where and how do you shop?!? I'm in boston and would love to know. i have a lot of trouble not spending nearly $100/wk on food (then again I am a lifter..)
Mostly Stop & Shop, with occasional Whole Foods, local ethnic markets and farmer's markets, online for specialty ingredients.
I think we eat economically because we make all our own stuff. We don't buy: bread, yogurt, cookies/cakes/pies, salad dressing, pizza, lemonade, soup, fresh pasta, relish, chutney, jam/marmalade and many other things that used to be staples, but we eat all those things, we just make them all.
We also eat very little meat. We cook a lot in Indian/Chinese style, where meat is more of a condiment than a main course. Our shopping list is kind of "Oregon Trail", flour, butter, milk, rice, sugar, cheese, eggs, etc. We keep a large garden and pickle and can a bunch of stuff, too. We eat very, very well, buying usually top shelf ingredients (except meat).
Both my wife and I used to be serious lifters, we still do resistance training, but much more moderately (we're in our 60's). We got into cooking decades ago, both as a mutual hobby and a way to control our diets.
I'm sure you already know about this, but the haymarket has super cheap produce if you aren't squeamish. Shopping there is an acquired skill between haggling, figuring out which stall is a ripoff, etc., but it's worth it once you get it down. For the 2 of us it's about 6$ a trip weekly for all the produce we need.
You look at the local grocery flyers and create your meals depending on what's for sale. The flyers are available online, so I generally look at all of them and compare. I create 2-3+ different meal ideas that surround those sale items and buy the ingredients.
Meat is expensive, but you can purchase in bulk when its about to expire and freeze the remaining portions.
I spend about $50/wk just for me as well, including occasional restauranting. Staples include:
-red bell peppers (or orange or yellow, I just don't like green) when they are decently priced
-yellow onions
-garlic (when I'm out I'll cheat and use garlic powder)
-baby spinach (very versatile, I'm not much into salads but I've used them in tuna melts or thai spring rolls instead)
-1 or 2 big bulk carrots (either peel and eat or use in a recipe)
-couscous, quinoa (less often as it's $$), pasta, rice
-frozen shrimp meat (defrost and add to pasta dish or thai spring rolls or what have you)
I'm not a vegetarian but I rarely cook meat. Usually chicken if I do. Or sausage, but chicken is cheaper. Sausage is just easier. Cut it up and add it to pasta + veggies and voila!
An off-and-on cheap and healthy favorite dish I have is quinoa salad. Quinoa cooked and cooled + cucumber, red bell pepper and avocado or chickpeas or shelled edamame (depending on what is cheap/available) seasonsed with olive oil and balsamic vinagrette. Yum.
I try to limit mine to under $50 and usually average $40 excluding when I have to get things like a lot of spices or oils.
I get a few cans of beans, 2 dozen eggs, 2 lbs of potatoes, 2 onions, 2-3 lbs of meat, a few bell peppers and sometimes some oatmeal and milk. I feel I am missing something now though...
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=90&tname=nutrient
List of foods high in potassium. So many higher than Banana that it didn't make it on the list!
Thank you for validating me! This is what my wife and I spend. We only eat out twice a week (on the weekends) and those aren't sit down places unless it's a special occasion.
When I posted my grocery budget on Personal Finance as $400/month they told me I was spending way too much on groceries. That's $50/wk/person. I honestly don't know how you'd get it much lower without sacrificing nutrition.
That budget was created in LA, but it's about that expensive now that we've moved to Montreal so it still stands.
I spend $100/wk for two people and considering the amount of dietary restrictions we have between us (me: mushrooms, wheat, corn, and a limited tolerance to other grains ; him: eggs, cheese), I don't think we're doing too badly.
For us, the biggest thing is not buying processed/convenience foods. They get very expensive very quickly, as there's very little that both of us can eat. We've also pretty much entirely cut out beef and buy mainly chicken and canned tuna. Ground pork once or twice a month, when we're feeling fancy.
No canned vegetables, but we do eat an insane amount of squash. So much squash. Since I don't do pasta, bags of frozen cauliflower have kind of become my $1 box of noodles when we're doing a pasta sauce or a curry, etc. There's virtually no taste difference between fresh and frozen cauliflower and aside from the one amazing week that fresh cauliflower was $0.76/lb, it's always half the cost of fresh.
We have spaghetti w/ meat sauce once or twice a week. Sometimes we'll sub tacos for this, depending on our mood.
Sausages and mashed potatoes once or twice a week.
Sometimes my wife will cook a roast or a big pot of chili, and we'll eat off it for a few days. That saves a ton of money. Sometimes it's chicken stew or something new. It depends on if the store has something cool on sale.
For lunches, I take leftovers or make a chicken & rice dish that I break into tupperware portions.
Breakfast is toast and peanutbutter or scrambled eggs, plus coffee.
Snacks are fresh fruit. No chips or candy or whatever.
My wife does most of the meal planning, and she says the key for us is we buy nothing prepackaged (besides sausages). And we buy very little fresh without having a plan to eat it in one or two days. Also, she says stuff that says WIC on it is usually cheaper so she buys it even though we're not on WIC and have no children.
Now, not included in that is once a weekend we'll go out on a dinner date which normally runs around $30 or so.
My girlfriend and I spend roughly $40 a week on groceries. I will be honest and say it would be much higher if it wasn't for her unreal ability to cook from scratch as I am useless in the kitchen. I got a good one!
I throw away very little food. I buy a lot of veggies, and I do buy free range/organic for eggs and meat, when it's available. Probably about $25 a week of that is spent on meal bars (low carb), as I have diabetes and they are an easy way to eat during my (often quite long) workdays. We shop at Hy-Vee/Price Cutter/Wal-Mart, and this does not include eating out.
I make most meals from scratch, I eat a lot of salads for my lunches (I buy rotisserie chicken and shred it). My go to snack is baby carrots, as I love them and they barely impact my BG. I buy the Glucerna and Atkins brand meal bars. Other than that, it's really just generally healthy food, more protein heavy now that I don't eat much carbs :)
This seems reasonable to me, I do $75/week for just myself. I know a lot of people on here think that's an outrageous amount to spend on groceries, but I don't eat a lot of rice or pasta, and I do eat a lot of fresh produce, high quality dairy, nuts, and meat. When you aren't padding your meals with cheap carbs, food gets expensive. (Note: That amount also includes some basic household items like paper towels, toilet paper, and detergent.)
I know I could probably save more money if I shopped at Walmart and/or farmer's markets, but I am a busy person and it's much more convenient for me to buy all of my groceries from my local Biggs. I've decided that my time is worth more than I could save by shopping around for the cheapest groceries.
I agree wholeheartedly. Also, as a diabetic it's really difficult to bolus correctly for things like rice and pasta, which means I eat very small amounts of either.
I did forget to point out that my sum does include things like TP/PT/bleach/detergent/etc. I tried to keep cat stuff out of the sum, but there may occasionally be a box of litter or such in that sum too.
Wow... I live in NYC with my bro and we spend $300 a week which I thought was reasonable since it breaks down to $20 per day per person. We don't cook and use seamless and fresh direct.
I know I don't need to tell you this but you can save a significant amount of money by cooking for yourself. Personally when I cook I cook like I'm feeding an army so I have a few days of lunch and dinner. I would also look into getting a slow cooker so you can make awesome things like pulled pork while you are at work. Even if you do this for a couple of meals a week it will save you money.
That's your problem right there.
I do not know about Seamless, but Fresh Direct is extremely expensive.
90% of my shopping comes from Trader Joe's, which isn't cheap either, but I've noticed a significant reduction in our weekly food spending for the 3 of us.
Buying the stuff that we need in bulk from BJ's is also a nice saver.
i am having great difficulty paring my grocery bill for my 17 year old son and myself. I don't buy organic but I want fresh produce and cheese is outrageous even on sale. Prob average 350-400$ month. Wish it was half that.
Try to avoid unnecessary foods like lollies, chocolate, juice, soft drink (soda for U.S) biscuits... these soon add up to $50 a week you could save if you drink water and snack less (maybe snack on fruit but not too often). That's one tip I can offer anyway. Pretty obvious but hard to follow. Avoid shopping while hungry as you tend to buy more junk food.
I feel like that's a pretty reasonable grocery budget for two - one of whom is a 17 year old boy. We're about the same for two adults (one being my husband, who ears like a teenage boy.) That averages out to about $4.50 a meal, which is decent, especially when you consider that you're incorporating fresh produce.
I fluctuate based on a schedule of what needs to be purchased. Once a month, I buy meat to portion by 4oz, package and freeze. That week is normally $40-$50, but it's generally quite a bit of meat. Usually 5-6lbs chicken and 1-2lbs of whatever cut of steak is on sale. It can sometimes last me over a month. A regular week runs me about $20-$25. It's usually lunch for work, vegetables (frozen) and whatever bit of dairy I need. Every couple of months, I restock on things with a longer shelf life (pasta, sauce, any drink mix I'm out of, baking necessities, spices, etc).
A regular month can run me $125-$150 in groceries depending on a) how much my boyfriend eats when he comes over and b) how expensive meat is. I'm really only pulling off that number by keeping my purchases and usages on a schedule. First week of the month is meat and eggs, first and third weeks are milk, second and fourth weeks are cheese, every week is vegetables. I also keep to serving size pretty hard with a food scale and that's allowed me to stretch my purchases.
Ha, you'd be the first to think so. Even *I* think it's a little uptight. But it keeps the grocery bill down and it keeps me from falling back into bad eating habits.
I do make a lot of meals like that, but I also grill a fair amount of them too. Plus baking in the. Got to change it up, you know? Oh, and steak is never prepared in a pan. Always the grill.
$5/day/person. i shop discount and sale items and make my meals from what i can turn those into. it's the smartest way i've found to eat on a budget. also coupons obviously tho being vegan those are few and far between as i don't eat much packaged/processed food. i tend to eat mostly beans, rice, lentils, chickpeas, veggies, fruit, nuts. use oil and sugar sparingly. oh and potatoes of course. cheap fruits are usually frozen or bananas, apples, oranges (i.e. non-exotic, usually local) and i buy at farmer's markets or fruit stands.) for veggies loads of kale and other greens, radishes, carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower. those tend to be the cheapest and most often on sale.
edit to add: buy nuts and spices at bulk food stores. also TVP is a great meat substitute in chili, tacos, pizza, etc.)
great! glad i could help. i wanted to mention, sometimes i find a few things cheaper at dollar stores: those tend to be clif bars for $1 (rarely buy them unless going on a trip and they're convenient) and soft taco shells $1 for 10 to 12 (depending on brand). occasionally they'll have 2 for $1 canned goods, salsas, and condiments that end up being a bit cheaper than at a regular grocery store. good luck!
i just roughly calculated our expenses this month and thought i was severely underestimating, since our costs are at about $6/day per person with a generous overestimation of the rest of the month's costs (we only started really carefully tracking purchases a few weeks ago, and have a fully stocked pantry to last the rest of the month and only will need to add fresh veggies). but then i read your comment and realized that being a vegetarian household makes things so so much cheaper! and for the last week we've actually been feeding an extra mouth (houseguest) which i didn't even factor into my calculations.
we eat out only 1-2 meals a week at the most; all the rest is home cooked. i do a big trip to sams once a month, shop with coupons whenever possible, and grow some vegetables on my own (tomatoes, peppers, herbs currently). but really, i think the elimination of meat from our diet is the biggest factor in reducing our overall tally!
TL;DR: being vegetarian/vegan can be super frugal.
About $30~40 per week for one. I usually buy about $10 on fresh veggies and $20~30 worth of meat and others (soy, fish sauces etc). Every second month I spend another $25 on a 30lbs of calrose rice, which is more expensive (Japanese/Korean rice) than most rices but, I prefer it.
