Groceries- what do you spend?

[maisies1]

Totally nosy question, but I'm struggling yet again with my huge grocery bills, and wondering how far above average my weekly bill is. How much do you tend to spend per week? Would be helpful to know # of people in the household plus region of the country. There are only two of us, and I can spend between $125 up to $200 (if company's coming) per week. Is this normal? I do live in a very prcey area- DC suburbs.

[patissac]

$125-$200 a week? :eek: WOW! You do live in a pricey area alright!
I spend about $30-50 a week for me, DBF and our 2 yr old, however I shop at only 2 places and wait to see the ad before I make a trip and go from whats on sale, what coupons I have on hand,etc. I usually get my produce at Farmers Markets/stands only since its way cheaper then grocery stores.

[Robyn1007]

I generally spend somewhere between $35-$75 for just myself. However, this includes cleaning supplies, personal items, cat supplies etc. I don't watch the circulars much but do clip coupons. Lately its been a bit more since I'm eating more fresh fruits and vegetables with the season and the fact that I'm eating healthier.

What stores are you shopping at in the DC area? (I used to live there) I know some are significantly cheaper than others so that may be part of the issue too.

[brr9270]

My family consists of 2 adults and 2 children. We spend $75-$125/week. I do use coupons, and do shop the sale circulars. I have had to be careful with the grocery shopping lately. I was spending $150-$200/week before. My MIL has a produce stand, so it will start to be even less than that now that I have free produce! yeah!

[GingerPow]

I can easily spend that amount and more. Still have kids at home, plus we live in a resort area and pay hiked tourist prices year round. It is often worth the price of gas to drive out of the way to get better prices. It usually ends up being more economical when I do the final tally.

I know of a place where I can buy all of our produce for a week, and pay no more that $10.00. At the supermarket near my house, I would easily pay $25 for the same items.

It's hard not to feel ripped off, frankly. I have paid $2.99 for a pint of New Jersey blueberries, grown one hour away from my house, then within weeks traveled to Vermont and paid $1.99 for a pint of blueberries from the same farm! Both regular prices, no sales or specials. (Although right now, one of the supermarkets in my area has a sale on blueberries, .99 per pint - I'm going to stock up!)

[Peweh]

I spend about $100-125 for me and DH in the Northeast (MA); but this is for cleaning supplies and personal items too. I shop by sales and use coupons and am a major stocker-upper on non-perishable sale items & meat for freezer, I could probably get by with only buying produce for about a month. In fact, I'm doing that now! Freezer clean-out time!!

[veschke]

We budget $150/week for me, my husband, and our two-year-old (that includes paper products, vitamins, shampoo, and and all that sort of stuff, too, if that matters).

This is down from what it was a year ago, but I feel like this is way too much.... At the same time, there's a limit to how much compromising I want to do with food. We eat meat 3-4 times a week. I try to buy organic stuff (Annie's mac & cheese for dd, Pacific chicken stock, etc.) which I'm sure adds up. Probably for the best that there's no Whole Foods anywhere near me. :rolleyes:

We're in central Massachusetts, so the cost of living may be on the high side generally compared to some places.

[SheRa]

wow...we spend $75-$125 (depending what i'm getting - usually more toward $75) for DF and i. i cook about 4-5 nights/week, and also pack lunches. the price of living is ridiculous here though...

[clairea]

This sometimes winds up being a bit of a hot topic :)

I spend average $100/week for my family of 4. This includes my CSA share and things I buy in bulk at Costco only once every several weeks, so my actual bill each week is less. I do watch sales and plan meals around those (and stock up on staples when they are on sale), and will occasionally use coupons when there is one for something I would buy anyway, but I am not a huge coupon user on food items. I don't include any cleaning, paper products, etc. in my grocery budget.

I don't live in one of the most expensive areas of the country, but not the cheapest either. I do know that by bypassing the Publix that is about 1 mile from my house and going to one that is about 3 miles away (and outside the city limits of Atlanta) I can save about $.05-.10 on many products and also pay lower sales tax, which makes a $6-7 difference in my grocery bill each week.

