brandy327
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,353 
|
Post by brandy327 on Aug 21, 2014 12:54:02 GMT
Do you include stuff like paper towels and toilet paper and cleaners and such in that amount?
We average around $150 a week for our family of 5, so that's about $600 a month. I buy tp and pt in bulk at Sam's so it's like another $50 a month for cleaners and those things. So I'd say that's a little high. We have 2 adults, an 11.5 year old and 2 almost 10 year olds.
That said, we eat mostly chicken for meat. And lots of fruits and veggies and very little processed foods.
|
|
|
|
Post by shevy on Aug 21, 2014 13:05:25 GMT
DH and I spend about $250-$300 for groceries. That's just food and occassionally some paper products and cleaners. But we eat mostly clean meals of protein, fresh produce and small starch. I buy very little processed food and hardly shop the center of the store at all. I make bread, any desserts, crackers, tortilla chips.
|
|
back to *pea*ality
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys ~refugee pea #59
Posts: 3,149
Jun 25, 2014 19:51:11 GMT
|
Post by back to *pea*ality on Aug 21, 2014 13:10:45 GMT
The answer is going to vary from person to person depending on how much they eat out and their preferences, etc.
I shop the aisles of the grocery store and buy very little processed foods. When I refer to processed that I do buy it is without additives, preservatives, coloring. I also buy as much organic as makes sense (for produce I follow the dirty dozen list) and local farm raised as much as possible.
It is very expensive and I probably spend for two what you spend for five in a month. We also don't eat out frequently and I pack breakfast and lunch for work and cook dinner most night. I have an autoimmune disorder and the protocol for wellness for me iincludes eating as clean as possible.
|
|
|
|
Post by leannec on Aug 21, 2014 13:17:08 GMT
That sounds awesome to me because I live in Canada where everything is more expensive  We are a family of four and spend more than that per month ... I also shop mainly the perimeter of the store but meat and produce cost a lot up here ... we just budget for it ... When we were in Washington state last month we stocked up on cheese because it was so much cheaper  Leanne |
|
kelleyd
Shy Member
Posts: 27
|
Post by kelleyd on Aug 21, 2014 13:18:49 GMT
I would say no. I spend 600-700 a month for a family of 4 and we eat out a lot more than you do. Plus, that is only food- all paper products, alcohol (not that I buy a lot of alcohol, but it is so expensive!), and cleaners go into another part of my budget. I have a teen age boy and an 11 year old girl.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ellie on Aug 21, 2014 13:18:59 GMT
If I'm doing the math right, that's just under $200 per week, right? I have foggy brain, but 850x12/52=196ish, right? Personally, I don't think that's outrageous, especially with two teens and an 8 year old in the house. Could it be lower, sure. If you want to get all statistical, look here: USDA Food Costs
Looks like a moderate-cost diet for a family of 4 costs $892/month, without making any of the suggested adjustments in the footnotes. Hmm... |
|
|
|
Post by mrsscrapdiva on Aug 21, 2014 13:24:29 GMT
Regionally (northeast) that does not seem high at all. We are a family of 4, we pack lunches and hardly go out to eat meaning we mostly eat dinner at home. We buy a lot of fresh fruit & veggies and meat. DH has celiac so that includes gf foods too which some are pricey. I am sure when my boys are teens this will be even higher. We spend $850 - $1000 a month. The higher months are usually holiday or birthdays and we are making all the food.
|
|
gloryjoy
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,332
|
Post by gloryjoy on Aug 21, 2014 13:26:55 GMT
That sounds awesome to me because I live in Canada where everything is more expensive We are a family of four and spend more than that per month ... I also shop mainly the perimeter of the store but meat and produce cost a lot up here ... we just budget for it ... When we were in Washington state last month we stocked up on cheese because it was so much cheaper Leanne There are just 2 of us but I can easily spend $850/month on groceries. I too live in Canada so food prices are higher.
We eat very clean and healthy and I find that it is expensive to eat that way. Sometimes it seems like it is cheaper to fill your cart with crap. A loaf of plain white bread is cheap compared to a loaf of multigrain bread.
That amount also includes all our cleaning and paper goods, laundry soap etc. We have our kids and their significant others over for dinner once a week, usually cooking a roast, bbq'ing steaks etc.
I feel like I would rather cut the money out from somewhere else than cut it out of my food budget. |
|
|
|
Post by anxiousmom on Aug 21, 2014 13:27:30 GMT
If your two teens eat like mine, I would say you are doing well. My boys eat, at times, the equivalent to two grown men. We eat a couple of vegetarian meals a week to alleviate some of the costs of meats, but it still seems like my grocery budget doesn't go as far as it used to.  |
|
|
|
Post by maryland on Aug 21, 2014 13:30:11 GMT
That doesn't sound high to me. We spend so much money on groceries. We try to eat healthy, and that's a big reason why our grocery bill is so high. There are 5 of us, including 2 teen daughters and an 11 yr. old daughter. Our girls are big eaters (as all teens are!). They are starving when they get home from school. They too have high metabolisms so they can eat so much and not gain weight (they are also into dance and sports so they get a lot of exercise).
Most people I know say that their grocery bills go up so much when their girls/boys are teens. And when my girls have friends over for a sleepover, I go on a big shopping trip to stock up!
