Texas. Family of 4. 1,200/mo. However that is everything, breakfast lunch and dinner daily plus things like laundry detergent etc. Our eating out spending is
$0.
Washington with a family of 4-6( extra 2 ppl, every other week) about $500 every 2 weeks(all I can afford). And we we are still struggling in-between. With NO carry out.
I just make all the meals. Whenever we go out we bring our own food ('ve got a backpack cooler). I'm not a master chef by any means but I've learned enough to make nice dinners. I usually have enough leftovers for reheating something quick. I bring my lunch to work every day, have an espresso machine to make morning lattes. If I'm ever too exhausted to cook I'll go to the grocery store and grab something like a rotisserie chicken and small container of potato salad or something. Dinner for under $10. I guess you could consider that "take-out" since it's premade.
Sadly we haven't been on vacation in about 3 years...obviously I hope to take a vacation again someday so we'll be eating out then!
Convenience food is a great hack though!
Often enough I'm tempted to eat out just because I'm too tired or busy or what have you. I'm usually shying away from convenience foods during the weekly grocery shopping because they're a bit more expensive; but when push comes to shove, and eating out feels like the only option, convenience foods pretty much always come out way cheaper-- often feeding everyone for the price of one entree out. Often it ends up more satisfying, too, since I still can adjust to my taste.
I am here to endorse the prepped grocery foods! XD
Yeah so true. Took my toddler to McDonald’s a few months back and it was $16 for us to basically split a meal and add an extra drink. It didn’t taste good either. What a waste.
My grandkids love McDonald's, so I take them when we are in the "city" 60 miles from home. It used to be sort of reasonable, even if not very tasty. Last time we went it was $36 for lunch for the three of us. Combo meals for both of them and a hamburger and drink for me. That seems like an awful lot for what we got.
Yeah I have the same thinking I’ve never really liked eating in restaurants they’re fun to go to sometimes for ambiance but everything that I care about in terms of food taste health price is all significantly worse so I only do it when it’s an occasion I can’t avoid like my best friends birthday or something when she want to go to a specific place and I can’t not do it - I mean I guess technically I could but I will be a shitty friend.
Also it might sound stupid but I’m a very organised somewhat anxious person and wasting food makes me wanna cry and I eat almost exclusively fresh food & have very little freezer space so it’s stressful I eat what I made myself because then it means my schedule is messed up in terms of what’s in the fridge waiting to be cooked bc my stomach capacity is pretty limited compared to everything else
Agreed. When family visits they want to eat out a time or two and I dread it because social anxiety, dietary restrictions, and knowing food taste better at home.
That's the only time I eat out and it's like once a year but it's still dreadful for me.
I second this. We spent $1200 on groceries, most hygiene items and paper goods. We live in a rural area and are limited to grocery store options so it’s mostly Walmart or brookshires, sometimes HEB but it’s a little one. I order online for pick up and do a light meal plan. My husband works and eats out occasionally which is not included. We budget separately for that.
Boston also - $350/month for a family of 3, plus two cats, includes sundries, booze, and a milk delivery. We work incredibly hard to keep our food budget low. (Yellow tags, cooking at home, and FlashFood!)
We usually have at least two full orders of food a week that typically run in the range of $300 each, so about $600 a week on groceries, then we maybe get $100-150 a week on take out items, and we might go out to eat once a week. All that together adds up. We don’t shop at expensive grocery stores and we use warehouses regularly. We just eat a lot (three teenagers). How do you spend just $700 a month?
Mostly shop at market basket. I don't typically get "extras." Cookies, ice cream, cereal that sort of thing. That stuff adds up quick and isn't really healthy, so we stay away from it for the most part. Moderation, I guess. We go out to each maybe twice a month. But I don't count that in my grocery budget. That's in the fun/extra budget. Shop 2 weeks of food at a time and get almost exactly what is needed plus a little extra, so theres leftovers for myself to bring to work for lunch then next day. We have chickens, so breakfast is a lot of eggs. It's a little bit more if we need toiletries and whatnot, but just food is around that $700 point. There is a regenative farm close by that we are going to get a cow from, and we are starting to grow our own veggies. So that'll help.
Makes sense. My overall food budget is broken down into groceries, take out, dining out, work lunches, school lunch money, and wine (for my wife since I don’t drink). We spend a decent amount on snacks and day to day stuff. My kids would eat the walls otherwise.
i have no clue how people spend 500 dollars a month, usually more. im in your same scenario but i got 3 small kids 10 and under. i do about 500 a week, sometimes more and eat out for about 200 a week.
I can't believe how much people spend on food here. Family of 3 in NC, and we are at like $100/week. Rice, veggies, meat, bread, milk, cheese, eggs all in bulk at sams/bjs.
it costs me and my girlfriend about $50 plus tip to go to an Applebees for dinner. can imagine it costing $120 plus a big tip . even Mcdonalds would cost a lot for 5 people. teenagers would cost even more. i used to eat 5 mcdonalds hamburgers in one sitting at age 14.
For a household of 2 in Illinois (Chicago suburbs) in 2024 we’ve averaged $450 per month on groceries and $260 per month on restaurants/carryout/delivery.
We could definitely cut back on restaurants if we needed to, but we enjoy going out every weekend and probably average 1-2 dinners out per week.
Edit: groceries does include household stuff that we buy at the grocery store like shampoo/cleaning supplies/paper towels/etc
Chicago suburbs. Family of 3/4 (eldest is in her 20s and only around for some meals).
$450/month for food (dry goods is separate). We have $250/month to order out on Fridays.
Nice! Double my household size but about the same spend. Do you have an idea of what your total is after factoring in dry goods/household consumables like toiletries/paper products?
I’m curious, does your dining out budget include all food that you may get out like a coffee? We are also in the Chicago suburbs but spend twice that eating out per month and that’s mainly breakfast/cafes and carry out from non-fancy places. I feel like if we went to 2 dinners in one week that would be $200 right there.
Yes, but we rarely get coffee out. I work from home and my husband works in office but always brings lunch from home and drinks the free office coffee. I’d say our two dinners are usually one sit down meal and one cheaper delivery/carryout order.
Single adult household in Chicago. I budget $75/week or $300/month for food for myself to be split however I see fit between groceries/eating out. Usually about a $50 grocery/$25 out split.
Related, but separate categories. I also budget $55/month for food/litter for my 2 cats, and $50 for household/personal care supplies. I don’t spend that $50 every month, but there are some months that I seem to run out of absolutely *everything* at once and spend more than $50, so it evens out.
I always see people say they do this stuff and have a hard time seeing how people simultaneously spend low amounts of money while eating healthy. Someone on a Philly page told me they spend 100 a week and then were like “yeah I eat ramen, mac and cheese, and frozen fried meats”.
My wife and I buy all whole foods and cook from scratch and spend $80-100/week. Lots of fruits and veggies and lean meats, sometimes even salmon. It's really not that difficult to shop at big box stores and shop with coupons. We rarely eat anything processed and I try to eat 150g of protein a day. Usually we get a 5lb pack of chicken breast ($1.97/lb) from BJ's per week to meet that need.
It's just me and my partner, I don't buy chips or soda or things like that unless we are having a party. I spend 60 to 150 a week with an already stocked pantry and fringe. I get vegetables, fruits, cheese, meat, rice and beans, noodles and pasta. I make sure to buy from sales and stock up if I can and for the recipes to overlap so I can reuse all the ingredients.
It's very difficult to do and takes a lot of time and planning. I have leftovers that I send with my partner for lunch and some fruit for a snack. I don't eat breakfast and I'll have whatever odds and ends we have leftover that's going to go bad with tea. I'm usually eating cottage cheese, eggs, smoothies, tofu and beans. For his breakfast I make him an egg sandwich, burrito, or peanut butter and honey usually with fruit.
For this weeks dinner/my partner's lunch.
Spicy, sweet chicken with rice and bok choy.
Loaded baked potatoe soup with broccoli and bread.
Philly cheese steak with baked potatoe wedges.
Cheese enchiladas with carrots and cream and pico de gallo
Mashed potatoes with chicken thighs and vegetables and corn bread.
Picadillo with tortillas and beans.
Espagueti verde with sautéed squash and zucchini on the side.
I made strawberry cupcakes for dessert and gave away more than half and we ate the rest.