[sneezles]

When it's just DH and me I spend about $125/week. Don't shop circulars, don't clip coupons and buy very little processed food (frozen veggies, canned tomato products and Pepperidge Farms English muffins is about it). When the boys are home though it goes over $200/week but then there's a lot of junk food! :rolleyes:

[LakeMartinGal]

Mine averages between $60 and $170, depending on whether I've filled the freezer, bought a lot of pop on sale or company coming... for the past year, it's been $61 average, but the past 60 days has been in the low $200's :eek: -- that doesn't count pet food. (we just bought a new freezer)

Oh! There are just 2 of us, most of the time...

[Varaile]

I live in NE Minnesota (Duluth) and I'm spending about $100.00 a week for myself right now. When DH is around it's closer to $130

This includes:
- all the bathroom/kitchen/cleaning/misc stuff as well.
- the few items I by bulk at the co-op (steel-cut oats, wheat germ, nuts)
- the trip to the meat market (for chicken breasts/fish)
- and all my produce

It's the produce that's hitting the hardest right now. This should ease up a bit as my garden starts coming on-line, but most items won't be ripe till Aug/Sept. I also buy the absolute minimal pre-packaged food stuffs possible (avoiding all the TF and HFCS products). I'm looking for a place close to me to buy fresh eggs.

I also generally make my own bread (depends on the weather - no air conditioner), and I recently started making my own yogurt and granola.

[NMG]

I spend between $85 and $150 a week depending on what I need (including toiletries, cleaning products, diapers, etc) for 2 adults and 2 kids under 3. This usually doesn't include much meat though and not much canned/boxed/processed foods. I try and make a big meat trip once every other month to a butcher and spend about $100 or so with occasionally having to buy a few things from my regular grocer. I try to stick to a $100/week budget, but doesn't always work. I also buy a lot of organic items which are slightly more expensive in my grocery store. I've noticed my pantry and deep freezer are getting low though so I think I'm in store for a big bill this week :p

[Curiosity Hears]

We spend between $150. - $225. a week for a family of four. If it is a holiday or we have guests then it will be more. This includes lots of fresh fruit and veggies and we do eat meat, poultry or seafood almost every night, a couple bottles of nice wine and all personal items and dog food and treats for our three spoiled dogs. Over the years I have learned that I only cut coupons and they never make it to the store so I don't even try anymore. Meals are mostly based on what looks good at the market.

[SaucyChef]

When I'm really trying to stay in budget, I spend around $50 for DBF and I per week. It's closer to $100 if I don't make a conscious effort to "shop smart." This includes 5-6 dinners/week and lunches for the work week, as well as breakfast food and a ridiculous amount of Diet Pepsi.

DBF is a huge carnivore (his appetite, not him - he weighs 145 soaking wet :rolleyes: ) so when he's home for dinner more often, the bill is a little higher (closer to $65).

[tyroleancutie]

Including Soda, Beer, Wine, Cleaning Supplies, Stock up at Costco we spent about $450 a month :eek: It's a lot for just the two of us.

(DH eats a lot - he tries to gain weight so bad but he just can't gain any. He can eat the four pack of Filets from Costco during one Dinner :rolleyes: )

[badunnin]

There was this thread (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=82967&highlight=grocery+bill) back in December where we discussed this very same thing! :)

[Gilgamesh37]

As Claire noted, this sometimes turns very heated.....

For DBF and I, we average between $140-$200 per week, which includes paper products, some cleaning supplies and wine. There's a lot of variability, though---my bill for last Friday's grocery run was $287.08--but that included 6 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of liquor, so without the booze, it would have been down around our usual $200. Unfortunately, the Farmer's Market isn't really workable for my schedule and we don't have a Costco anywhere nearby (there's a Sam's Club about 30 miles away, but frankly I haven't been impressed with their food and it's not worth it just for paper products)

Yes, I could lower that quite a bit if I clipped coupons or shopped the sales harder--but we do very little else in the way of "entertainment" (no theater, no movies out, dinner out maybe once every 4-6 weeks, the only expensive hobby is DBF's golf but he pays his own greens fees, so not my problem! :p ) so as long as this isn't wrecking our budget, I don't really worry about it too much. But I do realize that not worrying about it is a luxury.

