratch appart from fish fingers !

We have chickens, ducks and geese so we use our own eggs, we buy our meat from a butcher and get the cheaper cuts, we eat our spare cockerels and get free fish from a friend who fishes.

I grow a few veggies but not that many. We have some german low-cost supermakets here called Aldi and Lidl who are about 15% cheaper than the cheapest main supermarket (Walmart).

We don't eat out, but we eat well. We are 5 and we spend around £ 60 per week on food and household items which is about $95.


the trick is to cook from scratch. I can make one 4 lb chicken last 3 meals for all of us

'Margo

Oh on re-reading this I forgott the meat which isn't in out supermarket bill - about an aditional $40 a week

 

[MdGymMom01]

I constantly struggle with trying to stay within budget for food for our family. We have an extended family living together so it is a total of 6 people. We spend about $660-$700 a month on groceries (includes non-food items), eating out and lunches. My kids are grazers--they seem to eat little amounts but ALL THE TIME. So, I try to always keep a veggie/fruit/cheese tray in the fridge for them at all times to snack on. Because we have a busy schedule and many of us are in and out during any given time, I try to make crock pot meals that can be self-serve. We do eat out quite often--Subway is one of our favorites. I try to cut down on the junk food and snacks and only put what they will eat in their lunches (many times it ends up getting thrown out, traded or not eaten). I find it hard to stay within budget and keep it healthy because unfortunately, the healthy fruits and veggies are so much more expensive than a bag of cookies or chips .

But planning menus and dinners for the week ahead of time does help with budgeting that weeks grocery bill.

 

[trapar]

We are a family of 5 with 3 kids that are celiac, so we spend about $300 more at the grocery store than we did before the diagnoses. So for groceries (non-food included), we spend $1100 per month. I have to use cash envelopes to stick to that budget. Also we have a $250 per month dining out budget, using a separate envelope.

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[jcs]

I have thought about doing the cash envelopes but am sort of scared to do it. I do know that before I was married I went on a strict budget and wrote down EVERYTHING I bought. I mean everything. I saved a ton. And really thought about spending before I bought that extra item.

As for food, I currently have $500 in my grocery budget, plus another $200 a month at Target, which I don't really think is enough. We have another $1500 discretionary (extra stuff at Target, dining out, clothes, gifts, etc) that unfortunately always gets spent. One of these days I would like that discretionary to move to the savings pile. I could, I just need to stop spending money on new leotards, clothes for me and the kids and vacations.

 

[gymgurl]

According to the today show $5000 dollars is sufficient to feed a family for a year thats $96 a week (N.B this is all in Australia)
I think this is a bit on the cheap side though

 

[jcs]

We are a family of 5 with 3 kids that are celiac, so we spend about $300 more at the grocery store than we did before the diagnoses. So for groceries (non-food included), we spend $1100 per month. I have to use cash envelopes to stick to that budget. Also we have a $250 per month dining out budget, using a separate envelope.

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gluten free here as well, for me, not the kids. I'm not diagnosed celiac but have family that is. The doc I went to wasn't very helpful. So I just don't eat it and I feel better. Definitely a bit more expensive, as I sit here eating my $5.99 gluten free pasta rather than 75 cents from Stop & Shop.

 

[trapar]

I have thought about doing the cash envelopes but am sort of scared to do it. I do know that before I was married I went on a strict budget and wrote down EVERYTHING I bought. I mean everything. I saved a ton. And really thought about spending before I bought that extra item.

As for food, I currently have $500 in my grocery budget, plus another $200 a month at Target, which I don't really think is enough. We have another $1500 discretionary (extra stuff at Target, dining out, clothes, gifts, etc) that unfortunately always gets spent. One of these days I would like that discretionary to move to the savings pile. I could, I just need to stop spending money on new leotards, clothes for me and the kids and vacations.

Cash envelopes have really changed our family's finances for the better. We have them for only budget items we tended to overspend on like groceries, dining, clothing and entertainment. We also have a little bit budgeted for pocket money, so we can each spend something on ourselves without having to feel guilty about it. Our budget is different each month because not all months are the same (birthdays, meets, etc.), but we always have a plan and the cash envelopes help us stick with that plan. The envelopes do take practice as far as being realistic on how much needs to go in each, but it works for us!

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[trapar]

gluten free here as well, for me, not the kids. I'm not diagnosed celiac but have family that is. The doc I went to wasn't very helpful. So I just don't eat it and I feel better. Definitely a bit more expensive, as I sit here eating my $5.99 gluten free pasta rather than 75 cents from Stop & Shop.

I think it's better not to have a formal diagnoses for life insurace purposes. I don't really know if that's true, but the kids' gi doc told me that once, and it sounds reasonable. It made me wish my kids were not formally diagnosed already, but honestly, if they weren't, it would be a lot harder to stay gluten free forever. It's not a diet I would ever choose for them if it weren't medically necessary. It's expensive and a major pain in the behind!


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[Muddlethru]

A few of years ago, I thought the money I was spending was on the low end. My kids have gotten bigger and we now spend a lot on extra extrcurricular activities, clothes etc., so I tried to look at places I could cut corners. Though I thought the money I spent on food was very reasonable, I still looked for research to support it. I was very surprised to find that it seems I am on the high end. I have 4 children, 15 yo boy, and three girls 13, 10 and 6. They are all very active and are hungry all the time. They all have at least 5 meals a day (hearty breakfast, lunch at least 2 snacks and dinner). They love juice. So, I get the freshest kind and smoothies. I do cook my dinners from scratch using foodnetwork.com recipes most of the time. We eat out once or twice a week and maybe one lunch during the weekend. We go to Costco. Our eating habits don't seem as wholesome as bogwoppit and iwannabemargo. I wish it was. But I don't think it is that bad. I feel I am very cognizant of staying within budget. But I am obviously doing something wrong because we spend around $1,800 a month. That is almost $20,000 a year. Sounds like a lot right? I will check out Marya book suggestion. If there is anyone out there who spends more than I do, I would love tohear from you. So, I can rationalize my spending.