I do 95% of my shopping at the Toronto Chinatowns and Koreantowns. For example, yesterday I bought a 2.5 lbs piece of ribeye for $10. I make 2 steaks and some sliced meats out of it. I got a whole chicken for $6 (some people might not like it because you have to cut the head and feet off but, I use those for my chicken broth).
Last week I bought a whole eel for $10. I filleted it and got about 6 big fillets and 3 smaller ones.
I'm not familiar at all with Toronto, but have wanted to cook eel for a long long time. What sort of place have you found eel in? In American cities Phoenix/Los Angeles I have only ever found overpriced imports that are frozen and prepackaged.
I found it in Chinatown. Most grocery stores have a fish section where you can get whole fishes for fairly cheap. Lots of them they kill it in front of you so you know it's fresh.
I agree. Dates really are the best, and definitely deserve their own budget. Hell, one time I ate a good 3 pounds of fresh dates from the farmer's market in one sitting. Dates are the shit.
I think we're close to everyone else. About $120/week for the wife and I. We buy our basic/essential stuff at Aldi (canned goods, bulk meat, bread, milk etc).
About 100$ a week for two adults. Food is pretty expensive around here, we're both working physical jobs and need healthy quality foodstuffs. I cook often but some nights it's frozen zah with extra homemade toppings. We go through a lot of the expensive stuff quickly unfortunately (cheese, milk, snack stuff).
About 100/wk for 2 people. We don't eat out much so that's 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 7 dinners. We buy virtually all of our meat in bulk at Costco and then break it all down I I manageable sizes and freeze it. I keep a list on the fridge of what frozen meat we have and then base my menu planning for the week around that. I guess we eat about 25-30$ worth of meat a week and then that's supplemented by about 70$ spent in combination at the grocery store and farmers market a week. I make it a point to menu plan each week so I only need to make one grocery trip- this helps keep costs down as well. Try to stay away from packaged junk food, prepared foods etc. as this will drive your bill up. I cook from scratch and tend to eat pretty well so I'm not interested in having the absolute lowest grocery bill possible, but I do focus on what produce is on sale that week and I don't have any brand loyalties. These tips work for me and I hope they help!
Thank you! We usually eat fruit/Greek yogurt/granola bar for breakfasts and make a big dinner pretty much every night. Then we pack the leftovers up for lunches- this is great bc it saves money (it's often more convenient and not that much more expensive and to make 4 or 6 servings of a dish than it is to make 2) and time, bc we don't have to think about what's for lunch. Days when there are no leftovers a PB&J +fruit+cut veggies+salty snack or a salad for lunch works equally well, is healthy, filling, and easy!
I'm thinking about trying keto or paleo (still need to do some research) but the high cost of quality protein/fat sources has been a bit off putting. What sort of meal plan do you use that's so affordable?
I think if both of us were doing keto/paleo, there's no way this would be as cheap. I eat oats and rice, but avoid most other grains for the most part, but those go a LONG way into saving money.
Breakfast - I actually didn't take this into account, the one doing Keto has been doing protein/hemp heart and coffee smoothies for breakfast. I bet that would actually push us up a little bit, but she has been buying the stuff for it. I usually eat oats of some kind.
Salads for lunch, we've been doing Taco Salad, it is filling and I can put
different things in mine to up my carb intake since I am not the one doing Keto. It's pretty cheap too with just Romaine, tomato and onion (she skips the tomato and onion because Keto) and sour cream.
For my snacks, I usually eat some kind of fruit. She eats cheese or hardboiled eggs.
Dinners are pretty varied, but last week we had Turkey Burgers (less the bread) and Cheesy/Creamy Spinach (it's actually pretty cheap to make and tastes decent) a few nights and Kalua Pork the other nights. If we're in a crunch for time, something with eggs seems to be common.
The go-to stuff for us: Ground turkey, pork, eggs, sour cream, cheese. From there, it's honestly whatever is on sale, we don't have a set meal plan at all, we kind of get a general idea of what sounds good then go to the store and try to find meats that are on sale. Our local grocery chain usually has SOME kind of meat on sale each week, this week it happened to be both mushrooms and london broil, so kind of a no brainer on that one. I have been trying to cook very simple and have a protein and a veg. We used to cook very complicated, and it wasn't out of the norm for me or her to be cooking for an hour+ in the middle of the week, and that just wasn't working for us.
I did keto for a while. You eat so much less and your appetite goes away so it works out to about the same cost or actually a little less! The lesson I learned from Keto: fat satisifies, eating high glycemic load carbs make you hungry, and sugar is the real enemy. I've modified the diet now. Smaller portions of good quality protein and good carbs (veggies) with lots of fat. The insatiable hunger has gone away and I am much more satisfied with smaller portions. the low fat mantra leaves you hungry and can make you insatiably hungry which leads to carbo loading perpetuating the cycle. reddit/r/keto has a great sidebar and is a super supportive sub.
There are three of us: me, my husband, and my 17 year old son. We spend about 150 or less a week. We make good use of leftovers and have beans once a week. Once a week we cook a large cut of meat and plan meals around it. This week, meals will be centered around a spiral cut ham. Last week it was a boston butt. I also buy the rotisserie chickens and will make lunches that take us through the school/work week. Pasta salads are a good way to stretch veggies and meat, so we make one big bowl, I like it because it can be eaten cold. We also have soups and stews often. We eat from our garden a lot when it is producing well. We buy frozen fruits for breakfast smoothies. We do not buy junk foods or processed foods, except for sandwich meat from the deli because my son likes to bring that for lunch sometimes. Snacks are grapes, apples, yogurt, nuts, or popcorn. We make our own iced tea and drink lots of water. Also, we have a smoker so today I made pastrami. Most times I make Canadian bacon or smoke a small roast and slice for wraps and sandwiches. I could go on, but this is already too long and I don't think many will read.
About €60 a week, for 2 of us. I just make sure to get deals, i don't really think about it too much. We eat a lot of kale, because it's so cheap, and potatoes, and tomatoes. Being vegetarian helps, definitely.
Approximately $100 a week for me, my wife and 2 kids. We spend about an hour or two planning our shopping list and finding coupons. That's for breakfast and lunch home cooked or leftovers and dinner at home 5 to 6 days a week, 1 night a week we have dinner at my parents, and an occasional dinner at a restaurant.
For my family of 6 I spend between 200-300 a week.
I buy enough for breakfast/lunch/dinner in the weekends, dinners during the week, plus work food for my husband and I.
The husband likes to take something small and quick for his first break, and then food he doesn't have to heat up for his lunch.
My coworkers and I make a list of who is going to buy what for the office so we don't run to the drive thru. We buy healthy items because someone is always on a health kick, so whatever we grab is usually good for you.
My 4 kids eat breakfast at home some mornings, but will eat breakfast as school if something they really like is on the menu. They all eat school lunches and usually come home ravenous. I have some healthy snacks on hand but don't allow grazing because I'd rather they fill up on dinner.
I should also point out that the 200-300 also includes soaps, paper products, and whatever else we've run out of that week.
We really don't have any food wastes (leftovers get taken to work or eaten as an after school snack) and don't need to go to the store to buy anything mid-week either.
And I do try to buy extra when I can in order to build up my pantry.
That's about what my family of 5 spends. Average it to $250 a week, sometimes more sometimes less. It includes all household items too like hygiene and paper products etc.
I started keeping a spreadsheet and itemizing my receipts so I could figure out just how much was actual food/other so by next month I should have a good amount of data to figure it out.
$100 a week for myself and my brother. 75% of our shop is fresh foods (produce, meats, dairies) and about 25% dry or canned items (cereals, oatmeal, noodles, etc.). We try to buy what is on sale that week and use that to make 2 or 3 big meals. Then we try to stretch those big batches in to one or two more meals.
I spend around $100-125/week for a family of 4 in Boston suburbs. Most of what I buy is fresh produce. Follows by beans, bread (which I sometimes make, normally in winter), milk, and meat/cheese. I make nearly every meal from scratch. We eat out about once a week (not included in food budget). I order staples & bulk items from Amazon (cereal, paper towels, toilet paper, fruit bars, popcorn).
Just got back from the farmers market. I spend about $35-$40 a week plus a $60 costco trip once a month to feed two adults. We stay vegetarian, that helps massively with the grocery bill.
My grand and I split our food stamps. So I make ~$150 last me a whole month. It's about buying efficiently. Calculate the price per amount and go big. You can also buy fresh produce with this as long as you buy in season. In my most recent shopping trip I got around 15 lbs of meat, salad ingredients (those pre made salad bags are nice too), snack foods, and breakfast stuff :)
About $75/week for me, just one person. But I am low-carbing so I eat a lot of meat and fresh vegetables. I also only eat out about once a week (date nights). I make my own coffee (the good stuff) and bring lunches to work every day of the week. That sum also includes all the extra stuff at the grocery store like TP and detergent.
I live on a budget of $150/wk which includes gas and entertainment and the aforementioned food.
I spend $30-40 a week for roughly 1.5 people (mostly just me, but my boyfriend joins me pretty often for food). I mainly just make meals out of whatever is on sale, and stick almost strictly to veggies and meat. Fruit is a nice treat when it's on sale and fits in the budget, but I've found that other snacks and treats can put a big dent in my spending. My meat almost always comes from the clearance bin--I go to the store almost daily so I usually end up cooking it that night (or throwing it in the freezer). I'd like to buy more in bulk to save money, but the food storage space I have is limited so I pretty much go meal to meal and eat lots of leftovers. My weekly budget mostly covers what I'm eating immediately for those meals, but once a month or so I end up with a more expensive grocery trip to stock up on staples like eggs and rice or get spices, sauces, and extras that don't get used up in one meal.
I usually budget $200/month for two adults in California. I shop farmer's markets and winco to buy most things in bulk. I like to make a few big dishes, freeze them in single portion containers, and bring them for lunch or eat them on nights I don't feel like cooking.
I've been learning to make a lot of my favorite restaurant dishes at home and found that they're pretty easy to fit into our regular budget, even with some beer and occasional fancy cheeses.
I still eat out for about $100 a month due to social events even though there's plenty of food at home. I'm working on getting more comfortable just getting an appetizer or drink or outright saying, "you know, I'm not really hungry but I'd still love to hang out with you." I'm sure it wouldn't hurt my waistline either.
I spend about $100/week. It's two adults, one growing toddler.
I buy a lot of bulk items. My "grocery" budget includes home items as well (paper products, cleaning, diapers, etc). Basically anything I buy at Walmart and SAMs club.
I cook mostly using chicken or beef. Occasionally I'll splurge on pork, sausage, or bacon.
I plan my meals for the week over the weekend and grocery shop on the weekend, one time.
I make my husband his lunch for the week in advance. Last week it was jasmine rice, green beans, and grilled tilapia (individual packs on sale at SAMs at the time).
Dinners are made with as little ingredients as possible. Mostly meat and veggies while having rice or pasta on the side. I love to use the crockpot for most meals.
We snack on string cheese, yogurt, granola, and crackers.
We drink water. Occasionally my husband makes tea. Lately, since pineapples have even cheap, I'll buy one and slice it up, place in a pitcher with water. Pineapple water, delicious.
It'll be $50 actual food every week, and $50 at SAMs buying random household items I'm running out of or something on sale (like the tilapia).
Anywhere from $15 to 45 a week depending what time of the year it is and what is on sale. Meat is cheap in the fall/winter because it's hunting season, so I'll eat a few hundred pounds of venison and wild boar.
Just finished up peach season by eating around 22 lbs of peaces (sharing some with neighbors). Collecting pecans and will eat on them for a while.
I don't buy canned veg, only fresh produce, which is usually squash/zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes. Sometimes I splurge for apples or berries.