[buddie]

last night i spent $140 for a week of food for 3 adults and 3 kids. actually more like 4 days of food as we are out of town a few days this week.

normally i would say about $100 a week for 2 adults and 2.5 kids (baby here). Plus we had company this week

[Valerie226]

I spend about $125 a week for two including paper and cleaning products. Hard to judge sometimes because I do some shopping at costco and bulk paper & cleaning stuff costs a lot one week and then not a factor for months. We also don't eat out. maybe once lunch a month out, DH, and it's business related.
It's hard to compare unless you are including the same categories of things. sometimes pharmacy items are included, and I include beer and wine. coffee is separate.

[stacy7272]

I spend around $60-$75 a week on groceries (including all the cleaning, paper, wine too!) for my family of 4. Two adults, a 5 y.o. and a 3 y.o. who hardly eats. We eat meat, fish, and many times even shrimp (all of which I only buy on sale). We also have many vegetarian dishes as well.

I depend on those circulars and I use coupons. Since I started meal planning a few months ago I can often get my week on the lower end of that amount since I can use what I already have on hand and what is on sale much more than when I wasn't planning ahead.

I shop at two different stores mostly. I found that one store near me has regular prices on produce that are lower than what the sale prices were at other stores. I will make a trip to Trader Joe's sometimes for things like basil, goat cheese, shallots, nuts, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, etc which are cheaper there than the grocery store and are products that don't usually go on sale and that I don't usually have coupons for.

[MISSINDI]

I spend roughly $250/month for 2 adults, 1 4-year-old, occasional stepdaughter staying over, weekly company and 3 cats (doesn't include dog or fish food).

I just read an article where another family of four spends $400/week, which is insane.

I used to be majorly into couponing and stockpiling, but slacked off a bit in the last 2 years. With the right sale and the right coupon, you can easily get items for free every week, name brand items. When we bought this house 4-1/2 years ago, my stockpile came with us, and since we've been here, I haven't bought foil, ziplocs, toothbrushes, saran wrap, etc., still working off my stockpiling. Since I'm leaving my job next week, I've since started to get organized enough to get back into it.

[Terri_A]

For myself and my DD (4), I spend about $150 - $175 every 10 days. That includes wine, beer, meats, cleaning products, etc. I do use coupons and I do buy convenience items ( I even bought presliced, prepackaged apples this week - what was I thinking!!! ). I could spend less if I planned better and used less convenience items, but as full time working single mom - they save my life sometimes!!!

I don't think there's a right or wrong here. Everyone's needs / likes / priorities / wants are different. The only think I can say is if I feel like I"m spending too much, I probably am. So, when I feel that way, I start going back to making a list, checking the ads, buying store brands, etc.

[jtoepfert100]

I used to be majorly into couponing and stockpiling, but slacked off a bit in the last 2 years.


For a minute there, I got concerned about your tin foil collection. ;)

[ebf9q]

DH and I spend between $400-$500/month. That includes groceries, household supplies (cleaning stuff, shampoo, etc), wine/beer and pet food. I just spent $20 on pet food today, as a matter of fact...

When I was single, I spent about $150-$200 a month, but I ate out a lot more.

I have started using coupons a lot lately in the past year. My personal best in one shopping trip is $23 in savings, but I usually average around $10-$12 per weekly trip to the grocery store.

[Grace]

I just added up all my purchases from the grocery store, the produce market, Costco and Trader Joe's for the month of June (which isn't over yet!). It totals $647.27 so far. That's for DH and I, and we have people over to eat typically once a week or so (which we buy extra for).

And because I shop at the produce market and go store hopping for all my stuff, I figure I save $50+ a week over if I just bought everything I needed in the regular grocery store. So I figure I'm getting a bargain. That said, I am not trying to eat on a budget. I love food, I love groceries, and that's what we choose to spend our money on. I could definitely eat for less if I changed what I bought, but I wouldn't be happy at all doing that. I did that for so many years, passing up the things I really wanted. I always vowed that when I had some money I would spend it on groceries. And I do. :D And I'm happy. :D

Editing to add, June has been an atypical month, I guess. I just went back through my check register too (I was curious if I was really spending that much consistently), and I average about $500 a month. Which is basically what I thought. And it's been that for a long time now (meaning the last time I figured out how much I spend - several years ago, it was the same). We must have been extra hungry this month or something.... ;)

[jroseanne]

It's about time I figured this out for real. Your question prompted me to go through my check register and find out the real number, including Costco trips where DH and I stock up on meat and cleaning supplies.

