Weekly Grocery Bill

I guess you if you have the money for it, and aren't wasting food by it going bad before you eat it, spend as much as you want. We spend about $80/week on food for my husband, my 2 year old son and myself. This includes take out on Sunday nights ($20) and fast food breakfast Friday mornings ($10), then about $50 at the grocery store. Then once a month, i'll spend about $30 on non-food items such as diapers, toilet paper, shampoo, etc... I was raised quite poor so I was always taught to be thrifty, and I know how to stretch money really well. When my husband and I have been in dire straights in the past, like when he lost his job in 2005, I would regularly stretch $20 for a week of food. If you've never had to be so thrifty, it could be really difficult to learn how, I think.

I find when you don't buy processed foods you spend a little more on the fresh stuff! I have found a great place to get my cleaners and toiletries at wholesale and we have committed to not eating out (unless we have no choice) to save money. I do buy meats on sale and freeze it because you never know when boneless chicken is going to be $1.89 a pound again! lol

I spend about 130-150 also a week on groceries - we have a family of five - but my three girls don't eat much! I make home cooked meals nightly so I don't buy processed foods as well. The most expensive, I think, is the fresh fruit - then followed by meat and poultry.

Wow, that does sound like alot. I have a family of 5, this includes my husband and three small children 3, 4 and 7. The children are home all day with my mom and the 7 year old brings lunch and snacks to school every day. I average about 100.00 weekly.

My husband travels during the week and is home on the weekends, but when he is home during the week I spend about $75 on my Sunday grocery run, but another $20-30 midweek to stock up again on fresh produce. Like you, I do not buy much processed foods. We are a family of three with our 5 year old daughter.

I do buy meats and freeze them and I like to make soups and large items that we can eat for a few days or freeze for later.

There are some amazing books out there that you can pick up about making food in bulk. I work at a local library here and we have plenty!

Like others said, it does cost more to eat healthy. Go figure!

we live in a very expensive part of mass, I go over the bridge and every item is $0.50 - $2.00 less! we spend $160.00 for a family of six, and that includes all paper goods, toiletries, and cleaners.
no pets, cuz we can't afford them.
can't wait until it gets a little easier! can't wait until I can go back to organic milk, and local farm eggs! I take out the money once a week and live a cash existence. that keeps our family on budget.

L., you're spending more than you have to. My husband, two girls, and I live in a suburb of Boston, and we spend about $80 a week on groceries. My husband is obsessive about our food bill and puts in a lot of time and effort to make it as small as possible. He NEVER buys anything that's not on sale. If I want strawberries and they're not on sale this week, tough. I'm not getting strawberries. He also clips coupons. If something is on sale, and he has a coupon for it, woohoo! He also stocks up on non-perishable items when they are on sale so we don't have to go without.

Also watch for sales at CVS. So many times my husband has come home saying that he got me Herbal Essences shampoo/conditioner (or other personal care products) almost for free because he's combined coupons with store promotions. He also often buys milk at CVS or other small marts because it's so much cheaper than at the grocery store. It's not organic, though.

We sit down with the circulars from Shaw's and Stop & Shop and plan our weekly meals around items that are on sale. We eat well. We have fish every week and then some combination of chicken, ground turkey, pork, or beef. Cutting back on the meat would further reduce our bill.

Not sure if you're buying organic anything or everything. Be judicious about that. Not all items labeled organic are value-added. Do some research on which fruits/veg's benefit from organic growing methods. For example, some have such thick skins that chemicals don't penetrate to the part you actually eat. It's not worth spending extra money for such items.

You can most definitely spend less than you are spending now, but it takes time. My husband goes to both Shaw's and Stop & Shop every week and goes to Trader Joe's about once a month to get things that he knows are cheaper/better there. If it were up to me to do the shopping, this would not happen, and our bill would be astronomical. I'm glad he does it, even though I sometimes just want the damn strawberries!