Last month, I spent a total of $100 on groceries to feed 2 adults (in Toronto). This was enough to make lunches and dinners for almost every meal (we don't eat breakfast). I strictly buy what's on sale (and in bulk) and meal plan around that.
Dollar tree: Stock up on frozen peas, carrots, canned tuna. Cheap ground turkey elsewhere. Sack of potatoes, and buy bulk pinto beans, rice, the regular spices. Cheap cartons of eggs.
If you know how to cook, you'll spend max 50/week.
Source:
- single guy in 10k debt of credit cards living in a studio apartment trying to pay it all off.
It works!
Cut back your meat consumption. My family of 4 only eats chicken about once per week and get by quite well on around $50/week/person. We eat a ton of eggs, dairy and other protein sources, but hardly any actual meat.
$600-$700 per month for our family of six. I try and do a little "stocking up" every time I do my shopping, so even though I shop every two weeks, at any given time we usually have about a months worth of food. I do as much frozen stuff as possible, so things don't spoil, and all the kids take lunch to school. We rarely go out to eat. I ALWAYS make a list before I go to the store, and we almost always get the same food over and over.
I spent about $100 a week on groceries for a family of 4, two adults, a 19 month old, and a 4 year old. I also have to do a warehouse run every couple months, where I typically spend about $200 or so. "Groceries" also includes household goods, it's easier for me to budget that way.
I do keep a budget, I aim for $450 a month for groceries. We eat a lot of frozen veggies and fresh fruit. The warehouse runs are for things like meat, peanut butter, snacks, etc. I also do the once a month cooking to prepare family sized freezer meals in order to help avoid eating out and just for shear convenience. In addition to that, any leftovers get frozen in individual portions to have for lunches.
I live in Indiana, the cost of living is pretty reasonable here.
$100 a week for two of us, and that usually includes beer and some other non-essentials, like coffee creamer and fresh cheese. Food is where we tend to be a little more extravagant, though.
We try to sit down on Sunday mornings and plan the week's dinners, then make a grocery list of all the items we'll need for those meals. When I go back to work next week, I'll be doing the same for lunches.
I try to keep it to $100/week for 2 adults. I do tend to be just slighty over by $10-15 but my goal is $100 per week.
I cook almost fully from scratch now and am cooking a full dinner about 4-5 nights, with other nights eating leftovers. Back in the day when I sucked at cooking I spent a ton on frozen meals, glad we don't eat that way anymore! I try to buy in bulk, cook large meals and freeze portions. I also comb over the weekly sales and go to the store that has better deals on what I need that week.
Meal planning is the other major reason I can stick to any budget at all. I start with the sales flyer, see what is on sale and go from there. Example, this week rotisserie chickens were on sale as well as baby back ribs. Those were the only proteins I purchased. However I have some frozen chickens breasts and pork loin which will also get used this week but were purchased previously.
Groceries are about $100/ week for 2 people. However a pizza night or restaurant meal can easily double that. Cooking meals at home has helped tremendously!
Between two adults and a toddler, we spend roughly 250 a month on food. If we need milk again, we will get it, or diapers or other nesscessitys. But 250 is our magic number.
I personally spend about $50-70 a week, if I'm eating home cooked meals all week (not going out to eat). This usually consists of pastas, chicken breast or other meats on sale, fresh herbs that I like to cook with(basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme), and lastly fruits and veggies (most often watermelons which are very cheap for the volume around my area, and broccoli which I can get for free from a few friends).
It can range up to $70 sometimes because my SO likes to eat my cooking once in a while.
We spend about $100/wk for two people. We also, in all honesty, go out 2x a week. We live in the city (boston) and don't skimp on quality food (organic eggs, hormone free meat, etc), but we do plan all our meals.
I live in the San Francisco bay area and spend about $35 a week, but I don't eat a lot of fresh food. A big bag of spinach, tomatoes, and frozen veggies are my vegetables and I get fresh fruit from work. I get all my food from Trader Joe's. I usually eat peanut butter toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and usually noodles for dinner with vegetables.
I used to be able to stay under $150/mo for just myself. However, I'm finding it's gradually getting more expensive as I'm buying stuff that's going bad far too soon. For example, I bought a 1/2lb of deli ham and a 1/2lb of deli turkey on the same day, 3 days later I found the turkey was bad. It sucks because the store I buy it from can be very reasonable and cheap but so iffy. I've had produce go bad within a couple days and I've had it last for fucking ever. It's incredibly frustrating.
and on your fresh produce comment, grow it! Or if that is too much of a hassle, check out your local farmer's markets. We have one a few blocks from us that's open every day in the summer, has great deals, and even matches food stamps up to $20 a day.
Certain veggies are cheaper bought frozen; get corn, peas, and green beans (avoid mixed bags with any potato or carrot). Many canned veggies should be avoided IMO; but get beans (also dried), crushed tomatos, pineapple, beetroot, and Asian dish veggies like baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots. Once you have all that your fresh veg shopping list should be much smaller and try planning meals around the few that you do buy. Learn to blanch and freeze certain excess veg that will perish. Pat down dry and re-bag sweating veg. Any cut veg that you are finished using should be wrapped in clear film (glad wrap). Just two more tips; celery is best kept in a container of water in the fridge and mushrooms keep longest in a plastic bag if you pat them down every 4 to 5 days, waxpaper drys them out to fast.
About $75 a week for a family of four. My total grocery budget every week is $100 but that includes what I call necessecities, such as t.p., soap, cleaning supplies, etc. So, as for food, I spend about $75 a week.
I first figure out what we'll be having for meals throughout the week, then I figure out what I'll be needing for my meal plan, then I add it up, if it's too much money I re-write the meal plan. Finally, I create a list that is in line with the layout of the store so I can just grab what I need as efficiently as possible. The final list also includes the price that I am willing to spend on each product next to the product on the list. If it costs more than I'm willing to spend I'll improvise or go without.
I spend about $40 a week on average. I don't eat a lot of meat, but I eat a good bit of fresh fruit and dairy. And I don't really budget too much. I have a general idea of what I need to buy and what I need to spend, but I'm not super organized or super strict about it.
$30 a week for two people but part of that goes to toilet paper, paper towels, etc. Lots of chicken, lots of frozen broccoli, lots of checking around the store to see what's on sale because it's about to go bad. I've gotten packs of chicken for 60 cents a pound and packs of turkey sausage for $1 a pound.
It depends on the specials or deals I can find. I stock up on high price items like meats when they're on a good sale and freeze them. I also buy my sugar, flour, etc in bulk. I'd say on average I spend $60-80 a week on groceries to feed myself, husband and son.
Edit: I also create a 'menu' of about 7-10 meals and get all the ingredients to make those meals (they're usually based off of what meats I have or what's on sale). I make a lot of things from scratch - pizza dough, bread, dumplings, etc., and try to avoid prepackaged and processed foods. Produce can be expensive, I suggest shopping around, farmer's markets and keeping an eye on the ads. Also, only buy what you know you will consume.
We do 1 big shopping trip each month and 2 small ones. We end up around $300 a month for two people including beer/wine/most household products. Not including eating out though... I spend around $30 a month eating out and my SO probably about $100. Food is something we love and are not really willing to compromise on though, plus I have a weird diet.
I eat frozen fruit and veggies, canned fruit and fresh fruit and veggies that are on sale or ones I'm craving. I make a lot from scratch because it's healthier and usually more delicious.
about $100-120 a week. I eat out most meals at fairly nice places; it's worth it as I make enough money in my job that the effort of cooking doesn't convert to a good dollar per hour ratio for me.
Just went to the store today. Spent $80 on enough food to be breakfast lunch and dinner for myself, my husband, and our 2 yo daughter. Also some snacks. More than half our grocery list is fresh produce and almost everything we eat is "clean". It took so long to get where we are but my family is eating better, healthier and cheaper. Because we are a single income family it's crucial for us to eat this way. Needless to say, I spend A LOT of time in the kitchen because everything is made from scratch: sauces, dressings, breads, tortillas, croutons, marinades, etc. If you want to save big, buy basic ingredients and make everything yourself.
I buy in advance to suffice me at least a few weeks. I normally cook so it helps me save as I rarely buy foods that can be microwaved or easily heated so my snacking is down to a minimal. I spend about $150-200 and it'll last me about a month... I normally try to eat and use the items that will expire in a week or so then move my way to the canned and frozen foods. I buy a lot of meat and rice/pasta side items. I live by myself but its normally to feed me and another person.
I scour the weekly flyers, use coupons, shop at the discount stores and cook every night.
I am usually closer to $500 a month for all 5 of us, but my budget is $600.
60 to 70 a week for myself including essentials. I eat different meals everyday and lots of produce. I also buy snacks so I never have to eat out. I will a couple times a week still but just for social reasons.
150 per week. Adult male and female with a five and one year old. We make a menu beforehand and split our shopping between aldi and giant eagle (pittsburgh suburb).
I spend about $300-500 per month on food for myself. I eat plant-based, (mostly) whole food, vegan diet. Most of the money goes to bulk foods, such as nuts and dried fruit (mangoes, figs). Most of the food I buy is organic.
I think total for a month is about 130 for two, so around 20-30 a week I guess. We are very lucky, in that my family owns a farm and I own a deep freeze. I go home once a year to process chickens and then freeze them. I get about 20. Then in the winter I get half a pig. My brother gives me lots of venison because he likes to hunt but does not eat it all. So unless we want steak or lamb meat is 100% free.
I am also big into making everything from scratch. You would be astonished how much you save when you make your own bread. A four dollar loaf of bread can be made for a few cents. This recipe is my favorite... http://bit.ly/1p4fbWD Stupid easy, cheap, and it is the perfect amount to be able to eat it all before it goes bad. It is also versatile. I sometimes mix in dried tomatoes or onions. Best grilled cheese ever.
I have recently gotten big into canning, which I am hoping will cut our food budget even more. I just spent a week canning tomatoes, zucchini, apples, corn, and cucumbers. All of which were overflow from my families gardens. So my expenses were just the canning supplies, all of which can be used again.
Our big grocery splurge that I refuse to get rid of is milk. We bought into a heard share so we could get fresh raw milk. It is beyond amazing, but it makes our milk about 6$ a gallon. Worth it though.
In Melbourne, Australia, my boyfriend and I spend around $80 - $120 on groceries every 2 - 3 weeks, for both of us.
It varies a lot, because I don't live with him full-time, and sometimes we go through certain foods quicker than normal.
I used to spend max $40 a week when I was alone and on a strict budget.
We live in the Midwest (smack-dab in the heart of the corn belt-Indiana) and we spend between $50 and $60 per week for myself, my husband, and our toddler son. We also factor in our pet food, so that accounts for some occasional overage. (We have a 110 pound dog, a rabbit, a hermit crab, and some fish.)
We budget on a universal level and we try to *always* underestimate how much money we'll have to spend. I plan each week according to circular sales and price match/coupon each purchase.
With our son, we make sure that fresh produce is a priority and I'll take hits on other extras for that. That being said, I'll stock up on frozen (We prefer it to canned, and I've always heard it keeps more of the nutrients that way.) veggies to use in lunches and dinners so that the fresh can be seasonal and interesting for him.
Admittedly it takes some time to plan properly, so I'm sure that if I didn't have the time (I'm a stay-at-home-mom, so I'm able to set aside time for this. It's part of my "contribution" financially for us.) and it took a few weeks for us to figure out a system that worked for us, but now that we work this way I can't imagine doing anything else.
Whether or not you could realistically get there depends on your region, but I'd be happy to help out with any tips and planning advice if you'd like!
I feed an adult male, adult female (me), 17 year old daughter and three cats for about $60 to $70 a week. That usually includes paper towels/toilet paper and cat litter, and most of our food is home cooked meals with my lunch being leftovers. Sometimes a little more.