I'm averaging $99.32 per week this year (yep, I went back to Jan 06).

[Grace]

We've actually discussed this a whole bunch of times - the old threads are fun to read too (these are different from the one Bethany posted). Looks like this is a popular topic! :D

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=74539&highlight=spend

http://community.cookinglight.com/search.php?searchid=556322

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=28134&highlight=spend

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=1908&highlight=spend

[ramson]

In the last several months since starting to stockpile non-perishables, cleaning supplies, and HBA with the aid of serious couponing I have been spending about $75 per week for 2 adults. This includes everythingexcept cat food which is prescription from the vet and is $20 per bag and beer. Since my BF is the only one who drinks beer he gets to buy it and I have no clue how much he spends on it. Every once in a while there are weeks like this one when nothing in the sales circulars jumps out at me & I have enough stuff in the pantry and freezer that I can get by just buying produce. (Only spent $18 this week.)

You may want to check out www.grocerygame.com for info on stockpiling and super savings with coupons.

[Kristilyn1]

I spend $130 a week for groceries, paper products, beer, pet food/supplies, etc. for a family of four. I will have weeks where I spend more, like if I have a lot of cooking to do to take to other places or if we have a bunch of people over for dinner. A dinner party usually kicks up my grocery week to around $200. I never clip coupons and I don't shop the circular--other than the random sudden change in menu if I appear at the store and something is on sale that works with what I'm meal planning, or doesn't at least change it too much. I used to shop at several stores but found one that consistently had lower prices--I believe it's because they don't have aisles of books, magazines, a florist shop or even a pharmacy. They are pretty no-nonsense, which saves me from the impulse buys I every once in a while give in to at other stores. I wish I could get it down to closer to $100 a week, but also recognize that I like to eat what I want, when I want to eat it. I will occasionally stock up on meat if it's a good deal, but admittedly I do need to do that more often.

Kristi

[Peweh]

When we bought this house 4-1/2 years ago, my stockpile came with us, and since we've been here, I haven't bought foil, ziplocs, toothbrushes, saran wrap, etc., still working off my stockpiling. Since I'm leaving my job next week, I've since started to get organized enough to get back into it.

DANG MissIndi, I thought I was bad!! :D But I know why you do it, with sales & coupons you can get some of this stuff practically free!! DH laughs everytime I come home from the store "how much did you rip 'em off for this time"... this week I bought over $200 groceries for $125! And I don't buy ANYTHING I wouldn't normally buy if it weren't on sale/have a coupon.

[PriscillaC]

It's interesting to read what people spend on groceries, but hard to compare because everyone has different situations and lifestyles.

For instance, I probably spend well over $200 most weeks for my family of 4. When I read what many of you spend on groceries, heck I spend close to 50% of that each week on milk and juice products each week alone!! And no, we're not overweight either. :-)

As I read all the wonderful menus that people here post that they prepare each week, full of first-time recipes, I wonder if it's possible that these are the same people who are spending $50 or less per week in groceries?? I must be doing something wrong!

[spelimom]

My base list every week is around $100 with diapers (cheapest brand), milk, oj, bread and produce...then add in the cleaning supplies and meats...forget it. With coupon clipping and shopping the sales at the local Big Y (often buy one get two free) I still struggle to keep it under $200 a week for a family of 5. And I tend to stockpile the things I actually use, which can send that up to $300. I also go without a lot of extras. I make every meal, every day...dh takes leftovers for lunch every day. I just don't understand why it's so expensive. The only thing I can think is that is has a lot to do with location. I mean, we go through 2.5 gallons of milk a week at 3.99 (on sale) a gallon.
It's so frustrating.

[Lrimerman]

It is interesting to read everyone's responses. I don't actually know what we spend, DH and I keep saying we should keep track, but we don't. I would gander that it is between $800-$1000 a month, probably closer to the higher amount. We are a family of 5 and we entertain quite often (we do supper club, and every family function on my side is at my house, and I mean EVERY FUNCTION, plus we have in-laws over frequently too). It is also hard to break our spending down as we don't do the conventional grocery shopping.