Hi L., my husband and one yr old son are in the same boat as you, in the burbs of Boston. I find it hard to spend less than $100-150/week. We ALL (baby included) love to eat and I love to cook. We buy a fair amount of meat (like other posters, whatever's on sale) and I get a lot of organic/natural foods too, but not for everything. Right now I'm buying a bunch of produce, etc. as I'm trying to introduce the baby to new foods. I do clip coupons, it has become a bit of an obsession actually, LOL. It is worth it, if you come up with a grocery list before you shop, sit down at the computer and Google search the things you are going to buy. You will find there are tons of printable internet coupons you can print and use. Many of them will be doubled in the store. And like another poster said, choose your store wisely. I know for me, I loved shopping at Donelan's but Shaw's offers better prices, accepts internet coupons, and doubles manufacturer coupons, so now we mainly shop there. Hope this helps!

I wonder how different costs are from place to place...I only say that because I noticed that the poster below was from OH, not CT or MA, like me. I also preplan and find that I spend about 150/week for my husband, myself and our two kids. Things to consider - is the $150 all food, or food and household items? Some families categorize the two separately, but we haven't, and that stuff, like laundry detergent, can get expensive. When we're talking just food, we spend closer to $120/week. We have been keeping our bills as low as we can by eating less meat in general, and just making more cost-conscious choices (i.e. snap peas are $3.50 a serving, green beans $1.00, and they would both go with the meal). Believe me, I know its tough!

Ours is about $90 but it's only my husband, my son, and me. Some weeks it's a bit bigger if we buy things like clothes. I cook a lot though and we very seldom eat out.

We are three as well but my little one is only two so doesn't really eat that much. I spent about $110/week this past year and $123/week last year if you average it out. My credit card has a cool spend analyzer to help figure this out. Anyway, in addition my husband buys his own lunch every day and often brings home takeout for dinner, so that's really only for me & my little girl. I would guess adding his expenditures would bring us to a $200/week range, so you are doing well I think. I agree geographical location matters - we are in the greater Boston area.

We have an identical family size (2 adults, 5 year old son). and we spend about $130 to $140 when I shop at Shaw's for the week. I try to alternate Shaw's and Trader Joe's, where I typically spend around $110. I also buy frozen chicken breasts at Costco, which saves a lot. I have a hard time believing that another family is spending half of what you do and is eating the same meals.

L.,
When we first got married (1998) grocery shopping was a chore we didn't care for so we went once monthly and spent about $200. This did not include pet food.
We moved from the 'burbs to a rural area in 2002. Had a kid, who just turned 4 and shop every other week. We spend $125 to $155 each trip. We eat out once a week. We all eat 3 meals daily during the week, plus snacks. On weekends when we have time I'll make brunch so we really only eat 2 meals on those days. Most of my baking is from scratch and we get eggs from our hens.

Hi L.,
me, too...
I would love to use more coupons, but I dont' eat most of the things coupons are for. I am allergic to gluten and dairy, and so cook from scratch (but not bread, either).
I feel well when I eat a lot of animal protein, and so I eat high on the food chain. That being said, I do buy meat when it's on sale, try to figure out weekly meals based on what's on sale, and try to but cheaper cuts of meat...lots of organic whole grains, fruits and veggies. Also, lots of baby food since that's where the baby is at...

(oh, btw, we are a family of 4 - 3 y.o.dd and 7 mos old baby...). As another posted said, you don't know what that familyis eating (that spends 1/2 iof what you do). We have friends who spend less, but I wouldn't feed my kids what she feeds hers!). Eating well with good, healhty food is one of my values and one of the things that is very important to me.

We do warehouse shopping for bulk items (toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products), I always use coupons for diapers, etc. But - I was pleased to read about the tip to go on-line for coupons. For us, a place where we can do better is eating all of our leftovers or using them creatively.

Good Luck to you!

Hi L.,

If you are buying organic or whole grain items, the bill will definitely go up quickly. We do both as much as we can, and our bill for our family of 3 is about the same as you (with 2 year old who eats a lot for his age!). Organic produce can easily be double, but I feel strongly that it matters, so we prioritize food as an area that we spend more than "average". We eat out once a week or maybe less. I also try to buy bulk foods from coops whenever possible for grains, dried beans, etc.