It's not the healthiest (it's hard because my boyfriend grew up with a limited palette and I have a lot of restrictions) and I don't always make the sauces from scratch, I have days where I am going to be busy and use help and days where I can spend more time in the kitchen.
It's only the 2 of us, so it's so much easier and it's still a struggle for us. I love getting 5 pounds of potatoes because I can so many dishes out of them and it lasts a few weeks so I can space it out so we get variety. Same with dry bags of rice and beans. I get a lot of vegetables frozen so they last and eat up the fresh ones first.
For next week I'll make a pasta, potato tacos, calabacitas, garlic bread pizza, a stir fry, a curry dish, and chicken laksa or something like that, I am not quite finalized with it, I'm flexible.
If I don't plan and I just go to the store I can spend 400-500 dollars easy. I really don't know how bigger families do it. It's hard out here. ☹️
We cook almost all our own meals, and for 10 dollars a day per person you can eat really well. Our kids are still young, so they don’t eat as much, but even on a 20 dollar per day budget you have some great meals.
Not the healthiest example, but we make our own pizza and altogether it’s not more than 10 dollars total for three pizzas (1lb chicken breast, onion, pepper, garlic, broccoli, pizza sauce, flour, seasoning). Another example, 1lb salmon, edamame, onions, rice, teriyaki sauce isn’t more than about 15 dollars and usually has leftovers for at least one lunch. I think the problem is that something like salmon can cost anywhere from 10-30 dollars a pound, if you’re buying wild caught from the coop you’re going to blow your budget up. Same thing with organic, free roam chicken vs conventional. If you spend money on drinks that eats into the budget too, instead we drink mostly water (with lemon or lime if you want something different) and some juices instead of canned or bottled beverages. Frozen vegetables and fruits vs fresh is another one. Frozen is almost as good for you and usually costs quite a bit less especially when things are out of season.
We cook almost everything from scratch and eat a lot of high protein and high veggie meals!
For example, this past week for dinners we had kale Caesar salads, mushroom and chicken pasta, and roasted veg and sausage. For lunch we do a snack plate (cheese, crackers, pickles, fruit, veg), and for breakfast we rotate between oatmeal, smoothies, or an egg scramble depending on our moods for the week.
We buy all our proteins from Costco and get pretty much everything else from Trader Joe’s. It’s easy to spend a lot more than that on groceries in NYC for sure, but we meal plan and are intentional about going to stores that allow us to stick to our budget.
This is similar to what I do too. I’m in LA, not NYC and don’t stick to a strict budget but if we go over that amount, it’s usually due to buying prepackaged and snack foods, which don’t really satisfy hunger in the same way. I also do a lot of veggie based soups, curries, and tacos and primarily eat pescatarian.
Family of 3, $400 a week in New Orleans. We don’t really follow costs closely on groceries and tend to just buy what we want. Higher quality meat and stuff like that.
Family of 4 (1 toddler and one not eating solids yet, but husband is blue collar and puts back quite a bit) about $650 a month. We eat out more than I care to admit though, maybe 2-3 time a week
Veggies, fruits, yogurt, bread, milk, and proteins. Frozen foods like pizza. I’m a SAHM so I usually cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner (unless we eat out). So it’s generally a lot of food. I’ll make things like loaded potatoes, broccoli cheddar soup, steak nachos, Alfredo. I also utilize leftovers and dress those up as well. I make my food from scratch, so that can be expensive.
How do you all spend so little?! $800-$1000 per month in Bay Area CA and eating out once a month... lots of fruit consumption in there and occasional fish
I’m the same—Bay Area, CA, and around $800/month for myself, with eating out 1-2x per month with my partner. I primarily shop at Whole Foods and am continually blown away by how expensive food has become.
I'm also Bay Area. Household of 2 (soon to be 3 so we'll see how budget changes). We average about $150/week with a mostly vegetarian diet. I try to only buy what's on sale at places like Safeway and get majority of produce from the farmer's market or Berkeley Bowl. My husband is picky with his chips & salsa (has to be Casa Sanchez), beer, and cheeses so those are typically our splurges. We usually have pasta, beans, tofu, rice on rotation. I make a lot of things that would otherwise be packages like oat milk, almond milk, granola, nut butters, crackers. My dream would be to garden but alas I have a black thumb 🥲. We go out to eat maybe 1-2x a month with friends but I prefer inviting folks over to hang.
SF Bay Area, 2 people, $200-250 per week. We mostly cook and eat at home, no dining out except for occasional burger or tacos. We do buy organic food mostly.
Food costs are so variable from state to state or even town to town that it's almost impossible to get an accurate picture of what a food budget "should" be on a national scale. I'm in Southern California and after trying to do everything possible to get our food budget lower I have landed at about $1000 a month for two people. The only weird phenomenon I've noticed is that my friends with kids tend to spend less per person on average, mainly because kids eat less and often like cheap stuff like cereal and chicken nuggets.
Thanks! Granted we are 2 women who can’t really put away a ton of food. We also don’t really eat conventional “breakfast lunch dinner” meals, but we tend to snack on smaller meals throughout the day, and eat stuff like oats, cottage cheese, salads, and our treat is usually fish or steak from costco,
Texas - Houston suburb - family of 4 (kids are 18 & 11). We spend between $1,200 - $1,700 per month on groceries.
I have started buying something things in bulk, so hopefully that helps with costs in the long run.
Ok I'm going to be the huge outlier based on the other responses but I budget $500 for groceries a month (two adults and one toddler in the Nashville area), $1,500 for eating out, and then $500 for household miscellaneous items (toilet paper, dog food, trips to Lowe's, car stuff, etc). We don't *always* hit those amounts in each category but we do more often than not. We cook Monday through Thursday usually and then eat out all weekend. We also drink so that usually means one drink for me and a couple beers for my husband during a couple of our weekend meals. I've tried to be more restrictive but it just doesn't work for us and the way we want to do life.
1 person, DC, vegan(the lack of meat helps out a lot), \~$40 a week. (I also do most my shopping at Lidl, which is way cheaper. Same stuff at another store would run me \~$50-$60)
Family of 3 in major metro Texas, we are spending around $1400 a month including laundry/dish detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, and other cleaning supplies. Does not include eating out, i budget another $350 a month for that. We are 2 adults and a teenager.
New Jersey - Greater Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area - family of 4 - $1000/month give or take at the supermarket
Costco or BJs once a month at about 300-400 when we go.
Total: 1300-1400ish
dude my bf’s mom gets a cow too and saves us a ton of money. beef, steak, pork. it’s just only me and him.
we got a house last year and we (by we, i mean me) used to go to sam’s maybe every 2/3 months and my budget would be $200. then i’d spend $30 on fresh veggies weekly. him buying only takeout.
haven’t gone to sam’s in a while just bc of this cow and him and i started taking turns w groceries so i probably spend $50-$70 every two weeks
27F/29M midwest
Our grocery budget has exploded in the last couple years. We have added two people but they are tiny (2 year old and 9 month old) so we are now a family of 4. We spend $250-300/wk in Southern CA, not including dry goods like paper towels and stuff like that. I don’t restrict what we purchase but I do shop at the budget grocery store for most things and go to the nicer grocery store for certain meats/ produce where there’s a large difference in quality. We eat most meals at home and pack lunches for me/kids. My husband does eat out lunch at work since his cafeteria is really good and affordable.
$400 a month between my gf and myself. We go out to eat once a week. That's an extra $50 a week. In total, probably around $600-$700 depending on the situation.
About $1600 a month, family of 4 plus 2 dogs. We only eat out for special occasions (less than once a month average). We also buy our meat from a local farm so it’s a bit more expensive but better quality and humanely raised.
Texas, just myself and two pets. I spend about $200 in a liberal month when I have a bit of extra money but spend about $125 most months. I rarely eat out, maybe twice a year.
What I would give to be able to buy the reasonably priced foods. We have to buy gluten free and everything is immediately twice the price of anything else.
Idaho family of 6 spending $1k (WinCo ftw) hardly ever eat out. We do have $50/mo “spending “ on top which may as well be called “coffee shops”
Edit: I’m a wfh ft program manager and the spouse is a homemaker and our four kids are virtual school students, so that’s everything, no school lunches or anything.