This does include everything, including cleaning supplies (which come from our co-op and are the eco-friendly versions and so are a bit more costly) and personal care items, pet food, diapers, wipes, etc. Costco is where we buy our paper goods, bottled water, pet food, diapers, wipes, alcohol (not much, but some beer, wine to cook with, liquor every once in a while, I just bought Grand Marnier to make jam with and whoa $40 a bottle).

Our meat is bought from farmers once or twice a year (beef is once at about $1000, and poultry is twice about the same amount) so I divide that out and it is about $40 a week for meat. However, it seems this time of year every other check is for food, between the farmers, CSA, farm market, co-op and other stuff. We just got our strawberries last week and it was 5 flats which was $130, but we freeze them, make jam, etc. which lasts the entire year.

I will try over the weekend to sit down with DH and really make an effort at tracking, because we do stockpile a lot of stuff, and feel we can cut our bill (probably cut down on our co-op bill, which I have cut in the past 4 months, and the Costco bill, and the WF bill) those are the only places we shop other than farmers and CSA.

Lisa

[CEH]

I probably spent $170 yesterday for DH and myself and three cats and a dog. But I stocked up on wine and bought good salmon. We almost never go out to eat and we cook all our meals. Now that the garden is starting to come in my produce buying will go way down. I don't buy meat or ready made stuff so sometimes I wonder where the money goes. Probably the wine. :~} Worth every penny!!

[katydid]

this thread got me thinking too! It seems I'm always in the grocery store for something. But I charge all my groceries on credit card, so I went through the last 9 month to figure out what I spend. For now it's just the two of us (soon to be three:), but on average we spend about 60-70$ per week It was better than I thought. Depending on what I need that week is where I shop. Walmart saves me a lot of money on the basics. All the paper products, dog food and cleaning stuff is from BJ's.
I am surprised that families of 3 or more only spend 50-100$/week on food! I don't buy junk food, frozen stuff or juice and spend this much just for two people. I cook full meals 4-5 nights per week.

[DCook]

Just me and DH - live in Canada - my budget is $125 a week and we probably spend closer to $150.

-This generally includes all of our meals, including lunches
-We have high priced items like good steaks, fish, shrimp regularly
-My husband eats EXTREMELY well at lunch

And it all goes - we have very little waste

You might also find it hard to believe that I'm a bargain shopper - I go out of my way to get deals on my groceries. And our bills are still that high

We can afford this so I don't see the issue - a few times I've wanted to reduce it, but we eat really well, we are very healthy and I really enjoy cooking. I wouldn't be upset spending an extra $20-$50 on entertainment, so why can't our entertainment be food? I've just tried to increase my budget so I don't have to worry about it - our budget used to be $100 a week and we had a really hard time keeping to that

I also thought that shopping at Costco for toiletres, etc would help. It really hasn't significantly.

[maisies1]

Thanks for your replies- it's been very enlightening! I think I've been spending too much. My total definitely includes some personal items that I probably ought to be buying with my spending budget instead of the food budget- one too many irresisitible lipsticks and bottles of shower gel. I was justifying it by saying that at least I'm not buying department store brands like Clinique etc. But who was I kidding? That stuff adds up. I always plan my meals in advance- I think that this week I'm going to try making my list online in advance so I can watch the running total and cut myself off when I hit $150. It's a start... :rolleyes:

[veschke]

I think that this week I'm going to try making my list online in advance so I can watch the running total and cut myself off when I hit $150. It's a start... :rolleyes:

That's a cool idea! Does your store put their prices online?

[sugarbaby]

It's just me, DH, and our dog, and in Feb. there will be a baby. We budget for $75 a week, which includes toilet paper, soap, shampoo, etc. I can't believe I'm going to say this, and please, don't whip me with a wet OR dry noodle, and please, don't anybody give me any well-intended scoldings :o - I know how a lot of people feel about this, and I've gotten plenty of lectures from co-workers who don't have my budget:

I grocery shop at Super WalMartThey do price-matching with all the other chain stores in town, which saves us tons of money, and nine times out of ten I get everything I need in one place. Although occasionally I'll go someplace else for meat or specialty items.

Can I still post to this BB? :o

[drewberry4]

What suburb are you in? I'm in Germantown, MD.

It's just my fiance and me, but we spend about $100 a week. Sometimes more if you count days like today where we feel like going out for ice cream or Taco Bell.