L.

I spend a ton too! When you try and eat healthy it is more expensive, so I guess it depends what you buy. I also use coupons but my gram cuts them and delivers them to me to go through! Thanks Gram! I also purchase my cleaning, hygiene, vitamins from an all natural company and save money by doing so!
M.- SAHM and WAHM and loving it!

I don't really plan out meals, but we spent anywhere from $80 to $120 per week (from CT - for me, my husband and my 1 year old boy). Like someone said, it depends on if we are getting cleaning supplies or if it is a big stock up week. We have a pantry and keep it pretty well stocked with non-parishables. The majority of the money is spent on fresh fruit, veggis and organic meat. I do stock up on meat like steaks when they go on sale and then keep them in the freezer. We also do one pasta meal a week, which cuts expenses because pasta is so cheap.

Hi L.,
There are three of us as well (9-year old son) and we spend about that as well. If you are buying meat or seafood that adds up, so do cleaning products. We buy meat and fish, a lot of fresh produce, and more organic/whole wheat products, all of which are expensive. There's no help for it.

If you want to cut back, where you shop has everything to do with it. We were spending about $25 more when we shopped at a different supermarket. We have also stopped buying any cleaning products or paper goods (except napkins) at the supermarket opting to buy those products at discount stores where you save sometimes up to $2 a product. Also, clip coupons and look first in a "saver" aisle if your supermarket offers one.

We don't worry about how much we spend on food because it's important to us to eat well at home (we eat better at home than at restaurants). I wouldn't worry about what others spend if you feel you're getting the food that is right and healthy for you.

There are 5 of us (kids 1,3,4)I'm not sure how much we spend on food but we go through $200 every week -- and that is for everything. Household items, food, "extra's" diapers, eating out etc. We do not eat a lot of meat -- hardly any in fact. It's just too expensive and the kids don't like it very much anyway. We generally eat bread and pasta for dinners and sandwitches for lunch. The bulk of the money goes for fresh veggies and fresh fruit. We eat a LOT of that.

I do a ton of couponing. I have found some great sites on the internet and it has saved me a bundle. I also do almost 100% of my shopping at BJ's. I save about $30 with my coupons every 2 weeks there.

There are 5 in my family and we do not spend anywhere near that. For a while there while my husband was unemployed after returning from a deployment we were eligible for food stamps. They gave us like $600 a month and I didn't even know how to spend it. I have never spent that kind of money on food. We rarely eat out and i try to buy as healthy and natural as possible but also buy alot of the store brand stuff. If you are getting mac and cheese it doesn't have to be name brand same with ketchup, bbq sauce etc. I buy meat when it is onsale and stock up then. So we may be eating alot of chicken one month and beef the next. I freeze everything. I would say on average we spend about $300 a month. I don't shop every week except for things we run out of milk,bread,dog food. I also use coupons sometimes but they seem too much of a hassle. So I use the E coupons that can go right on my store reward card.. that way I don't forget to hand it over or let it expire when I bought the item I had a coupon for 2 times while it was good. I plan out my meals about 2 weeks at a time(starting with what I have the most of in the freeze and pantry and buying the extra stuff needed for a certain recipe when I need it, but if I have to buy green peppers for one recipe I always try to find something else to use them in also within that week), buy balk as much as possible and try to use leftovers someway or another. We often have left over night where we all have to fight for what we really want the most. The rule is 1st one ready for dinner picks first. Adults get what is left. But since you only have one child you don't need to worry about that. I once sat down with all receipts for a few visits to the store (probably about 3 months worth since I don't shop every week) and figured out what I spent the most on and how I could cut back. That is when I figured out that I need to stock up on the meat we use regularly only when it is onsale. I also do the same with pasta and sauces. I always try to find a coupon for things I know I will buy name brand (like the laundry detergent I use, cheerios, toothpaste). Hope this helps!