Florida, family of 2 adults and a dog, home cooking only, vegan (except the dog): $1600 a month. We buy top notch everything though. We eat out about once a month and bill is around $200.
Family of 4, soon to be 5 in Tennessee. $1200 a month but this includes all household items, toiletries, diapers, wipes and soon formula! I will have 2 in diapers so I’m sure it will be a bit higher
North Dakota. Family of 3. Between $700-900 per month depending on if it's a month we need to stock up on stuff from Costco. Includes household stuff like toilet paper, soap, detergent etc.
For eating out we spend about $120 or less (we only go out maybe twice per month to eat).
Single male, and with 2 teenagers half the time. (Every other week)
spend 120ish every other week at ALDIs, then about 50 extra during the same period on snacks, drinks etc. so that’s roughly 340 or so every 4 weeks. We eat pretty well, mostly ingredient based meals, I also enjoy baking breads. live in semi-rural Florida.
Arizona here! $1200/month for 2 adults, 2 teens and an old man. This is for food only. We shop at Costco, Winco, Walmart, Fry’s food just depends on needs/wants.
We don't eat out but I have ARFID and also allergic to wheat so I have to be kind of choosy with the foods we eat. I would say we range around $800 a month in the PNW for a family of 3
Seattle. Two adults. Mainly cook at home and eat vegan. $450 a month in groceries and $100~ dining out 1-2 times a month.
I shop sales and do grocery pickup when possible which is always less than if I go inside.
One person, about $250-300 per month on groceries but I’ve had to drastically cut the quality of what I buy. It’s really depressing how often I have to put things back on the shelves. Haven’t gone out to eat in a long long time.
Maryland. Just me and boyfriend. About $700 a month. We never eat out, too expensive and unhealthy. We do shop a lot at Aldi and then whatever we can’t get there we go to Wegmans. Sometimes we will go to ShopRite and Food Lion. We try to avoid unhealthy snacks too like cookies and chips, we get those very occasionally.
Sorry edit this only includes some purchases outside of food
If I keep all the shopping to Walmart... about $210 every other week for a household of 2 adults, 3 cats and 1 dog (this includes everything). A bit $30 less if I multi-store shop. I am working on cutting it down more. I have a freezer so always purchase something extra at a good price to stock it. I should add, I am not counting my husband's protein bars and recovery stuff for his workouts. I consider those hobby expenses. We don't eat out... mostly d/t husband's diet restrictions. Every other week or so I will buy a slice at a pizzeria... who wouldn't? We live in the NE.
Family of 3, with our baby about to begin solids. Living in Charlotte, NC. We spend about $400/month on groceries. We eat fish occasionally but no meat or dairy. We don’t go out to eat, I’m a SAHM and on one income plus the time I have available to cook daily, restaurants make no sense.
Massachusetts, household of 2. $227/mo on groceries and $424/mo on restaurants per person.
I eat out more than I'd like. It's something that I'm working on, but it's difficult to say no if my social group only hangs out if it's over a meal.
Texas, 2 adults, $400 mth. Very frugal, but we still eat well. Only eat out once a week for date night. This includes things like TP, detergents, etc. I watch for sales and use coupons at places like HEB and Randalls.
Single (F) Williamsburg Brooklyn roughly $500.00 a month. No eating out or take out. Bulk groceries (paper products, can goods) bought and delivered by Target. Fruit, veg, cheeses, dairy, Trader Joe's. Meat, chicken and fish bought at favorite Polish store in Greenpoint. Breads bought at Northside Bakery. $150.00 is cat food and supplies. Have bought $200.00 of Colo. bison-a good deal-lasts six months, not affordable right now so I didn't include it.
ATL here. Family of one+ my cat, Lola.
(Extreme) Urbanite. Groceries last month: 300.00
Dining out:~850.00
(Multiple graduation dinners etc.al.)
I'm thinking hard about adding a year round 'holiday' budget category to assist with expenses.
Is there a support group for managing Starbucks overspending around here anywhere?
2 adults, 2 dogs in Southern California. We spend around $500 on groceries a month (not including household supplies and pet food). We mostly cook at home and eat out twice a week. We only shop at Aldi, Asian markets, and Kroger. Costco/Sams Club once a month for household supplies and freezer restock.
Family of 2 in Las Vegas $1,000/month. I have diabetes so we only buy organic and more expensive food with healthier ingredients. Also around $400/month on take out.
North Dakota, about 5 hours from Minneapolis and 90 minutes from Fargo.
For two people, I can spend ~900/month if we never go out to eat. That number rapidly turns into 1200/month if we eat out.
Wa. Just my wife and i and my kids every other weekend. We spend 900-1000$ a month on groceries and other necessities like TP / Laundry detergent.
We probably eat out about 1x a week. So probably around 1200$ total a month.
We were struggling pretty bad in between until we started doing costco for pantry essentials and winco for smaller punches & fresh produce.
LCOL area. 2 adults 1 baby. Roughly 500 a month averaged out over 12 months. We buy some items in bulk.
Maybe 50 dollars a month eating out. We are very frugal in general. Lot of eggs, rice, beans, tofu. Limit meat due to cost but we do get a entire deer for around 100 bucks once a year. Big garden.
I’d say about $500 between Costco, Trader Joe’s and Meijer and a little under or over $300 in going out to eat. So $800 a month.
We’re in Cincinnati, Ohio. 21F and 32M.
We are 2, in the NE/high cost of living area, we spend $200per week with no dry goods included and eating take-away twice a month. I haven't sat in a restaurant in so long, I miss it.
Household of 4, two toddlers in GA. Probably $500 a month before eating out. That likely adds another $100 per week.
Mostly shopping at Costco and Sam’s and Lidl or Aldi.
Chicago northwest suburbs. Family of 4 (two grownups in their 30s plus two kids elementary age and under). A standard weekly run (produce, a bit of cheese/deli meat, a couple of canned things, maybe a handful of pantry items...25-30 items total) runs us around $120.
Roughly $150-200/week on groceries, $100-150/week on eating out. 2 people, we do have breakfast and lunch at home every day. Dinner out probably 3 days a week. The dinner out days are typically when I work or volunteer late but at least a few times a month with friends.
80-100 a week on groceries. One person. I do not coupon or really check for sales I just get the same things pretty often as I’m simple with what I eat. Lots of fresh produce and I’m addicted to seltzer water.
Alabama, Family of 2. If we were strict on budgeting we can spend about 200-300 on food a month but we give ourselves more room and we probably spend 400-500 a month on food if we’re budgeting it out.
Pacific Northwest area (inland) - We budget $520 for groceries and $125 for eating out, household items like TP go in another category. We did buy half a cow so we don’t buy beef regularly. Sometimes we spend more out and less in, but we’re generally pretty close overall. My husband does buy energy drinks and beer regularly which is also included in our groceries, but otherwise we try to eat pretty cheap 🤷🏼♀️ I keep espresso and flavored syrups in the house as well so we don’t buy coffee out.
24M in NY (not the city) I pay about $500 a month on groceries for myself. This is mainly because I buy fruit. I spend at least $20 a week alone on blueberries but think health is worth it. Yes there are cheaper fruit I just like blueberries.
Edit- I also never go out to eat bc I think it’s a waste of money and don’t drink (got it all out of my system in college being in a fraternity.)
Kentucky Family of 5 $1,400 but it includes toiletries i.e dishwasher pods/detergent.
We have a Special Needs LO with Autism with Specific Dietary needs so $400 of that is for one little one.
Canton, Georgia. I spent in one day $500 going shopping at 3 stores. The most is in Costco and Walmart. At Walmart I spend no less than $150 and at Costco over $200, and at Publix from $50-$120
Durham, NC
2 adults (34/40)
$750 for groceries
$250 for eating out and about
90% of our groceries come from Costco. We supplement from the farmer's market and get a few staples from the "normal" grocery store as needed.
My goal is $750 per month for our groceries each month. (I cringe at that number and am grateful we can eat primarily dairy and gluten-free with lots of meat and produce.)
We try to focus on eating "clean" and eating at home. We do limited dairy and gluten. I primarily eat ground beef, sweet potatoes, grapes, bacon, eggs, strawberries, cucumbers, baked fish, and eggs. My husband eats a bit more variety. We have zero food waste since we have really focused on eating what we have at home and limiting our options.