Oddly, it's cheaper here than it was in Boston. We were spending a lot more up there on produce- and since I'm a vegetarian, produce is kind of prominent in my meal plans. :) I think up there it was usually about $120 per week, sometimes closer to $150.

[Ms. Chevious]

I spend about $25 a week I think. I'm jealous that so many have mentioned their farmers markets as a good way to save money. I love our farmer's markets but they are a rare treat for me because everything is so much more than in the stores. (Yes, they have better stuff and I'd like to support local farmers but at triple the prices, it's hard to do.) :(

[MISSINDI]

For a minute there, I got concerned about your tin foil collection. ;)

That's what I'M sayin'. No worries, got at least another 6-8 months or so to go. ;)

[MISSINDI]

DANG MissIndi, I thought I was bad!! :D But I know why you do it, with sales & coupons you can get some of this stuff practically free!! DH laughs everytime I come home from the store "how much did you rip 'em off for this time"... this week I bought over $200 groceries for $125! And I don't buy ANYTHING I wouldn't normally buy if it weren't on sale/have a coupon.

It's a great rush walking out of the store with an overflowing cart and a receipt for $15. :D You know the feeling...

[Max Sutton]

=================================
I shop for just one person and my weekly grocery bill is usually $100.00+. That includes paper products, soap, kitchen utensils, etc. and the meat, produce, and fresh fish.

Before I cooked all my meals my grocery bill was around $75.00 a week. That was when I lived on frozen commercial meals like "Healthy Choice".
=================================

[Farhana]

I spend about 75/week for me, DH and 2yr old DD. It includes everything. I plan my menu around the stuff that are on sale each week and use coupons all the time. I also stockpile, match price at walmart and do my shopping list by checking weekly flyers online. Also, I don't buy something just because it's on sale. Keeping an eye on the sale saves a lot of money, the other day I bought green bell peppers 3/99 cents and 4 Aquafresh toothpast for about a dollar which usually costs 3.29$ each. It is time consuming but well worth it.

[helene]

From Nova Scotia:

Food is really expensive here. No great bargains. I clip coupons. My grocery is $250.00/week for 2 adults and 3 teenagers. We make all our food from scratch. The kids bring lunches at school. I guess the reason is so high is that milk products are really expensive like a 4 L of milk is 6.59. Also we like chicken breats and they are around $12.00/pound. We eat salmon and nice cuts of meat. I do make couple vegetarian meals during the week.

This not not include beer/wine. So it's another $45.00/month. Again beer is expensive 12 bottles for $19.99.

When I was at WD this yr, I went grocery shopping everyday and the prices were so low compare to our prices.

[MISSINDI]

From Nova Scotia:
I guess the reason is so high is that milk products are really expensive like a 4 L of milk is 6.59. Also we like chicken breats and they are around $12.00/pound.

Wow. $12/pound for chicken breasts. :eek:

[bbenedict]

[QUOTE=Grace]I am not trying to eat on a budget. I love food, I love groceries, and that's what we choose to spend our money on. I could definitely eat for less if I changed what I bought, but I wouldn't be happy at all doing that. I did that for so many years, passing up the things I really wanted. I always vowed that when I had some money I would spend it on groceries. And I do. :D And I'm happy. :DQUOTE]

And the people of the choir said, "Amen!"

This has been a great thread. Kind of reminiscent of the "What time do you eat dinner/" thread. Here I thought DH and I were eating SO much later than the rest of the world, as it turns out, we're eating about the same time as everyone else.

Same thing for this thread. I find that I'm averaging what a lot of you folks are. It is DH, myself and our Callie cat. Like Gracie, I'm not on a budget and the quality of the food is too important to me to make this one place where I cut corners.

I buy organic whenever I can. I don't eat a lot of processed foods. I don't use coupons. They never cover anything I would by anyway. I buy papergoods at Sam's. Although I don't really keep exact records, we average around $125 a week. Again, more when there is company.

Since we only eat out on average once a week, that is about $3.00 a meal per person. You can hardly get a Lean Cuisine for much less than that.

Bonnie

[helene]

Wow. $12/pound for chicken breasts. :eek:

Yes, that's at Costco. At a regular supermarket it's 18.00/pound. So I don't eat it often.

