Grocery Bill

I have a family of 5 (a 10 year old boy and 4 year old twins girls). I am the mom who buys the quick to fix suppers for my husband for nights when I am at work or at school. We spend between $500-$600 a month. I mainly shop at either Wal Mart, Super Target and Sams Club. When the girls were babies I spent more because of baby cereal and baby food (WIC paid for the formula).

Well, my kids are still little (almost 4, 2 and 3 months) and we are VERRY frugal and probably spend around 260 a month on groceries and toiletries and all. I do cloth diapers, meal plans based on sales, I price match and do coupons (some online if I don't have the sunday paper). I would love to have more of a $300-400 budget, but my husband and I have chosen to keep me home with the kids (and I LOVE it!) so there are things we need to sacrifice in order to do that, but it's worth it!

We are a family of 5 with three kids under 5. $700 sounds about right for what we spend too, even with trips to Aldi and not buying name brands.

I looked through all the requests and expected someone to mention how to shop smart. I have recently took on using coupons and going to free sites to plan my shopping. I have learned how to get tons of FREE stuff. On average, every week I get at least 1-2 gallons of milk free and 3-4 (4 packs) of yogurt free and a lot of other stuff free or for only pennies. Check out hip2save.com or pocketyourdollars.com to get started. These are just like the paid sites but are free. You would be amazed at how little you spend if you work the deals. I have a family of 5 and my husband is laid off and I get enough stuff cheap or free that I also donate to families that are in need.

I have a family of 5, my husband and I, a 16 year old son, an 11 year old son and a 7 year old daughter. Our 16 year old eats as much as my husband and I combined at dinner.

I agree with what another mom said, I include laundry soap, toilet paper etc... into my monthly bill.

I spend at least $1,000 a month on food. BUT, we eat 100% organic and I also buy only pasture-fed meats. I make everything from scratch and eat almost zero processed foods. Needeless to say, good and real food is expensive.

Because we spend so much on real food, we are a TON healthier and were were able to cut $600 per month out of our health care budget. Start thinking of your grocery budget and your health care budget as one and you'll see where cheap food gets you.

J.,

You are right, it's unneccessary to spend that much. $400-450 is about right including formula. Our family includes 2 adults and the kids are age 8,7,4,2. I spend about $550 a month and we have a 3 month supply of food in our pantry / freezer in case of emergency, job loss, etc. that is consistently rotated and added to. I buy high quality whole foods - organic meat, dairy, and produce. I don't buy prepackaged convenience snack foods.

I taught a grocery shopping class for the ladies at my church and a few came up to me a couple months later and said they cut their bill by $200-300 by trying my suggestions. If you are interested in a copy of my notes from the class for ideas, feel free to email me.

Good luck,
S.

We are a family of 5 and easily spend $800/month on groceries. We rarely eat out and my husband and school age son pack lunches every day. I am a frugal shopper and only shop at Aldi and Wal-mart. I recently read an article about the economy and it stated that groceries went up about 20% between 2006 and 2008.

We only have a family of 2, and one of us in not a teenager, but we EASILY spend $450/month just for our family of 2. Part of that is because we buy organic, but even if we didn't, our family of 2 would still spend $300-$350/month on groceries. When I was growing up (30 years ago), I know my mom spent about $100/week on our groceries for our family of 4 - And food prices were MUCH lower at that time. I don't think $700 sounds unreasonable at all.

I usually spend $250 to $350 every week. I have a family of 5, which includes 2 teenagers, a 7 year old as well as my husband and I. I try to pick up stuff on sale and I use coupons when I can, but it still adds up....

I don't think that is to far off. We have only 3 and spend $800-$1000/month. I also try to buy organic and have diapers etc to buy. So ours could potentially be less I guess.

We are a family of 5 (kids are 7, almost 3, and 7 months) and we spend $400-$500/month on groceries. That includes trips to Costco. When I do my grocery shopping, though, I also buy diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, TP, etc. It's more a necessities shopping, really.
I plan meals, make lists, use coupons, and do one big shopping trip a month to get a bulk of what we'll need, including formula and baby food. Then I just have to return to the store to restock perishables like milk and fruit.