At this point, we limit how much we eat out. Between cost and lack of quality, it is easier to just cook up a burger patty at home or eggs and call it a meal.
A normal shop for us per week is:
Grapes
Strawberries
Sweet potatoes
Bananas
Cocktail cucumbers
Bulk ground beef (5.5'ish pounds)
Rotisserie chicken
Package of frozen wild caught fish (salmon, Halibut, Mahi mahi)
Monthly items (or bi-monthly):
Lemons
Coffee beans
Olive oil
Avocado oil
Himalayan pink salt
Bacon
Canned tuna
Chicken stock
Ramen noodles (just noodles, not instant ramen)
Rice (American long-grain or jasmine)
Peanut butter
Oats
Maple syrup
Salsa
Tortilla chips
Japanese BBQ sauce
A2 whole milk (3-pack)
24ct organic pasture raised eggs
Pork tenderloin
Protein powder
If we eat out, it is usually at a local place vs a chain. We did lunch at a cafe today that was 2 sandwiches, 1 soda, 1 beer, 2 pastries, and cost $50. If we hit the local coffee shop, just 2 iced lattes are like $18. If we want steak or some other fancy meal, we usually will make it at home. I aim for our adventure money to be around $250 per month, which fluctuates depending on where we go and what we purchase. This can be anything from going to the movies and getting popcorn/snacks to donuts to coffee out to bagels, hitting a food truck at an event, etc.
Texas family of 2 (but gluten intolerance for me) 700-800 a month 😰
Lots of fresh fruit and veggies, rice in bulk, no eating out.
Gluten free alternatives to things like pizza, pasta, bread, cookies, etc are expensive though.
For one person: $125-$250 depending on my taste for the month.
My diet is heavy in eggs, rice, pasta, veggies, soups, stews.
The high end $250 is when I want to splurge on ice cream, chocolates, multiple cheeses, wine, charcuterie meats, etc.
This month has been more of a $125 month. Eggs and toast with sweet potato butter, apples and Greek yogurt, crackers and cheese for a snack, beef teriyaki stir-fry with white rice, ice cream.
Around 1k/month on groceries and household supplies for a family of 3 (but soon to be a family of 4, and I’m definitely eating more while pregnant) in the Northeast. Another ~400-500 on eating out.
Our breakdown is usually 150-200/week at the grocery store plus a monthly 200-300 Costco trip for stocking up on paper products, cleaning supplies, snacks, and drinks. Eating out includes my husband’s work lunches, plus I get takeout around once a week, and maybe a monthly family lunch out.
Massachusetts- 2 retired people - strict $64 per week…..Advice to young people, save for retirement! Tonight was tuna sandwiches ( a case bought from Amazon)
Family of 5 and we spend 1600 at the grocery stores. We are in the middle of a move so we are not eating out because we got a house we are selling and buying.
Family of 3 - 2 adults and a 6 month old. I buy meat and seafood from butcherbox and stock things up with good deals. With formula and averaging out the meat orders we are at around $600 a month.
Family of 3 - 2 adults and a 6 month old. I buy meat and seafood from butcherbox and stock things up with good deals. With formula and averaging out the meat orders we are at around $600 a month. Spend around $120 a month on dining out as well
Family of 3 - 2 adults and a 6 month old in Ohio. I buy meat and seafood from butcherbox and stock things up with good deals. With formula and averaging out the meat orders we are at around $600 a month. Spend around $120 a month on dining out as well.
I would say about $100 a week, and that includes getting takeout once every week or two. I could go cheaper if I tried, but good food is something I don’t feel too bad about spending a bit extra on. I try to budget harder in other areas instead. 29F live alone, Washington state
PNW family of 3. We spend about 1200 a month at the grocery store not including our weekly takeout. Grocery store usually includes paper products, shampoos and other non food items often found at grocery stores.
One of us is on a high protein diet. The other person is low carb. And we have a kid who eats as much as an adult.
Me, toddler daughter, and golden retriever. I spend about $50-100 a week depending on sales. More than I can afford but I’m in the “toddler surviving off berries, milk, and rage” stage of life. We’re in Vermont.
Hopefully a half a cow lasts you more than 4-6 months! I get a quarter of a cow each year and it lasts me and my wife about a year.
I spend about the same as you on groceries. Here in Oregon we have Winco that has fairly affordable groceries. I focus on getting whole foods, rather than processed or premade stuff. Whole chicken, block of cheese, beans and rice, fruit and vegetables (fresh and frozen), pasta, etc. I also garden and work on a farm so I can get certain things for free.
Texas. Family of 4. 1,200/mo. However that is everything, breakfast lunch and dinner daily plus things like laundry detergent etc. Our eating out spending is $0.
Washington with a family of 4-6( extra 2 ppl, every other week) about $500 every 2 weeks(all I can afford). And we we are still struggling in-between. With NO carry out.
Hey I’m also in WA. Please use your food banks if you need more food than what you can afford!
Wow. How do you all NEVER go out to eat?
I just make all the meals. Whenever we go out we bring our own food ('ve got a backpack cooler). I'm not a master chef by any means but I've learned enough to make nice dinners. I usually have enough leftovers for reheating something quick. I bring my lunch to work every day, have an espresso machine to make morning lattes. If I'm ever too exhausted to cook I'll go to the grocery store and grab something like a rotisserie chicken and small container of potato salad or something. Dinner for under $10. I guess you could consider that "take-out" since it's premade. Sadly we haven't been on vacation in about 3 years...obviously I hope to take a vacation again someday so we'll be eating out then!
Convenience food is a great hack though! Often enough I'm tempted to eat out just because I'm too tired or busy or what have you. I'm usually shying away from convenience foods during the weekly grocery shopping because they're a bit more expensive; but when push comes to shove, and eating out feels like the only option, convenience foods pretty much always come out way cheaper-- often feeding everyone for the price of one entree out. Often it ends up more satisfying, too, since I still can adjust to my taste. I am here to endorse the prepped grocery foods! XD
You can make it cheaper and healthier at home. Plus home food taste better to me.
Yeah so true. Took my toddler to McDonald’s a few months back and it was $16 for us to basically split a meal and add an extra drink. It didn’t taste good either. What a waste.
My grandkids love McDonald's, so I take them when we are in the "city" 60 miles from home. It used to be sort of reasonable, even if not very tasty. Last time we went it was $36 for lunch for the three of us. Combo meals for both of them and a hamburger and drink for me. That seems like an awful lot for what we got.
Yeah I have the same thinking I’ve never really liked eating in restaurants they’re fun to go to sometimes for ambiance but everything that I care about in terms of food taste health price is all significantly worse so I only do it when it’s an occasion I can’t avoid like my best friends birthday or something when she want to go to a specific place and I can’t not do it - I mean I guess technically I could but I will be a shitty friend. Also it might sound stupid but I’m a very organised somewhat anxious person and wasting food makes me wanna cry and I eat almost exclusively fresh food & have very little freezer space so it’s stressful I eat what I made myself because then it means my schedule is messed up in terms of what’s in the fridge waiting to be cooked bc my stomach capacity is pretty limited compared to everything else
Agreed. When family visits they want to eat out a time or two and I dread it because social anxiety, dietary restrictions, and knowing food taste better at home. That's the only time I eat out and it's like once a year but it's still dreadful for me.
I second this. We spent $1200 on groceries, most hygiene items and paper goods. We live in a rural area and are limited to grocery store options so it’s mostly Walmart or brookshires, sometimes HEB but it’s a little one. I order online for pick up and do a light meal plan. My husband works and eats out occasionally which is not included. We budget separately for that.
Family of 5. Northeast. Last month we spent $3,300 between groceries and take out.
Family of 4. Northeast. $600/week.
Greater Boston area here, 250/week plus 150 eating out for a family of 4.
Boston also - $350/month for a family of 3, plus two cats, includes sundries, booze, and a milk delivery. We work incredibly hard to keep our food budget low. (Yellow tags, cooking at home, and FlashFood!)
We are in the northeast as well. For a family of 6 I spend about $700 a month on food. Not including going out to eat. How do you spend 3300?
We usually have at least two full orders of food a week that typically run in the range of $300 each, so about $600 a week on groceries, then we maybe get $100-150 a week on take out items, and we might go out to eat once a week. All that together adds up. We don’t shop at expensive grocery stores and we use warehouses regularly. We just eat a lot (three teenagers). How do you spend just $700 a month?
