How much is your monthly grocery budget?

[nursemama23]

We are a family of 6, 5 eaters. I am currently trying to cut back our grocery/home goods budget. I was $800ish/month and then a rare trip to Costco as its not real convenient. This month I did Costco at the beginning of the month for things like TP, toothpaste, etc. I then meal planned for the month and went to Aldi and Amelia's and got basically everything for the month for $125. We have had a few stops at the store for stuff we've either run out of or I overlooked but still we are at $550 for the month and I don't foresee anything else needed before next month (except garlic toast which I have to get today for garlic toast grilled cheese tomorrow). I've tried the coupon route but just don't have time (4 kiddos including one nb and I work full time) so grocery outlets and bulk shopping seem to be money savers for us

[MinkaK]

I try for 100 a week but it is usually around 150. ( When DH is deployed it is around 75 a week). I see your location says California- have you looked at any of the mexican markets around you? Like I know there are Cardenas andthere are just general mercados. You can find some great deals, especially on Wednesdays for fruits and veggies. Those are the days I shop and get things like avocados 5 for .99 of fuji apples 3lbs for .99. Also how about Fresh and Easy for stuff? They put items expiring on clearance and if you would go through them in a day or so they can be a great bargain

[xoxoproverbs31]

I've noticed that a lot of prices for certain groceries are way cheaper than what I could get for them. Mind adding where you live because that will also put into perspective.

I'm in Cali so prices are always up.

[Mama*Kim]

I'm in the greater Seattle area.

[ThreeLittleLovies]

I'm in central Virginia but my Family lives in Los Angeles. I'm am there often enough to see that somethings are less but somethings are more. You have so many more ways to get low cost fresh produce. It evens out. Your taxes in Cali is SO HIGH you probably get hurt there on your budget. Isn't it like 10%? It's only 4.5% here.

[mamatoclaire]

Originally Posted by Mama*Kim My budget is roughly $350 a month for 4 people. That includes toiletries, and other household products. I keep a very solid list of basics in the house at all times, so grocery shopping is more about replenishing basics and picking up specialty items. Here's an example: Breakfasts - I keep a basic stock of cereal, homemade granola, eggs and pancake stuff. This week, I needed to replenish just eggs and sugar. Lunches - Sandwiches or leftovers. I bought bread (only because it was on sale, otherwise I would have made it) and lunchmeat. Dinners this week - Korean meat and lettuce wraps (bought ground turkey, rice and leaf lettuce. Already had seasonings), spaghetti (bought pasta, bread crumbs, and canned tomato products. Already had ground beef, herbs, onion, garlic, and stuff for garlic bread), sausage and veggie pasta (bought sausage, broccoli and diced tomato. Already had onion, carrots and seasonings), chicken soup (already had everything for this: chicken, stock, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, seasonings, potatoes), black bean tacos (bought tortillas, cumin, chili powder, lettuce and salsa. Already had beans, cheese). That leaves two nights of leftovers or eating meals from the freezer (I often cook double batches and freeze the extra). So, this week's grocery list was: eggs, sugar, bread, lunchmeat, ground turkey, rice, leaf lettuce, pasta, bread crumbs, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, sausage, broccoli, tortillas, cumin, chili powder, and salsa. I always grab lots of fruit and veggies for snacking like apples, grapes, cucumbers, bell peppers. I also bought yogurt, almond milk, butter, napkins and a couple of other little snack things. My total was $58. This was a slightly smaller than usual shopping trip, as I typically spend about $80-90 a week. Last week, however, was a bigger trip because I was out of a lot of things. A lot of that carried over to this week.

I shop a lot like this. We are a family of 3 in Idaho. I shop at Winco and have a budget of $80/week. I think figuring out what you use most and stocking your pantry helps a lot. Also cutting back meat, avoiding packaged meals and snacks, and meal planning.

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[Kaylacherie88]

For the month I budget about $300 for 2+ bun in the oven. This includes all household items too, paper towel/toilet paper etc. I live in NY so there are plenty of stores to choose from. I clip coupons and many times I find an awesome sale going on when the coupons are first advertised and I use that opportunity to stock up. 2 weeks ago I clipped a $1 off coupon for 2 huge packs of Charmin TP and the Family Dollar store here had these huge packs on sale for $5 (normally $10). I also do it in the grocery store! I also stick to the basics as far as meals go. I also won't spend more than $2/lb of meat. So steak is a TREAT for us.

[megenic]

$1000 a month for a family of 4 humans and 1 pooch in Canada :-)

[KingsDaughter76]

We have a big family (see siggy) and our grocery budget hits at $600 per month currently...including toiletries. We are switching over to a mostly organic and whole foods diet (been doing a lot of whole foods with some organic but switching over even more now) so I expect our bill to go up a bit more...not too much since we cook at home- don't eat our hardly ever and make a bunch of stuff from scratch.

[Mama*Kim]

WinCo here too. Love them!