We have a family of 5 -- two teens (1 of which is a hungry boy, the other a not-so-hungry girl); and a 6-year old girl. We spend about $700 or more. This doesn't include school lunches. It's truly expensive, even using coupons and going to places like Wal-Mart for our food... My husband is a chef and can make a great meal for less expensive, but groceries have gone up in price! I'm lucky my mom goes and buys meat in bulk at the butcher and shares it with us!! Otherwise, we'd be eating pasta every night.

HI J.

On the average I'd say our groceries plus household (kleenex, cleaning supplies etc) run 400-500/month. There are 4 of us and our two boys are 9 and 5. Maybe teens just eat way more?! Check out your receipts to see what your grocery money is buying!

HOLY COW!! Where are you shopping and what are you buying?? Hi J., I have a family of 6 and if I can stay within budget (which means going alone), I usually spend $4-$500/month....I'll admit, we do experiment with generic brands and the only thing we've found that just doesn't cut it to save on is a lot of dairy products and ziploc baggies (generic baggies suck!!) Other than that, walmart's great value brand makes the grade, even on cookies!!

Good luck!!
M.

I scanned through quite a few of the responses and never saw a suggestion like this so here it goes..

Try produce saver bags. Like the green bags. They really will keep your veggies (I haven't tried fruits in them) fresher longer. My mother in law has a food saver machine and that seems to save them a good amount but I can't afford the system so I couldn't tell you a personal experience. I think it would just make it easier to either portion out bulk items or to save full meals in a freezer ready pack. Good idea to replace the convenience foods thoug.. cook them up on a weekend and freeze individual meals.
Right now I don't have the teenagers to eat me out of house and home. I only have an 8 month old boy then there is each of us adults. Not including diapers/formula/jars of baby food we spend about 40 dollars a week on groceries. That does include things like dish soap, food storage bags, tp etc. I make a lot of soups/stews in the crock pot, but lots of bulk, use coupons when I can. I'm a big fan of HyVee because they have some decent sales so that + coupons and you get great prices. I'm not sure what teens would do to your grocery bill, but I remember how I ate at that age so it probably could make it sky rocket!

There are four of us and I'm currently pregnant. We spend about 450 a month in groceries. During the holidays maybe it inflates to 500. I use coupons and shop sales keep in mind. We don't buy alot of junk food oh and we are vegetarians so we never buy any meats. We do buy some meat alternatives but that couldn't even equate to 40 dollars a month. Lots of fresh, or frozen fruit and veggies and usually not processed from scratch stuff is all we get.

So we pry spend more than most because we choose not to eat processed junk and make it from scratch. It's amazing how anymore that really is a penalty price wise. I can buy hamburger helper for a buck a box... or I can make something more healthy and of a similar magnitude from scratch and pay 6 dollars or more. But that is just the way it is.

But I personally think 700 is a bit much even with hungry teenagers. I'm sure there is a way to scale back if you wish to. Plan meals, shop sales, use coupons whenever possible.. that sort of stuff makes a huge difference. For that matter alot of grocery stores will match or beat sales of all the local grocery stores. I usually go to those stores and that pry saves me a ton. Worst case Wal-mart always matches if you'll go there. But good luck if I was you I'd definately look into it. :)

We have a family of four, but our two kids are 5 and 2, and we easily spend 700 a month on food. We do buy some "nicer" foods (lots of fresh produce) but we do NOT buy a lot of expensive convenience foods. We also cut coupons and plan our meals in advance; we have also purchased meat by the animal (we have a pig in our freezer), which saves us a ton of money. We could probably get down to 600 a month if we didn't buy as much produce and lean meat, but those are things I'm not willing to compromise on.

I know you are looking for a comparison and my response doesn't really answer that, but I have a great way for you to cut your costs by half!

If you have any storage room and a large freezer you can save a TON of money by buying things dirt cheap when you combine store sales with coupons and buy things before you need them. I use TheGroceryGame.com and pay $15 every 2 months for two store's lists (Cub and Rainbow). It is only $10 for two months for one store.