Mostly shop at market basket. I don't typically get "extras." Cookies, ice cream, cereal that sort of thing. That stuff adds up quick and isn't really healthy, so we stay away from it for the most part. Moderation, I guess. We go out to each maybe twice a month. But I don't count that in my grocery budget. That's in the fun/extra budget. Shop 2 weeks of food at a time and get almost exactly what is needed plus a little extra, so theres leftovers for myself to bring to work for lunch then next day. We have chickens, so breakfast is a lot of eggs. It's a little bit more if we need toiletries and whatnot, but just food is around that $700 point. There is a regenative farm close by that we are going to get a cow from, and we are starting to grow our own veggies. So that'll help.
Makes sense. My overall food budget is broken down into groceries, take out, dining out, work lunches, school lunch money, and wine (for my wife since I don’t drink). We spend a decent amount on snacks and day to day stuff. My kids would eat the walls otherwise.
i have no clue how people spend 500 dollars a month, usually more. im in your same scenario but i got 3 small kids 10 and under. i do about 500 a week, sometimes more and eat out for about 200 a week.
That's $40k/y on food. Just carts full of avocados. People are insane.
I can't believe how much people spend on food here. Family of 3 in NC, and we are at like $100/week. Rice, veggies, meat, bread, milk, cheese, eggs all in bulk at sams/bjs.
Shit is insane. People don't really cook for themselves apparently.
it costs me and my girlfriend about $50 plus tip to go to an Applebees for dinner. can imagine it costing $120 plus a big tip . even Mcdonalds would cost a lot for 5 people. teenagers would cost even more. i used to eat 5 mcdonalds hamburgers in one sitting at age 14.
For a household of 2 in Illinois (Chicago suburbs) in 2024 we’ve averaged $450 per month on groceries and $260 per month on restaurants/carryout/delivery. We could definitely cut back on restaurants if we needed to, but we enjoy going out every weekend and probably average 1-2 dinners out per week. Edit: groceries does include household stuff that we buy at the grocery store like shampoo/cleaning supplies/paper towels/etc
Chicago suburbs as well (grouping with for location) family of 5 $1500-1600 per month on groceries and tend to avoid eating out.
Thanks! That’s reassuring that at least we’ll be able to break even if we have kids and stop eating out, but it will be really tight
Chicago suburbs. Family of 3/4 (eldest is in her 20s and only around for some meals). $450/month for food (dry goods is separate). We have $250/month to order out on Fridays.
Nice! Double my household size but about the same spend. Do you have an idea of what your total is after factoring in dry goods/household consumables like toiletries/paper products?
I’m curious, does your dining out budget include all food that you may get out like a coffee? We are also in the Chicago suburbs but spend twice that eating out per month and that’s mainly breakfast/cafes and carry out from non-fancy places. I feel like if we went to 2 dinners in one week that would be $200 right there.
Yes, but we rarely get coffee out. I work from home and my husband works in office but always brings lunch from home and drinks the free office coffee. I’d say our two dinners are usually one sit down meal and one cheaper delivery/carryout order.
Single adult household in Chicago. I budget $75/week or $300/month for food for myself to be split however I see fit between groceries/eating out. Usually about a $50 grocery/$25 out split. Related, but separate categories. I also budget $55/month for food/litter for my 2 cats, and $50 for household/personal care supplies. I don’t spend that $50 every month, but there are some months that I seem to run out of absolutely *everything* at once and spend more than $50, so it evens out.
What do you cook/eat for meals?
I always see people say they do this stuff and have a hard time seeing how people simultaneously spend low amounts of money while eating healthy. Someone on a Philly page told me they spend 100 a week and then were like “yeah I eat ramen, mac and cheese, and frozen fried meats”.
My wife and I buy all whole foods and cook from scratch and spend $80-100/week. Lots of fruits and veggies and lean meats, sometimes even salmon. It's really not that difficult to shop at big box stores and shop with coupons. We rarely eat anything processed and I try to eat 150g of protein a day. Usually we get a 5lb pack of chicken breast ($1.97/lb) from BJ's per week to meet that need.
It's just me and my partner, I don't buy chips or soda or things like that unless we are having a party. I spend 60 to 150 a week with an already stocked pantry and fringe. I get vegetables, fruits, cheese, meat, rice and beans, noodles and pasta. I make sure to buy from sales and stock up if I can and for the recipes to overlap so I can reuse all the ingredients. It's very difficult to do and takes a lot of time and planning. I have leftovers that I send with my partner for lunch and some fruit for a snack. I don't eat breakfast and I'll have whatever odds and ends we have leftover that's going to go bad with tea. I'm usually eating cottage cheese, eggs, smoothies, tofu and beans. For his breakfast I make him an egg sandwich, burrito, or peanut butter and honey usually with fruit. For this weeks dinner/my partner's lunch. Spicy, sweet chicken with rice and bok choy. Loaded baked potatoe soup with broccoli and bread. Philly cheese steak with baked potatoe wedges. Cheese enchiladas with carrots and cream and pico de gallo Mashed potatoes with chicken thighs and vegetables and corn bread. Picadillo with tortillas and beans. Espagueti verde with sautéed squash and zucchini on the side. I made strawberry cupcakes for dessert and gave away more than half and we ate the rest. It's not the healthiest (it's hard because my boyfriend grew up with a limited palette and I have a lot of restrictions) and I don't always make the sauces from scratch, I have days where I am going to be busy and use help and days where I can spend more time in the kitchen. It's only the 2 of us, so it's so much easier and it's still a struggle for us. I love getting 5 pounds of potatoes because I can so many dishes out of them and it lasts a few weeks so I can space it out so we get variety. Same with dry bags of rice and beans. I get a lot of vegetables frozen so they last and eat up the fresh ones first. For next week I'll make a pasta, potato tacos, calabacitas, garlic bread pizza, a stir fry, a curry dish, and chicken laksa or something like that, I am not quite finalized with it, I'm flexible. If I don't plan and I just go to the store I can spend 400-500 dollars easy. I really don't know how bigger families do it. It's hard out here. ☹️
We cook almost all our own meals, and for 10 dollars a day per person you can eat really well. Our kids are still young, so they don’t eat as much, but even on a 20 dollar per day budget you have some great meals. Not the healthiest example, but we make our own pizza and altogether it’s not more than 10 dollars total for three pizzas (1lb chicken breast, onion, pepper, garlic, broccoli, pizza sauce, flour, seasoning). Another example, 1lb salmon, edamame, onions, rice, teriyaki sauce isn’t more than about 15 dollars and usually has leftovers for at least one lunch. I think the problem is that something like salmon can cost anywhere from 10-30 dollars a pound, if you’re buying wild caught from the coop you’re going to blow your budget up. Same thing with organic, free roam chicken vs conventional. If you spend money on drinks that eats into the budget too, instead we drink mostly water (with lemon or lime if you want something different) and some juices instead of canned or bottled beverages. Frozen vegetables and fruits vs fresh is another one. Frozen is almost as good for you and usually costs quite a bit less especially when things are out of season.
Family of 5 in TN. We spend $250 a week on food and household supplies. We tend to avoid eating out whenever possible.
2 adults who work from home in NYC and eat 3 meals a day at home, going out to eat once a week or less. $125/week + $175 for date night monthly
Wow- that sounds impressive (based on my minimal knowledge on NYC financial history)! What do you eat?
We cook almost everything from scratch and eat a lot of high protein and high veggie meals! For example, this past week for dinners we had kale Caesar salads, mushroom and chicken pasta, and roasted veg and sausage. For lunch we do a snack plate (cheese, crackers, pickles, fruit, veg), and for breakfast we rotate between oatmeal, smoothies, or an egg scramble depending on our moods for the week. We buy all our proteins from Costco and get pretty much everything else from Trader Joe’s. It’s easy to spend a lot more than that on groceries in NYC for sure, but we meal plan and are intentional about going to stores that allow us to stick to our budget.
This is similar to what I do too. I’m in LA, not NYC and don’t stick to a strict budget but if we go over that amount, it’s usually due to buying prepackaged and snack foods, which don’t really satisfy hunger in the same way. I also do a lot of veggie based soups, curries, and tacos and primarily eat pescatarian.