[patissac]

Wow. $12/pound for chicken breasts. :eek:

HOLY!!!! :eek:
And here I am getting excited that Albertsons has them on sale this week for $1.49 per pound!

I really really scope out the ads and whats on sale thats how I can get away with buying so much, of course I forgot to include cleaning supplies(which is only once every 3 or so months anyways),dog food, and diapers.

For example I went to publix this past weekend and bought the following:
3 Mangoes for $1.50
6 Kiwi's for $1.00
1 Cantelope $1.50
2 Avacados $1.00
2 Boxes of Kellogs Berries Special K for $3.39 (Buy one Get one Free)
1 lb of Ground Turkey $2.59
1 dozen eggs 79cents

On top of all this I joined their baby club so they sent me a $1.00 off produce coupon and I had a coupon for the Kellogs cerial that was $1.00 (2 boxes of cerial for $2.39???!) see so thats basically how I do my shopping.

[bobmark226]

I mean, we go through 2.5 gallons of milk a week at 3.99 (on sale) a gallon.

I believe you, but I find this incredible. In Connecticut? Here in upstate NY, half gallons are typically $1.29 to $1.49 in supermarkets and most of the convenience stores have specials at $1.99 a gallon!

Maybe we need another of our "what are you paying for milk?" threads!

Bob

[Lrimerman]

There are trade offs for the cheaper food here. I wouldn't be so excited to find the cheap prices in the U.S., we have them at a ever escalating cost. In the future this cheap food production won't be able to sustain itself. We are losing our family farmers, our environment and the quality of our food. Most of the cheap grocery store meat we find is factory farmed. If you knew how it was produced it would surely turn your stomach!!! I would much rather have higher costs but better quality and more of the guidelines that are imposed in the rest of the world. Most countries ban RBGH (hormones fed to cows) and other scary food things like GMO's, etc.

As more consumers rebel against the current food system, supply will start meeting demand for more environmentally friendly food and better quality, that will make the prices come down. It is a long, hard fight, but in my family we are trying our best to speak with our food dollar and it does cost a lot more. I just hope by the time my kids are grown some of this has turned around and it won't be so hard or expensive for them to find real food.

Off my soap box now, sorry, but I feel passionately about this issue!!

Lisa

[maisies1]

Okay, just finished making my grocery list online at Safeway.com- I think they are a little cheaper than Harris Teeter. Anyway, I scoped out the ads and made a list with a running total online. I had to give a false address to open an account- this feature only works for customers in places where they deliver. Luckily, my mom's address is within Safeway's delivery range. I'll have to remember to apologize in advance for the deluge of junk mail that's surely going to land on her. Didn't feel like I was scrimping, and came in just over $100. Now, if I can avoid impulse purchases when I get to the store, we might see some grocery relief this week!

Can you tell I'm a teacher on summer vacation with plenty of time on her hands?? :)

[Sugarbetty]

I spend about $100/week for my DH and myself including cleaning supplies, foil, plastic wrap, etc. I buy some pre-packaged items, but most of the food I buy is fresh. I like to cook, but I don't have as much time to cook as I would like.

[spelimom]

I believe you, but I find this incredible. In Connecticut? Here in upstate NY, half gallons are typically $1.29 to $1.49 in supermarkets and most of the convenience stores have specials at $1.99 a gallon!

Maybe we need another of our "what are you paying for milk?" threads!

Bob

Yup. I'm serious. Whole milk is 4.39 a gallon. The store brands are 3.99. There is often milk for 2.99 at the gas stations, but not whole. I have 3 kids under 5 that all drink whole milk, so that's what I buy. I shop over the border in Massachusetts for better deals, but milk is the same price. We should have a thread! I'm interested to know why it is so much here. People compare it to the gas prices!!

[Grace]

I just paid $3.50 (on sale!) for a half gallon of Stoneyfield Farm Organic Skim milk. It's usually $4.something. For a HALF gallon.

[IndyKF]

Yup. I'm serious. Whole milk is 4.39 a gallon. The store brands are 3.99. There is often milk for 2.99 at the gas stations, but not whole. I have 3 kids under 5 that all drink whole milk, so that's what I buy. I shop over the border in Massachusetts for better deals, but milk is the same price. We should have a thread! I'm interested to know why it is so much here. People compare it to the gas prices!!