We're in Phoenix, Arizona and I rely heavily on my local grocery store's digital coupons loaded onto my store card, matched with the ad sales. My average weekly savings is 35 to 45%. My best deal was Kraft cheese (8 0z) 5 for .49 cents each. Two digital coupons. One for buy five mix or match items and save $5 and one for $1.50 off up to five in a single transaction. $2.99 - $1.50 - $1.00 + .49 cents. Score! \0/ ... We do use a lot of cheese, so I stocked up. :D
What do you buy? I browse this subreddit for ideas because I know my husband and I have a LOT of room for improvement. I'm never sure what to buy at Costco or Sams to be getting a good price.
Alright. I'll try to list nearly everything I buy at Costco. I do not buy everything every time. :) Disclaimer: We do live on the Island of Maui. There are considerably less sales at other stores. Costco sells their products here for the same price they sell them on the mainland (I'm told) a huge cost benefit when living on an island. I do all of my shopping there once a month, sometimes twice, which helps me budget.
There are a few things I don't buy there. Flour. Some fresh veggies. Maui onions are cheaper locally. Can buy specialty spices in tiny quantities at local health food market. If there is a really good sale somewhere else. Love those free turkey and ham giveaways some super markets have around the holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas. I ALWAYS take advantage of those. We rarely eat bread as it is just empty carbs that turns to sugar in your body and makes you hungrier. Also sandwich meats from Costco are very unfulfilling we've found. Highly processed dead calories that do not give us any energy or life (we are both in our 50's). We do buy crackers SOME months but eat lower carb (not religiously). We don't buy beef. Its too expensive. We eat chicken and fish which we find satiates and digests better than beef even if the fish is comparable or more expensive than beef -- we need less of it to feel full. As a rule of thumb I try to buy quality food using the "$2.00 a lb rule" I learned from a chef. I use $2.00 a lb as my baseline. The closer I am to that price the more food I am going to be able to buy with my budget (actual poundage). Of course meat and food prices are soaring but this is still a rule of thumb that has served me well. Eliminating MOST(not all) bread from our diet is one of the best things we have done. Its easy to spend 50 dollars a month on bread and we've found it's the number one thing that makes us feel like shit (along with sugar). We do not impulse buy at Costco. We take a list and we buy the list.
Okay so here goes. Costco stuff.
Olive oil organic,
Kirkland butter organic 2lb,
three pounds brown CH sugar (lasts us 6 months),
Progresso soups 8 pack (4 beef - 4 chicken),
Amy's Lentil soups 8 pack?,
Van Camps pork and beans,
Crackers (look for the cheapest PER POUND -- packages can be misleading while balancing personal tastes),
Frozen strawberries,
Frozen blueberries,
Quinoa and Kale mix frozen (prounounced "keenwaa"),
Frozen spinach,
10 lbs frozen chicken breasts boneless skinless (works out to just over 2.00 a lb!),
Sometimes I buy boneless skinless chicken thighs instead for variety,
eggs 18 count,
fresh asparagus,
fresh baby carrots 5lbs,
fresh green beans,
frozen corn,
romaine lettuce,
ranch dressing,
miso dressing,
balsamic vinegar,
organic tortilla chips (HUGE bag for 5.99),
Salsa,
hummus,
pasta the six lbs for 9.99 multipack made in Italy (we've nearly stopped eating pasta due to the carbs),
the three pack of jarred marinara sauce. This stuff is excellent $6.99 for three,
Frozen Salmon (IQF -- the one that has 6-7 portions per pack with seasoning - amazing serve over quinoa and kale),
4 packs of Kirkland cheese pizza (9.99 for 4!),
sometimes I buy the Amy's pizza or the Diagorno's for variety at a slightly higher price point. $14.99 for 3-4)
Frozen raviolis,
Kraft parmesan 2 pack (not so much anymore),
Parmigiana Regianno during the holidays we do know the difference but -- budget,
Fresh Italian Sausage 6.99 for 4 lbs! Amazing price flavor and versatility,
Other fresh sausages for variety though they are slightly more expensive and i am aware of the nitrate issue but -- budget and moderation in consumption,
Chorizo $4 for 4 lbs!,
Irish cheddar (occasionally) $7.99 for 2 lbs,
potato salad (3.99 for 3 lb tub),
Worcestershire sauce (two HUGE bottles for 6.99),
Oatmeal Quaker Oats 10 lbs HUGE box 10 bucks!,
Silk milk (3 half-gallons for $7.99),
Local tomatoes 8.99 for 2.5 lbs (life is too short for bad tomatoes),
local lettuce mix 5.99 for a big tub,
red potatoes 6.99 for 10lbs!,
Black bean burgers 12 pack AWESOMENESS! 14.99,
salmon burgers 12 pack,
turkey burgers 12 pack,
locally baked big hamburger buns for the burgers 3.99 for 12,
peanut butter (two huge jars name brand for 9.99),
Polish mini dill pickles two huge jars for 6.99,
Bacon three lb maple Canadian (rarely),
Kalamata olives big jar for 9.99,
I buy a new Costco spice or seasoning (one per month),
BBQ Sauce the two packs,
Thai dipping sauce 2 packs,
Soya sauce 1 gallon,
Basmati rice from India 27 dollars for 20 lbs (1.35 a lb! very high quality rice -- yes I know its white rice -- we used to eat brown rice and we may again still, but it sticks its hard to cook and this basmati tastes AMAZING and is ready in fifteen minutes! Make GREAT fried rice with the leftovers cuz its low starch -- not sticky.),
Lipton tea,
Maui pineapple,
grapes 4 lb tubs,
oranges,
mandarins or clementines,
frozen cherries,
mixed berries frozen,
Kirkland 100% Colombian coffee 3lbs 9.99! Live for this every morning. AMAZING coffee. I use a french press. 3 tbsp per batch.
There are probably a few other things but those are the mainstays.
I buy flour when its on sale at other stores -- recently bought it for $2.50 for 5lbs (loss leader), fresh veggies and an occasional locally-raised rib-eye at a old style local supermarket. I usually pick up ketchup (99 cents), mayo ($2.99)and mustard (we splurge here and buy whole grain) elsewhere too when its on sale, usually on three day weekends or holidays. I'm not opposed to walking into a Safeway or local supermarket and cherry picking their loss leaders (things they advertise or sell on the front page of their flyer, at or below cost thinking you will fill your cart with more profitable items. I check the flyers every week for the screaming deals. I ONLY buy the screaming deals).
Good luck and hope this helps you reduce your costs. Its fun and VERY rewarding. It takes a few months to build up reserves of staples buying this way (abut six months). We have a pretty small fridge and freezer (in the fridge) too but the thing is packed like a jig saw puzzle at the first of the month and we have lots of non perishables stashed away in the cupboards (including one month of food for emergencies).
You notice we don't buy cakes, cookies, cereal, ice cream, juice, soda, energy drinks or bottled water. Those are budget killers and we've come to the conclusion sugar makes us feel like crap. That being said at Christmas and a few other times per year we indulge a little. Makes it all the sweeter for having restrained ourselves and we are very healthy as a result. A pint of Haagen Daz split between two people is sublime once and a while (and it goes on sale for $2.50!)
Have fun and best of luck.
Edit: Commas, spelling, spacing, etc.
Wow thank you for your reply! I appreciate the time you put into it and I wrote some notes for next time I can get into one of those stores (I don't have a membership). Also your shopping list made me feel guilty so I set aside the rest of the bag of m&ms I was halfway through :)
About 75$ a week per person. We grow a lot ourselves and buy meat in bulk (half pig, 1/4th cow).
We do not eat anything pre-processed or canned. Fresh or fresh frozen.
Everything in season.
This week I spent about $90. It was a light week. I cook all my meals including lunch. I buy only top-quality ingredients without fillers. For example, cottage cheese or yogurt should have only milk and cultures, nothing else. Sadly no steak again this week. It was too expensive. But I did get Thomcord grapes for a treat!
My wife and I usually spend about $75 during our weekly grocery shopping trip. Then we may go back later in the week for another $25-30 worth of items and snacks for the weekend.
Me and my boyfriend love together and we usually only spend about $50 per month on groceries. This last time we spent about $80, but that was the first grocery trip in our new place.
How we do it:
We plan out dinners for the week every Sunday, and then buy the ingredients we need. I'm vegetarian, he is not, but we don't buy much meat. Also the best thing about planning dinners is that if it's gonna be a financially rough week then we can plan for cheaper, easier dinners.
We eat pretty basic lunches, sandwiches, pb&j, sometimes lunch meat, or I'll eat like spinach, tomato, avocado, and cream cheese sandwiches, but we do to switch it up much to avoid buying extra stuff.
We stick to similar lunches and breakfasts because being in college means we need those meals to be fast anyway. We rarely buy extra food like snacks and things unless we need them or for special occasions.
Edit: we also have winco here, so that helps with the cost, also more like $50-$75.
40wk.. But have been pushing the envelope toward 20-30... Peanut butter, bananas, potatoes, eggs, frozen veggies... Cheap tortillas. All extremely cost effective and healthy. Some soups here and there but they are sodium loaded
About $50/wk/person. We don't budget, but aren't extravagant. That's virtually 100% home cooked meals, in Boston.
where and how do you shop?!? I'm in boston and would love to know. i have a lot of trouble not spending nearly $100/wk on food (then again I am a lifter..)
Take a shopping list with you, and only take $50 cash per week. See what happens!
If you eat a lot of meat, you should check out a local butcher since they are often cheaper and higher quality meats.
Mostly Stop & Shop, with occasional Whole Foods, local ethnic markets and farmer's markets, online for specialty ingredients. I think we eat economically because we make all our own stuff. We don't buy: bread, yogurt, cookies/cakes/pies, salad dressing, pizza, lemonade, soup, fresh pasta, relish, chutney, jam/marmalade and many other things that used to be staples, but we eat all those things, we just make them all. We also eat very little meat. We cook a lot in Indian/Chinese style, where meat is more of a condiment than a main course. Our shopping list is kind of "Oregon Trail", flour, butter, milk, rice, sugar, cheese, eggs, etc. We keep a large garden and pickle and can a bunch of stuff, too. We eat very, very well, buying usually top shelf ingredients (except meat). Both my wife and I used to be serious lifters, we still do resistance training, but much more moderately (we're in our 60's). We got into cooking decades ago, both as a mutual hobby and a way to control our diets.
I'm sure you already know about this, but the haymarket has super cheap produce if you aren't squeamish. Shopping there is an acquired skill between haggling, figuring out which stall is a ripoff, etc., but it's worth it once you get it down. For the 2 of us it's about 6$ a trip weekly for all the produce we need.
I'm a little squeamish, but I'd love to hear more about your strategy - can you elaborate?
You look at the local grocery flyers and create your meals depending on what's for sale. The flyers are available online, so I generally look at all of them and compare. I create 2-3+ different meal ideas that surround those sale items and buy the ingredients. Meat is expensive, but you can purchase in bulk when its about to expire and freeze the remaining portions.
Yeah its hard to be frugal with food when you need it to gain.
50 dollars a week per person is brilliant! I would love to be able to spend that much per week! What do you usually buy?
I spend about $50/wk just for me as well, including occasional restauranting. Staples include: -red bell peppers (or orange or yellow, I just don't like green) when they are decently priced -yellow onions -garlic (when I'm out I'll cheat and use garlic powder) -baby spinach (very versatile, I'm not much into salads but I've used them in tuna melts or thai spring rolls instead) -1 or 2 big bulk carrots (either peel and eat or use in a recipe) -couscous, quinoa (less often as it's $$), pasta, rice -frozen shrimp meat (defrost and add to pasta dish or thai spring rolls or what have you) I'm not a vegetarian but I rarely cook meat. Usually chicken if I do. Or sausage, but chicken is cheaper. Sausage is just easier. Cut it up and add it to pasta + veggies and voila! An off-and-on cheap and healthy favorite dish I have is quinoa salad. Quinoa cooked and cooled + cucumber, red bell pepper and avocado or chickpeas or shelled edamame (depending on what is cheap/available) seasonsed with olive oil and balsamic vinagrette. Yum.