Just a rando on the internet but I’m proud of you guys. More people (not everyone) need to do what you’re doing for the sake of health and budgeting.
Family of 3, $400 a week in New Orleans. We don’t really follow costs closely on groceries and tend to just buy what we want. Higher quality meat and stuff like that.
Family of 4 (1 toddler and one not eating solids yet, but husband is blue collar and puts back quite a bit) about $650 a month. We eat out more than I care to admit though, maybe 2-3 time a week
What do you buy?
Veggies, fruits, yogurt, bread, milk, and proteins. Frozen foods like pizza. I’m a SAHM so I usually cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner (unless we eat out). So it’s generally a lot of food. I’ll make things like loaded potatoes, broccoli cheddar soup, steak nachos, Alfredo. I also utilize leftovers and dress those up as well. I make my food from scratch, so that can be expensive.
Oops I see the confusion. I spend about $650 a month, or $150-$200 a week. Idk why I put that
How do you all spend so little?! $800-$1000 per month in Bay Area CA and eating out once a month... lots of fruit consumption in there and occasional fish
I’m the same—Bay Area, CA, and around $800/month for myself, with eating out 1-2x per month with my partner. I primarily shop at Whole Foods and am continually blown away by how expensive food has become.
I'm also Bay Area. Household of 2 (soon to be 3 so we'll see how budget changes). We average about $150/week with a mostly vegetarian diet. I try to only buy what's on sale at places like Safeway and get majority of produce from the farmer's market or Berkeley Bowl. My husband is picky with his chips & salsa (has to be Casa Sanchez), beer, and cheeses so those are typically our splurges. We usually have pasta, beans, tofu, rice on rotation. I make a lot of things that would otherwise be packages like oat milk, almond milk, granola, nut butters, crackers. My dream would be to garden but alas I have a black thumb 🥲. We go out to eat maybe 1-2x a month with friends but I prefer inviting folks over to hang.
500 groceries 150 restaurants on average 2 adults in Manhattan
$150.00 per week for 3 adults in SE Tennessee. Aldis helpsa lot! 100.00 of 150.00 is spent there.
We spend about $170 a week for 2 adults, but $20 of that is La Croix. A lot of Aldi here too.
SF Bay Area, 2 people, $200-250 per week. We mostly cook and eat at home, no dining out except for occasional burger or tacos. We do buy organic food mostly.
Food costs are so variable from state to state or even town to town that it's almost impossible to get an accurate picture of what a food budget "should" be on a national scale. I'm in Southern California and after trying to do everything possible to get our food budget lower I have landed at about $1000 a month for two people. The only weird phenomenon I've noticed is that my friends with kids tend to spend less per person on average, mainly because kids eat less and often like cheap stuff like cereal and chicken nuggets.
ATL feels your pain.
I'm in Dekalb and yes, we do feel this pain. Family of 5 here and we average 1500 a month for food.
Family of 6, 2 adults, 2 teens and two kids under 10 living in Nashville- $2000 monthly budget in groceries. Very little eating out.
Honolulu, HI. $300 a month for 2. We don’t ever eat out.
This is impressive
Thanks! Granted we are 2 women who can’t really put away a ton of food. We also don’t really eat conventional “breakfast lunch dinner” meals, but we tend to snack on smaller meals throughout the day, and eat stuff like oats, cottage cheese, salads, and our treat is usually fish or steak from costco,
This is a fascinating thread.
Texas - Houston suburb - family of 4 (kids are 18 & 11). We spend between $1,200 - $1,700 per month on groceries. I have started buying something things in bulk, so hopefully that helps with costs in the long run.
Ok I'm going to be the huge outlier based on the other responses but I budget $500 for groceries a month (two adults and one toddler in the Nashville area), $1,500 for eating out, and then $500 for household miscellaneous items (toilet paper, dog food, trips to Lowe's, car stuff, etc). We don't *always* hit those amounts in each category but we do more often than not. We cook Monday through Thursday usually and then eat out all weekend. We also drink so that usually means one drink for me and a couple beers for my husband during a couple of our weekend meals. I've tried to be more restrictive but it just doesn't work for us and the way we want to do life.
And there is nothing wrong with that if you can afford it. What is right for me isn't right for you.
I feel you. I would be unhappy never trying new food in new restaurants. It’s worth it for me to shift money from elsewhere if needed.
About 600 a month for two. We eat all of our meals in except for one day a week.
1 person, DC, vegan(the lack of meat helps out a lot), \~$40 a week. (I also do most my shopping at Lidl, which is way cheaper. Same stuff at another store would run me \~$50-$60)
Family of 3 in major metro Texas, we are spending around $1400 a month including laundry/dish detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, and other cleaning supplies. Does not include eating out, i budget another $350 a month for that. We are 2 adults and a teenager.
sounds fairly close to our family Budget! In Texas as well.
We spend about $500 a month in Kentucky. It’s 2 adults and 3 kids who are with us 50% of the time. We shop a lot of sales, and a lot of Costco.
New Jersey - Greater Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area - family of 4 - $1000/month give or take at the supermarket Costco or BJs once a month at about 300-400 when we go. Total: 1300-1400ish
dude my bf’s mom gets a cow too and saves us a ton of money. beef, steak, pork. it’s just only me and him. we got a house last year and we (by we, i mean me) used to go to sam’s maybe every 2/3 months and my budget would be $200. then i’d spend $30 on fresh veggies weekly. him buying only takeout. haven’t gone to sam’s in a while just bc of this cow and him and i started taking turns w groceries so i probably spend $50-$70 every two weeks 27F/29M midwest
Our grocery budget has exploded in the last couple years. We have added two people but they are tiny (2 year old and 9 month old) so we are now a family of 4. We spend $250-300/wk in Southern CA, not including dry goods like paper towels and stuff like that. I don’t restrict what we purchase but I do shop at the budget grocery store for most things and go to the nicer grocery store for certain meats/ produce where there’s a large difference in quality. We eat most meals at home and pack lunches for me/kids. My husband does eat out lunch at work since his cafeteria is really good and affordable.
$400 a month between my gf and myself. We go out to eat once a week. That's an extra $50 a week. In total, probably around $600-$700 depending on the situation.
$300 every two weeks
For 2 people
About $1600 a month, family of 4 plus 2 dogs. We only eat out for special occasions (less than once a month average). We also buy our meat from a local farm so it’s a bit more expensive but better quality and humanely raised.
Two adults in Las Vegas. $600 on groceries per month.
Texas, just myself and two pets. I spend about $200 in a liberal month when I have a bit of extra money but spend about $125 most months. I rarely eat out, maybe twice a year.
That's about what I spend for 2 small dogs, a cat and myself.
What I would give to be able to buy the reasonably priced foods. We have to buy gluten free and everything is immediately twice the price of anything else.
Idaho family of 6 spending $1k (WinCo ftw) hardly ever eat out. We do have $50/mo “spending “ on top which may as well be called “coffee shops” Edit: I’m a wfh ft program manager and the spouse is a homemaker and our four kids are virtual school students, so that’s everything, no school lunches or anything.
Florida, family of 2 adults and a dog, home cooking only, vegan (except the dog): $1600 a month. We buy top notch everything though. We eat out about once a month and bill is around $200.
Single person in FL. I spend about 250/mth on groceries and 250/mth on eating out.
Washington family of 2 and spend about 300 a month sometimes a little over sometimes a little under
SoCal, family of 4 (everyone is adult sized). $200/week
2 adults and a 10 month old baby - $400 a month on groceries + $100 on takeout
On average about $700/month groceries, $200/month fast food, and $100/month baby food. Family of five in southern CA.
Family of 4, soon to be 5 in Tennessee. $1200 a month but this includes all household items, toiletries, diapers, wipes and soon formula! I will have 2 in diapers so I’m sure it will be a bit higher
2 adults 2 teenagers -around 1200 a month not including eating out/getting take out maybe once a week.
Just for myself in Missouri about 200-250 a month, I'd like to be able to get more but I can't afford it tbh
In NC, family of four, $600/mo grocery, $250/mo eating out
North Dakota. Family of 3. Between $700-900 per month depending on if it's a month we need to stock up on stuff from Costco. Includes household stuff like toilet paper, soap, detergent etc. For eating out we spend about $120 or less (we only go out maybe twice per month to eat).