WOW!! This is really weird, because I was just thinking earlier today, before I read this thread, that it seems the price of milk has come down around here (I live in Indianapolis). Right now, I can buy milk for 1.99/gal at most of my grocery stores and slightly cheaper at Costco or Sams. A few months ago, it was more like 2.80 (and about 2.25 at Costco/Sams).

To answer the original topic, I'm really bad about keeping track of my spending, but it's about 150-250 a week. That includes everything: toiletries, cleaning supplies, wine/beer/sometimes liquor. I hardly ever buy processed foods, and I shop at several different stores, depending on what I am buying. Like a few of you have said, I enjoy cooking, eating, drinking - and entertaining. I could probably spend less, but it's what I enjoy.

[zippy478]

I thought our food budget was outrageous, until I averaged it out. Since Apr. 6 (the checkbook register started then :)), I've averaged $86/week. Sometimes that includes diapers and household supplies but for the most part, I buy that stuff at WalMart or CVS. I plan meals around what's on sale and use coupons - especially on HBA stuff. We aren't brand loyal for the most part with the exception of diapers, toothpaste and soda. Most paper products and cleaning supplies are bought at Sam's and that average includes Sam's because we get most of our meat there, too. I imagine I could tighten it up a bit but we don't really eat out that much and I enjoy cooking. But, for the past two weeks, all I've bought is milk for DS and produce because we are digging into our stockpile in an effort to reduce our money outflow. Milk here is still close to $4/gallon depending on where I get it and what kind I get. Store brand is $3.75. Brand name is over $4. At Sam's - it's $2.18. We typically go through 2 gallons/week.

[dlaboriel]

I spend on an average of 160.00 per week for two of us.

[helene]

I believe you, but I find this incredible. In Connecticut? Here in upstate NY, half gallons are typically $1.29 to $1.49 in supermarkets and most of the convenience stores have specials at $1.99 a gallon!

Maybe we need another of our "what are you paying for milk?" threads!

Bob

Can you believe I pay $6.59/gallon here in Nova Scotia. We buy 2-3 a week.

[heavy hedonist]

When it's just DH and me I spend about $125/week. Don't shop circulars, don't clip coupons and buy very little processed food (frozen veggies, canned tomato products and Pepperidge Farms English muffins is about it). :rolleyes:

what I do buy that sends the bill this high & often higher: wine, beer, good cheese

has anybvody noticed that you can spend $20 on condiments if you have to get more than 2 at a time?? :eek: :o

[heavy hedonist]

When it's just DH and me I spend about $125/week. Don't shop circulars, don't clip coupons and buy very little processed food (frozen veggies, canned tomato products and Pepperidge Farms English muffins is about it). :rolleyes:

what I do buy that sends the bill this high & often higher: wine, beer, good cheese

has anybody noticed that you can spend $20 on condiments if you have to get more than 2 at a time?? :eek: :o

[Yomi]

Can you believe I pay $6.59/gallon here in Nova Scotia. We buy 2-3 a week.
Hélène,
That's $6.59 Canadian dollars right?

[Minky]

what I do buy that sends the bill this high & often higher: wine, beer, good cheese

I hear you on this - but why continue living if we can't have good wine and good cheese :D :p

We are hovering around $250 a week for two adults and two teeage boys, and that includes food, household items (paper towels, tp, kleenex, shampoo, etc) and beer/wine. Extras: dog food from the farm/garden store, and occasional wine shop stops for stuff we can't get at the grocery.

ETA: I forgot to mention that we don't eat meat or chicken; fish occasionally. I also buy organic milk (yikes-$4/gallon and my boys drink A LOT) and eggs. Usually buy organic cereal, canned goods etc and it easily adds up :(

[ADM]

I now see there are some joys in living in a rural mid-western state. I spend less than $200 a month on groceries. (Please, understand I am ONLY buying for 1). Some weeks I only buy perishables, other weeks are stock-up time. I don't have to be as frugal as when I was raising my large family, so I can often "splurge". I really feel guilty when I realize that often I have to throw some food away because I couldn't use it in time. Whenever my family is visiting me, I have the attitude: "Whatever it takes, it takes." That works for me!