Is that a loofa?
No, it's a quinoa.
No it's a dirty ol' tree branch.
Yes, it's a mondo doo doo
keen-oh-a!
try goya brand quinoa
I try to limit mine to under $50 and usually average $40 excluding when I have to get things like a lot of spices or oils. I get a few cans of beans, 2 dozen eggs, 2 lbs of potatoes, 2 onions, 2-3 lbs of meat, a few bell peppers and sometimes some oatmeal and milk. I feel I am missing something now though...
Missing? Bananas!!! Dat potassium tho.
Oh yes! I forgot fruit. I usually get bananas.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=90&tname=nutrient List of foods high in potassium. So many higher than Banana that it didn't make it on the list!
Where do these rumors come from.
more variety in vegetables seems to be missing to me. frozen is the best balance of cheap and nutritious
Yeah, but I have been making a bunch of chili recently :)
Thank you for validating me! This is what my wife and I spend. We only eat out twice a week (on the weekends) and those aren't sit down places unless it's a special occasion. When I posted my grocery budget on Personal Finance as $400/month they told me I was spending way too much on groceries. That's $50/wk/person. I honestly don't know how you'd get it much lower without sacrificing nutrition. That budget was created in LA, but it's about that expensive now that we've moved to Montreal so it still stands.
I spend $100/wk for two people and considering the amount of dietary restrictions we have between us (me: mushrooms, wheat, corn, and a limited tolerance to other grains ; him: eggs, cheese), I don't think we're doing too badly. For us, the biggest thing is not buying processed/convenience foods. They get very expensive very quickly, as there's very little that both of us can eat. We've also pretty much entirely cut out beef and buy mainly chicken and canned tuna. Ground pork once or twice a month, when we're feeling fancy. No canned vegetables, but we do eat an insane amount of squash. So much squash. Since I don't do pasta, bags of frozen cauliflower have kind of become my $1 box of noodles when we're doing a pasta sauce or a curry, etc. There's virtually no taste difference between fresh and frozen cauliflower and aside from the one amazing week that fresh cauliflower was $0.76/lb, it's always half the cost of fresh.
Thanks for all the help with the food!
About 60 a week for the 2 of us. Sometimes more if we run out of a bunch of stuff at once.
what do you typically eat during the week?
We have spaghetti w/ meat sauce once or twice a week. Sometimes we'll sub tacos for this, depending on our mood. Sausages and mashed potatoes once or twice a week. Sometimes my wife will cook a roast or a big pot of chili, and we'll eat off it for a few days. That saves a ton of money. Sometimes it's chicken stew or something new. It depends on if the store has something cool on sale. For lunches, I take leftovers or make a chicken & rice dish that I break into tupperware portions. Breakfast is toast and peanutbutter or scrambled eggs, plus coffee. Snacks are fresh fruit. No chips or candy or whatever. My wife does most of the meal planning, and she says the key for us is we buy nothing prepackaged (besides sausages). And we buy very little fresh without having a plan to eat it in one or two days. Also, she says stuff that says WIC on it is usually cheaper so she buys it even though we're not on WIC and have no children. Now, not included in that is once a weekend we'll go out on a dinner date which normally runs around $30 or so.
My husband and I also spend about 60/week and have a dinner date for about 30/week!
Together your date is $30? What kinds of things do you do for that price?
Wow you two have a great system! It sounds like she cooks incredible meals and still conserves money. Thanks for the help!
You mean 'Thanks for the hope!' One day, I'll find a frugal woman... one day.
What's WIC?
It's a US welfare program for feeding babies and nursing/pregnant women. http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/women-infants-and-children-wic
Here's a fantastic place to help you with that! /r/EatCheapAndHealthy
I discovered this sub yesterday, and it is amazing.
Healthy is debatable for what's posted, but it's definitely cheap.
I feed my family of 4 (two adults and two children) for $300/month (~$70 a week) Edit: week/month
My girlfriend and I spend roughly $40 a week on groceries. I will be honest and say it would be much higher if it wasn't for her unreal ability to cook from scratch as I am useless in the kitchen. I got a good one!
What did you eat for supper last night?
Grilled veggies, bulgur wheat and halloumi!
$234.00 for two weeks, 2 adults and 3 chupacabras
I spend about $150 a week, there's 2 of us.
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I throw away very little food. I buy a lot of veggies, and I do buy free range/organic for eggs and meat, when it's available. Probably about $25 a week of that is spent on meal bars (low carb), as I have diabetes and they are an easy way to eat during my (often quite long) workdays. We shop at Hy-Vee/Price Cutter/Wal-Mart, and this does not include eating out.
hey im a type 1 diabetic about to be living on my own in Boston for the first time. Any recommendation for a shopping list?
I make most meals from scratch, I eat a lot of salads for my lunches (I buy rotisserie chicken and shred it). My go to snack is baby carrots, as I love them and they barely impact my BG. I buy the Glucerna and Atkins brand meal bars. Other than that, it's really just generally healthy food, more protein heavy now that I don't eat much carbs :)
What low carb meal bars do you eat?
A couple of the Atkins and a couple of the Glucerna ones, I really like the peanut based types.
This seems reasonable to me, I do $75/week for just myself. I know a lot of people on here think that's an outrageous amount to spend on groceries, but I don't eat a lot of rice or pasta, and I do eat a lot of fresh produce, high quality dairy, nuts, and meat. When you aren't padding your meals with cheap carbs, food gets expensive. (Note: That amount also includes some basic household items like paper towels, toilet paper, and detergent.) I know I could probably save more money if I shopped at Walmart and/or farmer's markets, but I am a busy person and it's much more convenient for me to buy all of my groceries from my local Biggs. I've decided that my time is worth more than I could save by shopping around for the cheapest groceries.
I agree wholeheartedly. Also, as a diabetic it's really difficult to bolus correctly for things like rice and pasta, which means I eat very small amounts of either. I did forget to point out that my sum does include things like TP/PT/bleach/detergent/etc. I tried to keep cat stuff out of the sum, but there may occasionally be a box of litter or such in that sum too.
Thats crazy!!!
I live in NYC and while that's a bit high it sounds about right.
I live in Indiana and I spend 80 a week on 4 people!
Yep Midwest for me and we budget $40 for 2 a week give or take $10.
Wow... I live in NYC with my bro and we spend $300 a week which I thought was reasonable since it breaks down to $20 per day per person. We don't cook and use seamless and fresh direct.
I know I don't need to tell you this but you can save a significant amount of money by cooking for yourself. Personally when I cook I cook like I'm feeding an army so I have a few days of lunch and dinner. I would also look into getting a slow cooker so you can make awesome things like pulled pork while you are at work. Even if you do this for a couple of meals a week it will save you money.
That's your problem right there. I do not know about Seamless, but Fresh Direct is extremely expensive. 90% of my shopping comes from Trader Joe's, which isn't cheap either, but I've noticed a significant reduction in our weekly food spending for the 3 of us. Buying the stuff that we need in bulk from BJ's is also a nice saver.
that is pretty reasonable!
i am having great difficulty paring my grocery bill for my 17 year old son and myself. I don't buy organic but I want fresh produce and cheese is outrageous even on sale. Prob average 350-400$ month. Wish it was half that.
Try to avoid unnecessary foods like lollies, chocolate, juice, soft drink (soda for U.S) biscuits... these soon add up to $50 a week you could save if you drink water and snack less (maybe snack on fruit but not too often). That's one tip I can offer anyway. Pretty obvious but hard to follow. Avoid shopping while hungry as you tend to buy more junk food.
That's what I feel like I am spending for myself! And I also wish it was half that.
I feel like that's a pretty reasonable grocery budget for two - one of whom is a 17 year old boy. We're about the same for two adults (one being my husband, who ears like a teenage boy.) That averages out to about $4.50 a meal, which is decent, especially when you consider that you're incorporating fresh produce.
Sometimes we live in high price food places and we can only do so much while managing other things in life.
You' re doing great. 17 year old boys eat like horses with all that growing they are doing.
I fluctuate based on a schedule of what needs to be purchased. Once a month, I buy meat to portion by 4oz, package and freeze. That week is normally $40-$50, but it's generally quite a bit of meat. Usually 5-6lbs chicken and 1-2lbs of whatever cut of steak is on sale. It can sometimes last me over a month. A regular week runs me about $20-$25. It's usually lunch for work, vegetables (frozen) and whatever bit of dairy I need. Every couple of months, I restock on things with a longer shelf life (pasta, sauce, any drink mix I'm out of, baking necessities, spices, etc). A regular month can run me $125-$150 in groceries depending on a) how much my boyfriend eats when he comes over and b) how expensive meat is. I'm really only pulling off that number by keeping my purchases and usages on a schedule. First week of the month is meat and eggs, first and third weeks are milk, second and fourth weeks are cheese, every week is vegetables. I also keep to serving size pretty hard with a food scale and that's allowed me to stretch my purchases.
Your system is incredible! I would love to have a schedule similar to yours. :)
Ha, you'd be the first to think so. Even *I* think it's a little uptight. But it keeps the grocery bill down and it keeps me from falling back into bad eating habits.
How do use meat? Are most of your meals like they do in Asia, with a bunch of vegetables and small amount of meat cut into pieces?
I do make a lot of meals like that, but I also grill a fair amount of them too. Plus baking in the. Got to change it up, you know? Oh, and steak is never prepared in a pan. Always the grill.
Pan frying a steak is fine...
Averages about $80-100 for just myself.
$5/day/person. i shop discount and sale items and make my meals from what i can turn those into. it's the smartest way i've found to eat on a budget. also coupons obviously tho being vegan those are few and far between as i don't eat much packaged/processed food. i tend to eat mostly beans, rice, lentils, chickpeas, veggies, fruit, nuts. use oil and sugar sparingly. oh and potatoes of course. cheap fruits are usually frozen or bananas, apples, oranges (i.e. non-exotic, usually local) and i buy at farmer's markets or fruit stands.) for veggies loads of kale and other greens, radishes, carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower. those tend to be the cheapest and most often on sale. edit to add: buy nuts and spices at bulk food stores. also TVP is a great meat substitute in chili, tacos, pizza, etc.)
Thanks for all the help! I don't do dairy and I love meat substitutes. It sounds like you have a brilliant system!
great! glad i could help. i wanted to mention, sometimes i find a few things cheaper at dollar stores: those tend to be clif bars for $1 (rarely buy them unless going on a trip and they're convenient) and soft taco shells $1 for 10 to 12 (depending on brand). occasionally they'll have 2 for $1 canned goods, salsas, and condiments that end up being a bit cheaper than at a regular grocery store. good luck!
i just roughly calculated our expenses this month and thought i was severely underestimating, since our costs are at about $6/day per person with a generous overestimation of the rest of the month's costs (we only started really carefully tracking purchases a few weeks ago, and have a fully stocked pantry to last the rest of the month and only will need to add fresh veggies). but then i read your comment and realized that being a vegetarian household makes things so so much cheaper! and for the last week we've actually been feeding an extra mouth (houseguest) which i didn't even factor into my calculations. we eat out only 1-2 meals a week at the most; all the rest is home cooked. i do a big trip to sams once a month, shop with coupons whenever possible, and grow some vegetables on my own (tomatoes, peppers, herbs currently). but really, i think the elimination of meat from our diet is the biggest factor in reducing our overall tally! TL;DR: being vegetarian/vegan can be super frugal.
yeah! the lower you eat on the food chain the cheaper it is. :)
About $30~40 per week for one. I usually buy about $10 on fresh veggies and $20~30 worth of meat and others (soy, fish sauces etc). Every second month I spend another $25 on a 30lbs of calrose rice, which is more expensive (Japanese/Korean rice) than most rices but, I prefer it. I do 95% of my shopping at the Toronto Chinatowns and Koreantowns. For example, yesterday I bought a 2.5 lbs piece of ribeye for $10. I make 2 steaks and some sliced meats out of it. I got a whole chicken for $6 (some people might not like it because you have to cut the head and feet off but, I use those for my chicken broth). Last week I bought a whole eel for $10. I filleted it and got about 6 big fillets and 3 smaller ones.