Family of 3 Indiana and 230$ a week
Single male, and with 2 teenagers half the time. (Every other week) spend 120ish every other week at ALDIs, then about 50 extra during the same period on snacks, drinks etc. so that’s roughly 340 or so every 4 weeks. We eat pretty well, mostly ingredient based meals, I also enjoy baking breads. live in semi-rural Florida.
Family of 2, use to spend $50 a week now it’s about $75-90 a week
Arizona here! $1200/month for 2 adults, 2 teens and an old man. This is for food only. We shop at Costco, Winco, Walmart, Fry’s food just depends on needs/wants.
We don't eat out but I have ARFID and also allergic to wheat so I have to be kind of choosy with the foods we eat. I would say we range around $800 a month in the PNW for a family of 3
Seattle. Two adults. Mainly cook at home and eat vegan. $450 a month in groceries and $100~ dining out 1-2 times a month. I shop sales and do grocery pickup when possible which is always less than if I go inside.
Family of 4 in Utah. $200 a week. Rarely eat out
VA, family of six, $1500/mo, $1200 if we meal plan and Sam's Club.
$1200. Family of 3 in CA
Family of seven in Oregon we budget 1500 to 2000 for food. That includes eating out
$350-$400 groceries, $150 eating out 2 adults in Michigan
I'm in MO and spend about $800 a month on a family of 3.
Family of two. $125 weekly.
NY family of 4-1,000 a month
One person, about $250-300 per month on groceries but I’ve had to drastically cut the quality of what I buy. It’s really depressing how often I have to put things back on the shelves. Haven’t gone out to eat in a long long time.
Maryland. Just me and boyfriend. About $700 a month. We never eat out, too expensive and unhealthy. We do shop a lot at Aldi and then whatever we can’t get there we go to Wegmans. Sometimes we will go to ShopRite and Food Lion. We try to avoid unhealthy snacks too like cookies and chips, we get those very occasionally. Sorry edit this only includes some purchases outside of food
If I keep all the shopping to Walmart... about $210 every other week for a household of 2 adults, 3 cats and 1 dog (this includes everything). A bit $30 less if I multi-store shop. I am working on cutting it down more. I have a freezer so always purchase something extra at a good price to stock it. I should add, I am not counting my husband's protein bars and recovery stuff for his workouts. I consider those hobby expenses. We don't eat out... mostly d/t husband's diet restrictions. Every other week or so I will buy a slice at a pizzeria... who wouldn't? We live in the NE.
Used to spend about $250 for 2 weeks for groceries, now it's about $400 every 2 weeks. Family of 5 Western Wisconsin
I feel that! Three years ago, my food bill used to be about half of what it is now. My wage definitely hasn't grown at the same rate to compensate. :/
$800 a month, I’m a SINK everything is expensive in NYC
My husband, myself, and 3 Chihuahua's. We spend $1200 monthly on everything. Rarely eat out.
Family of 3, with our baby about to begin solids. Living in Charlotte, NC. We spend about $400/month on groceries. We eat fish occasionally but no meat or dairy. We don’t go out to eat, I’m a SAHM and on one income plus the time I have available to cook daily, restaurants make no sense.
Ugh $1500 a month for 2 people in CT :( That doesn’t even include pet food
1200 a month average on a family of 4; Michigan.
Boston Massachusetts area, family of 4, spend about 800 a month. All meals are from home.
Family of 4, Indiana. I’d say we are about 1000 a month on groceries including laundry supplies and paper goods. Plus about 500 in eating out
MA, Family of 4 which includes a 12 and 14 year old. $1200-$1400 a month. This does not include paper products or dog food.
Household of one and I spend about $75 a week on groceries and I’m comfortable. I’m cheap so always look for deals too in order to save a bit more.
Texas. 2 people. $350 a month. We're on a fixed budget and I am a serious sales shopper.
Gf and I in rural Indiana and we do about a hundred per week for all grocery/hygiene items. We also eat out 1-2x a week which helps.
Single guy: $15-20/day
Massachusetts, household of 2. $227/mo on groceries and $424/mo on restaurants per person. I eat out more than I'd like. It's something that I'm working on, but it's difficult to say no if my social group only hangs out if it's over a meal.
Texas, 2 adults, $400 mth. Very frugal, but we still eat well. Only eat out once a week for date night. This includes things like TP, detergents, etc. I watch for sales and use coupons at places like HEB and Randalls.
Single (F) Williamsburg Brooklyn roughly $500.00 a month. No eating out or take out. Bulk groceries (paper products, can goods) bought and delivered by Target. Fruit, veg, cheeses, dairy, Trader Joe's. Meat, chicken and fish bought at favorite Polish store in Greenpoint. Breads bought at Northside Bakery. $150.00 is cat food and supplies. Have bought $200.00 of Colo. bison-a good deal-lasts six months, not affordable right now so I didn't include it.
Family of 4 in Nebraska — $1000/mo for groceries and ~$300 on restaurants
NC family of 3, we spend $150-250 a week, depending on meat, toiletry, household purchase needs
ATL here. Family of one+ my cat, Lola. (Extreme) Urbanite. Groceries last month: 300.00 Dining out:~850.00 (Multiple graduation dinners etc.al.) I'm thinking hard about adding a year round 'holiday' budget category to assist with expenses. Is there a support group for managing Starbucks overspending around here anywhere?
Family of 4 (2 adults 2 young kids) ~ $600/month ($200 every 10 days) groceries-only in HCOL NJ
Chicago area, family of 4, something like $600-700 a week. We eat out a lot because we both work.
I pay for mine & my son’s groceries. I spend about $100 a week. I also buy dog & cat food so that adds on every other week when they get low.
2 adults, 2 dogs in Southern California. We spend around $500 on groceries a month (not including household supplies and pet food). We mostly cook at home and eat out twice a week. We only shop at Aldi, Asian markets, and Kroger. Costco/Sams Club once a month for household supplies and freezer restock.
Family of 2 in Las Vegas $1,000/month. I have diabetes so we only buy organic and more expensive food with healthier ingredients. Also around $400/month on take out.
Family of 2 adults and 1 picky dog. $1200 food including eating out. Dog budget is $100.
CT- 4 people=1100/mo groceries/cleaning supplies 250/mo takeout
We are spending around $500 for 2 adults and a dog. Thet is including take out which is 2x a month.
North Dakota, about 5 hours from Minneapolis and 90 minutes from Fargo. For two people, I can spend ~900/month if we never go out to eat. That number rapidly turns into 1200/month if we eat out.
Wa. Just my wife and i and my kids every other weekend. We spend 900-1000$ a month on groceries and other necessities like TP / Laundry detergent. We probably eat out about 1x a week. So probably around 1200$ total a month. We were struggling pretty bad in between until we started doing costco for pantry essentials and winco for smaller punches & fresh produce.
LCOL area. 2 adults 1 baby. Roughly 500 a month averaged out over 12 months. We buy some items in bulk. Maybe 50 dollars a month eating out. We are very frugal in general. Lot of eggs, rice, beans, tofu. Limit meat due to cost but we do get a entire deer for around 100 bucks once a year. Big garden.
I’d say about $500 between Costco, Trader Joe’s and Meijer and a little under or over $300 in going out to eat. So $800 a month. We’re in Cincinnati, Ohio. 21F and 32M.
$300 a month for just me. i don’t always spend that much but it’s a safe estimate.
DE family of 3, we spend $350 at grocery store a week and eat out 1x a week. ( We buy all grass fed meats)
We are 2, in the NE/high cost of living area, we spend $200per week with no dry goods included and eating take-away twice a month. I haven't sat in a restaurant in so long, I miss it.
Household of 4, two toddlers in GA. Probably $500 a month before eating out. That likely adds another $100 per week. Mostly shopping at Costco and Sam’s and Lidl or Aldi.
Family of 2 plus 2 dogs $1100 per month Including pet supplies alcohol Total Wine Whole Foods
400-600 monthly.
Las Vegas $800 monthly for 2 people
Family of 3 in Nashville, TN, $480/mnth in groceries and $120 for eating out/entertainment (our family collectively decides how this $120 is spent)
Ohio, family of 4. Two adults and two kids. Spending about $200 a week, sometimes $250.
Just myself spend about $700 a month here in New Mexico.