The lists show when items are on sale, color coded (green if free, blue if a GREAT price, and black if an ok price), and tells you what date the coupon came out.

I go on once a week and gray-out items I don't want or need and then print the list of the items I do want. That is my shopping list for the store and the items are arranged on the list in the order I would find them in the store. I take my list, pull my coupons (already clipped and filed), and take my 2 year old daughter with me to the store. It takes me about 45 minutes to find everything and get out. I save almost 40-60% EACH time.

I buy household items, diapers, cleaners, and food at each visit. I won't have to buy razors (name brand, quality) for a year....bought them for $2 a pack.

Hope this helps!

We are a family of 4 (my boys are 8 & 5 - but I swear my 8-year-old eats like a teenager! Wish I had his metabolism...) :)

Anyway. Recently I've been ordering from Coburns Delivery (if I get in 5 $100+ orders by the end of the year, I get a free Jennie-O turkey!) I order groceries 2 times/month (when we get paid) and try to keep it to $200 or less each time. Of course, we end up running to one of the local grocery stores a couple times in there for more milk, bread, apples, juice boxes, etc (it's amazing how much of that we go through!), and probably spend another $50 each time. So all told, we spend about $500/month on groceries...which doesn't include eating out (which we're trying to reduce). Like other moms, I've been trying really hard to make a menu. It's hard to plan 2 weeks at a time, though. But I do clip coupons, and stock up on sale items when I can (only if I'm actually going to use it though!), and buy some generics...some things do taste much better or are healthier with the name brand, so it depends.

But one nice thing about shopping online is there isn't the impulse shopping that comes with being in somewhere like Target! I really do think that helps save $.

Good luck!

Is this just groceries or does this include toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc.? Does it also include eating out is that a separate expense? There are 6 of us; 2 adults, 3 teens and an 11 yr old. We average about $1075 a month but ours include household supplies but not eating out. My 2 grandchildren are also here alot. Groceries have really gone up in price so if you want to cut back, look at what you are buying. Convenience foods are the main culprits although sometimes very helpful. Next are snack foods. Can you eliminate or cut back on stuff? It is hard with teens in the house especially boys but they all bring friends home and offer them food/drinks like a good host/hostess would. So do what you can but don't fret. Enjoy your children while you can. They are priceless!

We are a family of six and we spend about $800 a month on groceries. So I would think $600 would be plenty for a family of 4. Good luck!

We are a family of 5 (children ages 6, 4, & 2) and our grocery bill varies some depending on what we have going on. This month is a little more because we have family here from Canada, other months it's birthdays, etc. We are normally around $400-500 a month. My children are very good eaters and will "out-eat" me a lot of times. Something that has helped us (and me when it comes time to cook) was making out a menu. I have the meal ideas for 2 weeks...both lunch & dinner since I'm home with my younger 2 during the day while my husband works and the oldest is in school.

We are a family of 4 and I would guess we spend some where around $700/mo on food. Good food is not cheap. We buy a lot on sale and it is still hard to cut that bill down. I always look at the trade off's- there are a lot of cheaper options but those foods are not always the healthiest, and I wonder what is more important??

After skimming through some of the responses, I chuckled and decided to add my two cents worth. We are now empty nesters but when we had two teenagers at home, a boy and a girl, and both in sports, we easily spent $700 a month on food, toiletries, and paper supplies. Our son could eat two boxes of macaroni and cheese by himself after he came home from sports practice and still eat a full supper. I think our spending was higher than many because our house was the local hangout. We were more than willing to have the kids at our house and feed them. Enjoy your family and just do your best to shop the sales and use coupons. If you have time, make from scratch as much as possible. Good luck!

I've skimmed through the responses and I've seen a lot of what we do: generic brands, coupons, sales, buying in bulk, etc. But what we also do is gardening. Raspberries, strawberries, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beans, peas, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, egg plant, broccoli, spinach, swiss chard, herbs (basil, oregano, sage, parsley, rosemary, etc.), celery, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, etc.

The produce that we get from our garden saves us big time on our grocery bills. Not only do we eat fresh during the summer, but we freeze or can a lot of the left-overs to last us during the winter. This website has some good ideas on how to get started: http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,66...