 

[trapar]

A few of years ago, I thought the money I was spending was on the low end. My kids have gotten bigger and we now spend a lot on extra extrcurricular activities, clothes etc., so I tried to look at places I could cut corners. Though I thought the money I spent on food was very reasonable, I still looked for research to support it. I was very surprised to find that it seems I am on the high end. I have 4 children, 15 yo boy, and three girls 13, 10 and 6. They are all very active and are hungry all the time. They all have at least 5 meals a day (hearty breakfast, lunch at least 2 snacks and dinner). They love juice. So, I get the freshest kind and smoothies. I do cook my dinners from scratch using foodnetwork.com recipes most of the time. We eat out once or twice a week and maybe one lunch during the weekend. We go to Costco. Our eating habits don't seem as wholesome as bogwoppit and iwannabemargo. I wish it was. But I don't think it is that bad. I feel I am very cognizant of staying within budget. But I am obviously doing something wrong because we spend around $1,800 a month. That is almost $20,000 a year. Sounds like a lot right? I will check out Marya book suggestion. If there is anyone out there who spends more than I do, I would love tohear from you. So, I can rationalize my spending.

I actually don't think you are too far off. We could easily spend almost as much as you do on groceries, and I have one less kid. It is really hard to stay under $1200 for us, we just do it now because we are trying to get out of debt. I think we'll have to raise our budget as our kids get older and start eating more.

 

[pinklemonadeliz]

I'm afraid that I don't keep very good track of such things, but I do have a suggestion. Maybe 6 weeks ago I got a new cookbook called "The Stocked Kitchen." It has a grocery list in it and if you have everything on the list, you can make any recipe in the book. I have been using it pretty consistently since I got it and the recipes are pretty good. The advantages are that you don't end up eating out just because you can't figure out what to cook out of what you have in your kitchen, and you don't end up buying a $5 ingredient that you will use 1 tbs of and then it will sit in your fridge until it goes bad. You also don't have to do menu planning before you go grocery shopping... you just have to get anything frozen out of the freezer in time for it to thaw. I've done a lot more cooking since I got this cookbook, and I'm sure it's saving me money.

I have this book also - it's a lifesaver!!! We are in California & spend about $600 per month on groceries (and that's with very little junk-type food)

 

[Optionals United]

wow. my mom goes to the groccery store once a week and spends about $350 each time. when she goes to costco it is more near $475. we do get checks back from costco and vons that will take $100, $150 off our purchase as money back form being members of the store or something. we try not to eat out to much but sometimes you have to. my brother is really high up there in soccer so he is always traveling. when you have tournements 2 hours away every other weekend sometimes you need to get subway or other fast food.Because you dont want to see those boys after a long game and hungry. having 3 boys and a girl who are constantly grazing can get quite expensive. we do pack lunchees, and find out what is best to go in them and what each kid likes in them so nothing gets thrown out. i guess you just have to find what works best so nothing goes to waste. those cookbooks Marya posted sound very good.

 

[coachmolly]

I love reading all of these posts because I'm living on a VERY tight budget and always enjoy finding new tips and tricks to make healthy eating less expensive. I'm very health conscious and purchase lots of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and organic products- all things that can get pretty pricey. I easily spend $50/week or more on groceries. I try to get as much as I can from the local farmers market to support local farmers so about $20/week for fresh, local produce and eggs. I try to stretch those things as far as I can by making big batches and freezing leftovers. I make my own bread, buy things like oatmeal and rice from the bulk bins at the store, check the reduced produce section constantly for good deals, and stock up when I find a good price.
I don't eat much meat, but will buy a locally grown chicken or grocery store whole bird every once in a while and freeze a bunch in single portion sizes and make broth with the bones for soups. I also get fresh lamb from my parents farm for free, so that makes for a nice treat from time to time. There's also discount grocery stores that cut back on costs of some things (canned tomatoes, spices, cereals). I shop sales and try to plan my meals as much as possible so I'm not stuck running to the store daily for 1 ingredient- which quickly turns to 5 or 10- which I have a terrible habit of doing.

 

[eryes]

Granted my 2 kids are still young (7) - we tend to spend about $400-450 month on food. I used to be even better and could get off with $350, but I haven't been as good with meal planning. If you're trying to save - best bet I found works for me... plan the month out in advance, only buy what will cook those meals, and try to stay out of the grocery store. Good luck!

 

[emorymom]

We spend a ton on food and beverages, I have two kids who both do swim and gymnastics teams, one is celiac, a celiac husband who isn't content with simple and/or meatless, and also is a former defensive lineman. My live revolves around food in and cleanup after.

I grew up eating very simply, so I know it is possible and I would naturally revert there. I grew up eating a lot of spaghetti with meat sauce, tuna (hot or cold), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, raisin bran, and powdered milk. My mom canned from the garden. We lived probably 10 miles from the closest supermarket and back in those days you did not just jump in the car and go to the store more than once a week.

I just got my first garage freezer (off Freecycle!) and once I get it going I'm going to be so excited.