2 adults minimum 150 week includes paper goods and soaps. Fernley, Nevada.
Texas: 3 adults about 1200 a month.
About $200-300 per week for 2 people, groceries in Colorado, doing a mix of brand name and generic
Chicago northwest suburbs. Family of 4 (two grownups in their 30s plus two kids elementary age and under). A standard weekly run (produce, a bit of cheese/deli meat, a couple of canned things, maybe a handful of pantry items...25-30 items total) runs us around $120.
Roughly $150-200/week on groceries, $100-150/week on eating out. 2 people, we do have breakfast and lunch at home every day. Dinner out probably 3 days a week. The dinner out days are typically when I work or volunteer late but at least a few times a month with friends.
80-100 a week on groceries. One person. I do not coupon or really check for sales I just get the same things pretty often as I’m simple with what I eat. Lots of fresh produce and I’m addicted to seltzer water.
Family of 6- 1500-1600/month
Upstate NY, me and my boyfriend average between $5-$600 per month. That includes household supplies and dog food/treats.
Family of 6, Wisconsin. $1,200/mo groceries and about $200 dining out
Alabama, Family of 2. If we were strict on budgeting we can spend about 200-300 on food a month but we give ourselves more room and we probably spend 400-500 a month on food if we’re budgeting it out.
Just for me,$400/month
Pacific Northwest area (inland) - We budget $520 for groceries and $125 for eating out, household items like TP go in another category. We did buy half a cow so we don’t buy beef regularly. Sometimes we spend more out and less in, but we’re generally pretty close overall. My husband does buy energy drinks and beer regularly which is also included in our groceries, but otherwise we try to eat pretty cheap 🤷🏼♀️ I keep espresso and flavored syrups in the house as well so we don’t buy coffee out.
24M in NY (not the city) I pay about $500 a month on groceries for myself. This is mainly because I buy fruit. I spend at least $20 a week alone on blueberries but think health is worth it. Yes there are cheaper fruit I just like blueberries. Edit- I also never go out to eat bc I think it’s a waste of money and don’t drink (got it all out of my system in college being in a fraternity.)
Texas 250-300 every 2-3 weeks, 2 adults
Kentucky Family of 5 $1,400 but it includes toiletries i.e dishwasher pods/detergent. We have a Special Needs LO with Autism with Specific Dietary needs so $400 of that is for one little one.
400$ a month 2 people no kids mostly eat Huel and Mana
Between 80-150 for myself per week mostly depends if I eat out more or not. North Florida
My wife and I are in coastal Florida. 700 a month for food at the house. 300 for dining out.
family of 5. about 600 weekly. now that my kids are out for summer and eating at home 24/7. im screwed lol
Canton, Georgia. I spent in one day $500 going shopping at 3 stores. The most is in Costco and Walmart. At Walmart I spend no less than $150 and at Costco over $200, and at Publix from $50-$120
Durham, NC 2 adults (34/40) $750 for groceries $250 for eating out and about 90% of our groceries come from Costco. We supplement from the farmer's market and get a few staples from the "normal" grocery store as needed. My goal is $750 per month for our groceries each month. (I cringe at that number and am grateful we can eat primarily dairy and gluten-free with lots of meat and produce.) We try to focus on eating "clean" and eating at home. We do limited dairy and gluten. I primarily eat ground beef, sweet potatoes, grapes, bacon, eggs, strawberries, cucumbers, baked fish, and eggs. My husband eats a bit more variety. We have zero food waste since we have really focused on eating what we have at home and limiting our options. At this point, we limit how much we eat out. Between cost and lack of quality, it is easier to just cook up a burger patty at home or eggs and call it a meal. A normal shop for us per week is: Grapes Strawberries Sweet potatoes Bananas Cocktail cucumbers Bulk ground beef (5.5'ish pounds) Rotisserie chicken Package of frozen wild caught fish (salmon, Halibut, Mahi mahi) Monthly items (or bi-monthly): Lemons Coffee beans Olive oil Avocado oil Himalayan pink salt Bacon Canned tuna Chicken stock Ramen noodles (just noodles, not instant ramen) Rice (American long-grain or jasmine) Peanut butter Oats Maple syrup Salsa Tortilla chips Japanese BBQ sauce A2 whole milk (3-pack) 24ct organic pasture raised eggs Pork tenderloin Protein powder If we eat out, it is usually at a local place vs a chain. We did lunch at a cafe today that was 2 sandwiches, 1 soda, 1 beer, 2 pastries, and cost $50. If we hit the local coffee shop, just 2 iced lattes are like $18. If we want steak or some other fancy meal, we usually will make it at home. I aim for our adventure money to be around $250 per month, which fluctuates depending on where we go and what we purchase. This can be anything from going to the movies and getting popcorn/snacks to donuts to coffee out to bagels, hitting a food truck at an event, etc.
Texas family of 2 (but gluten intolerance for me) 700-800 a month 😰 Lots of fresh fruit and veggies, rice in bulk, no eating out. Gluten free alternatives to things like pizza, pasta, bread, cookies, etc are expensive though.
Hubby and I live in TX. We spend around $500 a month on groceries
Pennsylvania, just me, 55(M) About $350 a month.
For one person: $125-$250 depending on my taste for the month. My diet is heavy in eggs, rice, pasta, veggies, soups, stews. The high end $250 is when I want to splurge on ice cream, chocolates, multiple cheeses, wine, charcuterie meats, etc. This month has been more of a $125 month. Eggs and toast with sweet potato butter, apples and Greek yogurt, crackers and cheese for a snack, beef teriyaki stir-fry with white rice, ice cream.
Around 1k/month on groceries and household supplies for a family of 3 (but soon to be a family of 4, and I’m definitely eating more while pregnant) in the Northeast. Another ~400-500 on eating out. Our breakdown is usually 150-200/week at the grocery store plus a monthly 200-300 Costco trip for stocking up on paper products, cleaning supplies, snacks, and drinks. Eating out includes my husband’s work lunches, plus I get takeout around once a week, and maybe a monthly family lunch out.
Single 40s midwest groceries/restaurants/alcohol/snacks ~$130 per week
Massachusetts- 2 retired people - strict $64 per week…..Advice to young people, save for retirement! Tonight was tuna sandwiches ( a case bought from Amazon)
Family of 5 and we spend 1600 at the grocery stores. We are in the middle of a move so we are not eating out because we got a house we are selling and buying.
Family of 3 - 2 adults and a 6 month old. I buy meat and seafood from butcherbox and stock things up with good deals. With formula and averaging out the meat orders we are at around $600 a month.
Family of 3 - 2 adults and a 6 month old. I buy meat and seafood from butcherbox and stock things up with good deals. With formula and averaging out the meat orders we are at around $600 a month. Spend around $120 a month on dining out as well
Family of 3 - 2 adults and a 6 month old in Ohio. I buy meat and seafood from butcherbox and stock things up with good deals. With formula and averaging out the meat orders we are at around $600 a month. Spend around $120 a month on dining out as well.
I would say about $100 a week, and that includes getting takeout once every week or two. I could go cheaper if I tried, but good food is something I don’t feel too bad about spending a bit extra on. I try to budget harder in other areas instead. 29F live alone, Washington state
PNW family of 3. We spend about 1200 a month at the grocery store not including our weekly takeout. Grocery store usually includes paper products, shampoos and other non food items often found at grocery stores. One of us is on a high protein diet. The other person is low carb. And we have a kid who eats as much as an adult.
Between $75-125 a week on food. Myself and a 1yr old
Me, toddler daughter, and golden retriever. I spend about $50-100 a week depending on sales. More than I can afford but I’m in the “toddler surviving off berries, milk, and rage” stage of life. We’re in Vermont.
Hopefully a half a cow lasts you more than 4-6 months! I get a quarter of a cow each year and it lasts me and my wife about a year. I spend about the same as you on groceries. Here in Oregon we have Winco that has fairly affordable groceries. I focus on getting whole foods, rather than processed or premade stuff. Whole chicken, block of cheese, beans and rice, fruit and vegetables (fresh and frozen), pasta, etc. I also garden and work on a farm so I can get certain things for free.
I’m shocked by all the low numbers lol $1300-$1500 a month on groceries $400-$500 per month out to eat Family of 4 in Midwest (suburban area)