A big part of our budget is the fruit and fresh vegetables and seafood. We don't eat out a lot because it's expensive!
|
|
|
|
Post by melanell on Aug 21, 2014 13:56:46 GMT
We spend close to $200 per week for a family of 4, so your totals don't sound that bad for a family of 5.
|
|
|
|
Post by bc2ca on Aug 21, 2014 14:16:18 GMT
Our grocery expenses range from $750-1000/month for a family of four (2 teens). We have people over 2-3 times a month and eat out about the same amount (not included in grocery budget). I'm not including feeding the kids' friends, but that evens out as mine eat at friends about the same amount as friends eat here.
I live with 3 serious carnivores, so we eat a lot of protein along with fruit & vegetables and that drives up our bills. Everyone takes a lunch if they aren't eating at home.
|
|
calgal08
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,519
Jun 27, 2014 15:43:46 GMT
|
Post by calgal08 on Aug 21, 2014 16:05:26 GMT
For a family of 4 we probably average about $150 per week (that includes all toiletries/paper products/etc.) - that being said, I'm a couponer and I only buy what meat is on sale each week and plan meals around that. I cook/bake pretty much everything from scratch which is a money saver, and we eat at least 3 vegetarian meals a week. I'm sure we're on the low side compared to most people.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 10, 2024 2:25:22 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 21, 2014 16:25:03 GMT
It really also matters where you live, if it's an urban area or suburban, and if there are people with dietary restrictions in your household.
|
|
|
|
Post by ahiller on Aug 21, 2014 16:30:52 GMT
If you are including toiletries and house cleaning/paper products, then that doesn't seem high to me. We spend about that (maybe more!) for 4 of us, but that includes EVERYTHING and we eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and very lean meats. We also don't eat out a ton either but I do admit to getting suckered into the snack stuff that my kids like.
If that's groceries only, then I do think it's high but it also depends on where you live.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fidget on Aug 21, 2014 16:36:06 GMT
Sounds reasonable to me. My weekly grocery budget is $175 and that's for 3 adults. We eat pretty healthy with lots of fresh fruit and veggies, I typically go to the grocery store and the fruit market every week. I usually spend $125-$140 at the grocery and then $30-$50 at the fruit market. I also buy lunchmeat and ground beef at the fruit market, they have a meet and deli counter with great prices.
|
|
|
|
Post by kristi on Aug 21, 2014 16:37:34 GMT
We spend $200 per week (does include toiletries). Meat & lots of fruit = expensive.
|
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Aug 21, 2014 16:40:48 GMT
sounds about right to me - I'm right about $150-175 or so/week for a family of 5 (including cat food/litter, cleaning supplies, TP and toiletries)
It's been harder to stay in budget now I'm cooking lower carb - rice/pasta/potatoes/beans are all filling and relatively inexpensive....and BAD for my blood sugar. Meat is expensive and we're eating it more often now than we used to - mostly boneless chicken and fish although we usually have a roast of some sort of Sundays (whatever is cheapest that week).
|
|
|
|
Post by Dori~Mama~Bear on Aug 21, 2014 17:08:23 GMT
We tend to spend a lot on household supply and groceries. but we buy large at Costco and Cash and Carry. Then we bring it home and split it all up into meal size portions and food save it. We don't have to go to Costco and Cash and Carry every month so that does save us money there. I have found most of the stuff we buy will last us about 2 months. We spend about $300 to $400 (Sometimes less) but that includes all cleaning supplies, meds, office supplies, and other household items needed. We buy all our paper products, ziplock bags, aluminum foil, glad wrap, and any other kind or storage thing we need.
We spend about $100 to $150 every week at Safeway for the stuff we can't buy at Costco. We do eat out but not that often. There are a few things we buy from the Schwan man. We love there ice cream and frozen pizzas that we can't get in a grocery store. Not that we eat them all that often but we have them in the freezer for when we want something quick and not a lot of clean up.
When we buy veggies we usually buy for about 3 days and then I go to the store mid week and restock.
We don't really BUDGET our selves when it comes to food. We buy the brands we like.
My theory is why buy it if you don't like it. When I was a kid my mom didn't have a lot of money. She had a certain amount to spend on food for the month and when that was gone we didn't go to the store for more. So we had the cheapest and what ever brand was on sale. It wasn't her fault but when I started buying my own groceries I would buy the brands of stuff I liked even if it meant having less of any item.
|
|
|
|
Post by lorieann13 on Aug 21, 2014 17:24:18 GMT
I spend between $130 and $160 a week on groceries (food only).
We have 1-2 meatless meals a week.
I buy 2 24 packs of arrowhead water a week plus 5-7 large gallon type arrowhead waters a week for Ds (meducal formula)
No soda, but I do get a jug each of Simply Lemonaid and Sweet Ice tea.
Coconut milk which is $4-5 for a half gallon.
Lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
Dd has Celiac disease so no gluten. Also no dairy, nuts. Limited soy (makes her gassy).
I make pretty much everything myself except for her vegan pretzela, cookies, and ice cream.
I make my own chex mix for her which is way more than a bag of pre made at $2.50-2.99
But I could easily drop $40-50 on fresh produce.
Eta:
so let's say 150 a week = $600-750 a month.
We eat out 1-2x a month and that has its own budget.
Paper products, laundry and dish soap, cleaning products, toiletries, etc has its own budget as well (max of $200)
|
|
|
|
Post by honeyb on Aug 21, 2014 17:27:04 GMT
Our grocery budget includes all health and beauty, paper products, etc. but does not include going out to dinner money. We spend about $900/month for 4 people.
|
|
|
|
Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 21, 2014 17:30:53 GMT
I cook for 4 2/3 of the time and 7 1/3 of the time. Our weekly grocery budget is $200. I usually get paper products and dog food at Sam's club, though. I wish I could find a way to cut our budget. That's only groceries too, not going out to eat.
|
|