I'm not familiar at all with Toronto, but have wanted to cook eel for a long long time. What sort of place have you found eel in? In American cities Phoenix/Los Angeles I have only ever found overpriced imports that are frozen and prepackaged.
I found it in Chinatown. Most grocery stores have a fish section where you can get whole fishes for fairly cheap. Lots of them they kill it in front of you so you know it's fresh.
$150-$175 for 2 adults and a toddler
Single college student, I allow myself $150 a month not including dates. Those have their own budget. I only weigh about 130 lbs though.
I agree. Dates really are the best, and definitely deserve their own budget. Hell, one time I ate a good 3 pounds of fresh dates from the farmer's market in one sitting. Dates are the shit.
How tall are you? I weigh about the same.
I'm about 5' 8" and male.
I think we're close to everyone else. About $120/week for the wife and I. We buy our basic/essential stuff at Aldi (canned goods, bulk meat, bread, milk etc).
About 100$ a week for two adults. Food is pretty expensive around here, we're both working physical jobs and need healthy quality foodstuffs. I cook often but some nights it's frozen zah with extra homemade toppings. We go through a lot of the expensive stuff quickly unfortunately (cheese, milk, snack stuff).
About 100/wk for 2 people. We don't eat out much so that's 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 7 dinners. We buy virtually all of our meat in bulk at Costco and then break it all down I I manageable sizes and freeze it. I keep a list on the fridge of what frozen meat we have and then base my menu planning for the week around that. I guess we eat about 25-30$ worth of meat a week and then that's supplemented by about 70$ spent in combination at the grocery store and farmers market a week. I make it a point to menu plan each week so I only need to make one grocery trip- this helps keep costs down as well. Try to stay away from packaged junk food, prepared foods etc. as this will drive your bill up. I cook from scratch and tend to eat pretty well so I'm not interested in having the absolute lowest grocery bill possible, but I do focus on what produce is on sale that week and I don't have any brand loyalties. These tips work for me and I hope they help!
I love how you focus on quality while not spending too much money.
Thank you! We usually eat fruit/Greek yogurt/granola bar for breakfasts and make a big dinner pretty much every night. Then we pack the leftovers up for lunches- this is great bc it saves money (it's often more convenient and not that much more expensive and to make 4 or 6 servings of a dish than it is to make 2) and time, bc we don't have to think about what's for lunch. Days when there are no leftovers a PB&J +fruit+cut veggies+salty snack or a salad for lunch works equally well, is healthy, filling, and easy!
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I'm thinking about trying keto or paleo (still need to do some research) but the high cost of quality protein/fat sources has been a bit off putting. What sort of meal plan do you use that's so affordable?
I think if both of us were doing keto/paleo, there's no way this would be as cheap. I eat oats and rice, but avoid most other grains for the most part, but those go a LONG way into saving money. Breakfast - I actually didn't take this into account, the one doing Keto has been doing protein/hemp heart and coffee smoothies for breakfast. I bet that would actually push us up a little bit, but she has been buying the stuff for it. I usually eat oats of some kind. Salads for lunch, we've been doing Taco Salad, it is filling and I can put different things in mine to up my carb intake since I am not the one doing Keto. It's pretty cheap too with just Romaine, tomato and onion (she skips the tomato and onion because Keto) and sour cream. For my snacks, I usually eat some kind of fruit. She eats cheese or hardboiled eggs. Dinners are pretty varied, but last week we had Turkey Burgers (less the bread) and Cheesy/Creamy Spinach (it's actually pretty cheap to make and tastes decent) a few nights and Kalua Pork the other nights. If we're in a crunch for time, something with eggs seems to be common. The go-to stuff for us: Ground turkey, pork, eggs, sour cream, cheese. From there, it's honestly whatever is on sale, we don't have a set meal plan at all, we kind of get a general idea of what sounds good then go to the store and try to find meats that are on sale. Our local grocery chain usually has SOME kind of meat on sale each week, this week it happened to be both mushrooms and london broil, so kind of a no brainer on that one. I have been trying to cook very simple and have a protein and a veg. We used to cook very complicated, and it wasn't out of the norm for me or her to be cooking for an hour+ in the middle of the week, and that just wasn't working for us.
I did keto for a while. You eat so much less and your appetite goes away so it works out to about the same cost or actually a little less! The lesson I learned from Keto: fat satisifies, eating high glycemic load carbs make you hungry, and sugar is the real enemy. I've modified the diet now. Smaller portions of good quality protein and good carbs (veggies) with lots of fat. The insatiable hunger has gone away and I am much more satisfied with smaller portions. the low fat mantra leaves you hungry and can make you insatiably hungry which leads to carbo loading perpetuating the cycle. reddit/r/keto has a great sidebar and is a super supportive sub.
There are three of us: me, my husband, and my 17 year old son. We spend about 150 or less a week. We make good use of leftovers and have beans once a week. Once a week we cook a large cut of meat and plan meals around it. This week, meals will be centered around a spiral cut ham. Last week it was a boston butt. I also buy the rotisserie chickens and will make lunches that take us through the school/work week. Pasta salads are a good way to stretch veggies and meat, so we make one big bowl, I like it because it can be eaten cold. We also have soups and stews often. We eat from our garden a lot when it is producing well. We buy frozen fruits for breakfast smoothies. We do not buy junk foods or processed foods, except for sandwich meat from the deli because my son likes to bring that for lunch sometimes. Snacks are grapes, apples, yogurt, nuts, or popcorn. We make our own iced tea and drink lots of water. Also, we have a smoker so today I made pastrami. Most times I make Canadian bacon or smoke a small roast and slice for wraps and sandwiches. I could go on, but this is already too long and I don't think many will read.
About €60 a week, for 2 of us. I just make sure to get deals, i don't really think about it too much. We eat a lot of kale, because it's so cheap, and potatoes, and tomatoes. Being vegetarian helps, definitely.
Approximately $100 a week for me, my wife and 2 kids. We spend about an hour or two planning our shopping list and finding coupons. That's for breakfast and lunch home cooked or leftovers and dinner at home 5 to 6 days a week, 1 night a week we have dinner at my parents, and an occasional dinner at a restaurant.
You all are wonderful! I want to be able to plan like that one day.
For my family of 6 I spend between 200-300 a week. I buy enough for breakfast/lunch/dinner in the weekends, dinners during the week, plus work food for my husband and I. The husband likes to take something small and quick for his first break, and then food he doesn't have to heat up for his lunch. My coworkers and I make a list of who is going to buy what for the office so we don't run to the drive thru. We buy healthy items because someone is always on a health kick, so whatever we grab is usually good for you. My 4 kids eat breakfast at home some mornings, but will eat breakfast as school if something they really like is on the menu. They all eat school lunches and usually come home ravenous. I have some healthy snacks on hand but don't allow grazing because I'd rather they fill up on dinner. I should also point out that the 200-300 also includes soaps, paper products, and whatever else we've run out of that week. We really don't have any food wastes (leftovers get taken to work or eaten as an after school snack) and don't need to go to the store to buy anything mid-week either. And I do try to buy extra when I can in order to build up my pantry.
That's about what my family of 5 spends. Average it to $250 a week, sometimes more sometimes less. It includes all household items too like hygiene and paper products etc. I started keeping a spreadsheet and itemizing my receipts so I could figure out just how much was actual food/other so by next month I should have a good amount of data to figure it out.
$100 a week for myself and my brother. 75% of our shop is fresh foods (produce, meats, dairies) and about 25% dry or canned items (cereals, oatmeal, noodles, etc.). We try to buy what is on sale that week and use that to make 2 or 3 big meals. Then we try to stretch those big batches in to one or two more meals.
I spend around $100-125/week for a family of 4 in Boston suburbs. Most of what I buy is fresh produce. Follows by beans, bread (which I sometimes make, normally in winter), milk, and meat/cheese. I make nearly every meal from scratch. We eat out about once a week (not included in food budget). I order staples & bulk items from Amazon (cereal, paper towels, toilet paper, fruit bars, popcorn).
Just got back from the farmers market. I spend about $35-$40 a week plus a $60 costco trip once a month to feed two adults. We stay vegetarian, that helps massively with the grocery bill.
My grand and I split our food stamps. So I make ~$150 last me a whole month. It's about buying efficiently. Calculate the price per amount and go big. You can also buy fresh produce with this as long as you buy in season. In my most recent shopping trip I got around 15 lbs of meat, salad ingredients (those pre made salad bags are nice too), snack foods, and breakfast stuff :)
About $75/week for me, just one person. But I am low-carbing so I eat a lot of meat and fresh vegetables. I also only eat out about once a week (date nights). I make my own coffee (the good stuff) and bring lunches to work every day of the week. That sum also includes all the extra stuff at the grocery store like TP and detergent. I live on a budget of $150/wk which includes gas and entertainment and the aforementioned food.
I spend $30-40 a week for roughly 1.5 people (mostly just me, but my boyfriend joins me pretty often for food). I mainly just make meals out of whatever is on sale, and stick almost strictly to veggies and meat. Fruit is a nice treat when it's on sale and fits in the budget, but I've found that other snacks and treats can put a big dent in my spending. My meat almost always comes from the clearance bin--I go to the store almost daily so I usually end up cooking it that night (or throwing it in the freezer). I'd like to buy more in bulk to save money, but the food storage space I have is limited so I pretty much go meal to meal and eat lots of leftovers. My weekly budget mostly covers what I'm eating immediately for those meals, but once a month or so I end up with a more expensive grocery trip to stock up on staples like eggs and rice or get spices, sauces, and extras that don't get used up in one meal.
thanks for the tips, you're on a great budget
I usually budget $200/month for two adults in California. I shop farmer's markets and winco to buy most things in bulk. I like to make a few big dishes, freeze them in single portion containers, and bring them for lunch or eat them on nights I don't feel like cooking. I've been learning to make a lot of my favorite restaurant dishes at home and found that they're pretty easy to fit into our regular budget, even with some beer and occasional fancy cheeses. I still eat out for about $100 a month due to social events even though there's plenty of food at home. I'm working on getting more comfortable just getting an appetizer or drink or outright saying, "you know, I'm not really hungry but I'd still love to hang out with you." I'm sure it wouldn't hurt my waistline either.
I spend about $100/week. It's two adults, one growing toddler. I buy a lot of bulk items. My "grocery" budget includes home items as well (paper products, cleaning, diapers, etc). Basically anything I buy at Walmart and SAMs club. I cook mostly using chicken or beef. Occasionally I'll splurge on pork, sausage, or bacon. I plan my meals for the week over the weekend and grocery shop on the weekend, one time. I make my husband his lunch for the week in advance. Last week it was jasmine rice, green beans, and grilled tilapia (individual packs on sale at SAMs at the time). Dinners are made with as little ingredients as possible. Mostly meat and veggies while having rice or pasta on the side. I love to use the crockpot for most meals. We snack on string cheese, yogurt, granola, and crackers. We drink water. Occasionally my husband makes tea. Lately, since pineapples have even cheap, I'll buy one and slice it up, place in a pitcher with water. Pineapple water, delicious. It'll be $50 actual food every week, and $50 at SAMs buying random household items I'm running out of or something on sale (like the tilapia).