I don't think that's unreasonable..sorry! You might try a book called "Miserly Moms." I found it very helpful for finding ways to trim our outgoing money in different ways...and not just on groceries.

Hi J.
I have a family of four my son is ten but out eats his dad most nights and we spend right around 400 a month in grocerys we do shop at wal-mart though so that may make a diffrence. I know my friend has the same size family and only spends about 250 a month but she never buys meat her husband hunts all the meat they eat.

We are a family of four; girls are seven and eight, and we spent $500 last month. We only eat red meat a couple times a month, so that's pretty much fruits, veggies, chicken and fish!! I can't believe how much groceries cost. We started buying in "bulk" and freezing things. Check the price per pound on the price sticker, it's sometimes amazing much more per pound a smaller package costs. You think you're saving by buying smaller, but the cost per pound is much higher! We also go to the store more often instead of letting fresh fruits and veggies go bad (less waste). And cut coupons! It can be a hassle, but I saved $25 this last time! These things allow us to splurge on a few things, like deli shaved turkey and cheeses. Yummy!!

Hi! We do not have teens but we have 2 boys 10 and 6 and 2 girls 2 1/2 and 9 months. I grocery shop once a week for all of our household needs; diapers, toiletries, cleaning supplies, groceries, everything and on average I probably spend about $450-$550 a month, depending on what we need every week and my husband thinks that is excessive! I have to admit I am every cashiers nightmare; I coupon clip and price match, excessively! $700 does seem like a lot to me but again, the teens may make all the difference. Everyone tells me just wait, they will eat us out of house and home! I prefer not to take my husband to the grocery store because he buys 'frivolous' items and everything name brand, which I stay on the generic side. Sit down and come up with a budget and determine which items you can splurge on and which you can stay on the lower end with. Good Luck!

we are a family of three and i easily spend $600 a month is groceries!!! my son is only seven but i do babysit alot and so i have to feed those kids too!!

We have 14 yr old boy, 11 yr old boy, 7 yr old girl and a 2 yr old and one on the way. If we aren't careful we can easily spend over $1000. a month in groceries. I'm really trying to scale this way down. We try to eat healthy too. We don't buy white bread, rice, or pasta. We provide a lot of fruit and vegies. I've learned to buy my meat on sale and freeze it. I also make weekly menus which really helps us spend less money on groceries bills. The hardest part is keeping up with the perishables that we go through so quickly. For example, last night I went to Fairway to buy the meats that are on sale. We picked up a few other items and then this morning I realized we are out of eggs. We go through several dozen eggs a week.

I'm not a big coupon shopper. I just try to watch the sales and make my menu based on that. When I really watch it, I would say we spend at least $150. a week. When I try to stock up then that week will be more. I try to plan for $200. a week. I'm sure if we bought less healthy foods we could spend less. I'm picky about meat and fat content. Keeping after school snacks around is really hard. The boys come home from school and can devour the kitchen. They are always complaining, but I really try to NOT buy processed foods.

J. - sorry but you're really off base. I have one teenager at home and one in college, so we are basically a household of 3. Granted I don't purchase pop or lots of processed foods so our groceries are a little different. I try to purchase as much whole foods as possible and then have a few treats. We average around $1,000 a month. I mostly shop at Cub and Sam's and purchase a great deal of our meat products directly from a farmer.

Good luck,

$700 a month for groceries for a household with a teenager isn't so out of line now days. My last child left home in 2006 and my grocery bills during the time they were home were around $150 a week. Now that it is just my husband and me we go between $60 to $100 and I really don't have a lot of extras. When I have to buy fresh produce it is always higher. We also don't buy much meat since we have a cow butchered. Now when I say Grocery bill.. it does include the dishwasher, laundry soap and other things like that. Ways to cut back is to fix meals that will last a few days or buy in bulk and divide into smaller portions before freezing. When I was assistant director at the day care we would buy hamburger 20 to 40 pounds at a time when it was on sale. I would buy rolls of hamburger and divide it into 1 pound freezer bags. I would buy bread on sale and stick it in the freezer. I would bake cookies rather then buy package ones. Good luck with it all.