We have three people in our family--husband, me, and 13 y.o. son. I go to Market Basket about every 3-4 weeks and spend roughly $300-350 there. That includes eggs, cheeses, low cholesterol margarine, yogurts, milk, deli meats, whole grain breads/pita breads, cereals, hummus, fish, chicken, ground bison, 100% juice, cleaning products and toiletries, beans, rice, natural peanut butters, lots of veggies and fruit, and occasional wine or beer. Then I fill in on fruits, veggies, and sometimes fresh pork tenderloin at a little market in town in between the big trips. I also buy bulk spices in town as well.

When you add it all up, we probably spend about $150-175 a week, including food, batteries, light bulbs, etc. I don't use coupons because they never seem to have the things I tend to buy. I don't buy much preprocessed stuff at all. But I do watch for regular items we buy that are on sale.

I tend to buy Market Basket's generic brands whenever possible (TP, cereal, whole grain tortilla chips, etc.) which really saves a lot and they taste just fine (not the TP of course!). And if I go to Shaw's I try to aim for the things that are on special. But I just go there only 1-2 times a month for little fill-in things that my little market may not have or if I have several veggies I need.

All-in-all, I must admit I'm not that careful about my buying. We love kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and items like that which can add up quickly. I buy some organic, but not entirely. But I do stock up when chicken/fish are on sale.

When I was on my own, before marriage and our son, I used to get by with much lower costs per month! I rarely ate meat and ate many more grains. Plus, I didn't buy wine or anything. Those all make a big difference (meats especially) in our spending. But I'm not willing to reduce my fruits and veggies intake. I'd be willing to drop the beer/wine but not sure my hubbie would go for that. If we really needed to, I bet I could shave $100-150 off of our expenditures each month with more care while still getting the protein my family craves.

I have considered being part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) group nearby, but when I ran the numbers, it was going to be almost twice as much for what we buy. I realized we buy a lot more fruit than veggies which the CSA doesn't grow. I really believe in CSAs but I haven't made that leap yet. Friends who are part of it say they eat a ton more veggies when they joined the CSA because they had to keep up with it all. Some day I'll take the leap, though.

We mostly cook meals from scratch other than an occasional frozen pizza and Annie's natural mac & cheese. Otherwise, we tend to cook from the ground up.

Hope this helps!

I have a family of 4. My husbands a big guy but I swear its only staying on for the "extra's" he buys himself not included in my shopping. My son is a very big eater right now as he's 12 and eats more than me which the DR says is good and perfectly normal, that's how it should be. Then a 4yo and myself whose pregnant and not eating more than ussual. So that's our family and I ussually spend about $160-200 a week. I only buy meat when its on sale and stock up on whatever is on sale. It never seems to last as long as I hope either. COupons are hard for me because all that I get with the paper don't even have much that we eat. Cereals and such I use but they seems to be mostly other things like nail polish, dog food, cleaning products and such. So when I do get food coupons they get used.
I saved $75 off one bill once but haven't gotten good coupons like that sense.
From what I hear it is a normal amount to spend with a teenager in the house.
Hope that helps you.

Wow... I think you are doing well! I hardly buy processed foods (except for cereals) and spend upwards of $300 per week for a family of five. They eat more as they get older and friends figure into the mix!

There are 5 (kids aged 2, 4 and 6), of us and I spend about 60-80 on food each week and maybe 20 more on refilling the household goods(tp, laundry soap etc: varies by week what needs refilling). I never buy meat that's not on sale-and if there's a really good deal I spend a bit more and stock up the freezer with it. I get the things I use alot of at BJs or Walmart(paper goods are usually less expensive at Walmart). I only buy generics from stores where possible, I shop at stores that have better prices(Market Basket, Price Right) than some of the bigger chains.

We are a family of three. One of which is a 2 1/2 year old. I try to spend around $50/week. That is groceries not toiletries/cleaning stuff.

I buy all of my non perishable items toiletries/cleaning stuff at Costco. And that is only if I have a coupon from Costco for those items. When I get a good monthly coupon book from Costco, I stock up. Those bills can be anywhere from $100-$300 depending on what coupons are there.

I shop only weekly ads and use coupons for them. I also compare prices at Walmart. I have been doing this for 2 years now. We went from $800/month grocery bills to $500/month.