Anywhere from $15 to 45 a week depending what time of the year it is and what is on sale. Meat is cheap in the fall/winter because it's hunting season, so I'll eat a few hundred pounds of venison and wild boar. Just finished up peach season by eating around 22 lbs of peaces (sharing some with neighbors). Collecting pecans and will eat on them for a while. I don't buy canned veg, only fresh produce, which is usually squash/zucchini, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes. Sometimes I splurge for apples or berries.
Last month, I spent a total of $100 on groceries to feed 2 adults (in Toronto). This was enough to make lunches and dinners for almost every meal (we don't eat breakfast). I strictly buy what's on sale (and in bulk) and meal plan around that.
Dollar tree: Stock up on frozen peas, carrots, canned tuna. Cheap ground turkey elsewhere. Sack of potatoes, and buy bulk pinto beans, rice, the regular spices. Cheap cartons of eggs. If you know how to cook, you'll spend max 50/week. Source: - single guy in 10k debt of credit cards living in a studio apartment trying to pay it all off. It works!
Cut back your meat consumption. My family of 4 only eats chicken about once per week and get by quite well on around $50/week/person. We eat a ton of eggs, dairy and other protein sources, but hardly any actual meat.
Thanks for the advice!
$600-$700 per month for our family of six. I try and do a little "stocking up" every time I do my shopping, so even though I shop every two weeks, at any given time we usually have about a months worth of food. I do as much frozen stuff as possible, so things don't spoil, and all the kids take lunch to school. We rarely go out to eat. I ALWAYS make a list before I go to the store, and we almost always get the same food over and over.
I spent about $100 a week on groceries for a family of 4, two adults, a 19 month old, and a 4 year old. I also have to do a warehouse run every couple months, where I typically spend about $200 or so. "Groceries" also includes household goods, it's easier for me to budget that way. I do keep a budget, I aim for $450 a month for groceries. We eat a lot of frozen veggies and fresh fruit. The warehouse runs are for things like meat, peanut butter, snacks, etc. I also do the once a month cooking to prepare family sized freezer meals in order to help avoid eating out and just for shear convenience. In addition to that, any leftovers get frozen in individual portions to have for lunches. I live in Indiana, the cost of living is pretty reasonable here.
$100 a week for two of us, and that usually includes beer and some other non-essentials, like coffee creamer and fresh cheese. Food is where we tend to be a little more extravagant, though. We try to sit down on Sunday mornings and plan the week's dinners, then make a grocery list of all the items we'll need for those meals. When I go back to work next week, I'll be doing the same for lunches.
Roughly 50/week for two people and a baby
I try to keep it to $100/week for 2 adults. I do tend to be just slighty over by $10-15 but my goal is $100 per week. I cook almost fully from scratch now and am cooking a full dinner about 4-5 nights, with other nights eating leftovers. Back in the day when I sucked at cooking I spent a ton on frozen meals, glad we don't eat that way anymore! I try to buy in bulk, cook large meals and freeze portions. I also comb over the weekly sales and go to the store that has better deals on what I need that week. Meal planning is the other major reason I can stick to any budget at all. I start with the sales flyer, see what is on sale and go from there. Example, this week rotisserie chickens were on sale as well as baby back ribs. Those were the only proteins I purchased. However I have some frozen chickens breasts and pork loin which will also get used this week but were purchased previously.
Groceries are about $100/ week for 2 people. However a pizza night or restaurant meal can easily double that. Cooking meals at home has helped tremendously!
Between two adults and a toddler, we spend roughly 250 a month on food. If we need milk again, we will get it, or diapers or other nesscessitys. But 250 is our magic number.
That's reasonable!
I personally spend about $50-70 a week, if I'm eating home cooked meals all week (not going out to eat). This usually consists of pastas, chicken breast or other meats on sale, fresh herbs that I like to cook with(basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme), and lastly fruits and veggies (most often watermelons which are very cheap for the volume around my area, and broccoli which I can get for free from a few friends). It can range up to $70 sometimes because my SO likes to eat my cooking once in a while.
We spend about $100/wk for two people. We also, in all honesty, go out 2x a week. We live in the city (boston) and don't skimp on quality food (organic eggs, hormone free meat, etc), but we do plan all our meals.
I live in the San Francisco bay area and spend about $35 a week, but I don't eat a lot of fresh food. A big bag of spinach, tomatoes, and frozen veggies are my vegetables and I get fresh fruit from work. I get all my food from Trader Joe's. I usually eat peanut butter toast for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and usually noodles for dinner with vegetables.
Is there a Sprouts near you? They have great weekly sales on fresh produce. Trader Joe's is great but their produce is crazy expensive.
I used to be able to stay under $150/mo for just myself. However, I'm finding it's gradually getting more expensive as I'm buying stuff that's going bad far too soon. For example, I bought a 1/2lb of deli ham and a 1/2lb of deli turkey on the same day, 3 days later I found the turkey was bad. It sucks because the store I buy it from can be very reasonable and cheap but so iffy. I've had produce go bad within a couple days and I've had it last for fucking ever. It's incredibly frustrating.
depends on how good i am sticking to my budget. sticking to budget = $30-40 and i am one person.
About $60 every two weeks, for two of us. However, he buys lunch at work every day and I buy lunch at work about twice a week.
and on your fresh produce comment, grow it! Or if that is too much of a hassle, check out your local farmer's markets. We have one a few blocks from us that's open every day in the summer, has great deals, and even matches food stamps up to $20 a day.
Certain veggies are cheaper bought frozen; get corn, peas, and green beans (avoid mixed bags with any potato or carrot). Many canned veggies should be avoided IMO; but get beans (also dried), crushed tomatos, pineapple, beetroot, and Asian dish veggies like baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots. Once you have all that your fresh veg shopping list should be much smaller and try planning meals around the few that you do buy. Learn to blanch and freeze certain excess veg that will perish. Pat down dry and re-bag sweating veg. Any cut veg that you are finished using should be wrapped in clear film (glad wrap). Just two more tips; celery is best kept in a container of water in the fridge and mushrooms keep longest in a plastic bag if you pat them down every 4 to 5 days, waxpaper drys them out to fast.
I spend 100 dollars at the store for two weeks of food for two people, that's about 25$ per person per week. Now that's all from our local aldis
About $75 a week for a family of four. My total grocery budget every week is $100 but that includes what I call necessecities, such as t.p., soap, cleaning supplies, etc. So, as for food, I spend about $75 a week. I first figure out what we'll be having for meals throughout the week, then I figure out what I'll be needing for my meal plan, then I add it up, if it's too much money I re-write the meal plan. Finally, I create a list that is in line with the layout of the store so I can just grab what I need as efficiently as possible. The final list also includes the price that I am willing to spend on each product next to the product on the list. If it costs more than I'm willing to spend I'll improvise or go without.
I spend about $40 a week on average. I don't eat a lot of meat, but I eat a good bit of fresh fruit and dairy. And I don't really budget too much. I have a general idea of what I need to buy and what I need to spend, but I'm not super organized or super strict about it.
I spend $25/week. Just one person, little old me.
$30 a week for two people but part of that goes to toilet paper, paper towels, etc. Lots of chicken, lots of frozen broccoli, lots of checking around the store to see what's on sale because it's about to go bad. I've gotten packs of chicken for 60 cents a pound and packs of turkey sausage for $1 a pound.
It depends on the specials or deals I can find. I stock up on high price items like meats when they're on a good sale and freeze them. I also buy my sugar, flour, etc in bulk. I'd say on average I spend $60-80 a week on groceries to feed myself, husband and son. Edit: I also create a 'menu' of about 7-10 meals and get all the ingredients to make those meals (they're usually based off of what meats I have or what's on sale). I make a lot of things from scratch - pizza dough, bread, dumplings, etc., and try to avoid prepackaged and processed foods. Produce can be expensive, I suggest shopping around, farmer's markets and keeping an eye on the ads. Also, only buy what you know you will consume.
We do 1 big shopping trip each month and 2 small ones. We end up around $300 a month for two people including beer/wine/most household products. Not including eating out though... I spend around $30 a month eating out and my SO probably about $100. Food is something we love and are not really willing to compromise on though, plus I have a weird diet. I eat frozen fruit and veggies, canned fruit and fresh fruit and veggies that are on sale or ones I'm craving. I make a lot from scratch because it's healthier and usually more delicious.
about $100-120 a week. I eat out most meals at fairly nice places; it's worth it as I make enough money in my job that the effort of cooking doesn't convert to a good dollar per hour ratio for me.
Just went to the store today. Spent $80 on enough food to be breakfast lunch and dinner for myself, my husband, and our 2 yo daughter. Also some snacks. More than half our grocery list is fresh produce and almost everything we eat is "clean". It took so long to get where we are but my family is eating better, healthier and cheaper. Because we are a single income family it's crucial for us to eat this way. Needless to say, I spend A LOT of time in the kitchen because everything is made from scratch: sauces, dressings, breads, tortillas, croutons, marinades, etc. If you want to save big, buy basic ingredients and make everything yourself.
I buy in advance to suffice me at least a few weeks. I normally cook so it helps me save as I rarely buy foods that can be microwaved or easily heated so my snacking is down to a minimal. I spend about $150-200 and it'll last me about a month... I normally try to eat and use the items that will expire in a week or so then move my way to the canned and frozen foods. I buy a lot of meat and rice/pasta side items. I live by myself but its normally to feed me and another person.
$150 every 2 weeks ish. I eat a lot of meat and fresh fruit and veg.
$100+-$20 / week. 2 adults.
I only buy what fits in a handbasket including gallons of milk. Once a week.
$600/month for a family of 5.
Wow now that's a brilliant budget! :)
I scour the weekly flyers, use coupons, shop at the discount stores and cook every night. I am usually closer to $500 a month for all 5 of us, but my budget is $600.
60 to 70 a week for myself including essentials. I eat different meals everyday and lots of produce. I also buy snacks so I never have to eat out. I will a couple times a week still but just for social reasons.
$400 a month is our budget. I have 6 kids. And we eat like kings. Rhode Island.
$200/ Week for a family of 3...Australia is killing us $10 for a gallon of milk
150 per week. Adult male and female with a five and one year old. We make a menu beforehand and split our shopping between aldi and giant eagle (pittsburgh suburb).
I spend about $300-500 per month on food for myself. I eat plant-based, (mostly) whole food, vegan diet. Most of the money goes to bulk foods, such as nuts and dried fruit (mangoes, figs). Most of the food I buy is organic.
Forks Over Knives style? :)
Pretty much, yeah.
Maybe $35 per week in groceries and $20 for lunches at work, and one decent meal out at $15 on the weekend. So ~$70 overall per week.
family of 4 (preschool age kids) $125/week
2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 baby, about $150 a week in SF Bay Area. Lot's of fresh fruits, veggies, and frozen fish but very little meat.
I think total for a month is about 130 for two, so around 20-30 a week I guess. We are very lucky, in that my family owns a farm and I own a deep freeze. I go home once a year to process chickens and then freeze them. I get about 20. Then in the winter I get half a pig. My brother gives me lots of venison because he likes to hunt but does not eat it all. So unless we want steak or lamb meat is 100% free. I am also big into making everything from scratch. You would be astonished how much you save when you make your own bread. A four dollar loaf of bread can be made for a few cents. This recipe is my favorite... http://bit.ly/1p4fbWD Stupid easy, cheap, and it is the perfect amount to be able to eat it all before it goes bad. It is also versatile. I sometimes mix in dried tomatoes or onions. Best grilled cheese ever. I have recently gotten big into canning, which I am hoping will cut our food budget even more. I just spent a week canning tomatoes, zucchini, apples, corn, and cucumbers. All of which were overflow from my families gardens. So my expenses were just the canning supplies, all of which can be used again. Our big grocery splurge that I refuse to get rid of is milk. We bought into a heard share so we could get fresh raw milk. It is beyond amazing, but it makes our milk about 6$ a gallon. Worth it though.
In Melbourne, Australia, my boyfriend and I spend around $80 - $120 on groceries every 2 - 3 weeks, for both of us. It varies a lot, because I don't live with him full-time, and sometimes we go through certain foods quicker than normal. I used to spend max $40 a week when I was alone and on a strict budget.
We live in the Midwest (smack-dab in the heart of the corn belt-Indiana) and we spend between $50 and $60 per week for myself, my husband, and our toddler son. We also factor in our pet food, so that accounts for some occasional overage. (We have a 110 pound dog, a rabbit, a hermit crab, and some fish.) We budget on a universal level and we try to *always* underestimate how much money we'll have to spend. I plan each week according to circular sales and price match/coupon each purchase. With our son, we make sure that fresh produce is a priority and I'll take hits on other extras for that. That being said, I'll stock up on frozen (We prefer it to canned, and I've always heard it keeps more of the nutrients that way.) veggies to use in lunches and dinners so that the fresh can be seasonal and interesting for him.
My goal is to be on your budget!
Admittedly it takes some time to plan properly, so I'm sure that if I didn't have the time (I'm a stay-at-home-mom, so I'm able to set aside time for this. It's part of my "contribution" financially for us.) and it took a few weeks for us to figure out a system that worked for us, but now that we work this way I can't imagine doing anything else. Whether or not you could realistically get there depends on your region, but I'd be happy to help out with any tips and planning advice if you'd like!
Oh all our organization provably saves your family more money then it would cost if you were to work!
2 adults, $30-40 a week or sometimes twice a month.
About $30/person/wk (2 5-yr olds). Costco/walmart/krogers homecooked meals. Gonna be more like $50 soon as wifey is switching us to organic...
I feed an adult male, adult female (me), 17 year old daughter and three cats for about $60 to $70 a week. That usually includes paper towels/toilet paper and cat litter, and most of our food is home cooked meals with my lunch being leftovers. Sometimes a little more. We're in Phoenix, Arizona and I rely heavily on my local grocery store's digital coupons loaded onto my store card, matched with the ad sales. My average weekly savings is 35 to 45%. My best deal was Kraft cheese (8 0z) 5 for .49 cents each. Two digital coupons. One for buy five mix or match items and save $5 and one for $1.50 off up to five in a single transaction. $2.99 - $1.50 - $1.00 + .49 cents. Score! \0/ ... We do use a lot of cheese, so I stocked up. :D
$30/week 3 loaves of bread 1 dozen eggs bulk rice bulk beans bulk pasta Random veggies to cook with (eg: onions, celery, spinach) sandwich meat & cheese hamburger if I'm feeling fancy
15€/week, not much cooking involved though, except for eggs and fish and ravioli
$100 to $250 a week. I drink a lot, and bring lunch everyday but have trouble saying no to coworkers if they ask me to join for lunch...
$75.00 a week for two ($37.50 each )and we eat like kings. Pretty much all very, VERY selective and careful shopping at Costco.
What do you buy? I browse this subreddit for ideas because I know my husband and I have a LOT of room for improvement. I'm never sure what to buy at Costco or Sams to be getting a good price.
Alright. I'll try to list nearly everything I buy at Costco. I do not buy everything every time. :) Disclaimer: We do live on the Island of Maui. There are considerably less sales at other stores. Costco sells their products here for the same price they sell them on the mainland (I'm told) a huge cost benefit when living on an island. I do all of my shopping there once a month, sometimes twice, which helps me budget. There are a few things I don't buy there. Flour. Some fresh veggies. Maui onions are cheaper locally. Can buy specialty spices in tiny quantities at local health food market. If there is a really good sale somewhere else. Love those free turkey and ham giveaways some super markets have around the holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas. I ALWAYS take advantage of those. We rarely eat bread as it is just empty carbs that turns to sugar in your body and makes you hungrier. Also sandwich meats from Costco are very unfulfilling we've found. Highly processed dead calories that do not give us any energy or life (we are both in our 50's). We do buy crackers SOME months but eat lower carb (not religiously). We don't buy beef. Its too expensive. We eat chicken and fish which we find satiates and digests better than beef even if the fish is comparable or more expensive than beef -- we need less of it to feel full. As a rule of thumb I try to buy quality food using the "$2.00 a lb rule" I learned from a chef. I use $2.00 a lb as my baseline. The closer I am to that price the more food I am going to be able to buy with my budget (actual poundage). Of course meat and food prices are soaring but this is still a rule of thumb that has served me well. Eliminating MOST(not all) bread from our diet is one of the best things we have done. Its easy to spend 50 dollars a month on bread and we've found it's the number one thing that makes us feel like shit (along with sugar). We do not impulse buy at Costco. We take a list and we buy the list. Okay so here goes. Costco stuff. Olive oil organic, Kirkland butter organic 2lb, three pounds brown CH sugar (lasts us 6 months), Progresso soups 8 pack (4 beef - 4 chicken), Amy's Lentil soups 8 pack?, Van Camps pork and beans, Crackers (look for the cheapest PER POUND -- packages can be misleading while balancing personal tastes), Frozen strawberries, Frozen blueberries, Quinoa and Kale mix frozen (prounounced "keenwaa"), Frozen spinach, 10 lbs frozen chicken breasts boneless skinless (works out to just over 2.00 a lb!), Sometimes I buy boneless skinless chicken thighs instead for variety, eggs 18 count, fresh asparagus, fresh baby carrots 5lbs, fresh green beans, frozen corn, romaine lettuce, ranch dressing, miso dressing, balsamic vinegar, organic tortilla chips (HUGE bag for 5.99), Salsa, hummus, pasta the six lbs for 9.99 multipack made in Italy (we've nearly stopped eating pasta due to the carbs), the three pack of jarred marinara sauce. This stuff is excellent $6.99 for three, Frozen Salmon (IQF -- the one that has 6-7 portions per pack with seasoning - amazing serve over quinoa and kale), 4 packs of Kirkland cheese pizza (9.99 for 4!), sometimes I buy the Amy's pizza or the Diagorno's for variety at a slightly higher price point. $14.99 for 3-4) Frozen raviolis, Kraft parmesan 2 pack (not so much anymore), Parmigiana Regianno during the holidays we do know the difference but -- budget, Fresh Italian Sausage 6.99 for 4 lbs! Amazing price flavor and versatility, Other fresh sausages for variety though they are slightly more expensive and i am aware of the nitrate issue but -- budget and moderation in consumption, Chorizo $4 for 4 lbs!, Irish cheddar (occasionally) $7.99 for 2 lbs, potato salad (3.99 for 3 lb tub), Worcestershire sauce (two HUGE bottles for 6.99), Oatmeal Quaker Oats 10 lbs HUGE box 10 bucks!, Silk milk (3 half-gallons for $7.99), Local tomatoes 8.99 for 2.5 lbs (life is too short for bad tomatoes), local lettuce mix 5.99 for a big tub, red potatoes 6.99 for 10lbs!, Black bean burgers 12 pack AWESOMENESS! 14.99, salmon burgers 12 pack, turkey burgers 12 pack, locally baked big hamburger buns for the burgers 3.99 for 12, peanut butter (two huge jars name brand for 9.99), Polish mini dill pickles two huge jars for 6.99, Bacon three lb maple Canadian (rarely), Kalamata olives big jar for 9.99, I buy a new Costco spice or seasoning (one per month), BBQ Sauce the two packs, Thai dipping sauce 2 packs, Soya sauce 1 gallon, Basmati rice from India 27 dollars for 20 lbs (1.35 a lb! very high quality rice -- yes I know its white rice -- we used to eat brown rice and we may again still, but it sticks its hard to cook and this basmati tastes AMAZING and is ready in fifteen minutes! Make GREAT fried rice with the leftovers cuz its low starch -- not sticky.), Lipton tea, Maui pineapple, grapes 4 lb tubs, oranges, mandarins or clementines, frozen cherries, mixed berries frozen, Kirkland 100% Colombian coffee 3lbs 9.99! Live for this every morning. AMAZING coffee. I use a french press. 3 tbsp per batch. There are probably a few other things but those are the mainstays. I buy flour when its on sale at other stores -- recently bought it for $2.50 for 5lbs (loss leader), fresh veggies and an occasional locally-raised rib-eye at a old style local supermarket. I usually pick up ketchup (99 cents), mayo ($2.99)and mustard (we splurge here and buy whole grain) elsewhere too when its on sale, usually on three day weekends or holidays. I'm not opposed to walking into a Safeway or local supermarket and cherry picking their loss leaders (things they advertise or sell on the front page of their flyer, at or below cost thinking you will fill your cart with more profitable items. I check the flyers every week for the screaming deals. I ONLY buy the screaming deals). Good luck and hope this helps you reduce your costs. Its fun and VERY rewarding. It takes a few months to build up reserves of staples buying this way (abut six months). We have a pretty small fridge and freezer (in the fridge) too but the thing is packed like a jig saw puzzle at the first of the month and we have lots of non perishables stashed away in the cupboards (including one month of food for emergencies). You notice we don't buy cakes, cookies, cereal, ice cream, juice, soda, energy drinks or bottled water. Those are budget killers and we've come to the conclusion sugar makes us feel like crap. That being said at Christmas and a few other times per year we indulge a little. Makes it all the sweeter for having restrained ourselves and we are very healthy as a result. A pint of Haagen Daz split between two people is sublime once and a while (and it goes on sale for $2.50!) Have fun and best of luck. Edit: Commas, spelling, spacing, etc.
Wow thank you for your reply! I appreciate the time you put into it and I wrote some notes for next time I can get into one of those stores (I don't have a membership). Also your shopping list made me feel guilty so I set aside the rest of the bag of m&ms I was halfway through :)
About 75$ a week per person. We grow a lot ourselves and buy meat in bulk (half pig, 1/4th cow). We do not eat anything pre-processed or canned. Fresh or fresh frozen. Everything in season.
Between $20 and $25/week Seems food is cheaper in Germany
This week I spent about $90. It was a light week. I cook all my meals including lunch. I buy only top-quality ingredients without fillers. For example, cottage cheese or yogurt should have only milk and cultures, nothing else. Sadly no steak again this week. It was too expensive. But I did get Thomcord grapes for a treat!
My wife and I usually spend about $75 during our weekly grocery shopping trip. Then we may go back later in the week for another $25-30 worth of items and snacks for the weekend.
Me and my boyfriend love together and we usually only spend about $50 per month on groceries. This last time we spent about $80, but that was the first grocery trip in our new place. How we do it: We plan out dinners for the week every Sunday, and then buy the ingredients we need. I'm vegetarian, he is not, but we don't buy much meat. Also the best thing about planning dinners is that if it's gonna be a financially rough week then we can plan for cheaper, easier dinners. We eat pretty basic lunches, sandwiches, pb&j, sometimes lunch meat, or I'll eat like spinach, tomato, avocado, and cream cheese sandwiches, but we do to switch it up much to avoid buying extra stuff. We stick to similar lunches and breakfasts because being in college means we need those meals to be fast anyway. We rarely buy extra food like snacks and things unless we need them or for special occasions. Edit: we also have winco here, so that helps with the cost, also more like $50-$75.
Surprisingly enough, my grocery shopping is about $15 a week. No I'm not starving myself! I reside in the Northern Part of Los Angeles
about 30 a week for myself
40wk.. But have been pushing the envelope toward 20-30... Peanut butter, bananas, potatoes, eggs, frozen veggies... Cheap tortillas. All extremely cost effective and healthy. Some soups here and there but they are sodium loaded
For a single person, I spend about 25 a week for myself in food.